notice being taken of it, it died and was forgotten, as I believe it would now be, if treated with the same indifference. I am with great respect, &c.

B FRANKLIN.

TO EDWARD AND JANE MECOM.

Death of his Mother.- Consolations in Affliction. Acquiescence in the Dispensations of Providence.

Philadelphia, 21 May, 1752.

DEAR BROTHER AND SISTER,

I received yours with the affecting news of our dear good mother's death. I thank you for your long continued care of her in her old age and sickness. Our distance made it impracticable for us to attend her, but you have supplied all. She has lived a good life, as well as a long one, and is happy.*

* At another time he wrote to his sister, who was in affliction; "The longer we live we are exposed to more of these strokes of Providence; but, though we consider them as such, and know it is our duty to submit to the Divine will, yet, when it comes to our turn to bear what so many millions before us have borne, and so many millions after us must bear, we are apt to think our case particularly hard. Consolations, however kindly administered, seldom afford us any relief. Natural affections will have their course, and time proves our best comforter. This I have experienced myself; and, as I know your good sense has suggested to you, long before this time, every argument, motive, and circumstance, that can tend in any degree to relieve your grief, I will not by repeating them renew it.

"I am pleased to find, that, in your troubles, you do not overlook the mercies of God, and that you consider as such the children, that are still spared to you. This is a right temper of mind, and must be acceptable to that beneficent Being, who is in various ways continually showering down his blessings upon many, that receive them as things of course, and feel no grateful sentiments arising in their hearts on the enjoyment of them."

Again he wrote; -"There are objections to the doctrine of preëxistence. But it seems to have been invented with a good intention, to save the honor of the Deity, which was thought to be injured by the

Since I sent you the order on Mr. Huske, I have received his account, and find he thinks he has money to receive, and, though I endeavour by this post to convince him he is mistaken, yet possibly he may not be immediately satisfied, so as to pay that order; therefore, lest the delay should be inconvenient to you, I send the six pistoles enclosed. But, if the order is paid, give those to brother John, and desire him to credit my account with them. Your affectionate brother, B. FRANKLIN.

TO EDWARD AND JANE MECOM.

On the Establishing of his Nephew as a Printer in

Antigua.

Philadelphia, 14 November, 1752.

DEAR BROTHER AND SISTER,

Benny sailed from hence this day two weeks, and left our Capes the Sunday following. They are seldom above three weeks on the voyage to Antigua.

That island is reckoned one of the healthiest in the West Indies. My late partner there enjoyed perfect

supposition of his bringing creatures into the world to be miserable, without any previous misbehaviour of theirs to deserve it. This, however, is perhaps an officious supporting of the ark, without being called to such service. Where he has thought fit to draw a veil, our attempt to remove it may be called at least an offensive impertinence. And we shall probably succeed little better in such an adventure to gain forbidden knowledge, than our first parents did when they ate the apple.

"I meant no more by saying mankind were all devils to one another, than that, being in general superior to the malice of other creatures, they were not so much tormented by them as by themselves. Upon the whole, I am much disposed to like the world as I find it, and to doubt my own judgment as to what would mend it. I see so much wisdom, as to what I understand of its creation and government, that I suspect equal wisdom may be in what I do not understand. And thence I have perhaps as much trust in God, as the most pious Christian."

health for four years, till he grew careless, and got to sitting up late in taverns, which I have cautioned Benny to avoid, and have given him all other necessary advice I could think of, relating both to his health and conduct, and I hope for the best.

He will find the business settled to his hand; a newspaper established, no other printing-house to interfere with him, or beat down his prices, which are much higher than we get on the continent. He has the place on the same terms with his predecessor, who, I understand, cleared from five to six hundred pistoles during the four years he lived there. I have recommended him to some gentlemen of note for their patronage and advice.

Mr. Parker, though he looked on Benny as one of his best hands, readily consented to his going, on the first mention of it. I told him Benny must make him satisfaction for his time. He would leave that to be settled by me, and Benny as readily agreed with me to pay Mr. Parker as much as would hire a good journeyman in his room. He came handsomely provided with apparel, and I believe Mr. Parker has, in every respect, done his duty by him, and, in this affair, has really acted a generous part; therefore I hope, if Benny succeeds in the world, he will make Mr. Parker a return beyond what he has promised. I suppose you will not think it amiss to write Mr. and Mrs. Parker a line or two of thanks; for, notwithstanding some little differences, they have on the whole been very kind to Benny.

We have vessels going very frequently from this port to Antigua. You have some too from your port. What letters you send this way, I will take care to forward. Antigua is the seat of government for all the Leeward Islands, to wit, St. Christopher's, Nevis, and

Montserrat. Benny will have the business of all those islands, there being no other printer.

After all, having taken care to do what appears to be for the best, we must submit to God's providence, which orders all things really for the best.

While Benny was here, and since, our Assembly was sitting, which took up my time, and I could not before write you so fully.

With love to your children, I am, dear brother and sister your affectionate brother,

I have your favor of the third past, with your son's remarks on the Abbé Nollet's Letters.* I think the experiments and observations are judiciously made, and so well expressed, that, with your and his leave, I would transmit them to Mr. Collinson for publication. I have repeated all the Abbé's experiments in vacuo, and find them answer exactly as they should do on my principles, and in the material part quite contrary to what he has related of them; so that he has laid himself extremely open, by attempting to impose false accounts of experiments on the world, to support his doctrine.

M. Dalibard wrote to me that he was preparing an answer, that would be published the beginning of this winter; but, as he seems to have been imposed on by

* See these Remarks, by David Colden, in Vol. V. p. 319.

the Abbé's confident assertion, that a charged bottle set down on an electric per se is deprived of its electricity, and in his letter to me attempts to account for it, I doubt he is not yet quite master enough of the subject to do the business effectually. So I conclude to write a civil letter to the Abbé myself, in which, without resenting any thing in his letters, I shall endeavour to set the disputed matters in so clear a light, as to satisfy every one that will take the trouble of reading it. Before I send it home, I shall communicate it to you, and take your friendly advice on it. I set out to-morrow on a journey to Maryland, where I expect to be some weeks, but shall have some leisure when I return. At present, I can only add my thanks to your ingenious son, and my hearty wishes of a happy new year to you, and him, and all yours. I am, Sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN.

P. S. I wrote to you last post, and sent my paper on the Increase of Mankind. I send the Supplemental Electrical Experiments in several fragments of letters, of which Cave has made the most, by printing some of them twice over.

The bookseller in London, who first published Franklin's papers on electricity. See these Experiments, Vol. V. p. 253.