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With her respectful compliments to you, to your good mother and sisters, present mine, though unknown; and believe me to be, dear girl, your affectionate friend and humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

P. S. Sally says, "Papa, my love to Miss Katy.”— If it was not quite unreasonable, I should desire you to write to me every post, whether you hear from me

"Not a word of her face, of her shape, or her air,

Or of flames, or of darts, you shall hear;

I beauty admire, but virtue I prize,

That fades not in seventy year.

"Am I loaded with care, she takes off a large share,
That the burden ne'er makes me to reel;
Does good fortune arrive, the joy of my wife
Quite doubles the pleasure I feel.

"She defends my good name, even when I'm to blame,
Firm friend as to man e'er was given;

Her compassionate breast feels for all the distressed,
Which draws down more blessings from heaven.

"In health a companion delightful and dear,
Still easy, engaging, and free;

In sickness no less than the carefulest nurse,
As tender as tender can be.

"In peace and good order any household she guides,
Right careful to save what I gain;

Yet cheerfully spends, and smiles on the friends
I've the pleasure to entertain.

"Some faults have we all, and so has my Joan,
But then they 're exceedingly small,

And, now I'm grown used to them, so like my own,
I scarcely can see them at all.

"Were the finest young princess, with millions in purse,
To be had in exchange for my Joan,

I could not get better wife, might get a worse,
So I'll stick to my dearest old Joan."

or not. As to your spelling, don't let those laughing girls put you out of conceit with it. It is the best in the world, for every letter of it stands for something.

FROM WILLIAM SHIRLEY TO B. FRANKLIN.

Applauds his Service to the Public in aiding Braddock's Expedition.

SIR,

Oswego, 17 September, 1755.

I have just received your two favors of the 1st and 4th of September. In answer to the former, I enclose to you a copy of a paragraph in my letter to Colonel Dunbar upon that subject.

As to the affair of the wagons and horses, which you engaged for the use of the late General Braddock's I think it of the utmost consequence that army, all such engagements or contracts for the public service should be most punctually complied with; and, had I known the circumstances of this, I should before now have enabled you to make good those you entered into, by the late General's order, for the expedition to the Ohio; not only because common justice demands it, but that such public spirited services deserve the highest encouragement. I now write to Governor Morris to appoint three good men to liquidate and adjust those accounts, and shall direct Mr. Johnson, the paymaster, immediately to pay what they report to be due for that service, according to the enclosed warrant.

Though I am at present engaged in a great hurry of business, being to move from hence in a very few days for Niagara, I cannot conclude without assuring you, that I have the highest sense of your public ser

vices in general, and particularly that of engaging those wagons, without which General Braddock could not have proceeded. I am, with great esteem, &c.*

W. SHIRLEY.

SIR,

TO WILLIAM SHIRLEY.

Thanks, and Proffers of Service.

Philadelphia, 23 October, 1755.

I beg leave to return your Excellency my most sincere and hearty thanks for your letter of the 17th of September, with the orders for the payment of wagon owners, and an extract of your orders to Colonel Dunbar, forbidding the enlistment of servants and apprentices. Acts of justice so readily done become great favors, which I hope will be ever gratefully acknowledged by this people in actions as well as words. I have also your favor of the 5th instant. Governor Morris is gone to Newcastle, to meet the Assembly of

At this time General Shirley was Governor of Massachusetts. He was with the army at Oswego, as commander-in-chief of his Majesty's forces in America. It appears, that he never entirely fulfilled the good intentions expressed in this letter. In his autobiography, Dr. Franklin gives a particular account of the services he rendered to General Braddock, in procuring horses and wagons for his expedition. He expended, of his own money, upwards of a thousand pounds sterling. This sum was in part returned by General Braddock, but the remainder was never paid. When Lord Loudoun succeeded General Shirley, the accounts were examined and compared with the vouchers by the proper officer, and certified to be right; but Lord Loudoun declined giving an order on the paymaster for the balance, stating as a reason, that he preferred not to mix up his accounts with those of his predecessors; and, as Franklin was then on the point of departing for England, he referred him to the treasury in London, where, he said, payment would immediately be made. The application to the treasury, however, was unsuccessful.

the Lower Counties, so that I cannot at present see the papers you refer me to, but I shall wait upon him in my journey to Virginia; and if, on perusing those papers, any thing seeming worthy of your notice should occur to me, I shall communicate my sentiments to you with that honest freedom, which you always approve.

This journey, which I cannot now avoid, will deprive me of the pleasure of waiting on your Excellency in New York, at the time you mention. I hear, too, that the governor does not purpose to send any commissioners thither, but to go himself. I know not what is to be the particular subject of your consultations; but, as I believe all your schemes have the King's service (which is the public good) in view, I cannot but wish them success.

Our Assembly meets the beginning of December, when I hope, to be at home again; and, if any assistance is to be required of them and the people here, depend on my faithful services, so far as my little sphere of influence shall extend. With the highest esteem and respect, I have the honor to be, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.*

The following extract from a letter, written by Israel Pemberton in Philadelphia to Dr. Fothergill in London, towards the close of the year 1755, affords some interesting particulars concerning the spirited conduct of Franklin in promoting Braddock's expedition, and other public measures of that period. Sir John St. Clair was quartermaster-general to Braddock's army.

"When the governors of Boston and New York were here on their way to Annapolis, to meet General Braddock, Governor Shirley insisted on Benjamin Franklin's going with them. He, with some difficulty, undertook the journey, though he had scarcely perfected the scheme, which some others had projected for enabling the Assembly to raise a sum of money legally without the Governor's concurrence, and thereby making use of the opportunity they desired of demonstrating their readiness to comply with the demands of the King, as far as we are capable, consistently with our religious and civil liberties.

"After the business of the Convention was over, Franklin stayed be

TO JAMES READ.

Arms and Ammunition sent to the Frontiers.

DEAR SIR,

Philadelphia, 2 November, 1755.

I have your letter by Mr. Sea, and one just now by express. I am glad to hear the arms are well got up; they are the best that we could procure. I wish they were better; but they are well fortified, will bear a good charge, and I should imagine they would do good service with swan or buck shot, if not so fit for single ball. I have been ill these eight days, confined to my room and bed most of the time, but am now getting better. I have, however, done what I could in sending about to purchase arms, &c., for the supply

hind the governor, in order to settle a post from Will's Creek to this city. He then had an opportunity of frequent conferences with the General, and by that means of removing the great prejudices they had imbibed against the people of this province, which were such that they seemed more intent on an expedition against us, than against the French. They had been told, that we had refused to supply them with provisions and carriages, though the pay for it had been offered us, and would not agree to open a road from their camp to our settlements; and it was very constantly insinuated, that we were at the same time supplying the French with provisions. In answer to which, he had the opportunity of assuring them, that the Assembly had voted £5000 to be laid out in provisions, and made ready before their arrival; that no notice had ever been given of their wanting any more carriages, than the Virginians and Marylanders had undertaken to furnish; and that a committee was then surveying the ground in order to lay out the road. The last charge was so wild that it required little trouble to refute it. Franklin immediately took care to hasten the transportation of the meal,. &c., which had been provided, and undertook to use his endeavours to procure as many horses and wagons as were wanted, and he succeeded so well, as to leave the General in a much better disposition than he found him, and to prevent the ill consequences to be feared from a disappointment. He stayed in the back counties of this province, till he had engaged the wagons, and thus he was providentially employed to avert the unhappy effects, which might reasonably be expected from a madman, as St. Clair may be termed, coming with an armed force among VOL. VII. 7

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