TO JAMES LOGAN. Cannon from Boston. - Insurance on Lottery Tickets. Philadelphia, 27 January, 1748. SIR, I have not yet found the book, but suppose I shall to-morrow. The post goes out to-day, which allows me no time to look for it. We have a particular account from Boston of the guns there. They are in all thirty-nine, Spanish make and new; fifteen of them are twenty-eight pounders, and twenty-four are fourteen or even such as may endanger our trade; who may likewise, in returning, land at such places as they judge suitable to give signals from, and endeavour to agree with the neighbouring inhabitants to keep watch, and give the signals that may be agreed on, and engage to furnish them with guns, tar-barrels, or whatever else may be necessary for that purpose. "That, for the more certain alarming the country on any occasion, as soon as the commander-in-chief at Philadelphia is well informed of the approach, on our coasts, of any considerable force of the enemy, letters and orders may be despatched by expresses to the colonels of some or all of the regiments, as the occasion may require, who may immediately communicate the same to the other officers of the regiments, and they to the men of the respective companies; who are immediately to meet at their usual place of rendezvous, and from thence march to such place as the colonel shall appoint for assembling his regiment; and when all the companies are assembled, the regiment to march to such place, as the commander-in-chief shall have directed. "That, in case of any attempt on the inhabitants of the frontiers by small parties, as the Indian custom is, the superior officers of the regi ment, being well informed of the facts, may despatch away on horseback suitable bodies of active men, well acquainted with the woods, to such places or passes among the mountains, or near the conflux of rivers, by which it is probable the enemy must endeavour to make their retreat; and there to take post and lie in wait till their return, keeping proper scouts or sentinels at a distance from the body, to give notice of their approach; by which means they may be cut off, and the prisoners they take may be recovered; a few instances of which would probably much intimidate those cowardly people, and make them afraid of attempting to attack us hereafter. And that such places may be known to more people, it might be proper for the officers beforehand to make pounders. We offer by this post £1500, this currency, for them all, and suppose we shall get them. The insurers, in consideration of the premium of twenty per cent, engage thus; that, if the prizes arising against the tickets insured do not, one with another, make in the whole a sum equal to the first cost of the tickets, they will make up the deficiency. They now think it a disadvantageous agreement, and have left off insuring; for though they would gain, as you observe, £1000, if they insured the whole at that rate, in one lot, yet it will not be so when they insure a number of separate lots, as ten, twenty, or one hundred tickets in a lot; because the prizes, falling in one lot, do not help to make up the deficiencies in another. The person, that insured your one hundred and twenty a few journeys to them, guided by Indian traders or hunters, accompanied by such of their men as would be suitable to act on occasion, and are disposed that way, observing and pointing out all the proper places for ambushes, &c. The expense of which journeys might be defrayed by the managers of the lottery. "That, if there be certain accounts of any large body of the enemy marching towards any part of the frontiers, the colonels of the nearest frontier regiments may despatch expresses to the commander-in-chief at Philadelphia, with the vouchers of the intelligence, from whom orders may issue to raise such force as may be necessary, to march to the assistance of such threatened frontier. "That the people on the frontiers be advised to pitch on some suitable places at proper distances, and there enclose pieces of ground with palisades or stockades, so as to make them defensible against Indians, whereto, on occasion, their wives, children, and ancient persons may retire in time of danger. In parts where there may not be had sufficient voluntary labor to erect such defences, and the neighbours, being poor, cannot bear the expense, some assistance might be obtained from the lottery managers, if another lottery should go on. "That those managers be applied to, to offer rewards by public declaration to such as should be maimed in action, and pensions to poor widows, whose husbands should happen to fall in defence of their country. "That a number of spades, pickaxes, shovels, &c., be provided for the city regiment, to be used by the negroes and others as pioneers for casting up sudden intrenchments on occasion." five, did the next day give the whole premium to another with six and a quarter per cent more, to be reinsured two thirds of them. I have not insured for anybody; so I shall neither lose nor gain that way. I will send the policy, that you may see it, with the book. I am, Sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN. SIR, TO JAMES LOGAN. Philadelphia, 30 January, 1748. I send you herewith the book, and enclosed is the policy. Here is no news but what is bad, namely, the taking of Mesnard, an account of which we have by way of Lisbon. He was carried into St. Malo. And just now we have advice from New York, that an express was arrived there from New England to inform the government that two prisoners, who had escaped from different parts of Canada and arrived in New England, agreed in declaring, that three thousand men were getting ready to march against Albany, which they intended to besiege and take; and that they were to be joined by a great body of Indians. They write from New York, that the advice is credited there. I wish it may not prove too true, the wretched divisions and misunderstandings among the principal men in that government giving the enemy too much encouragement and advantage. I hope you and your good family continue well, being with sincere respect and affection, &c. B. FRANKLIN. I have a letter from Mr. Samuel Laurence of New York, who undertook to ship the guns for us, informing me that two small vessels had been agreed with to bring them round; but a sloop arriving there on Sunday last, that had been chased in latitude thirtysix by a ship and brigantine, which were supposed to be the Don Pedro with a consort coming on this coast, the Governor and Council thought it more advisable to send them to Brunswick, which we since hear is done. Captain Wallace, a discreet old sea commander of this place, goes to-day or to-morrow to receive them there, and provide carriages to bring them to Philadelphia. The postmaster at New York, and another correspondent there, write me, that the ship seen was certainly the Don Pedro, the captain of the vessel chased knowing her well, having often seen her at the Havana, where he has been several voyages with a flag of truce. He was very near being taken, but escaped by favor of the night. We are glad to hear the Don is come out with one consort only, as by some accounts we apprehended he intended to bring a small fleet with him. It now looks as if his design was more against our trade than our city. With this I send you a packet from London, and a pamphlet from Sweden, both left with me for you by the new Swedish missionary, Mr. Sandin. You must have heard that Mr. James Hamilton is appointed our governor; an event that gives us the more pleasure, as we esteem him a benevolent and upright, as well as a sensible man. I hope he will arrive here early in the summer, and bring with him some cannon from the Proprietors. I am, Sir, &c. B. FRANKLIN. TO CADWALLADER COLDEN. Plans for retiring from Business and declining Public Employment. Governor Shirley. - Peter Kalm, the Swedish Botanist. SIR, Philadelphia, 29 September, 1748. I received your favor of the 12th instant, which gave me the greater pleasure, as it was so long since I had heard from you. I congratulate you on your return to your beloved retirement. I, too, am taking the proper measures for obtaining leisure to enjoy life and my friends, more than heretofore, having put my printinghouse under the care of my partner, David Hall, absolutely left off bookselling, and removed to a more quiet part of the town, where I am settling my old accounts, and hope soon to be quite master of my own time, and no longer, as the song has it, at every one's call but my own. If health continue, I hope to be able in another year to visit the most distant friend I have, without inconvenience. With the same views I have refused engaging further in public affairs. The share I had in the late Association, &c., having given me a little present run of popularity, there was a pretty general intention of choosing me a representative of the city at the next election of Assembly men; but I have desired all my friends, who spoke to me about it, to discourage it, declaring |