Letter IV.

_Philadelphia, May 18, 1787._

I received duly my good old friend's letter of the 19th of February, with a copy of one from Mr. Williams, to whom I shall communicate it when I see him, which I expect soon to do. He is generally a punctual correspondent, and I am surprised you have not heard from him.

I thank you much for your notes on banks; they are just and solid, as far as I can judge of them. Our bank here has met with great opposition, partly from envy, and partly from those who wish an emission of more paper-money, which they think the bank influence prevents. But it has stood all attacks, and went on well notwithstanding the assembly repealed its charter; a new assembly has restored it; and the management is so prudent, that I have no doubt of its continuing to go on well. The dividend has never been less than 6 per cent, nor will that be augmented for some time, as the surplus profit is reserved to face accidents. The dividend of 11 per cent, which was once made, was from a circumstance scarce avoidable. A new company was proposed, and prevented only by admitting a number of new partners. As many of the first set were averse to this, and chose to withdraw; it was necessary to settle their accounts; so all were adjusted, the profits shared that had been accumulated, and the new and old proprietors jointly began on a new and equal footing. Their notes are always instantly paid on demand, and pass on all occasions as readily as silver, because they will always produce silver.

Your medallion is in good company, it is placed with those of Lord Chatham, Lord Camden, Marquis of Rockingham, Sir George Savil, and some others, who honoured me with a share of friendly regard when in England. I believe I have thanked you for it, but I thank you again.

I believe with you, that if our plenipotentiary is desirous of concluding a treaty of commerce, he may need patience. But if I were in his place, and not otherwise instructed, I should be apt to say, Take your own time, gentlemen. If the treaty cannot be made as much to your advantage as to ours, don't make it. I am sure the want of it is not more to our disadvantage than to yours. Let the merchants on both sides treat with one another. _Laissez les faire._

I have never considered attentively the congress scheme for coining, and I have it not now at hand, so that at present I can say nothing to it. The chief uses of coining seem to be ascertaining the fineness of the metals, and saving the time that would otherwise be spent in weighing to ascertain the quantity. But the convenience of fixed values to pieces is so great as to force the currency of some whose stamp is worn off, that should have assured their fineness, and which are evidently not of half their due weight; this is the case at present with the sixpences in England, which one with another do not weigh three-pence.

You are now 78, and I am 82. You tread fast upon my heels: but, though you have more strength and spirit, you cannot come up with me till I stop; which must now be soon; for I am grown so old as to have buried most of the friends of my youth; and I now often hear persons, whom I knew when children, called _old_ Mr. such a one, to distinguish them from their sons now men grown, and in business; so that by living twelve years beyond _David's_ period, I seem to have intruded myself into the company of posterity, when I ought to have been a-bed and asleep. Yet had I gone at 70, it would have cut off 12 of the most active years of my life, employed too in matters of the greatest importance; but whether I have been doing good or mischief, is for time to discover. I only know that I intended well, and I hope all will end well.

Be so good as to present my affectionate respects to Dr. Rowley. I am under great obligations to him, and shall write to him shortly. It will be a pleasure to him to hear that my malady does not grow sensibly worse, and that is a great point: for it has always been so tolerable, as not to prevent my enjoying the pleasures of society, and being cheerful in conversation. I owe this in a great measure to his good counsels.

Adieu, my dear friend, and believe me ever,

Yours, most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.

_Geo. Whatley, Esq._

FOOTNOTE:

[202] These letters did not come into our possession till the preceding sheets and even the subsequent appendix were printed. We are indebted for them to Mr. I. T. Rutt, the originals of which were put into his hands about twelve years ago by a relation of his, the nephew of the gentleman to whom they were addressed. "Mr. Whatley, the friend of Dr. Franklin," Mr. Rutt informs us, "had engaged in mercantile pursuits, and was for some time a British consul in the Mediterranean. During the latter years of his life, he devoted his time to various objects of public utility, for which he was well qualified, and particularly attached himself to the interests of the Foundling Hospital, of which he was the treasurer. He died in 1791, aged 82, having survived his correspondent not quite a year." _Editor._

APPENDIX, No. II.

CONTAINING LETTERS, BY SEVERAL EMINENT PERSONS, ILLUSTRATIVE OF DR. FRANKLIN'S MANNERS AND CHARACTER.

_Letter from the late Dr. Price to a Gentleman in America._

_Hackney, June 19, 1790._

DEAR SIR,

I am hardly able to tell you how kindly I take the letters with which you favour me. Your last, containing an account of the death of our excellent friend, Dr. Franklin, and the circumstances attending it, deserves my particular gratitude. The account which he has left of his life will show, in a striking example, how a man, by talents, industry, and integrity, may rise from obscurity to the first eminence and consequence in the world; but it brings his history no lower than the year 1757, and I understand, that since he sent over the copy, which I have read, he has been able to make no additions to it. It is with a melancholy regret I think of his death; but to death we are all bound by the irreversible order of nature, and in looking forward to it, there is comfort in being able to reflect--that we have not lived in vain, and that all the useful and virtuous shall meet in a better country beyond the grave.

Dr. Franklin, in the last letter I received from him, after mentioning his age and infirmities, observes, that it has been kindly ordered by the author of nature, that, as we draw nearer the conclusion of life, we are furnished with more helps to wean us from it, among which one of the strongest is the loss of dear friends. I was delighted with the account you gave in your letter of the honour shown to his memory at Philadelphia, and by congress; and yesterday I received a high additional pleasure, by being informed, that the national assembly of France had determined to go into mourning for him[203].--What a glorious scene is opened there! The annals of the world furnish no parallel to it. One of the honours of our departed friend is, that he has contributed much to it.

I am, with great respect,

Your obliged and very

humble servant,

RICHARD PRICE.

FOOTNOTE:

[203] Congress ordered a general mourning throughout the United States for a month: the national assembly of France decreed, that the assembly do wear mourning for three days, that a funeral oration be delivered by M. Mirabeau, the elder, and that the president write a letter of condolence to congress: and the common-council of Paris paid the extraordinary tribute, of attending in a body at a funeral oration, delivered by the Abbe Fauchet, in the Rotunda of the market-place, which was hung with black, illuminated with chandeliers and rows of lamps, and decorated with suitable devices. _Editor._

_Letter from Mr. Thomas Jefferson to the late Dr. William Smith, of Philadelphia[204]._

I feel both the wish and the duty to communicate, in compliance with your request, whatever, within my knowledge, might render justice to the memory of our great countryman, Dr. Franklin, in whom philosophy has to deplore one of its principal luminaries extinguished. But my opportunities of knowing the interesting facts of his life have not been equal to my desire of making them known.

I can only, therefore, testify in general, that there appeared to me more respect and veneration attached to the character of Dr. Franklin in France, than to that of any other person in the same country, foreign or native. I had opportunities of knowing particularly, how far these sentiments were felt by the foreign ambassadors and ministers at the court of Versailles. The fable of his capture by the Algerines, propagated by the English newspapers, excited no uneasiness, as it was seen at once to be a dish cooked up to please certain readers; but nothing could exceed the anxiety of his diplomatic brethren on a subsequent report of his death, which, although premature, bore some marks of authenticity.

I found the ministers of France equally impressed with his talents and integrity. The count de Vergennes, particularly, gave me repeated and unequivocal demonstrations of his entire confidence in him.

When he left Passy, it seemed as if the village had lost its patriarch. On taking leave of the court, which he did by letter, the king ordered him to be handsomely complimented, and furnished him with a litter and mules of his own, the only kind of conveyance the state of his health could bear.

The succession to Dr. Franklin, at the court of France, was an excellent school of humility to me. On being presented to any one, as the minister of America, the common-place question was, "_c'est vous Monsieur, qui remplacez le Docteur Franklin?_"--is it you, sir, who replace Dr. Franklin? I generally answered--"No one can replace him, sir; I am only his successor."

I could here relate a number of those _bon mots_, with which he was used to charm every society, as having heard many of them; but these are not your object. Particulars of greater dignity happened not to occur, during his stay of nine months after my arrival in France.

A little before that time, Argand had invented his celebrated lamp, in which the flame is spread into a hollow cylinder, and thus brought into contact with the air, within as well as without. Dr. Franklin had been on the point of the same discovery. The idea had occurred to him; but he had tried a bullrush as a wick, which did not succeed. His occupations did not permit him to repeat and extend his trials to the introduction of a larger column of air, than could pass through the stem of a bullrush.

About that time, also, the king of France gave him a signal testimony of respect, by joining him with some of the most illustrious men of the nation to examine that ignis-fatuus of philosophy, the animal magnetism of the maniac, Mesmer; the pretended effects of which had astonished all Paris. From Dr. Franklin's hand, in conjunction with his brethren of the learned committee, that compound of fraud and folly was unveiled, and received its death-wound. After this nothing very interesting was before the public, either in philosophy or politics, during his stay; and he was principally occupied in winding up his affairs, and preparing for his return to America.

These small offerings to the memory of our great and dear friend (whom time will be making still greater, while it is spunging us from its records) must be accepted by you, sir, in that spirit of love and veneration for him, in which they are made; and not according to their insignificancy in the eyes of a world, which did not want this mite to fill up the measure of his worth.

His death was an affliction which was to happen to us at some time or other. We have reason to be thankful he was so long spared; that the most useful life should be the longest also; that it was protracted so far beyond the ordinary span allotted to humanity, as to avail us of his wisdom and virtue, in the establishment of our freedom in the west; and to bless him with a view of its dawn in the east, where men seemed till now to have learned every thing--but _how to be free_.

FOOTNOTE:

[204] Extracted from the Eulogium on Dr. Franklin, delivered by Dr. W. Smith, before the American philosophical society. _Editor._

_Letter from the late Dr. Joseph Priestley to the Editor of the Monthly Magazine[205]._

SIR,

I have just read in the Monthly Review, vol. 36, p. 357, that the late Mr. Pennant said of Dr. Franklin, that, "living under the protection of our mild government, he was secretly playing the incendiary, and too successfully inflaming the minds of our fellow subjects in America, till that great explosion happened, which for ever disunited us from our once happy colonies."

As it is in my power, as far as my testimony will be regarded, to refute this charge, I think it due to our friendship to do it. It is probable, that no person now living was better acquainted with Dr. Franklin and his sentiments on all subjects of importance, than myself, for several years before the American war. I think I knew him as well as one man can generally know another. At that time I spent the winters in London, in the family of the Marquis of Lansdown, and few days passed without my seeing more or less of Dr. Franklin; and the last day that he passed in England, having given out that he should depart the day before, we spent together, without any interruption, from morning till night.

Now he was so far from wishing for a rupture with the colonies, that he did more than most men would have done, to prevent it. His constant advice to his countrymen, he always said, was "to bear every thing from England, however unjust;" saying, that "it could not last long, as they would soon outgrow all their hardships." On this account Dr. Price, who then corresponded with some of the principal persons in America, said, he began to be very unpopular there. He always said, "If there must be a war, it will be a war of ten years, and I shall not live to see the end of it." This I have heard him say many times.

It was at his request, enforced by that of Dr. Fothergil, that I wrote an anonymous pamphlet, calculated to show the injustice and impolicy of a war with the colonies, previous to the meeting of a new parliament. As I then lived at Leeds, he corrected the press himself, and, to a passage, in which I lamented the attempt to establish arbitrary power in so large a part of the British empire, he added the following clause, "to the imminent danger of our most valuable commerce, and of that national strength, security, and felicity, which depend on union and on liberty."

The unity of the British empire, in all its parts, was a favourite idea of his. He used to compare it to a beautiful China vase, which, if once broken, could never be put together again: and so great an admirer was he at the time of the British constitution, that he said he saw no inconvenience from its being extended over a great part of the globe. With these sentiments he left England; but when, on his arrival in America, he found the war begun, and that there was no receding, no man entered more warmly into the interests of what he then considered as _his country_, in opposition to that of Great Britain. Three of his letters to me, one written immediately on his landing, and published in the collection of his Miscellaneous Works, p. 365, 552, and 555[206], will prove this.

By many persons, Dr. Franklin is considered as having been a cold-hearted man, so callous to every feeling of humanity, that the prospect of all the horrors of a civil war could not affect him. This was far from being the case. A great part of the day abovementioned that we spent together, he was looking over a number of American newspapers, directing me what to extract from them for the English ones; and, in reading them, he was frequently not able to proceed for the tears literally running down his cheeks. To strangers he was cold and reserved; but where he was intimate, no man indulged to more pleasantry and good humour. By this he was the delight of a club, to which he alludes in one of the letters above referred to, called the _whig-club_, that met at the London coffee-house, of which Dr. Price, Dr. Kippis, Mr. John Lee, and others of the same stamp, were members.

Hoping that this vindication of Dr. Franklin will give pleasure to many of your readers, I shall proceed to relate some particulars relating to his behaviour, when lord Loughborough, then Mr. Wedderburn, pronounced his violent invective against him at the privy-council, on his presenting the complaints of the province of Massachusetts (I think it was) against their governor. Some of the particulars may be thought amusing.

On the morning of the day on which the cause was to be heard, I met Mr. Burke, in Parliament-street, accompanied by Dr. Douglas, afterwards bishop of Carlisle; and after introducing us to each other, as men of letters, he asked me whither I was going? I said I could tell him where I _wished_ to go. He then asking me where that was, I said to the privy-council, but that I was afraid I could not get admission. He then desired me to go along with him. Accordingly I did; but when we got into the anti-room, we found it quite filled with persons as desirous of getting admission as ourselves. Seeing this, I said, we should never get through the crowd. He said, "Give me your arm;" and locking it fast in his, he soon made his way to the door of the privy-council. I then said, Mr. Burke, you are an excellent leader; he replied, "I wish other persons thought so too."

After waiting a short time, the door of the privy-council opened, and we entered the first, when Mr. Burke took his stand behind the first chair next to the president, and I behind that the next to his. When the business was opened, it was sufficiently evident, from the speech of Mr. Wedderburn, who was counsel for the governor, that the real object of the court was to insult Dr. Franklin. All this time he stood in a corner of the room, not far from me, without the least apparent emotion.

Mr. Dunning, who was the leading counsel on the part of the colony, was so hoarse, that he could hardly make himself heard; and Mr. Lee, who was the second, spoke but feebly in reply; so that Mr. Wedderburn had a complete triumph. At the sallies of his sarcastic wit, all the members of the council, the president himself (Lord Gower) not excepted, frequently laughed outright. No person belonging to the council behaved with decent gravity, except Lord North, who, coming late, took his stand behind the chair opposite to me.

When the business was over, Dr. Franklin, in going out, took me by the hand, in a manner that indicated some feeling. I soon followed him, and going through the anti-room, saw Mr. Wedderburn there surrounded with a circle of his friends and admirers. Being known to him, he stepped forwards as if to speak to me; but I turned aside, and made what haste I could out of the place.

The next morning I breakfasted with the doctor, when he said, "He had never before been so sensible of the power of a good conscience; for that if he had not considered the thing for which he had been so much insulted, as one of the best actions of his life, and what he should certainly do again in the same circumstances, he could not have supported it." He was accused of clandestinely procuring certain letters, containing complaints against the governor, and sending them to America, with a view to excite their animosity against him, and thus to embroil the two countries. But he assured me, that he did not even know that such letters existed, till they were brought to him as agent for the colony, in order to be sent to his constituents; and the cover of the letters on which the direction had been written, being lost, he only guessed at the person to whom they were addressed, by the contents.

That Dr. Franklin, notwithstanding he did not show it at the time, was much impressed by the business of the privy council, appeared from this circumstance: when he attended there, he was dressed in a suit of Manchester velvet; and Silas Dean told me, that, when they met at Paris to sign the treaty between France and America, he purposely put on that suit.

Hoping that this communication will be of some service to the memory of Dr. Franklin, and gratify his friends,

I am, sir, your's, &c.

J. PRIESTLEY.

_Northumberland, Nov. 10, 1802._

FOOTNOTES:

[205] Inserted in the number for February, 1803. _Editor._

[206] Answering to page [___] of the present volume. _Editor._

FINIS.

JAMES CUNDEE, PRINTER,

_Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row_.

INDEX.

A.

_Accent_, or emphasis, wrong placing of, a fault in modern tunes, ii. 345.

_Accidents_ at sea, how to guard against, ii. 172.

_Adams_, Mr. Matthew, offers the use of his library to Franklin, i. 16.

_Addison_, Franklin an assiduous imitator of, in his youth, i. 13.

_Advice_ to youth in reading, ii. 378. to emigrants to America, iii. 398. to a crafty statesman, 430. to a young tradesman, 463. to a young married man, 477. to players at chess, 490.

_Æpinus_, his hypothesis of magnetism, i. 412.

_Agriculture_ takes place of manufactures till a country is fully settled, iii. 107. the great business of America, 393.

_Air_, some of the properties of, ii. 226. its properties with respect to electricity, i. 204. properties of its particles, 205. ii. 1. its currents over the globe, i. 207. resists the electric fluid and confines it to bodies, 241. its effects in electrical experiments, 253. its elasticity not affected by electricity, 254. its friction against trees, 270, 323. has its share of electricity, 333. its electricity denser above than below, 335. in rooms, electrified positively and negatively, 353. attracts water, ii. 1. when saturated with water precipitates it, 2. dissolves water, and, when dry, oil, 4. why suffocating, when impregnated with oil or grease, _ibid._ supports water, 5, 46, 49. why less heated in the higher regions than near the earth's surface, 6. how it creates hurricanes, _ibid._ winds, 8. whirlwinds, 10. effects of heat upon, 50. its effects on the barometer, 92. condensed, supposed to form the centre of the earth, 119, 127. noxious, corrected by vegetation, 129. observations on the free use of, 213. rare, no bad conductor of sound, 337. fresh, beneficial effects of, in bed-rooms, iii. 495.

_Air-thermometer_, electrical, experiments with, i. 336.

_Albany_ plan of union, short account of, i. 127. its singular fate, 129. papers relating to, iii. 3. motives on which formed, 4. rejects partial unions, 6. its president and grand council, 9. election of members, 12. place of first meeting, 13. new election, _ibid._ proportion of members after three years, 15. meetings of the grand council and call, 16. allowance to members, 17. power of president and his duty, 18. treaties of peace and war, _ibid._ Indian trade and purchases, 19. new settlements, 21. military establishments, 23. laws and taxes, 24, 26. issuing of money, 25. appointment of officers, 27. rejected in England, 29.

_Almanack._ _See Poor Richard._

_Alphabet_, a new one proposed, ii. 357. examples of writing in it, 360. correspondence on its merits, 361.

_Amber_, electrical experiments on, i. 403.

_America_, North, air of, drier than that of England and France, ii. 140. why marriages are more frequent there than in Europe, 385. why labour will long continue dear there, _ibid._ argument against the union of the colonies of, under one government, 401. state of toleration there, 457. reflections on the scheme of imposing taxes on, without its consent, iii. 30. thoughts on the representation of, in the British parliament, 37. interest of Great Britain with regard to, 39. forts in the back settlements of, no security against France, 99. wars carried on there against the French, not merely in the cause of the colonies, 105. preference of the colonies of, to the West Indian colonies, 113. great navigable rivers of, favourable to inland trade, 118. what commodities the inland parts of, are fitted to produce, 119. the productions of, do not interfere with those of Britain, 123. union of the colonies of, in a revolt against Britain, impossible but from grievous oppression, 132. reasons given for restraining paper-bills of credit there, 144. intended scheme of a bank there, described, 155. attempts of Franklin for conciliation of Britain with, 286. feeling of, as to Britain, in May 1775, 346. conciliation of Britain with, hopeless, 355. account of the first campaign of the British forces against, 357. application of, to foreign courts, for aid in its independence, 360. credit of, with that of Britain, in 1777, compared, 372. true description of the interest and policy of, 391. information to those emigrating thither, 398. terms on which land may be obtained for new settlements there, 409.

_Americans_, their prejudices for whatever is English, i. 144.

_Anchor_, a swimming one proposed, ii. 181, 185.

_Ancients_, their experimental learning too often slighted, ii. 146.

_Anecdote_ of Franklin's early spirit of enterprise, i. 11. of a Swedish clergyman among the Indians, iii. 386. of an Indian who went to church, 389.

_Animal_ food, Franklin's abstinence from, i. 20. return to, 47. humorous instance of abstinence from, 49. heat, whence it arises, ii. 79, 125. magnetism, detected and exposed, i. 150.

_Animalcules_, supposed to cause the luminous appearance of sea-water, ii. 89.

_Animals_, how to kill them by electricity, i. 415.

_Antifederalists_ of America, comparison of, to the ancient Jews, iii. 410.

_Apprentices_ easier placed out in America than in Europe, iii. 407. indentures of, how made in America, 408.

_Argumentation_, bad effects of, as a habit, i. 17. best method of, 22.

_Armies_, best means of supporting them, ii. 400.

_Armonica_, musical instrument so called, described, ii. 330. manner of playing on it, 334.

_Asbestos_, specimen of, sold by Franklin to Sir Hans Sloane, i. 60. letter relating to it, iii. 513.

_Astrology_, letter to the Busy-body on, iii. 448.

_Atmosphere_ sometimes denser above than below, ii. 6. electrical, its properties, i. 294.

_Aurora borealis_ explained, i. 212. conjectures respecting, 257, ii. 69. query concerning, i. 293.

B.

_Badoin_, Mr. letters from, i. 314, 324.

_Ballads_, two, written by Franklin in his youth, i. 16.

_Balls_ of fire in the air, remark concerning, ii. 337.

_Barometer_, how acted on by air, ii. 92.

_Barrels_ for gunpowder, new sort proposed, i. 376.

_Bass_, unnecessary in some tunes, ii. 343.

_Bathing_ relieves thirst, ii. 104. observations on, 211.

_Battery_, electrical, its construction, i. 193.

_Baxter_, Mr. observations on his enquiry into the nature of the soul, ii. 110.

_Beccaria_, character of his book on electricity, i. 310.

_Beer_, not conducive to bodily strength, i. 62.

_Bells_, form in consecrating them at Paris, i. 384.

_Belly-ache_, dry, lead a cause of, ii. 220.

_Bermuda_, little thunder there, i. 216.

_Bermudian_ sloops, advantages of their construction, ii. 173.

_Bernoulli_, Mr. his plan for moving boats, ii. 179.

_Bevis_, Dr. draws electricity from the clouds, i. 429.

_Bible_, anecdote of its concealment in the reign of Mary, i. 7. travestied by Dr. Brown, 31.

_Bills_ of mortality, reasonings, formed on those for capital cities, not applicable to the country, ii. 383.

_Birth_, noble, no qualification in America, iii. 400.

_Bishops_, none in America, and why, ii. 456, 458.

_Black clothes_ heat more and dry sooner than white, ii. 108. not fit for hot climates, 109.

_Blacksmith_, trade of, hereditary in Franklin's family, i. 4.

_Blindness_ occasioned both by lightning and electricity, i. 228.

_Boats_, difference of their sailing in shoal and deep water, ii. 160. management of, best understood by savages, 176. how rowed by the Chinese, 177. methods of moving them by machinery, _ibid._ improvement of Mr. Bernoulli's plan for moving them, 179. proposal for a new mode of moving them, _ibid._ double, advantage of, 173, 174. one built by Sir W. Petty, _ibid._

_Bodies_, electrified negatively, repel each other, ii. 294. effect of blunt, compared with pointed ones, i. 172, 223.

_Body_, human, specifically lighter than water, ii. 208. political and human, compared, iii. 115.

_Boerhaave_, his opinion of the propagation of heat, ii. 58. of steam from fermenting liquors, 59.

_Boiling_ water, experiments with, i. 332, 344, 345. pot, bottom of, why cold, 387.

_Bolton_, Mr. experiment by, i. 346.

_Books_ read by Franklin in his youth, i. 15, 18, 20, 21.

_Boston_, the birth-place of Franklin, i. 8. why quitted by him in his youth, 27, its inhabitants decrease, ii. 210. preface to proceedings of the town meeting of, iii. 317.

_Boyle's_ lectures, effect of, on Franklin, i. 79.

_Braddock_, general, defeat of, i. 131.

_Bradford_, printer at Philadelphia, i. 34, 102.

_Brass_, hot, yields unwholesome steams, ii. 249

_Brientnal_, Joseph, a member of the Junto club, i. 83.

_Brimstone_, when fluid, will conduct electricity, i. 256.

_Bristol waters_, an alledged fact concerning, ii. 95.

_Britain_, incapacity of, to supply the colonies with manufactures, ii. 386.

_British empire_, an union of several states, iii. 310.

_Brown_, Dr. acquaintance of Franklin's, i. 30. travestied the bible, 31.

_Bubbles_ on the surface of water, hypothesis respecting, ii. 48.

_Buchan_, earl of, letter to, on the price of land for new settlements in America, iii. 409.

_Buildings_, what kind safest from lightning, i. 379.

_Bullion_, causes of its variation in price, iii. 153.

_Bunyan's_ Voyages, a book early read by Franklin, i. 15, 28.

_Bur_, cause of, round a hole struck through pasteboard, i. 280.

_Burnet_, governor, his attention to Franklin in his youth, i. 44.

_Busy-body_, essays under the title of, i. 86. iii. 422.

C.

_Cabinet-work_, veneered in England, shrinks and flies in America, ii. 140.

_Cables_, why apt to part when weighing anchor in a swell, ii. 167. this defect of, remedied, 168.

_Cabot_, Sebastian, his commission from Henry VII., iii. 348.

_Calvinism_, Franklin educated in the principles of, i. 79.

_Campaign_ in America, account of the first, iii. 357.

_Canals_, observations on their depth, ii. 159.

_Canada_, importance of, to England, i. 136. visited by Franklin, 147. its extent, iii. 20. pamphlet on the importance of, 89. easily peopled without draining Britain, 139.

_Cancers_, specific for, i. 260, 261.

_Candles_ lighted by electricity, i. 176. distance at which the flame of, may be seen, ii. 90.

_Cann_, silver, a singular experiment on, i. 307.

_Canoes_ of the American Indians, their advantages, ii. 176.

_Canton_, Mr. John, experiments by, i. 286, 346. draws electricity from the clouds, 428.

_Capitals_, their use in printing, ii. 352.

_Caribbees_, possession of, only a temporary benefit, iii. 142.

_Carolina_, South, see _Lightning_.

_Cavendish_, lord Charles, his electrical experiments, i. 348.

_Cayenne_ would be a great acquisition to Britain, iii. 140.

_Centre_ of the earth, hypothesis concerning, ii. 119, 127.

_Cessions_ from an enemy, on what grounds may be demanded, iii. 93.

_Chapel_, nickname for a printing house, i. 63.

_Character_, remarks on the delineation of, iii. 445.

_Charcoal-fires_, hurtful, ii. 235.

_Charging_ and discharging, in electricity, explained, i. 190. a number of bottles at once, how done, _ibid._

_Charters_ of the colonies could not be altered by parliament, iii. 332.

_Chess_, morals of, iii. 488. not an idle amusement, _ibid._ teaches various virtues, 489. advice to those who play, 490. too intense an application to, injurious, 500.

_Chimnies_, different kinds of, enumerated, ii. 228. inconvenience of the old-fashioned ones, 229. defect of more modern ones, 230. have not long been in use in England, 277. Staffordshire, described, 285. have a draft of air up and down, 289. may be used for keeping provisions in summer, 290. may be of use to miners, 291. funnels to, what the best, 292, 295. method of contracting them, 317. smoky. See _Smoky_.

_China_, provision made there against famine, ii. 407.

_Chinese_ wisely divide the holds of their vessels by partitions, ii. 171. how they row their boats, 177. their method of warming ground floors, 292. improvement in this method suggested, 293. their method of making large paper, 349.

_Circle_, magical, account of, ii. 327, 328.

_Cities_, spring water gradually deteriorates in, i. 163. do not supply themselves with inhabitants, ii. 384.

_Clark_, Dr. of Boston, quoted, on the instigation of the American Indians against the English, iii. 95, 100, 102.

_Clothes_, wet, may preserve from lightning, i. 213. will relieve thirst, ii. 104. do not give colds, _ibid._ imbibe heat according to their colour, 108. white, most suitable for hot climates, _ibid._

_Clothing_ does not give, but preserves, warmth, ii. 81.

_Clouds_, at land and at sea, difference between, i. 207. formed at sea, how brought to rain on land, 208. driven against mountains, form springs and rivers, 209. passing different ways, accounted for, 211. electrical, attracted by trees, spires, &c. 213. manner in which they become electrised, 257, 305. are electrised sometimes negatively and sometimes positively, 274, 277, 284, 292. electricity drawn from them, at Marly, 420. by Mr. Cauton, 428. by Dr. Bevis, 429, by Mr. Wilson, _ibid._ how supported in air, ii. 5. how formed, 7. whether winds are generated or can be confined in them, 57. have little more solidity than fogs, _ibid._

_Club_, called the Junto, instituted by Franklin, i. 82. rules of, ii. 366, 369. questions discussed in, 369.

_Coal_, sea, letter on the nature of, ii. 128.

_Cold_, why seemingly greater in metals than in wood, ii. 56, 77. sensation of, how produced, 57. only the absence of heat, 81. produced by chemical mixtures, _ibid._ evaporation. See _Evaporation_.

_Colden_, Mr. his remarks on Abbé Nollet's letters, i. 430. meteorological observations, ii. 51. observations on water-spouts, 53.

_Colds_, causes of, ii. 214, 230.

_Coleman_, William, a member of the Junto club, i. 84, 89.

_Colica pictorum_, caused by lead, ii. 219.

_Collins_, John, an early friend of Franklin's, i. 17, 27, 41, 43, 44.

_Collinson_, Mr. some account of, iii. 514.

_Colonial_ governments in America of three kinds, iii. 50.

_Colonies_, the settlement of, does not diminish national numbers, ii. 391. their prosperity beneficial to the mother country, iii. 113. are intitled to distinct governments, 303. American, preferable to the West Indies, _ibid._ not dangerous to Britain, 132. aids to government, how given by, 225, 226. originally governed by the crown, independent of Parliament, 291. not settled at the expence of Britain, 348.

_Colonists_ in America, double their number in 25 years, iii. 113. from Britain, their rights, 299.

_Colours._ See _Clothes_.

_Comazants_, or corposants, are electrical appearances, i. 248.

_Commerce_, influence of, on the manners of a people, ii. 400. is best encouraged by being left free, 415. should not be prohibited in time of war, 417. by inland carriage, how supported, iii. 116.

_Common-sense_, by Paine, Franklin supposed to have contributed to, i. 148.

_Compass_, instances of its losing its virtue by lightning, i. 248. how to remedy the want of, at sea, ii. 191.

_Conductors_ of lightning, very common in America, i. 113. first suggestion of the utility of, 227. construction of, 358. particulars relating to, 377. of electricity, difference in the action of, 200, 303. which the most perfect, 253, 256. and non-conductors, other terms substituted for, _ibid._ of common fire, their properties and differences, ii. 76, 77. experiments on, ii. 77.

_Congress_, Franklin appointed a delegate to, i. 146. proposed overture from, in 1775, iii. 347.

_Consecration_ of bells in France, form of, i. 384.

_Conspirators_, electrical, meaning of the term, i. 196.

_Controversy_, benefit of, iii. 92.

_Conversation_, advantage of useful topics of, at dinner, i. 12.

_Cook_, captain, circular letter concerning, iii. 515. copy of the voyages of, presented to Franklin, by the Admiralty, 517.

Cookery, at sea, generally bad, ii. 194.

_Copper_, manner of covering houses with, ii. 318, 320, 322.

_Copper_ plate printing-press, the first in America, constructed by Franklin, i. 77.

_Corn_, ill policy of laying restraints on the exportation of, ii. 413, 418.

_Countries_, distant and unprovided, a plan for benefiting, ii. 403.

_Creation_, conjectures as to, ii. 118.

_Credit_, that of America and Britain in 1777, compared, iii. 372. depends on payment of loans, 373. industry and frugality, 374. public spirit, 375. income and security, 376. prospects of future ability, _ibid._ prudence, 377. character for honesty, 378. is money to a tradesman, 464.

_Criminal_ laws, reflections on, ii. 439.

_Crooked_ direction of lightning explained, i. 316.

_Cutler_, circumstance that prevented Franklin's being apprenticed to one, i. 14.

_Currents_ at sea, often not perceivable, ii. 185.

_Cyder_, the best quencher of thirst, ii. 195.

D.

_Dalrymple_, Mr. scheme of a voyage under his command to benefit remote regions, ii. 403.

_Damp_ air, why more chilling than dry air that is colder, ii. 56, 77.

_Dampier_, account of a water-spout by, ii. 33. references to his voyage, on the subject of water-spouts, 58.

_Dampness_ on walls, cause of, ii. 50.

_Day-light_, proposal to use it instead of candle-light, iii. 470.

_Deacon_, Isaac, from an underling to a surveyor, becomes inspector- general of America, i. 78. prognosticates the future eminence in life of Franklin, _ib._

_Death_ of Franklin, i. 153. letter from Dr. Price on, iii. 541. of relatives, reflections on, 507.

_Deism_, effects on Franklin of books written against, i. 79.

_Deluge_, accounted for, ii. 127.

_Denham_, a quaker, a friend of Franklin's, i. 54. extraordinary trait of honesty of, to his creditors, 67. Franklin's engagement with, as a clerk, 68, 70.

_Denmark_, the people of, not subject to colds, ii. 244.

_Denny_, governor, remarks on his official conduct in Pensylvania, iii. 170.

_Desaquiliers_, his experiment on the vapour of hot iron, ii. 249.

_Dew_, how produced, i. 207.

_Dialogue_, between Franklin and the gout, iii. 499.

_Dickenson_, Mr. his remarks on the views of England in framing laws over the colonies, iii. 234. remarks on his conduct, 192. on his protest, 202.

_Discontented_ dispositions satirized, iii. 485.

_Discontents_ in America before 1768, causes of, iii. 225.

_Dissentions_ between England and America, letter on, iii. 310.

_Dissertation_, early one of Franklin's, that he repented having written, i. 58.

_Disputation_, modesty in, recommended, i. 21. ii. 317.

_Disputes_ between Franklin and his brother, to whom he was apprenticed, i. 24.

_Domien_, a traveller, short account of, i. 302.

_Drawling_, a defect in modern tunes, ii. 345.

_Dreams_, art of procuring pleasant ones, iii. 493.

_Dumas_, Monsieur, letter to, on the aid wanted by America in her struggle for independence, iii. 360.

_Duna_ river, not to be confounded with the Dwina, iii. 119, note.

_Dust_, how raised and carried up into the air, ii. 3.

_Duties_, moral, the knowledge of, more important than the knowledge of nature, ii. 95.

_Dutch_ iron stove, advantages and defects of, ii. 233.

E.

_Early_ impressions, lasting effect of, on the mind, iii. 478.

_Earth_ will dissolve in air, ii. 2. dry, will not conduct electricity, i. 206. the, sometimes strikes lightning into the clouds, 274. grows no hotter under the summer sun, why, ii. 86. different strata of, 116. theory of, 117.

_Earthquakes_, general good arising from, ii. 116. how occasioned, 120, 128.

_Eaton_, in Northamptonshire, residence of Franklin's family, i. 3.

_Ebb_ and flood, explanation of the terms, ii. 100.

_Economical_ project, iii. 469.

_Edinburgh_, an ordinance there against the purchase of prize-goods, ii. 447.

_Education_ of women, controversy respecting, i. 17.

_Eel_, electrical, of Surinam, i. 408, 409.

_Effluvia_ of drugs, &c. will not pass through glass, i. 243.

_Electrical_ air-thermometer described, i. 336, _et seq._ atmosphere, how produced, 221. how drawn off, 222. atmospheres repel each other, 294. repel electric matter in other bodies, _ib._ battery, its construction, 193. clouds, experiment regarding, 229. death, the easiest, 307. experiments, Franklin's eager pursuit of, 104. made in France, 109. various, 182, 229, 254, 255, 261, 271, 278, 286, 294, 307, 327, 337, 348, 371, 434. fire, not created by friction, but collected, 173. passes through water, 202. loves water and subsists in it, 203. diffused through all matter, 205 visible on the surface of the sea, _ibid._ its properties and uses, 214, _et seq._ produces common fire, 214, 238, 356. has the same crooked direction as lightning, 315. fluid, its beneficial uses, 219. is strongly attracted by glass, 236. manner of its acting through glass hermetically sealed, 241. a certain quantity of, in all kinds of matter, 275. nature of its explosion, 280. chooses the best conductor, 281, 378. force, may be unboundedly increased, 251. horse-race, 334. jack for roasting, 197. kiss, its force increased, 177. kite, described, 268. machine; simple and portable one, described, 178. matter, its properties, 217, 294. party of pleasure, 202. phial, or Leyden bottle, its phenomena explained, 179. shock, observations on, 182. effects of a strong one on the human body, 297, 306. spark, perforates a quire of paper, 195. wheel, its construction, 196. self-moving one, 198.

_Electricity_, summary of its progress, i. 104. positive and negative, discovered, 106. distinguished, 175. in a tourmalin, 370. does not affect the elasticity of the air, 254. its similarity to lightning, 288. its effects on paralysis, 401. of fogs in Ireland, 405. supposed affinity between, and magnetism, 410.

_Electrics per se_ and non-electrics, difference between, i. 242, 258.

_Electrified_ bumpers described, i. 203.

_Electrisation_, what constitutes the state of, i. 218. various appearances of, 175. variety of, 176.

_Electrising_ one's self, manner of, i. 174.

_Elocution_, how best taught, ii. 374.

_Embassador_ from the United States to France, Franklin appointed to the office of, i. 148.

_Emblematical_ design illustrative of the American troubles, iii. 371.

_Emigrants_ to America, advice to, iii. 398.

_Empire_, rules for reducing a great one, iii. 334.

_England_, Franklin's first arrival in, i. 55. second arrival in, as agent for the province of Pensylvania, 134. third arrival in, as agent for the same province, 141. its air moister than that of America, ii. 140. decrease of population in, doubtful, 296.

_English_, effect of the ancient manners of, ii. 399. language, innovations in, 351.

_Enterprises_, public, Franklin's early disposition for, i. 10.

_Ephemera_, an emblem of human life, iii. 508.

_Epitaph_ on Franklin's parents, i. 13. on himself, 155.

_Episcopalians_, conduct of the American legislature towards, ii. 455.

_Errors_ of Franklin's early life, i. 45, 58, 61, 80, 97.

_Ether_, what, ii. 59.

_Evaporation_, cold produced by, i. 344, ii. 76, 83, 85. of rivers, effects of, 106.

_Examination_ of Franklin before the house of commons, i. 142, iii. 245. before the privy council, 328. further particulars of, 551.

_Exchange_, rate of, between Philadelphia and Britain, iii. 252.

_Exercise_, should precede meals, iii. 493.

_Experiments_, to show the electrical effect of points, i. 171, 172. to prove the electrical state of the Leyden phial, 182. of firing spirits by a spark sent through a river, 202. to show how thunder-storms produce rain, 209. on the clouds, proposed, 228. on drugs electrified, 243. on the elasticity of the air, 254. on the electric fluid, 255. by Mr. Kennersley, 261. on the electricity of the clouds, 271. for increasing electricity, 278. by Mr. Canton, 286. in pursuance of those of Mr. Canton, 294. on a silver cann, 307. on the velocity of the electric fluid, 327, 329, 330. for producing cold by evaporation, 344. on the different effects of electricity, 357. by lord Charles Cavendish, 348. on the tourmalin, 371. to show the utility of long pointed rods to houses, 389. on amber, 403 _et seq._ on the Leyden phial, 434. on different coloured cloths, ii. 108, 109. on the sailing of boats, 160.

_Exportation_ of gold and silver, observations on, ii. 416.

_Exports_ to North America and the West Indies, iii. 127, 128. to Pensylvania, 129, 250. from ditto, 250.

_Eye_, retains the images of luminous objects, ii. 340.

F.

_Facts_, should be ascertained before we attempt to account for them, ii. 96.

_Family_ of Franklin, account of, i. 5. _et seq._

_Famine_, how provided against in China, ii. 407.

_Fanning_, how it cools, ii. 87.

_Farmers_, remonstrance in behalf of, ii. 420.

_Federal_ constitution, speech on, iii. 416.

_Felons_, transportation of, to America, highly disagreeable to the inhabitants, iii. 235.

_Fermenting_ liquors, their steam deleterious, ii. 59.

Fire, not destroyed by water, but dispersed, i. 172. makes air specifically lighter, 206. exists in all bodies, 214. common and electrical, exist together, _ibid._ a region of, above our atmosphere, 257, ii. 124. many ways of kindling it, i. 356. exists in a solid or quiescent state in substances, _ibid._ ii. 80, 122. recovers its fluidity by combustion, _ibid._ is a fluid permeating all bodies, 76. conductors of, are also best conductors of the electric fluid, _ibid._ difference between, and electrical conductors, 77. how diffused through substances, 78. how generated in animated bodies, 79. theory of, 122. a fixed and permanent quantity of, in the universe, 123. its properties, 227. electrical, see _Electrical_.

_Fire-companies_, numerous at Philadelphia, i. 103.

_Fire-places_, Pensylvanian, account of, ii. 225. large and open, inconvenient, 228. hollow backed, by Gauger, 232. Staffordshire, 285. an ingenious one for serving two rooms, 296.

_Fires_, at sea, how often produced, ii. 174. great and bright, damage the eyes and skin, 230.

_Fisheries_, value of those of Newfoundland, iii. 452.

_Flame_, preserves bodies from being consumed while surrounding them, ii. 310, 311.

_Flaxseed_, amount of the exportation of from America to Ireland, iii. 270.

_Flesh_, of animals, made tender by lightning and by electricity, i. 359, 414.

_Flies_, drowned in America, brought to life in England, ii. 223.

_Flood_ and ebb, explanation of the terms, ii. 100.

_Florence_ flask, when filled with boiling water, not chargeable with electricity, i. 332, 345.

_Fog_, great, in 1783, ii. 68. conjectures as to its cause, _ibid._

_Fogs_, how supported in air, ii. 5. electricity of, in Ireland, i. 405.

_Folger_, family-name of Franklin's mother, i. 8.

_Foreigners_, the importation of, not necessary to fill up occasional vacancies in population, ii. 390.

_Forts_ in the back settlements, not approved of, iii. 99.

_Foster_, judge, notes on his argument for the impress of seamen, ii. 437.

_Foundering_ at sea, accidents that occasion it, ii. 169, 170.

_Fountain_, when electrified, its stream separates, i. 206.

_Fowls_, improperly treated at sea, ii. 193.

_Fragments_, political, ii. 411.

_France_, its air moister than that of America, ii. 140. effects of its military manners, 399.

_Franklin_, derivation of the name, i. 4. genealogy of the family of, 5.

_Franks_, the improper use of, reprobated, ii. 435.

_Freezing_ to death in summer, possibility of, ii. 84.

_French_ language, its general use, ii. 353.

_Frontiers_, in America, the attack of, the common cause of the state, iii. 109.

_Frugality_, advantages of, ii. 397. observance of, in America, iii. 374

_Fruit-walls_, blacking them recommended, ii. 110.

_Fuel_, scarce in Philadelphia, ii. 225.

_Fulling-mills_ in America, iii. 270.

_Fusion_, cold, of metals, supposed, i. 215. proves a mistake, 339. error respecting it acknowledged, 355.

G.

_Galloway_, Mr, preface to his speech, iii. 163.

_Garnish-money_, practice among printers of demanding it, i. 63.

_Gauger_, M. his invention for fire-places, ii. 232.

_Genealogy_ of the Franklin family, i. 5.

_German_ stoves, advantages and disadvantages of, ii. 234.

_Germany_, why the several states of, encourage foreign manufactures in preference to those of each other, iii. 118. note.

_Gilding_, its properties as a conductor, i. 201. the effects of lightning and of electricity on, 229. fails as a conductor after a few shocks, 231.

_Glass_, has always the same quantity of electrical fire, i. 191. possesses the whole power of giving a shock, 192, 247. in panes, when first used in an electrical experiment, 193, 194. great force in small portions of, 199. impermeable to the electric fluid, 234, 310. strongly attracts the electric fluid, 236. cannot be electrified negatively, _ibid._ its opposite surfaces, how affected, _ibid._ its component parts and pores extremely fine, 237. manner of its operation in producing electricity, _ibid._ its elasticity, to what owing, 239. thick, resists a change of the quantity of electricity of its different sides, 242. rod of, will not conduct a shock, _ibid._ when fluid, or red hot, will conduct electricity, 256. difference in its qualities, 301. error as to its pores, 302. will admit the electric fluid, when moderately heated, 345, 347. when cold retains the electric fluid, 346. experiments on warm and cold, 348. singular tube and ball of, 386.

_Glasses_, musical, described, ii. 330, _et seq._

_God_, saying in America respecting, iii. 401.

_Godfrey_, Thomas, a lodger with Franklin, i. 81. a member of the Junto, 83. inventor of Hadley's quadrant, _ibid._ wishes Franklin to marry a relation of his, 95.

_Gold_ and silver, remarks on exportation of, ii. 416.

_Golden_ fish, an electrical device, i. 233.

_Government_, free, only destroyed by corruption of manners, ii. 397.

_Gout_, dialogue with that disease, iii. 499.

_Grace_, Robert, member of the Junto club, i. 84, 89.

_Gratitude_ of America, letter on, iii. 239.

_Greasing_ the bottoms of ships, gives them more swiftness, ii. 180.

_Greece_, causes of its superiority over Persia, ii. 397.

_Greek_ empire, the destruction of, dispersed manufacturers over Europe, iii. 122.

_Green_ and red, relation between the colours of, ii. 341.

_Greenlanders_, their boats best for rowing, ii. 176.

_Guadaloupe_, its value to Britain over-rated, iii. 139.

_Gulph-stream_, observations on, ii. 186. whalers frequent its edges, _ibid._ long unknown to any but the American fishermen, _ibid._ how generated, 187. its properties, _ibid._ tornadoes and water-spouts attending it, accounted for, 188. how to avoid it, 197. Nantucket whalers best acquainted with it, 198. thermometrical observations on, 199. journal of a voyage across, _ibid._

_Gunpowder_, fired by electricity, i. 250. magazines of, how to secure them from lightning, 375. proposal for keeping it dry, 376.

H.

_Habits_, effects of, on population, ii. 393. 394.

_Hadley's_ quadrant, by whom invented, i. 83, 95.

_Hail_, brings down electrical fire, i. 292. how formed, ii. 66.

_Hamilton_, Mr. a friend of Franklin's, i. 54, 88.

_Handel_, criticism on one of his compositions, ii. 345.

_Harmony_, in music, what, ii. 339.

_Harp_, effect of, on the ancient Scotch tunes, ii. 340.

_Harry_, David, companion of Franklin's, i. 72, 93.

_Hats_, summer, should be white, ii. 109. the manufacture of, in New England, in 1760, iii. 131.

_Health_ of seamen, Captain Cook's method of preserving it recommended, ii. 190.

_Heat_, produced by electricity and by lightning, i. 338, 339. better conducted by some substances than others, ii. 56, 58. how propagated, 58. the pain it occasions, how produced, 78. in animals, how generated, 79, 125. in fermentation, the same as that of the human body, 80. great, at Philadelphia, in 1750, 85. general theory of, 122.

_Herrings_, shoals of, perceived by the smoothness of the sea, ii. 150.

_Hints_ to those that would be rich, iii. 466.

_Holmes_, Robert, brother-in-law to Franklin, i. 37, 71.

_Honesty_, often a very partial principle of conduct, ii. 430.

_Honours_, all descending ones absurd, iii. 550.

_Hopkins_, governor, his report of the number of inhabitants in Rhode Island, iii. 129.

_Horse-race_, electrical, i. 335.

_Hospital_, one founded by the exertions of Franklin, i. 126.

_Hospitals_, foundling, state of in England and France, iii. 544*, 548*.

_Hospitality_, a virtue of barbarians, iii. 391.

_Houses_, remarks on covering them with copper, ii. 318, 320. many in Russia covered with iron plates, 319. their construction in Paris renders them little liable to fires, 321.

_Howe_, lord, letter from, to Franklin, iii. 365. Franklin's answer to, 367.

_Hudson's_ river, winds there, ii. 52, 59.

_Hunters_, require much land to subsist on, ii. 384.

_Hurricanes_, how produced, ii. 7. why cold in hot climates, _ibid._

_Hutchinson_, governor, cause of the application for his removal, iii. 323. account of the letters of, 331, 551.

_Hygrometer_, best substances for forming one, ii. 136. mahogany recommended for forming one, 141.

I. J.

_Jackson_, Mr. remarks on population by, ii. 392.

_Jamaica_, its vacant lands not easily made sugar lands, iii. 140.

_Javelle_, his machinery for moving boats, ii. 177.

_Ice_ will not conduct an electric shock, i. 201.

_Ice-islands_, dangerous to shipping, ii. 176.

_Idleness_, the heaviest tax on mankind, ii. 411, iii. 454. encouraged by charity, ii. 422. reflections on, iii. 428.

_Jefferson_, Mr. letter from, on the character of Franklin, iii. 545.

_Jesuits_, hostility of the Indians in America excited by, iii. 95.

_Ignorance_, a frank acknowledgment of, commendable, i. 308.

_Imports_ into Pensylvania from Britain before 1766, iii. 250.

_Impress_ of seamen, notes on Judge Foster's argument in favour of, ii. 437.

_Inarticulation_ in modern singing, censured, ii. 348.

_Increase_ of mankind, observations on, ii. 383, and _seq._ what prevented by, 386, 387. how promoted, 388, 389. further observations on, 393.

_Indemnification_, just ground for requiring cessions from an enemy, iii. 93.

_Independence_, soon acquired in America, iii. 402.

_Indian trade_ and affairs, remarks on a plan for the future management of, iii. 216. spirituous liquors the great encouragement of, 219. the debts from, must be left to honour, 220. not an American but a British interest, 275.

_Indians_, of North America, a number of, murdered, i. 139. often excited by the French against the English, iii. 95. list of fighting men in the different nations of, 221. difference of their warfare from that of Europeans, 100. remarks concerning, 383. their mode of life, 384. public councils, 385. politeness in conversation, 386. rules in visiting, 388.

_Industry_, effects of Franklin's, i. 85. the cause of plenty, ii. 396. essential to the welfare of a people, 411. relaxed by cheapness of provisions, 415. a greater portion of, in every nation, than of idleness, 396, 429, iii. 396. its prevalence in America, iii. 373.

_Inflammability_ of the surface of rivers, ii. 130.

_Inland_ commerce, instances of, iii. 120.

_Innovations_ in language and printing, ii. 351.

_Inoculation_, letter on the deaths occasioned by, ii. 215. success of, in Philadelphia, 216, 217.

_Insects_, utility of the study of, ii. 93.

_Interrogation_, the mark of, how to be placed, ii. 356.

_Invention_, the faculty of, its inconveniences, i. 308.

_Inventions_, new, generally scouted, _ibid._

_Journal_ of a voyage, crossing the gulph-stream, ii. 199. from Philadelphia to France, 200, 201. from the channel to America, 202, _et seq._

_Iron_ contained in the globe, renders it a great magnet, ii. 119. query whether it existed at the creation, 126. hot, gives no bad smell, 247. yields no bad vapours, 248. rods, erected for experiments on the clouds, i. 270. conduct more lightning in proportion to their thickness, 282.

_Islands_ far from a continent have little thunder, i. 216.

_Italic_ types, use of, in printing, ii. 355.

_Judges_, mode of their appointment in America, in 1768, iii. 23.

_Junto._ See _Club_.

K.

_Keimer_, a connection of Franklin's, some account of, i. 35, 70, 93.

_Keith_, sir William, Franklin patronized by, i. 39. deceived by, 54. character of, 57.

_Kinnersley_, Mr. electrical experiments by, i. 261, _et seq._, 331.

_Kiss_, electrical, i. 177.

_Kite_ used to draw electricity from the clouds, i. 108. electrical, described, i. 268.

_Knobs_, not so proper as points, for conducting lightning, i. 359.

L.

_Labour_, why it will long continue dear in America, ii. 385. its advantages, 427, 428.

_Land_, terms on which it may be obtained in America, by settlers, iii. 409.

_Landing_ in a surf, supposed practicable, how, ii. 154. tried without success, 155.

_Language_, remarks on innovations in, ii. 351, _et seq._

_Laughers_, satyrized, iii. 425.

_Law_, the old courts of, in the colonies, as ample in their powers, as those in England, iii. 304.

_Law-expenses_, no discouragement to law-suits, iii. 270.

_Law-stamps_, a tax on the poor, iii. 269.

_Lead_, effects of, on the human constitution, ii. 219.

_Leaks_ in ships, why water enters by them most rapidly at first, ii. 109. means to prevent their being fatal, 170.

_Leather_ globe, proposed, instead of glass, for electrical experiments, i. 267.

_Left_ hand, a petition from, iii. 483.

_Leg_, handsome and deformed, humourous anecdote of, iii. 437.

_Legal_ tender of paper-money, its advantages, iii. 150. further remarks on, 151.

_Lending_ money, new mode of, iii. 463.

_Letter-founding_ effected by Franklin in America, i. 74.

_Leutmann_, J. G. extract from his vulcanus famulans, ii. 298.

_Leyden_ bottle, its phenomena explained, i. 179. analysed, 192. experiment to prove its qualities, 245. when sealed hermetically, retains long its electricity, 345.

_Liberty_ of the press, observations on, ii. 463. abused, 465. of the cudgel, should be allowed in return, 467.

_Libraries_, public, the first in America set on foot by Franklin, i. 99. are now numerous in America, 100. advantages of, to liberty, 101.

_Life_ and death, observations on the doctrines of, ii. 222.

_Light_, difference between that from the sun and that from a fire in electrical experiments, i. 173. difficulties in the doctrines of, i. 253. queries concerning, _ibid._ visibility of its infinitely small particles computed, ii. 90. new theory of, 122.

_Lighthouse-tragedy_, an early poem of Franklin's, i. 16.

_Lightning_, represented by electricity, i. 176. drawn from the clouds, by a kite, 268. by an iron rod, _ibid._ reasons for proposing the experiment on, 304. its effects at Newbury, 310. will leave other substances, to pass through metals, 312. communicates magnetism to iron, 314. objections to the hypothesis of its being collected from the sea, 318, 323. effects of, on a wire at New York, 326. on Mr. West's pointed rod, 340, _et seq._ how it shivers trees, 359. effects of, on conductors in Carolina, 361, 362, 364. does not enter through openings, 368. should be distinguished from its light, 369. an explosion always accompanies it, _ibid._ observations on its effects on St. Bride's church, 374, 382. how to preserve buildings from, 377. personal danger from, how best avoided, 381. brought down by a pointed rod, in a large quantity, 389. how to prevent a stroke of, at sea, ii. 175.

_Linnæus_, instance of public benefit arising from his knowledge of insects, ii. 94.

_London_, atmosphere of, moister than that of the country, ii. 139.

_Loyalty_ of America before the troubles, iii. 237.

_Luxury_, beneficial when not too common, ii. 389. definition of, 395, 425. extinguishes families, 395. not to be extirpated by laws, 401. further observations on, 425.

_Lying-to_, the only mode yet used for stopping a vessel at sea, ii. 181.

M.

_Maddeson_, Mr. death of, lamented, iii. 544*.

_Magazine_ of powder, how to secure it from lightning, i. 375.

_Magical_ circle of circles, ii. 327. picture, i. 195. square of squares, ii. 324.

_Magnetism_, animal, detected and exposed, i. 150. given by electricity, 248, 314. and electricity, affinity between, 410. supposed to exist in all space, ii. 119, 126. conjectures as to its effects on the globe, 120. enquiry how it first came to exist, 126.

_Mahogany_, expands and shrinks, according to climate, ii. 138. recommended for an hygrometer, 141.

_Mandeville_, Franklin's acquaintance with, i. 39.

_Manners_, effects of, on population, ii. 393, _et seq._ letter to the Busy-body on the want of, iii. 432.

_Manufactures_, produce greater proportionate returns than raw materials, ii. 410. founded in the want of land for the poor, iii. 107. are with difficulty transplanted from one country to another, 121. hardly ever lost but by foreign conquest, 122. probability of their establishment in America, 260. want no encouragement from the government, if a country be ripe for them, 405.

_Maritime_ observations, ii. 162.

_Marly_, experiments made at, for drawing lightning from the clouds, i. 421.

_Marriage_ of Franklin, i. 97.

_Marriages_, where the greatest number take place, ii. 383. why frequent and early in America, 385. iii. 113, 403. early, letter on, iii. 475.

_Maryland_, account of a whirlwind there, ii. 61. of paper bills formerly issued there, iii. 155. its conduct in a French war, previous to the American troubles, defended, 262.

_Massachusets_ bay, petition of the inhabitants of, to the king, iii. 325.

_Matter_, enquiry into the supposed vis inertiæ of, ii. 110. man can neither create nor annihilate it, 123.

_Mawgridge_, William, member of the Junto club, i. 84.

_Maxims_, prudential, from poor Richard's almanack, iii. 453.

_Mazeas_, abbe, letter from, i. 420.

_Meal_, grain, &c. manner of preserving them good for ages, i. 376. ii. 190.

_Mechanics_, advantages of an early attention to, i. 14.

_Mediocrity_, prevalence of, in America, iii. 399.

_Melody_ in music, what, ii. 340.

_Men_, six, struck down by an electric shock, i. 306.

_Mercer_, Dr. letter from, on a water-spout, ii. 34.

_Merchants_ and shopkeepers in America, iii. 394.

_Meredith_, Hugh, companion of Franklin, short account of, i. 72, 76, 89.

_Metalline_ rods, secure buildings from lightning, i. 281. either prevent or conduct a stroke, 310.

_Metals_, melted by electricity and by lightning, i. 215, 229. when melted by electricity, stain glass, 232. polished, spotted by electrical sparks, 253. feel colder than wood, why, ii. 56.

_Meteorological_ observations, ii. 1, 45, 66.

_Methusalem_ slept always in the open air, iii. 495.

_Mickle_, Samuel, a prognosticator of evil, i. 81.

_Military_ manners, effects of, ii. 398, 399. power of the king, remarks on, iii. 307.

_Militia_ bill, Franklin the author of one, i. 132. particular one, rejected by the governor of Pensylvania, 100. iii. 157.

_Mines_, method of changing air in them, ii. 291. of rock salt, conjectures as to their formation, 92.

_Mists_, how supported in air, ii. 5.

_Modesty_ in disputation recommended, ii. 317.

_Money_, how to make it plenty, iii. 467. new mode of lending, 468.

_Moral_ principles, state of Franklin's mind respecting, on his entering into business, i. 79.

_Morals_ of chess, iii. 488.

_Motion_, the communication and effects of, ii. 7, 8. of vessels at sea, how to be stopped, 181.

_Mountains_, use of, in producing rain and rivers, i. 208. why the summits of, are cold, ii. 6. conjecture how they became so high, 91.

_Music_, harmony and melody of the old Scotish, ii. 338. modern, defects of, 343.

_Musical_ glasses described, ii. 330.

N.

_Nantucket_ whalers best acquainted with the gulph-stream, ii. 198.

_National_ wealth, data for reasoning on, ii. 408. three ways of acquiring, 410.

_Navigation_, difference of, in shoal and deep water, ii. 158. observations on, 195, 196. from Newfoundland to New York, 197. inland, in America, iii. 118.

_Needle_ of a compass, its polarity reversed by lightning, i. 248, 325. of wood, circular motion of, by electricity, 332, 351.

_Needles_, magnetised by electricity, i. 148. and pins, melted by electricity, 249.

_Negatively_ electrised bodies repel each other, i. 294.

_Negroes_ bear heat better, and cold worse, than whites, ii. 86.

_Newbury_, effects of a stroke of lightning there, i. 310.

_New-England_, former flourishing state of, from the issue of paper money, iii. 145. circumstances which rendered the restriction of paper money there not injurious, 148. abolition of paper currency there, 263.

_Newfoundland_ fisheries, more valuable than the mines of Peru, iii. 452.

_Newspaper_, one sufficient for all America, in 1721, i. 23. instance of one set up by Franklin at Philadelphia, 86.

_New-York_, effects of lightning there, i. 326. former flourishing state of, from the issue of paper-money, iii. 146. sentiments of the colonists on the act for abolishing the legislature of, 232. obtained in exchange for Surinam, 349.

_Nollet_, Abbé, Franklin's theory of electricity opposed by, i. 113. remarks on his letters, 430.

_Non-conductors_ of electricity, i. 378.

_Non-electric_, its property in receiving or giving electrical fire, i. 193.

_North-east_ storms in America, account of, ii. 68.

_Nurses_, office at Paris for examining the health of, iii. 549*.

O.

_Oak_ best for flooring and stair-cases, ii. 321.

_Ohio_, distance of its fort from the sea, iii. 119, note.

_Oil_, effect of heat on, ii. 4. evaporates only in dry air, _ibid._ renders air unfit to take up water, _ibid._ curious instance of its effects on water in a lamp, 142. stilling of waves by means of, 144, 145, 148, 150, 151, 154.

_Old_ man's wish, song so called quoted, iii. 546*.

_Onslow_, Arthur, dedication of a work to, by Franklin, iii. 59.

_Opinions_, vulgar ones too much slighted, ii. 146. regard to established ones, thought wisdom in a government, iii. 226.

_Orthography_, a new mode of, ii. 359.

_Osborne_, a friend of Franklin's, i. 50, 53

_Oversetting_ at sea, how it occurs, ii. 172. how to be prevented, _ibid._, 173.

_Outriggers_ to boats, advantages of, ii. 173.

P.

_Packthread_, though wet, not a good conductor, i. 200.

_Paine's_ Common Sense, Franklin supposed to have contributed to, i. 148.

_Paper_, how to make large sheets, in the Chinese way, ii. 349. a poem, iii. 522.

_Paper-credit_, cannot be circumscribed by law, ii. 418.

_Paper-money_, pamphlet written by Franklin on, i. 91. American, remarks and facts relative to, iii. 144. advantages of, over gold and silver, iii. 152.

_Papers_ on philosophical subjects, i. 169, _et seq._ ii. 1, _et seq._ on general politics, ii. 383, _et seq._ on American subjects, before the revolution, iii. 3, _et seq._ during the revolution, iii. 225, _et seq._ subsequent to the revolution, iii. 383, _et seq._ on moral subjects, iii. 421, _et seq._

_Parable_ against persecution, ii. 450.

_Paradoxes_ inferred from some experiments, i. 262.

_Paralysis_, effects of electricity on, i. 401.

_Parliament_ of England, opinions in America, in 1766, concerning, iii. 254.

_Parsons_, William, member of the Junto club, i. 83.

_Parties_, their use in republics, iii. 396.

_Party_ of pleasure, electrical, i. 202.

_Passages_ to and from America, how to be shortened, ii. 138. why shorter from, than to, America, 189.

_Passengers_ by sea, instructions to, ii. 192.

_Patriotism_, spirit of, catching, iii. 90.

_Peace_, the victorious party may insist on adequate securities in the terms of, iii. 96.

_Penn_, governor, remarks on his administration, iii. 183. sold his legislative right in Pensylvania, but did not complete the bargain, 189.

_Pensylvania_, Franklin appointed clerk to the general assembly of, i. 102. forms a plan of association for the defence of, 104. becomes a member of the general assembly of, 114. aggrievances of, iii. 50. infraction of its charter, 52. review of the constitution of, 59. former flourishing state of, from the issue of paper-money, 146. rate of exchange there, 154. letter on the militia bill of, 157. settled by English and Germans, 162. English and German, its provincial languages, _ib._ pecuniary bargains between the governors and assembly of, 165. taxes there, 246, 251. number of its inhabitants, 249. proportion of quakers, and of Germans, _ibid._ exports and imports, 250. assembly of, in 1766, how composed, 252.

_Pensylvanian_ fire-places, account of, ii. 223. particularly described, 235. effects of, 239. manner of using them, 241. advantages of, 243. objections to, answered, 247. directions to bricklayers respecting, 251.

_Peopling_ of countries, observations on, ii. 383, _et seq._

_Perkins_, Dr. letter from, on water-spouts, ii. 11. on shooting stars, 36.

_Persecution_, parable against, ii. 450. of dissenters, letter on, 452. of quakers in New England, 454.

_Perspirable_ matter, pernicious, if retained, ii. 50.

_Perspiration_, necessary to be kept up, in hot climates, ii. 86. difference of, in persons when naked and clothed, 214.

_Petition_ from the colonists of Massachusets bay, iii. 325. of the left hand, 483.

_Petty_, sir William, a double vessel built by, ii. 174.

_Philadelphia_, Franklin's first arrival at, i. 32. account of a seminary there, instituted by Franklin, 116 to 127. state of the public bank at, iii. 551*.

_Phytolacca_, or poke weed, a specific for cancers, i. 261.

_Picture_, magical, described, i. 195.

_Plain_ truth, Franklin's first political pamphlet, iii. 524.

_Plan_ for benefiting distant countries, ii. 403. for settling two western colonies, iii. 41. for the management of Indian affairs, remarks on, 216. for improving the condition of the free blacks, 519.

_Planking_ of ships, improvement in, ii. 189.

_Pleurisy_, Franklin attacked by, i. 71, 154.

_Plus_ and minus electricity, in the Leyden bottle, i. 181. in other bodies, 185.

_Pointed_ rods, secure buildings from lightning, i. 283, 381. experiments and observations on, 388. objections to, answered, 395, 396.

_Points_, their effects, i. 170. property of, explained, 223. experiment showing the effect of, on the clouds, 283. mistake respecting, 310.

_Poke-weed_, a cure for cancers, i. 260, 261.

_Polarity_ given to needles by electricity, i. 248.

_Poles_ of the earth, if changed, would produce a deluge, ii. 127.

_Political_ fragments, ii. 411.

_Polypus_, a nation compared to, ii. 391.

_Poor_, remarks on the management of, ii. 418. the better provided for, the more idle, 422.

_Poor_ Richard, maxims of, iii. 453.

_Pope_, criticism on two of his lines, i. 23.

_Population_, observations on, ii. 383. causes which diminish it, 386. occasional vacancies in, soon filled by natural generation, 390. rate of its increase in America, 385. iii. 113, 250, 254. why it increases faster there, than in England, iii. 255.

_Positions_ concerning national wealth, ii. 408.

_Positiveness_, impropriety of, ii. 318.

_Postage_, not a tax, but payment for a service, iii. 265. state of, in America, in 1766, 279.

_Post-master_, and deputy post-master general, Franklin appointed to the offices of, i. 102, 127.

_Potts_, Stephen, a companion of Franklin's, i. 72, 84.

_Poultry_, not good at sea, ii. 193.

_Powder-magazines_, how secured from lightning, i. 375.

_Power_ to move a heavy body, how to be augmented, ii. 191.

_Pownall_, governor, memorial of, to the Duke of Cumberland, iii. 41. letter from, on an equal communication of rights to America, 243. constitution of the colonies by, 299.

_Preface_ to Mr. Galloway's speech, iii. 163. to proceedings of the inhabitants of Boston, 317.

_Presbyterianism_, established religion in New England, ii. 454.

_Press_, account of the court of, ii. 463. liberty of, abused, 465.

_Pressing_ of seamen, animadversions on, ii. 437.

_Price_, Dr. letter from, on Franklin's death, iii. 541.

_Priestley_, Dr. letter from, on Franklin's character, iii. 547.

_Printers_ at Philadelphia before Franklin, i. 36.

_Printing_, Franklin apprenticed to the business of, i. 15. works at it as a journeymen in England, 58, 62. in America, 35, 71. enters on the business of, as master, 78. observations on fashions in, ii. 355.

_Prison_, society for relieving the misery of, i. 151. not known among the Indians of America, iii. 220.

_Privateering_, reprobated, ii. 436. further observations on, 446. article to prevent it, recommended in national treaties, 448. inserted in a treaty between America and Prussia, 449.

_Proas_, of the pacific ocean, safety of, ii. 173. flying, superior to any of our sailing boats, 176.

_Produce_ of the inland parts of America, iii. 119.

_Products_ of America, do not interfere with those of Britain, iii. 124.

_Prose-writing_, method of acquiring excellence in, i. 18.

_Protest_ against Franklin's appointment as colonial agent, remarks on, iii. 203.

_Provisions_, cheapness of, encourages idleness, ii. 415.

_Prussian_ edict, assuming claims over Britain, iii. 311.

_Public_ services and functions of Franklin, i. 125. spirit, manifest in England, iii. 91. different opinion respecting it expressed, 375.

_Punctuality_ of America in the payment of public debts, iii. 373.

_Puckridge_, Mr. inventor of musical glasses, i. 136.

Q.

_Quaker-lady_, good advice of one to Franklin in his youth, i. 42.

_Quakers_, persecution of, in New England, ii. 454. proportion of, in Pensylvania, iii. 249.

_Quebec_, remarks on the enlargement of the province of, iii. 20, note.

_Queries_ concerning light, i. 258. proposed at the Junto club, ii. 366. from Mr. Strahan, on the American disputes, iii. 287.

_Questions_ discussed by the Junto club, ii. 369.

R.

_Rain_, how produced, i. 207. generally brings down electricity, 292. why never salt, ii. 32. different quantities of, falling at different heights, 133.

_Ralph_, James, a friend of Franklin's, i. 50, 53, 54, 57, 60.

_Rarefaction_ of the air, why greater in the upper regions, ii. 6.

_Read_, maiden name of Franklin's wife, i. 33, 37, 49, 54, 59, 70, 96.

_Reading_, Franklin's early passion for, i. 15, 16. how best taught, ii. 372. advice to youth respecting, 378.

_Recluse_, a Roman Catholic one, in London, i. 65.

_Red_ and green, relation between the colours of, ii. 341.

_Regimen_, sudden alterations of, not prejudicial, i. 49.

_Religious_ sect, new one, intended establishment of, i. 48.

_Repellency_, electrical, how destroyed, i. 172.

_Representation_, American, in the British parliament, thoughts on, iii. 37, 243.

_Repulsion_, electrical, the doctrine of, doubted, i. 333. considerations in support of, 349.

_Revelation_, doubted by Franklin in his youth, i. 79.

_Rhode-Island_, purchased for a pair of spectacles, iii. 21. its population at three periods, iii. 129.

_Rich_, hints to those that would be, iii. 466.

_Ridicule_, delight of the prince of Condé in, iii. 424.

_Rivers_, from the Andes, how formed, i. 209. motion of the tides in, explained, ii. 96, 102. do not run into the sea, 105. evaporate before they reach the sea, 106. inflammability of the surface of, 130.

_Rods_, utility of long pointed ones, to secure buildings from lightning, i. 388. See farther. _Iron._ _Lightning._ _Metalline._

_Rome_, causes of its decline enquired into, ii. 398. political government of its provinces, iii. 136.

_Rooms_, warm, advantages of, ii. 249. do not give colds, ibid.

_Roots_, edible, might be dried and preserved for sea-store, ii. 190.

_Rosin_, when fluid, will conduct electricity, i. 256.

_Rousseau_, his opinion of tunes in parts, ii. 342.

_Rowing_ of boats, Chinese method of, ii. 177.

_Rowley_, Dr. Franklin's obligations to, iii. 555*.

S.

_Sailing_, observations on, ii. 163.

_Sails_, proposed improvements in, ii. 164, 166.

_Saint_ Bride's church, stroke of lightning on, i. 374.

_Salt_, dry, will not conduct electricity, i. 258. rock, conjectures as to its origin, ii. 91.

_Saltness_ of the sea-water considered, _ib._

_Savage_, John, a companion of Franklin's, i. 72.

_Savages_ of North America, remarks on, iii. 383, _et seq._

_School_, sketch of one, for Philadelphia, ii. 370.

_Scotch_ tunes, harmony of, and melody, ii. 338.

_Screaming_, a defect in modern tunes, ii. 345.

_Scull_, Nicholas, member of the Junto club, i. 83.

_Sea_, electrical qualities of its component parts, i. 205. opinion, that it is the source of lightning, considered, 269, 321, 322. supposed cause of its luminous appearance, ii. 88. from what cause, salt, 91. has formerly covered the mountains, _ib._

_Sea-coal_, has a vegetable origin, ii. 128. prejudices against the use of, at Paris, 278.

_Sea-water_, soon loses its luminous quality, i. 269. considerations on the distillation of, ii. 103. how to quench thirst with, 104. thermometrical observation on, 199, _et seq._

_Security_, a just ground to demand cessions from an enemy, iii. 93.

_Separation_ of the colonies from Britain, probability of, in 1775, iii. 356.

_Servants_ in England, the most barren parts of the people, ii. 395.

_Settlements_, new, in America, letter concerning, iii. 409.

_Settlers_ of British colonies, their rights, iii. 299.

_Sheep_, a whole flock killed by lightning, i. 415.

_Ships_, abandoned at sea, often saved, ii. 169. may be nicely balanced, 170. accidents to, at sea, how guarded against, 172.

_Shirley_, governor, letters to, on the taxation of the colonies, iii. 30. on American representation in the British parliament, 37.

_Shooting-stars_, letter on, ii. 36.

_Shop-keepers_ in America, iii. 394.

_Sides_ of vessels, the best construction of, ii. 172.

_Silver_ cann, experiment with, i. 307. vessels, not so easily handled as glass, when filled with hot liquors, ii. 57.

_Slavery_, society for the abolition of, i. 151. address to the public on the abolition of, iii. 517.

_Slaves_, not profitable labourers, ii. 386. diminish population, ii. 387.

_Slave-trade_, sentiment of a French moralist respecting, ii. 195. parody on the arguments in favour of, 450.

_Sliding-plates_ for smoky chimnies described, ii. 287.

_Slitting-mills_ in America, iii. 270.

_Small_, Mr. Alexander, letter from, i. 374.

_Smell_ of electricity, how produced, i. 244.

_Smoke_, principle by which it ascends, ii. 257. stove that consumes it, 296. the burning of, useful in hot-houses, 316.

_Smoky_ chimnies, observation on the causes and cure of, ii. 256. remedy for, if by want of air, 261, 262. if by too large openings in the room, 266, 268. if by too short a funnel, 269. if by overpowering each other, 270, 271. if by being overtopped, 271, 272. if by improper situation of a door, 273. if by smoke drawn down their funnels, 274, 275. if by strong winds, 275, 276. difficult sometimes to discover the cause of, 282.

_Smuggling_, reflections on, ii. 430. encouragement of, not honest, 432.

_Snow_, singular instance of its giving electricity, i. 373.

_Soap-boiler_, part of Franklin's early life devoted to the business of, i. 10, 14.

_Societies_, of which Franklin was president, i. 151. learned, of which he was a member, 135.

_Socrates_, his mode of disputation, i. 21.

_Songs_, ancient, give more pleasure than modern, ii. 342. modern, composed of all the defects of speech, 344.

_Soul_, argument against the annihilation of, iii. 548*.

_Sound_, best mediums for conveying, ii. 335. observations on, 336. queries concerning, 337.

_Sounds_ just past, we have a perfect idea of their pitch, ii. 340.

_Soup-dishes_ at sea, how to be made more convenient, ii. 195.

_Spain_, what has thinned its population, ii. 390.

_Specific_ weight, what, ii. 226.

_Spectacles_, double, advantages of, iii. 544*, 551*.

_Speech_, at Algiers, on slavery and piracy, ii. 450. of Mr. Galloway, preface to, iii. 163. last of Franklin, on the federal constitution, 416.

_Spelling_, a new mode of, recommended, ii. 359.

_Spheres_, electric, commodious ones, i. 178.

_Spider_, artificial, described, i. 177.

_Spirits_, fired without heating, i. 214, 245. linen wetted with, cooling in inflammations, ii. 87. should always be taken to sea in bottles, 175.

_Spots_ in the sun, how formed, i. 260.

_Squares_, magical square of, ii. 324.

_Staffordshire_ chimney, description of, ii. 285.

_Stamp-act_ in America stigmatized, iii. 228. letter on the repeal of, iii. 239. examination of Franklin on, 245.

_Stars._ See _Shooting_.

_State_, internal, of America, iii. 291.

_Storms_, causes of, ii. 65.

_Stove_, Dutch, its advantages and defects, ii. 233. German, ditto, 234. to draw downwards, by J. G. Leutmann, 298. for burning pit-coal and consuming its smoke, 301, 304, 308.

_Strata_ of the earth, letter on, ii. 116.

_Strahan_, Mr. queries by, on American politics, iii. 287. answer to the queries, 290. letter to, disclaiming his friendship, iii. 354.

_Stuber_, Dr. continuator of Franklin's life, i. 98.

_Studies_ of trifles, should be moderate, ii. 95.

_Stuttering_, one of the affected beauties of modern tunes, ii. 245.

_Sugar_, cruelties exercised in producing it, ii. 196.

_Sulphur_ globe, its electricity different from that of the glass globe, i. 265.

_Sun_, supplies vapour with fire, i. 207. why not wasted by expense of light, 259. effect of its rays on different coloured clothes, ii. 108. light of, proposed to be used instead of candlelight, iii. 470, 473. discovered to give light as soon as it rises, 471.

_Surfaces_ of glass, different state of its opposite ones, when electrised, i. 191, 238.

_Swimming_, skill of Franklin in, i. 66. art of, how to be acquired, ii. 206 how a person unacquainted with it may avoid sinking, 208. a delightful and wholesome exercise, ii. 209, 211. advantage of, to soldiers, 210. inventions to improve it, _ibid._ 212. medical effects of, _ibid._

T.

_Tariffs_, not easily settled in Indian trade, iii. 218.

_Tautology_, an affected beauty of modern songs, ii. 345.

_Taxation_, American, letters to governor Shirley on, iii. 30. American, Dr. Franklin's examination on, iii. 246, 256. internal and external, distinguished, 259. on importation of goods and consumption, difference between, 266.

_Tea-act_, the duty on, in America, how considered there, iii. 261, 317, 319. characterized by Mr. Burke, 319, _note_.

_Teach_, or Blackbeard, name of a ballad written by Franklin in his youth, i. 16.

_Thanks_ of the assembly of Pensylvania to Franklin, iii. 214.

_Thanksgiving-days_ appointed in New England instead of fasts, iii. 392.

_Theory_ of the earth, ii. 117. of light and heat, 122.

_Thermometer_, not cooled by blowing on, when dry, ii. 87. electrical, described, and experiments with, ii. 336.

_Thermometrical_ observations on the gulph-stream, ii. 199. on the warmth of sea-water, 200.

_Thirst_, may be relieved by sea-water, how, ii. 105.

_Thunder_ and lightning, how caused, i. 209. seldom heard far from land, 216. comparatively little at Bermuda, _ibid._ defined, 378.

_Thunder-gusts_, what, i. 203. hypothesis to explain them, 203, _et seq._

_Tides_ in rivers, motion of, explained, ii. 96, 102.

_Time_, occasional fragments of, how to be collected, ii. 412. is money to a tradesman, iii. 463.

_Toads_ live long without nourishment, ii. 223.

_Toleration_ in Old and New England compared, ii. 457.

_Torpedo_, how to determine its electricity, i. 408, 409.

_Tourmalin_, its singular electrical properties, i. 370. experiments on it, 371, 372.

_Trade_, pleasure attending the first earnings in, i. 81. should be under no restrictions, ii. 415. exchanges in, may be advantageous to each party, 418. inland carriage no obstruction, to, iii. 116. great rivers in America, favourable to, 118. bills of credit, in lieu of money, the best medium of, 156. will find and make its own rates, 219.

_Tradesman_, advice to a young one, iii. 463.

_Transportation_ of felons to America, highly disagreeable to the inhabitants there, iii. 235.

_Treaty_ between America and Prussia, humane article of, ii. 449.

_Treasures_, hidden, search after, ridiculed, iii. 450.

_Trees_, dangerous to be under, in thunder-storms, i. 213. the shivering of, by lightning, explained, 359. why cool in the sun, ii. 87.

_Tubes_ of glass, electrical, manner of rubbing, i. 178. lined with a non-electric, experiment with, 240. exhausted, electric fire moves freely in, 241.

_Tunes_, ancient Scotch, why give general pleasure, ii. 338. composed to the wire-harp, 341. in parts, Rousseau's opinion of, 342. modern, absurdities of, 344, _et seq._

_Turkey_ killed by electricity, i. 299.

_Turks_, ceremony observed by, in visiting, iii. 436.

V. U.

_Vacuum_, Torricellian, experiment with, i. 291. electrical experiment in, 317.

_Vapour_, electrical experiment on, i. 343.

_Vapours_ from moist hay, &c. easily fired by lightning, i. 215. cause of their rising considered, ii. 46, 49.

_Vanity_, observation on, i. 2.

_Varnish_, dry, burnt by electric sparks, i. 199.

_Vattel's_ Law of Nations, greatly consulted by the American congress, iii. 360.

_Vegetable_ diet, observed by Franklin, i. 20. abandoned by Franklin, why, 47.

_Vegetation_, effects of, on noxious air, ii. 129.

_Velocity_ of the electric fire, i. 319.

_Virtue_ in private life exemplified, iii. 427.

_Vernon_, Mr. reposes a trust in Franklin, which he violates, i. 44.

_Vis_ inertiæ of matter, observations on, ii. 110.

_Visits_, unseasonable and importunate, letter on, iii. 432.

_Unintelligibleness_, a fault of modern singing, ii. 345.

_Union_, Albany plan of. See _Albany_.

_Union_ of America with Britain, letter on, iii. 239.

_United_ states of America, nature of the congress of, iii. 550*.

_Voyage_, from Boston to New York, i. 27. from New York to Philadelphia, 28. from Newfoundland to New York, remarks on, ii. 197. crossing the gulph stream, journal of, 199. from Philadelphia to France, 200, 201. from the channel to America, 202. to benefit distant countries, proposed, 403.

_Vulgar_ opinions, too much slighted, ii. 146.

W.

_Waggons_, number of, supplied by Franklin, on a military emergency, i. 131.

_War_, civil, whether it strengthens a country considered, ii. 399. observations on, 435. laws of, gradually humanized, _ib._ humane article respecting, in a treaty between Prussia and America, ii. 449. French, of 1757, its origin, iii. 274.

_Warm_ rooms do not make people tender, or give colds, ii. 249.

_Washington_, early military talents of, i. 130. Franklin's bequest to, 164.

_Water_, a perfect conductor of electricity, i. 201. strongly electrified, rises in vapour, 204. particles of, in rising, are attached to particles of air, 205. and air, attract each other, 206. exploded like gunpowder, by electricity, 358. expansion of, when reduced to vapour, _ib._ saturated with salt, precipitates the overplus, ii. 2. will dissolve in air, _ib._ expands when boiling, _ib._ how supported in air, 45. bubbles on the surface of, hypothesis respecting, 48. agitated, does not produce heat, 49, 96. supposed originally all salt, 91. fresh, produce of distillation only, _ib._ curious effects of oil on, 142.

_Water-casks_, how to dispose of, in leaky vessels, ii. 170.

_Water-spouts_, observations on, ii. 11. whether they descend or ascend, 14, 23, 38. various appearances of, 16. winds blow from all points towards them, 21. are whirlwinds at sea, _ib._ effect of one on the coast of Guinea, 33. account of one at Antigua, 34. various instances of, 38. Mr. Colden's observations on, 53.

_Watson_, Mr. William, letter by, on thunder-clouds, i. 427.

_Waves_, stilled by oil, ii. 144, 145, 148. greasy water, 146.

_Wax_, when fluid will conduct electricity, i. 256. may be electrised positively and negatively, 291.

_Wealth_, way to, iii. 453. national, positions to be examined concerning, ii. 408. but three ways of acquiring it, 410.

_Webb_, George, a companion of Franklin's, i. 72, 84, 86.

_Wedderburn_, Mr. remarks on his treatment of Franklin before the privy council, iii. 330, 332, notes; 550.

_West_, Mr. his conductor struck by lightning, i. 340.

_Western_ colonies, plan for settling them, iii. 41.

_Whatley_, Mr. four letters to, iii. 543*.

_Wheels_, electrical, described, i. 196.

_Whirlwinds_, how formed, ii. 10. observations on, 20. a remarkable one at Rome, 24. account of one in Maryland, 61.

_Whistle_, a story, iii. 480.

_White_, fittest colour for clothes in hot climates, ii. 109.

_Will_, extracts from Franklin's, i. 155.

_Wilson_, Mr. draws electricity from the clouds, i. 429.

_Wind_ generated by fermentation, ii. 59.

_Winds_ explained, ii. 8, 9, 48. the explanation objected to, 50, 51. observations on, by Mr. Colden, 52. whether confined to, or generated in, clouds, 57. raise the surface of the sea above its level, 188. effect of, on sound, 337.

_Winters_, hard, causes of, ii. 68.

_Winthrop_, professor, letters from, i. 373, 382.

_Wire_ conducts a great stroke of lightning, though destroyed itself, i. 282.

_Wolfe_, general, i. 136.

_Women_ of Paris, singular saying respecting, as mothers, iii. 548*.

_Wood_, dry, will not conduct electricity, i. 172. why does not feel so cold as metals, ii. 56.

_Woods_, not unhealthy to inhabit, ii. 130.

_Woollen_, why warmer than linen, ii. 57, 81.

_Words_, to modern songs, only a pretence for singing, ii. 348.

_Wygate_, an acquaintance of Franklin's, i. 66.

_Wyndham_, sir William, applies to Franklin to teach his sons swimming, i. 69.

TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE

Italic text is denoted by _underscores_.

Obvious typographical errors and punctuation errors have been corrected after careful comparison with other occurrences within the text and consultation of external sources.

For consistency and clarity, the pound abbreviation 'l.' has been italicized, so for example '123,321l.' has been replaced by '123,321_l._' in the etext.

For consistency, the date and salutation at the beginning of each letter, and the closing and name at the end of each letter, have been put on separate lines (they were sometimes placed on the same line in the original printed text).

Three or more asterisks, sometimes spaced, were used by the editor to indicate omitted text, and sometimes '-- -- --' or '----' were used. Missing names were indicated by '----' or by '****'. For this reason thought breaks in the text are indicated by two blank lines, not by a line of asterisks.

A deliberate blank space in the text is indicated by [___].

All the changes noted in the Errata (pg vi) have been applied to the text.

Many Footnotes have the signature 'B. V.' rather than 'Editor'. This is explained in Vol 1 p 399 Footnote [90], and is copied below for the reader's convenience:- Wherever this signature occurs, the note is taken from a volume of Dr. Franklin's writings, entitled Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces, printed for Johnson, 1779. The editor of that volume, though a young man at the time, had already evinced extraordinary talents, and was the friend and correspondent of our author. As he has chosen to withhold his name, we conceive ourselves not entitled to disclose it: but we shall take the freedom of an acquaintance to use the notes occasionally, deeming them in many instances valuable historical records. Editor.

Except for those changes noted below, misspelling in the text, and inconsistent or archaic usage, have been retained. For example, compleat; controul; inclose; smoaky; Pensylvania; Massachussets; New-England, New England; shopkeeper, shop-keeper.

In addition: Pg vi Errata. Page '59' replaced by '39'. Pg 11. 'infringment' replaced by 'infringement'. Pg 23. 'would he' replaced by 'would be'. Pg 29. 'and slso to' replaced by 'and also to'. Pg 31. 'problably give' replaced by 'probably give'. Pg 39. 'iron mafacture' replaced by 'iron manufacture'. Pg 47. 'thesettlers;' replaced by 'the settlers;'. Pg 59 FN [16] 'our anthor' replaced by 'our author'. Pg 70. 'provice for' replaced by 'province for'. Pg 71. 'Twightwee' replaced by 'Twigtwee'. Pg 74. 'in theuse' replaced by 'in the use'. Pg 81. 'poll-tax of sen' replaced by 'poll-tax of ten'. Pg 84. 'Lower Countries' replaced by 'Lower Counties'. Pg 90. 'msy inspire' replaced by 'may inspire'. Pg 95 FN [26] 'Observatious' replaced by 'Observations'. Pg 104. 'meer names' replaced by 'mere names'. Pg 126 FN [44] '3,353,337' replaced by the correct total '3,363,337'. Pg 129 FN [46] 'those swo' replaced by 'those two'. Pg 131. 'Londom' replaced by 'London'. Pg 188. 'satisfacton' replaced by 'satisfaction'. Pg 196. 'farewel-speech' replaced by 'farewell speech'. Pg 204. 'sauction' replaced by 'sanction'. Pg 234 FN [78] 'Great Britian' replaced by 'Great Britain'. Pg 235. 'cruel idsult' replaced by 'cruel insult'. Pg 238 FN [79] 'trroops' replaced by 'troops'. Pg 253 FN [87] 'repeal or' replaced by 'repeal of'. Pg 267. 'Snpposing' replaced by 'Supposing'. Pg 267 et seq. Seventeen instances of '2.' replaced by 'Q.' Pg 281. 'T. In my opinion' replaced by 'A. In my opinion'. Pg 283. 'Q. I suppose' replaced by 'A. I suppose'. Pg 292 FN [99] ' slave' replaced by 'a slave.'. Pg 295 FN [101] 'froward child' replaced by 'forward child'. Pg 307. 'vice-gerent' replaced by 'vice-regent'. Pg 315. 'adn villains' replaced by 'and villains'. Pg 319 FN [120] 'wolud be' replaced by 'would be'. Pg 332 FN [130] 'Wedderburne' replaced by 'Wedderburn'. Pg 354. Missing anchor for Footnote [148] added. Pg 361. 'la royanté' replaced by 'la royauté'. Pg 361. 'send yon' replaced by 'send you'. Pg 389. 'our intrepreter' replaced by 'our interpreter'. Pg 399. 'genuises' replaced by 'geniuses'. Pg 475. Missing anchor for Footnote [180] added. Pg 524 FN [197] 'who furnised' replaced by 'who furnished'. Pg 537. 'sentimeat' replaced by 'sentiment'. Pg 550*. 'oo muc h' replaced by 'too much'. Index Pg 4i. 'Animalcnles' replaced by 'Animalcules'. Index Pg 29i. 'relation batween' replaced by 'relation between'.

The Index covers all three volumes and was originally printed at the end of Volume 1 only. It has been copied to the end of