commended, rarely dines at the house of any gentleman, but lives at his inn. The Americans hold a medium. I have the honor to be, &c. B. FRANKLIN. To W. CARMICHAEL, ESQ. Madrid. Sir J. Dalrymple.-The Marquis de La Fayette.-Report of the Siege of Charlestown raised.-Riots in London,The Ephemera, DEAR SIR, 2 Passy, June 17, 1780. Your favors of the 22d past came duly to hand. Sir J. Dalrymple has been here some time, but I hear nothing of his political operations. The learned talk of the discovery he has made in the Escurial Library, of forty epistles of Brutus, a missing part of Tacitus, and a piece of Seneca, that have never yet been printed, which excite much curiosity. He has not been with me, and I am told by one of his friends, that though he wished to see me, he did not think it prudent. So I suppose I shall have no communication with him; for I shall not seek it. As Count de Vergennes has mentioned nothing to me of any memorial from him, I suppose he has not presented it,—perhaps discouraged by the reception it met with in Spain.-So I wish, for curiosity's sake, you would send me a copy of it. The Marquis de La Fayette arrived safely at Boston the 'Secretary of the American Legation. * Mr. Carmichael, in answer to this part of Dr. Franklin's letter, says, "I have been assured by Count Campomanes, the Abbé Gavara and his brother (both academicians), that no such manuscripts exist in the library of the Escurial, as those mentioned by Sir John Dalrymple. 3 See Sir J. D.'s Anecdote Historique. Part 111. of Private Correspondence. SUPPLEMENT. 28th of April, and it is said, gave expectations of the coming of a squadron and troops. The vessel that brings this, left New London the second of May: her captain reports that the siege of Charlestown was raised, the troops attacked in their retreat, and Clinton killed; but this wants confirmation. London has been in the utmost confusion for seven or eight days. The beginning of this month, a mob of fanatics, joined by a mob of rogues, burnt and destroyed property to the amount, it is said, of a million sterling. Chapels of foreign ambassadors, houses of members of parliament, that had promoted the act for favoring Catholics, and the houses of many private persons of that religion, were pillaged and consumed, or pulled down to the number of fifty; among the rest, Lord Mansfield's is burnt with all his furniture, pictures, books, and papers. Thus he who approved the burning American houses, has had fire brought home to him. He himself was horribly scared, and Governor Hutchinson, it is said, died outright of the fright. The mob, tired with roaring and rioting seven days and nights, were at length suppressed, and quiet restored on the ninth in the evening. Next day Lord George Gordon was committed to the tower. Enclosed I send you the little piece you desire.' To understand it rightly, you should be acquainted with some few circumstances. The person to whom it was addressed is Madame Brillon, a lady of most respectable character and pleasing conversation; mistress of an amiable family in this neighborhood, with which I spend an evening twice in every week. She has among other elegant accomplishments, that of an excellent musician; and with her daughters, who sing prettily, and some friends who play, she kindly entertains me and my The Ephemera. See WRITINGS, Part 111. Sect. 3. grandson with little concerts, a cup of tea and a game of chess. I call this my Opera; for I rarely go to the Opera at Paris.-The Moulin Joli is a little island in the Seine, about two leagues hence, part of the country-seat of another friend,' where we visit every summer, and spend a day in the pleasing society of the ingenious, learned, and very polite persons who inhabit it. At the time when the letter was written, all conversations at Paris were filled with disputes about the music of Gluck and Picini, a German and Italian musician, who divided the town into violent parties. A friend of this lady having obtained a copy of it under promise not to give another, did not observe that promise, so that many have been taken, and it is become as public as such a thing can well be, that is not printed, but I could not dream of its being heard of at Madrid! The thought was partly taken from a little piece from some unknown writer which I met with fifty years since in a newspaper, and which the sight of the Ephemera brought to my recollection. Adieu! my dear friend, and believe me ever, yours most affectionately, B. FRANKLIN. TO DR. FOTHERGILL. Letter of Friendship. Passy, June 19, 1780. My dear old friend, Dr. Fothergill, may assure Lady H. of my respects, and of any service in my power to render her, or her affairs in America. I believe matters in Georgia cannot much longer continue in their present situation, but will return to that state in which they were when Monsieur Watelet. her property, and that of our common friend G. W. received the protection she acknowledges. I rejoiced most sincerely to hear of your recovery from the dangerous illness by which I lost my very valuable friend P. Collinson. As I am sometimes apprehensive of the same disorder, I wish to know the means that were used and succeeded in your case; and shall be exceedingly obliged to you for communicating them when you can do it conveniently. Be pleased to remember me respectfully to your good sister, and to our worthy friend David Barclay, who I make no doubt laments with you and me, that the true pains we took together to prevent all this horrible mischief proved ineffectual, I am ever, Yours most affectionately, B. FRANKLIN. To MR. SMALL, PARIS. Friendship.-Gout, &c. Passy, July 22, 1780. You see, my dear sir, that I was not afraid my masters would take it amiss if I ran to see an old friend though in the service of their enemy. They are reasonable enough to allow, that differing politics should not prevent the intercommunication of philosophers who study and converse for the benefit of mankind. But you have doubts about coming to dine with me. I suppose you will not venture it; your 1 A surgeon of eminence in the British army, then passing through Paris, brother to Colonel Small, who particularly distinguished himself by his humanity at the battle of Bunker's Hill, near Boston; trait of whom is admirably delineated by the able pencil of Colonel Turnbull, (an American amateur artist) in his picture of that battle; from which an elegant engraving was made and published in London. refusal will not indeed do so much honor to your generosity and good-nature of your government, as to your sagacity. You know your people, and I do not expect you. I think too that in friendship I ought not to make you more visits as I intended: but I send my grandson to pay his duty to his physician. You inquired about my gout, and I forgot to acquaint you, that I had treated it a little cavalierly in its two last accesses. Finding one night that my foot gave me more pain after it was covered warm in bed, I put it out of bed naked; and perceiving it easier, I let it remain longer than I at first designed, and at length fell asleep, leaving it there till morning. The pain did not return, and I grew well. Next winter having a second attack, I repeated the experiment; not with such immediate success in dismissing the gout, but constantly with the effect of rendering it less painful, so that it permitted me to sleep every night. I should mention, that it was my son' who gave me the first intimation of this practice. He being in the old opinion that the gout was to be drawn out by transpiration. And having heard me say that perspiration was carried on more copiously when the body was naked than when clothed, he put his foot out of bed to increase that discharge, and found ease by it, which he thought a confirmation of the doctrine. But this method requires to be confirmed by more experiments, before one can conscientiously recommend it. I give it you, however, in exchange for your receipt of tartar emetic, because the commerce of philosophy as well as other commerce, is best promoted by taking care to make I am ever, returns. |