wean us from it, amongst which one of the strongest is the loss of dear friends. I was delighted with the account you gave me in your letter of the honour shewn 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. What a glorious scene is opened there! annals of the world furnish no parallel to it.

The
One

of the honours of our departed friend is, that he has contributed much to it."

Philadelphia never displayed a scene of superior grandeur than at the funeral of this great man. His remains were interred on the 21st of April, 1790; and the concourse of people assembled was imThe body was attended to the grave by thirty clergymen, and persons of all ranks and professions, arranged in the greatest order. The bells in the city were muffled and tolled, accompanied by a discharge of artillery; even the newspapers were put in mourning; and nothing omitted which could shew the respect and veneration of his fellowcitizens. The Congress, on this occasion, ordered a general mourning for one month throughout the United States; and the National Assembly of France decreed a general mourning for three days. "The august spectacle of the first free people on earth in mourning for the father of the liberty of two worlds," says a gentleman in a letter dated Paris, June 14, "added a peculiar interest and solemnity to the session of this day. So memorable a victory of philosophy over prejudice, is not recorded in the annals of the human race. The common council of Paris paid an extraordinary tribute of homage to his memory by attending at the funeral oration delivered by the Abbé Fauchett, at the Rotundo, in the New Market, which was hung with black, illuminated with lamps and chandeliers, and decorated for the occasion with the most expensive devices.

Thou bright luminary of freedom," apostrophized the Abbé, "why should I call thee great? Grandeur is too often the scourge of the human kind, whose felicity thy goodness was ever exerted to promote. Thou hast been the benefactor of the Universe! Be thy name ever revered! May it be the comfort of the wretched, and the joy of those who are free! What man is more entitled to our gratitude? It was not sufficient to controul the lightning of heaven, and to avert the fury of the growling tempest: thou hast rendered unto mankind a service still greater; thou extinguished the thunder of earthly despots, which was ready to be hurled upon their trembling subjects. What pleasure must it have been to thee on earth to perceive others profiting by thy precepts and thy example! With what greater rapture must thou now contemplate thy own diffusion of light! It will illumine the world and man, perceiving his natural dignity, will raise his soul to heaven, and bow to no empire but that which is founded on virtue and reason. I have but one wish to utter; it is a wish dear to my heart; a wish always cherished in thy virtuous and benevolent bosom. Surely it will derive some favour from the throne of God, when uttered in the name of Franklin! It is, that in becoming free, men may become also wiser and better: there is no other means of deserving liberty."

Panegyric, which has so often been disgracefully employed in strewing flowers on the tombs of the worthless, redeems her credit when she comes forth with Truth by her side, to immortalize the memory of the great and the good. To these epithets, if greatness and goodness be measured by the capacity

It should be remembered that these are the sentiments of an apostate Abbe, who afterwards sacrificed at the altar of ideal liberty, his God, his Country, and the most mild, generous, and benevolent Monarch, that ever was seated on the throne of France.

and the inclination to serve mankind, no man had ever a fairer title than Benjamin Franklin.

The following brief character of this great man is extracted from the account of one of his intimate friends, and is allowed to contain the most faithful description, and just encomium, of any that has yet appeared. The genius of Franklin was vigorous. He was qualified to penetrate into every science; and his unremitted diligence left no field of knowledge unexplored. His curiosity was unbounded; his inquiries extended over the face of nature; but he appeared most interested in the study of man. Truth was the sole object of his researches, he was therefore no sectary. Reason was his guide, and the volume of nature being always open, he carefully, dis ligently, and faithfully perused it. His political and philosophical attainments were very considerable and extraordinary. He never aimed to attain the splendor of eloquence, because the demonstrative plainness of his manner was superior to it. Though he neither loved political debate, nor excelled in it, yet he maintained great influence in public assemblies, and discovered an uncommon aptitude in his remarks on all occasions. He was averse to taking the lead in investigations, which were unlikely to terminate in any degree of certainty. To come forward in questions which in their nature are definite, and in their issue problematic, does not comport with the caution of a man accustomed to look for demonstration. Franklin reserved his observations for those cases which science could enlighten, and common sense approve. His style was simple, his understanding clear, his judgments decisive, and he never involved his ideas in a croud of expressions. If he used metaphors, it was to illustrate, and not to embellish the truth. But whatever claims to eminence Dr. Franklin may have as a politician or scholar, he shone with superior lustre as a man and a citizen. He was eminently great in common things. Perhaps no man ever existed whose life

No

cau with more justice be denominated useful. thing passed through his hands without receiving improvement. No person went into his company without gaining wisdom. His sagacity was so sharp, and his scientific knowledge so various, that whatever might be the profession or occupation of those with whom he conversed, he could meet them upon their own ground. He could enliven every conversation with an anecdote, and conclude it with a moral. His life was a perpetual lecture against the idle, the extravagant, and the proud. He aimed to inspire mankind with a love of industry, temperance, and frugality; and he uniformly endeavoured to promote the important interests of humanity. He never wasted a moment of time, or lavished one farthing of money in folly or dissipation. Such expences as the dignity of his station required, he readily sustained, limiting them by the strictest rules of propriety. Many public institutions experienced his well-timed liberality: and he manifested sensibility of heart by numerous acts of private charity. By a judicious division and appropriation of time, Dr. Franklin acquired the art of doing every thing advantageously; and his amusements were of a nature that never militated with the main object of his pursuits. From every situation he extracted something useful for himself and others. He turned every incident of his life to some valuable account, deriving therefrom experience and caution. The maxims which he has formed or applied, evince a discerning mind, and they apply to innumerable cases in life. His manners were easy and accom modating, and his address winning and respectful. A man thus prudent, amiable, and wise, could not but have many friends, and while memory endures will have many admirers,

G.D.