are widely separated, and seldom can see and converse, or be acquainted, with each other, so that many useful particulars remain uncommunicated, die with the discoverers, and are lost to mankind; it is, to remedy this inconvenience for the future, proposed,

That one society be formed of virtuosi or ingenious men, residing in the several colonies, to be called The American Philosophical Society, who are to maintain a constant correspondence.

That Philadelphia, being the city nearest the centre of the continent colonies, communicating with all of them northward and southward by post, and with all the islands by sea, and having the advantage of a good growing library, be the centre of the Society.

That at Philadelphia there be always at least seven members, viz. a physician, a botanist, a mathematician, a chemist, a mechanician, a geographer, and a general natural philosopher, besides a president, treasurer, and secretary.

That these members meet once a month, or oftener, at their own expense, to communicate to each other their observations and experiments, to receive, read, and consider such letters, communications, or queries as shall be sent from distant members; to direct the dispersing of copies of such communications as are valuable, to other distant members, in order to procure their sentiments thereupon.

That the subjects of the correspondence be, all newdiscovered plants, herbs, trees, roots, their virtues, uses, &c.; methods of propagating them, and making such as are useful, but particular to some plantations, more general; improvements of vegetable juices, as ciders, wines. &c.; new methods of curing or preventing discases; all new discovered fossils in different countries, as mines, minerals, and quarries; new and useful

improvements in any branch of mathematics; new discoveries in chemistry, such as improvements in distillation, brewing, and assaying of ores; new mechanical inventions for saving labor, as mills and carriages, and for raising and conveying of water, draining of meadows, &c.; all new arts, trades, and manufactures, that may be proposed or thought of; surveys, maps, and charts of particular parts of the sea-coasts or inland countries; course and junction of rivers and great roads, situation of lakes and mountains, nature of the soil and productions; new methods of improving the breed of useful animals; introducing other sorts from foreign countries; new improvements in planting, gardening, and clearing land; and all philosophical experiments that let light into the nature of things, tend to increase the power of man over matter, and multiply the conveniences or pleasures of life.

That a correspondence, already begun by some intended members, shall be kept up by this Society with the ROYAL SOCIETY of London, and with the DUBLIN SOCIETY.

That every member shall have abstracts sent him quarterly, of every thing valuable communicated to the Society's Secretary at Philadelphia; free of all charge except the yearly payment hereafter mentioned.

That, by permission of the postmaster-general, such communications pass between the Secretary of the Society and the members, postage-free.

That, for defraying the expense of such experiments as the Society shall judge proper to cause to be made, and other contingent charges for the common good, every member send a piece of eight per annum to the treasurer, at Philadelphia, to form a common stock, to be disbursed by order of the President with the consent of the majority of the members that can conveniently

be consulted thereupon, to such persons and places where and by whom the experiments are to be made, and otherwise as there shall be occasion; of which disbursements an exact account shall be kept, and communicated yearly to every member.

That, at the first meetings of the members at Philadelphia, such rules be formed for regulating their meetings and transactions for the general benefit, as shall be convenient and necessary; to be afterwards changed and improved as there shall be occasion, wherein due regard is to be had to the advice of distant members.

That, at the end of every year, collections be made and printed, of such experiments, discoveries, and improvements, as may be thought of public advantage; and that every member have a copy sent him.

That the business and duty of the Secretary be, to receive all letters intended for the Society, and lay them before the President and members at their meetings; to abstract, correct, and methodize such papers as require it, and as he shall be directed to do by the President, after they have been considered, debated, and digested in the Society; to enter copies thereof in the Society's books, and make out copies for distant members; to answer their letters by direction of the President, and keep records of all material transactions of the Society.

Benjamin Franklin, the writer of this Proposal, offers himself to serve the Society as their secretary, till they shall be provided with one more capable.*

This is doubtless the paper alluded to by Dr. Franklin in his autobiography, where he says; "I succeeded, in the year 1744, in proposing and establishing a Philosophical Society. The paper I wrote for that purpose will be found among my writings; if not lost with many others." - EDITOR.

FROM CADWALLADER COLDEN TO B. FRANKLIN.

SIR,

A New Method of Printing.

October, 1743.

As the art of printing has, without question, been of very great use in advancing learning and knowledge, the abuse of it, as of all other good things, has likewise produced many inconveniences. The number of books printed on the same subject, most of which are nothing but unskilful and erroneous copies of good works, written only for ostentation of learning, or for sordid profit,

This letter was first made public in the American Medical and Philosophical Register, a periodical work edited by Dr. David Hosack and Dr. John W. Francis. The first number of this journal appeared in July, 1810. It was continued for several years, and, although chiefly devoted to medical science and practice, it contains many valuable papers on other subjects, illustrative of the progress of knowledge in the United States, and proving the ability, learning, and research of the editors. It possesses a special interest for the general reader in the biographical sketches of eminent men, drawn from accurate and original materials, which are inserted in different parts. Among these is a spirited and well written memoir of Cadwallader Colden, from the pen of Dr. Francis, the more important as the author had access to a large collection of manuscript papers in possession of the Colden family.

Cadwallader Colden was born in Scotland, on the 17th of February 1688. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh. He came over to Philadelphia in the year 1708, where he practised physic till 1715, when he made a voyage to Europe, but returned in 1718, and settled in the city of New York. He soon after relinquished the practice of physic, and entered upon a public career, holding successively the offices of surveyor-general of the province, master in chancery, member of the council, and lieutenant-governor. This last post he occupied for fifteen years, during a large part of which period the administration of the gov ernment devolved upon him, on account of the death or absence of the governors. "His political character was rendered very conspicuous by the firmness of his conduct during the violent commotions which preceded the Revolution. His administration is also rendered memorable among other things for several charters of incorporation for useful and benevolent purposes." He resided many years of his life at his place

renders the path to knowledge very intricate and tedious. The reader who has no guide, and the greatest number have none, is lost in the wilderness of numberless books. He is most commonly led astray by the glaring appearances of title-pages and other artifices of the mystery of bookselling.

It is likewise a common complaint, that a poor author makes nothing near the profit that the bookseller does of his labor; and probably the more pains the author has taken, the more difficult the performance, and the more masterly it is done, the less profit to him; for the good books, like jewels, never lose their intrinsic value; yet they have fewer purchasers than Bristol stones, and the sale of them is slow.

called Coldenham, a few miles from Hudson's River, west of Newburg. He died at his seat on Long Island, September 28th, 1776, in the eightyninth year of his age.

"Though his principal attention," says Dr. Francis, "after the year 1760, was necessarily directed from philosophical to political matters, yet he maintained with great punctuality his literary correspondence, particularly with Linnæus of Upsal, Gronovius of Leyden, Dr. Porterfield and Dr. Whytt of Edinburgh, Dr. Fothergill and Mr. Collinson of London. There were also several communications on mathematical and astronomical subjects between him and the Earl of Macclesfield. With most of the eminent men of our own country he held an almost uninterrupted epistolary correspondence. Among them we may mention the names of Dr. Garden, Mr J. Bartram, Dr. Douglass, Dr. John Bard, Dr. Samuel Bard, James Alexander, and Dr. Franklin. With Dr. Franklin in particular he was a constant and intimate correspondent, and they regularly communicated to each other their philosophical and physical discoveries, especially on electricity. In their letters are to be observed the first dawnings of many of those discoveries, which Dr. Franklin has communicated to the world, and which so much astonished and benefited mankind."

He wrote many treatises on medical, mathematical, and philosophical subjects, and also a well known "History of the Five Indian Nations." He left several manuscript papers, which are curious and valuable. He was particularly skilled in botany and the mathematical sciences. In short, for the great variety and extent of his learning, his unwearied research, his talents, and the public sphere which he filled, Cadwallader Colden may justly be placed in a high rank among the distinguished men of his time.- EDITOR.