in love with our new cousin; for she entertains me a deal, when she comes home, with what cousin Sally does, and what cousin Sally says, what a good contriver she is, and the like.

I believe it might be of service to me, in the matter of getting in my debts, if I were to make a voyage to London; but I have not yet determined on it in my own mind, and think I am grown almost too lazy to undertake it.

The Indians are gone homewards loaded with presents. In a week or two the treaty with them will be printed, and I will send you one. My love to brother and sister Mecom, and to all inquiring friends. I am your dutiful son, B. FRANKLIN.

TO MRS. ABIAH FRANKLIN.

Yellow Fever in Philadelphia.

HONORED MOTHER,

Philadelphia, 16 October, 1749.

This has been a busy day with your daughter, and she is gone to bed much fatigued and cannot write.

I send you enclosed one of our new Almanacs. We print them early, because we send them to many places far distant. I send you also a moidore enclosed, which please to accept towards chaise hire, that you may ride warm to meetings this winter. Pray tell us what kind of a sickness you have had in Boston this sumBesides the measles and flux, which have carried off many children, we have lost some grown persons, by what we call the Yellow Fever; though that is almost, if not quite over, thanks to God, who has preserved all our family in perfect health.

mer.

Here are cousins Coleman, and two Folgers, all well.

VOL. VII.

6

D*

Your granddaughter is the greatest lover of her book and school, of any child I ever knew, and is very dutiful to her mistress as well as to us.

I doubt not but brother Mecom will send the collar, as soon as he can conveniently. My love to him, sister, and all the children. I am your dutiful son. B. FRANKLIN.

TO MRS. ABIAH FRANKLIN.

Private Affairs and Family Incidents.

HONORED MOTHER,

[Date uncertain.]

We received your kind letter of the 2d instant, by which we are glad to hear you still enjoy such a measure of health, notwithstanding your great age. We read your writing very easily. I never met with a word in your letters but what I could easily understand; for, though the hand is not always the best, the sense makes every thing plain. My leg, which you inquire after, is now quite well. I shall keep these servants; but the man not in my own house. I have hired him out to the man, that takes care of my Dutch printing-office, who agrees to keep him in victuals and clothes, and to pay me a dollar a week for his work. The wife, since that affair, behaves exceeding well; but we conclude to sell them both the first good opportunity, for we do not like negro servants. We got again about half what we lost.

As to your grandchildren, Will is now nineteen years of age, a tall proper youth, and much of a beau. He acquired a habit of idleness on the Expedition,* but

* His son, William, had been an officer in the Pennsylvania forces raised for an expedition against Canada, in the year 1746.

begins of late to apply himself to business, and I hope will become an industrious man. He imagined his father had got enough for him, but I have assured him that I intend to spend what little I have myself, if it please God that I live long enough; and, as he by no means wants acuteness, he can see by my going on, that I mean to be as good as my word.

Sally grows a fine girl, and is extremely industrious with her needle, and delights in her work. She is of a most affectionate temper, and perfectly dutiful and obliging to her parents, and to all. Perhaps I flatter myself too much, but I have hopes that she will prove an ingenious, sensible, notable, and worthy woman, like her aunt Jenny. She goes now to the dancing-school.

For my own part, at present, I pass my time agreeably enough. I enjoy, through mercy, a tolerable share of health. I read a great deal, ride a little, do a little business for myself, now and then for others, retire when I can, and go into company when I please; so the years roll round, and the last will come, when I would rather have it said, He lived usefully, than He died rich.

Cousins Josiah and Sally are well, and I believe will do well, for they are an industrious loving young couple; but they want a little more stock to go on smoothly with their business.

My love to brother and sister Mecom, and their children, and to all my relations in general. I am your dutiful son, B. FRANKLIN.

FROM CADWALLADER COLDEN TO B. FRANKLIN.

Instructers in Colleges and their Location. Subjects to be studied. The Learned Languages.

SIR,

Coldenham, November, 1749.

I received, by the last opportunity from New York, the proposals relating to the education of youth in Pennsylvania. I have read them with much pleasure, and heartily wish the gentlemen success, that are endeavouring to promote so useful a design. I have no objection to any thing in the proposals. I am pleased with every part of them. Though I do not pretend to have my thoughts so well digested as yours are, who have applied yourself particularly to the subject, (for, from your generous attempts on several other occasions for the good of your country, I take you to be principally the author of that performance,) yet I believe you will not be displeased with any hints, which may come from others, though in themselves but trivial, when compared with the greatness of the subject.

While you keep the great end of education in view, that is, to enable men and incline them to be more useful to mankind in general, and to their own country in particular, and at the same time to render their own life more happy, you cannot be in danger of taking wrong steps, while all of them tend to that end. But I think one of the principal things for this purpose will be in the choice of the trustees, and of the rector who is to oversee the masters and scholars, and direct both their lessons and studies; and, in this choice, as great a regard must be had to the heart as the head. Such a person will find so much employment for every hour in life, that he will have no time to take care

of his own private affairs, and therefore it will be necessary that he should have so much encouragement by a proper salary, as to make him easy in this respect; and it may not be amiss for him to have likewise a small gratuity from every scholar, that, as his care may increase the number of scholars and the number will increase his trouble, so he may find some benefit to himself in it. I do not think it proper, that his whole subsistence should depend upon such gratuity, because that might make him too dependent on the humors of the scholars or their parents. It seems to me, that the least part of his encouragement should come that way. But, as to the masters or teachers, the greatest part may come from the rewards they are to receive from the scholars, as this is likely to make them the more assiduous; and, while they are under the direction of the rector and trustees, I can see no inconvenience likely to happen by it.

I am pleased with your mentioning agriculture as one of the sciences to be taught, because I am of opinion it may be made as much a science as any of those that are not purely mathematical; and none of them deserves so much to be taught as this, at least none more, since it is truly the foundation of the wealth and welfare of the country, and it may be personally useful to a greater number than any of the other sciences. For this reason there should be a professor on purpose, who should likewise have a contingent allowance given him for making experiments, and to correspond with noted farmers for his information.

For this purpose, and for several other reasons, I am of opinion the college would do best in the country, at a distance from the city.

The scholars would thus be freed from many temptations to idleness, and some worse vices, that they