here is a single life. One can scarce be in the company of a dozen men of circumstance and fortune, but what it is odds that you find on inquiry eleven of them are single. The great complaint is the excessive expensiveness of English wives. I am extremely concerned with you at the misfortune of our friend Mr. Griffith. How could it possibly happen? It was a terrible fire that of Boston. I shall contribute here towards the relief of the sufferers. Our relations have escaped, I believe, generally; but some of my particular friends must have suffered greatly. I think you will not complain this year, as you did the last, of being so long without a letter. I have wrote to you very frequently; and shall not be so much out of the way of writing this summer as I was the last. I hope our friend Bartram is safely returned to his family. Remember me to him in the kind est manner. as he never Poor David Edwards died this day week, of a consumption. I had a letter from a friend of his, acquainting me that he had been long ill, and incapabie of doing his business, and was at board in the country. I feared he might be in straits, was prudent enough to lay up any thing. So I wrote to him immediately, that, if he had occasion, he might draw on me for five guineas. But he died before my letter got to hand. I hear the woman, at whose house he long lodged and boarded, has buried him and taken all he left, which could not be much, and there are sme small debts unpaid. He maintained a good character at Bury, where he lived some years, and was well respected, to my knowledge, by some persons of note there. I wrote to you before, that we saw him at Bury, when we went through Suffolk into Norfolk, the year before last. I hope his good father, my old friend, continues well. Give my duty to mother, and love to my dear Sally. Remember me affectionately to all inquiring friends, and believe me ever, my dearest Debby, your loving husband, B. FRANKLIN. We have sent up to the governor a bill to enable the agents to receive the moneys, which have been, or may be, allotted to this province upon the parliamentary grants; and, if I can keep this letter till we know the governor's resolution upon that bill, it shall be added. The bill gives the agents power to receive the moneys, and purchase stock in their own names for the use of the province, subject to the bills of exchange, to be drawn upon Robert Charles and yourself by the trustees, when thereto required by the Assembly, and notice given to you under the great seal of this province of such drafts, to be made by their order, upon which you will have a power to sell and transfer the said stocks for that purpose." * * In compliance with the order in this bill, Dr. Franklin received the money allotted to Pennsylvania, and deposited it in the Bank of England. The following memorandum is taken from a manuscript book, containing an account of his pecuniary affairs, in which it is entered in his own handwriting. "London, November 4th, 1760. "State of the transaction at the Exchequer, relating to the parliamentary grant for the year 1758. We are at present among rocks and sands, in a stormy season, and it depends on you to do every thing in your power in the present crisis; for it is too late for us to give you any assistance. Had it been in my power, you should not have had so many difficulties to struggle with, but the House were of another mind, as well in our reemitting act, as the bargain and engagements with Governor Denny, for which there was no necessity. But possibly all may, under Providence, end better than expectation; for, if the time should be suffered to elapse, or the principal acts be confirmed, we shall be made more easy in The sum given to Pennsylvania and the Lower Countes peintly, for their 2727 men .. By General Abercromby's Report, there were, of these, effective men in the field, from Pennsylvania, 2446; from the Lower Counties, 281. Therefore the proportion to Pennsylvania was. £29,993 00 0 26,902 8 0 3,090 12 0 Remains to be d'vided between the two governments £29,859 12 10 . 3,076 18 0 £29,459 12 10 I received the whole, Mr. Barclay, Agent for the Lower Counties, being present. I paid to hun the above £3,07% 1×0; and immediately went to the Bank, and lodged there the sum remaining in my hands, viz. £ 26,×00, without deducting what I had advanced in fees, at the Exchequer, &c." This money was advantageously invested in various kinds of stocks; VOL. VII. R wwww our controversies with the Proprietary for the future, especially as the war in Canada is at an end, and the French entirely subdued in that quarter. The two pamphlets never came to my hands, but I procured, and read them, as well as your judicious answer to one of them; upon which pray receive my compliments among the others, for I approve and value it much. The chief justice told me he was of the same sentiments, and, by what I can learn, it gives general satisfaction here. The House have received the government amendments to our Bill, for appointing yourself and Robert Charles to negotiate our part of the parliamentary grant. I shall enclose a copy of the bill and amendment, which need no comment. Your affectionate friend, ISAAC NORRIS. but, on account of an ill-timed and imprudent resolve of the Assembly, it was ultimately drawn out at a loss. See Vol. IV. p. 152. This loss, in selling the stocks and drawing the money to America, was made the theme of abuse against Franklin by the Proprietary party, although he obeyed an express order of the Assembly. After Franklin returned to Pennsylvania, the Proprietor himself, Thomas Penn, wrote as follows to Governor Hamilton. "I think the Assembly made a very handsome allowance to Mr. Franklin, though short of his expenses; but what I admire more at is, that they have made an allowance for his loss in the stocks, which they had no power by law to do, and which ought to have been made good to the public by him and those members of the House, that gave him directions to do it." According to this doctrine, it was the duty of the members of the Assembly, and of the agents of the Assembly, to bear personally all the loss, which the public funds might suffer, by depreciation or change in the value of stocks, while the money was in their hands! TO LORD KAMES. Journey in England and Wales. MY DEAR LORD, Coventry, 27 September, 1760. We are here upon a journey, which when first proposed was to have extended farther than the season will now permit. We designed going over to Ireland, and, having made the tour of that country, we were to have crossed from its northern part to Dumfries, or some other port on your coast, which would have given us the pleasing opportunity of seeing once more our friends in Scotland. This, if we could have left London early in the summer; but the Lugation between our province and its Proprietor, in which we were engaged, confined us in London till the middle of this month. That cause is indeed at length ended, and in a great degree to our satisfacton; but, by its continuing so long, we are disappointed in our hopes of spending some more happy days at Kames, with you and your amiable family. I do not pretend to charge this to your account as a letter. It is rather to acknowledge myself in your debt, and to promise payment. It is some time since I received your obliging favor of June last. When I return to London, which we intend after seeing Cheshire, Wales, Bristol, and spending some ume at Bath, I hope to be a more punctual correspondent. I am your Lordship's most obedient and humble servant, B. FRANKLIN, P. S. Our thanks to Lady Kames for the receipt. Enclosed we send the Chapter.* • Thas “Chapter" was the Parable against Persecution, first pub |