1748. TO FRANCIS CHILDS

(L. C.)

Philads, Nov. 19. 1788.

SIR: When you were here in April last you promis'd me the Payment of one hundred Dollars in June following, which has not been sent to me, and therefore I have now drawn upon you for the same, and having present Occasion for Money, I depend on your honouring my Draft. I am sir your humble Servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

1749. TO MRS. ELIZABETH PARTRIDGE (L. C.) Philad3, Nov. 25, 1788.

MY DEAR CHILD: - I received your kind Letter of the 12th Inst. inclosing one for Mr. Philip Vanhorn, Physician in Philadelphia, which you desire me to deliver, and to solicit the Forgiveness of his Daughter. I immediately made Enquiry for him, as to be instrumental in so charitable a Work, and in concurrence with you, would have given me great Pleasure, but I am assured by our oldest Inhabitants, who have had most Acquaintance and best Opportunities of knowing their fellow-Citizens, particularly some of our Physicians, that no Physician or other Person of that Name has ever been a Resident here; so that there must have been some Mistake in the Information that has been given you, if, indeed the whole Story is not an Imposition.

You kindly enquire after my Health. I have not, of late, much reason to boast of it. People that will live a long Life

and drink to the Bottom of the Cup must expect to meet some of the Dregs. However, when I consider how many more terrible Maladies the human Body is liable to, I think myself well off that I have only three incurable ones: the Gout, the Stone, and Old Age; and, those notwithstanding, I enjoy many comfortable Intervals, in which I forget all my Ills, and amuse myself in Reading or Writing, or in Conversation with Friends, joking, laughing, and telling merry Stories, as when you first knew me, a young Man about Fifty.

My Children and Grand Children, the Baches, are all well, and pleased with your Remembrance of them. They are my Family, living in my House. And we have lately the Addition of a little good-natured Girl, whom I begin to love as well as the rest.

You tell me our poor Friend Ben Kent is gone;1 I hope to the Regions of the Blessed, or at least to some Place where Souls are prepared for those Regions. I found my Hope on this, that tho' not so orthodox as you and I, he was an honest Man, and had his Virtues. If he had any Hypocrisy it was of that inverted kind, with which a Man is not so bad as he seems to be. And with regard to future Bliss I cannot help imagining, that Multitudes of the zealously Orthodox of different Sects, who at the last Day may flock together, in hopes of seeing [mutilated] damn'd, will be disappointed, and oblig'd to rest content with their own Salvation. You have no Occasion to apoligize for your former Letter. It was, as all

1 "Our Friend M' Benjamin Kent has taken His departure but for what Land is uncertain He thought He should be one of the Happy Few that escaped Stoping at Purgatory I wish he may not be Mistaken but have arrived safe at the Elisian Fields." Elizabeth Partridge to Franklin, November 12, 1788.- ED.

yours are, very well written. That which it enclos'd for your Cousin came too late, he being sailed.

By one of the Accidents which War occasions, all my Books containing Copies of my Letters were lost. There were Eight Volumes of them, and I have been able to recover only two. Those are of later Date than the Transaction you mention, and therefore can contain nothing relating to it. If the Letter you want a Copy of was one in which I aim'd at consoling my Brother's Friends, by a Comparison drawn from a Party of Pleasure intended into the Country, where we were all to meet, tho' the Chair of one being soonest ready he set out before the rest; I say if this was the Letter, I fancy you may possibly find it in Boston, as I remember Dr. Biles once wrote me that many Copies had been taken of it. I, too, should have been glad to have seen that again, among others I had written to him and you. But you inform me they were eaten by the Mice. Poor little innocent Creatures, I am sorry they had no better Food. But since they like my Letters, here is another Treat for them.

Adieu, ma chere Enfant, and believe me [mutilated] your affectionate Uncle,

B. FRANKLIN.

1750. TO MRS. JANE MECOM1

MY DEAR SISTER,

Philadelphia, Nov. 26, 1788.

I received your kind letter of the 11th instant. The two former ones you mention, I had answered, though it seems

1 Printed in part in "The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin " (1818), Vol. I, p. 245.-ED.

the answer had not reached you. If it has finally miscarried, I will look for the letters, and answer them again.

I am sorry you should suffer so much uneasiness with tears and apprehensions about my health. There are in life real evils enough, and it is a folly to afflict ourselves with imaginary ones; and it is time enough when the real ones arrive. I see by the papers that to-morrow is your thanksgiving day. The flour will arrive too late for your plum puddings, for I find it went from hence but a few days since. I hope, however, it will be with you before the winter shuts up your harbour.

I never see any Boston newspapers. You mention there being often something in them to do me honour. I am obliged to them. On the other hand, some of our papers here are endeavouring to disgrace me. I take no notice. My friends defend me. I have long been accustomed to receive more blame, as well as more praise, than I have deserved. It is the lot of every public man, and I leave one account to balance the other.

As you observe, there was no swearing in the story of the poker, when I told it. The late new dresser of it was, probably, the same, or perhaps akin to him, who, in relating a dispute that happened between Queen Anne and the Archbishop of Canterbury, concerning a vacant mitre, which the Queen was for bestowing on a person the Archbishop thought unworthy, made both the Queen and the Archbishop swear three or four thumping oaths in every sentence of the discussion, and the Archbishop at last gained his point. One present at this tale, being surprised, said, "But did the Queen and the Archbishop swear so at one another?" "O no, no," says the relator; "that is only my way of telling the story."

This family is all well at present, and join in love to you and yours, with your affectionate brother,

When I had the honour of being the Minister of the United States at the court of France, Mr. Barclay, arriving there, brought me the following resolution of Congress.

"Resolved, that a commissioner be appointed by Congress with full power and authority to liquidate, and finally to settle, the accounts of all the servants of the United States, who have been intrusted with the expenditure of public money in Europe, and to commence and prosecute such suits, causes, and actions as may be necessary for that purpose, or for the recovery of any property of the said United States in the hands of any person, or persons, whatso

ever.

"That the said commissioner be authorized to appoint one or more clerks, with such allowance as he may think reasonable.

"That the said commissioner and clerks, respectively, take an oath before some person duly authorized to administer an oath, faithfully to execute the trust reposed in them respectively.

"Congress proceeded to the election of a commissioner, and, ballots being taken, Mr. T. Barclay was elected."

In pursuance of this resolution, and as soon as Mr. Barclay was at leisure from more pressing business, I rendered to him all my accounts, which he examined, and stated methodically. By this statement he found a balance due me on the 4th of May, 1785, of 7,533 livres, 19 sols, 3 den., which I accordingly received of the Congress banker; the difference between my statement and his being only seven sols, which

1 President of Congress. Elected January 22, 1788. Printed from Sparks, Vol. X, p. 375.—ED.