Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

spot. When they were set up, our carpenters built a platform of boards all round within, about six feet high, for the men to stand on when to fire through the loop-holes. We had one swivel gun, which we mounted on one of the angles, and fired it as soon as fixed, to let the Indians know if any were within hearing, that we had such pieces; and thus our fort (if that name may be given to so miserable a stockade) was finished in a week, though it rained so hard every other day that the men could not well work.

66

This gave me occasion to observe, that when men are employed they are best contented; for on the days they worked they were good-natured and cheerful: and with the consciousness of having done a good day's work, they spent the evening jollily; but on our idle days, they were mutinous and quarrelsome, finding fault with the pork, the bread, &c., and were continually in bad humour; which put me in mind of a sea captain, whose rule it was to keep his men constantly at work; and when his mate once told him that they had done every thing, and there was nothing farther to employ them about; O," said he, "make them scour the anchor." This kind of fort, however contemptible, is a sufficient defence against Indians who had no cannon. Finding ourselves now posted securely, and having a place to retreat to on occasion, we ventured out in parties to scour the adjacent country. We met with no Indians, but we found the places on the neighbouring hills where they had lain to watch our proceedings. There was an art in their contrivance of those places, that seems worth mentioning. It being winter, a fire was necessary for them: but a common fire on the surface of the ground, would, by its light, have discovered their position at a distance: they had therefore dug holes in the ground about three feet diameter, and somewhat deeper; we found where they had with their hatchets cut off the charcoal from the sides of burnt logs lying in the woods. With these coals they had made small fires in the bottom of the holes, and we observed among the weeds and grass the prints of their bodies, made by their lying all round with their legs hanging down in the holes to keep their feet warm; which, with them, is an essential point. This kind of fire, so managed, could not discover them either by its light, flame, sparks, or even smoke: it appeared that the number was not great, and it seems they saw we were too many to be attacked by them with prospect of advantage.

We had for our chaplain a zealous Presbyterian minister, Mr. Beatty, who complained to me that the men did not generally attend his prayers and exhortations. When they enlisted, they were promised, besides pay and provisions, a gill of rum a day, which was

punctually served out to them, half in the morning, and half in the evening; and I observed they were punctual in attending to receive it: upon which I said to Mr. Beatty, "it is, perhaps, below the dignity of your profession to act as steward of the rum; but if you were to distribute it out only just after prayers, you would have them all about you." He liked the thought, undertook the task, and with the help of a few hands to measure out the liquor, executed it to satisfaction; and never were prayers more generally and more punctually attended. So that I think this method preferable to the punishment inflicted by some military laws for non-attendance on divine service.

I had hardly finished this business, and got my fort well stored with provisions, when I received a letter from the governor, acquainting me that he had called the assembly, and wished my attendance there, if the posture of affairs on the frontiers was such that my remaining there was no longer necessary. My friends too of the assembly pressing me by their letters to be, if possible, at the meeting; and my three intended forts being now completed, and the inhabitants contented to remain on their farms under that protection, I resolved to return; the more willingly, as a New England officer, colonel Clapham, experienced in Indian war, being on a visit to our establishment, consented to accept the command. I gave him a commission, and parading the garrison, had it read before them; and introduced him to them as an officer, who from his skill in military affairs, was much more fit to command them than myself; and giving them a little exhortation, took my leave. I was escorted as far as Bethlehem, where I rested a few days to recover from the fatigue I had undergone. The first night lying in a good bed, I could hardly sleep, it was so different from my hard lodging on the floor of a hut at Gnadenhutten, with only a blanket or two. While at Bethlehem, I inquired a little into the practices of the Moravians; some of them had accompanied me, and all were very kind to me. I found they worked for a common stock, eat at common tables, and slept in common dormitories, great numbers together. In the dormitories I observed loop-holes at certain distances all along just under the ceiling, which I thought judiciously placed for change of air. I went to their church, where I was entertained with good music, the organ being accompanied with violins, hautboys, flutes, clarinets, &c. I understood their sermons were not usually preached to mixed congregations of men, women, and children, as is our common practice; but that they assembled sometimes the married men, at other times their wives, then the young men, the young women, and the little children; each division by itself. The sermon I heard was to the latter, who came in

and were placed in rows on benches, the boys under the conduct of a young man their tutor; and the girls conducted by a young woman. The discourse seemed well adapted to their capacities, and was delivered in a pleasing, familiar manner, coaxing them as it were to be good. They behaved very orderly, but looked pale and unhealthy, which made me suspect they were kept too much within doors, or not allowed sufficient exercise. I inquired concerning the Moravian marriages, whether the report was true that they were by lot; I was told that lots were used only in particular cases: that generally, when a young man found himself disposed to marry, he informed the elders of his class, who consulted the elder ladies that governed the young women. As these elders of the different sexes were well acquainted with the tempers and dispositions of their respective pupils, they could best judge what matches were suitable, and their judgments were generally acquiesced in. But if, for example, it should happen that two or three young women were found to be equally proper for the young man, the lot was then recurred to. I objected, if the matches are not made by the mutual choice of the parties, some of them may chance to be very unhappy. "And so they may," answered my informer, "if you let the parties choose for themselves." Which indeed I could not deny.

being about to set out on a journey to Virginia, the officers of my regiment, took it into their heads that it would be proper for them to escort me out of town, as far as the Lowerferry; just as I was getting on horseback they came to my door, between thirty and forty, mounted, and all in their uniforms. I had not been previously acquainted with their project, or I should have prevented it, being naturally averse to the assuming of state on any occasion; and I was a good deal chagrined at their appearance, as could not avoid their accompanying me. What made it worse was, that as soon as we began to move, they drew their swords and rode with them naked all the way. Somebody wrote an account of this to the proprietor, and it gave him great offence. No such honour had been paid him, when in the province; nor to any of his governors; and he said it was only proper to princes of the blood royal; which may be true for aught I know, who was, and still am ignorant of the etiquette in such cases. This silly affair, however, greatly increased his rancour against me, which was before considerable on account of my conduct in the assembly, respecting the exemption of his estate from taxation, which I had always opposed very warmly; and not without severe reflections on the meanness and injustice in contending for it. He accused me to the ministry, as being the great obstacle to the king's service: preventing by my influence in the house, the proper form of the bills for raising money; and he instanced the parade with my officers, as a proof of my having an cap-intention to take the government of the province out of his hands by force. He also applied to sir Everard Faukener, the post-master-general, to deprive me of my office; but it had no other effect than to procure from sir Everard a gentle admonition.

Being returned to Philadelphia, I found the association went on with great success, the inhabitants that were not quakers, having pretty generally come into it, formed them selves into companies, and chose their tains, lieutenants, and ensigns, according to the new law. Dr. Bond visited me and gave me an account of the pains he had taken to spread a general good liking to the law, and ascribed much to those endeavours. I had the vanity to ascribe all to my dialogue; however, not knowing but that he might be in the right, I let him enjoy his opinion; which I take to be generally the best way in such cases. The officers meeting, chose me to be colonel of the regiment; which I this time accepted. I forget how many companies we had, but we paraded about twelve hundred well-looking men, with a company of artillery, who had been furnished with six brass field-pieces, which they had become so expert in the use of, as to fire twelve times in a minute. The first time I reviewed my regiment, they accompanied me to my house, and would salute me with some rounds fired before my door, which shook down and broke several glasses of my electrical apparatus. And my new honour proved not much less brittle; for all our commissions were soon after broken, by a repeal of the law in Eng-governor sent in haste for me, to consult with land. him on measures for preventing the desertion During this short time of my colonelship, of the back counties. I forget now the advice

Notwithstanding the continual wrangle between the governor and the house, in which I as a member had so large a share, there still subsisted a civil intercourse between that gentleman and myself, and we never had any personal difference. I have sometimes since thought, that his little or no resentment against me for the answers it was known I drew up to his messages, might be the effect of professional habit, and that being bred a lawyer, he might consider us both as merely advocates for contending clients in a suit; he for the proprietaries, and I for the assembly: he would therefore sometimes call in a friendly way to advise with me on difficult points; and sometimes, though not often, take my advice. We acted in concert to supply Braddock's army with provisions, and when the shocking news arrived of his defeat, the

I gave, but I think it was that Dunbar should | were well attended, and gave great satisfacbe written to and prevailed with, if possible, tion; and after some time he went through to post his troops on the frontiers for their the colonies exhibiting them in every capital protection, until by reinforcements from the town, and picked up some money. In the colonies, he might be able to proceed in the West India Islands indeed, it was with diffiexpedition and after my return from the culty the experiments could be made, from frontier, he would have had me undertake the general moisture of the air. the conduct of such an expedition with pro- Obliged as we were to Mr. Collinson, for vincial troops, for the reduction of fort Du- the present of the tube, &c., I thought it quesne; (Dunbar and his men being other-right he should be informed of our success wise employed ;) and he proposed to commis- in using it, and wrote him several letters consion me as general. I had not so good an taining accounts of our experiments.* He opinion of my military abilities as he professed got them read in the Royal Society, where to have, and I believe his professions must they were not at first thought worth so much have exceeded his real sentiments: but pro- notice as to be printed in their transactions. bably he might think that my popularity would One paper which I wrote for Mr. Kinnersly, facilitate the business with the men, and in- on the sameness of lightning with electricity, fluence in the assembly the grant of money I sent to Mr. Mitchel, an acquaintance of to pay for it; and that perhaps without taxing mine, and one of the members also of that sothe proprietary. Finding me not so forward ciety; who wrote me word that it had been to engage as he expected, the project was read, but was laughed at by the connoisseurs. dropt; and he soon after left the government, The papers however being shown to Dr. Fobeing superseded by captain Denny. thergill, he thought them of too much value to be stifled, and advised the printing of them. Mr. Collinson then gave them to Cave for publication, in his Gentleman's Magazine; but he chose to print them separately in a pamphlet, and Dr. Fothergill wrote the preface. Cave, it seems, judged rightly for his profession, for by the additions that arrived afterwards, they swelled to a quarto volume; which has had five editions, and cost him nothing for copy-money.

Before I proceed in relating the part I had in public affairs under this new governor's administration, it may not be amiss to give here some account of the rise and progress of my philosophical reputation.

It was, however, some time before those papers were much taken notice of in England. A copy of them happening to fall into the hands of the count de Buffon, (a philosopher deservedly of great reputation in France, and indeed all over Europe,) he prevailed with monsieur Dubourg to translate them into French; and they were printed at Paris. The publication offended the Abbé Nollet, preceptor in Natural Philosophy to the royal family, and an able experimenter, who had formed and published a theory of electricity, which then had the general vogue. He could not at first believe that such a work came from America, and said it must have been fabricated by his enemies at Paris, to oppose his system. Afterwards, having been assured that there really existed such a person as Franklin, at Philadelphia, (which he had doubted,) he wrote and published a volume of letters, chiefly addressed to me, defending his theory, and denying the verity of my experiments, and of the positions deduced from them. I once purposed answering the Abbé, and actually began the answer; but on con

In 1746, being at Boston, I met there with a Dr. Spence, who was lately arrived from Scotland, and showed me some electric experiments. They were imperfectly performed, as he was not very expert; but being on a subject quite new to me, they equally surprised and pleased me. Soon after my return to Philadelphia, our library company received from Mr. Peter Collinson, F. R. S. of London, a present of a glass tube, with some account of the use of it in making such experiments. I eagerly seized the opportunity of repeating what I had seen at Boston; and by much practice acquired great readiness in performing those also which we had an account of from England, adding a number of new ones. I say much practice, for my house was continually full for some time, with persons who came to see these new wonders. To divide a little this incumbrance among my friends, I caused a number of similar tubes to be blown in our glass-house, with which they furnished themselves, so that we had at length several performers. Among these the principal was Mr. Kinnersly an ingenious neighbour, who being out of business, I encouraged to undertake showing the experiments for money, and drew up for him two lectures, in which the experiments were ranged in such order, and accompanied with explanations in such method, as that the foregoing should as-sideration that my writings contained a desist in comprehending the following. He procured an elegant apparatus for the purpose, in which all the little machines that I had roughly made for myself, were neatly formed by instrument makers. His lectures

scription of experiments, which any one might repeat and verify, and if not to be verified, could not be defended; or of observations

*See Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects Vol II. of this edition.

offered as conjectures, and not delivered dogmatically, therefore not laying me under any obligation to defend them; and reflecting that a dispute between two persons, written in different languages, might be lengthened greatly by mistranslations, and thence misconceptions of another's meaning, much of one of the Abbé's letters being founded on an error in the translation; I concluded to let my papers shift for themselves; believing it was better to spend what time I could spare from public business, in making new experiments, than in disputing about those already made. I therefore never answered monsieur Nollet; and the event gave me no cause to repent my silence; for my friend, monsieur Le Roy, of the royal academy of sciences, took up my cause and refuted him: my book was translated into the Italian, German, and Latin languages; and the doctrine it contained was by degrees generally adopted by the philosophers of Europe, in preference to that of the Abbé; so that he lived to see himself the last of his sect; except monsieur B- of Paris, his eléve and immediate disciple.

any application for that honour, they chose me a member; and voted that I should be excused the customary payments, which would have amounted to twenty-five guineas; and ever since have given me their transactions gratis.* They also presented me with the gold medal of sir Godfrey Copley, for the year 1753, the delivery of which was accompanied by a very handsome speech of the president, lord Macclesfield, wherein I was highly honoured.

Our new governor, captain Denny, brought over for me the beforementioned medal from the Royal Society, which he presented to me at an entertainment given him by the city He accompanied it with very polite expressions of his esteem for me, having, as he said, been long acquainted with my character.After dinner, when the company, as was customary at that time, were engaged in drinking, he took me aside into another room, and acquainted me that he had been advised by his friends in England to cultivate a friendship with me, as one who was capable of giving him the best advice, and of contributing most effectually to the making his administration easy. That he therefore desired of all things to have a good understanding with me, and he begged me to be assured of his readiness on all occasions to render me every service that might be in his power. He said much to me also of the proprietors'

*Dr. Franklin gives a further account of his election,

in the following extract of a letter to his son, governor

Franklin.

"London, Dec. 19, 1767. "We have had an ugly affair at the Royal Society lateOne Dacosta, a Jew, who, as our clerk, was entrusted with collecting our monies, has been so unfaithful as to embezzle near thirteen hundred pounds in four years. Being one of the council this year as well as the last, I have been employed all the last week in attending the inquiry into and unravelling his accounts, in order to come at a full knowledge of his

pounds to the society, which they will pay, but we are

What gave my book the more sudden and general celebrity, was the success of one of its proposed experiments, made by messieurs Dalibard and Delor, at Marly; for drawing lightning from the clouds. This engaged the public attention every where. Monsieur Delor, who had an apparatus for experimental philosophy, and lectured in that branch of science, undertook to repeat, what he called the Philadelphia experiments; and after they were performed before the king and court, all the curious of Paris flocked to see them. I will not swell this narrative withly. an account of that capital experiment, nor of the infinite pleasure I received in the success of a similar one I made soon after with a kite at Philadelphia, as both are to be found in the histories of electricity. Dr. Wright, an Eng-frauds. His securities are bound in one thousand lish physician, when at Paris, wrote to a friend who was of the Royal Society, an account of the high esteem my experiments were in among the learned abroad, and of their wonder that my writings had been so little noticed in England. The society on this resumed the consideration of the letters that had been read to them; and the cele brated Dr. Watson drew up a summary account of them, and of all I had afterwards sent to England on the subject; which he accompanied with some praise of the writer. This summary was then printed in their transactions: and some members of the society in London, particularly the very ingenious Mr. Canton, having verified the experiment of procuring lightning from the clouds by a pointed rod, and acquainted them with the success; they soon made me more than amends for the slight with which they had before treated me. Without my having made

like to lose the rest. He had this year received twentysix admission payments of twenty-five guineas each, which he did not bring to account.

"While attending this affair, I had an opportunity of looking over the old council books and journals of the society, and having a curiosity to see how I came in, (of which I had never been informed,) I looked back for the minutes relating to it. You must know it is not usual to admit persons that have not requested to he admitted; and a recommendatory certificate in favour of the candidate, signed by at least three of the members, is by our rule to be presented to the society, expressing that he is desirous of that honour, and is so and so qualified. As I had never asked or expected the honour, I was, as I said before, curious to see how the business was managed. I found that the certificate, lord Macclesfield, then president, lord Parker, and lord worded very advantageously for me, was signed by Willoughby; that the election was by an unanimous vote; and the honour being voluntarily conferred by the society unsolicited by me, it was thought wrong to demand or receive the usual fees or composition; so that my name was entered on the list with a vote of council, nothing has ever been demanded of me. Those who are that I was not to pay any thing. And, accordingly, admitted in the common way, pay five guineas admission fees, and two guineas and a half yearly contribu tion, or twenty-five guineas down, in lieu of it. In my case a substantial favour accompanied the honour

good disposition towards the province, and | petition the king against them, and appointed of the advantage it would be to us all, and to me their agent to go over to England, to preme in particular, if the opposition that had sent and support the petition. The house been so long continued to his measures was had sent up a bill to the governor, granting a dropped, and harmony restored between him sum of sixty thousand pounds for the king's and the people; in effecting which, it was use, (ten thousand pounds of which was subthought no one could be more serviceable jected to the orders of the then general, lord than myself; and I might depend on adequate Loudon,) which the governor, in compliance acknowledgments and recompenses, &c. The with his instructions absolutely refused to drinkers finding we did not return immedi- pass. I had agreed with captain Morris, of ately to the table, sent us a decanter of Ma- the packet at New York, for my passage, and deira, which the governor made liberal use my stores were put on board; when lord of, and in proportion became more profuse of Loudon, arrived at Philadelphia, expressly as his solicitations and promises. My answers he told me, to endeavour an accommodation were to this purpose; that my circumstances, between the governor and assembly, that his thanks to God, were such as to make pro- majesty's service might not be obstructed by prietary favours unnecessary to me; and that their dissensions. Accordingly he desired being a member of the assembly, I could not the governor and myself to meet him, that he possibly accept of any; that, however, I had might hear what was to be said on both sides. no personal enmity to the proprietary, and We met and discussed the business: in bethat whenever the public measures he pro- half of the assembly, I urged the various arguposed, should appear to be for the good of the ments that may be found in the public papers people, no one would espouse and forward of that time, which were of my writing, and them more zealously than myself; my past are printed with the minutes of the assembly; opposition had been founded on this, that the and the governor pleaded his instructions, the measures which having been urged, were bond he had given to observe them, and his evidently intended to serve the proprietary ruin if he disobeyed; yet seemed not unwilinterest, with great prejudice to that of the ling to hazard himself if lord Loudon would people. That I was much obliged to him advise it. This his lordship did not choose to (the governor) for his profession of regard to do, though I once thought I had nearly preme, and that he might rely on every thing in vailed with him to do it; but finally he rather my power to render his administration as easy chose to urge the compliance of the assembly; to him as possible, hoping, at the same time, and he intreated me to use my endeavours that he had not brought with him the same with them for that purpose, declaring that he unfortunate instructions his predecessors had would spare none of the king's troops for the been hampered with. On this he did not defence of our frontiers, and that if we did not then explain himself, but when he afterwards continue to provide for that defence ourselves, came to do business with the assembly, they they must remain exposed to the enemy. I appeared again; the disputes were renewed, acquainted the house with what had passed, and I was as active as ever in the opposition, and presenting them with a set of resolutions being the penman, first of the request to have I had drawn up, declaring our rights, that we a communication of the instructions, and then did not relinquish our claim to those rights, of the remarks upon them, which may be but only suspended the exercise of them on found in the Votes of the Times, and in the this occasion, through force, against which HISTORICAL REVIEW I afterwards published; we protested; they at length agreed to drop but between us personally no enmity arose, that bill, and frame another conformably to we were often together; he was a man of let- the proprietary instructions; this of course ters, had seen much of the world, and was the governor passed, and I was then at liberty entertaining and pleasing in conversation. to proceed on my voyage. But in the mean He gave me information that my old friend time the packet had sailed with my sea stores, Ralph, was still alive, that he was esteemed which was some loss to me, and my only reone of the best political writers in England, compense was his lordship's thanks for my had been employed in the dispute between service; all the credit of obtaining the acprince Frederick, and the king, and had ob-commodation falling to his share. tained a pension of three hundred pounds ayear; that his reputation was indeed small as a poet, Pope having damned his poetry in the Dunciad; but his prose was thought as good as any man's.

The assembly finally finding the proprietary obstinately persisted in shackling the deputies with instructions, inconsistent not only with the privileges of the people, but with the service of the crown, resolved to

He set out for New York before me; and as the time for dispatching the packet boats was in his disposition, and there were two then remaining there, one of which, he said, was to sail very soon, I requested to know the precise time, that I might not miss her, by any delay of mine. The answer was, "I have given out that she is to sail on Saturday next, but I may let you know, entre nous, that if you are there by Monday morning,

« ZurückWeiter »