and though a report prevailed of his being dead, yet we had no certainty of it; and fuppofing it to be true, he had left many debts, for the payment of which his fucceffor might be fued. We ventured nevertheless, in spite of all these difficulties; and I married her on the firft of September 1730. None of the inconveniences we had feared happened to us. She proved to me a good and faithful companion, and contributed effentially to the fuccefs of my fhop. We profpered together, and it was our mutual ftudy to render each other happy. Thus I corrected, as well as I could, this great error of my youth.

Our club was not at that time eftablished at a tavern. We held our meetings at the house of Mr. Grace, who appropriated a room to the purpose. Some member obferved one day, that as our books were frequently quoted in the courfe

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courfe of our difcuffions, it would be convenient to have them collected in the room in which we affembled, in order to be confulted upon occasion; and that, by thus forming a common library of our individual collections, each would have the advantage of ufing the books of all the other members, which would nearly be the fame as if he poffeffed them all himfelf. The idea was approved, and we accordingly brought fuch books as we thought we could fpare, which were placed at the end of the club-room. They amounted not to fo many as we expected; and though we made confiderable use of them, yet fome inconveniences refulting, from want of care, it was agreed, after about a year, to deftroy the collection; and each took away fuch books as beJonged to him.

It was now that I firft ftarted the idea of establishing, by subscription, a public library.

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library. I drew up the propofals, had them ingroffed in form by Brockden the attorney, and my project fucceeded, as will be seen in the fequel *

[The life of Dr. Franklin, as written by himself, fo far as it has yet been communicated to the world, breaks off in this place. We understand that it was continued by him fomewhat farther and we hope that the remainder will, at fome future period, be communicated to the public. We have no hefitation in fuppofing that every reader will find himself greatly interested by the frank fimplicity and the philofophical difcernment by which thefe pages are fo eminently characterised. We have therefore thought proper, in order as much as poffible to relieve his regret, to fubjoin the following continuation, by one of the doctor's intimate friends. It

is extracted from an American periodical publication, and was written by the late Dr. Stuber of Philadelphia.]

TH

HE promotion of literature had been little attended to in Pennsylvania. Moft of the inhabitants were too much immerfed in bufinefs to think of scientific purfuits; and thofe few, whofe inclinations led them to ftudy, found it difficult to gratify them, from the want of fufficiently large libraries. In fuch circumftances, the establishment of a public library

* Dr. Stuber was born in Philadelphia, of Ger man parents, He was fent, at an early age, to the university, where his genius, diligence and amiable temper foon acquired him the,particular notice and favour of thofe under whofe immediate direction he was placed. After paffing through the common course of ftudy, in a much shorter time than ufual, he left the univerfity, at the age of fixteen, with great reputation. Not long after, he entered on the ftudy of Phyfic; and the zeal with which he purfued

brary was an important event. This was first fet on foot by Franklin, about the year 1731. Fifty perfons fubfcribed forty fhillings each, and agreed to pay ten thillings annually. The number encreased; and in 1742, the company was incorporated by the name of " The Library Company of Philadelphia." Several other companies were formed in this city in imitation of it. These were

his

purfued it, and the advances he made, gave friends reafon to form the most flattering profpects of his future eminence and ufefulne fs in the profef fion. As Dr. Stuber's circumftances were very moderate, he did not think this pursuit well calcu lated to anfwer them. He therefore relinquished it, after he had obtained a degree in the profession, and qualified himself to practife with credit and fuccefs; and immediately entered on the study of Law. In purfait of the laft-mentioned object, he was prematurely arrefted, before he had an oppor tunity of reaping the fruit of thofe talents with which he was endowed, and of a youth spent in the ardent and fuccessful purfuit of useful and elegant literature.

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