You have given me Pleasure by informing me of the Welfare and present agreable Circumstances of yourself and Children; and I am persuaded that your Friendship for me will render a similar Account of my Situation pleasing to you. I am in a Country where I have the happiness of being universally respected and beloved, of which three successive annual Elections to the Chief Magistracy, in which Elections the Representatives of the People in Assembly and the Supreme Council join'd and were unanimous, is the strongest Proof; this is a Place of Profit as well as of Honour; and my Friends chearfully assist in making the Business as easy to me as possible. I live in a good House which I built 25 Years ago, contriv'd to my Mind, and made still more convenient by an Addition since my Return. A dutiful and affectionate Daughter, with her Husband and Six Children compose my Family. The Children are all promising, and even the youngest, who is but four Years old, contributes to my Amusement. The eldest, Benjamin, you may remember. He has finish'd his Studies at our University, and is preparing to enter into Business as a Printer, the original Occupation of his Grandfather. Temple, who was likewise with me in France, is settled about 6 Leagues from me on his Plantation, which contains about 600 Acres; but when in Town lives with me. My Rents and Incomes are amply sufficient for all my present Occasions; and if no unexpected Misfortunes. happen during the time I have to live, I shall leave a handsome Estate to be divided among my Relatives. As to my Health, it continues the same, or rather better than when I left Passy; but being now in my 83d Year, I do not expect to continue much longer a Sojourner in this World, and begin to promise myself much Gratification of my Curiosity in soon visiting

some other. Wherever I may hereafter travel, be assured,

I received but a few days since, your favour of November 30th, 1787, in which you continue to urge me to finish the Memoirs. My three years of service will expire in October, when a new president must be chosen; and I had the project of retiring then to my grandson's estate in New Jersey, where I might be free from the interruption of visits, in order to complete that work for your satisfaction; for in this city my time is so cut to pieces by friends and strangers, that I have sometimes envied the prisoners in Bastille. But considering now the little remnant of life I have left, the accidents that may happen between this and October, and your earnest desire, I have come to the resolution to proceed in that work to-morrow, and continue it daily till finished, which, if my health permits, may be in the course of the ensuing summer. As it goes on, I will have a copy made for you, and you may expect to receive a part by the next packet.

It is very possible, as you suppose, that all the articles of the proposed new government will not remain unchanged after the first meeting of the Congress. I am of opinion with you, that the two chambers were not necessary, and I disliked some other articles that are in, and wished for some that are not in the proposed plan. I nevertheless hope it may be adopted, though I should have nothing to do with

the execution of it, being determined to quit all public business with my present employment. At eighty-three one certainly has a right to ambition repose.

We are not ignorant, that the duties paid at the customhouse on the importation of foreign goods are finally reimbursed by the consumer, but we impose them as the easiest way of levying a tax from those consumers. If our new country was as closely inhabited as your old one, we might without much difficulty collect a land tax, that would be sufficient for all purposes; but where farms are at five or six miles' distance from each other, as they are in a great part of our country, the going of the collectors from house to house to demand the taxes, and being obliged to call more than once for the same tax, makes the trouble of collecting in many cases exceed the value of the sum collected. Things that are practicable in one country are not always so in another, where circumstances differ. Our duties are, however, generally so small, as to give little temptation to smuggling. Believe me ever my dear friend, yours most affectionately, B. FRANKLIN.

1722. TO MADAME HELVÉTIUS

(B. N.)

Philadelphia, April 23, 1788.

I RECEIV'D and read with the greatest Pleasure, my dear friend, the kind Letter you were so good as to write to me with your own hand, c'est tout à fait charmante. It rejoiced me to hear that you continu'd well with your chères petites etoiles and that you still have your Friends about you. I often think of the Happiness I so long enjoy'd in the sweet Society

of you and them at Auteuil. When we meet in Paradise, as I trust we shall, the Pleasure of that Place will be augmented by our Recollection of all the Circumstances of our Acquaintance here below.

You have made my Daughter very happy by the Things you sent her. They are much admir'd. I continue as well as I have been for some Years past, and if I live six Months longer, I may hope for some Leisure, so as to be able to converse more frequently by Letter with my absent Friends, having absolutely determin'd to engage no more in any public Business after my three Years' Service as President shall expire.

M. Paradise, the Gentleman who will have the Honour of delivering this Letter, intends to reside some time in Paris, and acquaints me that he has ordered some Cardinals to be frequently sent to him from his Estate in Virginia, and that if any of them get to Paris alive you shall be sure to have one. He had the Pleasure of seeing you formerly with me at Passy.

Temple is at his Terre, busy with his Agriculture. Benjamin presents his respects. Our best Wishes attend you and yours most devoutly. I am exceedingly oblig'd to the good abbés and M. Cabanis for their Letters. The Guichets and Nouvelle Cométologie entertain'd my Friends and me very much. I cannot write to them now, but must say with the Debtor in the Gospel: Have patience with me and I will pay you all. Adieu, my dear Friend, and believe me ever, yours most affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.

1723. TO JOSEPH-IGNACE GUILLOTIN

(L. C.)

Philada, May 4, 1788.

Ir is with great Concern that I communicate to you the Intelligence contain'd in the enclos'd Paper. For tho' the Name of two of the French Gentlemen are not mentioned, I have reason to fear they were our two Friends:1 I suppose they informed you in their late Letters, that they were prevented from going down the Ohio last Autumn by the Freezing of the River before their Boat was ready. They were thereby detain'd at Fort Pitt all Winter; and in their last Letter to me they acquainted me that the Ice being now gone they should soon proceed, and desired the Letters coming to my hands for them, might remain with me till I should hear from them, and receive Directions where to send them. Your two last accordingly are still in my Hands. We have as yet no farther Account of this melancholy Event, and therefore do not yet know whether the Gentleman said to have escaped to the Shore, tho' badly wounded, still survives. I hope to hear that he is recovered. It seems they were unprovided with Arms to defend themselves. Indeed Travelling on the Ohio has for some Years past been thought as safe as on any River in France, so that there was not the least Suspicion of Danger, many Thousands of People having gone down that way to the new Settlements at Kentucke. I condole with you most sincerely on the unfortunate Accident. They were two young Men of uncommon Knowledge and most amiable Manners, so that I have scarce ever met with Persons for

1 Picque and Saugrain. See letter to M. le Veillard, February 17, 1788.

- ED.