and gives me Pleasure, as I think it very like. Pray what is the Composition? My Journey to Italy, and thence to Vienna, is yet an Uncertainty. I thank you however for your kind Advice respecting the Conduct of it.1 I have long since been tired of the Acquaintance and correspondence of Mr. V.;' having but a small Remnant left of Life, I cannot afford to attend to his endless Discourse and numerous long Letters, and visionary Projects. He wants to be employ'd in our Affairs, but he manages his own so badly that one can have but little Confidence in his Prudence. I pity him however, tho' I see no possible means of serving him. I thank you for the friendly Congratulations on the Peace, and Cautions respecting our future Conduct; they are good and wise." Mr. Wharton's Treatment of you gives me pain. He never writes to me. I forget whether I have already sent you the Extract of his Letter to Dr. Bancroft, so I enclose a Copy. I enclose also a part of a Philadelphia Newspaper, by which you will see that your Name and Writings are already known in our Country. With regard to your Prop 1 Ingenhousz advised Franklin to go to Italy through Austria "because from Vienna to the Venetian territory you have not a single difficult or dangerous road." He also advised a broad Italian carriage, "the French carriages are in general too narrow, and the English too low." — ED. 2 Rudolph Valltravers, an impecunious gentleman of Vienna who wrote interminable letters to Franklin, and constantly solicited his aid and favour in obtaining some position in Europe or America. - ED. 3 "Now you are a free and independent people, you ought to be mindfull of the old proverb, felix quam faciunt aliena pericula cautem! and prevent disunion among yourselves. You have had open enemies, now you will have inobservable ones." - Ingenhousz, Feb. 26, 1783.- ED. erty in the Public Funds, I have no doubt of its being secure according to the Value it had when it was plac'd there, but I can say nothing as to the particulars of its Situation or Amount; Mr. Williams can better inform you. I have requested him to do it. It is long since I have seen M. Le Begue.' He is much in the Country. I have heard nothing of the Printing of your Book. Your Experiment of burning the Wire has been made here with the greatest Success. My grandson had it try'd at Mr. Charles' Lecture, where it gave great Satisfaction & was much admir'd. I have not yet found Leisure to explain the Fireplace, but hope for it, when I am quit of my present Station. I have been, as you know, so little in America for these last 25 Years, that I am unqualified to answer the Request of Mr. Veinbrenner concerning the Names and Solidity of Houses there.2 A new Set of Merchants have grown up into Business, of whom I know nothing; and the Circumstances of the old ones whom I formerly knew may have been much altered by Time, or by the War. It is besides, an invidious & dangerous Thing for me to give such a distinguishing List, if I were able to do it. My best Advice to your Commercial People is, to send over a discreet, intelligent Person, with instructions to 1 Achille-Guillaume le Begue de Presles (1735-1807), Rousseau's physician and friend, had been requested by Ingenhousz to superintend the publication of his book in Paris, but he had not replied for a long time to any of Ingenhousz's letters. — ED. 2 M. Veinbrenner, by order of Prince Kaunitz, first minister of state, had written to Franklin for information about “the solidity of merchants in America." - ED. travel thro' the Country, observe the Nature of the Commerce, find out what of your Commodities are wanted there, and in what Quantities & Proportions; & what of the Produce of the Country can be purchased to make advantageous Returns. Such a Man on the Spot may obtain better Informations of Characters than I can possibly give, and may make the Connections desired with those that he finds to merit Confidence. If your People should think fit to take this Step, I will give Letters of Recommendation introductory of the Person, and which may be useful to their Design. Please to acquaint Mr. Veinbrenner of this, presenting my respects. I have already given such Letters at [mutilated] have received no intimation, except from you, that a Proposition for such a Treaty would be acceptable to His Imperial Majesty.1 I shall however venture to propose it to the Ambassador when I request his forwarding to you this Letter. The Commodities you mention as Productions of the Emperor's Dominions are all wanted in America, and will sell there to Advantage.2 I will send you another Piece of the Soap you mention when I can have a good Opportunity. I now send you one of the Medals I have caused to be struck here, which has the good Luck to be much approved. [Mutilated, part of draft cut off.] With regard to the Statuary you mention, I hardly think 1 A commercial treaty.—ED. 2 "The articles of exportation from this country are chiefly copper, steel, mercury, and glass as fine as English. Hungarian wines begin also to be an object. From the low countries the chief exporting objects are lace and linnens."- Ingenhousz, April 8, 1783.— Ed. 3 Giuseppi Ceracchi of Rome. Count Lacy, "the greatest favorite of the Emperour," requested Ingenhousz to ask Franklin whether Ceracchi "should goe over to America in expectation of being employed in erecting or making marmor and such like monuments. . Marechal Lacy added, that, in case it can be worth his while at present to go to America in Expectation of being employ'd there. Private Persons are not rich enough to encourage sufficiently the fine Arts; and therefore our Geniuses all go to Europe. In England at present, the best History Painter, West; the best Portrait Painter, Copley; and the best Landscape Painter, Taylor, at Bath, are all Americans. And the Public being burthen'd by its War Debts, will certainly think of paying them before it goes into the Expence of Marble Monuments. He might, indeed, as you hint, be easily paid in Land, but Land will produce him nothing without Labour; and he and his Workmen must [incomplete]. after a few years such an Artist may find Employment; and possibly we may discover a white Marble. I am glad you have made the experiments you mention, and with success. You will find that the holes are not made by the impulse of the fluid moving in certain directions, but by circumstances of explosion of parts of the matter; and I still think my explanation of the holes in the vane probable, viz. that it was the explosion of tin against parts of the copper plate that were almost in a state of fusion, and therefore easily burst through either on one side or the other, as it happened. The bursting of the twelve bottles all at once, I take to be owing to small bubbles in the substance of the glass, or grains of sand, into which a quantity of the electric fluid had been forced and compressed while the bottles there was a prospect of finding employment there, and money should be scarce, gouvernment could grant him land.”— Ingenhousz, April 29, 1783. This is the only reference made by Franklin to Ceracchi, who has long been credited with the making of the bust of Franklin which is now known to have been the work of Caffieri. — ED. were charging; and when the pressure was suddenly taken off by discharging the bottles, that confined portion by its elastic force expanding caused the breach. My reasons for thinking, that the charge did not pass by those holes you will find in a former letter; and I think you will always find, that the coating within and without is forced both ways by the explosion of these bubbles. B. FRANKLIN. 1415. RECOMMENDATION OF A GALLEY SLAVE (A. P. S.) SIR, Passy, May 22. 1783 The Bearer Pierre André Gargaz is Author of a very humane Project for establishing a perpetual Peace. This has interested me much in his Behalf. He appears to me a very honest sensible Man, & worthy of better Fortune:For tho' his Project may appear in some respects chimerical, there is Merit in so good an Intention. He has serv'd faithfully 20 Years as a Galley-Slave, and now requests Letters of Rehabilitation, that he may enjoy for the Rest of his Life the Douceurs that State would be attended with: If this Request of his is not improper, & you can assist him in procuring such Letters You will do me a most sensible Pleasure. He will show you authentic Certificates of his good Conduct. With great Esteem, I have the honour to be, Sir, [To whom it may Concern.] [B. FRANKLIN.] |