a most promising and beautiful child, and therefore do not wonder, that she is grown, as he says, a fine woman. God bless her and you, my dear friend, and every thing that pertains to you, is the sincere prayer of yours most affectionately, B. FRANKLIN.

SIR,

in his eighty-second year.

1685. TO WILLIAM HERSCHELL'

(H.)

Philad. May 18, 1787.

I received the letter you did me the honour of writing to me the 18th of Feb. past, together with your Catalogue of 1000 new nebulae and Clusters of Stars, which I immediately communicated to our Philosophical Society, who return their thanks, and congratulate you cordially on your important new Discovery of the two Satellites revolving round the Georgian planet.

You have wonderfully extended the Power of human Vision, and are daily making us Acquainted with Regions of the Universe totally unknown to mankind in former Ages. Had Fortune place'd you in this part of America, your Progress in these Discoveries might have been still more rapid, as from the more frequent clearness of our Air, we have near one Third more in the year of good observing Days than there are in England. With great esteem, I have the honour to be, Sir,

Your most obedient, humble Servant

B. FRANKLIN.

1 In the Sparks papers at Harvard University, endorsed by Jared Sparks "sent by Charles Sumner from Vienna. Rec'd March 3d 1840." It came too late to be published by Sparks. — ED.

SIR

1686. TO JOHN ADAMS

(M. H. S.)

Philada May 18, 1787.

I received by D' White the Letter you did me the honour of writing to me the 27th of January, together with two copies of your Defence of the American Constitutions, one for myself for which I beg you would accept my Thanks, the other for the Philosophical Society whose Secretary will of course officially acknowledge the Obligation. That work is in such Request here, that it is already put to Press, and a numerous Edition will speedily be abroad. My son Beach and my Grandson are much flatter'd by your Remembrance of them and join in presenting their Respects. Be pleased to offer mine to Mr Adams and your amiable daughter. With great Esteem I have the honour to be,

MY DEAR FRIEND, - I received your favour of Jan. 26 with the volume of Sermons, for which please to accept my thanks. I have read them with great pleasure, and I think no one can read them without improvement.

1 From a copy in M. H. S. The original is in the possession of Mr. Walter Ashburner, of London.-ED.

I condole with you on the loss of that excellent woman, so long your pleasing companion.' The being depriv'd of dear friends and relations one after another, is a very severe tax we pay for living a great while ourselves. But such is the miserable state of things in this period of our existence; the rectification is only to be expected in that which is to

come.

My health continues as when Mrs. Vaughan left us. My malady does not grow perceptibly worse, and I hope may continue tolerable to my life's end, which cannot now be far distant, being in my 82d year.

On farther consideration of my scheme for sinking the national debt, I became so doubtful of it as not to venture exposing it to Baron Maseres. I must digest it a little better.

We have now meeting here a Convention of the principal people in the several States, for the purpose of revising the federal Constitution, and proposing such amendments as shall be thoroughly necessary. It is a most important business, and I hope will be attended with success. With great and sincere esteem, I am ever, my dear Friend Yours most affectionately.

B. FRANKLIN.

If you have not receiv'd the Vol. of our Transactions I will send you another.

1 Mrs. Price died of palsy in September, 1786. — ED.

1688. TO GEORGE WHATLEY'

Philadelphia, May 18, 1787.

I RECEIVED duly my good old friend's letter of the 19th 2 of February. I thank you much for your notes on banks; they are just and solid, as far as I can judge of them. Our bank here has met with great opposition, partly from envy, and partly from those who wish an emission of more paper money, which they think the bank influence prevents. But it has stood all attacks, and went on well, notwithstanding the Assembly repealed its charter. A new Assembly has restored it; and the management is so prudent, that I have no doubt of its continuing to go on well. The dividend has never been less than six per cent, nor will that be augmented for some time, as the surplus profit is reserved to face accidents. The dividend of eleven per cent, which was once made, was from a circumstance scarce avoidable. A new company was proposed; and prevented only by admitting a number of new partners. As many of the first set were averse to this, and chose to withdraw, it was necessary to settle their accounts; so all were adjusted, the profits shared that had been accumulated, and the new and old proprietors jointly began on a new and equal footing. Their notes are always instantly paid on demand, and pass on all occasions as readily as silver, because they will always produce silver.

Your medallion is in good company; it is placed with those of Lord Chatham, Lord Camden, Marquis of Rock

1 From "The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin" (1818), Vol. I, p. 227. — ED.

? This should be 12th of February. The letter is in A. P. S. - ED.

ingham, Sir George Saville, and some others, who honoured me with a show of friendly regard, when in England. I believe I have thanked you for it, but I thank you again.

I believe, with you, that if our Plenipo is desirous of concluding a treaty of commerce, he may need patience. If I were in his place, and not otherwise instructed, I should be apt to say, "Take your own time, gentlemen. If the treaty cannot be made as much to your advantage as to ours, don't make it. I am sure the want of it is not more to our disadvantage than to yours. Let the merchants on both sides treat with one another. Laissez-les faire."

I have never considered attentively the Congress's scheme for coining, and I have it not now at hand, so that at present I can say nothing to it. The chief uses of coining seem to be the ascertaining the fineness of the metals, and saving the time that would otherwise be spent in weighing to ascertain the quality. But the convenience of fixed values to pieces is so great, as to force the currency of some whose stamp is worn off, that should have assured their fineness, and which are evidently not of half their due weight; the case at present with the sixpences in England; which, one with another, do not weight threepence.

You are now seventy-eight, and I am eighty-two; you tread fast upon my heels; but, though you have more strength and spirit, you cannot come up with me till I stop, which must now be soon; for I am grown so old as to have buried most of the friends of my youth, and I now often hear persons whom I knew when children, called old Mr. such-a-one, to distinguish them from their sons now men grown and in business; so that, by living twelve years beyond David's period, I seem to have intruded myself into the company of posterity,