The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 9

Front Cover
 

Contents

To Robert R Livingston 1396 To Comte de Vergennes
18
To Comte de Vergennes
19
To the Earl of Buchan
21
To Jonathan Shipley
22
To Sir William Jones
24
To John Dickinson
25
To David Hartley March 23 1783
26
To Comte de Vergennes March 17 1783
27
To Emmanuel de Rohan March 24 1783
28
April 6 1783
29
To Robert R Livingston April 15 1783
31
Introduction of Professor Märter April 22 1783
35
To Mrs Mary Hewson 1409 To Robert R Livingston April 27 1783
37
To Comte de Vergennes May 4 1783
40
To Jan Ingenhousz May 16 1783
43
8
44
Recommendation of a Galley Slave May 22 1783
46
On the Shock by the Electric
52
9
59
10
63
To Sir Joseph Banks July 27 1783
73
II
91
13
93
September 7 1783
101
To David Hartley
107
To Sir Joseph Banks
113
To Henry Laurens
122
15
125
To Giacomo Francesco Crocco December 15 1783
128
December 6 1783
141
To MichelGuillaumeJean de Crèvecœur 1783
149
To Jan Ingenhousz January 16 1784
155
17
157
To Mrs Sarah Bache January 26 1784
163
To Charles W F Dumas February 1 1784
169
18
173
To Comte de Vergennes
176
19
181
February 25 1784
183
20
184
September 12 1784
186
To John Paul Jones March 25 1784
189
To Charles Thomson March 31 1784
191
To John Walter April 17 1784
195
To David Hartley April 17 1784
196
22
197
To Henry Laurens April 29 1784
198
To Benjamin Vaughan April 29 1784
199
A Letter from China May 5 1784
201
To Samuel Mather May 12 1784
209
To Thomas Mifflin May 12 1784
210
To Henry Laurens May 13 1784
211
To Charles Thomson May 13 1784
213
To Comte de Vergennes May 31 1784
215
To David Hartley June 2 1784
219
To Conde de Campomanes June 5 1784
221
To Charles Thomson June 14 1784
224
To Thomas Mifflin June 16 1784
225
Loose Thoughts on a Universal Fluid
227
Of the Paper Money of the United States of America
231
July 3 1784
236
To Thomas Percival July 17 1784
237
To Mason Weems and Edward Gant July 18 1784
239
To Benjamin Vaughan September 7 1784
241
24
246
To Comte de Mercy Argenteau July 30 1784
249
251
251
To William Franklin August 16 1784
253
To Richard Price August 16 1784
255
To William Carmichael October 11 1784
275
August 19 1784
278
To Thomas Jefferson November 23 1784
281
November 14 1785
285
To John Jay February 8 1785
287
To William Carmichael
301
To AntoineAlexisFrançois Cadet de Vaux April 28 1785
307
To Comte de Vergennes
321
To Mrs Mary Hewson October 30 1785
323
To Mr and Mrs Richard Bache May 10 1785
327
To Thomas Barclay June 19 1785
343
To Francis Maseres June 26 1785
349
To Mrs Mary Hewson
355
To John Paul Jones
362
To Ferdinand Grand
368
27
372
35
407
39
408
40
409
To David Le Roy Maritime Observations August 1785
410
To Samuel Elbert November 5 1785
475
To Jonathan Williams
481
To Jonathan Williams
492
To Thomas Jefferson
499
To Mrs Jane Mecom
506
1642
520
To John Jay July 6 1786
525
To Benjamin Vaughan July 31 1786
531
To John Jay August 24 1786
537
To Charles Pettit
543
To Thomas Wight Jr November 25 1786
549
To the Duc de la Rochefoucauld April 15 1787
566
To George Whatley May 18 1787
587
Speech in the Convention On the Subject of Salaries
595
Motion for Prayers in the Convention June 28 1787
602
To Mrs Jane Mecom
613
To Ferdinand Grand
619
To the Printer of the Evening Herald 1787
627
To Count de Moustiers February 10 1788
635
To M Le Veillard February 17 1788
639
To Mrs Collas April 12 1788
643
To M Le Veillard April 22 1788
647
To JosephIgnace Guillotin May 4 1788
648
To the Princess Dashkow May 7 1788
649
To Rev John Lathrop May 31 1788
651
To James Bowdoin May 31 1788
652
To Mather Byles June 1 1788
655
To M Le Veillard June 8 1788
657
To Dupont de Nemours June 9 1788
659
To Mathew Carey June 10 1788
660
To John Jay June 27 1788
662
To George Clinton July 10 1788
663
To Benjamin Chambers and the other Gentlemen of Cham
664
To Madame Lavoisier October 23 1788
667
To JosephIgnace Guillotin October 23 1788
669
To Jan Ingenhousz October 24 1788
671
To M Le Veillard
673
To Benjamin Vaughan 1742 To Ferdinand Grand 1743 To Madame Helvétius 1744 To JeanBaptiste Le Roy 1745 To Don Diego Gardoqui 1746 To ...
675
To the Duc de la Rochefoucauld November 13 1788
681
To Francis Childs November 19 1788
682
To Mrs Elizabeth Partridge November 25 1788
683
To Mrs Jane Mecom November 26 1788
685
To Cyrus Griffin November 29 1788
687
To William Vaughan
688
To Abbé Morellet
690
To Charles Thomson December 9 1788
691
A Comparison of
698
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Page 597 - I have lived, sir, a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proofs I see of this truth — that GOD governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ' except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it.
Page 204 - Good,' which I think was written by your father. It had been so little regarded by a former possessor, that several leaves of it were torn out ; but the remainder gave me such a turn of thinking, as to have an influence on my conduct through life ; for I have always set a greater value on the character of a doer of good than any other kind of reputation ; and if I have been, as you seem to think, a useful citizen, the public owes the advantage of it to that book.
Page 596 - In the Beginning of the Contest with Britain, when we were sensible of Danger, we had daily Prayers in this Room for the Divine Protection. Our Prayers, Sir, were heard ; — and they were graciously answered. All of us, who were engaged in the Struggle, must have observed frequent Instances of a superintending Providence in our Favour.
Page 152 - Five thousand balloons, capable of raising two men each, could not cost more than five ships of the line; and where is the prince who can afford so to cover his country with troops for its defence, as that ten thousand men descending from the clouds might not in many places do an infinite deal of mischief, before a force could be brought together to repel them...
Page 597 - I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel. We shall be divided by our little partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and byword down to future ages.
Page 597 - I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth, that GOD governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without His Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without His Aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labour in vain that build it.
Page 596 - In this situation of this assembly, groping, as it were, in the dark, to find political truth, and scarce able to distinguish it when presented to us, how has it happened, sjr, that we have not hitherto once thought of humbly applying to the Father of lights to illuminate our understandings...
Page 205 - He received me in his library, and on my taking leave showed me a shorter way out of the house through a narrow passage, which was crossed by a beam over head. We were still talking as I withdrew, he accompanying me behind, and I turning partly towards him, when he said hastily, "Stoop, stoop!
Page 615 - If it succeeds, I do not see why you might not in Europe carry the Project of good Henry the 4th into Execution, by forming a Federal Union and One Grand Republick of all its different States and Kingdoms, by means of a like Convention, for we had many Interests to reconcile.

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