discreet men under an oath to assess fairly and equitably, and that any advantage each of them might expect in lessening his own tax by augmenting that of the proprietaries was too trifling to induce them to perjure themselves. This is the purport of what I remember as urged by both sides, except that we insisted strongly on the mischievous consequences that must attend a repeal, for that the money, £100,000, being printed and given to the king's use, expended in his service, and now spread among the people, the repeal would strike it dead in their hands to the ruin of many, and the total discouragement of future grants, and the selfishness of the proprietors in soliciting such a general catastrophe, merely from a groundless fear of their estate being taxed too highly, was insisted on in the strongest terms. On this, Lord Mansfield, one of the counsel rose, and beckoning me took me into the clerk’s chamber, while the lawyers were pleading, and asked me if I was really of opinion that no injury would be done the proprietary estate in the execution of the act. I said certainly. “Then,” says he, “ you can have little objection to enter into an engagement to assure that point.” I answer'd, “ None at all." He then call'd in Paris, and after some discourse, his lordship’s proposition was accepted on both sides; a paper to the purpose was drawn up by the Clerk of the Council, which I sign'd with Mr. Charles, who was also an Agent of the Province for their ordinary affairs, when Lord Mansfield returned to the Council Chamber, where finally the law was allowed to pass. Some changes were however recommended and we also engaged they should be made by a subsequent law, but the Assembly did not think them necessary; for one year's tax having been levied by the act before the order of Council arrived, they appointed a committee to examine the proceedings of the assessors, and on this committee they put several particular friends of the proprietaries. After a full enquiry, they unanimously sign’d a report that they found the tax had been assess’d with perfect equity.

The Assembly looked into my entering into the first part of the engagement, as an essential service to the Province, since it secured the credit of the paper money then spread over all the country. They gave me their thanks in form when I return'd. But the proprietaries were enraged at Governor Denny for having pass'd the act, and turn'd him out with threats of suing him for breach of instructions which he had given bond to observe. He, however, having done it at the instance of the General, and for His Majesty's service, and having some powerful interest at court, despis'd the threats and they were never put in execution.

THE LIFE OF FRANKLIN.

WRITTEN BY HIMSELF.

CONTINUED.

FROM HIS CORRESPONDENCE AND OTHER WRITINGS.

PART II.

FROM FRANKLIN'S ARRIVAL IN ENGLAND AS AGENT OF THE COLONY OF

PENNSYLVANIA, IN JUNE, 1757, UNTIL THE CLOSE OF HIS MISSION

THERE AND RETURN TO PHILADELPHIA IN 1775.

32

373

CHAPTER I.

Domestication and Protracted Illness in London-Removal of Governor

Denny-Countermining the Proprietors-Historical Review, etc., of Pennsylvania—Tour through England and Scotland-Cambridge University, Visits the Home of his Ancestors-Counsels the Annexation of Canada to the British Empire- Portrait of William Penn-The "Art of Virtue"Kames's “ Elements of Criticism"-Directions for a Young Lady's Reading-Expensiveness of English Wives—Hume's "Jealousy of Commerce" -Baskerville's Printing Types—Property of the Penn Family-Death of his Mother-in-law-Lightning Conductors.

1757-1762.

To his wife, DURING my illness, which continued near dated Lon

eight weeks, I wrote several letters as I was don, 22 Nov., 1757

able. The last was by the packet which sailed from Falmouth above a week since. In that I informed you that my intermitting fever, which had continued to harass me by frequent relapses, was gone off, and I have ever since been gathering strength and flesh. My doctor, Fothergill, who had forbid me the use of pen and ink, now permits me to write as much as I can without over fatiguing myself, and therefore I sit down to write more fully than I have hitherto been able to do.

The ad of September I wrote to you, that I had had a violent cold and something of a fever, but that it was almost