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has been burnt in effigy at York. His East India bill is not likely to go down; and it is thought he cannot stand long. Mr. Hammond is a friend of Mr. Fox;-whose friends, that have lost their places, are called Fox's Martyrs.

Wednesday, July 21. Count de Hagaz sends his card to take leave. M. Grand tells me he has bought here my bust, with that of M. D'Alembert or Diderot, to take with him to Sweden. He set out last night.

Thursday, 22. Lord Fitzmaurice, son of lord Shelburne, arrives; brought me sundry letters and papers.

He thinks Mr. Pitt in danger of losing his majority in the house of commons, though great at present; for he will not have wherewithal to pay them. I said, that governing by a pa:liament which must be bribed, was employing a very expensive machine, and that the people of England would in time find out, though they had not yet, that since the parliament must always do the will of the minister, and be paid for doing it, and the people must find the money to pay them, it would be the same thing in effect, but much cheaper, to be governed by the minister at first hand, without a parliament. Those present seemed to think the reasoning clear. Lord Fitzmaurice appears a sensible, amiable young man.

Tuesday, 27. Lord Fitzmaurice called to see me. His father having requested that I would give him such instructive hints as might be useful to him, I occasionally mentioned the old story of Demosthenes' answer to one who demanded what was the first point of oratory? Action. The second? Action. The third? Action: which I said had been generally understood to mean the action of an orator with his hands, &c. in speaking; but that I thought another kind of action of more importance to an orator, who would persuade people to follow his advice, viz. such a course of action in the conduct of life, as would impress them with an opinion of his integrity as well as of his understanding. That this opinion once established, all the difficulties, delays, and oppositions, usually

The king of Sweden.

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occasioned by doubts and suspicions, were prevented; and such a man, though a very imperfect speaker, would almost always carry his points against the most flourishing orator, who had not the character of sincerity. To express my sense of the importance of a good private character in public affairs more strongly, I said the advantage of having it, and the disadvantage of not having it, were so great, that I even believed if George III. had had a bad private character, and John Wilkes a good one, the latter might have turned the former out of his kingdom.-Lord Shelburne, the father of lord Fitzmaurice, has unfortunately the charac ter of being insincere; and it has hurt much of his usefulness; though in all my concerns with him, I never saw any instance of that kind.

[This Journal does not appear to have been continued further at this period; it is to be regretted that it is not more extensive.]

In the year 1784, when animal magnetism made considerable noise in the world, particularly at Paris, it was thought a matter of such importance that the king appointed commissioners to examine into the foundation of this pretended science. Dr. Franklin, at the particular request of his majesty, signified to him by a letter from the minister, consented to be one of the number. After a fair and diligent examination, in the course of which doctor Delon, a pupil and partner of Mesmer, repeated a number of experiments, in the presence of the commissioners, some of which were tried upon themselves, they determined that it was a mere trick, intended to impose on the ignorant and credulous; and gave in their report accordingly to his majesty; which was afterwards published for the information of the public. Mesmer, and his associate Delon, were thus interrupted in their career to wealth and spurious fame; and a most insolent attempt to impose upon the human understanding, baffled.

Sometime after, Dr. Franklin, in a letter to his friend Dr. Ingenhausz, thus notices the subject.

"Mesmer continues here, and has still some adherents, and some practice. It is surprising how much credulity still subsists in the world. I suppose all the physicians in France put together, have not made so much money, during the time he has been here, as he alone has done! And we have now a fresh folly. A magnetiser pretends, that he can, by establishing what is called a rapport between any person and a somnambule, put it in the power of that person to direct the actions of the somnambule by a simple strong volition only, without speaking or making any signs; and many people daily flock to see this strange operation."

The important ends of Dr. Franklin's mission to Europe being attained by the establishment and acknowlegement of American independence; and the infirmities of age and disease increasing upon him, he became more and more desirous of being relieved froin his public situation, and of returning to his native country. Upon a renewed application to congress to be recalled, he at length obtained his request, and Mr. Thomas Jefferson was appointed to succeed him; a more able and suitable successor, in every respect, could not have been found.

The following letters passed on this occasion, between Dr. Franklin, and the French minister for foreign affairs.

SIR,

To his Excellency Count de Vergennes, &c. &c.

Passy, May 3, 1785.

I HAVE the honor to acquaint your excellency, that I have at length obtained, and yesterday received, the permission of congress to return to America. As my malady makes it impracticable for me to pay my devoirs at Versailles personally, may I beg the favor of you, sir, to express respectfully for me to his majesty, the deep sense I have of all the inestimable benefits his goodness has conferred on my country; a sentiment that it will be the business of the little remainder of life now left me, to impress equally on the minds of all my countrymen. My sincere prayers are, that God may

shower down his blessings on the king, the queen, their children, and all the royal family, to the latest generations!

Permit me, at the same time, to offer you my thankful acknowlegements for the protection and countenance you afforded me at my arrival, and your many favors during my resideuce here; of which I shall always retain the most grateful remembrance.

My grandson would have had the honor of waiting on you with this letter, but he has been some time ill of a fever.

With the greatest esteem and respect, and best wishes for the constant prosperity of yourself, and all your amiable family, I am, sir, your excellency's most obedient and most humble servant, B. FRANKLIN.

[Answer to the foregoing]

A son Excellence Monsieur Franklin.

A Versailles, le 22 Mai, 1785. J'AI appris avec beaucoup de peine, monsieur, votre retraite et votre prochain départ pour l'Amerique. Vous ne devez pas douter que les regrets que vous laisserez, ne soient proportionnés à la considération dont vous jouissez à si juste titre. Je puis vous assurer, monsieur, que l'estime que le roi vous porte, ne vous laisse rien à désirer, et que sa majesté

TRANSLATION.

To his Excellency M. Franklin.

Versailles, 22d May, 1785.

I LEARN with great pain, sir, of your resignation, and that you are about to return to America. You can have no doubt of the regrets which your departure will produce, it will be proportioned to that consideration to which you are so justly entitled. I can assure you, sir, that the esteem which the king bears for you, is not less than you could wish, and that his majesty contemplates with true gratification, that your countrymen will appreciate in a manner worthy of you, the importance of the services which you have rendered to your country.

I pray you, sir, to retain for me a place in your remembrance, and ne. ver to doubt the sincerity of the interest which I take in your happiness: it is in the spirit of these feelings of attachment that I offer you the wishes with which I have the honor to be, sir, your very humble and very obedient servant, DE VERGENNES.

apprendra avec une vĕritable satisfaction, que vos compatriotes ont récompensé d'une manière digne de vous, les importans services que vous leur avez rendus.

Je vous prie, monsieur, de me conserver une part dans votre souvenir, et de ne jamais douter de la sincérité de l'intérêt que je prends à votre bonheur: il a pour principe les sentimens d'attachement que je vous ai voués, et avec lesquels j'ai l'honneur d'être, monsieur, votre très-humble et très-obéissant serviteur, DE VERGENNES.

One of the last public acts of Dr. Franklin in Europe, as plenipotentiary from congress, took place on the 9th of July, 1785, when he concluded and signed (jointly with other American commissioners) a treaty of amity and commerce between the United States of America and the king of Prussia. This treaty is remarkable as containing a strong and lasting testimony of Dr. Franklin's wonted philanthropy. In it was introduced for the first time, (and, to the disgrace of governments, perhaps for the last) that benevolent article against the molestation of the persons and property of unarmed citizens in time of war; and against privateering. The establishing of this principle as the future law of nations, was a favorite object of Dr. Franklin. In the beginning of the year 1783, he formally proposed the same to the British government, through the medium of one of its envoys, as appears by his letter to Mr. Oswald of the 14th January, 1783, to which is subjoined his motives and arguments at length, in favor of this improvement of the law of nations. The article then proposed was nearly the same as that which he afterwards actually introduced, and constituted as part of the treaty with Prussia; it runs thus:

ARTICLE 23.

"IF war should arise between the two contracting parties, the merchants of either country then residing in the other, shall be allowed to remain nine months, to collect their debts and settle their affairs, and

VOL. I.

See Vol. V. p. 191, of this edition.
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