1901.] ROSENGARTEN — FRANKLIN'S BAGATELLES. 115 



Count sarsfield hoped to receive to-day the collection of some of 

 those little pieces which mr. franklin had promised to him & which he 

 had forgot yesterday. 



he cannot help writing again about them to mr. franklin, he is so much 

 the more impatient of receiving them that he is very near his departure for 

 the Hague he desires mr. franklin never to forget his most sincere and 

 devoted attachment. 



friday ye 5th at night. 



The Franklin Papers, Vol. 43, No. 232. 



Anecdote. 



The intended speech for the opening of the first Session of the present 

 Parliament viz. Nov 1 29, 1774. 



My Lords and Gentlemen : 



It gives me much concern that I am obliged at the opening of this 

 Parliament to inform you that none of the measures w ch I adopted upon 

 the advice of my late Pari'* in respect to the disturbances of my Ameri- 

 can colonies have produced those salutary effects, \v ch relying upon the 

 supposed wisdom of their deliberations I had been induced to expect. 

 I therefore sent that Pari' 1 apacking rather abruptly, & have called you 

 in their place to pick a little advice out of your wise heads upon some 

 matters of the greatest weight & importance relating to a sort of Crusade 

 that I have upon my hands. I must needs tell you that the business if 

 you choose to undertake it for me will be a seven or ten years job at 

 least. You must know then that my ministers have put me upon a pro- 

 ject to undertake the reduction of the whole continent of North America 

 to unconditional submission. They w d have persuaded me to coax you 

 into this project by representing it to you as a matter very easily to be 

 done in a twinkling, and to make you believe that my subjects in 

 America whom you have always hitherto considered as brave men are 

 no better than a wretched pack of cowardly run a ways, & that 500 men 

 with whips w d make them all dance to the tune of Yankey Doodle ; but 

 I w d tell you no such thing because I am very sure if you meddle with 

 it that you will find it a very different sort of business. 



Now Gentlemen of the House of Commons I give you this fair 

 notice for yourselves & your Constituents. If you undertake this job, 

 it will cost you at the least farthing a good round sum of 40 or 50 

 millions ; 40 or 50 thousands of your Constituents will get knocked on 

 the head and then you are to consider what the rest of you will be 

 gainers by the bargain even if you succeed. The trade of a ruined & 

 desolated Country is always inconsiderable, its revenues trifling ; the 

 expence of subjecting & retaining it in subjection certain & inevitable. 

 On the other side sh d you prove unsuccessful^ sh d that connexion w ch we 

 wish most ardently to maintain be dissolved, sh d my ministers exhaust 



