202] 
He appeared here in the line of his 
bufinefs; but had procured letters 
to, and was well received by, Mar- 
tin Folkes, efq. afterwards Preti- 
dent of the Royal Society, and, 
through him, was known to Dr. 
Ciarke. In 1735, Mr. Franklin 
had a fevere pleurify, which termi- 
nated in an abfcefs on the left lobe 
of his lungs, and he was then al- 
moft fuffocated with the quantity 
and fuddennefs of the difcharge. 
A fecond attack of a fimilar nature 
happened fome years after this, 
from which he. foon recovered, and 
did not appear to fuffer any incon- 
venience in his refpiration from 
thefe difeafes. 
In 1759, he publithed « An Hifto- 
rical Review of the Government of 
Penfylvania;” and in 1760, ‘* The 
intereits of Great Britain confider- 
ed, with regard to her colonies.” 
In 1773 he attracted the public no- 
tice by a letter on the duel between 
Nr, Whateley and Mr. Temple.— 
Onthe 29th of January, 1774, he 
was heard before the privy council, 
on a petition he had long before 
prefented, as agent for Maiiachulets 
Bay, againft their governor, Mr. 
Hutchinfon ; when the petition was 
abruptly difmiffed, and Mr. Frank- 
lin removed from the office of de- 
puty poftmatter-general for the Co- 
lonies. Previous to this period, it 
is a teftimony té truth, and bare 
juttice to his memory, to obferve, 
that he ufed his utmoft endeavours 
to prevent a breach between Great 
Britain and America; and it is 
perhaps to be lamented that his 
counfels were difregarded. He 
from this time entertained fo ardent 
a refentment, that neither politenefs 
nor moderation could reftrain the 
moft pointed and bitter farcafms 
againft the condu& of England in 
mixed companies. In the fummer 
~ 
ANNUAL REGISTER, ‘1790. 
of 1775, he returned to Philadef- 
phia, and was immediately eleéted 
one of their delegates to the Con- 
tinental Congreis. In December 
that year, being now near 70 years 
of age, he arrived at Paris, and foon 
after took the houfe which Lord 
Stormont had occupied. i 
In February, 1777, he had the 
regular appointment of plenipoten- 
tiary from the Congrefs to the 
French court; but obtained leave 
ofdifmifiion in 1780. His pafiport 
to Capt. Cook bears date March 
1oth, 1779. In 1783 he caufed a 
medal to be ftruck to commemorate 
the independence of America. July 
24th, 1785, he embarked at Havre, 
and on the fame day landed at 
Southampton; whence, after a flight 
refrefhment, he failed for Cowes, 
where a veilel was ready to convey 
him to Philadelphia. He was re- 
ceived there, Sept. 15th, with uni- 
verfal acclamation. ‘[he memories 
of the aged are not fuppofed to be 
retentive. Franklin was an excep- 
tion to this rule; he acquired 
French after feventy; he fpoke flu- 
ently, and even {cientifically, in that 
language. In his French embafly 
Dr. Franklin became. the soz, the 
fafhionable topic of modifh conver- 
fation; the Jadies had hats a-/a- 
Franklin; and crowds of belles and 
beaux often fluttered after him in 
the garden of the Thuilleries.  * 
The tone, with which Dr. Frank. 
lin had “been affiéted for feveral 
vears, had for the laft 12 months 
confined him chiefly to his bed; and 
during the extreme painful parox- 
yims he was obliged to take lauda- 
num, to mitigate his tortures; ftill, 
in the intervals of pain, he not only 
amufed himfelf with reading, and 
converfing chearfully with his fami- 
Jy, and a few friends who vifited 
him, but was often employed ia 
doing 
