358 Original Letters of Dr. Franklin. 
principles to rural economy and other useful arts. He was 
the son of the Rev. Joseph Eliot of Guilford, Connecticut, 
and was born Nov. 7, 1685. He received the degree of 
Master of Arts at Yale College in 1706, and spent his life at 
Killingworth. He died in 1763. He was a man of suc 
uncommon vigor and industry, that he was at once a :in- 
ister of religion—a practising physician—a naturalist and phi- 
by his social and amiable qualities, as well as by his talents 
and learning. 
The Essays of Mr. Eliot on field husbandry, the earliest 
of which appeared in 1747, and which were continued annu- 
ally for several years, attracted so much attention that they 
were extensively read and published, both in the other colo- 
nies, and in England. e have recently perused them 
e have recently been put into possession of a conside- 
rable number of original letters, addressed to Mr. Eliot, by 
several eminent men both at home and abroad ; they were 
obtained from one of his descendants, and we propose occa- 
sionally to publish some of them in this Journal. Among 
hem were several from Dr. Franklin, and few things which 
fell from his pen can be uninteresting to hiscountrymen. We 
shall give several of his letters on the present occasion. 
1. From Dr: Franklin to Mr. Eliot—a ragment without 
date, but appears to have been written before 1747.—Ep. 
Sir—I have perused your two Essays on Field Husband- 
ry, and think the public may be much benefitted by them. 
