1790 ^^^- WILLIAM SMITH, D. D. 345 



the insertion of this pleasant memorandum about Dr. Smith, to 

 imply anything like want of sincerity on the part of my progen- 

 itor. In the course of their long opposition to each other in the 

 politics of Provincial Pennsylvania, Dr. Smith had dealt some 

 heavy blows at P'ranklin ; no man heavier ones. I am cjuite ready 

 to believe that now that the grave had closed over the remains of 

 one who had been his earliest friend in Pennsylvania and in his 

 latest years had not been his enemy, he desired to make even 

 more than reparation for unintentional injustice, if injustice, which 

 I do not believe, had ever been done. 



In a note to this eulogy in Maxwell's edition of his works, Dr. 

 Smith meant apparently to give to others, including Jefferson and 

 Rush — par fratniui — the responsibility of some things which he 

 would, perhaps, as a clerical character, have hardly been willing 

 to assume for himself Specifying by page the contributions of 

 each, he says, as follows : 



The assistance derived by the author in the composition of the fol- 

 lowing Eulogium, from the friendly communications of some of his 

 learned colleagues, among the officers of the American Philosophical 

 Society, requires his public acknowledgments to be made to them, viz. : 



To David Rittenhouse, Esq., LL. D., president of the society, for 

 sundry papers, which have been digested into the account of Dr. Frank- 

 lin's electrical and philosophical discoveries, from page 64 to 71.* 



To Thomas Jefferson, Esq., LL. D., one of the vice-presidents of 

 the society, and secretary of the United States, for his letter, concern- 

 ing Dr. Franklin's ministry at the court of France, pages 75 to 77. 



To Jonathan Williams, Esq., one of the secretaries of the society, 

 for the original letter, pages 80, 81 ; and some papers in the appendix. 



To Benjamin Rush, M. D., one of the council of the society, for 

 some sketches of Dr. Franklin's character, of which the author has 

 availed himself, page 50. 



Dr. Franklin had been elected President of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society in 1769, and held the position until his death, 

 Dr. Smith being one of the Secretaries during the whole period. 

 In the latter years of his life many of the meetings were held at 

 Franklin's house, in a court running south from Market street 

 between Third and Fourth. Dr. P'ranklin was succeeded by 

 David Rittenhouse, elected January 7th, 1791, who also remained 



*The reference in this extract to pages is to the pages in Maxwell's edition of Dr. 

 Smith's works. 



