1756.] PETER COLLINSON. 207 



* T\ r e have had a fine moderate winter, hitherto. 

 The 1st of February, my Crocus was out, and the Aconite the week 

 before. The red-flowered, and silver-leaved Maples the Hazel, 

 Filbert and Alder much about the same time. The double Snow- 

 drop, Claytonia and Paronychia, have been out about two weeks. 

 The seeds of Mustard, Orach and Lettuce are come up : but now, 

 I suppose they will be nipped. Last night, a snow fell ten inches 

 deep ; and now the northwest wind blows very cold. 



May the 30th, 1756. 



Dear Peter : 



I have received thy kind letters of January 20th, and February 

 28th, by Mesnard, and since, some seeds, and two books of Natu- 

 ral History ; all which are very acceptable. I am well pleased 

 with thy choice of the magazines. I expected greater matters of 

 philosophy, and new discovery in Natural History, in Martin's, 

 than I found. Billy is much obliged to thee for his drawing- 

 paper. He has drawn many rare birds, in order to send to thee; 

 and dried the birds to send to his friend Edwards, to whom he is 

 much obliged for those two curious books. He spent his time, this 

 spring, in shooting and drawing the rare birds of quick passage, 

 which stayed with us but a few days, to rest, and fill their bellies, 

 on their flight northward, where they breed ; as he observed, by 

 the hens having immature eggs in them, which their quick passage 

 through our country before, rendered them unobserved. We pro- 

 pose to send them by Captain Mesnard, by whom we intend to 

 write largely. 



Last night, I was with our friend Benjamin [Franklin], and 

 desired his farther advice about Billy ; and reasoned with him 

 about the difficulty of falling into good business ; that, as he well 

 knew, he was the only printer that did ever make a good liveli- 

 hood by it, in this place, though many had set up, both before and 

 since he did, and that was by his extraordinary and superior abili- 

 ties, and close application ; and merchandizing was very precarious ; 

 and extreme difficult to make remittances to Europe. He sate and 

 paused awhile, then said that there was a profitable business which 

 he thought was now upon the increase ; that there was a very inge- 

 nious man in town, who had more business than he could well, 



