

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 539 



of horticultural products was maintained between England 

 and the colonies, and into the latter 1 on his recommenda- 

 tion, the culture of flax, hemp, the silk-worm and the wine 

 -rape was introduced. 



The electrical experiments of Dr. Watson and his new 

 theory accounting for them, created no small stir among 

 the British philosophers, as may readily be imagined, and 

 in fact stood unrivalled as a topic of scientific interest. In 

 the fall of 1746, Watson republished his "experiments and 

 observations" and also his sequel thereto in book form, and 

 to the former added a preface in which he urges the prose- 

 cution of similar investigations by others, while replying 

 to the still-prevalent cry of "what is the use of it?" * 



"It must be answered," he says, u that we are not as 

 yet so far advanced in these discoveries as to render them 

 conducive to the service of mankind. Perfection in any 

 branch of philosophy is to be attained but by slow gradua- 

 tions. It is our duty to be still going forward; the rest we 

 must leave to the direction of that providence which we 

 know assuredly has created nothing in vain. But I make 

 no scruple to assert that notwithstanding the great ad- 

 vances which have been made in this part of natural phil- 

 osophy within these few years, many and great properties 

 remain undiscovered. Future philosophers (some perhaps 

 even of the present age) may deduce from electrical experi- 

 ments uses entirely beneficial to society in general." 

 Furthermore, in order to show with what facility such re- 

 search can be conducted, he states that his experiments 

 "were all made with glass tubes about two foot long, the 

 bore about an inch in diameter," and gives some simple 

 directions as to warming and drying the tube before rub- 

 bing it. 



Watson's books were sent over to the Library Company 

 by Collinson, together with such a tube as Watson de- 



1 Stephen: A Dict'y of Nat'l Biography. London, 1887, vol. xi. 



2 Watson: Experiments and Observations. London, 1746. 

 Watson: Sequel to Experiments and Observations. London, 1746. 



