xin FRANKLIN'S LETTERS ON ELECTRICITY 177 



own, Newton's Philosophy and Miller's Gardener's Diction- 

 ary ; his copy of the latter work is still hi use at the 

 library. By his assiduity he contributed much to the 

 success of the institution ; it was the first of its kind, 

 and led to the founding of many others in the American 

 provinces. It is now well known as the Library Company 

 of Philadelphia, and its noble building under the care of 

 Mr. G. M. Abbot holds more than 200,000 volumes. 1 



Not content with this help, Collinson was accustomed 

 to communicate to the library directors accounts of new 

 improvements and discoveries in agriculture and in other 

 arts and sciences. In the year 1745 he sent over a 

 description of some experiments in electricity which had 

 been made in Germany, together with a glass tube, and 

 directions how to use it. Franklin took up the matter, 

 repeated the experiments, enlarged them and pursued 

 the subject, writing a few years later a series of four 

 letters to his friend Collinson, in which he gave, in the 

 clear and candid language of which he was a master, an 

 account of the results he had obtained, and illustrated his 

 theme by means of diagrams. These letters were shown 

 by Collinson to Fothergill : the latter perceived their 

 value, and advised that they should be published. They 

 were given to Cave for the Gentleman's Magazine, but he 

 preferred to print them separately as a pamphlet. This 

 was accordingly done in 1751, with the addition of a paper 

 of " Opinions and Conjectures " received later. The 

 publication was carried out under Fothergill's inspection, 

 and with a preface from his pen, but unsigned, in which 

 he says that he " was prevailed upon to commit such 

 detached pieces as were in his hands to the press, without 

 waiting for the ingenious author's permission so to do." 



In the meantime the substance of the letters had 

 already been communicated by Collinson to his friends 

 in the Royal Society, which was then much occupied 

 with electrical research. Dr., afterwards Sir, William 



1 Letter, B. Franklin to M. Collinson, in Account of P. Collinson, in Fothergill's 

 Works, ii. 340, note ; G. M. Abbot, Short History of the Library Company of 

 Philadelphia, 1913 ; also extracts from minutes of the Company kindly 

 furnished by Mr. Abbot. 



N 



