178 PETER COLLINSON AND JOHN BARTRAM CH. 



Watson had won renown by his famous experiments and 

 discoveries, especially on the conduction of the electric 

 current, for which he received the society's Copley medal in 

 1745. It is often stated that Franklin's early researches 

 were neglected and even derided by the Royal Society ; 

 but a careful perusal of the transactions and of the letters 

 preserved affords no evidence for this statement. In a 

 paper read in 1748, Watson quoted one of Franklin's 

 letters dated June i, 1747 ; and after Franklin's book 

 was published (May 1751) Watson gave an account of it 

 before the society on the 6th of June, including in his 

 review a fifth letter, dated in the preceding February and 

 received by Collinson too late for inclusion. This letter 

 described the killing of turkeys by electrical strokes, after 

 which, it was said, they ate uncommonly well : the experi- 

 menter also had nearly killed himself by a shock from two 

 Leyden jars. " Mr. Franklin," so Watson wrote, " appears 

 to be a very able and ingenious man. He has a head to 

 conceive and a hand to carry into execution whatever 

 he thinks may conduce to enlighten the subject matter 

 of which he is treating." 



The Royal Society was now thoroughly interested. 

 On November 14, another of Franklin's letters to Collin- 

 son, dated June 20, was read, explaining the effects of 

 lightning on Captain Waddel's ship, when the electric 

 fire was seen at the mast-head before the stroke, and 

 showing that a wire carried into the sea would have 

 prevented the damage. A year later, December 21, 

 1752, Collinson brought forward another letter dated 

 October i, in which Franklin described his success in 

 drawing the electric fire from the clouds by means of a 

 kite. The society awarded Franklin the Copley medal 

 hi 1753 " for his Curious Experiments and observations 

 in Electricity." Other papers from his pen followed, 

 and on May 29, 1756, he was elected a fellow " in con- 

 sideration of his great merit," his nomination paper 

 being signed by the Earl of Macclesfield, president ; 

 Lords Parker and Willoughby ; Collinson, Watson and 

 Birch, members of the Council. The vote was unanimous, 



