PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS. 11 



time holding the presidency of the commonwealth of Pennsyl- 

 vania, and a seat in the Constitutional Convention. The pres- 

 tige of its leader doubtless gave to the Society greater promi- 

 nence than its scientific objects alone would have secured. 



In the reminiscences of Dr. Manasseh Cutler there is to be 

 found an admirable picture of Franklin in 1787. As we read it 

 we are taken back into the very presence of the philosopher and 

 statesman, and can form a very clear appreciation of the scien- 

 tific atmosphere which surrounded the scientific leaders of the 

 post- Revolutionary period. 



Dr. Cutler wrote : 



" Dr. Franklin lives on Market street. His house stands up a 

 court at some distance from the street. We found him in his 

 garden sitting upon a grass-plot, under a large mulberry tree, 

 with several gentlemen and two or three ladies. When Mr. 

 Gerry introduced me he rose from his chair, took me by the 

 hand, expressed his joy at seeing me, welcomed me to the city, 

 and begged me to seat myself close by him. His voice was low, 

 his countenance open, frank, and pleasing. I delivered to him 

 my letters. After he had read them he took me again by the 

 hand and. with the usual compliments, introduced me to the 

 other gentlemen, who are, most of them, members of the Con- 

 vention. Here we entered into a free conversation, and spent the 

 time most agreeably until it was quite dark. The tea-table was 

 spread under the tree, and Mrs. Bache, who is the only daughter 

 of the Doctor and lives with him, served it to the company. 



The Doctor showed me a curiosity which he had just received 

 and with which he was much pleased. It was a snake with two 

 heads, preserved in a large vial. It was about ten inches long, 

 well proportioned, the heads perfect, and united to the body about 

 one-fourth of an inch below the extremities of the jaws. He 

 showed me a drawing of one entirely similar, found near Lake 

 Champlain. He spoke of the situation of this snake if it was 

 travelling among bushes, and one head should choose to go on one 

 side of the stem of a bush and the other head should prefer the 

 other side, and neither head would consent to come back or give 

 way to the other. He was then going to mention a humorous 

 matter that had that day occurred in the Convention in conse- 

 quence of his comparing the snake to America ; for he seemed 

 to forget that everything in the Convention was to be kept a pro- 

 found secret. But this was suggested to him, and I was deprived 

 of the storv. 



