1757 Thomas Pennant; Benjamin Franklin 61 



Mello, who is suddenly recalled to fill a chief place in the 

 ministry." x 



In the list of the company on March loth there occurs 

 the name of " Mr. Pennant." There can hardly be any 

 doubt that this was Thomas Pennant, the careful and obser- 

 vant traveller and naturalist to whom we owe some of the 

 earliest descriptions of the scenery, natural history, and 

 antiquities of large areas of the British Isles, and whose 

 works on zoology stand out as landmarks in the progress 

 of science. He was elected F.R.S. in 1767. At the time 

 he first dined with the Club he was thirty-one years of age, 

 and had not yet published the series of volumes which 

 have made him famous. 



But undoubtedly the most conspicuously eminent visitor 

 to the Club this year was the illustrious Benjamin Franklin. 

 In recognition of the value of his contributions to science 

 the Royal Society had awarded to him in 1753 the Copley 

 Medal, its highest honour, which was " delivered to be 

 transmitted to him by the care of his worthy friend Peter 

 Collinson." In making the presentation the President said, 

 " This mark of distinction is doubly due to Mr. Franklin. 

 It is due to him as a philosopher ; it is due to him as a man. 

 The successful experiments of this philosopher have given 

 us probable hopes of being one day able to secure ourselves 

 from the dreadful effects of lightning. And the public 

 spirit, the modesty, the goodness and benevolence of the 

 man have been long conspicuous, and the effects of them 

 long felt in the country where he resides." 2 On April 

 29th 1756 the Society further testified its appreciation of 

 his work by electing him one of its Fellows. Not only was 

 he a brilliant man of science, he showed that he was like- 

 wise a keen-sighted politician and ardent patriot. Among 

 our Colonists of North America opposition to the representa- 

 tives of the home Government and the first beginnings of 

 the agitation for independence had arisen. Franklin was 

 sent by his fellow citizens in the summer of 1757 on his 



1 Letters, Mrs. Toynbee's Edition, vii. 340. 



2 Gentleman's Magazine, 1753, p. 587. 



