AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY. 19 



with the Philosophical Society. The loss of the 

 missing volume is so much the more to be regretted, 

 as it included a period when Franklin was in this 

 country, and probably took an active part in the 

 Junto proceedings. During the two other periods 

 he was in England. 



At the time we are speaking of and afterward, 

 until the union of the two Societies, Charles Thomson, 

 in the absence of Franklin, appears to have been the 

 leader of the Junto. I need not say that he was the 

 same man who at the Eevolution, and until the es- 

 tablishment of the present Federal Constitution, held 

 the high and important office of Secretary to the 

 Congress of the United States. 



The meetings of the Junto, with few interruptions, 

 regularly took -place on the Friday of every week, 

 and business was transacted in the usual manner, 

 until the latter end of the year 1760, when their num- 

 ber was reduced to six, who were Charles Thomson, 

 Edmund Physick, Francis Rawle, Joshua Howell, 

 Isaac Paschal, and William Hopkins. Two, one of 

 whom was William Franklin, had gone to England, 

 two had died, the others did not attend, nor con- 

 tribute to the expenses, and were considered at most 

 as honorary members. 



In that situation of things, the attending members 

 were at a loss what to do; several meetings took 

 place, but no business was done; at last on the 6th 

 of February, 1761, the state of the Junto was taken 



