66 EEPOET OP THE COMMITTEE 



November 6th, 1768, was written on this occasion, 

 and contains the following remarkable passage : 



"You remember the Society to which I belonged, 

 which was begun in 1750. By the death and removal 

 of some of the members, it dwindled for some time to 

 that degree that I was apprehensive of its dissolu- 

 tion. " 



After describing the revival of the Society, he 

 goes on, first to inform Franklin that he was elected 

 a member of it on the 19th of February 1768, and 

 subsequently its President. 



Is it conceivable that Thomson did not know that 

 Franklin was an early member of this Association, 

 if he really were such? Or, if it be admitted that 

 he knew the fact, supposing for a moment that it 

 was a fact, and that his recent election was to secure 

 his fellowship beyond dispute, would he have written 

 as he did to Franklin 1 Instead of saying ' ' You 

 remember the Society to which 7 belonged " he 

 would have said "to which we belonged." In 

 place of introducing the fact of his election without 

 comment, he would have alluded to his early mem- 

 bership as a known fact, and asked him not to be 

 surprised at his new election, as it was intended to 

 fix his membership beyond dispute. 



It has already been mentioned that the earliest 

 known minutes of the Society-Junto, are dated 

 September 22nd, 1758. They begin abruptly, and 

 evidently relate to an Association which had existed 



