76 KEPOKT OF THE COMMITTEE 



part in the Junto proceedings. ' ' p. 19. It is hardly 

 necessary to add, that the Committee, having given 

 a decided opinion that Franklin was not a member 

 of the Society-Junto until February 1768, are fully 

 convinced that he never took any part, active or 

 otherwise, in its proceedings. 



Having considered the question, why Franklin, if 

 a member of the Society-Junto became the founder 

 of the Franklin- Junto, was never recognized as such 

 in the former until a late period, and then by election, 

 and answered the explanations given of the silence 

 of the Society- Junto minutes in relation to the point; 

 the question recurs, why were not William Coleman, 

 Hugh Eoberts, Philip Syng, Sen., and Samuel Ehoads, 

 the other surviving members of the Franklin-Junto 

 during the existence of the Society-Junto, recognized 

 as members of the latter! 



Mr. Du Ponceau, in his paper, recognizes Coleman 







and Franklin as the only survivors of the Franklin- 

 Junto, at the time of the union which formed the 

 present Society, p. 11. Mr. Fisher mentions a third, 

 Hugh Eoberts, and very naturally inquires, why is 

 he not mentioned, as either present or absent, on the 

 minutes of the Society-Junto, especially as Franklin, 

 in a letter to him, dated February 26th, 1761, says, 

 "You tell me you sometimes visit the ancient Junto." 

 The letter of Eoberts, to which Franklin 's is an 

 answer, was probably written in the latter part of 

 1760, and for that year we possess the minutes of 



