146 ADDENDUM. 



this Society should not have it's history handed down 

 erroneously in a work of such authority. 



I believe I am aware of the principal point in M r 

 Sparks' account which will be objected to by M r 

 DuPonceau having had some months ago a conversa- 

 tion with the latter as to the antiquity of our Society, 

 and I shall be very brief upon all the others. 



Mr. Sparks speaking of one of the original Soci- 

 eties, that instituted in 1743 under the name of the 

 American Philosophical Society of which Thomas 

 Hopkinson was first President, says "This Society 

 had no connexion with the Junto which is often men- 

 tioned in Franklin's Autobiography, & which had 

 been established many years before" and again 

 "In the mean time" (after the establishment of the 

 former) "another Society sprang up in Philadelphia 

 which was called the Junto or Society for the Promo- 

 tion of Useful Knowledge. The date of the origin of 

 this Society is unknown that portion of the Eecords 

 which has been preserved begins September 22, 1758" 

 &c. &c. 



The Junto was instituted in 1727. It was a Club at 

 first entirely private, limited to twelve in number, 

 meeting for philosophical & literary conversation 

 and social enjoyment. It is probable they kept no 

 regular Minutes, had no written communications, 

 possessed no library or collections, and had few 

 accounts but those settled weekly with the respectable 



