September 21, 1917] 



SCIENCE 



291 



ERASMUS DARWIN AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



Extracts from two previously unpublislied 

 letters from Erasmus Darwin to Benjamin 

 Franldin appeared in Science, June 2, 1916. 

 Concerning one of these letters, Dr. L. Hussa- 

 kof, the author of the article in which they ap- 

 peared, wrote: 



It is addressed simply: "Dr. Franklin, Amer- 

 ica," and opens in the grandiloquent style of tlie 

 time (1787) as follows: 



"Dear Sir, Whilst I am writing to a Philosopher 

 & a Friend, I can scarcely forget that I am also 

 writing to the greatest Statesman of the present, 

 or perhaps of any century. ..." 



The following paragraph from Anna Sew- 

 ard's " Memoirs of the Life of Dr. Darwin," 

 which appeared in 1804, throws an interesting 

 sidelight on this letter : 



In allusion to (his) perpetual travelling, a gentle- 

 man once humorously directed a letter, "Dr. Dar- 

 win, upon the road. ' ' When himself wrote to Dr. 

 Franklin, complimenting him on having united phil- 

 osophy to modern science, he directed his letter 

 merely thus, ' ' Dr. Franklin, America ' ' ; and said 

 he felt inclined to make a still more flattering 

 superscription. "Dr. Franklin, the World." His 

 letter reached the sage, who first disarmed the 

 lightning of its fatal power, for the answer to it 

 arrived, and was shown in the Darwinian circles ; in 

 which had been questioned the likelihood of Dr. 

 Franklin ever receiving a letter of such general 

 superscription as the whole western empire. Its 

 safe arrival was amongst the triumphs of genius 

 combined with exertion, "they make the world 

 their country." 



The other hitherto unpublished letter Dr. 

 Hussakof says is " remarkable chiefly for one 

 sentence near the end, which , contains the 

 amazing information that even as far back as 

 that (1772), someone was puzzling over the 

 idea of making a phonograph. ' I have heard,' 

 writes Dr. Darwin, ' of somebody that at- 

 tempted to make a speaking machine, pray 

 was there any Truth in any such Reports ? ' " 



Charles Darwin in Krause's " Life of Eras- 

 mus Darwin" (p. 120), says that a speaking 

 machine was a favorite idea of his grandfather 

 and for this end he invented a phonetic alpha- 

 bet. Erasmus Darwin himself says in his 

 "Temple of Nature" (1S02), note No. 15: 



I have treated with greater confidence on the 

 formation of articulate sounds, as I many years 

 ago gave considerable attention to this subject for 

 the purpose of improving shorthand; at that time 

 I contrived a wooden mouth with lips of soft 

 leather, and with a valve over the back part of it 

 for nostrils, both which could be quickly opened or 

 closed by the pressure of the fingers, the vocality 

 was given by a silk ribbon about an inch long and 

 a quarter of an inch wide stretched between two 

 bits of smooth wood a little hollowed; so that 

 when a gentle current of air from bellows was 

 blown on the edge of the ribbon, it gave an agree- 

 able tone, as it vibrated between the wooden sides, 

 much like a human voice. This head pronounced 

 the p, b, m, and the vowel a, with so great nicety 

 as to deceive all who heard it unseen, when it pro- 

 noimced mama, papa, map and pam; and had a 

 most plaintive tone, when the lips were gradually 

 closed. 



All the other scientific subjects referred to 

 by Darwin in these letters to Franklin are to 

 be found discussed in one or more of Darwin's 

 published works. 



Dr. Darwin's prophetic insight along biolog- 

 ical lines is well paralleled in another sphere in 

 the following verses from his " Economy of 

 Vegetation," Canto I.: 



Soon shall thy arm, TJnconquer 'd Steam ! afar 

 Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid ear; 

 Or on wide-waving wings expanded bear 

 The flying-chariot through the fields of air. 



And again in a footnote: 



There is reason to believe it (steam) may in 

 time be applied to the rowing of barges, and the 

 moving of carriages along the road. As the spe- 

 cific levity of air is too great for the support of 

 great burdens by balloons, there seems no probable 

 method of flying conveniently but by the power of 

 steam, or some other explosive material, which 

 another half century may probably discover. 



Finally, the following lines from the " Econ- 

 omy of Vegetation," Canto II., may have 

 added interest to-day : 



So, borne on sounding pinions to the West, 

 When Tyrant -Power had built his eagle nest; 

 While from his eyry shriek 'd the famish 'd brood, 

 Clenched their sharp claws, and champ 'd their 



beaks for blood. 

 Immortal Franklin watch 'd the callow crew. 

 And stabb 'd the struggling Vampires, ere they flew. 



