774 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLIII. No. 1118 



friendsliip grew up between them which lasted 

 to the end of Franklin's life. This friendship, 

 after the fashion of the time, found expression 

 chiefly in long letters discussing the scientific 

 views and questions of the day, often accom- 

 panied by their own observations or reflections. 

 Darwin, who it should be remembered was 

 Franklin's junior by twenty-five years, was 

 plainly proud of the regard of his famous 

 contemporary, and this feeling is unmistakably ' 

 reflected in his letters. 



In the wonderful collection of Frankliniana^ 

 in the library of the American Philosophical 

 Society in Philadelphia, there are three auto- 

 graph letters from Darwin to Franklin, two of 

 them still unpublished. These letters are of 

 great interest for the glimpse they afford into 

 the thoughts and hopes and problems that oc- 

 cupied two such lights of science as these men 

 in the latter half of the eighteenth century. 



The earliest of the three letters, and one of 

 the two still unpublished, is dated Lichfield, 

 July 18, [17] 72, and is addressed: "Dr. Benja- 

 min Franklin, Craven Street, London." It is 

 remarkable chiefly for one sentence near the 

 end, which contains the amazing information 

 that even as far back as that, someone was 

 puzzling over the idea of making a phono- 

 graph. "I have heard," writes Dr. Darwin, 

 " of somebody that attempted to make a speak- 

 ing machine, pray was there any Truth in any 

 such Reports ? " 



The rest of the letter is not especially im- 

 portant, and is only interesting as showing 

 the diversity of subjects discussed. Darwin 

 first describes an experiment he performed 

 with " unmix'd air, that rose from the muddy 

 bottom " of a pond, and of which he took home 

 a sample in a bladder and tested it with a 

 lighted candle to see if it would catch fire; 

 which it did not. Then he goes on to say. 



1 shall be glad at your Leizure of any observa- 

 tions on the Alphabet, & particularly on the nmn- 



2 The collection contains 16,678 pieces, or 78 

 per cent, of all the Franklin papers extant. See 

 preface to "Calendar of the Papers of Benjamin 

 Franklin in the Library of the American Philo- 

 sophical Society, ' ' edited by I. Minis Hays. Phil- 

 adelphia, 1908. 



ber and Formation of vowels, as these are more 

 intricate, than the other Letters. 



He then devotes several paragraphs to a 

 discussion of consonant sounds in various dia- 

 lects as among the Welsh, Northumberland 

 people and others. The letter closes as follows : 

 I am Sr. with all Eespeot your obliged & obedt. 

 Servant 



E. Darwin 



Lichfield, Staffordshire. 



I would return you Dr. Priestley's Pamphlet by 

 the Coach but I suppose it is to be purchased at 

 the Booksellers. My friend Mr. Day who saw you 

 at Lichfield intends himself the Pleasure calling 

 of you in London. 



A second letter in the collection is a one- 

 page quarto from Darwin to Franklin, dated 

 Lichfield, Jan. 24, 1774. This is the most 

 valuable of all the Darwin-Franklin corre- 

 spondence extant; it shows Franklin's close 

 relation to the Eoyal Society of London and 

 also that he read papers before that body for 

 up-coimtry friends. This letter has already 

 been published,^ but as it has such great gen- 

 eral interest, and is so short, it seems worthy 

 of being made more widely known. 

 Dear Sir, 



I have inclosed a medico-philosophical paper 

 which I should take it as a Favour if you will 

 communicate to the royal Society, if you think it 

 worthy a place in their Volume, otherwise must 

 desire you to return it to the Writer. 



I have another very curious paper containing 

 Experiments on the Colours seen in the closed Eye 

 after having gazed some time on luminous ob- 

 jects, which is not quite transcribed, but which I 

 will also send you, if you think it is' likely to be 

 acceptable to the Society at this Time, but will 

 otherwise let it lie by me another year. I hope 

 you continue to enjoy [. . . torn . . .] Health & 

 that I shall sometime again have the pleasure of 

 seeing you in StaflEordshire, & am, dear Sr. 

 Your affectionate Friend, 



Eras. Darwin 



N. B. If Dr. Franklin is not in England, 1 hope 

 the person intrusted to read his letters will return 

 the inclosed papers to Dr. Darwin at Lichfield, 



3 Jared Sparks ' edition of the works of Benja- 

 min Franklin, Vol. VI., page 410, where it is 

 printed with some slight errors in transcription. 



