Addresses from Sister Societies 219 



THE ROYAL SOCIETY 



The Royal Society of London for Promoting Natural 

 Knowledge send cordial greetings to The American 

 Philosophical Society held at Philadelphia for Pro- 

 moting Useful Knowledge on the occasion of the second 

 centenary of the birth of their chief founder and pro- 

 moter. 



Benjamin Franklin was elected a Fellow of the Royal 

 Society by right of birth. His surname alone would 

 mark him for all time as a product of the civic insti- 

 tutions developed by the Anglosaxon race, the common 

 heritage of two hemispheres. 



For a long period Franklin took a prominent part 

 in the Royal Society in advancing the aim imposed by 

 their ancient charter, the Promotion of Natural Knowl- 

 edge, alike by his own weighty and trenchant experi- 

 ments and insight and by the stimulating correspondence 

 which he carried on with his fellow members. The 

 Royal Society call to mind the early days when the 

 Leyden Phial, then a wonderful novelty, was introduced 

 as a gift from one of their Fellows to the small and 

 unpretending intellectual circle in the remote Colony 

 at Philadelphia; and the remarkable correspondence 

 which soon followed, recounting how the new power 



