FRANKLIN. 
was regretted by every assembly as giving 
to the president general, who was to be the 
representative of the crown, an influence 
greater than appeal ed to them proper in a 
plan of government intended for freemen. 
Perhaps this rejection, on both sides, is the 
strongest proof that could be adduced of 
the excellence of it, as suited to the situa- 
tion of Great Britain and America at that 
time. It appears to have steered directly 
in the middle, between the opposite in- 
terests of both. Whether the adoption of 
this plan would have prevented the separa- 
tion of America from Great Britain, is a 
question which might afford much room for 
speculation. 
In the year 1755, General Braddock, 
with some regiments of regular troops and 
provincial levies, was sent to dispossess the 
French of the posts upon which they had 
seized in the back settlements. After the 
men were all ready, a difficulty occurred 
which had nearly prevented the expedition : 
this was the want of waggons. Franklin 
now stepped forward,- and with the assis- 
tance of his son, in a little time, procured 
150. After the defeat of Braddock, Frank- 
lin introduced into the assembly a bill for 
organizing a militia, and had the dexterity 
to get it passed. In consequence of this act 
a very respectable militia was formed, and 
Franklin was appointed colonel of the regi- 
ment of Philadelphia, which consisted of 
1200 men ; in which capacity he acquitted 
himself with much propriety, and was of sin- 
gular service ; though this militia was soon 
after disbanded by the English ministry. 
In 1757, he was sent to England w ith a 
petition to the king and council, against the 
proprietaries who refused to bear any share 
in the public expenses and assessments, 
which he got settled to the satisfaction of 
the state. After the completion of this 
business, Franklin remained at the court of 
Great Britain for some time, as agent to 
the province of Pennsylvania ; and also for 
those of Massachusetts, Maryland, and 
Georgia. Soon after this he published his 
Canada pamphlet, in which he pointed out, 
in a very forcible manner, the advantages 
that would result from the conquest of this 
province from the French. An expedition 
was accordingly planned, and the command 
given to General Wolfe ; the success of 
which is well known. He now divided his 
time, indeed, between philosophy and po- 
litics, rendering many services to both. 
Whilst here, he invented the elegant musi- 
cal instrument called the Armonica, formed 
of glasses, played upon by the fingers. 
In the summer of 1762, he returned to 
America ; on his passage to which he ob- 
served the singular effect produced by agi- 
tation of a vessel containing oil floating on 
water : the upper surface of the oil remain- 
ed smooth and undisturbed, whilst the 
water was agitated with the utmost com- 
motion. On his return he received the 
thanks of the Assembly of Pennsylvania, 
which having annually elected him a mem- 
ber in his absence, he again took his seat in 
this body, and continued a steady defender 
of the liberties of the people. 
In 1764, by the intrigues of the proprie- 
taries, Franklin lost. his seat in the assembly, 
which he had possessed for 14 years ; but 
he was immediately appointed provincial 
agent to England, for which country he 
presently set out. 
In 1766, he was examined before the 
parliament relative to the stamp act; which 
was soon after repealed. The same year 
he made a journey into Holland and Ger- 
many, and another into France ; being 
every where received with the greatest re- 
spect by the literati of all nations. 
In 1773, he attracted the public atten- 
tion by a letter on the duel between Mr. 
Whately and Mr. Temple, concerning the 
publication of Governor Hutchinson’s let- 
ters, declaring that he was the person who 
had discovered those letters. On the 29th 
of January, next year, he was examined 
before the privy-council, on a petition he 
had presented long before, as agent for 
Massachusetts Bay, against Mr. Hutchin- 
son ; but this petition being disagreeable to 
the ministry, it was precipitately rejected, 
and Dr. Franklin was soon after removed 
from his office of Post-master General for 
America. Finding now all efforts to restore 
harmony between Great Britain and her 
colonies useless, he returned to America in 
1775, just after the commencement of hos- 
tilities. Being named one of the delegates 
of the Continental Congress, he had a prin- 
cipal share in bringing about the revolution 
and declaration of independency on the part 
of the colonies. 
In 1776, he was deputed by Congress to 
Canada, to negociate with the people of 
that country, and to persuade them to 
throw off the British yoke ; but the. Cana- 
dians had been so much disgusted with the 
hot zeal of the New Englanders, who had 
burnt some of their chapels, that they re- 
