philosophic and political pursuits to accept of that honour. In 1745, he published an account of a new invented fire-place, of which the particulars at length are given in his Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects, p. 284 to 318, edit. 1769.

About the same time he commenced those electric experiments which have conferred celebrity on his name. His discoveries were communicated in three publications, entitled, " New Experiments and Ob. servations in Electricity, made at Philadelphia in America," in letters to Mr. Collinson, dated from 1747 to 1754. These tracts were universally admir. ed. Dr. Priestley in his "History of Electricity," remarks of them, "It is not easy to say whether we are most pleased with the simplicity and perspicuity with which these letters are written, the modesty with which the author proposes every hypothesis of his own, or the noble frankness with which he relates his mistakes, when they were corrected by subsequent experiments." Concluding that in the excitation of the electric tube, the fluid was conveyed from the person who rubbed it, to him who touched it, he termed the latter state that of being electrified positively, or possessing more than his natural quantity of eclectic effluvia; the former person was said to be negitively electrified, or possessing less than his natural quantity. This led to his capital theory of the charged Leyden phial, namely, that when one side is electrified positively or plus, the other is electrified negitively or minus; so that in charging a phial the electricity is thrown from the outside into the inside, and when it is discharged the equilibrium is restored. He confirmed this theory by a set of very ingenious experiments, which have been thought decisive. He farther proved that the accumu

lated electric fire in the charged side of the phial re. sided not in the coating, but in the pores of the glass itself. In the course of his experiments, he, in com mon with other electricians, was accidentally surpris ed and alarmed at the power of the electric fluid. He received a discharge from two of his large electric jars, through his head, which struck him to theground, but did him no lasting injury. A young woman, in attending to one of his experiments, inadvertently brought her head so near the conductor as to receive a still greater shock, which caused her to fall; but she instantly rose up, uninjured. This encouraged him to try whether it's power might not be lessened when the experiment was made on six men at the same time, the first placing his hand on the head of the second, and so on. Having obtained the men and placed them in the manner just mentioned, he discharged his two jars, by laying his conducting rod upon the head of the first man. They all fell to the ground at the same instant, believing he had struck them down by some kind of magic. When he endeavoured to explain to them in what manner he had performed the experiment, they declared they had neither seen the flash nor heard the report of the discharge. The most brilliant, however, of his discoveries, was that of the identity of the electric fire and that of lightning. Franklin was directed towards the complete verifica. tion of the fact by the extraordinary power which he had observed to be possessed by pointed bodies, in attracting and throwing off the electric effluvia. The first positive proof which he obtained of his problem occurred in June, 1752; when, by means of a silken kite, furnished with an iron point, having a key appended to the termination of it's hempen string, and from thence a silken cord, he drew down from a passing

66

thunder cloud sufficient of electric fire to yield sen. sible sparks from the key. He afterwards fixed an insulated iron rod upon his house, which drew down the lightning, and gave him an opportunity of examining whether it was positive or negative. His letters containing an account of his electric experi ments, and among them his relation of drawing elec tricity from the clouds, were soon published in Eu. rope and translated into different languages. "Noth ing was ever written on the subject of electricity," says Dr. Priestley, which was more generally read and admired in all parts of Europe, than those letters. Electricians every where employed themselves in repeating his experiments, or exhibiting them for money. All the world, in a manner, even kings, flocked to see them, and all returned full of admira. tion." As utility was in his opinion the great end of philosophic investigation, he applied this discovery to the protection of buildings from the effects of lightning, which is particularly alarming on the continent of America. By means of pointed metallic conduc tors projecting from the top of the building, he conceived that the passing thunder clouds might discharge their fire silently and inoxiously. Such was the public confidence in this opinion, that these conductors soon came to be generally adopted in Amer. ica, in England, and other countries. Before this period, philosophers had amused themselves only with the smaller phænomena of Electricity; such as relate to the attraction of light bodies; the distances to which such attractions would extend; the luminous appearances produced by the excited glass tube; and the firing of spirits and inflammable air. Lit tle more was known on this subject, than Thales had discovered 2000 years before; that certain bod

ies such as amber and glass, had this attractive quality. Our most indefatigable searchers into nature, who in other branches seemed to have explored her profoundest depths, were content with what was known of electricity in former ages, without advancing any thing new of their own. Sufficient data and experiments were wanting to reduce the doctrine and phænomena of electricity into rules or system, and to apply them to useful purposes. This great attainment, which had eluded the industry and abili ties of a Boyle and a Newton, was reserved for a Franklin. The assiduity with which he prosecuted his investigations appears from his first letter to Mr. Collinson, dated Mar. 28, 1747. 66 For my own part," says he, "I never was before engaged in any study which so totally engrossed my attention and time. For, what with making experiments, when I am alone, and repeating them to my friends and acquaintance, who, from the novelty of the thing, come continually in crouds to see them, I have for some months past had leisure for little else."

The unostentatious deportment of Franklin may be held up by way of contrast to the dogmatism and vanity of some authors; for in the commur.ication of his discoveries, he appeared rather seeking to acquire information himself than giving it to others. "Possibly," says he to his friend, "these experi. ments may not be new to you, among the numbers daily employed in such observations on your side the water, it is probable some one or other has hit on them before." In another letter he 66 I own that I have too strong a penchant to building hy. pothesis: they indulge my natural indolence :" yet indolence was no part of his character. To the end of his life he observed the same uniform modesty and

says,

caution. The first philosophic paper inserted in his collection, in 1756, is entitled, "Physical and Meteorological Observations, Conjectures, and Suppositions," and his last at Passy, in 1784, is written in a similar style; viz. "Meteorological Imaginations and Conjectures; Loose Thoughts on an Universal Fluid," and the like. In 1747 he was elected a representative of the city of Philadelphia in the General Assembly of that province. At that time a contest subsisted between the Assembly and the proprietaries, chiefly with respect to the claim of the latter to have their property exempted from the public burdens. He took the popular side of the question by supporting the rights of the citizens in opposition to the pro. prietaries. Franklin was a friend to universal freedom from his infancy, and ever distinguished himself as a steady opponent to injustice. His influence in this body was great. His speeches consisted not of rhetorical flowers; they were simple and unadorned, but pointed, sensible, and concise. Oft has his pen etrating and solid judgment confounded the most eloquent and subtile of his adversaries. A single observation has rendered ineffectual an elaborate and elegant discourse. But he was not contented with supporting the rights of the people; he wished to render them permanently secure, which can be done only by making their value known, and by increasing and extending information to every class of men. Franklin therefore drew up a plan of an Academy "suited to the infant state of the country," which he was enabled to complete on an enlarged scale, through the interposition of his benevolent and learned friend, Peter Collinson, of London. A charter of incorporation, dated July 13, 1753, was obtained from the honourable proprietors of Pennsylvania, Thomas