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FRA Franklin adds with great solemnity—"So that I think this method preferable to the punishment inflicted by some military laws for non-attendance on divine worship." We have not yet noticed the reputation he acquired for his discoveries in natural philosophy, which by this time had begun to make him famous in the scientific world. In 1746 he first saw some experiments in electricity very imperfectly performed, but which were quite new to him. He repeated them with much greater success; and very soon after, in a letter which he wrote to his friend, Mr. Kinnersley, he announced his theory of the identity of lightning and electricity. The Royal Society of England, to whom he submitted his papers on the subject, treated them with such indifference that they were not even printed in the Transactions; and they were consequently first issued by Cave of the Gentleman's Magazine, in the form of a small pamphlet, which, though it did not attract much attention in England, was speedily recognized in France. It was in this pamphlet that Franklin suggested the possibility of drawing down the lightning from the clouds by means of a pointed iron-rod. There was no place in Philadelphia sufficiently lofty for his purpose, and he was waiting till a spire should be finished, when it struck him that a common kite might be made available; and in June, 1752, he had the satisfaction of perfectly verifying his conjectures. About a month earlier, D'Alibard had erected a lightning-conductor in the manner which Franklin had indicated, and had drawn a number of sparks from it, an account of his experiment being communicated to the Royal Academy of Sciences on May 13, 1752. It will thus be seen that the whole merit of the discovery of the identity of lightning and electricity belongs to Franklin, for D'Alibard merely followed out his directions as any assistant might have done. The Royal Society now recognized his talents, and made Franklin F.R.S., and voted him the Copley gold medal for the year 1753. But to return to matters political. The government of Pennsylvania was at that time in the hands of the proprietaries; that is to say, the descendants of the original proprietor and founder, William Penn. There were constant disputes between the assembly and these proprietaries as to the liability to taxation of the proprietary lands; and in 1757 Franklin was sent over to London as agent of the assembly to present a petition on its behalf. In 1759, while staying in England, he wrote his "Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of Pennsylvania from its Origin," a work which was more especially designed to further the great object he had in view, the establishment of the rights of his countrymen. It was about this time that the war in which Great Britain was then involved with France, gave him an opportunity of doing a service to England, which has not been generally recognized, but which was probably as great as any which he afterwards rendered to America, He saw that France's most vulnerable point was Canada; and he saw, too, what an advantage the conquest of that country would give to England. His opinions were reported to Pitt, who consulted him in the matter; and Wolfe's brave expedition was planned, which resulted, as every one knows, in the acquisition of a territory which has since given a home and independence to thousands of our countrymen. We are disposed to regard this as the most precious legacy Franklin has left us. Lightning conductors might have been discovered without him; American independence would have been achieved without him; but Canada might have been for ever lost, if he had not seen the opportunity and pressed its instant seizure. Honours were not wanting during his absence from his native land. The universities of St. Andrews, Edinburgh, and Oxford conferred on him the degrees of LL.D. and D.C.L.; and he was everywhere recognized as a great man. In 1762 he returned to Pennsylvania; but in 1764 he was reappointed to the same office of colonial agent, and in that capacity he again visited Europe. He was in England when the odious stamp act was passed, by which the colonists were to be taxed without their consent; and he laboured hard to procure its repeal, which was effected in 1766. For a time it was thought that moderation had triumphed, but only for a time; for the government introduced a scheme for laying duties on glass, tea, and other articles in America. The greatest excitement prevailed, especially in Boston; and Franklin, who felt alarmed at the natural excesses of the colonists, thought it necessary to publish his "Causes of the American Discontents before 1768," in which he attempted to allay the storm, and to explain to the English people the true grounds of the dissatisfaction of the Americans. In 1770 he was appointed agent for Massachusetts, and he was consequently obliged to wait upon Lord Hillsborough, the American secretary, to whom he had to explain his instructions. His lordship's conduct on that occasion was a remarkable instance of that infatuated pride, which has so often cursed the dealings of English governments with those whom they think they can afford to despise. Franklin's papers were coolly handed buck to him unopened, with the insulting observation, that he held no office recognizable by the government. He remained perfectly calm and abstained from all altercation, feeling probably that there was no need for him to speak, for events were silently hastening to a crisis which would for ever, and in the hugest letters, record the consequences of official blindness and conceit. We observe, and we like to dwell upon the fact, that, amidst all this whirl of politics, he found time to refresh himself by recourse to a region where all was comparatively at peace. He took great interest in Priestley's experiments on air, and travelled about over Wales, Ireland, and Scotland, staying for some time with Dr. Shipley, bishop or St. Asaph, whom he greatly respected. In 1772 some letters came into his possession written by Hutchinson, the governor of Massachusetts, Lieutenant-governor Oliver, and others in America, to a person in England, whose name at that time Franklin did not know, advocating the employment of a military force, in order to coerce the rebellious malcontents into obedience. He instantly determined to send these documents over to the colony. He obtained them in no underhand manner; they were offered to him; and he felt it right that they should be seen by others besides himself, although he had no wish that they should be made public. Their contents soon became known, notwithstanding all precautions; and they became the ground of a resolution, by which a petition was drawn up and presented to the king, praying for the removal of those who had offended by such obnoxious language. The petition was referred to the privy council; but the only result was the dismissal of Franklin from his office of deputy postmaster-general. He now began to think about leaving England; but, in the midst of his preparations, he was surprised by the news that, on 19th December, 1774, his wife had died. He was very fond of her; they had been married forty-four years, and the loss must have touched him deeply. He now determined to remain in England a little longer, to await the issue of the congress convened at home. It was about this time, in 1774, that he became acquainted with Lord Chatham, who from the first foresaw to what ruin the policy of the government was conducting the country. Franklin had several interviews with him, and was consulted with reference to the plan of reconciliation, which Lord Chatham proposed in the form of a bill in the house of lords. It was rejected by a large majority; and all attempts to bring about any good understanding proving fruitless, Franklin sailed for Philadelphia in 1775, characteristically occupying himself during the voyage with valuable experiments on the temperature of the ocean. He found the whole country in confusion, arising from the affray with the British at Lexington and Concord. He was immediately chosen delegate from Pennsylvania to the congress, and was one of the large majority who voted that the country should be put in a state of defence, and finally, on the 4th July, 1776, declared the independence of the United States. Feeling themselves to be a separate nation, the Americans naturally desired, especially at that juncture, alliances with foreign governments, and to Franklin was intrusted the mission to France. He was instructed to procure money and arms, if possible, and to conclude treaties of amity with France, and any other foreign powers who might be favourably inclined. The French court from the very first assisted liberally, although it could not openly venture upon a war with Great Britain, more especially as it was not till 1777 that American affairs began to look a little brighter, through the capture of Burgoyne's army and Washington's successes. After that time the French, thinking that the United States were likely to succeed, entered into formal relationships with them, and war was consequently declared with England. This is no place to enter into a history of the American struggle in which Franklin was not actively engaged. Suffice it to say that, on the 30th November, 1782, a treaty was signed by the commissioners as a preliminary to the definitive treaty which was concluded in 1784, and which brought the revolution to a close. Franklin now became very anxious to return home; and although in his eightieth year, he crossed the Atlantic again, to