doing me justice, and refunding the additional sixpences; or he will forfeit the character he always bore with me, that of an honest man. I enclose you

a piece of the newspaper for your satisfaction. Compare it with his specimen, and you will find what I say precisely true. The sum to be returned is £11 15s. 6d., for which when received please give to my account credit.

Lord Loudon arrived last week. I have had the honor of several conferences with him on our American affairs, and am extremely pleased with him. I think there cannot be a fitter person for the service he is engaged in.

I propose to return to-morrow to Philadelphia, where I hope things will soon be on a better footing, as we expect a new governor, of whom we hear a good character.

My best compliments to Mrs. Strahan and your children. I am, dear friend, yours affectionately, B. FRANKLIN.

P. S. Since my last I have a letter from B. Mecom, who writes that he has sent you a £60 bill. I send a whole newspaper instead of the piece mentioned above, as there is some news in it.

TO WILLIAM STRAHAN

PHILADELPHIA, 31 December, 1756.

DEAR SIR:-This serves only to cover a bill of exchange, drawn by B. Mecom on you, upon a supposition that you have received bills he sent you from

VOL. XII.-18.

Antigua for about £120 more than the balance of your account. If those bills are not come to hand, or not paid, you need not be at the trouble of protesting this bill, but let it lie in your hands till you hear farther from me. If those bills are paid, then please to carry this £100 to my account. B. Mecom has settled honorably with me, and bought my old printing-house that he had at Antigua. He wants some new letter which he now writes for. Lest his bills above mentioned should fail, I have given him a draft on my friend Collinson for £50 sterling, which he now sends to you. He purposes to set up in Boston. My respects affectionately to you and yours, particularly my son Billy. It gives me great pleasure to learn by your last that he is become so capable of business. I am, dear sir, your most obedient servant, B. FRANKLIN.

TO WILLIAM STRAHAN

PHILADELPHIA, 1 January, 1757.

DEAR SIR:-I wrote you a line or two yesterday, enclosing B. Mecom's second bill for £100 sterling, drawn on you upon presumption that you had received some bills, he had sent you, to the amount of £120 more than the balance of his account. He has settled honorably with me and bought the old Antigua office of me, and is gone to Boston to set up his business there among his friends and relations, and has wrote to you to purchase him two new founts, one of long primer and one of pica, for which I have furnished him with a bill on Mr. Col

linson for £50, lest you should not have received his money. I now send B. Mecom's third bill. If you are not in cash for him you need not be at the charge or trouble of protesting it, but only acquaint me. If you are, carry it to the credit of my account. account. I wish you and yours many happy New Years, being, dear sir, yours affectionately,

B. FRANKLIN.

31 January, 1757.

DEAR SIR:-The above is a copy of my last. I have now before me your favor of September 11th. I shall not fail on every occasion to recommend you to my friends on the book account. I wish I could give you any hopes of soon receiving your debt of J. Read. Mr. Hall, no doubt, writes you more fully concerning him. It gives me great pleasure to hear so good an account of our son Billy. In return, let me tell you that our daughter Sally is indeed a very good girl, affectionate, dutiful, and industrious, has one of the best hearts, and though not a wit, is, for one of her years, by no means deficient in understanding. She already takes off part of her mother's family cares. This must give you and Mrs. Strahan pleasure. So that account is partly balanced.

Our Assembly talk of sending me to England speedily. Then look out sharp, and if a fat old fellow should come to your printing-house and request a little smouting, depend upon it 't is your affectionate friend and humble servant, B. FRANKLIN.

P. S.-I enclose B. Mecom's first bill for £100 sterling, the 2d and 3d sent before.

TO MR. STRAHAN

you,

OH! MY DEAR FRIEND:-I never was more surprised than on reading your note. I grieve for for Mrs. Strahan, for Mr. Johnston, for the little ones, and your whole family. The loss is indeed a great one. She was every thing that one could wish in every relation. I do not offer you the common topics of consolation. I know by experience how little they avail, that the natural affections must have their course, and that the best remedy for grief is time. Mrs. Stevenson joins her tears with mine. God comfort you all. Yours most affectionately, B. FRANKLIN. Wednesday Morn.

TO DR. WILLIAM HEBERDEN

CRAVEN STREET, 7 June, 1759. SIR: I now return the smallest of your two tourmalins, with hearty thanks for your kind present of the other, which though I value highly for its rare and wonderful properties, I shall ever esteem it more for the friendship I am honored with by the giver.

I hear that the negative electricity of one side of the tourmalin, when heated, is absolutely denied (and what has been related of it, ascribed to prejudice in favor of a system) by some ingenious gentlemen abroad, who profess to have made the experiments on the stone with care and exactness. The experiments have succeeded differently with me; yet I would not call the accuracy of those gentlemen in question. Possibly the tourmalins they have tried

were not properly cut; so that the positive and negative powers were obliquely placed, or in some manner whereby their effects were confused, or the negative parts more easily supplied by the positive. Perhaps the lapidaries, who have hitherto cut these stones, had no regard to the situation of the two powers, but chose to make the faces of the stone where they could obtain the greatest breadth, or some other advantage in the form. If any of these stones, in their natural state, can be procured here, I think it would be right to endeavor finding, before they are cut, the two sides that contain the opposite powers, and make the faces there. Possibly, in that case, the effects might be stronger and more distinct; for, though both these stones that I have examined have evidently the two properties, yet without the full heat given by boiling water, they are somewhat confused; the virtue seems strongest towards one end of the face and in the middle or near the other end, scarce discernible; and the negative, I think, always weaker than the positive.

I have had the large one new cut so as to make both sides alike and find the change of form has made no change as I found them before. It is now set in a ring in such a manner as to turn on an axis, that I may conveniently, in making experiments, come at both sides of the stone. The little rim of gold it is set in, has made no alteration in its effects. The warmth of my finger, when I wear it, is sufficient to give it some degree of electricity, so that it is always ready to attract light bodies.

The following experiments have satisfied me that