on with closed doors and by secret correspondence: but when, in addition to the disagreement of reporters and the privacy of negotiators, we have the misstatements of editors and the blunders of typographers, we are nearly prepared to give up all hopes of coming at the truth of history. Before we entered upon the task of reviewing the works of Dr. Franklin, we had no adequate idea of the changes, falsifications, and errors, which are incident to successive republication. It may be, that, in general, a celebrated author does not fall into hands so very unskilful as those which have been in the habit of republishing our philosopher's writings. We believe no edition was ever published under his own supervision, or even with his own consent; and those, accordingly, which have found their way into the world, are put together in the most clumsy and inattentive manner. We intend to substantiate this observation by going over, very cursorily, the several editions which have fallen into our hands.

The first collection of his works was entitled New Experiments and Observations on Electricity. Made at Philadelphia in America. By BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, ESQ.; and Communicated in Several Letters to PETER COLLINSON, ESQ. of London, F. R. S. London. 1754. Printed and Sold by D. HENRY and R. CAVE, at St John's Gate. 4to. pp. 154.-This volume consists of XIII Letters, divided into three Parts: together with Remarks on the Abbe Nollet's LETTERS on ELECTRICITY, by MR. DAVID COLDEN, of New York, dated from Coldenham, in that State, Dec. 4, 1753,-and ELECTRICAL EXPERIMENTS, in further Confirmation of MR. FRANKLIN'S Observations on the positive and negative electrical State of the Clouds, by John Canton, M. Ă. and F. R. S., dated Dec. 6, 1753. In those days of honesty, an Editor thought 'it necessary to acquaint the Reader' with a few of the circumstances which led him to publish a book; and we are accordingly told in the Preface to the one before us, that the Letters of Mr. Franklin were committed to the 6 without waiting for the ingenious author's permission to do so;' but, that he was apprised of the step time enough to transmit some further remarks, together with a few corrections and additions.' The work acquired volume by going through a few editions; and appeared, at length, under the more comprehensive title of

6

press,

Experiments and Observations on Electricity, made at Philadelphia, in America, by BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, LL. D. and F. R. S. To which are added, Letters and Papers on Philosophical Subjects. The Whole corrected, metho

dized, improved, and now first collected in one Volume, and Illustrated with Copper Plates. London. Printed for DAVID HENRY: and sold by FRANCIS NEWBURY, at the Corner of St. Paul's Church Yard. MDCCLXIX. 4to. pp. 496.-In the ADVERTISEMENT Concerning this Fourth Edition,' we are told, that it contains all the philosophical Letters and Papers of Dr. Franklin, which had, at different times, been printed in the Transactions of the Royal Society-in the Magazines-and in separate pamphlets; together with a Number of others on various Subjects, never before printed, that had passed between the Author and his Friends.' Mr. Collinson, the gentleman to whom the Letters on Electricity are chiefly addressed-was born in London, in the year 1693. Natural history became very early his own favourite study; but he corresponded with scientific men of all discriptions; and was the first who put Dr. Franklin on making electrical experiments,' by the kind presentation of an electric tube.'* The Letter which acknowledged the reception of the tube, and which is so necessary to complete the history of our philosopher's electrical enterprises-was uniformly omitted in the former Editions. It is introduced in the one we are now considering; and, along with 24 other new Papers, fills out the whole series, up to the date of 1769. Letter XI, of the first edition, however, was omitted in this; and has not, we believe, been fully re-published in any subsequent one. It is of no very great importance, we confess; but, as it might assist the future historian of the sciences, we think it deserves a place in every collection of the Doctor's Works. But, besides the additional papers on electricity, we have, in the reprint of 1769, the Physical and Meteorological Observations, &c. the Letters respecting water-spouts-Franklin-stoves -the magic square and circle-the tides in rivers-the peopling of countries-and the effects of oil on water. These completed his philosophical works up to the date of the fourth edition;-ten years after which, a volume of his other writings was published, under the title of

Political, Miscellaneous, and Philosophical Pieces. Written by

*For a more particular account of his life and character-see the Private Correspondence, pp. 6 and 7.

In the Edition of 1809, Vol. III., p. 71, we find the substance of this letter stated as an experiment towards discovering more of the qualities of the electrical fluid. The Letter itself has no date; but as it accompanied the one from Dr. Colden, (see the original Edition, p. 108.), on the Abbe Noltel's electrical speculations-which is dated Dec. 6, 1753-we suppose it must have been written about the beginning of 1754. We see no good reason why the exordium and conclusion should have been lopped off.

BENJ. FRANKLIN, LL. D. and F. R. S. Member of the Royal Academy of Sciences at Paris, &c. &c. Now first collected, with Explanatory Plates, Notes, and an Index to the Whole. London. MDCCLXXIX. Printed for J. JOHNSON, No. 72, St. Paul's Church-Yard. 4to. pp. 573.-This volume contains the chief part of the Doctor's political writings, along with the papers on a reformed mode of spelling;' on the vis inertia of matter; on the utility of long pointed rods;' on the Aurora borealis;' and his epitaph on himself:-the whole of which are arranged under the heads of-General Politics-American Politics before the Troubles-American Politics during the Troubles-Provincial or Colonial Politics-and Miscellaneous and Philosophical Pieces. To almost every one of them the editor has carefully subjoined a note,-in which we are referred to the publication whence he extracted the article; and, when no such reference occurs, we are told, in the Preface, that an original copy is to be understood, to which he still retains access.' We suppose the Doctor alludes to this collection, when he tells his son, in a letter dated from Passy, Aug. 16, 1784,-that Mr. Vaughan has published, in London, a volume of what he calls my Political Works: he proposes a second edition; but, as the first was very incomplete, and you had many things that were omitted (for I used to send you sometimes the rough drafts, and sometimes the printed sheets I wrote in London) I have directed him to apply to you for what may be in your power to furnish him with, or delay his publication till I can be at home again.'* The work under consideration-is, without question, the ' volume' which our philosopher here alludes to; and these observations respecting its contents deserve to be treasured up as a piece of literary history.t

* This letter is not to be found in any collection of his works,-and was published, for the first time, we believe, in Mr. Wilmot's Historical View of the Commission for inquiring into the Losses, Services, and Claims of the American Loyalists, &c. 1815. London.

In a letter to Mr. Vaughan himself, too, dated from Passy, Nov. 9, 1779, he holds the following language:- In looking them over (the Political Papers) I have noted some faults of impression that hurt the sense, and some other little matters, which you will find all in a sheet under the title of Errata. You can best judge whether it may be worth while to add any of them to the errata already printed, or whether it may not be as well to reserve the whole for correction in another edition, if such should ever be. Inclosed I send you a more perfect copy of the chapter'-A Parable against Persecution. Priv. Corr. p. 23.-In another later, to Governor Franklin, dated from London, Jan. 9, 1768, we have the following information respecting the fate of the article on the Discontents of America,

Hitherto the Doctor's lighter papers had not been collected into a separate volume; a desideratum, which was supplied, two years after his death, however, by the publication of Works of the late Doctor Benjamin Franklin: Consisting of his Life written by Himself, together with Essays humorous, moral, and literary, chiefly in the manner of the Spectator. In two Vols. London. 1792. Printed for G. G. J. and J. Robinson, Paternoster-Row. 12mo. pp. 583.-The Life here mentioned consists of the memoir, up to 1731, which the author wrote of himself, and which was originally published in French, by M. Dubourg,-together with a continuation of the narrative by Dr. Stuber, of Philadelphia. From what particular works the Essays were extracted, we are nowhere/ distinctly told;-and we cannot but censure the vagueness and generality with which the Editor states, that they are now, for the first time, brought together from various resources.' We know not that this collection is any more 'perfect' than the one which the Doctor censures in the above extract from his letter: And, unless we have the direct testimony of the author himself, the only means which a later writer has of determining such a point-is-by the references of the early Editors to the various resources,' from which their materials are drawn. We must break off these observations here; but we are going to have abundant occasion for resuming them hereafter.

Thaufirst attempt at publishing the entire works of Dr. Franklin, was made as late as the year 1806; when they appeared under the title of, The Complete Works, in Philosophy, Politics, and Morals, of the late Dr. Benjamin Franklin. Now first collected and arranged. With Memoirs of his early Life, written by Himself. In three 8vo. vols. pp. 1450. London. Johnson, and Longman, and Co.-We have not had an opportunity of examining these volumes ourselves; but we have a poor account of them from our brethren in England; and indeed we might know beforehand, that an unauthorized and half surreptitious publication would be conducted with the usual unskilfulness of an irresponsible agent.

(p. 231,) which appeared under the signature of F-1-S, in a paper called the Chronicle, Jan. 7:- The Editor of that paper one Jones seems a Grenvillian, or is very cautious as you see, by his corrections and omissions. He has drawn the teeth and pared the nails of my paper, so that it can neither scratch nor bite. It seems only to paw and mumble. I send you also two other late pieces of mine. There is another which I cannot find.' Id. p. 151. Whether the copy commonly printed has the teeth restored and the nails resuscitated, we know not; but we think our readers will agree with us, that it does something more than paw and mumble.'

It was stated in an advertisement, that Mr. William Temple Franklin, to whom, as our readers know, the Doctor bequeathed all his papers, and who, soon after his grandfather's death, performed a voyage to England, for the express purpose of selling an entire collection of both his printed and manuscript writings, was prevailed upon, by an emissary of Government, to suppress the publication. Mr. Franklin was greatly indignant at such an accusation; and very promptly contradicted the whole statement, in a letter dated at Paris, March 18th, 1807, and addressed to the Editor of the Argus, a newspaper published in that city. He says, that the Doctor did not direct him to publish his entire works,but left the matter to his own discretion; that he never sold any part of the manuscripts to the British Government,-nor were any attempts made directly or indirectly, to cause their suppression; that they were safely lodged with his bankers in London, and should appear in due season; that he offered the copyright to some of the most noted booksellers in London, who refused to publish the work, even at their own expense the times were, as they said, so unpropitious to such an undertaking; and that, for the same reason, he had himself abstained from issuing a publication, which, to do it with a splendour becoming his much revered ancestor's memory, would be attended with considerable expense.' For the present, we shall not question the validity of this plea; but pass on to the Edition of the Doctor's works, whiqshwas published here, in 1809; and of which the title is transcribed at the head of this article.

The first volume has never yet appeared; nor can we wish that it ever may appear-if it is not more skilfully edited than the four which lie on our table. A part of the titlepage runs, almost word for word, like that of the English Edition; and, for the credit of American literature, as well as for the peace of the Phil. Editor,' as he subscribes himself-we hope that about half of the prevarication and ignorance displayed in the work, is attributable to no countrymen of ours. But beside all the (Doctor's) Writings published in former Collections,' the Editor before us pretends to have given the Diplomatic Correspondence;' and a variety of literary Articles and epistolary Correspondence,' which had 'never before been published, and for the editing of which he is therefore responsible. It is more than we should be willing to answer for. The questionable and suspicious shape in which the work appears, the ignorance which we find in some places,-with the disingenuousnesss, (to use no har