also, and passed the drawing with the bottle, the military man determined to have a hit at his titled antago nist, and while one side of the table was smiling at the phiz of the Colonel, the other was bursting with peals of laughter at that of the noble president, whom he had contrived to represent in a ludicrous attitude.

It would be highly unjust, to conclude this article without observing, that Lady Townshend, to a most amiable character and engaging manners, adds the high and distinguished, merit of having contributed for many years to dispel the care, to relieve the anguish, and to add to the comforts of her húsband.

WILLIAM FRANKLIN, Esa.

LATE GOVERNOR OF NEW JERSEY.

TO trace the lineage of great men, to detail their thoughts and their actions, to ascertain their character, and even to enquire into the fate, the fortune, and the situation of their posterity, has always been accounted a praiseworthy task. The family of our Dryden, titled and enriched at the present moment, presents a subject both interesting and grateful to our feelings. That of the illustrious Milton, relieved from indigence by the voluntary tribute of applauding theatres, at once excited the bounty and the compassion of the public; and some account of the son of the great Franklin, a name equally dear to Europe and to America, cannot fail to gratify the curiosity of every ingenuous Englishman.

We are indebted to Dr. Franklin himself for the genealogy

genealogy of his own family; and that same contempt of vulgar prejudices which taught this son of science to spurn at the pride of little minds, when he commenced his last will with a recognition of his original profession,* permitted him to give a candid account of his humble progenitors. His ancestors, we are told, resided in the village of Eaton, in Northamptonshire, on a freehold of about thirty acres of land, dur‣ ing a period of at least three hundred years. He himself was the youngest son of the youngest son for five successive generations. His grandfather Thomas, who was born in the year 1598, lived in his native hamlet until he had attained a good old age, and then retired to Banbury in Oxfordshire, to the house of his son John, by trade a dyer, to whom his father was put apprentice.

His family at an early period embraced the principles of the reformed religion, and remained firmly attached to it during the reign of Mary, in consequence of which they were in great danger of being harassed on account of their zeal against popery.

"They were in possession," says the Doctor," of an English ver sion of the Bible: in order to conceal and preserve it in safety, they bethought themselves of fastening it with strings, in an open position, to the inside of the cover of a night-stool. When my great grandfather was desirous of reading to the family, he reversed the cover upon his knees, and turned over the leaves, without unloosing the ends which fastened it. One of the children always remained at the door to give notice if he saw the Apparitor ap proaching:

“I Benjamin Franklin, Printer, and Minister Plenipotentiary from the United States of America, hereby make this my last will and testament," &c. &c.

proaching: this was an officer of the spiritual court. On the least alarm, the cover of the night-stool was instantly restored to its proper place, and the bible remained concealed underneath it as usual. This anecdote I had from my uncle Benjamin.

"The whole family continued attached to the Church of Eng land, till towards the conclusion of the reign of Charles the se cond; an era when some of the ministers who had been displaced as non-conformist, having established conventicles in Northamptonshire, Benjamin and Josias, my uncles, joined them, never again to separate. The rest of the family continued in the Epis copal Church.

"Josias, my father, married early. He carried his wife and three children to New-England, about the year 1682. The conventicles being at that time under the proscription of the law, and their meetings frequently disturbed, some considerable people of his acquaintance resolved to go to America, in hopes of enjoying the quiet exercise of their religion, and he determined to accompany them.

"My father had four more children by the same wife in America, and ten by a second marriage; in all seventeen. I remember to have seen thirteen of them at table together, all of whom grew up and married. I was the youngest son, and the youngest of all the children, excepting two daughters."

Dr. Franklin was born at Boston in America. In the eighth year of his age, he was sent to a grammarschool; and his father, who had destined him for the church, began even at that early period to consider him as the "chaplain of the family." But as his parents were burdened with a numerous progeny, these intentions were never realized; on the contrary, he was bereaved of every opportunity of attaining a knowledge of the languages, and placed under a school-master, solely for the purpose of learning to write and cypher; the object was attained in respect

respect to the former of these, but as to arithmetick, he made not the smallest

progress in it.

"At ten years of age," says he, "I was brought home to assist my father in his business, which was that of a candle and soap-maker, trades to which he had not indeed served an ap prenticeship, but which he had embraced on his arrival in New England, finding that there was not sufficient employment for a dyer to enable him to support his family. My employments, consequently were, to attend the shop, cut the wicks for the candles, run errands, &c.

"I disliked this trade much, and had a great inclination for that of a sailor, but my father declared positively against this idea. However, the neighbourhood of the water afforded me frequent occasions of exercising myself both on it and in it. I learned early to swim and to steer a boat; and, when I had embarked with other children of my own age, they always gave up to me the management of the helm, especially on dangerous occasions. Indeed, I was generally the leader of the party, and frequently brought them into mischief."

As young Franklin evinced the greatest dislike to his father's trade, he was sent for some days on trial, to the shop of his first cousin, who happened to be a cutler. It was his fate, however, to become a printer, and to this calling he was induced to apply himself, in consequence of his attachment to books: he was accordingly bound an apprentice to his brother James, but finding him arbitrary and tyrannical, he repaired to Philadelphia, and there created that fortune, obtained that reputation, and made those great and important discoveries, which procured for him both independence and fame, and will continue to ensure celebrity to his name, so long as science shall be known or respected among mankind.

While his father was yet only a tradesman in the capital of Pennsylvania, William Franklin, the subject of this memoir, was born in that city, about the year 1736. This parent was too well acquainted with the advantages resulting from education not to attend to that of his son, and it therefore may be easily supposed that nothing of this kind was omit-. ted, but on the contrary, that all the means of instruction, which America could at that time furnish, were most readily recurred to. Indeed, the company and conversation of such a man as Dr. Franklin, were of themselves capable of improving his mind, calling forth his talents, and rendering him fit, not only to acquire the rudiments of science, but also to attain a knowledge of the world and of mankind.

It was the good fortune of Governor Franklin, to be present at the awful moment when his father obtained a mastery over the most terrific of all the clements, and to behold one part of the celebrated hemistich

"After having published the mode of verifying his hypothesis concerning the identity of electricity and lightning, Franklin determined to erect a pyramid at Philadelphia, in order to perform his experiments.

"Recollecting at length, that a Kite would have a more speedy and easy access to the regions of thunder than any building ele vated by human industry, he determined to carry this idea into practice. He accordingly adjusted a silk handkerchief to two sticks placed crosswise. At the approach of the first storm he repaired to a field where there was an out-house conveniently situ ated for his experiment; and in order to obviate the ridicule that but too commonly accompanies unsuccessful attempts for the promotion of the sciences, he took care to communicate his inten1801-2.

tions