depart freely, carrying off all their effects without molestation or hinderance. And all women and children, scholars of every faculty, cultivators of the earth, artisans, manufacturers, and fishermen, unarmed, and inhabiting unfortified towns, villages, and places; and in general all others whose occupations are for the common subsistence and benefit of mankind, shall be allowed to continue their respective employments, and shall not be molested in their persons; nor shall their houses or goods be burnt or otherwise destroyed, nor their fields wasted, by the armed force of the enemy, into whose power, by the events of the war, they may happen to fall: but if any thing is necessary to be taken from them for the use of such armed force, the same shall be paid for at a reasonable price. And all merchant and trading vessels employed in exchanging the products of different places, and thereby rendering the necessary conveniences and comforts of human life more easy to be obtained, and more general, shall be allowed to pass free and unmolested; and neither of the contracting powers shall grant or issue any commission to any private or armed vessels, empowering them to take or destroy such trading vessels, or interrupt such commerce."

Having now traced the important public and diplomatic occupations of Dr Franklin at Paris, we may offer a few particulars of his occasional pursuits as a philosopher.

Dr Franklin had, as early as 1772, offered a report to the Royal Society in England, on lightning conductors for the powder magazines at Purfleet; and so generally had his principles been adopted, that they had become very common both in public and private buildings. But while he was engaged in endeavouring at Paris to divert from his country the injuries of war, an ungenerous attempt was made in England to deprive him of the fair fame of this invention.

A fellow member of the Royal Society, Mr B. Wilson of London, professed to demonstrate, in certain experi

ments at the Pantheon, that knobs were superior as conductors to points; experiments which it is said the royal family witnessed and patronised. It is certain that the pointed conductors were removed about this time from Buckingham house, and never afterwards replaced. Our absent philosopher however met with a spirited defender in the late lord Stanhope, then lord Mahon. The following article appeared on the subject in the London Evening Post, 16th September

1777:

"Monday, Mr B. Wilson repeated his experiments at the Pantheon, before several fellows of the Royal Society, and other persons. Lord viscount Mahon, F.R.S., being present, had a great dispute with Mr Wilson concerning his experiments, and showed him that he was wrong in both his assertions-first, that knobs are better than points; and secondly, that low conductors are better than high ones. His lordship proved both these assertions to be false, and showed also that Mr Wilson had entirely misunderstood, and had consequently misrepresented, the philosophical opinions of Dr Franklin. Lord Mahon repeated several experiments of his own to prove his assertions; and by invariably succeeding in them, at the same time that those of Mr Wilson failed repeatedly, his lordship proved this to demonstration; and by so doing gave great satisfaction to the best-informed persons present. Mr Wilson went to the other end of the room, as if to avoid seeing lord Mahon's experiments. He afterwards said he had not changed his opinions, and would publish his own hypothesis; upon which lord Mahon told Mr Wilson, in a most candid and gentlemanlike manner, that he was very sorry to be obliged to differ in opinion from him; but as the question about conductors for lightning was of so great importance to this country, and to society in general, that if Mr Wilson should publish an erroneous opinion upon this subject, he would also pledge himself to the public to refute him in print."

Other members of the Royal Society took up this

*

business in the following month, and completely exposed what they called the charlatanism of Mr Wilson. When Franklin heard of the king's changing his pointed conductors for blunt ones, he said-“It is a matter of small importance to me. If I had a wish about it at all, it would be that he would reject them altogether; for it is only since he thought himself and family safe from the thunder of heaven, that he dared to use his own thunder in destroying his innocent subjects." Dr Franklin considered that the interests of science were not to be overlooked amidst the din of war; when therefore he heard of the fitting out of Captain Cook's vessels for a voyage of discovery, he issued, as the American plenipotentiary in Europe, the following letter of protection for him :

LETTER RESPECTING CAPTAIN COOK.

"To all captains and commanders of armed ships, acting by commission from the Congress of United States of America, now at war with Great Britain. "GENTLEMEN,-A ship having been fitted out from England, before the commencement of this war, to make discoveries of new countries in unknown seas, under the conduct of that most celebrated navigator, captain Cook,-an undertaking truly laudable in itself, as the increase of geographical knowledge facilitates the communications between distant nations, in the exchange of useful products and manufactures, and the extension of arts, whereby the common enjoyments of human life are multiplied and augmented, and science of other kinds increased, to the benefit of mankind in general; this is therefore most earnestly to recommend to every one of you, that in case the said ship, which is now expected to be soon in the European seas on her return, should happen to fall into your hands, you would not consider her as an enemy, nor suffer any plunder to be made

The royal preference of blunt to pointed conductors produced some droll allusions at the time, especially from Dr Wolcot (Peter Pindar).

of the effects contained in her, nor obstruct her immediate return to England, by detaining her or sending her into any other part of Europe or America ; but that you would treat the said captain Cook and his people with all civility and kindness, affording them, as common friends to mankind, all the assistance in your power which they may happen to stand in need of. In so doing, you will not only gratify the generosity of your own dispositions, but there is no doubt of your obtaining the approbation of the Congress, and your own American owners.

"I have the honour to be, gentlemen,

"Your most obedient, &c.,

"B. FRANKLIN,

"Minister plenipotentiary from the Congress of the United States to the court of France.

"At Passy, near Paris, this 10th

day of March, 1779."

This proceeding was afterwards handsomely acknowledged by the presentation of Cook's Voyages, in 3 vols. quarto, to Dr Franklin, with a letter from lord Howe, stating that it was with the king's express approbation; and after the peace the Royal Society voted him a gold medal in acknowledgment of his letter. Dr Franklin in the same manner protected a Moravian missionary vessel, and a vessel sent with provisions and clothing from some benevolent citizens in Dublin to the West Indies.

Dr Franklin, as the plenipotentiary of America, entered fully into all her interests; and considering those of the Catholic clergy in America to require a proper adjustment with the pope, recommended, in July 1824, Mr John Carrol to his holiness, as a proper superior for such clergy. The court of Rome promptly met the desires of the new republic. This gentleman was appointed with the principal powers of a bishop; and the nuncio told Dr Franklin that probably he would be made a bishop before the end of

the year. But as it was necessary he should receive consecration in that case from another bishop, a difficulty arose as to where this could conveniently take place. Quebec being mentioned, Franklin inquired. whether consecration there would involve any dependence upon the consecrating bishop, which he was assured it would not, but that the American bishop, once ordained, would be independent of all other bishops, and even of the pope.

Shortly after a similar question came before our philosopher, as to the supplying a regular ordination to the Protestant episcopal clergy. Two young gentlemen went from the United States to London with a view of obtaining ordination, but complained to Franklin that the archbishop of Canterbury would not permit this, unless they took the oath of allegiance. On this our philosopher inquired whether the archbishop of Paris could not supply the necessary authority, or the new Catholic bishop in America; but found the thing was impossible, unless the young men became Catholics. He therefore wrote, advising them to apply to the bishop of Derry, who was a man of liberal sentiments, jocularly saying, "An hundred years hence, when people are more enlightened, it will be wondered at, that men in America, qualified by their learning and piety to pray for and instruct their neighbours, should not be permitted to do it till they have made a voyage of six thousand miles out, and have asked leave of a cross old gentleman at Canterbury."

Although Franklin seems to have imbibed a strong personal aversion to George III, he ever did justice to his character as a man. Wishing to illustrate to lord Fitzmaurice, lord Shelburne's son, who called upon him at Paris in 1784, the importance of a good private character to public men, he told him, that he believed if George III had had a bad private character, and the celebrated John Wilkes a good one, that the latter might at one period of the war have turned the former out of his kingdom.