opportunity of retaliating; but his nobleness of foul prevented him from making use of it.

The police of Philadelphia had early appointed watchmen, whofe duty it was to guard the citizens against the midnight robber, and to give an immediate alarm in case of fire. This duty is, perhaps, one of the most important than can be committed to any set of men. The regulations, however, were not fufficiently ftrict. Franklin faw the dangers arifing from this cause, and suggefted an alteration, fo as to oblige the guardians of the night to be more watchful over the lives and property of the citizens. The propriety of this was immediately perceived, and a reform was effected.

There is nothing more dangerous to growing cities than fires. Other caufes operate flowly, and almost imperceptibly; but these in a mo ment render abortive the labours of ages. On this account there should be, in all cities, ample provifions to prevent fires from spreading. Franklin early faw the neceffity of thefe; and, about the year 1738, formed the first fire-com, pany in this city. This example was foon followed by others; and there are now numerous fire-companies in the city and liberties. To these may be attributed in a great degree the activity in extinguishing fires, for which the citizens of Philadelphia are diftinguished, and the inconfiderable damage which this city has fuftained from this caufe. Some time after, Franklin fuggefted the plan of an affociation for infuring houfes From loffes by fires, which was adopted; and

e affociation continues to this day. The ad antages experienced from it have been great.

From the first establishment of Pennsylvania, a fpirit of difpute appears to have prevailed amongst its inhabitants. During the life-time of William Penn, the conftitution had been three times altered. After this period, the Hiftory of Pennfylvania is little else than a recital of the quarrels between the proprietaries, or their governors, and the assembly. The proprietaries contended for the right of exempting their land from taxes; to which the assembly would by no means confent. This fubject of difpute interfered in almoft every question, and prevented the most faTutary laws from being enacted. This at times. fubjected the people to great inconveniences. In the year 1744, during a war between France and Great-Britain, fome French and Indians had made inroads upon the frontier inhabitants of the province, who were unprovided for fuch an attack. It became neceffary that the citizens fhould arm for their defence, Governor Thomas recommended to the affembly, who were then fitting, to pass a militia law. To this they would agree only upon condition that he should give his affent to certain laws, which appeared to them calculated to promote the interest of the people. As he thought these laws would be injurious to the proprietaries, he refused his assent to them; and the affembly broke up without paffing a militia law. The fituation of the province was at this time truly alarming expofed to the continual inroads of an enemy, and deftitute of every means of defence. At this crifis Franklin ftepped forth, and proposed to a meet

ing

of the citizens of Philadelphia, a plan of a

voluntary affociation for the defence of the province. This was approved of, and figned by twelve hundred perfons immediately.

Copies of it were circulated throughout the province; and in a fhort time the number of figners amounted to ten thousand. Franklin was chofen colonel of the Philadelphia regiment; but he did not think proper to accept of the honour.

Pursuits of a different nature now occupied the greatest part of his attention for some years He engaged in a courfe of electrical experiments, with all the ardor and thirst for difcovery which characterized the philofophers of that day. Of all the branches of experimental philosophy, electricity had been leaft explored. The attractive power of amber is mentioned by Theophraftus and Pliny, and, from them, by later na turalifts. In the year 1600, Gilbert, an English physician, enlarged confiderably the catalogue of fubftances which have the property of attracting light bodies. Boyle, Otto Guericke, a burgomaster of Magdeburg, celebrated as the inventor of the air pump, Dr. Wall, and Sir Ifaac Newton, added some facts. Guericke first observed the repulfive power of electricity, and the light and noife produced by it. In 1709, Hawkesbec communicated fome important oblervations and experiments to the world. For several years electricity was entirely neglected, until Mr. Gray applied himself to it, in 1728, with great affiduity. He, and his friend Mr. Wheeler, made a very great variety of experiments; in which they demonftrated, that electricity may be com

municated from one body to another, even without being in contact, and in this way may be conducted to a great distance. Mr. Gray afterwards found, that, by suspending rods of iron by filk or hair lines, and bringing an excited tube under them, sparks might be drawn, and a light perceived at the extremities in the dark. M. Du Faye, intendant of the French King's gardens, made a number of experiments, which added not a little to the fcience. He made the

difcovery of two kinds of electricity, which he called vitreous and refinous; the former produced by rubbing glafs, the latter from excited fulphur, fealing-wax, &c. But this idea he afterwards gave up as erroneous. Between the years 1739 and 1742, Defaguliers made a number of experi ments, but added little of importance. He first used the terms conductors and electrics, per fe. In 1742, feveral ingenious Germans engaged in the fubject. Of these the principal were, profeffor Boze of Wittembergh, profeffor Winkler of Leipfic, Gordon, a Scotch Benedictine monk, profeffor of philofophy at Erfurt, and Dr. Ludolf of Berlin. The refult of their researches aftonished the philofophers of Europe. Their apparatus was large, and by means of it they were enabled to colle& large quantities of electricity, and thus to produce phenomena which had been hitherto unobferved. They killed Imall birds, and fet fpirits on fire. Their expe

riments excited the curiofity of other philofophers. Collinfon, about the year 1745, fent to the library company of Philadelphia an account of thefe experiments, together with a tube, and

directions how to use it. Franklin, with fome of his friends, immediately engaged in a courfe of experiments; the refult of which is well known. He was enabled to make a number of important discoveries, and to propofe theories to account for various phenomena; which have been univerfally adopted, and which bid fair to endure for ages, His obfervations he communicated, in a series of letters, to his friend Collinfon; the first of which is dated March 28, 1747. In these he makes known the power of points in drawing and throwing off the electrical matter, which had hitherto efcaped the notice of electricians. He alfo made the grand discovery of a plus and minus, or of a pofitive and negative ftate of electricity. We gave him the honour of this, without hesitation; although the English have claimed it for their countryman Dr. Wat fon. Watfon's paper is dated January 21, 1748; Franklin's July 11, 1747; feveral months prior, Shortly after, Franklin from his principles of plus and minus ftate, explained, in a satisfactory manner, the phenomena of the Leyden phial,. firft obferved by Mr. Cuneus, or by profeffor Mufchenbroeck of Leyden, which had much perplexed philofophers. He fhewed clearly that the bottle, when charged,contained no more electricity than before, but that as much was taken from the one fide as was thrown on the other; and that, to difcharge it, nothing was neceffary but to make a communication between the two fides, by which the equilibrium might be reftored, and that then no figns of electricity would remain. He afterwards demonftrated, by expe