mena became familiar. We find it mentioned by Dr. Wall and Mr. Grey, while the fcience was in its infancy. But the honour of forming a regular theory of thunder-gufts, of suggesting a mode of determining the truth of it by experiments, and of putting these experiments in practice, and thus establishing his theory upon a. firm and folid bafis, is inconteftibly due to Franklin. D'Alibard, who made the experiments in France, fays, that he only followed the track which Franklin had pointed out.

It has been of late afferted, that the honour of completing the experiment with the electrical kite, does not belong to Franklin. Some late English paragraphs have attributed it to fome Frenchman, whose name they do not mention; and the Abbe Bertholon gives it to M. De Romas, affeffor to the prefideal of Nerac; the English paragraphs probably refer to the fame perion. But a very flight attention will convince us of the injustice of this procedure; Dr Franklin's experiment was made in June 175?; and his letter, giving an account of it, is dated October 19, 1752. M. De Romas made his first attempt on the 14th of May 1753, but was not fuccefsful until the 7th of June; a year after Franklin had completed the discovery, and when it was known to all the philofophers in Europe.

Besides these great principles, Franklin's letters on electricity contain a number of facts and hints, which have contributed greatly towards reducing this branch of knowledge to a science. His friend, Mr. Kinnerfly, communicated to him a difcovery of the different kinds of electricity

This, we Du Faye; The phi

excited by rubbing glafs and fulphur. have faid, was first observed by M. but it was for many years neglected. Jofophers were difpofed to account for the phenomena, rather from a difference in the quantity of electricity collected; and even Du Faye himself seems at last to have adopted this doctrine. Franklin at first entertained the fame idea; but upon repeating the experiments, he perceived that Mr. Kinnerfly was right; and that the vitreous and refinous electricity of Du Faye were nothing more than the pofitive and negative states which he had before observed; that the glafs globe charged pofitively, or increafed the quantity of electricity on the prime conductor, whilft the globe of fulphur diminished its natural quantity, or charged negatively. These experiments and obfervations opened a new field for investigation, upon which electricians entered with avidity; and their labours have added much to the stock of our knowledge.

In September, 1752, Franklin entered upon a course of experiments, to determine the state of electricity in the clouds. From a number of experiments he formed this conclufion: "that the clouds of a thunder-guft are moft commonly in a negative state of electricity, but fometimes in a positive state;" and from this it follows, as a neceffary confequence, "that, for the most part, in thunder-ftrokes, it is the earth that strikes into the clouds, and not the clouds that strike into the earth." The letter containing these observations is dated in September, 1753; and yet the difcovery of afcending thunder has been faid to be

of a modern date, and has been attributed to the Abbe Bertholon, who published his memoir on the fubject in 1776.

Franklin's letters have been tranflated into most of the European languages, and into Latin. In proportion as they have become known, his principles have been adopted. Some oppofition was made to his theories, particularly by the Abbe Nollet, who was, however, but feebly supported, whilft the first philofophers of Europe stepped forth in defence of Franklin's principles; among whom D'Alibard and Beccaria were the most diftinguifhed. The oppofition has gradually ceafed, and the Franklinian fyftem is now univerfally adopted, where fciente flourishes.

The important practical ufe which Franklin made of his difcoveries, the fecuring of houfes from injury by lightning, has been already mentioned. Pointed conductors are now very common in America; but prejudice has hitherto prevented their general introduction into Europe, notwithstanding the moft undoubted proofs of their utility have been given. But mankind can with difficulty be brought to lay afide eftablished practices, or to adopt new ones. And perhaps we have more reafon to be furprised that a practice, however rational, which was proposed about forty years ago, fhould in that time have been adopted in fo many places, than that it has not universally prevailed. It is only by degrees that the great body of mankind can be led into new practices, however falutary their tendency. It is now nearly eighty years fince inoculation was introduced into Europe and America; and it is fo

far from being general at prefent, that it will, perhaps, require one or two centuries to render it fo.

In the year 1745, Franklin published an account of his new invented Pennsylvania fireplaces, in which he minutely and accurately ftates the advantages and disadvantages of different kinds of fire-places; and endeavours to fhew that the one which he describes is to be preferred to any other. This contrivance has given rise to the open ftoves now in general use, which however differ from it in conftruction, particularly in not having an air-box at the back, through which a constant fupply of air, warmed in its paffage, is thrown into the room. The advantages of this are, that as a ftream of warm air is continually flowing into the room, lefs fuel is neceffary to preserve a proper temperature, and the room may be so tightened as that no air may enter through cracks; the confequences of which are colds, tooth-aches, &c.

Although philofophy was a principal object of Franklin's purfuit for several years, he confined himself not to this. In the year 1747, he became a member of the general affembly of Penn fylvania, as a burgess for the city of Philadelphia. Warm difputes at this time fubfifted between the affembly and the proprietaries; each contending for what they conceived to be their juft rights. Franklin, a friend to the rights of man. from his infancy, foon diftinguifhed himself as a fteady opponent of the unjuft fchemes of the proprietaries. He was foon looked up to as the head of the opposition; and to him have been

attributed many of the fpirited replies of the affembly, to the meffages of the governors. His influence in the body was very great. This arofe not from any fuperior powers of eloquence: he spoke but feldom, and he never was known to make any thing like an elaborate harangue. His fpeeches often confifted of a fingle fentence, or of a well-told story, the moral of which was always obviously to the point. He never attempted the flowery fields of oratory. His manner was plain and mild. His ftyle in speaking was, like that of his writings, remarkably concife. With this plain manner, and his penetrating and folid judgment, he was able to confound the most eloquent and fubtle of his adverfaries, to confirm the opinions of his friends, and to make converts of the unprejudiced who had opposed him. With a fingle obfervation, he has rendered of no avail an-elegant and lengthy difcourfe, and determined the fate of a question of importance.

But he was not contented with thus fupporting the rights of the people. He wished to render them permanently fecure, which can only be done by making their value properly known; and this must depend upon encreafing and extending information to every class of men. We have already feen that he was the founder of the public library, which contributed greatly towards improving the minds of the citizens. But this' was not fufficient. The schools then fubfifting were in general of little utility. The teachers were men ill-qualified for the important duty which they had undertaken; and, after all, nothing more could be obtained than the rudiments