they had been accustomed; that is, by acts of their own affemblies, in confequence of requifitions from the fecretary of state. If this practice had been purfued, fuch was the difpofition of the colonies towards the mother country, that, notwithstanding the difadvantages under which they laboured, from reftraints upon their trade, calculated folely for the benefit of the commercial and manufacturing interests of Great Britain, a feparation of the two countries might have been a far distant event. The Americans, from their earliest infancy, were taught to venerate a people from whom they were defcended; whose language, laws, and manners, were the fame as their own. They looked up to them as models of perfection; and, in their prejudiced minds, the moft enlightened nations of Europe were confidered as almoft barbarians, in comparison with Englishmen. The name of an Englishman conveyed to an American the idea of every thing good and great. Such fentiments inftilled into them in early life, what but a repetition of unjuft treatment could have induced them to entertain the most diftant thought of feparation! The duties on glafs, paper, leather, painter's colours, tea, &c. the disfranchisement of fome of the colonies; the obstruction to the measures of the legislature in others, by the King's governors; the contemptuous treatment of their humble remonftrances, ftating their grievances and praying a redress of them, and other violent and oppreffive measures, at length excited an ardent fpirit of oppofition. Instead of endeavouring to allay this by a more lenient conduct, the mi

niftry feemed refolutely bent upon reducing the colonies to the moft flavifh obedience to their decrees. But this tended only to aggravate, Vain were all the efforts made use of to prevail upon them to lay afide their defigns, to convince them of the impoffibility of carrying them into effect, and of the mifchievous consequences which much enfue from a continuance of the attempt. They perfevered, with a degree of inflexibility scarcely paralleled.

The advantages which Great Britain derived from her colonies were fo great, that nothing but a degree of infatuation, little fhort of madness, could have produced a continuance of mea fures calculated to keep up a spirit of uneafiness, which might occafion the slightest wish for a fe paration. When we confider the great improve. ments in the fcience of government, the general diffufion of the principles of liberty amongst the people of Europe, the effects which thefe have already produced in France, and the probable confequences which will refult from them elfe where, all of which are the offspring of the American revolution, it cannot but appear ftrange, that events of fo great moment to the happiness of mankind, fhould have been ulti mately occafioned by the wickedness or igno rance of a British ministry.

Dr. Franklin left nothing untried to prevail upon the ministry to consent to a change of mea fures. In private conversations, and in letters to perfons in government, he continually expa-. tiated upon the impolicy and injustice of their conduct towards America; and stated, that, not→

Withstanding the attachment of the colonists to the mother country, a repetition of ill treatment muft ultimately alienate their affections. They liftened not to his advice. They blindly perfevered in their own schemes, and left to the colonifts no alternative, but oppofition or unconditional fubmiffion, The latter accorded not with the principles of freedom, which they had been taught to revere. To the former they were compelled, though reluctantly, to have recourfe.

Dr. Franklin, finding all efforts to restore harmony between Great Britain and her colonies ufelefs, returned to America in the year 17753 juft after the commencement of hoftilities. The day after his return he was elected by the legiflature of Pennsylvania a Member of Congress. Not long after his election a committee was ap→ pointed, confifting of Mr. Lynch, Mr. Harrifon, and himself, to visit the Camp at Cambridge, and in conjunction with the commander in chief, to endeavour to convince the troops, whose term of enlistment was about to expire, of the neceffity of their continuing in the field, and persevering in the cause of their country.

In the fall of the same year he visited Canada, to endeavour to unite them in the common cause of liberty; but they could not be prevailed upon to oppose the measures of the British Government. M. Le. Roy, in a letter annexed to Abbe Fauchet's eulogium of Dr. Franklin, ftates that the ill fuccefs of this negociation was occafioned, in a great degree, by religious animofities, which fublifted between the Canadians and their neighbours, fome of whom had at different times burnt their chapels.

When Lord Howe came to America, in 1776, vefted with power to treat with the colonists, a correfpondence took place between him and Dr. Franklin, on the subject of a reconciliation. Dr. Franklin was afterwards appointed, together with John Adams and Edward Rutledge, to wait upon the commiffioners, in order to learn the extent of their power. These were found to be only to grant pardons upon fubmiffion. These were terms which would not be accepted; and the object of the commiffioners could not be obtained.

The momentous queftion of Independance was fhortly after brought into view, at a time when the fleets and armies, which were fent to enforce obedience, were truly formidable. With an army, numerous indeed, but ignorant of difcipline, and entirely unskilled in the art of war, without money, without a fleet, without allies, and with nothing but the love of liberty to support them, the colonists determined to separate from a country, from which they had experienced a repetition of injury and infult. In this question, Dr. Franklin was decidedly in favour of the meafure proposed, and had great influence in bringing over others to his fentiments..

The public mind had been pretty fully prepared for this event, by Mr. Paine's celebrated pamphlet, Common Senfe. There is good reason to believe that Dr. Franklin had no inconsiderable fharé, at least, in furnishing materials for this work.

In the convention which affembled at Philadelphia in 1776, for the purpose of establishing a new form of government for the state of Penn

fylvania, Dr. Franklin was chosen prefident. The late conftitution of this ftate, which was the refult of their deliberations, may be confidered

a digeft of his principles of government. The fingle legislature, and the plural executive, feem to have been his favourite tenets.

In the latter end of 1776, Dr. Franklin was appointed to affift in the negociation which had been fet on foot by Silas Deane at the court of France. A conviction of the advantages of a commercial intercourse with America, and a defire of weakening the British empire by dismembering it, first induced the French court to liften to proposals of an alliance. But they fhewed rather a reluctance to the measure, which, by Dr. Franklin's addrefs, and particularly by the fuccefs of the American arms against General Burgoyne, was at length overcome; and in February 1778, a, treaty of alliance, offenfive and defenfive, was concluded; in confequence of which France became involved in the war with Great Britain.

Perhaps no perfon could have been found, more capable of rendering effential fervices to the United States at the court of France, than Dr. Franklin. He was well known as a philofopher, and his character was held in the highest eftimation. He was received with the greatest marks of refpect by all the literary characters; and this refpect was extended amongst all claffes of men. His personal influence was hence very confiderable. To the effects of this were added those of various performances which he publifhed, tending to establish the credit and ch