Nollet, of Paris, who had tried the experiments without success, was lately at the pains to make a journey to Turin, Bologna, and Venice, to inquire into the facts, and see the experiments repeated, imagining they had there some knacks of operating that he was unacquainted with; but, to his great disappointment, found little or no satisfaction; the gentlemen there having been too premature in publishing their imaginations and expectations for real experiments. Please to return me the papers when you have perused them.

*

My good old friend, Mr. Logan, being about three months since struck with a palsy, continues speechless, though he knows people, and seems in some degree to retain his memory and understanding. I fear he will not recover. Mr. Kalm is gone towards Canada again, and Mr. Evans† is about to take a journey to Lake Erie, which he intends next week. Mr. Bartram continues well and hearty. I thank you for what you write concerning celestial observations. We are going on with our building for the Academy, and propose to have an observatory on the top; and, as we shall have a mathematical professor, I doubt not but we shall soon be able to send you some observations accurately made.

I am, with great esteem and respect, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

P. S. If you think it would be agreeable to Mr. Alexander, or any other friend in New York, to peruse these electrical papers, you may return them to me through his hands.

A Swedish botanist, who travelled in different parts of America, and afterwards published an account of his travels. - EDITOR.

Lewis Evans, author of "Geographical, Historical, Political, Philosophical, and Mechanical Essays," of some other tracts, and of a Map of the Middle Colonies, which was valued as being better than any that had preceded it.-Editor.

TO JARED ELIOT.

Inquiries respecting the Mode of Planting Hedges.

DEAR SIR,

Philadelphia, 25 October, 1750.

I ought to have informed you sooner, that we got well home, and should have inquired after your health, as we left you in the hands of a fever. I beg you will excuse the delay, and desire you will remember in my favor the old saying, They who have much business must have much pardon. Whenever Mr. Francis and I meet of an evening, we drink your health, among our other New England friends, and he desires to be always respectfully remembered to you.

I am glad to hear you are got well again; but I cannot have the pleasure of seeing you again this year. I will write to Colonel Schuyler, and obtain for you a particular account of his manner of improving his banked grounds; and will also procure for you a specimen of our alum earth, with Mr. Syng's observations on it. In return (for you know there is no trade without returns) I request you to procure for me a particular account of the manner of making a new kind of fence we saw at Southhold, on Long Island, which consists of a bank and hedge. I would know every particular relating to this matter, as the best thickness, height, and slope of the bank; the manner of erecting it, the best time for the work, the best way of planting the hedge, the price of the work to laborers per rod or perch, and whatever may be of use for our information here, who begin in many places to be at a loss for wood to make fence with. We were told at Southhold, that this kind of fencing had been long practised with success at Southampton and other places, on the south side

of the Island, but was new among them. I hear the minister at Southhold is esteemed an ingenious man; perhaps you may know him, and he will at your request favor me with an explicit account of these fences.

The fore part of the summer here was extremely dry, and the grass in many places was burnt up. But we had a good crop of wheat; and, rains coming on about the end of July, we had in August a new spring, the grass sprouting again wonderfully thick and fast, in fields where we thought the very roots had been destroyed. Our grave-diggers said they found the earth hot sensibly at three feet depth, even after these rains; perhaps the great heat below, and the moisture above, occasioned this sudden and profuse vegetation, the whole country being, as it were, one great hot-bed. I am, with esteem and affection, dear Sir,

Your obliged humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

DEAR SIR,

TO JARED ELIOT.

Remarks on Husbandry.

Philadelphia, 10 December, 1751.

The rector of our Academy, Mr. Martin, came over to this country on a scheme for making potash, in the Russian method. He promised me some written directions for you, which expecting daily, I delayed writing, and now he lies dangerously ill of a kind of quinsy. The surgeons have been obliged to open his windpipe, and introduce a leaden pipe for him to breathe through. I fear he will not recover.

I thank you for the merino wool. It is a curiosity. Mr. Roberts promises me some observations on husbandry for you. It is one Mr. Masters, that makes manure of leaves, and not Mr. Roberts. I hope to get the particulars from him soon.

I have a letter from Mr. Collinson, of July 19th, in which he says; "Pray, has Mr. Eliot published any addition to his work? I have Nos. 1 and 2. If I can get ready, I will send some improvements made in the sandy parts of the county of Norfolk. By the way, it is a great secret, but it is Mr. Jackson's own drawing up, being experiments made on some of his father's estates in that county; but his name must not be mentioned. I thank you for the fowl meadow grass. I sowed it June 7th, as soon as I received it, but none is yet come up. I don't know how it is, but I never could raise any of your native grasses; and I have had a variety from J. Bartram of curious species."

In another, of September 26th, he says, "I am much obliged to thee for Mr. Eliot's Third Essay. I have sent Maxwell's 'Select Transactions in Husbandry.' If Mr. Eliot has not seen them, they may be very useful to him. I have prevailed on our worthy, learned, and ingenious friend Mr. Jackson to give some dissertations on the husbandry of Norfolk, believing it may be very serviceable to the colonies. He has great opportunities of doing this, being a gentleman of leisure and fortune, being the only son, whose father has great riches and possessions, and resides every year, all the long vacation, at his father's seat in Norfolk. After J. Bartram has perused it, I shall submit how it may be further disposed of, only our friend Eliot should see it soon; for Jackson admires his little Tracts of Husbandry, as well as myself, and it may be of greater service to him and his colony, than to yours." "The fowl meadow

grass has at last made its

appearance. Another year Thus far friend Collinson.

we shall judge better of it." You may expect the papers in a post or two. If you make any use of them, you will take care not to mention any thing of the author.

The bearer is my son, who desired an opportunity of paying his respects to you in his return from Boston. He went by sea.

They have printed all my electrical papers in England, and sent me a few copies, of which I design to send you one per next post, after having corrected a few errata. I am, dear Sir,

Your most humble servant,

I received yours of the 23d of April,* as I was going on board the sloop, on my return home from New York, and could not take the pleasure of reading it before I left that place.

One so much conversant in examining any particular phenomenon, or various phenomena issuing from the same cause, must on every occasion give the pleasure of learning something new to those less conversant in them, as often as the former is pleased to answer any objections made by the latter, or explain the diversities which attend the same phenomenon in different cases or appearances.

* See this letter in Vol. V. p. 283.