Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-06-04
M1SCEIIE ANE0US.
CHARACTER OF FRANKLIN.

BY LORD BROUGHAa.
One Of the mos, remaI ka6t certainly Of ourlime
as politician of any age philosopher, was Frank.
lin who also stands alone in combining these two cha.
racers the greatest that men can SUSTAIN and 10 Tins,
that hu wing borne the first part in enaging science by
one of the greatest discoveries ever made be bore The
second part in founding one OF the greatest empires IN
the world.
In this truly great every thing seems TO concur
that goes towards the consultation OF exalted merit
First he was the architect OF his own fortune Born IN
the humblest station. he raised himself by his talents
and his industry FIRST The place in society which may
be attained with the help only OF ordinary abilities,
great application, and good luck, but next TO the loer
heights which daring aud happy genius only scaie
and the poor printers boy, who at period Of his life
had no covering TO shelter his head from the dews Of
night, rem, in twain the proud dominion OF England,
and lived 10 be The ambassador OF Commonw wealth
which he had formed al the Court OF the naughty Mo.
narchs of France, who had been his allies.
Them ne had been tried by prosperity as well as ad
verse fortune and had passed unhur through the pers
Of both. No ordinary apprentice, no common place
aurneymau, ever laid the foundation OF his indepen
dence and habits Of industry and temperance more deep
than he did, whose genius was afterwards to rank him
with the Galileos and the Newtons OF the old world
No patrican born to shine in Courts assist at the
councils of monarchs bore his honours in lofty
station easily, less spoilt by the enjoyment
Of them, than this common workman did when negoci
beauty and fashion Of the most ant Court in Europe.
Again, he was self.tau ght in all he knew.-His hours
Of study stolen from those OF sleep and OF meals,
gained by some ingenious con,rivance Tor reading
while the work Of his daily calling went on Assisted
by none Of The helps which ehiuence tenders TO The
studies Of the rch be had supply the place oftutors
by redoubed diligence and Of commentaries by repeated
perusal Nay the possession ofbooks to be obtain
ed by copying what the art which ne himself exercised
furnished easily 10 others
Next, the circumstances under which others succumb
he made 10 yield, and bent TO his own purposes-a
cessfu leader Of revolt that ended in complete lri.
umph, after appearing desperate for years. great Disco
bpln tn
ledge; writer famed for his chasle style, without
classical educalion skul nrgociaor, though never
bred 10 politics; ending as favorite, nay, pattern Of
fashion, when the guest OF frivolous Courts the life
which he had begun in garrets and IN workshops
Lastly, combinations of faculties, in others deemed
impossible appeared easy and natural in him. The Phi.
losopher deghting in speculation. was also eminently
man of action. Ingenious reasoning, refined and sub
tie consultation, were in him combined with prompt
solution and nae xble rmness oil purpose. To lively
fancy he joined learned end deep reflection; his orr
gnal and inventive genius stopped TO the convenient
alliance of the most ordinary prudence in every day
affairs the mind that scared above The Clouds aud was
conversant with the oiest Of human CONCENTRATIONS,
dsdaned no, 10 make proverbs and eigned parallels for
the guidance OF apprenced youths and serve madens;
and the hands that skeched free constitution for
whole continent, drew down the lightning from Heaven,
easily and chceriuly lent themselves TO simplify the ap
paraius by which truths TO be illustrated disco
veries pursued
His whole course both in acting and in speculation
was simple and plain preferring The easiest and
shortest road having 10 any but the
simplest TO compass his ends. His policy reject
ed all re6nements, and aimed al accomplishing its pur
poses by the most rational and obvious expedienls.-
His language unadurned, and used medium Of
communicating his thoughts not Of raising admaliun
but il pure, expressive, racy. His manner OF
sonng manly and cogent, the address Of rational
being others Of the order and concise, that
preferriuq decision 10 discussion, he exceeded
quarter Of an hour in any public address Ills cor
respondence upon business, whether private
Stale affairs is model Of clesrness and conpen-
dious shortness; nor can any State papers surpass
in dignity and impression those Of which he is be-
leved to have been the author in the earlier part
Of the American Revolutionary war. His mode of
phiiosophsng the purest application Of the Undue
tive principle, emnently adapted TO his nature, and
so clearly dictated BY common sense that can have
little doub. it would have been suggested by franklin,
IT IL had not been unfoded by Bacon, though it ia ss
clear that in this it would have been expounded in
far more simple terms But Of all this great man SCI
entiss excelences the most The smalness,
the simplicity, the apparent nadequacy, OF The means
which he employed in his experimental resesrches-
His discoveries made with hardly any apparatus al
all; and f at any time, he had been led 10 employ in
srunents OF somewhat less ordinary description he
never rested satisfied until he had we're afterwards
translated the process, by resolving the problem with
such simple machinery that you might say he had done
il wholly unaided by apparatus The experiments by
which the identity pf lightning and electricity was de
monstrsted were made With sheet of brown paper,
bit of Irvine, silk thread, and an iron key
Upon the integrity Of this great man, whether pub.
lie or in private e there rests stain Strictly honest
and even scrupolousy punc,ual in all his dealings he
preserved in ,h highest fortune that regularity which he
had prsctsed as well nculcaied in the lowest The
phrase which he once used when interrupted in bis pro-
ceedings upon the aduous and important affairs
BY demand Of some petty item in long account
"Thou shalt not muzzle the that reads out the corn
has been cited against him, proving The axiiy Of
his dealings when in irqst Of public money Il plainly
proves the reverse for he well knew, that in country
sboundpg in discussion, and full Of bitter personal on