Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-02-23
Ihe SIRE Rress.
THE FAMOUS FRANKLIN COLLEC.
TION.


stevens Franklin collection OF documents
manuscripts, etc, for the purchase of whic
Congress appropriated $4,000 last year
Most photographers are familiar with the his
tory Of this collection, but now that it ha
come IN o the possession OF our Goverumen
and thereby adds Papers Of tho creates his
torical and patti o'ic importance to the Ma
tional archives, tho Story, which has SOM
elements of romance, becomes of general in
tcrcst.
But lcIhIps something should be said frs
of the papers themselves. The most valua
bic of them NIL is undoubtedly the original o
the petition sent by the Continental Congress
In 1Ii4 TO the king-thc last prayer for 70
dress before the appeal to arms. The four
great documents marking epochs in the for
nation If the Cuion were the address. jus
alluded to, The Declaration Of Independence
the Articles of COufedt ration, and the Con
stlutou The State Department has haC
among its archives the originals of all thest
document save the first. Every visitor tC
the Department has probably seen the origin
al OF the Declaration in its case IN the wal
of the library. The lacking paper was the
first in oder of time, and OF great historical
interest and Importance. 1t was the last
effort on the par. Of the colonies to prevent
the "ilrcpressiUlc c)ntct' of that day In
its Stately sentences could be seen not ouly
the outline of the sta ement of grievances
which was afterward repeated in tho Dccla-
ration, but the germs of many ideas which
Were incorporated in the Constitution. Two
originals of this document were made, each
signed by the delegates in the Continental
Congress, and dispatched by different ships,
so tuut in case Of accident 10 one vessel the
other would be likely 10 arrive. Boh ar
rived. One was presented 10 the King, who
did not deign to answer it, and it was deposit
ted among the British archives where it is
now-in tn, Public Record Office. The
other copy was kept by Franklin, passed
with his Other papers to his grandson, Will
liam Temple Franklin, and now returns to
the people who sent il out ON its erand of
peace more than hunired years ago. This
recovery is especially important, because
Congress retained no copy with autograph
signatures. Mr. Dwight the Librarian If the
State Department, who made thorough eX-
animation of the papers in London, at the
direction Of Secretary Blaine, in order that he
might lie satisfied of their genuincness before
recommending their purchase, which
is largely due to him, says that when cx-
Secretary Eyarts saw this document he said
that il alone was worth the price asked for
the collection. tbs in perfect safe of
preservation, the address proper covering
six page. OF two folio sheets, while on the
seventh are grouped by States tho signatures
of the fifty delegates The ink has Jade 1 to
rusty hue, but every letter and every sig
nature is distinct all through the famous
roll. This circumstance is Of special i'm
poranCe, because many Of the signeis of
this document aitcrward sigre the Declara-
ton of Independence. from the original Of
which many Autographs had ia led which
this paper will supply.
)up n vs,lu ~ T. in hp
collection as relic of Franklin, is the or
iginal manuscript OF his "Arlccs OF BE lief
and Acts Of Faith" THIS was written when
he was twenty-five years If age, and ex-
pressed his religious views, which, as every
one remembers, were peculiar. This also is
IN q perfect state of preservation, and is sup
posed 10 be his earliest existing autograph
work 1t is an "A imirahle specimen of his
flowing hand, which changed very little
through life. There is also the draft of his
famous letter to Strahan, the printer, with
the characteristic turn at the close
PHrLApA., July s. 177d.
MR. srRAuAN: You are Member of Para-
ment, aud one OF that majority whch has doomed
my Country to Destruction, You have begun to
burn our Towns, and murder our People. Look
upon your Hands . They are stained with the Blood
OF your Relations You and were long Friends
You are now my Enemy, and ain, Yours,
b. FRA KILN
Among the manuscripts arc the original
letter and record books, in nine vol iAias, of
the American Legation in Paris during the
Revolutionary War and later, including cor
rcspopdence with the French Gov rnment,
the negotiations for supplies, etc, letters
about Paul Jones and his raids, and a large
amount of corr, spondence on matters cjn-
nected with the war and the treaty OF peace
There is also his original correspondence
with the American Government, or press OF
other copies Of it, with a great number of
letters from and to distinguished men here
and abroad. The names in this long list in.
cluGe Washing on, jefferson, David Hart
ley, jay, DE Nergennts, Laurens, Oswald,
Adams, Fox, Miilin, Lord Howe, Rousseau,
Bowdoin Hancock, Rochefoucaud, Llfay-
cite, and host of others The manu-. crpts
include also his essays, miscellaneous writ
ings, &c, with many memoranda to BE- used
in writing his autobiography, the records
and correspondence of the commissioners on
the part OF England to negotiate the treaty
of peace, and great numbers of other pa
pers All the letters are said to have been
preserved by Franklin himself as Of import
ancc, and annO,ations upon them in his own
hand in many cases add greatly to their
value
The manuscript. in the COLI ction number
1898. No less than 23l0 of them have new.
CIR been printed. The 62S which have been
printed were used by Sparks and in William
Temple FrHnklin's edition OF Franklin's writ.
ings Mr. Dwl lat examined the originals OF
those documents which had been printed,
and concluded that there had bten SO many
omissions of importance, and SO many alter
ations that the printed portion bore fully
the same relation in Importance as in quaint
ty to the imprinted part. lie reported to the
Secretary; "Thesc papers are more than
veritablc records Of our history, aud are as
worthy Of place among the National ar
chves as those Of Washington, JcfIcrs IN and
Hamilton
There are besides nearly 800 printed books
all of them related to Franklin in some way
Among them are over $50 numbers OF the
Pennsylgania Ga7ette. in excellent condition
and forming an almost unbrolon series. Also
collection said to be the best in existence
of the 'Poor Richard Almauacs." There is
beautiful copy of Wollaston's "Relision Of
Nature Delincated," on which Franklin sci
type in London, and which led Lin to writ,
his Dissertation on Liberty and Necessity,
Pleasure and Pain, rs an answer to il, oil
which there are also COPIES. Also the only
copy known of the Parable Against Persc
oution" which Franklin wrote in imitation
of Bible language, and which he had PRINTED
so as to insert in his Bible us the fitty-frs
chapter of Genesis.
The story of this collection would iii
volume. Indeed, it has filled parts of man,
books and pamphlets and controversial ari
Giles since Frankn's death These manu-
scripts are the gst of a literary scandal, which
began not many years after Franklin died
and has lasted almost until now-lhe question
being whether William Temple Franklin wa
brbed by the British government to suppress
a large part of his grandfather mauus ;ripts
The charge was made before he hid publish
ed any part Of them, because of his great dc
L.. l.; 6, lGII; ,,s l,iu nublic prnmica IN a., en-