and the Ether with which the Ball was wet began to evaporate from its Surface, the Mercury fell Several Degrees: The Doctor repeated the Wettings, while the Evaporation was quicken'd by blowing on the Ball with Bellows, till the Mercury fell from 65, at which it stood before the Experiment began, to 7, that is, 25 Degrees below the Freezing Point. And accordingly the Moisture condens'd, by the Coldness of the Ball, upon its Surface, froze there, & form'd by Degrees a rough Coat of Ice all round it, of near 1/4 Inch thick. So it would seem, that a naked Man standing in the Wind & repeatedly wet with strong Spirit, might be frozen to Death on a Summers Day.

The Russian Philosophers have found that in extream Cold, Mercury itself becomes solid, and is malleable like other Metals. Hence it seems that in the State we have it, it is really a melted Metal, only it is a Metal that melts with less Heat than other Metals.

O Epinus, a Member of the Academy of Sciences at Petersburg, has lately publish'd a Latin Work in 4to. entituled, Tentamen Theorice Electricitatis & Magnetismi, wherein he applies my Principles of Electricity to the Explanation of the various Phenomena of Magnetism, and I think with considerable Success.

The Dispute you Mention, between the French & Italian Philosophers still subsists. You will not wonder at my supposing the latter have greatly the Advantage.

What relates to the Doctorate, I will communicate to you when I next have the Pleasure of seeing you, which I now hope soon to enjoy, as I am actually preparing to visit once more my native Country.

You would do the Picture too much Honour if you had it to place where you propose. I should however send you one if I had it; but the Painter thinking the Plate ill-done, it was suppress'd. A few only came here, & none are to be had.

I have lately been favour'd with a Sight of your excellent Discourse on the Christian Union. As I have some ingenious Friends in Britain to whom I am sure it would be acceptable, I purpose to distribute a few among them. In the Copy you sent to Professor Williamson,

I see you have made several manuscript Notes. I could
wish the same Advantage to the Copies I purpose to
send. May I beg the Favour of you to give it to twelve
of them for which I will pay your Bookseller's Order.

B. Franklin

P.S. June 2. I send you enclosed a little Piece of
OEpinus's, which has some relation to Points we have
touch'd in our Letters. When you have perus'd it, you
may forward it to Mr. Winthrop, who can return it to
me when I am in Boston.

[In the margin, opposite the paragraph relating to Franklin's dectorate, Dr. Stiles has written: "I had requested of Dr. Franklin a Copy of his Diploma for the Doctorate of L.L.D. from the University of Oxford."]

This translation is in Franklin's hand:

Father Beccaria thanks Mr. Franklin for his kind
Remembrance; should have had a most singular Pleas-
ure in seeing him at Turin, which he had been made
to hope by his Letter to Mr. Haldiman. If he had
known of his being in Europe, he should have sent
his 16 Letters on Electricity to him as well as to
others. They come out in January, and he shall be
very glad to present them to him in Turin, where
he would be ready to serve him with all his Atten-
tion to the utmost of his Power. In those Letters
the Theory of M. Franklin, or rather that of Nature,
is more fully demonstrated, and some of them contain
some new Discoveries in that Branch of Natural Philo-
sophy.

Dr. Ezra Stiles has added the following sheet:

The Abbe Nollet of Paris, from Affection to his System
of Electricity which he had conceived before he saw
Dr. Franklin's Solutions, adhered tenaciously to it &
wrote against the latter. An Italian Philosopher,
Father Beccaria of Turin espoused & adopted Dr. Frank-
lin's Solutions & Principles into his System of Elec-
tricity published at Turin & maintained an Opposition
to the Abbe Nollet in Favor of Dr. Franklin: and wrote
the above compliment in a Post-script to a Letter to
Mr. ---- his Friend & Correspondent in London.

July 18 1763