Benjamin Franklin to Michael Hillegras, Esq. of Philadelphia, March 17, 1770

London, March 17, 1770.

DEAR SIR,

I received your favor of November 25, and have made inquiries, as you desired, concerning the copper covering of houses. It has been used here in a few instances only, and the practice does not seem to gain ground. The copper is about the thickness of a common playing card, and though a dearer metal than lead, I am told that as less weight serves, on account of its being so much thinner, and as slighter wood-work in the roof is sufficient to support it, the roof is not dearer, on the whole, than one covered with lead. It is said that hail and rain make a disagreeable drumming noise on copper; but this, I suppose, is rather fancy; for the plates being fastened to the rafters, must, in a great measure, deaden such sound. The first cost, whatever it is, will be all, as a copper covering must last for ages; and when the house decays, the plates will still have intrinsic worth. In Russia, I am informed, many houses are covered with plates of iron tinned, (such as our tin pots and other wares are made of,) laid on over the edges of one another, like tiles; and which, it is said, last very long; the tin preserving the iron from much decay by rusting. In France and the Low Countries I have seen many spouts or pipes for conveying the water down from the roofs of houses, made of the same kind of tin plates, soldered together; and they seem to stand very well.

With sincere regard, I am, yours, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

SOURCE: William Temple Franklin, The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 1, p. 12

Benjamin Franklin to Michael Collinson, Esq.,* Undated, supposed to be 1768 or 1769

DEAR SIR,

Understanding that an account of our dear departed friend, Mr. Peter Collinson, is intended to be given to the public, I cannot omit expressing my approbation of the design. The characters of good men are exemplary, and often stimulate the well disposed to an imitation, beneficial to mankind, and honorable to themselves. And as you may be unacquainted with the following instances of his zeal and usefulness in promoting knowledge, which fell within my observation, I take the liberty of informing you, that in 1730, a subscription library being set on foot at Philadelphia, he encouraged the design by making several very valuable presents to it, and procuring others from his friends and as the library company had a considerable sum arising annually to be laid out in books, and needed a judicious friend in London to transact the business for them, he voluntarily and cheerfully undertook that service, and executed it for more than thirty years successively, assisting in the choice of books, and taking the whole care of collecting and shipping them, without ever charging or accepting any consideration for his trouble. The success of this library (greatly owing to his kind countenance and good advice) encouraged the erecting others in different places on the same plan; and it is supposed there are now upwards of thirty subsisting in the several colonies, which have contributed greatly to the spreading of useful knowledge in that part of the world; the books he recommended being all of that kind, and the catalogue of this first library being much respected and followed by those libraries that succeeded.

During the same time he transmitted to the directors of the library the earliest accounts of every new European improvement in agriculture and the arts, and every philosophical discovery; among which, in 1745, he sent over an account of the new German experiments in electricity, together with a glass tube, and some directions for using it, so as to repeat those experiments. This was the first notice I had of that curious subject, which I afterwards prosecuted with some diligence, being encouraged by the friendly reception he gave to the letters I wrote to him upon it. Please to accept this small testimony of mine to his memory, for which I shall ever have the utmost respect; and believe me, with sincere esteem, dear Sir,

Your most humble servant,

B. FRANKLIN.

_______________

* Peter Collinson, F. R. S. a very celebrated botanist, was descended from a family of ancient standing in the County of Westmoreland, but born himself in 1693, in Clement's Lane, Lombard Street. His parents realized a handsome fortune by trade in Gracechurch Street, the bulk of which coming to Peter, who was the eldest son, he was enabled to follow his favourite pursuit of natural history. He had one of the finest gardens in England, at Peckham, in Surrey, whence he removed in 1749 to Mill Hill, in the parish of Hendon in Middlesex, where he died in 1768. Mr. Collinson kept up a correspondence with men of science in all parts of the world, and he sent the first electrical machine that was ever seen in America, as a present to the Philosophical Society at Philadelphia. He was also a liberal contributor to the public library of that city; and an intimate friend of, Dr. Franklin, who received from him many hints and papers on the subject of electricity.

SOURCE: William Temple Franklin, The Private Correspondence of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 1, p. 10-11

John J. Crittenden to Orlando Brown, February 6, 1852

WASHINGTON, Feb. 6, 1852.

MY DEAR SIR,—I see the Whigs are to meet in Frankfort on the 24th of this month to select delegates to the national convention for the nomination of a candidate for the Presidency. I think that Mr. Fillmore has fairly earned and fully deserves the highest favor and confidence of the Whigs, and that he is in mere justice entitled to the nomination. I do not know that he will be a candidate; I am sure he will not seek such a position. But neither you nor I will think that he therefore deserves it the less. I am anxious that your Frankfort convention should make some strong expression of its approbation of Mr. Fillmore, and its preference for him as their candidate. When they shall have done that, and with it their determination to support the nominee of the national convention, they will have done all that they ought to do. I beg you to do all you can to procure such an expression of preference for Mr. F. You will gratify and serve me by this. I believe that Fillmore is, as he ought to be, the favorite candidate of Kentucky. I see that in one of your county meetings there has been an expression of a preference for me as the candidate for the Presidency. If any purpose of that sort should be manifested in the convention, I beg you and all my friends to suppress it. It would do me no good in any event; it would be a prejudice to me in any of those contingencies or prospects which my too-sanguine friends might anticipate. You know my sentiments on this subject. I shall always be proud of any favorable expression of the sentiments of Kentuckians to me, but at this juncture I should much regret a nomination for the Presidency. Besides its other injurious effects, it would furnish a plausible ground to doubt the sincerity of my conduct and advice to others who are here and expose me to suspicion of contrivance and selfish ambition, than which nothing could be more unjust. Reflect upon and attend to this. Let me hear by telegraph the first expression of preference for Fillmore.

Your friend,

J. J. CRITTENDEN.

SOURCE: Ann Mary Butler Crittenden Coleman, Editor, The Life of John J. Crittenden: With Selections from His Correspondence and Speeches, Vol. 2, p. 26

Speech of John J. Crittenden, February 10, 1852

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Feb. 10, 1852.

Mr. Speaker, I ask the unanimous consent of the House to present a petition of the citizens of Philadelphia. It does not relate to politics; it proposes a mode of celebrating the birthday of General Washington. It is worthy of being heard by the House, and I hope it will be. At the head of the list are the names of the present and of two preceding mayors of the city of Philadelphia. There are a thousand names to this petition, embracing the first men in the city of Philadelphia—Ingersoll, Dallas, and others equally distinguished. They pray that in this time of trouble particular attention may be paid to the birthday of General Washington, and that it may be solemnized in this House; that both Houses shall meet on the 22d of February; that the Farewell Address of General Washington shall be read, and that such parts of the Address as may be considered appropriate shall be ordered to be read at the head of the regiments of the army of the United States. There is still one great name in our country which exercises a great influence over the hearts of all true Americans. It is needless to say that name is Washington. The name stands alone far above all others. In times of trouble and peril all our hearts naturally turn to him for lessons of patriotism and every public virtue.

The object of this signal commemoration of his birthday is to impress his name more deeply on the minds and hearts of the American people, to kindle his memory into a flame of patriotism, and by the noble inspiration of his good and glorious name enable ourselves the better to maintain and defend that great and free government and Union which, under God, he established for us. I hope Congress will concur in the prayer of the petitioners, and I ask that it may be read.

SOURCE: Ann Mary Butler Crittenden Coleman, Editor, The Life of John J. Crittenden: With Selections from His Correspondence and Speeches, Vol. 2, p. 27

Congressman Alexander H. Stevens to John J. Crittenden, February 17, 1852

WASHINGTON, D. C.,   Feb. 17, 1852.

MY DEAR SIR,—It is the wish of the committee that the birth-night celebration come off at Willard's Hotel on Saturday night, and that you should respond to a sentiment in allusion to the President and heads of the administration. I intended to call and give you notice of the position assigned you in the order of the day, but have been too much occupied. You must hold yourself in readiness for the call made upon you.

The dinner is an anti-Kossuth affair, or at least it is intended as a demonstration in favor of the neutral policy of Washington. It is our intention to have the proceedings of the evening, with all the speeches, etc., printed in neat pamphlet form for circulation. Hour of meeting, seven o'clock.

Yours most respectfully,

ALEXANDER H. STEVENS.

SOURCE: Ann Mary Butler Crittenden Coleman, Editor, The Life of John J. Crittenden: With Selections from His Correspondence and Speeches, Vol. 2, p. 27

Killed His Son.

A Pawnee County Farmer Receives Sad Tidings.

Mr. S. F. Ingham of Orinsville, Pawnee county, this week received the following letter from Manila:

Camp near Coloocan, P. I.,

April 15, 1899.

Mr. S. F. Ingham,

Dear Sir:—It becomes my painful duty to inform you of the sad death of your son, Thomas Ingham, on the 25th of March. We arrived at Manila on the 23rd of March and on the evening of the 24th I was ordered with my company to the front into position for the contemplated attack on the city of Malolos for the following day. We marched about eight miles that night and took position, under the scorching fire, near the Caloocan church on the extreme left of the line. The next morning at daylight the advance was ordered and we left the trenches under a heavy fire and charged the enemy. My company was in the very thickest of the fight and the men, to a man, fought like heroes. Every man stepped forward into the hail of shot as though danger they had never known.

Three lines of the strongest possible intrenchments, manned by thousand of insurgents, did we charge and take, coming out finally on the edge of a river across which the enemy was heavily fortified. As soon as it was possible I hastened the company into the protection of the stone foundation of an old house. Just as we were entering this place your son, who was standing by my side, was shot through the body just above the heart. I did everything I could for the poor fellow but without avail, for after a few moment he opened his eyes, looked and me and smiled when I told him how well he’d done his duty and nobly he had fallen, and passed away.

Allow me to proffer my most sincere offers of condolence to you and to say that your son was one of the best soldiers, honest, reliable and faithful; that he did the greatest deed that a man can do—he gave his life for his country. He was buried among the other heroes who have given their lives at Manila.

As soon as I am able to get into the city I will send you the watch he wore when killed. He had about $30 due him as pay from the government. If you write to the adjutant general at Washington this can probably be obtained.

Sincerely yours,

J. R. R. HANNAY,

Commanding Co. 2nd Lieut., Co. G. 3rd Infantry.

P. S. On this day my company lost four men killed, one mortally wounded and eight from heat exhaustion.—March 25, 1899.        J. R. R. H.

SOURCE: “Killed His Son,” Oklahoma Weekly Leader, Guthrie, Oklahoma, Thursday Evening, June 1, 1899, p. 8