that colony at the peace, is given we should imagine, must be highentire ; and appears to be compo. ly interesting. sed with great force of reason, and Of the merit of this author as a in a style of extraordinary perspic- political economist, we have aluity. The same may be said of ready had occasion to say somewhat are called the Albany papers, thing, in the general remarks which or the plan for a general political we made on the character of his union of the colonies in 1754 ; and genius ; and we cannot now spare of a variety of other tracts on the time to go much into particulars. provincial politicks of that day. All He is perfectly sound upon many these are worth preserving, both important and practical puints ;as monuments of Dr. Franklin's upon the corn-trade, and the theory talents and activity, and as afford- of money, for instance ; and also ing, in many places, very excellent upon the more general doctrines, models of strong reasoning and as to the freedom of commerce, popular eloquence ; but the inter- and the principle of population. est of the subjects is now com- In the more elementary and abpletely gone by: and the few spe- stract parts of the science, howcimens of general reasoning which ever, his views seem to have been we meet with serve only to increaseless just and luminous. He is not our regret, that the talents of the very consistent or profound, in author should have been wasted what he says of the effects of lux. on such perishable materials. ury; and seems to have gone head

There is not much written on long into the radical errour of the the subject of the dispute with the Economistes, when he maintains, colonies ; and most of Dr. Frank- that all that is done by manufac

; lin's papers on that subject are al- ture, is to embody the value of the ready well known to the publick. manufacturer's subsistence in his His examination before the House work, and that agriculture is the of Commons in 1766, affords a only source from which a real instriking proof of the extent of his crease of wealth can be derived. information, the clearness and force Another favourite position is, that of his extempore composition, and all commerce is cheating, where a the steadiness and self-possession, commodity, produced by a certain which enabled him to display these quantity of labour, is exchanged qualities with so much effect upon for another, on which more labour such an occasion. His letters be- has been expended ; and that the fore the commencement of hostili- only fair price of any thing, is some ties, are full of grief and anxiety ; other thing requiring the same exbut, no sooner did matters come ertion to bring it to market. This to extremities, than he appears to is evidently a very narrow and erhave assumed a certain keen and roneous view of the nature of comconfident cheerfulness, not unmix." merce. The fair price to the pured with a seasoning of asperity, chaser is, whatever he deliberately and more vindictiveness of spirit, chooses to give, rather than go than perhaps became a philosopher. without the commodity ; it is no

None of Dr. Franklin's political matter to him, whether the seller writings, during the nine years bestowed much or little labour upwhen he resided as Ambassadour on it, or whether it came into his at the Court of France, have yet possession without any labour at all; been made publick. Some of them, whether it be a diamond, which he picked up, or a picture, at which accordingly, we meet with a good he had been working for years. deal of loose assumption,and sweepThe commodity is not valued by ing calculation, in his writings. the purchaser, on account of the Yet he had a genius for exact oblabour which is supposed to be servation, and complicated detail ; embodied in it, but solely on ac- and probably wanted nothing but count of certain qualities, which leisure, to have made very great he finds convenient or agreeable ; advances in this branch of economy. he compares the convenience and As a writer on morality and gendelight which he expects to derive eral literature, the merits of Dr. from this object, with the conven- Franklin cannot be estimated proience and delight which is afforded perly, without taking into consiby the things asked in exchange deration the peculiarities, that have for it ; and if he find the former been already alluded to, in his early preponderate, he consents to the history and situation. He never exchange, and makes a beneficial had the benefit of any academical bargain. We have stated the case instruction, nor of the society of in the name of a purchaser, be- men of letters; his style was formcause, in barter, both parties are ed entirely by his own judgment truly purchasers, and act upon the and reading ; and most of his mosame principles ; and it is easy to ;

ral pieces were written while he shew, that all commerce resolves was a tradesman, addressing himitself ultimately into barter. There self to the tradesmen of his native can be no unfairness in trade, ex- city. We cannot expect, therecept where there is concealment fore, either that he should write on the part of the seller, either of with extraordinary clegance or the defects of the commodity, or grace ; or that he should treat of of the fact that the purchaser may the accomplishments, follies, and be supplied with it at a cheaper occupations of polite life. He had rate by another. It is a matter of no great occasion, as a moralist, to fact, but not of inorality, that the expose the guilt and the folly of price of most commodities will be gaming or seduction ; or to point influenced by the labour employed a poignant and playful ridicule ain producing them. If they are gainst the lighter immoralities of capable of being produced in un- fashionable life. To the mechanlimited quantities, the competition icks and traders of Boston and Phi. of the producers will sink the price ladelphia, such warnings were alvery nearly to what is necessary together unnecessary ; and he en

; to maintain this labour ; and the deavoured, therefore, with more impossibility of continuing the pro- appropriate eloquenre, to impress duction, without repaying that la- upon them the importance of inbour, will prevent it from sinking dustry, sobriety, and economy, and lower. The doctrine does not ap- to direct their wise and humble ply at all, to cases where the ma- ambition to the attainment of useterials, or the skill necessary to ful knowledge and honourable inwork them up, are scarce in pro- dependence. That morality, after portion to the demand. The au. all, is certainly the most valuable, ihor's speculation on the effects of which is adapted to the circumpaper-money, seem also to be su- stances of the greater part of manperficial and inaccurate. Statis. kind; and that eloqucnce is the iicks had noi been carefully studied inost meritorious, that is calculated in the days of his activity; and, to convince and persuade the multitude to virtue. Nothing can be language, admirable good sense more perfectly and beautifully a- and ingenuity, and an amiable and dapted to its object, than most of inoffensive cheerfulness, that is Dr. Franklin's compositions of this never overclouded or eclipsed. sort. The tone of familiarity, of Among the most valuable of the good-will, and homely jocularity; writings that are published for the the plain and pointed illustrations; first time, in the last edition, are the short sentences, made up of four letters from Dr. Franklin to short words; and the strong sense, Mr. Whatley, written within a clear information, and obvious con- few years of his death, and exviction of the author himself, make pressive of all that unbroken gaiety, most of his moral exhortations per- philanthropy, and activity, which fect models of popular cloquence; distinguish the compositions of his and afford the finest specimens of earlier years. a style which has been but too lit- His account of his own life, down tle cultivated in a country, which to the year 1730, has been in the numbers perhaps more than one hands of the publick since 1790. hundred thousand readers among It is written with great simplicity its tradesmen and artificers. and liveliness, though it contains

In writings which possess such too many trifling details and anece solid and unusual merit, it is of no dotes of obscure individuals. It great consequence that the fastidi- aifords a striking example of the ous eye of a critick can discover irresistible force with which talents many blemishes. There is a good and industry bear upwards in sodeal of vulgarity in the practical ciety, as well as an impressive ilwritings of Dr. Franklin ; and more lustration of the substantial wisdom vulgarity than was any way neces- and good policy of invariable intesary for the object he had in view. grity and candour. We should think There is something childish, too, it a very useful reading for all in some of his attempts at plea. young persons of unsteady princi, santry : his story of the Whistle, ple, who have their fortunes to and his Parisian letter, announcing make or to mend in the world, the discovery that the sun gives Upon the whole, we look upon the light as soon as he rises, are in- life and writings of Dr. Franklin stances of this. The soliloquy of as affording a striking illustration an Ephemeris, however, is much of the incalculable value of a sound better ; and both it, and the Dia- and well directed understanding, logue with the Gout, are executed and of the comparative uselessness with the lightness and spiritof genu- of learning and laborious accom. ine French compositions. The plishments. Without the slightest Speech in the Divan of Algiers, pretensions to the character of a composed as a parody on those of scholar or a man of science, he the defenders of the slave-trade, has extended the bounds of human and the scriptural parable against knowledge on a variety of subjects, persecution, are inimitable; they which scholars and men of science have all the point and facility of had previously investigated withthe fine pleasantries of Swift and out success ; and has only been Arbuthnot, with something more of found deficient in those studies directness and apparent sincerity. which the learned have generally

The style of his letters, in gen. turned from in disdain. We would eral, is excellent. They are chiefly not be understood to say any thing remarkable, for great simplicity of in disparagement of scholarship

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