The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (19 page)

I have sometimes wonder'd that the Londoners did not, from the
effect holes in the bottom of the globe lamps us'd at Vauxhall
have in keeping them clean, learn to have such holes in their
street lamps. But, these holes being made for another purpose,
viz., to communicate flame more suddenly to the wick by a little
flax hanging down thro' them, the other use, of letting in air,
seems not to have been thought of; and therefore, after the lamps have
been lit a few hours, the streets of London are very poorly illuminated.

The mention of these improvements puts me in mind of one I propos'd, when
in London, to Dr. Fothergill, who was among the best men I have known,
and a great promoter of useful projects. I had observ'd that the streets,
when dry, were never swept, and the light dust carried away;
but it was suffer'd to accumulate till wet weather reduc'd it to mud,
and then, after lying some days so deep on the pavement that there
was no crossing but in paths kept clean by poor people with brooms,
it was with great labour rak'd together and thrown up into carts
open above, the sides of which suffer'd some of the slush at every
jolt on the pavement to shake out and fall, sometimes to the annoyance
of foot-passengers. The reason given for not sweeping the dusty
streets was, that the dust would fly into the windows of shops and houses.

An accidental occurrence had instructed me how much sweeping might
be done in a little time. I found at my door in Craven-street,
one morning, a poor woman sweeping my pavement with a birch broom;
she appeared very pale and feeble, as just come out of a fit
of sickness. I ask'd who employ'd her to sweep there; she said,
"Nobody, but I am very poor and in distress, and I sweeps before
gentlefolkses doors, and hopes they will give me something." I bid
her sweep the whole street clean, and I would give her a shilling;
this was at nine o'clock; at 12 she came for the shilling.
From the slowness I saw at first in her working, I could scarce believe
that the work was done so soon, and sent my servant to examine it,
who reported that the whole street was swept perfectly clean,
and all the dust plac'd in the gutter, which was in the middle;
and the next rain wash'd it quite away, so that the pavement and even
the kennel were perfectly clean.

I then judg'd that, if that feeble woman could sweep such a street in
three hours, a strong, active man might have done it in half the time.
And here let me remark the convenience of having but one gutter
in such a narrow street, running down its middle, instead of two,
one on each side, near the footway; for where all the rain that
falls on a street runs from the sides and meets in the middle,
it forms there a current strong enough to wash away all the mud it
meets with; but when divided into two channels, it is often too weak
to cleanse either, and only makes the mud it finds more fluid,
so that the wheels of carriages and feet of horses throw and dash it
upon the foot-pavement, which is thereby rendered foul and slippery,
and sometimes splash it upon those who are walking. My proposal,
communicated to the good doctor, was as follows:

"For the more effectual cleaning and keeping clean the streets of
London and Westminster, it is proposed that the several watchmen be
contracted with to have the dust swept up in dry seasons, and the mud
rak'd up at other times, each in the several streets and lanes
of his round; that they be furnish'd with brooms and other proper
instruments for these purposes, to be kept at their respective stands,
ready to furnish the poor people they may employ in the service.

"That in the dry summer months the dust be all swept up into heaps
at proper distances, before the shops and windows of houses are
usually opened, when the scavengers, with close-covered carts,
shall also carry it all away.

"That the mud, when rak'd up, be not left in heaps to be spread
abroad again by the wheels of carriages and trampling of horses,
but that the scavengers be provided with bodies of carts, not plac'd
high upon wheels, but low upon sliders, with lattice bottoms, which,
being cover'd with straw, will retain the mud thrown into them,
and permit the water to drain from it, whereby it will become
much lighter, water making the greatest part of its weight;
these bodies of carts to be plac'd at convenient distances, and the
mud brought to them in wheel-barrows; they remaining where plac'd
till the mud is drain'd, and then horses brought to draw them away."

I have since had doubts of the practicability of the latter part
of this proposal, on account of the narrowness of some streets,
and the difficulty of placing the draining-sleds so as not to encumber
too much the passage; but I am still of opinion that the former,
requiring the dust to be swept up and carry'd away before the shops
are open, is very practicable in the summer, when the days are long;
for, in walking thro' the Strand and Fleet-street one morning at
seven o'clock, I observ'd there was not one shop open, tho' it had
been daylight and the sun up above three hours; the inhabitants
of London chusing voluntarily to live much by candle-light,
and sleep by sunshine, and yet often complain, a little absurdly,
of the duty on candles and the high price of tallow.

Some may think these trifling matters not worth minding or relating;
but when they consider that tho' dust blown into the eyes
of a single person, or into a single shop on a windy day,
is but of small importance, yet the great number of the instances
in a populous city, and its frequent repetitions give it weight
and consequence, perhaps they will not censure very severely those
who bestow some attention to affairs of this seemingly low nature.
Human felicity is produc'd not so much by great pieces of good
fortune that seldom happen, as by little advantages that occur
every day. Thus, if you teach a poor young man to shave himself,
and keep his razor in order, you may contribute more to the happiness
of his life than in giving him a thousand guineas. The money may be
soon spent, the regret only remaining of having foolishly consumed it;
but in the other case, he escapes the frequent vexation of waiting
for barbers, and of their sometimes dirty fingers, offensive breaths,
and dull razors; he shaves when most convenient to him, and enjoys
daily the pleasure of its being done with a good instrument.
With these sentiments I have hazarded the few preceding pages,
hoping they may afford hints which some time or other may be useful
to a city I love, having lived many years in it very happily,
and perhaps to some of our towns in America.

Having been for some time employed by the postmaster-general
of America as his comptroller in regulating several offices,
and bringing the officers to account, I was, upon his death
in 1753, appointed, jointly with Mr. William Hunter, to succeed him,
by a commission from the postmaster-general in England. The American
office never had hitherto paid any thing to that of Britain.
We were to have six hundred pounds a year between us, if we could make
that sum out of the profits of the office. To do this, a variety
of improvements were necessary; some of these were inevitably at
first expensive, so that in the first four years the office became
above nine hundred pounds in debt to us. But it soon after began
to repay us; and before I was displac'd by a freak of the ministers,
of which I shall speak hereafter, we had brought it to yield three times
as much clear revenue to the crown as the postoffice of Ireland.
Since that imprudent transaction, they have receiv'd from it—
not one farthing!

The business of the postoffice occasion'd my taking a journey this
year to New England, where the College of Cambridge, of their
own motion, presented me with the degree of Master of Arts.
Yale College, in Connecticut, had before made me a similar compliment.
Thus, without studying in any college, I came to partake
of their honours. They were conferr'd in consideration of my
improvements and discoveries in the electric branch of natural philosophy.

In 1754, war with France being again apprehended, a congress
of commissioners from the different colonies was, by an order
of the Lords of Trade, to be assembled at Albany, there to confer
with the chiefs of the Six Nations concerning the means of defending
both their country and ours. Governor Hamilton, having receiv'd
this order, acquainted the House with it, requesting they would
furnish proper presents for the Indians, to be given on this occasion;
and naming the speaker (Mr. Norris) and myself to join Mr. Thomas Penn
and Mr. Secretary Peters as commissioners to act for Pennsylvania.
The House approv'd the nomination, and provided the goods for the present,
and tho' they did not much like treating out of the provinces;
and we met the other commissioners at Albany about the middle of June.

In our way thither, I projected and drew a plan for the union
of all the colonies under one government, so far as might be
necessary for defense, and other important general purposes.
As we pass'd thro' New York, I had there shown my project to Mr. James
Alexander and Mr. Kennedy, two gentlemen of great knowledge
in public affairs, and, being fortified by their approbation,
I ventur'd to lay it before the Congress. It then appeared that
several of the commissioners had form'd plans of the same kind.
A previous question was first taken, whether a union should
be established, which pass'd in the affirmative unanimously.
A committee was then appointed, one member from each colony,
to consider the several plans and report. Mine happen'd
to be preferr'd, and, with a few amendments, was accordingly reported.

By this plan the general government was to be administered by a
president-general, appointed and supported by the crown, and a grand
council was to be chosen by the representatives of the people
of the several colonies, met in their respective assemblies.
The debates upon it in Congress went on daily, hand in hand with
the Indian business. Many objections and difficulties were started,
but at length they were all overcome, and the plan was unanimously
agreed to, and copies ordered to be transmitted to the Board
of Trade and to the assemblies of the several provinces.
Its fate was singular: the assemblies did not adopt it, as they
all thought there was too much prerogative in it, and in England
it was judg'd to have too much of the democratic.

The Board of Trade therefore did not approve of it, nor recommend it
for the approbation of his majesty; but another scheme was form'd,
supposed to answer the same purpose better, whereby the governors
of the provinces, with some members of their respective councils,
were to meet and order the raising of troops, building of forts,
etc., and to draw on the treasury of Great Britain for the expense,
which was afterwards to be refunded by an act of Parliament laying
a tax on America. My plan, with my reasons in support of it,
is to be found among my political papers that are printed.

Being the winter following in Boston, I had much conversation with
Governor Shirley upon both the plans. Part of what passed between us
on the occasion may also be seen among those papers. The different
and contrary reasons of dislike to my plan makes me suspect that it
was really the true medium; and I am still of opinion it would
have been happy for both sides the water if it had been adopted.
The colonies, so united, would have been sufficiently strong to have
defended themselves; there would then have been no need of troops
from England; of course, the subsequent pretence for taxing America,
and the bloody contest it occasioned, would have been avoided.
But such mistakes are not new; history is full of the errors of states
and princes.

Look round the habitable world, how few
Know their own good, or, knowing it, pursue!

Those who govern, having much business on their hands, do not
generally like to take the trouble of considering and carrying into
execution new projects. The best public measures are therefore
seldom adopted from previous wisdom, but forc'd by the occasion.

The Governor of Pennsylvania, in sending it down to the Assembly,
express'd his approbation of the plan, "as appearing to him
to be drawn up with great clearness and strength of judgment,
and therefore recommended it as well worthy of their closest and
most serious attention." The House, however, by the management
of a certain member, took it up when I happen'd to be absent,
which I thought not very fair, and reprobated it without paying
any attention to it at all, to my no small mortification.

In my journey to Boston this year, I met at New York with our
new governor, Mr. Morris, just arriv'd there from England, with whom
I had been before intimately acquainted. He brought a commission
to supersede Mr. Hamilton, who, tir'd with the disputes his proprietary
instructions subjected him to, had resign'd. Mr. Morris ask'd me
if I thought he must expect as uncomfortable an administration.
I said, "No; you may, on the contrary, have a very comfortable one,
if you will only take care not to enter into any dispute with
the Assembly." "My dear friend," says he, pleasantly, "how can
you advise my avoiding disputes? You know I love disputing;
it is one of my greatest pleasures; however, to show the regard
I have for your counsel, I promise you I will, if possible,
avoid them." He had some reason for loving to dispute, being eloquent,
an acute sophister, and, therefore, generally successful in
argumentative conversation. He had been brought up to it from a boy,
his father, as I have heard, accustoming his children to dispute with
one another for his diversion, while sitting at table after dinner;
but I think the practice was not wise; for, in the course of
my observation, these disputing, contradicting, and confuting people
are generally unfortunate in their affairs. They get victory sometimes,
but they never get good will, which would be of more use to them.
We parted, he going to Philadelphia, and I to Boston.