fent to inftitute my own paper, I wrote fome hu morous pieces in Bradford's under the title of the Bufy Body*; and which was continued for feve ral months by Breintnal. I hereby fixed the attention of the public upon Bradford's paper, and the profpectus of Keimer, which we turned into ridicule, was treated with contempt. He began notwithstanding, his paper; and after continuing it for nine months, having at moft not more than ninety fubfcribers, he offered it me for a mere tri fle. I had for fome time been ready for fuch an engagement; I therefore inftantly took it upon myfelf, and in a few years it proved extremely profitable to me.

I perceive that I am apt to fpeak in the first per fon, though our partnership ftill continued. It i perhaps, becaufe in fact, the whole bufinefs de volved upon me. Meredith was no compofitor and but an indifferent preffiman: and it was rare ly that he abftained from hard drinking. My friend were forry to fee me connected with him; but contrived to derive from it the utmost advantag the cafe admitted.

Our first number produced no other effect than any other paper which had appeared in the pro vince, as to type and printing; but fome remarks in my peculiar ftyle of writing, upon the difpu which then prevailed between governor Burnet and the Massachusetts affembly, ftruck fome perfon as above mediocrity, caufed the paper and its edu tors to be talked of, and in a few weeks induce them to become our fubfcribers. Many others foi

* A manufcript note in the file of the American Mes cury, preferved in the Philadelphia library, fays, the Franklin wrote the first five numbers and part of eighth.

lowed their example; and our subscription contibued to increase. This was one of the first good effects of the pains I had taken to learn to put my deas on paper. I derived this farther advantage rom it, that the leading men of the place, feeing n the author of this publication a man fo well able o use his pen, though it right to patronise and ncourage me.

The votes, laws, and other public pieces, were rinted by Bradford. An addrefs of the house of flembly to the governor, had been executed by im in a very coaffe and incorrect manner.

We

eprinted it with accuracy and neatnefs, and fent copy to every member. They perceived the difrence; and it fo ftrengthened the influence of ur friends in the affembly, that we were nominad its printer for the following year.

Among thefe friends I ought not to forget one ember in particular Mr. Hamilton, whom I have entioned in a former part of my narrative, and ho was now returned from England. He warminterested himself for me on this occafion, as he id likewife on many others afterwards; having ontinued his kindnefs to me till his death.

About this period Mr. Vernon reminded me of he debt I owed him, but without preffing me for ayment. I wrote him a handfome letter on the ccafion, begging him to wait a little longer, to hich he confented and as foon as I was able, I hid him, principal and intereft, with many exreflions of gratitude; fo that this error of my e was in a manner atoned for.

But another trouble now happened to me, which had not the fmalleft reafon to expect. Mereih's father, who, according to our agreement,

was to defray the whole expence of our printing materials, had only paid a hundred pounds. Anoother hundred was fill due, and the merchant be ing tired of waiting, commenced a fuit against us. We bailed the action, but with the melancholy profpect, that, if the money was not forthcoming at the time fixed, the affair would come to iffue, judgment be put in execution, our delightful hopes be annihilated, and ourfelves entirely ruined; as the type and prefs must be fold, perhaps at half their value, to pay the debt.

In this diftrefs, two real friends, whofe generous conduct I have never forgotten, and never fhall forget while I retain the remembrance of any thing, came to me feparately, without the knowledge of each other, and without my having applied to them. Each offered me whatever-fum might be neceffury, to take the bufinefs into my own hands, if the thing was practicable, as they did not like i fhould continue in partnership with Meredith, who, they faid, was frequently feen drunk in the firects, and gambling at ale-houfes, which very much injured our credit. Thefe friends were William Colemani and Robert Grace. I told them that while there remained any probability that the Merediths would, fulfil their part of the compact, I could not propoft a feparation; as I conceived myfelf to be under obligations to them for what they had done already, and were ftill difpofed to do if they had the power: but in the end fhould they fail in their engagement, and our partnership be diffolved, I fhould then think myfelf at liberty to accept the kindness of my friends.

Things remained for fome time in this ftate. At last I faid one day to my partner, "your father

is perhaps diffatisfied with your having a fhare only in the bufinefs, and is unwilling to do for two, what he would do for you alone. Tell me frankly if that be the cafe, and I will refign the whole to you, and do for myfelf as well as I can."-"No (faid he) my father has really been disappointed in his hopes; he is not able to pay, and I wish to put him to no further inconvenience. I fee that

I am not at all calculated for a printer; I was educated as a farmer, and it was abfurd in me to come here, at thirty years of age, and bind myfelf apprentice to a new trade. Many of my countrymen are going to fettle in North-Carolina, where the foil is exceedingly favourable. I am tempted to go with them, and to refume my former occupation. You will doubtlefs find friends who will affift you. If you will takeupon yourself the debts of the partnership, return my father the hundred pounds he has advanced, pay my little perionak debts, and give me thirty pounds and a new faddle, I will renounce the partnership, and confign over the whole ftock to you."

I accepted this propofal without hesitation. It was committed to paper, and figned and fealed without delay. I gave him what he demanded, and he departed foon after for Carolina, from whence he fent me, in the following year. two long letters, containing the best accounts that had yet been given of that country, as to climate, foil, agriculture, &c. for he was well verfed in thefe matters. I published them in my newfpaper, and they were received with great fatisfaction.

As foon as he was gone I applied to my two friends, and not whing to give a difobliging preference to either or them, I accepted from each

VOL. I.

I

half what he had offered me, and which it was neceffary I fhould have. 1 paid the partnership debts, and continued the bufinefs on my own ac count; taking care to inform the public, by ad vertisement, of the partne fhip being diffolved. This was, I think, in the year 1729, or thereabout.

Nearly at the fame period the people demanded a new emiflion of paper money: the exifting and only one that had taken place in the province, and which amounted to fifteen thoufand pounds, being foon to expire. The wealthy inhabitants, prejudiced against every fort of paper currency, from the fear of its depreciation, of which there had been an inftance in the province of New England, to the injury of its holders, ftrongly oppofed the measure. We had difcuffed this affair in our junto, in which I was on the fide of the new emiffion; convinced that the fit fmall fum, fabricated in 1723, had done much good in the province, by favouring commerce, industry and population, fince all the houfes were now inhabited, and many others building; whereas I remembered to have feen, when firft I paraded the fireets of Philadelphia eating my roll, the majority of those in Walnut Street, Second Street, Fourth-ftreet, as well as a great number in Chefnut and other ftreets, with papers on them fignifying that they were to be let; which made me think at the time that the inhabitants of the town were deferting it one after another.

Our debates made me fo fully mafter of the fcb jec, that I wrote and publifhed an anonymous pamphlet, entitled An Enquiry into the Nature and neceffity of a Paper Currency. It was very