Eloge de Franklin.
i. [CONDORCET,
Marie Jean Antoine Caritat, Marquis de.]
Éloge de M. Franklin, lu à la séance publique de l’Académie des Sciences, le 13 Nov. 1790 . . . A
Paris: chez
Pyre, Petit,
1791.
First Edition. 8vo. 22 leaves.
Barbier II, 73.
Sabin 15190.
Ford 841.
Not initialled by Jefferson. An original manuscript draft of this Éloge is in the Manuscripts Division of the Library of Congress.
[519]
Smith’s eulogium on d
o.
ii. SMITH,
William.
Eulogium on Benjamin Franklin . . . Delivered March 1, 1791, in the German Lutheran Church of the City of Philadelphia, before
the American Philosophical Society, and Agreeably to their Appointment, by William Smith, D.D. one of the Vice-Presidents of the said Society, and Provost of the College, and Academy of Philadelphia . . .
Philadelphia: Printed by
Benjamin Franklin Bache,
1792.
8vo. 26 leaves; the title contains a full list of the appointments held by Franklin.
Sabin 84602.
Evans 24799.
Ford 963.
Not initialled by Jefferson.
On the verso of the second leaf is an address headed To the Public, acknowledging the assistance derived by the author in
the composition of his Eulogium to David Rittenhouse; to Thomas Jefferson, Esq. L.L.D. one of the Vice Presidents of the Society,
and secretary of the United States, for his letter, concerning Dr. Franklin’s Ministry at the Court of France, pages 32 to
34; to Jonathan Williams Esq; and to Benjamin Rush.
Pages 32-35 contain the account of Franklin supplied by his
illustrious successor, Thomas Jefferson.
Jefferson wrote this account, the original now with the Jefferson Papers in the Library of Congress, and which is somewhat
edited by the author, from Philadelphia on February 19, 1791. It contains the now famous anecdote of his “
succession”. Jefferson’s original version read: “
The succession to D
r. Franklin, at the court of France, was an excellent school of humility. on being presented to any one as the Minister of
America, the commonplace question used on such cases was ‘c’est vous, Monsieur, qui remplace le Docteur Franklin?’ ‘it is
you, sir, who replace Doct
r. Franklin?’ I generally answered ----- ‘no one can replace him, Sir: I am only his successor.
’”
For a note on William Smith, see no. 474.
[520]
Lowell’s eulogium on Bowdoin.
iii. LOWELL,
John.
An Eulogy, on the Honourable James Bowdoin, Esq. L.L.D. late President of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Who died
at Boston, November 6, A.D. 1790. Delivered before the Society, January 26, 1791, by John Lowell, one of the Counsellors of the Academy.
Printed at
Boston: by
Isaiah Thomas and
Ebenezer T. Andrews,
1791.
