the items in the bills, "Bowning's Phil° 15/, Philipps Langu 5/, Map of the World 9/, Rectifer 3/6."[1] Of Mr. Collinson, Franklin wrote to Jared Eliot, 12 September, 1751,[2] in answer to inquiries about him:
the Collinson you mention is the same gentleman I correspond with. He is a most benevolent, worthy man, very curious in botany and other branches of natural history, and fond of improvements in agriculture, &c. He will be pleased with your acquaintance. In the late Philosophical Transactions, you may see frequently papers of his, or letters that were directed to him, on various subjects. He is a member of the Royal Society.
Franklin's correspondence with this gentleman in his Electrical experiments has been referred to on a previous page; his letter to Mr. Michael Collinson giving some biographical facts respecting himself is found in Sparks' Franklin, vii. 426, and contains the sentence: "The characters of good men are exemplary, and often stimulate the well disposed to an imitation, beneficial to mankind and honourable to themselves."
We are not told the places of meeting of the Trustees, except those of the 1st and 2nd February, which were held at Roberts's Coffee House. The subsequent meetings doubtless were held in one of the apartments of the New Building, other than those which were undergoing alteration and change.
