painted from life and is plainly signed, in the lower right corner, "B. WILSON 1759". This signature confirms the two opinions expressed by me when I said the Wilson painting was without doubt the one André has the odium of having carried off, and that the portrait that had belonged to Edward Duffield, "supposed to have been done by West," is a copy of the Wilson portrait,' whether by West or by some other painter; and Earl Grey's picture shows it plainly to be a copy, and not a very good one either, of the Wilson painting. This is the portrait of Franklin also that has done duty for Roger Williams of whom there is no authentic likeness. Benjamin Wilson (1731-1788) was one of the lesser prominent portrait painters of the eighteenth century. He introduced more light and shade into his pictures than had before been common and his heads have more warmth of color and a greater nearness to nature than those painted by most of his contemporaries. Upon returning from a two year's residence in Dublin, in 1750, he occupied the house in Great Queen's Street, Lincoln Inn Fields, that had been the home of Sir Godfrey Kneller, and soon was making a considerable income at his profession. Always a student of electricity he published a number of works upon the subject and invented and exhibited a large electrical apparatus which won for him, in 1751, election to fellowship in the Royal Society, which society, nine years later, awarded to him its gold medal. He had a long controversy with Franklin as to whether lightning conductors should be round or pointed at the top and was supported in his view by George III, who declared his experiments were sufficient to convince the old apple women in Covent Garden. Wilson was also an etcher of much ability and in 1766, at the time of the repeal of the Stamp Act, etched the famous caricature called "The Repeal of Miss Amer-Stamp." It 1A reproduction of the Duffield picture can be found for comparison in the illustrated edition of Parkman's Montcalm and Wolfe. Boston, 1899. Vol. I, p. 434. was sold at a shilling and was so popular that it brought him £100 in four days. On the fifth day it was pirated and two inferior versions produced at six pence. From his scientific attainments and political attachments it can readily be understood that the painting of a portrait of Benjamin Franklin was no perfunctory work but a labor of love of particular interest to both painter and sitter. That this portrait of 1759, restored by Earl Grey is not the only portrait of Franklin painted by Wilson, is made very clear by Franklin's letters to Mrs. Franklin of August 14, 1771, and to Dr. Thomas Bond of February 5, 1772. He writes to his wife "I am glad to hear. . . that the pictures were safe arrived . . . Let me know whether Dr. Bond likes the new one, if so the old one is to be returned hither to Mr. Wilson, the Painter". And to Doctor Bond he writes "When I was last at your house' I observed that the Paint of the Picture you had was all cracked. I complain'd of it to the Painter. He acknowledged that in that Picture and three others he had made Trial of a new Varnish which had been attended with this mischievous effect and offer'd to make amends if I would sit to him again by drawing a new Picture gratis, only on this condition that the old one should be return'd to him. I wrote this to Mrs. Franklin who should have acquainted you with it, but I suppose forgot it. He was five or six years finishing it, having much other business. If therefore you like the new one best, please to put the old one in a box and send it by the next Ship hither, as the Painter expects to have one or the other returned." Whether Doctor Bond kept the old or the new portrait we do not know, but we do know, from the letters above, quoted from the originals in the American Philosophical Society, that Wilson painted a second portrait of Franklin between 1765 and 1771, and how interesting it would be to know where it is. May we not hope 'This must have been between November 1762 and November 1764, when Franklin was in Philadelphia, between his second and third visits to England. that Earl Grey's gracious act and example in restoring the first Wilson picture may lead to the recovery of this second Wilson portrait of Benjamin Franklin. Heretofore the Wilson portrait of Franklin has been known only by the mezzotint of it by James McArdell, published in 1761, and although he is one of the foremost of British mezzotint scrapers, the recovered painting shows that he took great liberties with the painting in reproducing it. He not only made it a three-quarter length, standing by a table with a book in one hand while with the other he points to the streak of lightning, but he changed the expression of the face and expanded the already too bulky wig, so that this timely gift of the distinguished Governor General of Canada, gives us a new portrait of him of whom Turgot wrote, He snatched the thunderbolt from Heaven and the sceptre from Tyrants. The future home of this valuable portrait is to be the White House, at Washington, according to Earl Grey's letter of restoration to the President. My dear Mr. President ; GOVERNMENT HOUSE, OTTAWA, Feb. 8, 1906 The fortune of war and the accident of inheritance have made me the owner of the portrait of Franklin which Major André took out of his house in Philadelphia and gave to his friend and commanding officer, my great-grandfather General Sir Charles Grey. This portrait which Franklin stated was "Allowed by those who have seen it to have great merit as a picture in every respect"1 has for over a century occupied the chief place of honor on the walls of my Northumbrian home. Mr. Choate has suggested to me that the approaching Franklin bi-centennary celebration at Philadelphia, on the 20th of April provides a fitting opportunity for restoring to the American people a picture which they will be glad to recover. I willingly fall in with his suggestion. In a letter from Franklin dated Oct. 23, 1788, to Madame Lavoisier he says ;-"Our English enemies when they were in possession of this city and my house made a prisoner of my portrait and carried it 1It is curious that Earl Grey should have made such a mistake as to apply this statement by Franklin to the restored Wilson picture when it was written by Franklin to Madame Lavoisier in regard to the portrait of him she had painted and not in reference to the portrait carried off by André. Vide extract from letter supra, which Earl Grey quotes. off with them". As your English friend I desire to give my prisoner, after the lapse of 130 years, his liberty, and shall be obliged if you will name the officer into whose custody you wish me to deliver him. If agreeable to you I should be much pleased if he should find a final resting place in the White House, but I leave the decision of this matter entirely to you. I remain, dear Mr. President, with great respect, and in all friendship, yours truly Grey. P. S. I should like the announcement of my restoration of the Franklin portrait to the American people to be made by Mr. Choate at Philadelphia, on April 20th. Upon the order of Mr. Choate, the well-known American artist, William M. Chase, made a copy of the Wilson portrait of Franklin for presentation to Earl Grey, that it may hang on the wall in Howick House where the original hung for so many years. JOURNAL OF ISAAC ZANE TO WYOMING, 1758. BY JOSEPH H. COATES. [In the spring of 1758, Teedyuscung, the Delaware King, and his followers, removed to Wyoming, where agreeably to his request and the conditions of a treaty with Governor William Denny, a town was built for them on the east side of the Susquehanna, marked on early maps of the Province as "Teedyuscung's Town." Here he resided until he was burned to death while asleep in his cabin in the night of April 19, 1763, it is believed at the instigation of the Iroquois. John Hughes, who was appointed by the Governor to superintend the building of the town, set out for Wyoming May 12, with between fifty and sixty carpenters, masons and laborers, where they arrived one week later. The work progressed until the 27th when one of the masons was killed and scalped by a party of Enemy Indians," then much uneasiness followed among the workmen, but by June 2, ten houses mostly 20x16, and one 24x16 of squared logs and dovetailed were erected, some ground plowed, and rails split to fence in the town. Hughes returned to Philadelphia June 5. At a meeting of Trustees and Treasurer of the Friendly Association at Israel Pemberton's the 20th of Fifth Month 1758. * * * "The Governor having lately given a Commission to John Hughes and others to hire workmen & go up to Wyoming & assist the Indians in building a town & making a settlement there, & opening a waggon road to it, in pursuance of which John Hughes sett out a few days since with a number of workmen, and we being now informed that a considerable number of Indians joined them at Bethlehem, and went forward from thence on Third day the 16th instant, so that there's a prospect of this necessary work at last being performed, on consideration of which the same motives which have heretofore induced us to engage in a desirable work of restoring Peace, still prevailing, and Isaac Zane of whose hearty and constant endeavors therein we have had abundant experience, now informed us that John Hughes had signified to Friends that he should be glad of his assistance and company, but that a state of health would not then permit, but he being now * * Wyoming * and assist the Provincial Commissioners in the buildings, and making the settlement proposed, it is unanimously agreed that out of the fund of our Ass'n he shall be paid to his satisfaction for such services, and that he be authorized to take with him some carpenters and bricklayers VOL. XXX.-27 |