Useful Hints for learning to Swim. By Benjamin Franklin, L. L. D. F. R. S. In a Letter to a Friend.

Dear Sir,

CANNOT be of opinion with CANNOT be of opinion with you, that it is too late in life for you to learn to swim; the river near the bottom of your garden, affords a most convenient place for the purpose. And, as your new employment requires your being often on the water, of which you have such a dread, I think you would do well to make the trial; nothing being so likely to remove those apprehensions, as the consciousness of an ability to swim to the shore in case of an accident, or of supporting yourself in the water till a boat could come to take you up.

I do not know how far corks or bladders may be useful in learning to swim, having never seen much trial of them. Possibly they may be of service in supporting the body while you are learning what is called the stroke, or that manner of drawing in and striking out the hands and feet that is necessary to produce progressive motion. But you will be no swimmer till you can place some confidence in the power of the water to support you; I would therefore advise the acquiring that confi lence in the first place, especially as I have known several who, by a little of the practice necessary for that purpose, have insensibly acquired the stroke, taught as it were by na

ture.

The practice I mean is this: chusing a place where the water deepens gradually, walk coolly into it till it is up to your breast, then turn round your face to the

shore, and throw an egg into the water, between you and the shore; it will sink to the bottom, and be easily seen there, as your water is clear. It must lie in the water so deep, as that you cannot reach it to take it up but by diving for it. To encourage yourself in order to do this, reflect that your progress will be from deeper to shallower water, and that at any time you may, by bringing your legs under you, and standing on the bottom, raise your head far above the wa

ter.

Then plunge under it with your eyes open, throwing yourself towards the egg, and endeavouring, by the action of your hands and feet against the water, to get forward till within reach of it. In this attempt you will find that the water buoys you up against your inclination; that it is not so easy a thing to sink as you imagined; that you cannot, but by active force, get down to the egg. Thus you feel the power of the water to support you, and learn to confide in that power; while your endeavours to overcome it, and to reach the egg, teach you the manner of acting on the water with your feet and hands, which action is afterwards used in swimmnig to support your head higher above water, or to go forward through it.

I would the more earnestly press you to the trial of this method, because, though I think I satisfied you that your body is lighter than water, and that you might float in it a long time with your mouth free for breathing, if you would put yourself in a proper posture, and would be still, and forbear struggling, yet, till you have ob tained this experimental confidence in the water, I cannot depend on

your having the necessary presence of mind to recollect that posture, and the directions I gave you relating to it. The surprise may put all out of your mind. For, though we value ourselves on being reasonable knowing creatures, reason and knowledge seem, on such occasions, to be of little use to us; and the brutes, to whom we allow scarce a glimmering of either, appear to have the advantage of

us.

I will, however, take this opportunity of repeating those particulars to you, which I mentioned in our last conversation, as, by perusing them at your leisure, you may possibly imprint them so in your memory, as on occasion to be of some use to you.

First, that, though the legs, arms, and head of a human body, being solid parts, are specifically somewhat heavier than fresh water, yet the trunk, particularly the upper part, from its hollowness, is so much lighter than water, as that the whole of the body, taken together, is too light to sink wholly under water, but some part will remain above, until the lungs become filled with water; which happens from drawing water into them instead of air, when a person, in the fright, attempts breathing, while the mouth and nostrils are under

water.

2dly, That the legs and arms are specifically lighter than saltwater, and will be supported by it; so that a human body would not sink in salt water, though the lungs were filled as above, but from the greater specific gravity of the

head.

3dly, That therefore a person throwing himself on his back in

4

salt-water, and extending his arms, may easily lie so as to keep his mouth and nostrils free for breathing; and, by a small motion of his hands, may prevent turning, if he should perceive any tendency to it.

4thly, That, in fresh water, if a man throws himself on his back, near the surface, he cannot long continue in that situation, but by a proper action of his hands on the water. If he uses no such action, the legs and lower part of the body will gradually sink till he comes into an upright position, in which he will continue suspended, the hollow of the breast keeping the head uppermost.

5thly, But if in this erect position the head is kept upright above the shoulders, as when we stand on the ground, the immersion will, by the weight of that part of the head that is out of water, reach above the mouth and nostrils, perhaps a little above the eyes, so that a man cannot long remain suspended in water with his head in that posi. tion.

6thly, The body continued sus. pended as before, and upright, if the head be leaned quite back, so that the face looks upwards, all the back part of the head being then under water, and its weight conse quently in a great measure supported by it, the face will remain above water quite free for breathing, will rise an inch higher every inspiration, and sink as much eve ry expiration, but never so low as that the water may come over the mouth.

7thly, If therefore a person, unacquainted with swimming, and falling accidentally into the water, could have presence of mind suffi

cient

cient to avoid struggling and plunging, and to let the body take this natural position, he might continue long safe from drowning, till perhaps help would come. For, as to their cloaths, their additional weight, while immersed, is very inconsiderable, the water support ing it; though, when he comes out of the water, he would find them very beavy indeed.

But, as I said before, I would not advise you or any one to depend on having this presence of mind on such an occasion, but learn fairly to swim, as I wish all men were taught to do in their youth; they would, on many occurrences, be the safer for having

that skill, and on many more the happier, as freer from painful ap-' prehensions of danger, to say nothing of the enjoyment in so delightful and wholesome an exercise. Soldiers particularly should, methinks, all be taught to swim; it might be of frequent use either in surprising an enemy, or saving themselves. And, if I had now boys to educate, I should prefer these schools (other things being equal) where an opportunity was afforded for acquiring so advantageous an art, which, once learnt, is never forgotten. 1 am, &c.

B. FRANKLIN.

nay

ANTIQUITIES.

An Account of the Events produced in England, by the Grant of the Kingdom of Sicily, to Prince Edmund, Second Son of King Henry the Third, By Thomas Astle, Esq.

THE grant of the kingdom of Sicily by Pope Innocent the Fourth to Prince Edmund, will be found upon enquiry to have produced the greatest events in their consequences, that ever appeared in the annals of England. Amongst others, the association of the barons against King Henry the Third: the appointing conservators of the peace in the several counties; and the settling the democratical part of our constitution upon a permanent basis, by Simon Montfort, Earl of Leicester, whilst the king was his prisoner.

As the king's wars with his barons have not been generally attributed to his connections th

Sicily, and foreign historians be ing almost silent upon this head, I flatter myself that an account of this transaction may be acceptable to the society.

The emperor Frederick, who died in 1250, by his will shared his kingdoms amongst his children. He gave the Isle of Sicily to his son Henry, whom he had by his third wife Isabella of Eng

land, sister to King Henry the Third. But the Emperor Conrade the Fourth, his successor, being at war with Pope Innocent the Fourth, that Pontiff attempted to seize upon Sicily: and, apprehending that this attempt might

be attended with great expence, he endeavoured to persuade Richard Earl of Cornwall, third brother to King Henry the Third, to accept of the crown of Sicily; flattering himself, that the earl's immense wealth would enable him to support his military operations: but Richard, being a prince of great economy, declined the offer. The Pope afterwards offered the crown of the Two Sicilies to King Henry the Third, who refused the present; being unwilling to deprive his nephew Henry of his kingdom, However, Conrade, having put his brother Henry to death, and made himself master of Sicily, was in the year 1253 poisoned, as is supposed, by his bastard-brother Manfred, who usurped the throne of that kingdom. Hereupon Pope Innocent the IVth, improving the opportunity, made himself master of Naples: but Conradine, the son of the late emperor, continuing the war, the Pope found himself unable to maintain the army which he had sent to Naples. In this exigency he applied once more to

the