CHAPTER THIRTEEN: Courtier: Paris, 1776–1778

This chapter covers Franklin's extended travels and intellectual pursuits during 1771–1775, including his experiments with oil on water, his composition of the opening section of his Autobiography at Twyford, and his escalating role in the colonial crisis culminating in his humiliation at the Cockpit hearing. Franklin's political standing deteriorates sharply after his involvement with the Hutchinson letters, leading to his removal as postmaster and his final departure from England in March 1775.

In summer 1771, Franklin escapes political frustrations through an extended tour of industrial England, Ireland, and Scotland, studying manufacturing and meeting leading intellectuals including David Hume and Adam Smith. He conducts his famous oil-on-water experiment at Clapham, discovering the calming effect of oil on rough water—a phenomenon later recognized as demonstrating molecular dimensions, though Franklin does not pursue the theoretical implications. Upon returning to London briefly for the King's birthday, he visits Jonathan Shipley's estate at Twyford, where in late July 1771 he begins writing the first installment of his Autobiography, casting it as a letter to his estranged son William. Composed over three weeks and read aloud to the Shipley family each evening, the Autobiography adopts the voice of a genial raconteur recounting his rise from obscurity with wry anecdotes and practical lessons, avoiding deep introspection. Franklin also develops an affection for the Shipleys' young daughter Kitty, beginning a lifelong flirtation, and arranges for a pet squirrel to be sent from Philadelphia.\n\nDuring his Irish and Scottish travels, Franklin observes the exploitation of Irish tenant farmers and contrasts England's mercantile restrictions on Ireland with the vibrant middle-class economy developing in America. His visit to Lord Hillsborough's estate proves surprisingly cordial, with the minister expressing support for American manufacturing and requesting Franklin's advice—behavior Franklin suspects masks deeper manipulation. Back in England, Franklin unexpectedly meets his son-in-law Richard Bache, who has arrived seeking his favor. Their initial meeting is warm, and Franklin subsequently advises Bache to pursue merchant commerce and Sally to assist her husband, though his counsel reflects his own life pattern of distance from family.\n\nThroughout the early 1770s, Franklin pursues diverse scientific inquiries: investigating colds as contagion, measuring exercise by body warmth, discovering lead poisoning's cause in certain trades, theorizing about water displacement in shallow canals, and inventing the armonica, a musical instrument based on spinning glass bowls. His social philosophy during this period mingles liberal and conservative elements: he exalts industry and self-reliance while advocating civic cooperation, mistrusts both aristocratic elites and unruly mobs, and initially warns against welfare dependency, though he gradually shifts toward moral arguments for helping the genuinely poor. On slavery, he defends America unconvincingly at first, later corresponding with abolitionist Anthony Benezet and using stronger language against "this pestilent detestable traffic," though he qualifies his support for complete abolition with the phrase "in time."\n\nIn summer 1772, Franklin's political fortunes begin declining when the board of trade recommends denying the Walpole Company's western land grant. By a narrow margin and to Hillsborough's fury, the Privy Council approves the grant and Hillsborough resigns, giving Franklin a pyrrhic victory: the grant is never realized due to the intensifying colonial crisis. In December 1772, Franklin sends Thomas Cushing the Hutchinson letters, hoping to show privately that England's misguided colonial policies stem from bad advice rather than hatred of America. When these letters are published in Boston despite his injunction against it, they inflame radical patriots and expose Franklin to accusations that he has betrayed confidential correspondence.\n\nIn response, Franklin publishes two biting satirical pieces in September 1773: "Rules by Which a Great Empire May be Reduced to a Small One" and "An Edict by the King of Prussia," both savagely mocking British colonial policy. His involvement in the Hutchinson affair and his public revelation of his role precipitate a crisis. On January 29, 1774, Franklin is summoned to the Cockpit, a room in the Privy Council, ostensibly to testify on a Massachusetts petition but in reality to face legal questioning about the purloined letters. There, the solicitor general Alexander Wedderburn delivers a scathing hour-long attack, calling Franklin the "prime conductor" of colonial agitation and accusing him of wanting to be governor himself. Despite the virulent abuse and jeers from the packed room, Franklin maintains complete composure, standing motionless in a blue velvet suit. The Privy Council rejects the Massachusetts petition, and the following day Franklin is removed from his post as American postmaster. Fearing arrest or confiscation of his papers, he briefly hides his documents across the Thames in Chelsea.\n\nAs the political breach between Britain and America widens, Franklin and his son William are drawn into bitter disagreement. William, as royal governor of New Jersey, maintains his loyalty to the Crown and conducts a "secret and confidential" correspondence with Lord Dartmouth reporting on American sentiments and opposing a continental congress. Franklin urges strong colonial resistance and a boycott of British goods, and his mounting anger at William's loyalism leads to harsh letters questioning his son's independence and reminding him of unpaid debts. On Christmas Eve 1774, William writes to inform Franklin that Deborah, his wife of forty-four years, has died in Philadelphia while Franklin remained in England. William notes her disappointment at not seeing her husband again and urges Franklin to return home, as he is viewed with suspicion in Britain and faces possible prosecution.\n\nDuring this same December, Franklin engages in secret back-channel negotiations aimed at preventing revolution. He meets with Lord Chatham, who urges him to help form a new government, and is drawn into a series of chess games and secret meetings with Mrs. Howe, sister of two future British commanders, who facilitates discussions with her brother Admiral Lord Richard Howe. Franklin drafts "Hints for a Conversation" outlining seventeen points for reconciliation, including Massachusetts' reimbursement for the tea, repeal of duties, recognition of colonial manufacturing rights, and exclusive colonial legislative power of taxation. When Lord Howe implies that Franklin might be rewarded for modifying these demands and accepting something "acceptable" to the ministers, Franklin bristles at what he perceives as a bribe. Chatham presents his own compromise bill to the House of Lords on February 1, 1775, which Franklin attends and supports, but Lord Sandwich savagely attacks both the proposal and Franklin, calling him "one of the bitterest and most mischievous enemies this country had ever known." Chatham praises Franklin as an honor to human nature, but the bill is immediately rejected. All negotiations having failed, Franklin departs England aboard the Philadelphia packet on March 19, 1775, his last day in London spent emotionally with Joseph Priestley discussing the imminent war.