AFTERWORD

Chapter 8

CHAPTER TEN: Agent Provocateur: London, 1765–1770

Overview

Franklin settles into London life as Pennsylvania's agent, forming deep intellectual friendships and a comfortable domestic arrangement with his landlady Mrs. Stevenson and her daughter Polly, while his diplomatic mission to resolve disputes with the Proprietors deteriorates into bitter personal conflict. Though his early negotiations fail and relations with the Penns collapse entirely, he remains in England pursuing his scientific interests and social ambitions rather than returning home.

Summary

Franklin arrives in London in July 1757 at age 51 to serve as Pennsylvania's colonial agent, initially expecting to stay five months. He lodges on Craven Street with widow Margaret Stevenson and her daughter Polly, forming familial bonds that replicate his domestic life in Philadelphia. His relationship with eighteen-year-old Polly becomes intellectually intense; he writes her extensively about science and philosophy, treating her as a protégé while urging her not to neglect marriage and family duties. Though sexually restrained, his correspondence with Polly far exceeds his letters to his actual wife Deborah, whom he discourages from crossing the Atlantic. Franklin quickly integrates into London's intellectual circles through friends like printer William Strahan and botanist Peter Collinson, frequenting coffeehouses and discussion clubs where he gains prestige among middle-class Whig intellectuals. However, this power base proves limited in political matters. His diplomatic mission falters immediately when Lord Granville informs him that colonial legislatures cannot challenge royal governors' instructions. Meetings with Proprietor Thomas Penn grow rancorous; in January 1758, Franklin's outburst calling Penn a "low jockey" who cheated settlers ends any productive negotiation. The Penns refuse further direct dealings with Franklin, employing their lawyer Ferdinand Paris as intermediary. Frustrated and bitter, Franklin proposes the radical solution of converting Pennsylvania into a Crown colony, abandoning his usual pragmatism. Though this scheme gains no traction, he pursues propaganda campaigns through the press and lodges complaints about Penn mishandling of Indian affairs. A partial victory comes when Lord Mansfield brokers a compromise on taxation of Proprietary estates, but no fundamental resolution of Assembly powers results. Meanwhile, Franklin's son William, seeking social status beyond his illegitimate birth, distances himself from intellectual pursuits toward Tory circles and courtship with well-born Elizabeth Graeme. When William abandons his commitment to Elizabeth to pursue fashionable London women, Franklin—who had hoped William would marry Polly Stevenson—responds with emotional coolness. William secretly fathers an illegitimate son, Temple, whom he leaves with foster families. Franklin spends summers 1759–1761 traveling throughout Britain and the continent, receiving honors and intellectual validation. In Scotland, he meets Adam Smith, David Hume, and Lord Kames, discussing empire, tolerance, and philosophy. He receives honorary doctorates from St. Andrews and Oxford. He argues passionately for Britain to retain Canada after the French and Indian War, producing pamphlets and satirical pieces defending colonial expansion and imperial unity, still viewing himself as a loyal British subject. By summer 1762, Franklin decides to return to Philadelphia after five years, though reluctantly. William, now governor of New Jersey through connections rather than paternal influence, marries Elizabeth Downes at a fashionable ceremony that Franklin deliberately misses, sailing from England on August 24—the very day news of William's appointment breaks. Franklin leaves England emotionally distant from his son's triumphs, expressing far greater tenderness in his farewell letter to Polly Stevenson. The chapter ends with Franklin's metaphor of oil on water: though appearing calm from above, beneath the surface turbulent waves continue, suggesting that diplomatic appearances mask deeper unresolved conflicts about colonial governance and empire.

Characters

  • Benjamin FranklinPennsylvania's colonial agent; protagonist navigating diplomatic failure, intellectual achievements, and family tensions while residing in London for five years
  • Margaret StevensonFranklin's London landlady; provides him comfortable domestic arrangement and maternal care comparable to his marriage with Deborah
  • Polly (Mary) StevensonMargaret's eighteen-year-old daughter; receives Franklin's extensive intellectual correspondence and paternal affection, serving as his intellectual companion and protégée
  • Deborah FranklinBenjamin's wife in Philadelphia; receives dutiful but emotionally restrained letters; declines invitations to join him in England
  • William FranklinBenjamin's illegitimate son; accompanies him to London, seeks social status, cools toward Elizabeth Graeme, secretly fathers Temple, and eventually marries Elizabeth Downes and becomes New Jersey governor
  • Thomas PennPennsylvania Proprietor; engages in hostile negotiations with Franklin over Assembly powers and taxation, eventually refusing all direct dealings
  • Richard PennThomas Penn's brother; participates in contentious meetings with Franklin over Proprietary authority
  • Ferdinand John ParisThe Penns' lawyer; delivers their refusal to negotiate further with Franklin and argues against Assembly powers
  • Peter CollinsonLondon Quaker merchant and botanist; greets Franklin upon arrival and introduces him to Royal Society and intellectual circles
  • William StrahanLondon printer and Franklin's longtime correspondent; becomes close friend, facilitates intellectual connections, and proposes marriage between his son Billy and Franklin's daughter Sally
  • John FothergillProminent London physician; becomes Franklin's doctor and adviser on dealing with the Penns
  • Sir John PringleScottish professor and royal physician; becomes Franklin's traveling companion and later helps William secure the New Jersey governorship
  • Joseph PriestleyMember of Honest Whigs club; writes history of electricity that secures Franklin's scientific reputation
  • Jonathan ShipleyBishop of St. Asaph; hosts Franklin at his home where Franklin writes portions of his autobiography
  • James RalphFranklin's old friend from youth; now living in England with an English family, refuses to acknowledge his American illegitimate daughter
  • Lord GranvillePresident of the Privy Council; informs Franklin that colonial assemblies lack authority to challenge governors' instructions
  • David HumeGreat British philosopher; meets Franklin in Scotland and becomes converted to colonial cause through Franklin's influence
  • Adam SmithScottish economist; meets Franklin during his visit to Scotland
  • Lord KamesScottish jurist and historian; becomes Franklin's friend; discusses empire and Canada with him during countryside rides
  • Sir Alexander DickRenowned Scottish physician and scientist; hosts Franklin at his manor during Scottish visit
  • King George IIINew British monarch whom Franklin views hopefully as potential protector of colonies from Proprietorial tyranny
  • Elizabeth GraemeWell-born young debutante in Philadelphia; becomes engaged to William Franklin but breaks relationship when he pursues politics instead of withdrawing from it
  • Elizabeth DownesHigh Tory society woman; marries William Franklin in London without his father's attendance
  • William Temple FranklinWilliam Franklin's illegitimate son born around 1760; left with foster families in England
  • Lord MansfieldMember of Privy Council; brokers compromise on Pennsylvania taxation issue
  • Pieter van MusschenbroekDutch inventor of the Leyden jar; meets Franklin in Leyden and dies shortly after
  • Prince Charles of LorrainesShows Franklin his equipment for replicating electricity experiments in Brussels
  • Lord ButeNew prime minister whose adviser John Pringle helps secure William Franklin's appointment as New Jersey governor
  • Caty RayYoung woman from Franklin's past whom Deborah mentions corresponding with him; described as receiving his flirtatious intellectual attention
  • Sally FranklinBenjamin's daughter in Philadelphia; receives gifts from him but little emotional engagement in his letters
  • Jane MecomBenjamin's sister; receives more substantive political and intellectual letters than Deborah does
  • PeterOne of Franklin's two enslaved household servants who accompanied him to London; remains with him throughout his stay
  • KingFranklin's other enslaved servant who ran away near the start of Franklin's London residence and was taken in by a lady in Suffolk