Grand Hotel de Russie, Rue Richlieu June 7th. 1783
Since I had the honor of waiting upon you I have gained the
Intelligence of Mr. Sayre, for which Reason I have thoughts of
Returning Immediately to England. But before I quitted Paris I was
desirous of Informing you, that I am the person, that for near
twenty years, wrote in the English Newspapers upon public
Improvements, many of which in Consequence have taken place. My
Objects were Roads, Rivers, Bridges, pavements, Carriages, Copper
Sheathing Line of Battle Ships, Roman Oval serers, Rounding off
the Angles of Narrow streets, levelling the Ground and Iron
Railing Church yeard &ca &ca. When I was in Paris six years ago,
Monsr LeRoy of the Academy at the Louvre, Invited me to his
apartments to Consult Me upon a Vareity of Matters but many Things
that we agreed upon have Not been Carried into execution, by which
Neglect, Paris is secondary to London in may Circumstances. As I
think your Influence would have the desired effect, if not out of
the line of your Amusement I have taken the liberty of sending you
my Opinion. Every street in Paris should have Trottaires, or
Footways of bread Stones, such as have not width Enough for 2
footways, and two Carriages, should Admit of One Carriage Only.
And where Not wide Enough for One Carriage with footways paved
with flat stones like Cranbourne aley Liecester Fields, Change
Ally &ca. The streets of London never became Magnificant, Nor the
shops elegant until Enginiers gave the level, and had formed the
footways upon their present principle, and the Carriageways upon a
small . In this Improvement I include the footways of the
Boulevards, to make them Equally perfect in wet weather. The Next
Thing I would Recommend is the upright Roman Oval sewer, as now
carrying on in London six feet high, which Receives the filth of
all the Houses and Conveys it to the Thames. It would likewise be
of great Advantage to France, to pass an Edict, that all Carriages
should have a proportional broad which according to their several
Classes, those with four wheels to Roll double surfaces. The
preservation of the Roads, and pavements, in this great Monarchy,
would be an Immense saving, as would the lessening the Number of
Horses. I Could Save the State some hundred thousand pounds a
year, in Reforming these Kind of Abuses, having spent at least One
Thousand pounds On Carriages in Experiments. The best wheels Ever
Invested are the Hoop and Sullies. I have tried them many years,
and Know thier Merit. You have the Reputation of the Invention.
The destruction of the pavements in Paris is Owing entirely to
Narrow wheels. In time the flat square, becomes Round headed,
great weights are moved with difficulty, , and all
Carriages are shook to peices. In London I have drawn 29 Sacks of
Coals with 2 Horses, which is 2 Chaldron and sacks. 4 Chaldron
with six Horses, and 5 Chaldrons or 63 sacks 15 miles with Eight
Horses. In a Chariot, Mr. Viny that makes the hoop sully wheels,
has Run 28 miles with One Horse in 3 Hours with two people in it.
Before I left London, I Compleated for a Family of your
Acquaintance, a post Chariot with the front wheels 4 feet 10
Inches high, with a short perch. It is as short as Another
Carriage, and lacks as Easy, the perch bot being Advanced in fron
of the Azle. I Judge Also, that Making the Natural Rivers of Any
Kingdom navigable without Locks, by Improved ballast Work, a Most
Advantageous Improvement. I tried the Experiment On the Thames,
and supplied the Roads with ballast. With a wheel of 15 feet
diameter I Could Raise 100 Tun in 4 Hours. For want of this being
Carried into Execution the Thames is Unnavigable several months in
the year. By a Calculation I found that 300 Tuns from Staines to
London of a day Made a saving against Land Carriage of £25000 a
year. Judge then what pains should be taken to Abolish all Lock
work on Natural Rivers and to Avoid them when possible On
Artificial Canals. I have taken the liberty of sending what Width
I think would aggrandize France.
If I have trespassed a Moment upon your Time Improperly, I beg
to apologize, And to Assure you that I am with great Respect, Sir,
your most Obedient Humble Servant
I Meant soon after I had the Honor of dining with you at Passy
to have Returned to England, but Meeting with an English
Phyzician, he has Made Paris so agreable to Me, that I think of
Staying until the Middle of September, without I Can gain an
Establishment in France or America.
Having taken, in my leisure Hours, an Active part in the
Improvements in England, I was equally desirous of not being Idle
in Paris. My Communicant has been daily surveying this great City,
and Communicating by Letters My Remarks to Monsr Le Roy. A few
wekks ago, I made a Tour with my Friend into Normandy, and sent
him likewise my Observations on what I thought most Momentous. I
discover many Things Right in France. Their Roads Are Magnificent,
And Well Conducted. The Arts flourish in Architecture,
shipbuilding, painting, sculpture &ca yet I think them deficient
in many Essential Circumstances. Their Modern Bridges Are fine,
but Unhappily Are Over Uncorrected Rivers. There is not a City Or
Town in France Conducted on a Regular like London And
Windsor. Neither is there One Carriage of Any Sort Upon a Mechanic
principle. Paris is unreformed. It wants a better supply of Water,
And Oval sewers to Carry off the Filth. The English seldom Revisit
Paris. The Reason is they Can Beither Ride, drive Or walk About
the City. The plantations without Are however Very grand,
pleasant, And Agreable. If Rome, by the Remains of its Ancient
Magnificence, brings in by the Resort of Foreigners More than
London gains by its Trade, what would not France do, if all the
Cities, And Towns, were Conducted upon the principle of London and
Westminster? I have but poor Abilities, and yet I think the Hints
I have given Mr. Le Roy, would Advantage France many Million a
year. I Judge Improved Carriages would save nearly half the draft
Horses. That Roads, and pavements, in thier Repairs, might be
decreased One half, by a proportional Broad Wheel. The same in the
wear and Tear of Carriages of Every desimmation. In the
preservation of Goods 16 Per Cent. Hoop Sullies would fave
ths of the Timber Now wasted, and last as long again. In
Barge work 100 Per Cent may be gained, by Creating deeper upper
Levels. The Ingenious Mr. Pironetts Books being published, his Art
of Bridge Building is Now universally Known. If in the Reform of
Rivers, Any Even of his Own Bridges should prove Unsafe, they may
be Rebuilt On the same Construction. The present structures of
this sort are not Equal to a deepened Navigation. I have walked
under An Intire dry Arch of pont Neuilly. This proves the River
defective not the Bridge. The Navigation of the Thames is Ruined.
The of London want to Regain it by Lock work. I Recommend Improved
Ballast work.
Although I Intend to Return to England in a few Days, yet I had
rather spend the Remainder of my Days in France, Or America. I was
used Ill by the Bank Directors in the year 1772, Or Rather by Mr.
Payne the Governor who Ruined Me to save himself. After I had paid
Twenty Thousand pounds in supporting a Million of Stock against
Sir George Colbrooke, who gave falso Dividends On India stock,
they supported him, And Others in July 1772 to the Amount of 8
Millions of Money, by which Means, Instead of Recovering £50,000
which I should have done, I was forced to pay £10,000 More. I was
then a Tenant of the Bank. I Resented thier treatment, but they
were too powerfull to Contend with. I then took up the American
Cause very warmly, and Sent them Letters to the proprietors, which
they Smuggled, that if Ever America was lost to England, it would
be thro’ the Bank parlor, And that all their political Discounts
were paper swords Issued to destroy the Innocent Americans, but
that they would not succeed for the Inglorious Conduct of England
would End in a happy Independency to America. Now sir, As you have
done Numberless great Things in your Life, I should not be
Ungrattefull, if through your Consequence, you Could Establish me
in France, Or America, in any Employ I am Equal to. I had Rather
Remain Abroad On 200 Per Annum, than Return to England on £500. I
am, Sir, your most Obedient and Obliged Humble Servant
To his Excellency Dr. Franklin