Excerpt from The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Vol. 3: Collected and Edited With a Life and Introduction The writings of Franklin are published in this edition strictly in chronological order. In some instances it has been impossible to determine exactly the date of composition, and such works have been placed in the Appendix. In this volume the "Plan for Settling two Western Colonies in North America, with Reasons for the Plan" (pages 358-366), has been entered under the year 1756, at which time it was presented by Governor Pownall as a Memorial to the Duke of Cumberland. It is clear from Franklin's letter to Peter Collinson, June 26, 1755 (page 265), that it was written before the autumn of 1754, and it should therefore have been published as of that year. The "Papers relating to a Plan of Union of the Colonies" have been reprinted from the "Minutes of the Provincial Council of Pennsylvania," volume vi., page 105; and from "New York Colonial Documents" (O'Callaghan), volume vi., pages 853-892. The letters to Catherine Ray, afterwards wife of William Greene, governor of Rhode Island, have been reprinted from the Rhode Island Mercury, where they were first published by William B. Weeden. The original letters are in the possession of Mrs. E. J. Roelker. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.