for the edition of the _Works_ by A. H. Smyth. Franklin's _Autobiography_ was begun in 1771 as a private chronicle for his son, Governor William Franklin; the papers, bringing the story of his father's life down to 1730, were lost by the governor during the War of Independence, and in 1783 came into the possession of Abel James, who restored them to Franklin and urged him to complete the sketch. He wrote a little in 1784, more in 1788, when he furnished a copy to his friend le Veillard, and a little more in 1790. The original manuscript was long in the possession of Temple Franklin, who spent years rearranging the matter in it and making over into politer English his grandfather's plain-spokenness. So long was the publication delayed that it was generally believed that Temple Franklin had sold all the papers to the British government; a French version, _Memoires de la vie privee_ (Paris, 1791), was retranslated into English twice in 1793 (London), and from one of these versions (by Robinson) still another French version was made (Paris, 1798). Temple Franklin, deciding to print, got from le Veillard the copy sent to him in 1788 (sending in return the original with autograph alterations and the final addition), and from the copy published (London, 1817) an edition supposed to be authentic and complete. The complete autograph of the biography, acquired by John Bigelow in 1867 from its French owners, upon collation with Temple Franklin's edition showed that the latter contained 1200 emasculations and that it omitted entirely what had been written in 1790. Bigelow published the complete _Autobiography_ with additions from Franklin's correspondence and other writings in 1868; a second edition (3 vols., Philadelphia, 1888) was published under the title, _The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Written by Himself_. In addition to the _Autobiography_ see James Parton, _Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin_ (2 vols., New York, 1864); John T. Morse, Jr., _Benjamin Franklin_ (Boston, 1889, in the American Statesmen series); J. B. McMaster, _Benjamin Franklin as a Man of Letters_ (Boston, 1887, in American Men of Letters series); Paul L. Ford, _The Many-Sided Franklin_ (New York, 1899) and _Franklin Bibliography_ (Brooklyn, 1889); E. E. Hale and E. E. Hale, Jr., _Franklin in France_ (2 vols., Boston, 1888); J. H. A. Doniol, _Histoire de la participation de la France a l'etablissement des Etats-Unis d'Amerique_ (Paris, 6 vols., 1886-1900); S. G. Fisher, _The True Benjamin Franklin_ (Philadelphia, 1899); E. Robins, _Benjamin Franklin_ (New York, 1898, in the American Men of Energy series); W. A. Wetzel, "Benjamin Franklin as an Economist," No. 9, in series 13 of _Johns Hopkins Studies in Historical and Political Science_; and the prefaces and biographical matter in A. H. Smyth's edition of the _Works_ (New York, 10 vols., 1905-1907). (R. We.) FOOTNOTES: