If a square hole be cut in a piece of paper, so as to show through it just sixteen of the little squares, and the paper be laid on the magic square, then, wherever the paper is placed, the sum of the sixteen numbers visible through the hole will be 2056. [Illustration: 200 217 232 249 8 25 40 57 72 89 104 121 136 153 168 185 58 39 26 7 250 231 218 199 186 167 154 135 122 103 90 71 198 219 230 251 6 27 38 59 70 91 102 123 134 155 166 187 60 37 28 5 252 229 220 197 188 165 156 133 124 101 92 69 201 216 233 248 9 24 41 56 73 88 105 120 137 152 169 184 55 42 23 10 247 234 215 202 183 170 151 138 119 106 87 74 203 214 235 246 11 22 43 54 75 86 107 118 139 150 171 182 53 44 21 12 245 236 213 204 181 172 149 140 117 108 85 76 205 212 237 244 13 20 45 52 77 84 109 116 141 148 173 180 51 46 19 14 243 238 211 206 179 174 147 142 115 110 83 78 207 210 239 242 15 18 47 50 79 82 111 114 143 146 175 178 49 48 17 16 241 240 209 208 177 176 145 144 113 112 81 80 196 221 228 253 4 29 36 61 68 93 100 125 132 157 164 189 62 35 30 3 254 227 222 195 190 163 158 131 126 99 94 67 194 223 226 255 2 31 34 63 66 95 98 127 130 159 162 191 64 33 32 1 256 225 224 193 192 161 160 129 128 97 96 65 ] In 1754 war with France appeared to be again imminent, and a Congress of Commissioners from the several colonies was arranged for. Of course, Franklin was one of the representatives of Pennsylvania, and was also one of the members who independently drew up a plan for the union of all the colonies under one government, for defensive and other general purposes, and his was the plan finally approved by Congress for the union, though it was not accepted by the Assemblies or by the English Government, being regarded by the former as having too much of the _prerogative_ in it, by the latter as being too _democratic_. Franklin wrote respecting this scheme: "The different and contrary reasons of dislike to my plan makes me suspect that it was really the true medium; and I am still of opinion that it would have been happy for both sides of the water if it had been adopted. The colonies, so united, would have been sufficiently strong to have defended themselves; there would then have been no need of troops from England; of course, the subsequent pretence for taxing America, and the bloody contest it occasioned, would have been avoided."