“Mr. Rittenhauss,[241a] our astronomer, has informed me, that having observed with his excellent telescope several conductors which were within his view, he perceived that the points of a certain number of them had been in like manner melted. There is no instance where a house furnished with a complete conductor has suffered any considerable damage; and those even which had none have been very little injured, since conductors have become common in the city.” Footnote 241a: So written by Dr. Franklin. Footnote 242: The body of Dr. Franklin was interred in the cemetery belonging to Christ-Church in Philadelphia, under a plain marble tomb-stone, inscribed with only his name, the time of his decease, and his age. But the following epitaph on himself was written by him, many years before his death. As it contains a pretty allusion, typically expressed, to his belief in the Immortality of the Soul, it may not be deemed superfluous to add, on the present occasion, the testimony of this philosopher in concurrence with Rittenhouse’s, on that subject. If the doctrine had needed any further verification than before established it, the suffrages of two such men as FRANKLIN and RITTENHOUSE could scarcely fail to remove the doubts of the most sceptical. This epitaph is copied from Stuber’s Continuation of the Life of Franklin. THE BODY of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, _Printer_, (Like the Cover of an old Book, It’s Contents torn out, And stript of its Lettering and Gilding,) Lies here, food for worms; _Yet the Work itself shall not be lost_, For it will (as he believed) appear once more, In a new And more beautiful Edition, Corrected and amended by THE AUTHOR. XX ----- In supplying the vacancy which had thus occurred in the Presidentship of the Society, the members of that body could not hesitate in selecting, for that honourable station, a suitable successor to their late venerable patron and chief: the eyes of all were immediately directed towards Dr. Rittenhouse. He was accordingly elected to be President, at the stated annual meeting of the Society for the purpose of chosing their officers, held in January, 1791. On being notified of this appointment, he addressed the following letter to Mr. Patterson, one of the secretaries of the Society. “_Philadelphia, Jan. 22 1791._ “Sir,