. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. swere collected, we found above twelve hundred sig-natures ; and, other copies being dispersed in thecountry, the subscribers amounted at length to up-ward of ten thousand. These all furnished them-selves as soon as they could with arms, formed them-selves into companies and regiments, chose their ownofficers, and met every week to be instructed in themanual exercise, and other parts of military disci-pline. The women, by subscriptions among them-selves, provided silk colors, which they presented tothe c
. Benjamin Franklin: his autobiography : with a narrative of his public life and services. swere collected, we found above twelve hundred sig-natures ; and, other copies being dispersed in thecountry, the subscribers amounted at length to up-ward of ten thousand. These all furnished them-selves as soon as they could with arms, formed them-selves into companies and regiments, chose their ownofficers, and met every week to be instructed in themanual exercise, and other parts of military disci-pline. The women, by subscriptions among them-selves, provided silk colors, which they presented tothe companies, painted with different devices andmottoes, which I supplied. The officers of the companies composing thePhiladelphia regiment, being met, chose me for theircolonel; but, conceiving myself unfit, I declined thatstation, and recommended Mr. Lawrence, a fine per-son, and a man of influence, who was accordinglyappointed. I then proposed a lottery to defray theexpense of building a battery below the town, andfurnished with cannon. It filled expeditiously, and LIFE OF FRANKLIN. 175. the battery was soon erected, the merlons beingframed of logs and filled with earth. We boughtsome old cannon from Boston ; but, these not beingsufficient, we wrote to London for more, soliciting,at the same time, our proprietaries for some assist-ance, though without much expectation of obtain-ing it. Meanwhile, Colonel Lawrence, Mr. Allen, Abra-ham Taylor, and myself were sent to New York bythe associators, commissioned to borrow some can-non of Governor Clinton, He at first refused usperemptorily ; but at dinner with his council, wherethere was great drinking of Madeira wine, as thecustom of that place then was, he softened by de- 176 LIFE OF FRANKLIN. grees, and said he would lend us six. After a fewmore bumpers he advanced to ten ; and at lengthhe very good-naturedly conceded eighteen. Theywere line cannon, eighteen-pounders, with their car-riages, which were soon transported and mountedon
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