n 1752 Peter Collinson FRS arranged for a letter from Franklin, describing his experiment on lightning, to be read to the Royal Society in London. Ini

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n 1752 Peter Collinson FRS arranged for a letter from Franklin, describing his experiment on lightning, to be read to the Royal Society in London. Initially the Society did not think the letter was worth printing in their \Transactions\". Describing the reaction of the Society Franklin wrote\"the letter was laughed at by the Connoiseurs\". Collinson then gave a number of Franklin's letters to Edward Cave for publication in his \"Gentleman's Magazine\". However Cave decided to print them as a pamphlet which was widely acclaimed not only in the UK but in America and especially in France. As a result, the Royal Society reconsidered the matter. Dr. Watson drew up a summary account of the letters which was then published in the SocietyÕs was awarded the Copley Medal for 1753 and elected a Fellow in 1756, the first American to achieve this honor"

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