Benjamin Franklin and the Edinburgh Enlightenment Author(s): Michael Atiyah Reviewed work(s): Source: Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society, Vol. 150, No. 4 (Dec., 2006), pp. 591-606 Published by: American Philosophical Society Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4599027 . Accessed: 26/10/2012 10:13 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. American Philosophical Society is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Proceedings of the American Philosophical Society. http://www.jstor.org BenjaminFranklin and the EdinburghEnlightenment1 SIR MICHAEL ATIYAH President, Royal Society of Edinburgh N THIS TERCENTENARYof the birthof BenjaminFrank- lin, his place on the world stage, includinghis long stays in Englandand France,will surelybe emphasised.My task is to draw attentionto the clear links he establishedwith Scotland,evidenced by the two journeyshe madeto that countryin 1759 and then in 1771. EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY EDINBURGH Why would Franklin,familiar with the greatcentres of Londonand Paris, want to undertakethe lengthyand tiresomejourney by stagecoachto a small, cold city on the northernfringes of civilization?Small, cold, and northernit undoubtedlywas, but the key word is civilization.Edinburgh, in the latterpart of the eighteenthcentury, was the centreof the Scottish Enlightenment,a remarkableera in the intellectualhistory of Europe,and a place where Franklinfelt very much at home and where he met many "men of genius." It was said with pride and only modest exaggeration that "you could stand at the Mercat Cross and, in half an hour, shake fifty men of geniusby the hand" (fig. 1). Observers from outside Scotland were fulsome in their tributes. Edward Topham from Oxford, who spent many years in Scotland, said, "Thereis no part of the world where so generalan educationcan be obtained as in Edinburgh.... There are few places where a polite educationcan be betteracquired than in this city; and wherethe knowl- edge requisiteto form a Gentleman,and a man of the world, can be sooner obtained." Benjamin Franklin himself, speaking from personal experience, assertedthat "the Universityof Edinburghpossessed a set of trulygreat 'Read 28 April 2006, during the Annual General Meeting celebrating the Franklin Tercentenary. PROCEEDINGS OF THE AMERICAN PHILOSOPHICAL SOCIETY VOL. 150, NO. 4, DECEMBER 2006 [591] 592 SIR MICHAEL ATIYAH . ........ l ..... | a S : : :.. .......i:::i .. ...... .... .. : . _ _ _ ;e X <ro s ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... ... ................ .......!: . : i . .: .._iC#.:'!_^':.......................:.....".....' _'.:'.:' ':::i. ::n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..............................:. .. ........... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~?:;':z:Z::Z:;:;:Z}gl:iZ l g:: .n 11 ',,> X :' iiEX!: 'i:''. '^:i.:. iliT;~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"i'":'":i"'::i"" ..............:. - :~~.......... < 00 SA .a ^,@sE ' BJ | EA.. .... ... .. .. ... .. .ixi:. :. ..:i. .:. ..... .... I Y Z . s|i: . :i . 's . .i i.. ! ?. ....s ....... .: '8.:S._:#::.:: ::::.E.....:.. .... -i.. P,::*.:........ :'st:_..:::.. .. .: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:-ilf'f : X_ ~:. ,:-.:ii, irPi -.:FI' A _s::. B[: 1 ! . .. b~~~...? ~ .. r ~ . ii~~~::-.. :: !.. l,.l: . i .:.:. .. ,~ij: =- ~~~~~~~~~~~.:s. ..^: ... :Si~iii!i: '.ii:I 'c:" .: -).i _ S !. : . : .s t :}S ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~to t'^:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...y..:..... .... FIGURE 1. David Allan,Allan., Edinburgh, TheTbe HighHigb Street. Reproduced by permission of the National Galleries of Scotland. .. .....>t~ e................ 4 . r's........... oS . x .: S . :sM~~~~ij~~j..::.......................4.,:.............:B8XSW..........1 .. .l........ *'"f/Stm1.i1~~~~~~~~~~~i a~~~~?"?l~~~~~~~~~r-WX, , , Al | t ; :~~~~~~~~~~~~:'.;:-::'~"si.alS~IE~ ??'*????.? 'i.'? |:I _ _-FLC L~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~? FIGUE 2.Jame Skee, useu Hal andLibrry f th OldCollge, 817 Courtesyof The EdinburghRoom, Edinburgh City Libraries FIGURE 2. James Skene, Museum Hall and Library of tbe Old College-, 1817. Courtesy of The Edinburgh Room, Edinburgh City Libraries. THE EDINBURGH ENLIGHTENMENT 593 men, Professorsof SeveralBranches of Knowledge,as have everappeared in any age or country"(fig. 2). Similarpraise came from Thomas Jefferson: "So far as science is concerned,no place in the world can pretendto competitionwith Edin- burgh,"while FrederickWedderburn, a Germanvisitor in 1791, pro- claimed, "Scotlandhas produced,within these modern times, learned men and writersof greatreputation, who cannot but excite the jealousy of theirsouthern neighbours." So who were these men of genius who were so widely recognised? More than two centurieslater, the namesof David Hume and his young friend Adam Smith still stand out as pivotal figuresin philosophy and economics(figs. 3-4). But they were surroundedby other able men who were importantfigures of their time. Henry Home (LordKames) was a judge with a strong philosophicalbent who publishedextensively and might be describedas an enlightenedaristocrat (fig. 5). WilliamRobert- son was a serioushistorian who, as principal,for more than thirtyyears was mainly responsiblefor making Edinburghone of the leading uni- versitiesof Europe(fig. 6). Science, embracingmedicine, included many eminent figures such as JosephBlack, the chemistwho discoveredcarbon dioxide, and James Hutton, the pioneeringgeologist whose theories establishedthe antiq- uity of the earth (figs. 7-8). FIGURE 3. Allan Ramsay, David Hume (1711-1776). Reproducedby permission of the National Galleries of Scotland. 594 SIR MICHAEL ATIYAH .. .. .. ... * g .::..:_:o' . : d ; ^ i ...;. @ . a~~~~~~~~~~~~~~:...??: * . _I~~~~~i~~iet.;W_':^-.'...~~~~~~~..^. ........ .. FIGURE 4. John Kay, Adam Smith (1723- F I G U R E S . John Kay, 1790), sketch.Reproduced by permissionof HenryHome, LordKames the National Portrait Gallery,London. (1696-1782), sketch. _ i~~I_ ~L~ _ _ Lr I?8iliiiiil:#>| 'Iiii :i V1 .; .. .. ...... ... : - Reproducedby permissionof the _ !5X!''';.......Division of Special Collections, EdinburghUniversity Library. THE EDINBURGH ENLIGHTENMENT 595 .' I l.:i #i. o ~liI:;~::::: ::," : ',....... I. !?i~ii~i.`?~g~!~!i:~ .......i:~ ;..`...i.:!:~:~:.. ......r~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~iFisoll>.|...........>.: . | .........'.lr ...... * i ,.:s.,.,:::,::.::..::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: :::::::: ::;.:::.:.. ~:::... ..: *}............,.................. :::::::::::: : ::::::::::::::::: ************** ?::. :|::... , :::x2.:$ x': .: .::!:" :.':? :i ,:'>.'.;. :i:.. .: i', .. .. .....:.. :3:::.',~ :;.'_,:..*;F::;!:..:~,g>:;,c.::.Z:4e;..?:~..'.:,:':; '. '| ...:: |. ' ? ".". ?:' ======^?===.:= ? :.:~, ..?'..........::.::....:.::~..-*,: ~.~,,~|| l :~j?,~:%~:~ :~; . '.. ' .;.::~. ?2~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~;--- iu A FIGURE 7. David Martin, Joseph Black (1728-1799). Reproduced by kind permission of the Royal Medical Society. .IISZi .. l .,- : , . '.:... .. ,<,,.:,..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~??:r6 FIGURE 8. Sir Henry Raeburn, James Hutton (1726-1797). Reproduced by permission of the National Galleries of Scotland. 596 SIR MICHAEL ATIYAH AlexanderDick andJohn Pringlewere famous physicians,both good friends of Franklin,and Pringlewent on to become president of the Royal Society (of Lon- don). He servedas physicianto the army and was the person who first persuaded generalsthat hospitalsshould not be mili- rid tary targets(figs. 9-10). Duringthe second half of the century the arts beganto flourishin Edinburghas neverbefore, with RobertAdam, the archi- tect who left his markboth on the city and furthersouth, and portraitpainters such as FIGURE 9. Allan Ramsay (attr), Allan Ramsay and Henry Raeburn(figs. Alexander Dick (1703-1785). 11-12). Nor should we forget the lawyer Reproducedby permissionof the and famed biographer,James Boswell, Royal College of Physicians whose writ- of Edinburgh. .... ingsin s have soso. ...l.. ....... .. ...HElg .. ..j ! X enlightened and entertained subsequent .:: ':. ..:'.... ..... generations(fig. 13). However list should incomplete, any ... .. ... ......ll... i........ contain names such as James Watt, of steamengine fame, and John Witherspoon, * .:.' '., ''''II ! A.........;....~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..... ...... who played a prominentpart across the :?..?:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.... Atlantic.I have chosen to mention,in the .. .... .. .. main, those whom Franklingot to know .~~~~~~~~i.:.?i. ?::??i::i........ ? well and with whom he corresponded. TV~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~............ ...... .. i ?:::::;I:': I::. ..?.?:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..........?i::i; In tryingto understandthe Edinburgh ?... ::? i-?: ?? ?:?~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~..~ that attracted and hosted Franklin we ...~~~~~~~~~..."F I GUR ~E ~1 0 Unknow~ ~artist .. ......:~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ should remembertwo things. In the first . place, Edinburghwas a very small,2com- S.1.7.t....... a pact city and everyonein cultivatedcircles knew everyone else. Intellectuallife had a strong social dimension, with wining and dining playing a central and stimu- sketch.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~...roduced .. lating role. In this the minor aristocrats such as Lord Kames and