IV 
THE EXAMINATION OF DR. BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 
IN THE BRITISH HOUSE OF COMMONS 
RELATIVE TO THE 
REPEAL OF THE AMERICAN STAMP ACT, IN I766% 
From the journal of the House of Commons, as given by 
Mr. Vaughan. 
““ February 3, 1766. Benjamin Franklin and a number of 
other persons ordered to attend the committee of the whole 
House, to whom it was referred to consider farther the several 
papers, which were presented to the House by Mr. Secretary 
Conway. 
“ February 13th. Benjamin Franklin, having passed through 
his examination, was excepted from farther attendance. 
I As soon as the Stamp Act was promulgated in the colonies, a 
cloud of petitions from their various assemblies was showered upon 
the Parliament for its repeal. The stamped paper was rejected as if 
it were poisoned; vessels were forbidden to land it; the distributors 
were compelled to resign their commissions; Hughes dared not show 
himself on the streets, nor did Franklin entirely escape. A caricature 
of the period represents the Devil whispering in his ear: “Ben, you 
shall be my agent throughout my dominions.” His house and family 
even were supposed at one time to be in peril from the mob, as ap- 
pears by the following extract from a letter written him by his wife 
on the 22d September: 
“You will see by the papers what work has happened in other 
places, and something has been said relative to raising a mob in this 
place. I was for nine days kept in a continual hurry by people to 
remove; and Sally was persuaded to go to Burlington [the residence 
of her brother, the governor] for safety; but, on Monday last, we had 
very great rejoicing on account of the change in the ministry, and a 
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