Benjamin Franklin to John Walter, April 17, 1784
Passy April 17. 1784
Sir,
I have received a Book for which I understand I am obliged to you, the Introduction to Logography.— 6 I have read it with Attention, and as far as I understand it am much pleas’d with it. I do not perfectly comprehend the Arrangement of his Cases; but the Reduction of the Number of Pieces, by the Roots of Words and their different Terminations is extreamly ingenious; and I like much the Idea of cementing the Letters, instead of casting Words or Syllables, which I formerly attempted and succeeded in, having invented a Mould and Method by which I could in a few Minutes form a Matrice and adjust it, of any Word in any Fount at pleasure, and proceed to cast from it. I send inclosed a Specimen of some of my Terminations, 7 and would willingly instruct Mr. Johnson in the Method if he desired it, but he has a better.— He mentions some Improvements of Printing that have been proposed, but takes no Notice of one published here at Paris in 1776; so I suppose he has neither seen nor heard of it. It is in a Quarto Pamphlet, intitled, Nouveau Systéme typographique, ou Moyen de diminuer de moitié, dans toutes les Imprimeries de l’Europe le travail et les frais de Composition, de Correction et de Distribution; découvert en 1774 par Madame de ***. Frustra fit per plura quod potest fieri per pauciora. A Paris de L’lmprimerie Royale. M.DCC.LXXVI. — It is dedicated to the King, who was at the Expence of the Experiments. Two Commissaries were named to examine and render an Account of them; they were M. Desmarets of the Academy of Sciences, and M. Barbou an eminent Printer. 8 Their Report concludes thus—“Nous nous contenterons de dire ici que M. de St. Paul a rempli les Engagemens qu’il avoit contractés avec le Gouvernement; que ses Experiences projetées ont été conduites avec beaucoup de Méthode et d’Intelligence de sa part; & que par des calculs longs et pénibles, qui sont le fruit d’un grand nombre de combinaisons raisonnées, il en a deduit plusieurs résultats qui meritent d’etre proposés aux Artistes, & qui nous paroissent propres à éclairer la pratique de L’Imprimerie actuelle, et à en abréger certainement les procédées. … Son projet ne peut que gagner aux contradictions qu’il essuiera sans doute, de la part des gens de l’Art. A Paris le 8 Janvier 1776.”— The Pamphlet consists of 66 Pages containing a Number of Tables, of Words and Parts of Words, Explanations of those Tables, Calculations, answers to Objections, &c. I will endeavour to get one to send you if you desire it. Mine is bound up with others in a Volume. 9 It was after seeing this Piece that I cast the Syllables I send you a sample of. I have not heard that any of the Printers here make at present the least Use of the Invention of Madame de ***. You will observe that it pretended only to lessen the Work by one half; Mr. Johnson’s Method lessens it three fourths. I should be glad to know with what the Letters are cemented. I think cementing better than casting them together, because if one Letter happens to be battered, it may be taken away and another cemented in its Place.— I received no Letter with the Pamphlet. I am Sir, Your most obedient humble Servant
(sign’d) B. Franklin
Mr. Walter