Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Part 19 summary

What happens

1. Denny offers friendship and rewards, but Franklin refuses favors and opposes instructions that place proprietary interests above public interests.
2. The Assembly appoints Franklin its agent, while Loudoun pressures it into a funding compromise and repeatedly delays Franklin’s departure.
3. During the crossing, shifting water casks improves the ship’s speed, and Kennedy’s quick action prevents a collision with lighthouse rocks.
4. In London, Granville claims royal instructions bind the colonies as laws, while Franklin argues that legislation requires the Assemblies’ consent.
5. The proprietors delay answering Franklin’s complaints, then challenge an act that taxes their estate alongside other estates.
6. Franklin guarantees fair taxation, the Council permits the act, and an Assembly investigation confirms fairness; the proprietors dismiss Denny.

In this part

What to notice

Franklin makes mutual consent the basis of colonial legislation. This directly challenges Granville’s claim that royal instructions alone bind the colonies.

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