riod, in almost all cities--in those of Europe as well as those of
America. In connection with this subject Franklin relates an incident that
occurred when he was in London, which illustrates very strikingly both the
condition of the cities in those days, and the peculiar traits of
Franklin's character. It seems that he found one morning at the door of
his lodgings a poor woman sweeping the pavement with a birch broom. She
appeared very pale and feeble, as if just recovering from a fit of
sickness. "I asked her," says Franklin, "who employed her to sweep there."
"Nobody," said she, "but I am poor and in distress, and I sweeps before
gentlefolks' doors and hopes they will give me something."

Instead of driving the poor woman away, Franklin set her at work to sweep
the whole street clean, saying that when she had done it he would pay her
a shilling. She worked diligently all the morning upon the task which
Franklin had assigned her, and at noon came for her shilling. This
incident, trifling as it might seem, led Franklin to a long train of
reflections and calculations in respect to the sweeping of the streets of
cities, and to the formation of plans which were afterward adopted with
much success.

In the year 1755, Franklin became connected with the famous expedition of
General Braddock in the western part of Pennsylvania, which ended so
disastrously. A new war had broken out between the French and the English,
and the French, who had long held possession of Canada, and had gradually
been extending their posts down into the valley of the Mississippi, at
length took possession of the point of confluence of the Monongahela and
Alleghany rivers, where Pittsburg now stands. Here they built a fort,
which they called Fort Du Quesne. From this fort, as the English allege,
the French organized bands of Indians from the tribes which lived in the
neighborhood, and made predatory incursions into the English colonies,
especially into Pennsylvania. The English government accordingly sent
General Braddock at the head of a large force, with instructions to march
through the woods, take the fort, and thus put an end to these incursions.

General Braddock landed with his troops at a port in Virginia, and thence
marched into Maryland on his way to Pennsylvania. He soon found himself in
very serious difficulty, however, from being unable to procure wagons for
the transportation of the military stores and other baggage which it was
necessa