Philip Syng was born in Ireland in November 1703 the son of Philip Syng, who with his son arrived at Annapolis, Md. in September 1714, and who there died in 1739. The son had before this settled in Philadelphia, as we find him in the Franklin circle, a member of the Junto and in 1731 one of the first Directors of the new Library Company. He acquired a high reputation as a silver-smith, his skill being shown by several works of art yet in existence, one being an inkstand made by him in 1752 for the General Assembly of Pennsylvania, and used by the Continental Congress while in Philadelphia, and at the signing of the Declaration of Independence, and yet preserved in the Hall to which the latter gave its name. He engraved the first seal for the Library Company. He was a member of the noted "Fishing Company of the State in Schuylkill" as it was called. He was one of the Associators of 1747; a Vestryman of Christ Church from 1747 to 1749; and a signer of the Non Importation Resolutions of 1765. He was devoted to scientific pursuits, and the developments of the times in the use and force of Electricity were aided by his experiments and discoveries, and Franklin made acknowledgment of the aid he had furnished him in many of his experiments. In a note to his letter of 11 July, 1747 to Mr. Collinson, Franklin refers to certain experiments "by means of little, light windmill wheels made of stiff paper vanes" as "made and communicated to me by my worthy and ingenious friend Mr Philip Syng;" and of another experiment, thus, "His simple, easily made machine was a contrivance of Mr. Syng's."[1] Franklin could appreciate the ingenuity of such a skilful craftsman. He lived to a great age, and dying 8 May, 1789, was buried in Christ Church Burying Ground. One of his daughters married Edmund Physick and became the mother of
- ↑ Bigelow, ii. 66. He writes Franklin the following letter:
Philadelphia, March 1, 1766.
Dear Sir—I received yours of 26th of September last with your very agreeable Present Doctor Lewis's new Work. You judged very right that I should find in it entertaining Particulars in my Way—the Management of Gold & Silver is treated of in it better & more particularly than I have met with in any Author.
The regard you have always shewn me requires my acknowledgment, which I wish to make by serviceable Actions, because they speak louder than Words, but I fear I shall be insolvent. The Junto fainted last Summer in the hot Weather and
