POWN'ALL, THO.MAS (1722-1805). An Eng lish statesman and colonial official. He was horn probably at Lincoln. graduated at Trinity College, Cambridge. in 1743. and soon afterwards obtained a place in the office of the Board of Trade and Plantations. In 1753 he came to New York as private secretary to Governor Osborn. The next year lie was present at the Albany Con gress, and while there became convinced of the desirability of intercolonial union. About this time he made the acquaintance of Benjamin Franklin, and the friendship then formed lasted until Franklin's death. In 1757 Pownall became Governor of :Massachusetts, and shortly after wards of New Jersey also, but soon resigned the latter office. He was very active in raising troops to fight against the French, and for a time was popular, but ultimately his vanity and love of gay attire and society gained him the of many. Having grown tired of his office and ap plied for his recall, he was in 1759 appointed Governor of South Carolina, but he returned to England without visiting that colony. In Eng land he proved himself a stanch friend of the colonists. He contended that they were entitled to the same rights as Englishmen. and proposed a scheme for what would now be called 'imperial federation.' From 176S to 1780 he was a mem
ber of Parliament. and as such denounced the oppressive acts directed at the Americans; but when war broke out be gave some support to Lord North, and opposed Burke's conciliatory bill of November. 1775. Soon afterwards, how ever, he declared that the colonies were lost forever, urged that to circumvent the French a commercial treaty should be negotiated with the colonists, and in 1780 brought in a bill for mak ing peace. By most of his contemporaries Pown all was regarded as a visionary on political mat ters, but he really possessed profound insight, and be foresaw, among other things, the future preponderance of the English race in America. As a scientist, antiquary, and man of letters he was better appreciated, and was a member of the Society of Antiquaries and of the Royal So ciety. He wrote on a great variety of subjects. His works include: Administration of the Colo nies (1764) ; Topographical Description of the Middle Colonies (1776) ; Memorial to the Sover eigns of America (1783) ; Hydraulic and Nauti cal on the Currents of the Atlantic Ocean, with notes by Dr. Franklin (1787) ; and to the Sovereigns of Europe and the Atlantic (1S03).