Autograph Letter Signed from the chemist Frederick Early Tozer ('Fred. E. Tozer') to his former employer Alfred Clay Abraham, of Clay and Abraham, Liverpool pharmacists, comparing New York and Ohio in 1889 with England.

140 lines of text, written out on both sides of a strip of ruled paper, with one side forming two outside 12mo pages (each 13 x 10 cm) by the folding the strip horizontally halfway down, and the reverse carrying one continuous column over a 13 x 20 cm single page. Text clear and complete. Good, on aged paper. Tozer had shone in his training as a pharmacist, with the British Medical Journal reporting his winning in 1881 of a medal in practical pharmacy and dispensing, and a certificate in botany. By 1889 he was working in Castle Street, Liverpool, for A. C. Abraham's firm of Clay & Abraham. In that year he was a witness at the celebrated trial of Mrs Maybrick for her husband's murder. As the present item indicates, shortly after the trial he left Liverpool for the United States, in order to explore other career options (he states in the letter that he does not intend to be an American 'drug clerk'). For more about the recipient A. C. Abraham, chairman of Clay & Abraham, and son of one of the firm's founders John Abraham, see his obituary in the Journal of the Chemical Society, 1942. In a well-written and vivid letter, Tozer begins by describing his 'somewhat perilous journey' by sea to New York. 'The knocking about that we got the latter part of our voyage was fearful [...] Four of us packed in a little cubical space about six feet each way [...] Under such conditions the air gets (to put it mildly) considerably rarified'. The other three in the cabin were 'two Irishmen (one a Catholic lay brother)' and 'an American citizen (a genuine Yankee)'. The prospect at Staten Island looks 'foreign, brighter-coloured more striking foliage'. New York he finds 'dirty, ill-kept streets - in shocking need of repair; paving of the side-walks in a similar condition, the principal streets darkened by their overhead railways (supported on iron uprights at the edges of the sidewalks) and disfigured by unsightly poles carrying the telegraph wires'. He does however see 'some magnificent blocks of buildings of about 14 stories or more - and a very well arranged Post Office'. Describes his journey to Ohio 'by the Erie line passing over a portion of the Allegheny mountains just the tail-end of them much wooded'. He is staying at Ravenna until he has 'got through the ordeal of acclimatisation', but can go and stay on his brother's farm '6 miles north of this' whenever he likes. Ravenna is 'rather a change from the city of Liverpool', and 'a strong healthy man has a much better prospect ahead of him here than in England', but he would 'prefer to be in the drug trade in England than here'. Describes differences from England: 'The roads in wet weather are very muddy veritable sloughs of despond: in dry weather they are over your boots in sand and dust. No paths at the side except in towns. No one goes out walking. Lovers do not take country rambles - but the height of their felicity is to ride out together in a buggy - There seems to be no such thing as an American boy they are all men. An errand boy I have not yet seen: the genus appears to be unknown here.' Describes American girls ('precocious and utterly devoid of shyness [...] fond of fun and a good romp') and boys, the latter going 'right into a store, and pretty soon reckon they know as much as their "boss"'. Describes how 'The teetotalers here are in force'. He himself believes that 'men are physically stronger who take beer in moderation', but means to give abstaining 'a good trial of 6 or 12 mo[nth]s'. Ends with family news of an uncle 'who had come from England in October'. By 1908 Tozer was back in England, selling, from 64 Great Titchfield st, London, 'Capil-Bain for hair preparations'.