[ Edward Mason Wrench, an Englishman in New York City in 1881. ] Cyclostyled pamphlet, in facsimile of his handwriting, with illustrations by him, describing in vivid terms for his children a visit to New York.

6pp., 12mo. Cyclostyled in purple ink on two loose leaves of 8vo paper (one printed on one side only, and the other on both sides). A facsimile of small handwriting, with five illustrations, including one captioned 'Steamer on the Hudson River' (the others a view of the Brooklyn Bridge from the river, a silhouette of a racing 'sulky' carriage, a steamer, and an ancient statue 'From Cyprus'). In fair condition, lightly-aged, with light rust marks from a paperclip. The second sheet, of four pages, ends abruptly, with a pencil note: 'concluding pages wanted'. The text begins: 'New York. | My dear Children | My last letter was written on board the "Catalonia" dated I think Sepr. 27. 1881. and described the voyage from England and now Oct 22nd. I am on my voyage home and you may have thought from my long silence that I had forgotten my promise to send you letters describing all I saw. You will I'm sure forgive me when I tell you that since I landed at New York 23 days ago, I have travelled about 5,000 by Railway, visited twenty four important places and been in Railway Cars every day but three out of the twenty three.' As the description proceeds he states: 'I was in New York 28 years ago and found it is of course much larger & much improved from what was in 1853. But I found no difficulty finding my way about and though I was there this time only 36 hours, I saw a great deal of it. Going nearly all round it and from one side of it (namely the Battery) to the other (155th Street) over eight miles in what is called the elevated Rail Road which I will describe on my next sheet.' The second sheet describes a visit to Wall Street, a ride in a 'sulky', 'the new Museum in the Park', Central Park and its 'Egyptian Obelisk very like but not so large as our Cleopatra's Needle', the 'enormous Hotels' (he stays at the Brunswick), changing money, 'a Ticket Shop in Broadway', 'the great River Steamers' on the Hudson. The text ends: 'Then there were curious looking tugs towing ships ten times as big as themselves like the pepper pot pulling the castors and canal boats coming down in crowds, with women hanging out clothes to dry, and children & dogs playing on their decks as if they were gardens. Which indeed they resembled, being often loaded with piles of great yellow pumpkins and water melons as large as millstones - I walked to the point of the City nearest the sea where is situated an old round Fort in which in 1853 the then famous Band Master "Julien," was giving [...]'. For more on Wrench, who served in the Crimean War and the Indian Mutiny, see his obituary in the British Medical Journal, 27 April 1912. Wrench is not named on the present item, but it comes from a collection of similar cyclostyled letters acquired from a member of the family. The present item does not appear to be present in the Wrench Papers at Nottingham University Library.