[Francis Newbery & Sons, London medicine proprietors.] Manuscript Letter to the Dean of Carlisle [Francis Close), providing a translation of a letter on the best way of taking a medicine.

The history of the business is convoluted. See the entries in the Oxford DNB of the founder of the firm John Newbery (c.1713-1767) of St Paul’s Churchyard, his son Francis Newbery (1743-1818), and Elizabeth Newbery, née Bryant (c.1746-1821, widow of Francis Newbery (c.1740-1780), cousin of the aforementioned Francis, who, according to Oxford DNB, ‘had studied chemistry and medicine but on the death of his father in 1767 he was urged by Samuel Johnson and Robert James to continue the business of publishing and selling patent medicines which he had inherited as the only surviving son. ... After the death of Oliver Goldsmith following an overdose of Dr James's fever powder in 1774, Newbery, who had inherited the patent from his father, wrote a lengthy statement in defence of the medicine.’ In 1779 he split the business, by relocating the patent medicine branch to another part of St Paul’s Churchyard. In 1802 Elizabeth retired and sold the publishing arm to John Harris (1756-1846), who ‘continued the Newbery tradition of publishing children's books, selling the business to Grant and Griffith in 1843’. It is said that on the death of Francis Newbery (son of John), ‘Colonel John Newberry, succeeded him; at the death of the latter in 1854, Mr. Arthur Le Blanc Newbery and Mr. Lionel Newbery took over the business, which was removed in 1869 to 46 St. Paul’s Churchyard. It was in Newgate Street in 1870, and in 1886 (ten years after the present item) the firm described itself as ‘export and wholesale medicine proprietors and merchants’. The letter is 2pp, 4to, with the first page on the recto of the first leaf of a bifolium, and the second page on the verso of the second leaf. In fair condition, lightly aged and creased. Folded three times for postage. Nice engraved letterhead of ‘37, Newgate Street, / (Established 125 Years in St. Paul’s Church Yard,) / London’. To the left of the text, at the top left-hand corner is an engraved illustration captioned ‘John Newbery receiving Oliver Goldsmith on the introduction of Dr. Johnson.’ The text is written in a clear secretarial hand, and signed in a shaky hand ‘F. Newbery & Sons’. Addressed at the head of the letter to ‘The Dean of Carlisle’, and beginning ‘Very Revd. Sir / We are sorry that we have not replied earlier to your letter, but as we judged it better to let you have a complete translation, we supposed ou would excuse a delay which we could not well avoid. / The Translation in question is as under: -’. There follows a thirty-two line English version of what would appear to be a French letter written to the Dean by ‘Saville’. The translated letter concerns the most efficacious way of taking a medication, concluding ‘Permit me to thank you heartily for your good and excellent remarks. We are so thankful to meet with a grateful patient!’