Autograph Letter Signed to John William Stuart, on the occasion of his brother Benjamin Whitworth's death.

8vo, 4 pp. Bifolium. Sixty-eight lines of text. Complete and legible, but damaged: grubby and creased, with short closed tears and small hole at gutter. Interesting and informative letter. Stuart's message of condolence on Benjamin Whitworth's death is one of many which 'have been very acceptable more especially to his widow who has been laid aside so long with bad health, his daughters have been quite worn out'. Describes how his brother's health 'began to break down after a slight attack of paralysis some two or three years ago when at John Brown & Co Ld. Directors Meeting [...] shortly before he died his heart also was kept working with injections of Ether'. Whitworth considers Stuart's father to have been 'one of the best friends Whitworth Bros had among a very large circle of friends. His kindness in helping me when I took up the Life Boat work, I can never forget His generous hand was always open to me. He was also so liberal in all efforts to get the closing of Public Houses on Sunday, and not to forget his liberality, to the United Kingdom Alliance, which did such good service, when the Gov[ernmen]t wanted to compensate the publicans'. He is sorry 'Mr James is still so poorly', and hopes 'God will give him good health and many opportunities of carrying on his good work among the poor and destitute'. Concludes: 'Our friends have been very forbearing to the old firm ever since 1879 when such a vile deception was played on us by a brother-in-law of my brother Alfred who has also gone let us hope to a better Home, I am left the only brother, but two sisters are still living'.