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Document number: 6834
Date: Aug 1853
Recipient: TALBOT William Henry Fox
Author: JOHNSON William
Collection: British Library, London, Manuscripts - Fox Talbot Collection
Collection number historic: LA53-030
Last updated: 1st September 2003

<engraved/printed address>

Patent Office and Designs Registry,

(Practical Mechanic’s Journal Office,)

47 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

August 1853

<at top left: royal coat of arms with addresses>

London,

47 Lincoln’s Inn Fields.

Glasgow,

166 Buchanan Street.

Edinburgh.

20 St. Andrew’s <sic> Square

Sir

As I observe that you have recently sealed a Patent for Improvements in obtaining motive power and as it is probable that you may require illustrations of your invention as circulars, I take the liberty of making a proposal, by which you may have such circulars, at a slight expense, and in a much more elegant form than usual

To explain my proposal, I inclose <sic> a circular on the plan to which I allude, the engraving and descriptive letter press having appeared in the Practical Mechanic’s Journal. I shall be glad to engrave your improvements in a similar manner, and give you any number of copies of the plate, and description, you may require, on your paying a portion of the expence <sic> of the engraving, the sum to be determined, when your drawings are before me.

I am induced to bring this under your notice, from the enormous cost of producing plates, in the style given in the Practical Mechanic’s Journal, when unassisted in this manner, and from my constantly receiving circulars, with inferior lithographs, which have involved the Patentees, in more expence, than would have been incurred, by the adoption of this plan.

In addition to the advantage of obtaining an elegant circular, at a very slight cost, it must be observed, that a great extent of publicity is obtained for the invention, by its appearance in this Journal, and this entirely free of all cost.

I may add, that, should you adopt this suggestion, and should you, at any time hereafter, require an additional supply of the engravings, you shall be furnished with them at the bare cost of printing and paper.

I send you, by this post, a stamped copy of this Journal, which is however, no example of the getting up of the work, being printed upon extremely thin paper for transmission by post.

I am Your obt Servt:

Wm Johnson

Editor