Letter from Samuel Holmes, New Jersey to Robert Young

My dear Bob,
Yesterday I received yours of 6th- and today I have got yours of 2nd-. The 6th- letter came by –‘……………’ (1). This will go by the ‘Royal George’. I wonder how they decided upon the name ‘Royal George’. I suppose it must be from the Old Man of War ‘Royal George’ which capsized and drowned a great many sailors, amongst whom was a Holmes. I think George Holmes, a sailor, and I believe a brother of my grandfather, Samuel Holmes of Leeds.
In my last, or one of my last letters I spoke of Publishers. I still think you will find it advantageous to have a Publisher that has a house here, as I explained. It will give you a wider market among people who are interested in the subject – ‘Railroad people’.
Of course I only say what I do because I am interested in all you do, for I hope you will make a great success, or as great a success in merchandising the book as you have made of it in writing it. My special interest in it comes with the little contribution to its pages. I of course have no interest in its commercial success, which I hope for your sake will be considerable, but I know Publishers, and rate them as the closest set of business men extant. They want it all. They are hogs, so be prepared for difficulties in this direction.
I think the ‘Engineer’, ‘Engineering’ & ‘The Locomotive’ will be fine to advertise the book ^(but scarcely to act as publishers ^. A good ad in the weekly trade papers might to (sic) produce a larger clientele of buyers.
This is your special matter and I merely allude to it because I desire to advise where ever I have any experience. Spottiswood printed my sister Lizzie’s ‘Esther’ and another man published it, but we had to pay the bill. I send you the New York Times Review of Books May 16th this to enable you to get the names of America publishers by referring to your Directory, or as with us, the Telephone Book. You will find addresses for all the large houses also established in London. Now don’t think I am interfering. I am only sharing my desire to suggest anything that I think may help you. I always omitted to say my type writer (sic) missed six pages, and I had to have one page cut in two to enable the omitted pages to be included in the proper place. You will observe the place, but it reads right on consecutively. This was the cause of a week’s delay in forwarding. Please tell Edith (wife of Robert Young) it won’t be all Hackworth after this is out of the way Gertrude (wife of Samuel Holmes) is better. Her sister Amy has been with us six weeks but leaves us today. Give my love to the children. I don’t want them to forget me.
Yours affectionately,
Samuel Holmes.
(1) One word indecipherable.