146 HISTORY OF THE PRINTING PRESS IN DERBYSHIRE. 
Thursday Evening and immediately sent to the Houses of every 
Subscriber.” The imprint commences 
DERBY : Printed by Sam. DREWRY in the Market Place: 
and goes on to say that the paper may be had of Mr. Henry 
Allestree and Mr. Jer. Roe; and at Burton, Uttoxeter, Ashborne, 
Ashby-de-la-Zouch and Wirksworth. There are two advertise- 
ments in this preliminary number ; one setting forth the value of 
certain quack medicines sold by Mr. Jer. Roe; the other is worth 
reprinting. 
‘““Whereas the Want of a more speedy Dispatch of LETTERS betwixt 
NOTTINGHAM and DERBY hath been found very inconvenient to the Inhabi- 
tants, not only of Derby, but also of Ashborne, Wirksworth, Burton, and the 
adjacent Places, This is therefore to give Notice, that JAMES HOLMES at the 
Request of the Gentlemen and Tradesmen of the Places aforemention’d, will 
for the future set out from the three Swans in DERBY, Sundays and Thursdays 
about Nine of the clock in the Morning, and put up at the Post-House at 
NorrincHAM, from thence he will return about Four in the Afternoon the same — 
Days for Derby, by whom Le¢¢ers and small Parce/s will be carried with Care 
and at a reasonable Price, and it is desir’d they may be directed to come by 
the said James Holmes. N.B. Letters and Parcels will be taken in any Day 
of the Week at the above-mentioned Places.” 
The succeeding number appeared on March 30th; it is denoted 
“Vou. I, Nuns. I.” ; the head-line is in the same plain Roman 
type, and it has a woodcut initial (pierced for the insertion of a 
metal letter) representing a mounted postman blowing his horn. 
The heading of No. 3 (which appeared April 13th, 1732), isa wood- 
cut 7 inches wide, by 24 inches deep, entitled “ The East Prospect 
of Derby.” The top left-hand corner has a ‘‘ canton” with the 
“Town Arms” ; on the right is a similar view of the ‘“‘ New Town © 
Hall.” This illustration, which is signed ‘‘ WPennock Sculp.,” is 
evidently a faithful picture of old Derby ; but it would be foreign 
to the purpose of this paper were we to comment fully on it now. — 
It is remarkable that the first instalment of news in the specimen 
paper is headed “ From the Republic of Letters,” being a column 
of literary announcements and notices of new books, a feature 
which even now distinguishes the Derby Mercury. Of the local 
