The Strand, at the end of the last century and beginning of the present, when a much narrower street than it is now, and when Exeter ‘Change occupied a large area of the road-way between the present Lyceum Theatre and Exeter Street, contained several booksellers and publishers of distinction. Amongst these was the house of Alderman Thomas Cadell, which occupied the site of old Jacob Tonson's (the Shakspeare Head). Andrew Miller, a friend of Thomson, Fielding, Hume, Robertson, was the master of Alderman Cadell.

At the period to which my notes chiefly relate, Alderman Thomas Cadell was living in the Strand, and I had the pleasure of being occasionally in his society. He resigned the business to his Son and to William Davies, jointly, who long traded under the well-known firm of “Cadell and Davies.” The Alderman was accustomed to say that he was chiefly indebted for his prosperity to the works of four “Bees, ’ alluding to four popular publications: “Blair's Sermons, ” “Blackstone's Commentaries, ” “Burn's Justice of the Peace, ” and “Buchan's Domestic Medicine.” Johnson's “Dictionary, ” and Hume and Smollett's “History of England, ” were also amongst the valuable copyrights belonging to this firm. In reference to the two publications lastmentioned, this establishment, in conjunction with Longman and Co., who were part proprietors with them in those and other works, had to encounter a vigorous opposition from other booksellers when the copyrights expired; but their operations were so judiciously and promptly conducted that they effectually maintained their ground.