The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-02-06 00:00:00

DICKENS S " CHEERYBLE BROTHERS.'

• The following interesting letter appears in the
Athen,Tuna from Mr. John Evans: My attention has 1
been called to a note on Mr. Charles Dickens and the
"Cheeryble Brothers" in your issue of the 16th inst.
In this it is stated, (1) "When Dickens, accompanied
by his friends Forster and Ainsworth, visited Man-
chester, in 1838," &c.; and (2) "It appears, although
it has been surmised otherwise, that Dickens never
met the Grants, tor he says, in the preface to editions
of Nicholas Nickleby ' published since its first issue,
that he never interchanged any communication with
the originals of the Brothers Cheeryble." These
statements are of comparatively little interest or
importance ; but as they will be received with
more than ordinary credence by appearing in
your columns, I venture (I hope this time finally)
to correct them. Dickens and Forster, when they
paid their first visit to Manchester, in 1838, were not ac-
companied by Ainsworth. They came with letters of
introduction from Ainsworth to his two principal
Manchester friends, Messrs. Gilbert Winter and
tames Crossley. The former, with his wonted
hospitality, gave a dinner-party at his residence tho
Stocks, Cheetham-hill-road, in honour of the two dis-
tinguished strangers. That dinner party consisted of
the host (Gilbert Winter), Dickens, Forster, Canon
Parkinson, James Crossley, James Collier Harter,
William and Daniel Grant. Dickens sat between
Mr. Harter and Mr. Crossley, and it was during the
dinner the latter gave Dickens a few particulars con-
cerning the two quiet but genial-looking men who
wero their companions at the table, William and Daniel
Grant. This-is no" surmise," as I had these particu-
lars more than thirty-five years ago direct
from two of the guests present, Canon
grarkinson and James Crossley. Further
I may say, Crossley gave me the same details within
the last eight years at his then residence in Caven-
dish-place ; and, singular to relate, I was talking with
him, three or four days before he died, in the very
room in which the memorable dinner-party was held,
of which (among other notable banquets at which he
bad " assisted" in the same room) he gave another
vivid account. Crossley's memory up to the last was
extraordinary; but, as his intimate friends well know,
if it Wa3 more retentive on one point than another, it
was concerning the menu, wines, and guests of any
good dinner party at which he had been present. I
may further remark that Ainsworth during his last
visit here, in September, 1881, gave me full par-
ticalars of how Dickens met the Grants at the
aforesaid dinner party, or which Dickens had given
him (Ainsworth) an account upon his return to
London. Ainsworth at the same time, referring
1.1) Dickens's statement that he " never interchanged
any communication in his life" with the originals of
the Cheeryble Brothers, remarked that the novelist
certainly "nsver interchanged any communication"
with the Grants, that he only mot them once in the
flesh, on the occasion noted, and that all he knew
about them was derived from conversations he had
with Crossley and himself. Simply to "clear the air,"
I may add that Dickens and Forster's visit to Man-
chester in company with Ainsworth, mentioned in
your note, was at a subsequent period (in January,
1839), which is conclusively shown by the following
paragraph in a Manchester newspaper of Jannary 19,
1839: "Mr. Charles Dickens (‘ Boz '), Mr. W. H.
Ainsworth, the author of t.Rookwood,' and Mr.
Forster, the author of the'Life of Cromwell,' have
been sojourning in this town since Saturday last. On
Sunday the literary trio attended divine service at
the Collegiate Church, when the Rev. R. Parkinson,
8.D., preached a most admirable sermon oa the late
hurricane."

" Rainy-aay bonnets" are adopted by New York
belles when obliged to go out in bad weather. They
are made of waterproof stuff to match the cloak or
ulster, but are so elaborately trimmed with waterproof
ribbon as to form quite coquettish head-gear.,
"How is it that you on tell such whoppers P"
asked a caller, addressing the editor of the fish-story
department. "Well, you see," replied the editor,
"our wife's name is Anna." " What has that to do
with it ?" "A great deal. When we are writing fish
stories we usually have Anna nigh us to help us."
The caller was carried to the hospital.
Two card-playing friends were passing through a
pine forest in Maine, when one asked the other
this audacious conundrum : "Why cannot the
proprietor of the forest fell his own timber'?" "Be-
cause no one is allowed to cut when it is his own
deal."