The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-08-11

I'VE copy with pleasure the following from
the Baltimore Sun, and adopt its remarks as
our own. ED. Madisonian.
DICKENS IN THE LONDON CHRONICLE.
We copied the other day from New York pa
per- the FATHER certain extracts purporting to be
portions OF letter written by Charles Dickens to the
editor OF the London Morning Chronicle We have
since had some cause to doubt the authenticity Of this
pretended "second letter." and now no longer
hesitate to believe that it is an invdous forgery
made in the Office of the Tattler whether for sport
or to crafty personal pique,we unable to guess.
We are, however, unwilling to remain the innocent
cause of nfictng injury upon any man. and still more
unwilling when the individual in question is himself
absent, and consequently unable to defend his own
fame. The ''second letter." as it is pretended, is
boldly published in the Sunday Times and contains
within Itself evidence sufficient to confirm our doubts
OF Its authenticity. Such Pathological and inele-
CANT expression selectng out characters - never
came from the pen of Charles Dickens In the orgi-
nal article in the Tatter, paragraph from the real
letter OF Dickens was adroitly used to lead off the
spurious EXTRACTS" and the whole was well calcu-
lated to deceive we annex the genuine ''crcular,"
as it appeared in the London Chronicle of the 9Th
of July
l, Devonshire. terrace, York gate,
Regents Park, 7th July, 1912
You may perhaps be aware, that during my stay
in America, lost no opportunity of endeavoring to
awaken the public mind to sense of the unjust
and inquitous state Of the law in that country, in
reference to the wholesale piracy of British works
Having been successful in making the subject one
of general discussion in the United States carried
to Washington, for presentation to Congress by Mr..
Clay, petition from the whole body Of American
authors, earnestly praying for the enactment of
international copyright law 1t was signed by Mr..
Washington Irving, Mr. Prescott, Mr.. Cooper and
every who has distinguished himself in the lit
erature of America, and has since been referred
to a select committee Of the House of Representa-
tives.
To counterfeit any fact which might be produced
by that petition meeting was held in Boston
which you will remember, is the seat and stronghold
ofearnng and letters in the United States-at which
a memorial against any change in the existing state
of things in this respect agreed to, with but one
dissentient voice. This document which, incredible
it may appear to you, was actually forwarded to
Congress and received, deliberately stated, that if
English authors were invested with any control
over the republication of their own books it would
be no longer possible for American editors to alter
and adapt them Gas they do now,) to the American
taste
The memorial was, without loss Of time, replied
to by Mr.. Prescott, who commented, with the natu-
raj indignation of gentleman and man of letters,
upon its extraordinary dishonesty. satisfied that
this brief mention of its tone and spirit is sufficient
to impress you with the conviction that it becomes
all those who in any way connected with the lit
erature of England to take that high stand to which
the nature of their pursuits and the extent of their
sphere and usefulness justly entite them, to dis
courage the upholders of such doctrines by every
means in their power, and to hold themselves aloof
from any participation in system from which the
moral sense and honorable feeling of all Just men
must instinctivey reco
For myself, have resolved that will never, from
this time, enter into any negotiation with any person
for the transmission across the Atlantic, Of early
proofs of anything mry write and that will fore
go all profit derivable from such source. do not
venture to urge this line of proceeding upon you but
would beg to suggest, and to lay great stress upon
the necessity of observing one other of ac-
ton, to which cannot too emphatically call your
attention.
The persons who exert themselves to mislead the
American public on this question-to put down its
discusson-and to suppress and dstort the truth in
reference to it, in every possible way are Gas you
may easily suppose,) those who have strong inter
est in the existing system of piracy and plumber; in
asmuch as so long as it continues, they gain very
comfortable living out Of the brains of other men,
while they would find it very difficult to bread
by the exercise of their own These the editors
devoted to the republication of popular English
works. They are, for the most part, men Of very
low attainments and of more than Indifferent repu-
tation; and have frequently seen them in the
sheet in which they boast Of the rapid sale of many
thousand copies of an English reprint, coarsely
and insolenty attacking the author of that very
book, and heaping scurrlity and SANDER upon his
head.
would therefore entreat you, in the name of the
honorable pursuit with which you so intimately
connected never to hold correspondence with any Of
these men, and never to negotiate with them for the
sale of early proofs of any work which you may
have control but to treat all occasions with some
respectable American publishing house, and with
such an establishment only.
a. Our common interest in this subject, and my advo-
cacy of it, sngle-handed, every that has
presented itself during my absence from Europe,
form my excuse for addressing you. And l am
faithfully yours,
CHARLES DICKENS.