The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-10


the Baltimore Sun, and adopt its remark, as
our own Ed. Nldisonian.
DICKENS IN THE LONDON CHRONICLE
We copied the other day from a New York pa
per. the Iatter certain extracts purportng 10 be-
portions of a letter written by Charles Dickens 10 Tho
editor of the London Morning Chronicle We ha,,
since had some cause to doubt the authenticity OF tins
pretended ''second tier" and now we can no on.,
hesitate 10 believe that II is an lnvldous for en
made in the Office Of the Tattler, whether for sport
TO crafty personal pque, we are unable 10 guos,
We are however, unwilling to remain the innoccui
of lnfctng injury upon any man, and still more
unwilling when the individual IN question Is himself
absent, and consequently unable TO defend hi, oNu
fame. The "second letter." il Is pretended q,
boldly published IN the Sunday Times, and contain,
within itself evidence sufficient 10 confirm doubt,
of It's authenticity. Such Pathological and iurl,-
giant expression as selecting out characters never
came from the pen of Charles Dickens. In the org-
nal article in the Tattler, paragraph from the real
letter of Dickens adrotly used 10 lead of u,
spurious extracts" and the whole well cacu-
lated to deceive. We annex the genuine circular"
as il appeared in the London Chronicle of the 9Th
of July
l. Devoushire terrace, York gate
Regents Park, 7th July, lS42
You may perhaps be aware, that during my sta,
in America, lost no opportunity Of endeayoring to
awaken the public mind to sense of the unlus
and niquitous state Of the law in that country, m
reference to the wholesale piracy Of British work,
Having been successful IN making the subject on,
Of general discussion in the United States carried
to Washington, for presentation to Congress by Nh
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 man who has distinguished himself in the mt
eratIre of America, and has since been referred
to a select committee of the House of Repre- senta-
tiyes
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
of learning and letters in the United Staesat which
a memorial against any change In the existing state
of things III this respect was agreed to, with but
dssentent voice This document, which, incredible
as il may appear to you, was actually forwarded 10
Congress and received, deliberately stated, that
English authors were invested with any control
the republication of their own books, ii would
be no longer possible for American editors TO alter
and adapt them Gas they do now,) to the America
taste
to by Mr.. Prescott, who commented, with the uatu-
raj indignation of gentleman and man of letters
upon its extraordinary dishonesty / am satisfied that
this brief mention Of its tone and spirit Is sufficient
to impress you with the conviction that it become,
all those who in any way connected with the lt-
erature of Eng land, to take that high stand to which
the nature Of their pursuits and the extent Of then
sphere and usefulness justly entitle them, to dis
courage the upholders Of such doctrines by every
means in their power, and to hold themselves aoot
from any participation in system from which tur
moral and honorable feeling Of all lust m,u
must instinctvely recoil.
For myself have resolved that will never from
this time, enter into any negotiation with any person
for the Transmission across the Atlantic, of cary
proofs of anything mry write; and that will fore.
go all profit dervable from such source. | do not
venture to urge this line OF proceeding upon YOU Ju
would beg to suggest, and to lay great stress upon
the necessity OF observing one other course OF
ton, to which cannot too emphatcally call your
attention
The persons no exert themselves to mslead Tie
American public on this question--to put down ii,
discussion-and to suppress and dstort the truth
reference to it, in every possible way, Gas you
may easily suppose, } those who have a strong inter
est IN the existing system Of piracy aud 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 earn bread
by the exercise of their own. hcse the editor,
and proprietors Of newspapers almost exclusively
devoted to the republication Of popular English
works They are, for the most part, men of very
low attainments, and of more than Indifferent rcp
taion and have frequently seen them in the same
sheet in which they boast of the rapid sale of mann
thousand copies of an English reprint, coarscN
and nsolently attacking the author of that yer,
book and heaping scurrIlity and SANDER upon hs
head
would therefore entreat you IN the name OF tho
HoHoTaDc pursuit WIN winch you are SO lnnnIrN
connected, never TO hold correspondence with any o
these men, and never 10 negotiate with them for tic
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
E Our common interest III this subject, and my ads
cacy OF IT, slnge-handed, on every occasion that las
presented itself during my absence from Emup,
form my excuse for addressing you. And | tu.
faithfully yours,