St. Mary's beacon., 1858-05-20

Dickenss Story Of tho Origin Of Pick
wick,

Mr.. Dickens las lattcrl: been issuing what
Is called popular edition .: lis w"FES. N
which he treats Us u that little account If the
origin IT Pick w.ici, and row eagerly we rush
behind the scen,s to sce how they contriyed
the thunder:
81 was young man OF three and twenty
when the prescn. publishers, attracted by
somc pieces / was at that time writing III TIE
Morning Chronicle newspaper, (uf which one
series had lately BEEN collected ayai published
In two volumes, illustrated hy my c>tecnc,l
friend. Mr.. George CruiksIank.l waited upca
me to propose soaDetling that sh"uid hc pub
lished in shilling numbcrs-tcT only known 70
me, or believe TO anybody else, ny n dim re-
collection Uf certain intcrm!nable novels u! that
form whicl used ~ he carried about the c','iii-
try by pedlcrs. aid over some If which re-
member to have shed innum"ralle tears before
! had served my apprenticeship TO Life.
when ! opened my door III Furnivai's Int!
10 the managing partner VII" represented the
firm, recognised in the person from whose
hands had bought, two or three years prevl-
OllSly, and whom had never seen before Or
since, my first copy of the magazine in which
my frst cffusion-Ciropped stcalthIiy onecvcn-
ing at twilight, with fear and trembling, into
a dark letter box, in q dark Office, up dark
COURT Tteet SlTcel-dppSdtVNi LIl r51''i1
of print; on which memorable occasion-how
well recolIect il Il walked down TO West
minister Hall and turned into it for half All
hour because my eyes were dsmmcd with
Joy and pride that they could not bear tine
street, and were not fit To be seen there.
told my visitor the coincidence, which we both
hailed as good omen, and 80 fell to business.
Tho idc;. propUun.el to me was that the
,v,o,.tlI,. cI,,lj bc yalicln f,r
certain plates to bc executed by Mr.. Seymour
and there was notiun either on the part Of
that admirable humorous artist or Of my visitor
II forget which, that Niinrod Club, tie mcm-
bcrs Of which were to 3 out sio"ting, fishing,
and so forth, and getting themselves into diff
culties through their want "f dcxterity, would
be the best means Of introducing these. ] OBJ
jcctcd on consideration. that, although born
and partly bred in the country, was 10 great
sportsman, except in regard ~ all kinds of 10
comotiOn but that the ilya was not novel,
and had Ecen already much used; that Il would
he infinitely better for plates 10 arse naturally
out Of the text and tl.at sl.ou!d like 10 take
my own way. a free range of English scenes
and people and was afraid sh'Illd ultimate
j. do so in any case, whatever course | ight
prescribe 10 myself at star:in:. My views
being deferred, ] thought OF Mr. pickwick, and
wrote the first number, from the rr. ot-shcctS
Of which Mr.. Seymour made his drawing of
the club, and that happy portrait of its funn-
der by which he is always recognised, and which
may be said to have made linn a reality. |
connected Mr. Pckwick with club because
of the original suggestion, and | put in Mr..
Winkle expressly for the u~e Of Mr.. Seymour.
We started with Number Of twentv-four
pages instead Of thirty-two. and four illustra-
tions in lieu # couple. Mr.. Seymour's sud-
den and lamcntcd death before the second
number published, brought about a quick de-
cisioa upon point already in agitation; the
number became ore Of tIirty-two pages, with
two illustrations, and remained 5" to the end.
Ny friends told re il was :. l",r, cheap form
Of pubicatul by which shoa!d ruin all my
rising hopes and how right my friends turned
out 10 bc, every h"ly row krows.
"'Bnz, my signature iE ;hc Morning Chr"n-
icle, appended To the monthly cover # ;his
book, and retained long afterwards, was the
nickname OF a pet child. q younger brother,
whom had dubbed Moses, III honor Of tLc
Vicar of Wakefield, which being f;.octinus!y
pronounced through the nose. EccarG" Buscs.
and being shortened became Boz. Boz WAS
. very familiar household word to ne long be-
fore ] was al author, and So CAME to adopt
it."