Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1858-06-22
A Card from DIR. Charles Dickens.

Three and twenty years have passed SLICE
l entered upon my present relations with the
public They began when | was SO young
that find them TO have existed Tor nearly q
quarter OF a century.
Through all that time ! have tried to be
rs faithful 70 the pubic a they have bceu to
me. |; was my duty never to tr!tte with
them or to deceive them, or TO presume upon
their favor, or d. any thing WITH II bot work
hard and Justify it. have always endaa-
vured to discharge that duty.
NV conspicuous position has often made
me the sulj,c Of fabulous stories and unac-
countatle statements. Occasionally such
Thugs have chaEed me, OF even wounded me,
but | have always accepted then as the
shad pws inseparatle from the light Of my
notoriety and success. | have never ottral-
cd any such personal u2easness of mine up
on the generous aggregate of my audience.
For the first time IN my life, aud believe
for the last, / DOW deyiare from the principle
| have 80 long observed, by presenting my
self 10 my own j2urnal 10 my own private
character, and entreating ali my brethren
az they deem that they have reason u think
well OF me, and t. kUow tnat'l am a man
who has ever been unalfectodly true TO our
common cailing) to lend their aid to the dis
semination of my present words.
Some domestic trouble of mine of long
standing, on which | will make no further
remark than that it claims TO be respected
as being Of a sacredly private nature, has
lately been brought to an arrangement which
involves 40 anger or il-"iil Of any kind,
and the whole ougiu, progress aud surround
nl nah l.u 49, -
throughout within the knowledge OF nay
children. | is amcasly composed, and It's
details have hat now t. be forgotten by those
concerned III It.
BY some means arising cut Of wickedne5s
or out # folly, or out VI iuCuncclvau!c wild
chance, or out Of all three, this trouble has
been made the occasion Of misrepresentation
IN Jst grossly false, most INDUSTRIOUS and most
crucI-iuvOlVing not OnIy me, but innocent
persons dear ~ my heart and innocent per
sons Of whom | have nO knowledge, ii IN
deed they have any existence 90 widely
spread that doubt il one reader in a thOus.
and will peruse these lines by whom some
touch OF The breath Of these ISLANDERS Will
not have passed like an unwhoesome air.
Those who know me and my nature need
40 assurance under my haHd that such ca
iumuies are a. irrccoEcilab!e with me as
they are, IN this frantic lnCOherebce, "ith
one another. But there is great multitude
who know me through my writing, and who
do nat know me otherwise; and ! cannot
bear that one OF them should be left 10
dou bt, or hazard Of doubt, through my poor
ly shrinking from taking the unusual means
to which | now resort OF circulating the
truth.
most solemnly declare, then-and this
do both 10 my own name aud my wlie's-
that all the lately whispered rumors touch.
ing the trouble at which | have glanced, are
aboninably false, aud that whoever repeats
one Of them alter this denial will Ii" as viii
fully and as iouIly as it il possible for any
false-witness to lie before Heaven and earth.
-HyuSeboN Words. CHARLES Dickens.