The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-10-07
THE DICKENS DIFFICULT\,

DR. Shelton Mackenzie gives, in ae Phila-
delpHcs Press, long account of th Dickens
dific..ty, from which We take the following
factst
In he year 1887, during the pubgf3ation of
the P,.ckwick Papers, as they are ,&ed-for
the a, tual name of the book is The POSTUM
mousPapers of the Pickwick Club y Charles
Dicks ns married the daughter OF CT les Ho-
garth at that time musical critic of &, London
Morning Chronicle, and now, we bell e, hold
ing o like relation with the Daily Ds. At
that fine, Mr.. Dickens was 20 years ,ld-his
wife t.3out twelve months his junior.
Mr. Hogarth, who thus became ickens's
father law, had been a w. s. in I nburgh,
his ne9ive city. For the benefit of b of our
readGss as are not Scottish, we INF. On them
that he mysterious initials appenC . to Mr.
HogAJth's name signify "Writer to thf Signet"
degree of Csledonian lawyership ; .tween a
counsellor or advocate" and the o.y nary at
tornel or solicitor. He wrote J istory' of
Music, Lockhsrt, in bis Life of : oft, SAYS
that = all who understand the scie', ee speak
highl of it." For our own part, vi bave al
wayssfailed to appreciate this sma volume,
hsviR found it dry and dull, heavy pedan-
| tic. However, on the strength of it his pro-
fessie,, of lawyer being wholly uni ,itable, J
Mr.. george Hogarth removed from ;inburgh
to L9sdou, and set up as newspa r critic
In tn 3 way, though his manner is ~ hard,
he be exhibited some judgment and leat hon
esty, nd now, far advanced in life, sort of
pstrh fch among the newspaper scri' at Lon
don, chiefly remarkable, in private ! :, for in.
sistiss on relating two or three dilap sted an
ecdors about Sir Walter Scott.
TIL Persian proverb prettily ss 81 am
| mot 4 a roae. but | have lived moor ; TIKI,
thout Hogarth was not in any way connected
with colt, ms own relations we're; J lines Bal.
lanty e, SCOTS schoolfellow and lief end, who
trans cted al his business negotiat ana while
the Authorship of Waverley was a q cret. was
msrrrd to George Hogsrth's sister George
Hogssth was frequent guest at his sother-in-
| laws table, where he often met 81 II. Lock.
hart. terry the actor, William Erski the law.
yer, % few more of the select. hus. Ho.
garth could have told numerous arte,dotes OF
Scott but he only remembered thrse, which,
with ,sonderiul tenacity of purpose. he would
relate 10 all listeners, curiously coneiying, to.
Wardst the close of each story, to forget the
point Of 1t, and expressing the ho2k that he
woul remember it better the next TINE.
| Br aght up among literary people, Miss 10.
GARTH had almost an instructive Ting for
Charssss Dickens, even before he pr that i'm.
porta It question to which the fair se 10 rarely
have an opportunity of twice saw j. "No.
The carriage was considered a We, suitable
one the mutual friends Of both e princi
pals, ,pd produced several children. he eldest
neariF man in years, and quite q man in
mind Asnd body. To the eye of I 81 world.
Chsrt3s Dickens and his wife appea, happy
coups,
LII as whispered, however, that M, Dickens
with CHE thrift of Scottish nature. I'd indeed
with 6 properly womanly and wifei care 70,
the fr.ure, seriously objected, years 20, to hel
husbS pd's earelessness in regard none,
MATES, and strongly urged him to ,are now
that Sc might have TO spend hereaA ITO la,
by, nsfact, for rainy day. 1t We appear
by kters in Cockburn's Life of Frey, tina
the es.sat ex-reviewer, who cherished he warm
est ~ ard for Dickens, most ear estly haa
, urged IN him the necessity of makit Q provis
- ion fcs the future, whits his health ID mean
permitted, and that, ef m seven yeaa after hi
marriage, Dickens hs 4 not done thing Q
the KIND. Is
Inathose days, and for ling ne latel
! Dicksns, who had bees lionizsd in fashso