The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1865-12-18


lad best give it At once ,
Il is announced that CHARLES DICKENS con-
templates visit 10 thls co"hAS "e
next spring or summer.
Twas about twenty five years ago, We 'h'',A'
when Mr.. Dickens first did our country the
honor of a visit He dropped i'll upon us III Il
neishborly way, and was received WIN III
uense hospitality AT that time, though Il
xounr man, he was in the meridian OF MS 1aNie'
and his popularity, in the United States rs /"
England. was unbounded. We greeted MIN
with q perfect ftt,ore of enthusiasm A"e'
were some people whothought we rather over
did the matter. They said we Went GOWN upon
ALL tours. as it were, before this promising
,,ho,, If the British lion But the truth Is, there
never WAS a more genuine outbnrst OF soou
feeling than that which the great mass % o'i
people displayed towards DIckkNS' SUM
fiunkyism there was, there always VIII oe'
but the most Of us loved Boz ike 4 oro .hei
We identified the man with his works, and ms
.,,o-,,s nod ALWAYS been true TO humanity. We
were his debtors for q vast amount OF 1"n' a"'''
,,,n.t WAS better he had taught us TO sympa-
thiya with the poor and suffering he hao
never degraded his pen by servility to rank ana
,,ouer His heroes and heroines had been al
y,ys of the common mould, and when noble
man figured in his productions II was not hhuei
tn his advantage. Such Il genius ana s"cn
nature as shone in his pages toucheo -" eieo'
trio chord in the soul of this republican country
wv. welcomed him with both hands and our
whole heart
His first speech at Boston festival rather
opened our eyes. 1t was evident III tha' spee'n
that. while we fancied him hugely, ne oio hui
~,uci, fancy MS That makes great difference
in natters Of friendship and love 1hose sen
,iments. TO live long, must be somewhat reel
urocal Perhaps we did not deserve 4 fe LUZ -
our confiding affections, but the A'"i' '1
Dickens found with us in his first speech anu
a great many other speeches, neeo no. nav
nude our char1ner so cold ana the making
the constant bhrthen Of his song was not cal
g .rI.,oa 10 raise him in our esteem. One great
ain which it appeared he had come across the
water to reform, was the neglect to protect oy
a cony right law the property OF BRUSH au
thors in their productions. No one can dls-
nuta the Justice of such a law, and 1t ought 70
have been enacted long ago, but we hs'u NJ
exuected to be lectured on our shor'co''lA"e'
at that time, in that way, ana Dy 'i'' mo-
IT gave a kind of mercenary aspect 10 our ga,
cavalier that chilled the ardor OF o"i 1o'
affections and dispelled the halo OF roman.
that had encircled our heros prov o"' ~.
festivities to DICKENS went Oh Ill 'n0 e'ln'
and his progress through the country was
perfect ovation.
At last. having spent two Woh'hs la 'A"'o'
ing through sixteen States OF the Aheie"
Union. MI CHARLES DICKENS returned 10 Go
rope and wrote a book. Weexpecteo ~ "oul
,,a a candid, lust and somewhat friendly est
mota of our national character and habits. w
did not look for anything very PHILOSOPHERS
or nrofound, but had the right to anpcl
nate 9, brilliant and good humored por traltul
If American life. There were some Wn0 pre-
ilicted we should catch it, but 1t was DeneEe
that II satirized at all, 1t would be III such ~
tistic style that we should enjoy our own I'll
section. But we were all TO be grieVousIy al
.cr,ointed. The book owe rflowed with gall an
venom. There was scarcely drop OF the mi
of human kindness in it. 1t out-Trollopt
Trollope. and in downright misrepresentation
and abuse threw HALL and MARYATT into II
shade. AS q specimen of wit and humor,
was beneath contempt. lie came Oack
us in the same style in " Martin ChuZzlewlt'
Instead of Damascus blade OF bright ana Irel
chant satire, he cut us up with rusty butche
knife which, considering us nation OF SWIM
he probably thought the most apprOpria
weapon. Forgetting his own caricature
Pickaoick Of French travellers in England.
himself enacted the part Of Count SAoRLroI
in America. He gravely declared in his YER
cious sketches that all American men che
tobacco and talk through their noses, and tn
all American women are ignorant. HE spo
of public journals in the North as the Sewe
the Stabber, the Family Spy, the Private LII
tsner, the pepper, the Plunderer, the heyhe
Reporter, the Rowdy Journal nomenciatn
possibly suggested by his own character a
instincts He represented an Intelligent An
rican editor speaking in language like thl
s.Thers a'int an engine with it's biler bust
. these free United States 70 hummux
10 . most e-tarnal smash that you
ortttur, Queen VICTORIA, In her lux
rious location in the Tower of London, W
BE- when she reads the next double ext
. number Of my paper. May the British Lii
have his tail eradicated by the noble bill Of I
~ American Eagle, and be taught to play up
tbs Irish harp and the Scotch fiddle the e
4 chanting music Of Yankee Doodle" He W
thrown into spasms, OF COURSE, by the sla
Institution which his own country had ests
- Hshed Ia America. This the land Of Lab
~! They're 20 fond of Liberty In thts part
a. the eiohe that they buy her and sell her q
carry her 70 market with 'em.5 They've ~
. passion for I1tbsrty that they can't help I,
tuG nberties with her. The Stars wink M
ths Moody STRIPES, ande Liberty pulls d.
r Mr. cap upoa her eyes, and owns Opprsss
IN its ytleet aspect for her sister, 6uch
sons specimens Of the 'sAmerican Notes" 4
Marta OhuzzleWit" productions, WI
4. may provo the authoP not 0ult 70 be at no
u the yeaim OF Action. but never 70 JET
thsm. and which certainly DO not show TO
vantage by ~ SIDE OF Dr.. TOcesEvILLK's p
Soahd volume upon America, Of the Dig