Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1867-11-24
CHARLES DICKENS.
Farewell 60 Him i'm EneIand-The Lite
rati al the Bsnquet BOard-Lorsi Lyt-
ton (RuIwer) presfdeS-The Speeches

From Correspondence Of the New York Tribune.
LONDON, Nov. 4.-The dinner given to
Chas. Dickens on Saturday evening, on the
occasion of his departure for America, is a
high historical event. Nothing like it has
ever occurred in London. Dainty dishes
have indeed been served and eaten in the
old Free Mason's tavern, before now, but
those who gathered around have been
almost always the members of a guild, a
class, profession, fragment of this great
world; but the company that assembled
to honor Dickens, represented humanity.
1t was federation of the world" in minia-
ture edition. The poor artist, the poor
actor, from their respective attics, who had
saved from scanty earnings the guinea need
ful for this treat, sat side by side with the
Chief Justice of England, the Peer of the
realm. The humble citizens of the Re-
public of Extraordinarily so named since
we have not Sovereign among U.S." as one
Of them once said-were sandwiched be-
tween paunchy bankers and merchants
who had never forgotten the delineator of
the "Cheeryble Brothers," these were for
once on an equality. When this exceed
ingly miscellaneous assembly las an arts.
tocrat is said to have remarked when he
entered heaven gathered in the recep-
ton room on Saturday evening, the
one question was "Who's whor A noble
Lord who had, no doubt, made I'D his
mind to strange bed-felloWs, shook
hands warmly on entering with the white
craEatted usher at the door, supposing him
10 be the proper receiver of the company.
Ny lord is little deaf, and so, when the
usher asked, What name shall I an.
nounceT the nobleman grasps his hand
and exclaims, "Ah--indeed. / am very
glad indeed, sir, to make your acquaintance
very !" Presently there came in very
large, fat man, whose great object, it soon
became plain, was to see all the notables
as they came in-an Ajax not known 10
fame, who asked only to see. Uncon-
sciously, this big brother had got such
prominent position near the door that all
who entered thought he was the one Sc
lected to play the part Of host, and SO
every guest sprung at him and wrung his
hand. Not Pogram-not Dickens hime
self-Was subjected to such nand- shaking
as this amazed fellow, who, after many
frnitless efforts to explain that he was no.
body at all, rushed from the room in dis.
may. At last the head waiter appeared
at the door and exclaimed: "Gentlemen
numbered for table hay, please move
this way" We of table A, supposing our
selves to be meant, followed, and soon
there was goodly company of five hum
dred thousands of tickets could have been
sold had the room been sufficient, seated
and ready to receive the great guests of the
occasion. At length the doors Werethrown
open, and the well-known faces of Bulwer
and Dickens appeared at it. They were
arm-inSarm. A cry rang through the
room, handkerehiefs waved on the floor
and in the galleries, where was large
company of ladies in full dress, and the
band struck up grand march AS Dick
ems passed up the aisle, his cheeks were
on FIRE, his eyes famed. He glanced
aroundI the room, on whose walls all
around were written in great golden letters
the names of his works. Ahead he saw the
English flag knit with the stars and stripes,
and above them the word "Pickwick."
There was a curious look on the face
of Lord Lytton, and it seemed to me to
say, "How gladly would l give my title
and my estates to have this enthusiasm
surging up to me from the Anglo-Saxon
heart" Behind the two walked a strange
procession-strange because of its incoma
parable mixture which | have already
mentioned: The Lord Chief Justice, small
and pale; the Lord Mayor, with the air Of
being king (limited); Lord Houghton.
ever smiling, as the world has smiled on
him; Sir Charles Russell then company
of Academicians-Baro Marsehetti. MAJ
elise, Herbert, Poole, Firth, MiIlais, Ores
wick, Elmore, Ward, c. Landseer, GoodalI.
Fasd, f5ir FFAacis Grant, Sir =. Iandseer
Sir Emerson Annent, Sir B. Phillips: next
Prof. Owen with his eagle.eyes, Sir VIII
liam Ferguson, Sir Thomas Watson. Sir
G. Wentworth Dilke-the Captain General
OF the Queens forces-and several other
noted divines; Mr.. Layard, NJ. p, with
Mr. Otway, M. p, the Hindoo Mansckie
Cursetjee, with his fez on. There was a
burst of applause when the venerable ocso.
gensrian worker, Charles knight, came up.
Mr.. Dickens SONS were also greeted
Charles and Sydney, the latter in his mill.
tary dress. Nearly all ofthe younger litera-
~ men were present-men they are whose
eminence must generally be measured by
this severe standard which competition has
missed in England. Suppose such men as
Edmund Yates, Sala, and Hepworth Dixon,
had been born in Chicago, or Cincinnati,
what great men they would have been
Here they are in second and third ranks
because Carlysle and Tennyson are in the
first; just as all chess players are second
rate so long as Morphy and Staunton live.
Some of those present, however, will climb
on, and be on the top rung of the ladder
when they die--that small man with his
purely intellectual (allicit homelyl face.
G. H. Lewis, and the elastic, ever,
young, nobleman, Matthew Arnold There
are men here who call up long trains
of Inemory-Horace Mayhem, who wrote
for the first number of Punch, and nearly
all subsequent ones; Blanchard Jerrold
and Tom Hood, who reap gold where their
fathers planted dry crusts; DR.. Charles
Mackay, who pawned the good time
coming for the gold Of PrintingoHo
square; Tom Taylor, Mark Lemon,
Walter Thornbury, Andrew Halliday, who |
make Bohemianism respectable; Westland |
Marston, who used to come to Bronson
Alcott's Conversations at Alcott House, |
Ham Common, with big hopes of a renovat-
ed race, who has however, these many
years tried to realize his visions in the |
mimic life of the stage. Here, too, are
Mr.. Edward Dicey, who has concluded his |
friendly works on America by marrying |
Boston lady; Henry Reev e, editor of the |
Reuie1U, a pleasant Philistine |
Blackstone, fletcher, Webster, Howard, |
Paul, and many other dramatists Ser /
,eant Ballantine, Sergeant Parry, Mr.. |
Henry James, Mr.. Ralph Benson, Mr.. |
Montagu Williams, AMIR. John Murray, /
Mr.. George Smith, Mr.. F. Chapman, Mr..
Bently, Mr. Cloves, Mr.. Virtue, Mr.. Gal
pin, Mr. Nude, Mr.. Lethbridge, Mr.. Bene-
llct Mr.. Arthur Sullivan, Mr.. German
Reed, Mr.. Frank Matthews, Mr. Erasmus
Wilson, DR.. Priestly, Sir Henry Thomp-
on, Mr.. Coulson, DR.. Forbes Winslow, DR..
Hood, DR.. Hodson, DR.. Sheppard, DIR.
)Connor, Col. Hamiey, r. A., Capt.
Sir Henry Anderson, Com
handler PIN, Sir W. Fraser, the Hon.
spencer Lyttleton, Mr.. Benjamin Lumley,
he Chevalier Wykofi, Mr.. Dixie, Alder
nan Cotton, Mr.. II. A. Glass, Mr.. Marsh
Nelson, Mr.. Beattie, Mr.. j. Berkeley
Thompson, Mr.. Lloyd, Mr.. Alfred Elves,
nd Mr.. II. r. Forster.
The Americans mustered also in some
orce. MoIsan the banker had seat
lnder the words Martin ChuzzleWit," and
observed Mr.. G. w. Smalley, of the
Tribune, c. c. Coffin ('Carleton") of
he Boston Journal, Mr.. NJ. d. Conway,
dr. Russell Sturgis, and others.
n l