The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1867-09-25
LITERARIANA.
DICKENS AS A READER.

y DICKENS AS A READER.
MI. DICKENS debut as a reader is given by q
correspondent of the Round Table: 1t was some
fourteen years ago, for the benefit of the Me-
chanic's Institute IN the English town of Peter
borough. The Institute was embarrassed by debt,
and Dir. D. was prevailed upon by the borough
member to give it reading.
Mr. Dickens at that time had made no public
appearance as reader. He had occasionally been
heard of as giving selections from mis- works to
small coteries of friends or in the private ga loon
Of some distinguished patron of art. But he had
nervously shrunk from any public debut, unwil-
ling, so it seemed, to weaken bis reputation as a
writer by any possible failure as reader:
This diffidence had taken 80 strong hold
OF him that it might never have been over
come but for the insidious persuaslons OF our
member" Here was an opportunity" he argued
''for testing the matter without risk; an antedu-
Wan country town; an audience OF farmers soDs
and daughters, rural shop-keepers. and few
country parsons-if interest could be excited In
the stolid minds of such Boeotial assemblage
the SUCCESS of the reader would be assured where
ever the English tongue was spoken. On the other
hand, if failure resulted none would be the wiser
outside this Sleepy Hollow circle" The bait TOOK,
and Mr.. Dickens consented to deliver public
reading in aid of the. Peterborough Mechanics
Institute. He only stipulated that the prices OF
admission should be such that every mechanic, if
he chose, might come to hear him, and named
two shilings, shilling, and slxpence, as the limit
of charge. Vain limitation! "A fortnight before
the reading every place taken, and half
guinea and guinea we're the current rates for
front seat tickets.
Dickens himself came down and superintendent
the arrangements, so anxious was he as to the
result. At one end Of the large Corn Exchange
before spoken of he had cauf . to be erected tall
pulpit OF red baize, as much like Punch and
Judy show with the top taken OH as anything.
This was to be the readers rostrum. But, as the
tall red pulpit looked lanky and very comical stuck
up there alone, two dummy pulpits of similar con-
structon were placed one on each side to bear 1t
company. When the reader mounte1 INTO the
middle box nothing was visible OF him but his
head and shoulders. So if it be really true, as
was stated afterwards By an indlscroet super
numerary, that Mr.. Dickens legs shook under
him from first to last, the audience knew
nothing Of it. The whole character OF the
stage arrangements suggested that Mr.. Dickens
was sure of his head, but was not quite 80 sure
of his legs 1t was the Christmas Carol that
Mr.. Dickens read; the night was Christmas Eve.
AS the clock struck the appointed hour, red, ]o-
vial face, unreoved by the heavy moustache
which the novelist has since assumed, a. broad,
high forehead, and perfectly Mcawber-ike ex-
panse of shirt collar and front appeared above the
red baize box, and full sonorous voice rang ont
the words, - Marley -was-dead-to-b begn-Wlth, -
then paused, as il to take in the character OF the
audience. No need Of further hesitation. The
voice held all spell-bonnd. It's depths OF quiet
feeling when the ghost of past .Chrstmasses iett
the dreamer through tho long forgotten scenes OF
his boyhood-lts embodiment OF burly good nature
when old Fezgiwig's calves we're twinKnng
in the dancc-its tearful suggestiveness when the
spirit OF Christmases to como pointed to the
nettle-grown, neglected grave OF the unloYed man,
its exquisite pathos by thei death-bed OF l1ny
Tim dwell yet in memory like long e-known tune.
That one nights reading in The quaint little city,
IL o11A,t lftHin q
in its surroundings, committed Mr. Dickens to the
career of public reader and he has since derived
nearly as large an income from his readings as
from the copyright of his novels. Only he si8nally
failed to carry out his wish OF making his frst
bow before an uneducated audience. The vote OF
thanks which closed the proceedings was moved
by the senior marquis of Scotland, and seconded
by the heir of tho wealthiest peer in England:
Five editors of The Vtcksburg Republican have
beep killed within the last ten years. The readers
If most communities view of that variety
which is the suce Of life-are less fortunate. So
SAYS the Round Table.
Rev. CHARLES KINGSLEY, author OF alton Locke,
and Professor of History at Cambridge, England,
is about to visit the United States.
DR.. ISAAC I. HAYES has been awarded by the
Royal Geographical tiociety of England the Victo-
ria gold medal IN honor of his having attained the
most Northern point Of land ever reached by any
explorer The medal, which was accompanied by
a complimentary noto from Sir RoDERICK MURoFI-
SON is of solid gold, more than two inches thick,
bears on its diverse medallion OF the Queen,
with the inscription
Victoria, D c. Brtsnuiarum Regina MDcccXxXVI
Patrons,
while the reverse contains the figure OF Minerva
holding out wreath with the motto:
sob Terras Reclusas Royal Geographical Society Of
London
It is q pity that, while France is fitting out an
expedition intent upon actually reaching the pole,
Dr. hayes, instead of renewing the enterprise as
he hunted he would do, is enjoying his otlun cum
dgnitdte, and devoting his experience to the COM
position of stories for juvenile magazines
Mr.. James Russell Lowell will publish new vol
ume of poems in the autumn.
Mrs. Harriet Beecher Stowe has so nearly conf
pleted as to have sent to the printer portions OF
new work which is described as chronicle OF
old-time folks in New England village, fifty or
sixty years ago.
Mr. Bayard Taylor is employing his leisure time
in Germany upon his translation of Goothe's
Faust, and serial entitled 1.-The By-Ways of
Europe which is to appear in tho Atlantic
Monthly. ~
Professor Agassz's journal in Brazil" is COM
pleted and in The printers hands, and its author
Is engaged in experimenting Its illustration.
Among noticeable new English books are Hog
Hunting in the East, by Captain j. I, NEwALL;
Carolina Sports by Land and Water by the Hon.
anonymous novels, tho following: Tine Tenants
of Mallory, by J. S. LIE FANU; The Hunchback's
Charge by W. c. RUSSELL; A Terrible Wrong, by
ADA BUI1soN; Little Miss Fairfax, by kENNER
DEENE; Baldearg ODonnell, by the Hon. ALBERT
CANNING; The Rival Doctors, by FRANK TRoILoPE
Flora Adar, bv Miss DoNELAN.
Among the new French books enumerated by
the Paris correspondent OF The Publishers Clrcu-
lar are the Count DE BAILoNs Lord Wapole at
the French Court; L. FALLUE's Political lntrigues
of Princes Of the Blood under Rchelieu and Ma
zarin; A. +. GArTEN ARNoULTs Victor Cousin, the
Eclectic School, and tho Destiny OF French Phi
losophy; II. p. HILARIo's Cur Deus Homo; Dlsser-
tati,n de Motivo lncarnatonls; T.. PLoNs Ihor-
wall .ens Life and Works.
FERDINAND FREuIG-iATH, the patriot German
poet and exile, as we explained some time ago. ls
to receive from his admirers in this country and
Germany subscription intended to relieve him
from the pressure of business cares, and enable
him to resume in England the pursuit OF litera-
ture. From ST. Louis the intellectual centre Of the
Germans IN America, the sum OF Sl2,OOO has been
forwarded to him; $1,000 from Chicago while Buff
falo is to ada it's contribution. In New York. wo
may again state, Mr. Fred. Gerhard, the American
publisher of Frelllgrath's works. receives subscrip-
tions to the fund.
Qceen Victorias Look, about whcl much was
said some months ago, is not the just published
Early Years OF the Prince Consort. ''Since her
Majesty began to reign" says the Daily Review,
''no ono could be more exact in noting daily occur
rences and events in diary. In this she was also
assisted by the Prince Consort." It is from this
that is to come the book which is now III tho hands
of an editor, and is said to give many interesting
sketches Of life at Balmoral and tours in the High
lands.
Mr. Robert Buchansns volume of poems, as we
learn from the London Review, opens with Meg
Blanc, q story of fsherwoman on tho coast OF
Scotland Tho 9th II three long Scottish poems
are The Northern Wooing, love story one whose
subject is the highland evictions; and The Battle
of DrulnJie Moor. Mr., Buchanan's prose volume
contains, beside the biography, David Gray which
gives name to the book, papers on English and
and t,a1 nfip in
Mrs. SARAH TAYLOR AUSTIN who has just died
in England at the age OF sevcnty-four, was one OF
the TAYLoRs of Norwich-a family Of some note
which IS TO be distinguished from tho TAYLoRs of
Ongar, the death of one of whose members, MIS-
ANNE (TAyLoB) GILBERT, we mentioned some
months since, and whose literary accomplishments
during several generations another of the family,
the Rev. ISAAC TAYLOR, has recorled in lately