The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-11

Millions tastes may have deterlorated IN old |
age when he had fallen upon evil days, his |
early propensities were evidently genial, If
not hilarious At the age of twenty-three,
when he wrote the exquisite poem of
''L'Allegro, he exclaims,
Haste thee, nymphs, and bring with the
Jest, and youthJul joIIity.
Even in Paradise Lost" which is a serious
poem, Milton was unable to refrain from an
allusion to mixed liquors, for he mentioned in
the most express terms being ''bound for the
port Of Negus."
Mr.. Dickens acknowledged the receipt of
the Julep in the following letter, which is
carefully and proudly preserved at Guys,
South Seventh street, Philadelphia
BARNuMs HOTEL, 2Sd March, 1s49.-My Dear Sir;
i am truly obliged to you for the beautiful and de-
licious mint tuep you have SO kindly sent me- IL Is
tasted it, but await further proceedings until the
arrival Of Washington Irving whom expect to
your health. With many thanks to you,
Dear sir, faithfully yours ,un,r ,,,~,,s
-. Guy, Esquire.
1 have been informed that Dickensorigin-
ally intended to carry out the promise of his
title (Okoer IaoiSt; or, The Parish Boys
Pr0qresS) and to trace the life, struggles, and
successes of what Miss Braddon calls "a
clod"-to locate him in Kent, the county best
beloved by himself, at all times, and to intro
duce hop-picking, and other picturesque rural
ties. He changed his purpose, as we all know,
and brought him to London. George Cruik-
shank told me how this was done.
In London, I was intimate with the brothers
Cruikshank, Robert and George but more
particularly with the latter. In 1847, having
called upon him one day at his house ut then
was in Mydleton Terrace, Pentonville), had
to wait while he was finishing an etching for
which printers boy was waiting To while
away the time, I gladly complied with his
suggestion that 1 should look over portfolio
crowded with etchings, proofs, and drawings,
which lay upon the sofa. Among these,
carelessly tied together in a wrap of brown
paper, was series of some twenty-five
to thirty drawings, very carefully
finished, through most of which
of Fagin, Bill Skies and his dog,
Nancy, the Artful Dodger, and Master
Charles Bates-all well-known to the readers
of "Oliver Twist" many others who were
not introduced. There was no mistake about
it, and when Cruikshank turned round, his
work finished, 1 said as much He told me
that it had long been in his mind to show the
life of London thief by a series of drawings,
engraved by himself, in which, without
single line of letter-press, the story would be
strikingly and clearly told. ''Dickens," he
as you have done, and, while waiting
until I could speak with him, took
up that identical portfolio and ferreted
out that bundle of drawings. When
he came to that one which represented Fagin
in the condemned cell, he silently studied it
for half an hour, and told me that he was
tempted to change the whole plot of his story;
not to carry Oliver Twist through adventures
in the country, but to take him up into the
| fbiouao' IN hov hot thar life
was, and bring Oliver safely through it with
out sin or shame. 1 consented to let him
write up to as many of the designs as he
thought would suit his purpose; and that was
the way in which Fagin, Skies, and Nancy
were created. My drawings suggested them,
rather than his strong individuality suggested
my drawings"
1t has been stated by Mr.. Mayhem that
when Cruikshank was designing Fagin in the
Condemned Cell, he made various attempts
to produce the required effect of terror,
hatred, and despair, but did not succeed until
one morning as he was sitting up in bed,
gnawing his nails, as he used to do when he
! found himself at nonplus, he caught view
of his own face reflected in pier-glass oppo-
site, and, jumping out of bed on the mo-
ment, went to work on his sketch. He had
got the position and expression he wanted.
|
| Old Weller, IN line POSthumouS PaperB OF
! The Pickwick Club" reminds one very much
of the admirable sketch of the stage coach.
man, with great bulk and curiously- -mottled
face, in Washington Irving's sketch Book
In other words, for l am not accusing Boz OF
committing plagiary upon Godfrey Crayon
both authors drew from the same specia
ge1auS-now extinct. The plethoric stage
coachman, who drove four-in-hand, changed
horses every ten miles, and took glass o.
ale at each change, has been swept away by
railwayism, just as the Indians have been
driven farther andfarther west by the irresisti
BILE progress of civilization, and are now
nearly extinct. When 1 first travelled through
England, forty years ago, just before railway
ism was begun, nearly every stage-coach haC
Jehu of this class.
1 believe that Old Weller was drawn from
an original, who used to 'work" stage coacl
between London and Portsmouth, and had
brother on the same line. They passed b.
each other every day, for many years, with
out any opportunity of exchanging words
mutual smile and knowing elevation of tn
whip elbow being their only salute. Whe
one of these rotund brothers of the whip died
the other took it to heart, and followed him il
a month. This last was Dickens man. Pei
haps Dickens may have travelled with him
!, did, before steam became omnipotent. Mrs
Warner, the tragic actress, experienced anacto
, kindness from this coachman, which she relate
, to Dickens soon after it occurred, and it ma,
have influenced his coachman in 'Pickwick.
Before her marriage, Mrs. Warner, VIII
t paid professional visit to the United State
: in 1852, was Miss Huddart, very much re
spected, on and off the boards. Her fathe
had been an officer in the British army, an
a she always travelled under his escort. HI
: was known, along the road, as 18Th
Gonfain ~ and cha fot lilo ri