The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-11-24
DICKENS'S LETTERS.
Some Characteristic Correspon
dence.
Another Installment of American Notes

/
Dickens, by the Scribners, is the literary event
of the autumn. Collected by his daughter
and sister-in-law, Miss Hogarth, these letters
| are taken from sources which have hitherto
| been inaccessible; and with them it is now
| possible to complete biography which is felt
to have been only partly written. Among
them are many letters to his wife and family
which show altogether new aspects OF his char
| acter; while others give the most interesting
| clews to the construction of his novels-letters
to Mrs. Dickens even containing passages
which he has almost exactly reproduced.
Readers will be surprised to find that this re-
markable material was not open to Mr.. For
ster, and that they are now approaching the
novelst's life from a new side
I Parts Of this correspondence records Dick
ens's experiences from day to day with the mi
nuteness of diary, introducing the most capi-
! tai anecdotes and inimtable descriptions.
This is especially the case with the time during
which ne was giving public readings, when he
was fond of setting down. for the benefit of
his intimates, the peculiarities of his audiences
| of the people he met at inns his adventures,
| and conversations-all with aspirit and bright
ness equal to the best passages of his novels
| In tneSo felnarkdDle DllS VI NO
often catch glimpses also of his serious side,
! his ambitions, and his view of his own fame
| Altogether the letters give such a revelation
Of the man as nothing else could give so well
and as might make a substitute for any biog-
raphy.
Naturally those relating to his American ex-
periences are of the greatest interest to Ameri-
can readers. The contrast in tone between
those written during his first visit and those
during his second Is marked and gratifying.
Here is letter to Macready, under date of
March %, 1912:
My dear Macready, L desire to be so honest
| and lust to those who have so enthusiastically
and earnestly welcomed me, that L burned the
! last letter wrote to you-eyen to you to whom
/ would speak as to myself-rather than to let
it come with anything that might seem like an
| ill-consdered word of disappointment. pre-
| ferred that you should think me neglectful Gf
| you could imagine anything so Wild rather
| than / should do wrong in this respect. Still
it is of no use. I am disappointed. This is not
! the republic l came to see; this is not the re-
! public of my imagination. | infinitely prefer
q liberal monarchy-ev9n with its sickening
| aeeompaniments of court circles-to such gov
| ernment as this. The more | think of its
youth and strength, the poorer and more tri-
| fling in thousand aspects it appears in my
| eyes. In everything of which it has made
boast-excepting its education of the people
| and its care for poor children-it sinks i'm
measursbly below the level had placed it
upon; and England, even England bad and
faulty as the old land is and miserable as mil
lions of her people are, rises in the COMPARE
| son.
. You live here, Maoready as 1 have some
| times heard you imagining! Youi Loving
| you with all my heart and soul, and knowing
| what your disposition really is, would not
| condemn you to years residence on this side
| of am nj
! opinionl Where is it? | see a press more
mean, and paltry, and silly, and disgraceful
! than any country ever knew. If that is its
| standard here it is. But l speak of Bancroft,
| and am advised to be silent on that subject,
for he is a black sheep-a Democrat. Il speak
of Bryant and am entreated to be more care
! full, for the same reason. speak OF interna-
| tional copyright, and am implored not to ruin
myself outright. / speak of Miss Martineau,
and all parties-Slave Upholders and Aboli-
tionists, Wings, Tyler Wings and@Democrats,
shower down upon me perfect cataract OF
abuse. 'But what has she done? Surely she
| praised America enough!'' Eyes, but she told
| us of some of our faults, and Americans can't
bear to be told of their faults. Don't split on
! that rock, Mr.. Dickens; don't write about
America; we are so very suspicious"
| Freedom of opinioni Macready, if L had
been born here and had written my books in
this country, producing them with no stamp OF
approval from any other land, it is my solemn
belief that l should have lived and died poor,
| unnoticed, and "black sheep" TO boot. l
| never was more convinced of anything than
| am of that.
The people are affectionate, generous, OPEN
| hearted, hospitabe, enthusiastic, good hu-
| mored, polite TO women, frank and candid to
| all strangers, anxious to oblige, far less pre-
| JUDGED than they have been described to be,
| frequently polished and refined, very seldom
rude or disagreeable. | have made great
many friends here, even in public conveyances,
| whom | have been truly sorry to part from.
| In the towns have formed perfect sttach-
ments. 1 have seen none of that greediness
| and indecorousness on which travellers have
| laid so much emphasis. l have returned
| frankness with franknesS; met questions not
| intended to be rude with answers meant to be
satisfactory; and have not spoken to cne man,
| woman or child of any degree, who has not
| grown positively atfectionate before we parted
| In the respects of not being left alone, and OF
| being horribly disgusted by tobacco chewing
| and tobacco spittle, | have suffered considera-
bly,. The sight of slavery i'll Virginia, the ha-
| tired of British feeling upon the subject, and
| the miserable hints of the impotent indigna-
| tion of the South, have panied me very much;
on the last head of course, have felt nothing
/ but mingled pity and amusement; on the
! other, sheer distress. But however much
| like the ingredients of this great dish, l can
| not but come back to the point at which l
started, and say that the dish itself goes against
the grain with me- and that don't like it.
Twenty-Five years later Nov. 21, 1867, he
| had lust reached Boston on his second visit,
and sitting in his corner high up at the
Parker House, wrote as follows to Miss Dick
| ems:
| arrived here on Tuesday night after very
slow passage from Halifax against head-winds
| All the tickets for the first four readings here
(all yet announced) were sold Immediately on
| their being issued.
You know that begin on the 2nd of Decem-
ber with Carol and "Trial''? Shall be heart
lily glad to begin to count the reading off.
This is an immense hotel with all manner OF
white marble public passages and pubic
| rooms l live in corner high up, and have
| hot and cold bath in my bedroom (communl-
eating with my sitting-room) and comforts not
| in existence when / was here before The cost
| of living is enormous, but happily we can al
ford it, dine to-day to-day with Longfellow,
Emerson, Holmes, and Agassz. Longfellow
was here yesterday. Perfectly white in hair
and beard. but a remarkably handsome and
! notable-looking man. The city has increased
enormously in five-and-twenty years. 1t has
grown more mercantile-is like Leeds mixed
with Preston and favored with New Brighton;
| but for smoke and fog you substitute an ex-
| quisitely bright light air. found my rooms
beautifully decorated (6y, Mrs. Fields) with
choice flowers, and set off by number of good
books. l am not much prosecuted by people
in general as Dolby has happily made up his
mind that the less am exhibited for nothing
the better. So our men sit outside the room
door and wrestle with mankind.
They are said to be very quiet audience
here, appreciative bat not demonstratlVe. 1
shall try to change their character little.
1 have been going on very well. a horrible
custom obtains in these parts of asking you to
diuner somewhere at half past two ana TO sup
| ner somewhere else about eight have run
| This gauntlet more than once, and its effect is
| that there is no day for any useful purpose,
and the length of the evening is multiplied by
| a hundred. Yesterday l dined with q club at
half-past two, and came back here at half-past
eight, with general impression that it was at
| least two o'clock in the morning Two days
before L dined with Longfellow at half-past
two and came back at eight, supposing it to be
midnight. To-day we have state dinner-par-
| ty in our rooms at six, Mr.. and Mrs. Fields,
and Mr. and Mrs. Bigelow. QIe is friend OF
Forster's, and was American minister IN Par
| is). There are no negro waters here, oil @ the
servants are Irish--willing, but not able. Inc
dinners and wines are very good. keep our