Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1881-06-01
Two Of Charles Dickens's Friends,

All lovers of Dickens will be interested TO
hear of the death Of NJ. BEAUFORT Mutuel, the
owner of the house which Dickens occupied
at Boulogne and whose amiability, vivacity
and sweetness of disposition are so frequently
referred to in Forster's biography. "He
backed himself down the avenue with his cap
IN his hand as if he were going to back him.
| self into the evening star without the cere-
mony of dying first l never did see such
gentle, kind heart" This is one of the many
allusions to this excellent Frenchman who
died few days since at Condette. a village
some eight miles from Boulogne, in his sew
enty- ninth year.
Another link between Dickens and the
present generation is broken by the death of
Mr.. Il. j. Thompson. at the age Of sixIy-nine.
Educated at Trinity College, Cambridge, and
unfortunately possessed of an ample fortune
so that he was not spurred to turn his fine
talents TO public account, he made the ac-
! quaintance of Charles Dickens early in life,
and was Of his amateur dramatic com
pany, which included George Henry Lewes.
John Leech, Douglas Jerrold and Forster.
and which performed for the benefit OF poor
Leigh Hunt. OF that company Mr.. Thomp
son was the last survivor, as he was also the
only one who did not make a reputation
in the world of letters or of art.
daughters--to whose cultivation he devoted
the best years of his life-is devoted to liter
ature. and the other has won fame as the
painter of the 'Roll-C Call" Mr.. Thompson
in conjunction with Mr. Dennison (afteYward
Lord Ossington), made an unsuccessful ut.
tempt to represent Weymouth in Parliament
during the Corn-Law struggle. He was one
of the first batch of members of the Travel
lers' Club, and for many years a member of
the Reform.
Blessed with an excellent memory, Mr..
Thompson was full of interesting reminiscent
ces of the days when Dickens and Louis Ma
poleon and Disraeli constantly met under
Lady Blessington's roof; when Count d Orsay
with his broad -brimmed hat and the tightest
possible pantaion of some light tint, rode in
the Park, looking on horseback larger than
ever; and when country cousins In all the
rapture of visit to the Opera in the Grisi-
cum -Lablache-cum- Rubini cum tamborini-
cunl-Taglioni times used to gaze at the occu-
pants of a certain box-One of the best boxes
you may be sure-wherein sat in all her
Rubens- like beauty the "most gorgeous Lady
Blessington' (as DIR. Parr used to call herr
confronted by the Count-the only man in
the house fit to be her pendant; while from
the background Di-raeli's pale face much
shaded by sable ringlets would often lean for
ward into the light. Dickens and Louis Ma
poleon used frequently to talk together, but
were not very congenial, for the novelist was
wort to declare. II always found him a
stupid man." Mr.. Thompson, to whom
Dickens used the expression, was accustomed
to compare it with the estimate Of the Empe-
ror formed by another of his friends, Louis
Blanc. who thought him a fool because ''he
could not speak for fifteen minutes together"
| the vesdict. il is needless TO add. of an ex-
| tremely fluent man.-London World