think you must already feel, be better than fortune or fame."

Very recently it has been made known that poor Tom Hood, almost immediately upon its appearance, reviewed the work, under the title of "Boz in America." In his happiest vein of drollery, he conjectures that it would be impossible for Mr. Boz to go to "the States" without losing all his English characteristics, and returning to his friends a regular Down-East Yankee :-"So strong, indeed, was this impression, that certain blue-stockinged prophetesses even predicted a new Avater of the celebrated Mr. Pickwick, in slippers and loose trousers, a nankeen jacket, and a straw hat as large as an umbrella. Sam Weller was to re-appear as his 'help,' instead of a footman, still full of droll sayings, but in a slang more akin to his namesake, the Clock-maker: while Weller, senior, was to revive on the box of a Boston long stage-only calling himself Jonathan, instead of Tony, and spelling it with a G. A Virginian Widow Bardell was as a matter of course; and some visionaries even foresaw a slave-owning Mr. Snodgrass, a coon-hunting Mr. Winkle, a wide-awake Joe, and a forest-clearing Bob Sawyer.* But, upon the appearance of the book itself," continues Hood, "the romanticists were in despair, and reluctantly

*With the wishes of these admirers of Boz we can in some degree sympathize; for what could be a greater treat, in the reading way, than the perplexities of a squatting Mr. Pickwick, or a settling Mrs. Nickleby?"

abandoned all hopes of a Pennsylvanian Nicholas Nickleby, affectionately darning his mother-a New Yorkshire Mr. Squeers, flogging creation—a black Smike a brown Kate-and a Bostonian Newman Noggs, alternately swallowing a cocktail and a cobbler."

Professor Felton, alluding to the death of Washington Irving, in a speech, in the latter part of the year 1859, gave this interesting reminiscence of the friendship existing between Dickens and Irving :

"The time when I saw the most of Mr. Irving was in the winter of 1842, during the visit of Mr. Charles Dickens in New York. I had known this already distinguished writer in Boston and Cambridge, and, while passing some weeks with my dear and lamented friend, Albert Sumner, I renewed my acquaintance with Mr. Dickens, often meeting him in the brilliant. literary society which then made New York a most. agreeable resort. Halleck, Bryant, Washington Irving, Davis, and others, scarce less attractive by their genius, wit, and social graces, constituted a circle not to be surpassed anywhere in the world. I passed much of the time with Mr. Irving and Mr. Dickens, and it was delightful to witness the cordial intercourse of the young man, in the flush and glory of his youthful genius, and his elder compeer, then in the assured possession of immortal renown. Dickens said, in his frank hearty manner, that, from his childhood, he had known the works of Irving; and that, before he thought of coming to this country, he had received

a letter from him, expressing the delight he felt in reading the story of 'Little Nell;' and from that day they had shaken hands autographically across the Atlantic."

After Professor Felton's reminiscences, it may not be uninteresting to quote the following extract from a letter written by Washington Irving to his niece (Mrs. Storrow), under date May 25, 1841, in which he mentions a letter he had just received from Dickens, in reply to one from himself:

"And now comes the third letter from that glorious fellow, Dickens (Boz), in reply to the one I wrote, expressing my heartfelt delight with his writings, and my yearnings towards himself. See how completely we sympathize in feeling :

"There is no man in the world,' replies Dickens, 'who could have given me the heartfelt pleasure you have by your kind note of the 13th of last month. There is no living writer, and there are very few among the dead, whose approbation I should feel so proud to earn; and, with everything you have written upon my shelves, and in my thoughts, and in my heart of hearts, I may honestly and truly say so. you could know how earnestly I write this, you would be glad to read it as I hope you will be, faintly guessing at the warmth of the hand I autographically hold out to you over the broad Atlantic.

If

"I wish I could find in your welcome letter some hint of an intention to visit England. I can't. I have held it at arm's length, and taken a bird's-eye

view of it, after reading it a great many times; but there is no greater encouragement in it, this way, than on a microscopic inspection. I should love to go with you-as I have gone, God knows how often -into Little Britain, and Eastcheap, and Green Arbour Court, and Westminster Abbey. I should like to travel with you, outside the last of the coaches, down to Bracebridge Hall. It would make my heart glad to compare notes with you about that shabby gentleman in the oil-cloth hat and red nose, who sat in the nine-cornered back parlour of the Mason's Arms; and about Robert Preston, and the tallow-chandler's widow, whose sitting-room is second nature to me; and about all those delightful places and people that I used to walk about and dream of in the daytime, when a very small and not-overparticularly-taken-care-of boy. I have a good deal to say, too, about that dashing Alonzo de Ojeda, that you can't help being fonder of than you ought to be; and much to hear concerning Moorish legend, and poor unhappy Boabdil. Diedrich Knickerbocker I have worn to death in my pocket, and yet I should show you his mutilated carcase with a joy past all expression.

"I have been so accustomed to associate you with my pleasantest and happiest thoughts, and with my leisure hours, that I rush at once into full confidence with you, and fall, as it were naturally, and by the very laws of gravity, into your open arms. Questions come thronging to my pen as to the lips of people

H

I don't know

who meet after long hoping to do so. what to say first, or what to leave unsaid, and am constantly disposed to break off and tell you again how glad I am this moment has arrived.

"My dear Washington Irving, I cannot thank you enough for your cordial and generous praise, or tell you what deep and lasting gratification it has given me. I hope to have many letters from you, and to exchange a frequent correspondence. I send this to After the first two or three, I shall settle down into a connected style, and become gradually rational.

say so.

"You know what the feeling is, after having written a letter, sealed it, and sent it off. I shall picture you reading this, and answering it, before it has lain one. night in the post-office. Ten to one that before the fastest packet could reach New York I shall be writing again.

"Do you suppose the post-office receive letters? I have my doubts.

clerks care to They get into

a dreadful habit of indifference. A postman, I imagine, is quite callous. Conceive his delivering one to himself, without being startled by a preliminary double knock!'"

Irving, writing again to Mrs. Storrow, 29th of October following, says :

"What do you think? Dickens is actually coming to America. He has engaged passage for himself and his wife in the steam-packet for Boston, for the. 4th of January next. He says: 'I look forward to