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"My dear friend, you must excuse me, this is the day on which the fifth number of a work written by one of your countrymen, and called 'Boz,' comes to Hamburgh, and until I get that number and read it I can neither talk of business nor anything else.'

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"I take shame to myself," continued the Lord. Mayor on this occasion, "that I at that moment should have been in utter ignorance of the brilliant talent of my illustrious friend, of whom I can say, as was said by another distinguished poet, that the price of his literary labours is immortality, and that posterity will generously and proudly pay it. I never contemplated in my philosophy that I should have the honour of what Mr. Dickens has been pleased to call a personal friendship with the man who, I do not hesitate to say, any crowned head in Europe would be proud to shake by the hand and call by the name— the man who has added, in this generation, honour and dignity to his profession—who has penetrated and dug from the hearts of men their virtues and their qualities, and to whom the whole world owes a deep and a lasting debt of gratitude; and I unhesitatingly say, and say most proudly, that it is to me, representing, as I do, the largest commercial city in the world—that I consider it to be a great honour to be permitted, in the name of humanity, to offer my grateful and graceful tribute to Mr. Charles Dickens."

The members of the Metropolitan Rowing Clubs, dining together at the London Tavern, on the 7th May following, Dickens, as President of the Nautilus

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Rowing Club (of which his eldest son was captain), occupied the chair: his speech on this occasion was full of humour.

The last number but one of the old familiar Christmas Numbers was now at hand. "Mugby Junction" was the title of that issued in December, 1866, and it contained a larger amount of writing by Dickens than usual. "Barbox Brothers and Co.," "The Boy at Mugby," and "The Signalman," were his contributions.

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The description of the Mugby Junction Station at three in the morning, in tempestuous weather; the arrival of the express train, the guard "glistening with drops of wet, and looking at the tearful face of his watch by the light of his lantern;" the alighting of Barbox Brothers; the appearance of "Lamps,' the velveteen individual; his daughter Phoebe, who kept a school; the episode of Polly going astray, and being found by Barbox Brothers; and the relating of Barbox Brothers' past life and adventures, are told in a manner the reader will not easily forget.

"The Boy at Mugby" was intended to show the abominable system of our railway refreshment rooms, with their stale pastry, saw-dust sandwiches, scalding tea and coffee, and unpalatable butter-scotch, in comparison with the excellent arrangements for the comfort and accommodation of railway travellers in France.

As some indication of the sale of these "Christmas

Numbers," we may state that the sale of "Mugby Junction' "exceeded a quarter of a million copies.

During the first three months of the year 1867 he gave readings at St. James's Hall to crowded. audiences, having in the previous April, May, and June (1866) appeared at Manchester, Greenwich, the Crystal Palace, St. James's Hall, and other places, delighting and amusing many thousands of people.

On the 5th of June we find him presiding at the ninth anniversary festival of the Railway Benevolent Society, at Willis's Rooms, and it was in his speech, on this occasion, that he gave the amusing story of "The Ten Suitors."

In May his old and dear friend, Clarkson Stanfield, the Royal Academician, died, and the reader may remember the beautiful and touching obituary notice which Dickens penned on the occasion-the affectionate appreciation of the delicate shades of the great maritime artist's character which that notice. evinced, and the noble peroration with which it closed. A friend of the late illustrious author, to whom we are already indebted for some interesting facts, remarks:-"The recent earnest wish displayed by the Queen to confer upon Dickens some title of honour, and the womanly refinement shown by Her Majesty in seeking to make that honour one which he could accept without derogating from his social principles, gives his parting words on Stanfield a not unkindly significance. It was after enumerating the artist's many claims to public distinction, after speci

fying several of his works by name, and after pointing to the recognition he would have received had he belonged to a foreign State, that Dickens said: 'It is superfluous to add, that he died Mr. Stanfield-he was an Englishman.'

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On the 17th September following, he took the chair at a public meeting of the Printers' Readers. A corrector of the press, and at that time a member of the "Association," who was present with the other working men, has forwarded to us this account of the meeting. Coming from one of the men themselves, it is of interest, as showing their appreciation of that respect and sympathy which Charles Dickens ever expressed for honest and intelligent working men :

"I well remember, on the evening when Dickens so readily consented to preside at a meeting of the London Association of Correctors of the Press, following the immortal novelist up the steps of the Salisbury Hotel, Fleet Street, where the meeting was to be held. The great master, on that occasion, met the assemblage of literary drudges with the openhearted frankness of a brother. As he threw aside his large light cloak, he shook hands with all who sought that honour with the utmost warmth. Even now I fancy I can feel the firm grip, and see his cheery smile. He was dressed with the greatest care and elegance, as if for an evening party or State ball. His florid complexion, dark glittering eye, and grizzled beard, were very striking; but, above all, the loftiness of his massive brow-denoting 'the mighty

brain within '-inspired the beholder with reverence. In his speech he expressed the warmest friendship for the intelligent body of men before him, to whom, he said, 'he was indebted for many kindly hints, and judicious corrections and queries in his proofs, which in the hurry of business had escaped his notice while preparing "copy," or revising sheets for press.' He said that he had other engagements for that evening, but had at once put them aside when he had been invited to spend an hour with the practical correctors of the Press, for the advancement of their interests."

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