APPENDIX. NDER this heading a few detached anecdotes, and some additional particulars, are given : THE FIRST HINT OF "PICK WICK" :— A great deal has been said as to to the origin of "Pickwick," and in the chapter devoted to a consideration of this favourite work, the present writer has stated from whence the name at least was taken. He did not, however, for the moment remember a conversation upon the subject which he had with a friend not long since, which conversation was shortly followed by a letter from him upon this same topic. The letter runs thus, and the compiler of this little book trusts he may be pardoned for quoting it : "When I stated to you that Dickens took his ideal of novel-writing from the works of Mr. Pierce Egan, I had nothing but internal evidence to go upon, When he began to write, the most popular fictions were the descriptions of 'Life in London' connected with the names of 'Tom' and 'Jerry.' The grand object of Dickens, as a novelist, has been to depict not so much human life as human life in London, and this he has done after a fashion which he learnt from the 'Life in London' of Mr. Pierce Egan. If you remember that once famous book, you will call to mind how he takes his heroes-the everlasting Tom and Jerry-now to a fencing-saloon, now to a dancing-house, now to a chop-house, now to a spunging-house. The object is not to evolve the characters of Tom and Jerry, but to introduce them in new scene after new scene. And so you will find with Dickens. He invents new characters, but he never invents them without at the same time inventing new situations and surroundings of London life. Other novelists would not object to invent new characters appearing in the same position of life as the characters in some preceding novel, and trusting for novelty to the newness of the surroundings and the situation. Dickens insists upon putting the new characters into a new and unexpected trade-dollmaking perhaps, or newsvending and he has always in view some new phase of London life which he is far more anxious to exhibit than the characters without which it is impossible to bring the phase into prominence. If you look to his writings, or if you talk to him, you will find that his first thought is to find out something new about - London life-some new custom or trade or mode of living-and his second thought is to imagine the people engaged in that custom or trade or mode of living. Now this is Pierce Egan's style-and Dickens, with rare genius, and with large sympathies, has followed in grooves which the once celebrated Pierce laid down. Pierce Egan had no wit, and his conversations are not worth mentioning. Dickens riots in wit, and what Pierce would have shown in a description, Dickens makes out in a conversation. But the objects of the two men to magnify London life, and to show it in all its phases, were the same." Upon examining Pierce Egan's "Finish "-a sequel to his "Life in London"-we certainly find the characters are somewhat similar to those in "Pickwick." In other matters, too, a parallel may be drawn-thus, the Bench instead of the Fleet, and the archery match instead of the shooting party. But the most curious coincidence is that the "Fat Knight"-the counterpart of Mr. Pickwick-is first met by Corinthian Tom at the village of Pickwick !* The writer thinks it scarcely necessary to say that these remarks upon the origin-the first hint of "Pickwick" are not to be understood as intended in any way to detract from the great novelist's fair fame for originality. On the contrary, it is believed that the time has now come when it will be a delight with students to trace his reading, and, if possible, catch some glimpse of the origin of those inimitable characters which will live for ever in English fiction. DICKENS AND THE "MORNING CHRONICLE."-Various and conflicting accounts. of Dickens's earliest "Sketches" have been given, and of the circumstances under which he first contributed to the evening edition of the Morning Chronicle; but the following extract, which we have been permitted to make from a long unpublished letter, will set the question at rest. The letter was addressed to the late Mr. George Hogarth, then connected with the Morning Chronicle, and was the beginning of a friendship between the two which ended in Mr. Dickens marrying Mr. Hogarth's daughter : ".... As you begged me to write an original sketch for the first number of the new evening paper, and as I trust to your kindness to refer my application to the proper quarter, should I be unreasonably or improperly trespassing upon you, I beg to ask whether it is probable that if I commenced a series of articles, under some attractive title, for the Evening Chronicle, its conductors would think I had any claim to some additional remuneration-of course, of no great amount for doing so. "Let me beg you not to misunderstand my meaning. Whatever the reply may be, I promised you an article, and shall supply it with the utmost readiness, and with an anxious desire to do my best; which I honestly assure you would be the feeling with which I should always receive any request coming personally from yourself. . . . . I merely wish to put it to the proprietors-first, whether a continuation of light papers, in the style of my Street Sketches,' would be considered of use to the new paper; and secondly, if so, whether they do not think it fair and reasonable that taking my share of the ordinary reporting business of the Chronicle besides—I should receive something for the papers beyond my ordinary salary as a reporter ?"* The offer was accepted, the then sub-editor informs. us, and Mr. Dickens received an increase in his salary of from five guineas per week to seven guineas. PORTRAITS OF DICKENS.-Besides those enumerated in the body of this book, there are others. which should be mentioned. A very remarkable one was etched about 1837, with the name " Phiz" at the foot. It represents Dickens seated on a chair, and holding a portfolio. In the background a Punchand-Judy performance is going on. The face has none of that delicacy and softness about it which are observable in the Maclise portrait. It looks, however, more like the real young face of the older man, as revealed in the photograph now publishing. This portrait is very rare, and it is understood that it was withdrawn from publication soon after it appeared. Mr. Hablot K. Browne-the genuine "Phiz" -denies all knowledge of it. *Dated 13, Furnival's Inn, Tuesday Evening, Jan. 20, [1835.]" |