The Charles Dickens Letters Project

Period: 
1851-1860
Theme(s): 
travel
charity

To DR LANE,1 1 JULY 1856

Extract in Clive Farahar and Sophie Dupré catalogue 1998; MS 2 pp.; addressed Dr Lane.

OFFICE OF HOUSEHOLD WORDS

1 July 1856

Telling Dr Lane that he has been in Paris and is passing the summer out of London,2 and consequently am only this morning in receipt of your note. It is unfortunately not within my power to advance the interests of that most deserving case3 which you kindly advocate, with the Literary Fund,4 because I have of late strongly objected to some points in the management of that Institution and my commendation is not over likely to be received with favor. But I do not doubt that such a claim ought to be recognised there and I have a strong belief that it will be….I therefore counsel you to address a letter to…Octavian Blewitt5…briefly stating the case and begging him to give you the necessary forms and information….

  • 1. Unidentified.
  • 2. CD spent the summer at Boulogne, but returned to London 30 June-3 July and for a few days in Aug.
  • 3. Untraced.
  • 4. For CD’s report in 1855 on proposed changes to the Royal Literary Fund, see Pilgrim Letters 7, pp. 639n and 649n; and for the Annual meeting held in Mar 56 see Vol. VIII, p. 60 and n.
  • 5. Secretary of the Royal Literary Fund.