The Charles Dickens Letters Project

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Dickens, Charles. To [addressee], [date of letter]. Charles Dickens Letters Project, ed. Leon Litvack, Emily Bell, Lydia Craig and Jeremy Parrott (London: Dickens Fellowship). [URL of individual letter], [date of access].

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Charles Dickens Letters Project, ed. Leon Litvack, Emily Bell, Lydia Craig and Jeremy Parrott (London: Dickens Fellowship), DickensLetters.com.

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1861-1870

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friends

family

To CHARLES LEVER,1 26 AUGUST 1865

Extract from transcript in online R & R Enterprises catalogue, 26 April 2005; MS 1 p.; dated 26 Aug 1865.

The naval officer of gigantic stature2 who will (I hope) present this note to you, is my son, bearing a high character in the service. He is naturally desirous to shake hands with a famous writer who is his father’s friend. And I know you will good naturedly gratify him if you can.

Affectionately always CHARLES DICKENS

1. Charles James Lever (1806-72; Dictionary of National Biography), novelist. Lived on the Continent from 1845; British Consul at Spezzia in the Gulf of Argolis, Greece. He had been in England, 1864, when CD gave him help over his money problems: Pilgrim Letters 10, p. 466.
2. Sydney Smith Haldimand Dickens (1847-72), CD’s fifth son, about whose small size CD often joked. Served as midshipman on H.M.S. Orlando, 6 Dec 61 to 12 May 64; joined H.M.S. Pelican, June 64.