other short holiday at Brighton with his wife and sister-in-law; and
the letters to Mr. Stone on the subject of his illustrations to "The
Haunted Man" are written from Brighton. The first letters which we have
to Mr. Mark Lemon come here. We regret to have been unable to procure
any letters addressed to Mr. Leech, with whom, as with Mr. Lemon,
Charles Dickens was very intimately associated for many years.

Also, we have the beginning of his correspondence with Mr. Charles Kent.
He wrote (an unusual thing for him to do) to the editor of _The Sun_
newspaper, begging him to thank the writer of a particularly sympathetic
and earnest review of "Dombey and Son," which appeared in _The Sun_ at
the close of the book. Mr. Charles Kent replied in his proper person,
and from that time dates a close friendship and constant correspondence.

With the letter to Mr. Forster we give, as a note, a letter which Baron
Tauechnitz published in his edition of Mr. Forster's "Life of Oliver
Goldsmith."

Mr. Peter Cunningham, as an important member of the "Shakespeare's
House" committee, managed the _un_-theatrical part of this Amateur
Provincial Tour, and was always pleasantly connected with the plays.

The book alluded to in the last letter for this year, to be dedicated to
Charles Dickens's daughters by Mr. Mark Lemon, was called "The Enchanted
Doll."

[Sidenote: Mr. Charles Babbage.]

DEVONSHIRE TERRACE, _February 26th, 1848._

MY DEAR SIR,

Pray let me thank you for your pamphlet.

I confess that I am one of the unconvinced grumblers, and that I doubt
the present or future existence of any government in England, strong
enough to convert the people to your income-tax principles. But I do not
the less appreciate the ability with which you advocate them, nor am I
the less gratified by any mark of your remembrance.

Faithfully yours always.

[Sidenote: Mr. W. C. Macready.]

JUNCTION HOUSE, BRIGHTON, _March 2nd, 1848._

MY DEAR MACREADY,

We have migrated from the Bedford and come here, where we are very
comfortably (not to say gorgeously) accommodated. Mrs. Macready is
certainly better already, and I really have very great hopes that she
will come back in a condition so blooming, as to necessitate the
presentation of a piece of plate to the undersigned trainer.

You mean to come down on Sunday and on Sunday week. If you don't