wing a little patronage. But, of course, I had
nothing for it but to say it should be done; upon which, Mr. Cookesley
added that he was then certain that Charley, on coming after the
Christmas holidays, would be placed at once in "the remove," which
seemed to surprise Mr. Evans when I afterwards told him of it as a high
station.

I will take him to this gentleman on Monday, and arrange for his going
there every day; but, if you will not object, I should still like him to
remain with you, and to have the advantage of preparing these annoying
verses under your eye until the holidays. That Mr. Cookesley may have
his own way thoroughly, I will send Charley to Mr. Hardisty daily until
the school at Eton recommences.

Let me impress upon you in the strongest manner, not only that I was
inexpressibly delighted myself by the readiness with which Charley went
through this ordeal with a stranger, but that I also saw you would have
been well pleased and much gratified if you could have seen Mr.
Cookesley afterwards. He had evidently not expected such a result, and
took it as not at all an ordinary one.

My dear Sir, yours faithfully and obliged.

[Sidenote: Mr. Alexander Ireland.]

[Private.]
DEVONSHIRE TERRACE, LONDON, _24th December, 1849._

MY DEAR SIR,

You will not be offended by my saying that (in common with many other
men) I think "our London correspondent" one of the greatest nuisances of
this kind, inasmuch as our London correspondent, seldom knowing
anything, feels bound to know everything, and becomes in consequence a
very reckless gentleman in respect of the truthfulness of his
intelligence.

In your paper, sent to me this morning, I see the correspondent mentions
one ----, and records how I was wont to feast in the house of the said
----. As I never was in the man's house in my life, or within five miles
of it that I know of, I beg you will do me the favour to contradict
this.

You will be the less surprised by my begging you to set this right, when
I tell you that, hearing of his book, and knowing his history, I wrote
to New York denouncing him as "a forger and a thief;" that he thereupon
put the gentleman who published my letter into prison, and that having
but one day before the sailing of the last steamer to collect the proofs
printed in the accompanying sheet (which are but a small part of the
villain's life), I got them