o any party or persons. My faith in the 'people governing'
is, on the whole, infinitesimal; my faith in the 'people governed' is,
on the whole, illimitable." At a subsequent visit to Birmingham on the
6th January, 1870, when giving out the prizes at the Institute, he
further emphasized his political faith in these words:--"When I was here
last autumn, I made a short confession of my political faith--or
perhaps, I should better say, want of faith. It imported that I have
very little confidence in the people who govern us--please to observe
'people' with a small 'p,'--but I have very great confidence in the
People whom they govern--please to observe 'People' with a large 'P.'"

A few days after Charles Dickens's first visit, my friend Mr. Howard S.
Pearson, Lecturer on English Literature at the Institute, addressed a
letter to him on the subject of the remarks at the conclusion of his
Presidential Address, and promptly received in reply the following
communication, which Mr. Pearson kindly allows me to print, emphasizing
his (Dickens's) observations:--

"GAD'S HILL PLACE,
"HIGHAM BY ROCHESTER, KENT.
"_Wednesday, 6th October, 1869._

"SIR,

"You are perfectly right in your construction of
my meaning at Birmingham. If a capital P be put to
the word People in its second use in the sentence,
and not in its first, I should suppose the passage
next to impossible to be mistaken, even if it were
read without any reference to the whole spirit of
my speech and the whole tenor of my writings.

"Faithfully yours,
"CHARLES DICKENS.
"H. S. PEARSON, ESQUIRE."

Dr. Steele had dined several times at Gad's Hill Place, and was
impressed with Dickens's wonderful powers as a host. He never absorbed
the whole of the conversation to himself, but listened attentively when
his guests were speaking, and endeavoured, as it were, to draw out any
friends who were not generally talkative. He liked each one to chat
about his own hobby in which he took most interest. Our informant was
also present at Gad's Hill Place at several theatrical entertainments,
and especially remembers some charades being given. After the
performance of the latter was over, Dickens walked round