Charles Dickens in America. William Glyde Wilkins

27, 1842.

      " Dear Sir,

      "If we can possibly arrange it, I shall be much interested in seeing your cases, when you come to Boston. With regard to my opinion on the subject of mesmerism, I have no hesitation in saying that I have closely watched Dr. Elliottson's experiments from the first — that I have the utmost reliance in his honour, character and ability, and would trust my life in his hands at any time — and that after what I have seen with my own eyes, and observed with my own senses, I should be untrue to myself if I shrunk for a moment from saying that I am a believer, and that I became so against all my preconceived opinions and impressions.

      "Faithfully yours,

      "Charles Dickens.

      "To Dr. Collyer."

      That Dickens was not only a believer in mesmerism, but also an amateur practitioner, is proved by one of his letters to Forster, in which he relates how in Pittsburgh he practised on Mrs. Dickens, and how "in six minutes, I magnetized her into hysterics, and then into the magnetic sleep ... I can wake her with perfect ease, but I confess (not being prepared for anything so sudden and complete) I was on the first occasion rather alarmed."

      A thorough search of the Boston newspapers fails to disclose any account of how Dickens spent his time between his visit to the Legislature and the dinner which took place at Papinti's Restaurant on February 1, but we know from American Notes that he visited most of the public institutions in and around the city.

      The dinner was such a great success, and the tributes paid to Dickens are so eloquent and so lengthy, that a chapter will be devoted to that event.

      We find, in the Boston Evening Transcript, February 5, the following —

      "Mr. Dickens visited Lowell on Thursday the 3rd, and examined the several manufacturing establishments in that city. Yesterday he paid a visit to our venerable alma mater — Harvard University. He will leave town this afternoon for Worcester in company with Governor Davis, where he will remain until Monday, when he will proceed to Springfield, thence to Hartford, where he has accepted an invitation to a dinner to be given there on Tuesday."

      While the above item in the Evening Transcript is the only one that has been discovered in the Boston newspapers, two of the Lowell newspapers contained brief notices of the visit. The Courier of February 5 contained the following —

      " Boz in Lowell.— This celebrated writer visited Lowell on Thursday. He came on the one o'clock train of cars, in company with Mr. Grattan, the British Consul, and several other gentlemen, and left on the five o'clock train. Consequently his stay has been very short, and thousands of his friends in the city had not an opportunity to see him.

      "He was received at the depot by Mr. Samuel Lawrence, whose guest he continued while in the city. We understand that he visited several of the mills with Mr. Lawrence, and expressed himself as highly gratified with his visit. We hope that ere he returns to England he will visit the city again, and thus give his numerous friends here an opportunity of taking him by the hand."

      The very highly complimentary manner in which Dickens described the conditions which he found in the mills of Lowell, and the manner in which the operatives in them lived and dressed, and of their literary contributions to the Lowell Offering, shows that he not only expressed his gratification with the visit while in Lowell, but also expressed it in his own written account. The editor of the Lowell Advertiser seems to have been offended because Dickens did not favour him with a personal visit, and thus expressed his feelings —

      "Boz was in this city last week. The reason we did not mention it was because he passed our office without calling. He didn't call on the Courier or the people either. How in the name of reason can he expect puffs and popular applause? "

      Dickens visited the mill hospital and wrote of it in very high terms of commendation. The hospital is still in existence, and is supported by contributions from the mill owners.