The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 1, 1833-1856Dickens, Charles
General
The Letters of Charles Dickens. Vol. 1, 1833-1856
Dickens, Charles
Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 -- Correspondence; Novelists, English -- 19th century -- Correspondence
Do you know this place? Of course you do. I won't bore you with anything
about it, for I know Forster reads my letters to you; but what a place
it is. The views from the hills here, and the immense variety of
prospects of the sea, are as striking, I think, as such scenery can be.
Above all, the approach to Genoa, by sea from Marseilles, constitutes a
picture which you ought to paint, for nobody else can ever do it!
William, you made that bridge at Avignon better than it is. Beautiful as
it undoubtedly is, you made it fifty times better. And if I were
Morrison, or one of that school (bless the dear fellows one and all!), I
wouldn't stand it, but would insist on having another picture gratis, to
atone for the imposition.
The night is like a seaside night in England towards the end of
September. They say it is the prelude to clear weather. But the wind is
roaring now, and the sea is raving, and the rain is driving down, as if
they had all set in for a real hearty picnic, and each had brought its
own relations to the general festivity. I don't know whether you are
acquainted with the coastguard and men in these parts? They are
extremely civil fellows, of a very amiable manner and appearance, but
the most innocent men in matters you would suppose them to be well
acquainted with, in virtue of their office, that I ever encountered. One
of them asked me only yesterday, if it would take a year to get to
England in a ship? Which I thought for a coastguardman was rather a tidy
question. It would take a long time to catch a ship going there if he
were on board a pursuing cutter though. I think he would scarcely do it
in twelve months, indeed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account