Dickens, Charles

editor of the Manchester Examiner, denouncing the newspaper's “London correspondent” as “one of the great nuisances of this time…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 particular denying the correspondent's claim that he “was wont to feast in the house of … Thomas Powell”, who he has denounced as “a Forger and a Thief”, marked "Private", 3 pages, 8vo, Devonshire Terrace, 24 December 1849, loose in a collector's folder, splitting at folds

The Letters of Charles Dickens, V, p.678; Parker, The Powell Papers (Northwestern University Press, 2011), pp.150-51

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

WRITTEN WITH UNCHARACTERISTIC ANGER ON CHRISTMAS EVE, THIS IS ONE OF THE CENTRAL LETTERS RELATING TO DICKENS'S ENTANGLEMENT WITH THE FORGER AND EMBEZZLER THOUGHT TO HAVE BEEN THE INSPIRATION FOR URIAH HEEP. Thomas Powell had been employed by Dickens's friend Thomas Chapman and had, as a result of this connection, dined at Dickens's house. Powell was dismissed when Chapman discovered that his employee has had defrauded him of a substantial sum of money, but he refrained from prosecution in the light of Powell's apparent contrition. However, Powell was subsequently discovered passing off forged cheques, then feigned insanity to avoid prosecution and absconded to the United States. Safely in New York Powell wrote The Living Authors of England (1849), which was based on specious claims of intimacy with various English writers and included a libellous account of Dickens, describing him as "deficient in all those striking qualities of the heart which sanctify the memory of man". Dickens had responded to Powell's libels in a letter to the New York Tribune (20 November 1849) and was understandably angry that the "London Correspondent" of the Manchester Examiner was repeating false claims in his review of Powell's book.