Dickens, Charles

writing in a wryly amused tone on local responses to a satirical article of Stafford (“…Mr Wiles had bought me such alarming reports of the indignation of the people of Stafford in behalf of their brick, and their town, that when I found myself, three weeks ago, obliged to wait at the station there, three hours, I was not without personal apprehensions and a secret resolution never to be taken alive...”), 2 pages, 8vo, Tavistock House, 31 May 1852, splitting at folds, some browning at edges

The Letters of Charles Dickens, Supplement XVI (http://pure.qub.ac.uk/portal/files/1747716/LETTERS_SUPP_XVI.pdf)

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."

Thomas Battam, recipient of this letter, was Art Director of the Copeland Porcelain factory in Stoke on Trent, who had sent Dickens an "elegant present" following a recent visit which had occasioned Dickens and W.H. Wills to write an article on pottery manufacture for Household Words. 'A Plated Article' was printed on 24 April 1852 and described a night of "devouring melancholy" spent at the "Dodo" (in fact the Swan), the "extinct town inn" in "as dull and dead a town as any one could desire to see". An outraged Staffordshire Advertiser replied that the only possible explanation for such strictures was the authors' "disordered nerves or stomach". It seems that Dickens was relieved that Battam, at least, had apparently taken his article in good part.