Pickwick Abroad: or, The Tour in France — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

PREFACE. WueEn the publication of this work in Montroity NuMBERS commenced, the greater portion of the press prophesied for it the most unequivocal success, while the smaller part condemned it to immediate extinction. Setting aside the fact that there are unfortunately many people in the world who are addicted to prophesy of the future according to their own private wishes, I shall content myself with observing that the kind augurs of . the favourable portion of the newspapers and periodicals have been amply fulfilled; and while I proceed to register a few of the encouraging opinions that were passed upon the early Numbers of “ Pickwick Abroad,” I take the opportunity of re- turning my most sincere and grateful thanks to those editors who contributed to the success of the work by the record of their sentiments in respect to its merits. The following are some of the notices to which allusion is here made: SUN. “Tf * Pickwick Abroad’ were not a work built upon another man’s founda- tion, we should say it was one of the cleverest and most original productions of the modern British Press. We rise from the first Number with the only regret that Charles Dickens himself had not written it.” AGE. *** Pickwick Abroad’ is so well done by G. W. M. Reynolds, that we must warn Boz to look to his laurels.” CORNICLOOKS im