Literary Fund there is ample room for both but to do its usefulness in its own circle, and to
set the Fund a better example. Mr. Dickens, it will be remembered, is one of the leading managers
of the Guild: he helped to start it, he has watched it through infancy and boyhood, and now sees it
attain manhood with a fine fieldfor good before it.
The Illustrated London News van 23 juni 1855 bevat een uitvoerig verslag van een vergadering
van the Royal Literary Fund Society. Een speciale commissie onder leiding van Dickens had een
rapport opgesteld om te komen tot een ander beleid:
The question as to a change in the management of the Literary Fund came to an issue on
Saturday, at a meeting to receive the report of the special committee, appointed to consider the
polity of the change. The chair was taken by Mr.B.B.Cabbell, M.P., who, in introducing the
business, read a letterfrom the Marquis of Lands do wne, the President of the Fund (who was
unable to be present from having to attend a Cabinet Council), expressing doubts as to the poliy
of the proposed changes in the constitution of the society.
Mr. Charles Dickens, as the chairman of the special committee, presented the report, which
recommended That henceforth the administrative body of the society should be enabled to grant
revocable annuities to distressed men of letters and scientific writers, to the extent of a certain
limited proportion of income derivable from the society's realproperty or vestedfunds; and also,
that they should have the power of granting relief by way of loan. The report also embraced a plan
for remodelling the powers and functions of the council; and comprised a project for superadding to
the present objects of the society, in conformity with the alleged intentions of its founders, the
holding of evening meetings and conversaqioni in the rooms of the institution, and the establishment
of a library for purposes of reference. It was also designed that this offshoot of the institution should
hereafter be further developed, if the experiment met with adequate encouragement, into a hall or
college for the honour of literature, and the service of literary men". To this effect these purposes,
according to the opinion of counsel (Mr. Sejeant Merewether), a new charter was necessary.
Mr. Dickens moved that he report be adopted.
Mr. Forster seconded the motion.
Mr. Monckton Milnes, M.P., proposed, as an amendment, 'That this meeting acknowledged
with gratitude the labours of the special committee appointed to consider and report upon the
question of a new charterfor the Literary Fund, and recognise the value of some of their
suggestions as subjects forfuture deliberation; but, considering the proposals therein contained to
involve an entire alteration of the nature and intentions of the society, and that its means are
inadequate to the attainment of those purposes, this meeting is not prepared to recommend the
application for a new charter to carry them into effect.The first change recommended viq.that,
instead of granting assistance to authors, when in circumstances of distress in sums sufficient to
enable them to start afresh in their career, and depend upon their own exertions for theirfuture
support, they should spread the aid they now gave at one time over a period of years in the shape of
annuities was a proposition of very doubful wisdom, and it was even questionable whether the
present mode was not adapted to afford more serviceable relief to the recipient than the one
suggested as a substitute; but, be that as it might, no alteration in the charter was demanded to
enable, them to vary their practice in this repect should a modification be thought advisable. Then,
as to the granting of pecuniary loans, there would be the greatest difficulty in carrying out such a
principle. How, for instance, were they to secure their repaymentSecrecy and confidence were now
