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Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens (28 October 1845 – 2 January 1912) was the sixth child and fourth son of English novelist Charles Dickens and his wife Catherine.〔(Dickens Family Tree website )〕 He made lecture tours in Australia, Europe and the United States on his father's life and work. ==Early life== Nicknamed "Sampson Brass" and "Skittles" by his father, Alfred Dickens was born at 1 Devonshire Terrace in London, and was baptized at the church of St. Mary Marylebone in London on 21 April 1846. He was named after his godfathers, Alfred, Lord Tennyson and Count Alfred D'Orsay. Because of this choice of godfathers Alfred's christening became a popular topic among literary people. Father Prout wrote:
Edward Fitzgerald wrote to his friend Edward Barton〔New Letters of E. Fitzgerald, pg 122〕 that Tennyson and Count D'Orsay had stood as godparents to one of Dickens's children, and that the unfortunate child had been named 'Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson', which he believed proved that 'Dickens was a snob... For what is Snobbishness and Cockneyism, but all such pretensions and parade? It is one thing to worship heroes and another to lick their spittle.'〔Hennessey, pg 236〕 Robert Browning wrote to Elizabeth Barrett, who shortly after married him in the same church in which Alfred Dickens had been baptized, wondering if she knows why Alfred Tennyson has been dining with Dickens to meet celebrities.
Alfred Dickens was educated at Brackenbury's Military School at Wimbledon and at Mr Gibson's boarding school in Boulogne-sur-Mer, with his brothers Henry and Sydney.〔Dickens, Henry Fielding 'The Recollections of Sir Henry Fielding Dickens, K.C.' Published by William Heinemann Ltd (1934) p 11〕 Alfred Dickens considered a career in the Army, in medicine, and in business, but after failing the entrance examination into the Army, instead he spent two years working in a China House in London.〔'The Family Tree of Charles Dickens' by Mark Charles Dickens Published by the Charles Dickens Museum (2005)〕 He shared his father's love for fashionable clothing, and ran up bills, in his father's name, at various tailors.〔Hawksley, Lucinda Dickens ''Charles Dickens'' Andre Deutsch (2011) pg 33〕 Persuaded by his father, he migrated to Australia in June 1865 aged 19, leaving behind many unpaid bills.〔(Dickens on the Gads Hill Place website )〕 His father came to see him off at Paddington Station. Charles Dickens sent him with some money and letters of introduction, hoping that he would make a career there and that he would cease to be a financial drain upon his father. According to various letters,〔National Library of Australia〕 Charles Dickens sent his son to Australia "to seek his fortune"; although he saw Alfred as "steady and working, though not in the least brilliant," he had been anxious to get him "far away from home," being concerned about the negative influence of his brothers and the "idleness" of London.〔(Sumner and Stillman website )〕 He was followed shortly afterwards by his younger brother Edward Dickens. Alfred Dickens remained in Australia for 45 years. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Alfred D'Orsay Tennyson Dickens」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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