Today marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of someone who, hopefully, needs no introduction: Charles Dickens – a man who wrote so many letters (some 15,000 have survived) it’s a wonder he ever found time to write the novels he did. I still remember my school days reading his novels.

On the 200th birth anniversary of Dickens, I reproduce a humorous letter of complaint written by Dickens in 1863 to Sir John Bennett, the watchmaker responsible for recently cleaning a clock of his. I came across this letter a few days ago on web.

Gad’s Hill Place,
Higham by Rochester, Kent,
Monday night, Fourteenth September, 1863

My dear Sir,

Since my hall clock was sent to your establishment to be cleaned it has gone (as indeed it always has) perfectly well, but has struck the hours with great reluctance, and after enduring internal agonies of a most distressing nature, it has now ceased striking altogether. Though a happy release for the clock, this is not convenient to the household. If you can send down any confidential person with whom the clock can confer, I think it may have something on its works it would be glad to make a clean breast of,

Faithfully yours,

(Signed)

I salute the great author. As a banker, I always remember his quote – “Credit is a system whereby a person who can not pay gets another person who can not pay to guarantee that he can pay.” This was, in fact, my first idea of credit before joining the Bank!