Friends of the Dickens Forum,

     What a resource the Pilgrim Letters are, all twelve volumes! There 
are six references to
Florence Marryat (Mrs. Thomas Ross  Church) from vols. seven to twelve.  
A footnote begins,
"daughter of Capt. Frederick Marryat DNB (I, 339n)" and goes on, 
"prolific novelist, playwright,
writer on spiritualism, actress and singer.  Author of *Life and Letters 
of Captain Marryat*, two
vols. 1872l; ed.*London Society,* a monthly magazine, 1872-6. Married etc."

On 21 June 1865, Dickens replies to her proposal that she offer a serial 
story for ATYR--he
already had two stories "written and ready for publication.  Vol 12 
(363) has  a truncated note
on his health and hers.  In Sept 69 she had dedicated her *Veronique: A 
Romance* to him, and he
promised to read it without delay.  By 26 March '70  he had sent her an 
introduction to Chapman
and Hall warning her that the publisher was free to act as he wished, 
and another to the publisher,
Frederick Chapman, telling him that in doing so he was putting Chapman 
under no obligation.  He
writes, "Will you bear this in mind when the lady besieges 193 Piccadilly."

Mrs. Church was clearly no shrinking violet.

Patrick McCarthy