A former teacher, Charles Bailey Seymour moved from London to New York City in 1849.
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A continuation of the correspondence published in the previous issue concerning claims that Fitz-James O'Brien borrowed the plot for The Diamond Lens from an unpublished manuscript by William North. Consists of a letter by Augustus Maverick, quoting in full a letter by Charles Bailey Seymour to Maverick on the matter.
Includes a letter by Seymour, who served as the literary executor of William North.
Seymour mentions discussing the controversy surrounding The Diamond Lens with "Mr. O'Brien's friend, a celebrated artist of this City... who was also one of Mr. N[orth]'s friends." This artist admitted that he gave the idea for the story to O'Brien, but had forgotten that North had told him this idea long ago. The artist was most likely Frank Bellew, who was a friend of both authors and was later identified by William Winter as one of two possible sources for the idea behind The Diamond Lens.
Seymour claims that North read him a story entitled Micro-Cosmos with a plot very similar to O'Brien's Diamond Lens.
Augustus Maverick uses Seymour's letter as evidence of O'Brien's plagiarism. He identifies Seymour as the literary executor of William North.
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A former teacher, Charles Bailey Seymour moved from London to New York City in 1849.
Frank Bellew was born in India, possibly to Captain Francis-John and Anne Smoult Temple (Colburn 1374).
27 Memorial Drive West, Bethlehem, PA 18015