No one expected John Tyler, a former senator from Virginia, to become America’s tenth president. His presidency has been called an accident.1 In March 1841, William Henry Harrison was sworn in as the first Whig to hold the office.2 His campaign slogan, “Tippecanoe and Tyler too,” commemorated a victory in the inconsequential Battle of Tippecanoe during the War of 1812; it also identified Tyler as an afterthought, only put on the ticket to please southern Democrats. When Harrison died after one month in office, Tyler proceeded to alienate both Whigs and Democrats, insuring that his would be a one-term presidency. The morning after Dickens arrived in Washington, D. C. in March 1842, he was taken to the White House for an audience with President Tyler. The interview ranks as one of the all-time non-events. “Is this Mr. Dickens?” Tyler asked. “Sir, it is,” Dickens replied. “I am astonished to see so young a man,” said the fifty-one-year-old president to the thirty-year-old novelist (Johnson, 1: 400). He added: “I am happy to join with my fellow citizens, warmly, in welcoming you to this country.” No further words were spoken. The two men shook hands, seated themselves near a hot stove, although it was a warm day, and stared at each other. Finally, Dickens rose, saying he would use up no more of the president’s valuable time which he assumed must be fully occupied. This polite sarcasm went unnoticed. Dickens also attended one of the president’s receptions where to his annoyance “he became the main object of attention” (Ackroyd 360). An “immense crowd” ignored Tyler and surrounded Dickens (Clintwood 395). In chapter 8 of American Notes, Dickens generously describes Tyler as a “remarkably unaffected, gentlemanly, and an agreeable” man who “became his station singularly well” (AN 172). But Tyler’s alleged “good manners and regal bearing,” his “ability to put his guests at ease” (Crapol 5, 105), were

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狄更斯的总统

没有人期望来自弗吉尼亚州的前参议员约翰泰勒成为美国第十任总统。他的总统任期被称为意外。1 1841 年 3 月，威廉·亨利·哈里森 (William Henry Harrison) 宣誓就职，成为第一位担任该职位的辉格党人。 1812年战争；它还确定泰勒是事后才想到的，只是为了取悦南方民主党人。当哈里森在任一个月后去世时，泰勒开始疏远辉格党人和民主党人，以确保他的总统任期为一届。狄更斯于 1842 年 3 月抵达华盛顿特区后的第二天早上，他被带到白宫与泰勒总统会面。这次采访被列为有史以来的非事件之一。“这是狄更斯先生吗？” 泰勒问道。“先生，是的，”狄更斯回答。“看到这么年轻的男人，我感到很惊讶，”这位 51 岁的总统对这位 30 岁的小说家说（约翰逊，1：400）。他补充说：“我很高兴与我的同胞们一起，热烈欢迎你们来到这个国家。” 没有再说什么。两人握了握手，在热炉旁坐下，虽然天气很热，但对视了一眼。最后，狄更斯站了起来，说他不会再占用总统的宝贵时间，他认为必须完全占用这些时间。这种礼貌的讽刺没有引起注意。狄更斯还参加了总统的一次招待会，令他烦恼的是“他成为了主要关注的对象”（Ackroyd 360）。“巨大的人群”忽略了泰勒并包围了狄更斯（克林特伍德 395）。在美国笔记的第 8 章中，狄更斯慷慨地将泰勒描述为“非常不受影响，绅士，和蔼可亲”的人，“非常好地成为了他的职位”（AN 172）。但是泰勒所谓的“举止得体和高贵的举止”，他“让客人放心的能力”（Crapol 5, 105），