The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1884-04-19 00:00:00

DEATH OF MR. H. J. BYRON.

We regret to record the death from consumption ot
Mr. H. J. Byron, the dramatist, which took place on
Friday evening in last week at his residence, Clapham
Park, London. He had not completed his 49th year.
Mr. Byron, whose grandfather was a first cousin of
the great poet, was a son of Mr. Henry Byron, who
long held the post of British Consul at Hayti. Born
at Manchester in 1835, he received his education,
first at a school in Essex, and then at St. Peter's Col-
lege, Eaton-square. His father intended him for the
Navy, but he could not be induced to accept a cadetship.
It was then deemed expedient to make him a doctor,
and for a brief period he worked as assistant in a
surgery. Suddenly, yielding to an imperious instinct,
he threw aside his Celsus to become a provincial
actor. In one of his fugitive writings he speaks of
the hardships and vicissitudes he endured in this
capacity—how he often had to play eighteen parts in
one week, sing between the acts, and be content with
half of the very moderate salary at which he had
been engaged. Returning to London, he entered him-
self as a student at the Middle Temple. Thence-
forward he devoted his best energies to play-writing,
his natural aptitude for that branch of letters having
been added to by a good practical knowledge of the
stage. His first production was a burlesque of " Fra
Diavolo," brought out at the Strand Theatre in
1858. Other pieces from his pen appeared
there in rapid succession. In 1865 he t,,,0k
part with Miss Wilt& in converting the then Queen's
Theatre into the Prince of Wale,s!s Theatre, for
which he wrote two original comedies—" War to the
Knife," and "A Hundred Thousand Pounds," and
the burlesques of "La Sonnambula," " Travestie,"
"Lucia di Lammermoor," "Little Don Giovanni,"
and "Der Frieschutz." Meanwhile, oving to the
success of his more elaborate efforts, his ambition as a
writer for the stage had gradually widened. Without
abandoning the field of burlesque, he wrote melo-
dramas, and with " Cyril's Success" he began the
long list of amusing comedies which have made his
name a household word among us. But the demand
made upon his time by his increasing success had not
kept him from other walks of literature. He was the
first editdr of Fuss, and in that capacity had the merit of
introdacing the "Bab Ballads ' to,the public. He
wrote many dramatic critiques, leading articles,
essays for magazines, the novel of "Paid in Full,"
vers de societe, and sprightly paragraphs for Punch.
In all he contributed about 120 pieces to the stage,
and most of them won a high degree cf popularity.
Especially was this the case with Our Boys, ' which
had the unprecedented run of 1200 nights, besides
making the fortunes of companies in the provinces
and America.

MEN AND TiuNas.—A tailor is a bad man to invite
to play billiards on your table, as he is accustomed to
cut the cloth. It is surprising, when you come to
think of it, how few booksellers take to the stage,
seeing how accustomed they are to "the boards." 'lf
you invite a railway contractor to dinner, do not
forget to let him have fish-plates. The policeman is
the man to effectually grapple with a difficulty; there
is no one more able than he to take a subject up. The
tin-plate manufacturer and the iron merchant always
put their best energies forward—they- are always on
their metal. The soldier is a reliable man ;as a rule,
none are more so, the soldier being nearly always a
man of hi(s)word.-2'U.