The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-07 00:00:00

LORD BYRON.

Lord Lindsay contributes to the Times another addition
to the literature of the Byron controversy. In a letter of
a column and a quarter he endeavours to prove that Lad,'
Byron, at least in the early part of her separated life, did
not believe her husband guilty of the crime which go'
Stowe imputes to him. The evidence Lord Lindsay
adduces, consists of memoranda written by Lady Anne
Barnard of conversations with Lady Byron—whom she
had known from infancy—and concludes with a letter
from Lady Byton herself. Lady Anne says that after
the birth of the child, hearing of Lady Byron's distress,
she wrote and asked her to come and see her that they might
take counsel together. Lady Byron came to Lady Anne'
The tale she told was as follows :—They (Lord and Lady
Byron) " bad not been an hour in the carriage
which conveyed them from the church, after the
marriage ceremony, when, breaking into a inallff•
nant sneer, Lord Byron said, Oh ! what a dupe 1.00
have been to your imagination. How is it possible
woman of your sense could form the wild hope of
reforming me? Many are the tears you will ha"
to shed ere that plan is accomplished. It is
enough for me that you are my wife for roe
to hate you ; if you were the wife of any other man I own
you might have charms,' &c. Lady Anne, astonished
to bear this story, asked Lady Byron why she lived with
him afterwards. Lady Byron replied, "Because I
not a conception he was in earnest ; because I reckoned
it a bad jest, and told him so—that my opinions of
him were very different from his of himself, other-
wise he would not find me by his side. He laughed
it over when he saw me appear hurt, and I forgot
what had passed till forced to remember it. I believe lie
was pleased with me, too, for a little while. I suppose
it had escaped his memory that I was his wife." "VI
(the memoranda go on to say) often reproached his wife
for the motives which led her to marry him. Her vanity,
he sneeringly said, had caused her to take pity upon Will;
Well, he confessed cruelly, the reason for which be int"
married her was her money. She should bulid up again
his shattered fortune. If Lady Byron reproached P'
tearfully he would throw himself on the floor saying he
was mad. She got to regard this as put on after a time,
but shelsaidly understood it. By•and-bye he tried to corrert
her principles with regard to her own conduct and
latitude. She saw the precipice on which she stee'l'
and kept his sister with her as much as Pest
ble. He returned in the evenings from the haunts
of vice, where he made her understand be had been
with manners so profligate ! "And had he no Mown"
of remorse," asked Lady Anne. "Sometimes (I'''l!
Byron replied) he appeared to have them. One nig"
coming home from one of his lawless parties, he save ine
so indignantly collected, and bearing all with
determined calmness, that a rush of reincfs:
seemed to come over him; he called himself -
monster, though his sister was present, and threw
self in agony at my feet. I could not—no—l °till
not forgive him such injuries. He had lost me for ever'
Astonished at the return of virtue, my tears, I beliee'
flowed over his face, and I said, Byron, all is forgottee;
never, never shall you hear of it more He started 111;:
and, folding his arms while he looked at me, burst ill'
laughter. ' What do you mean ?' said I. ' Only a Oise.
sophical experiment, that's all," said he ; 'I wished ri
ascertain the value of your resolutions.' When her chi'',
was burn, Byron was informed 'he might see his daughter,
after gazing at it with an exulting smile, this was tilt
ejaculation that broke from him, Oh, what an implernen
of torture I have acquired in you!' All this reads madder
than I believe he was ;" but she had not then made upliedr
mind to disbelieve his pretended insanity, and conceit r•
it best to intrust her secret with the excellent Ph's
Baillie. Bailie doubted of his derangement, but, °Li
he did not reckon his own opinicn infallible, he wisl4o
her to take precautions as if her husband was so. ge r
commended her going to the country, but to give biro Po
suspicion of her intentions of remaining there, and f°l.o
short time to shew no coldness in her letters till she cello
better ascertain his state. She went—regretting, as she t°
me, to wear any semblance but the truth. A short ofa
disclosed the story to the world. He acted the part ;14
man driven to despair by her inflexible resentment Who
the arts of a governess (once a servant in the family)
hated him.
Such was the interview ; the letter following
written to the same Lady Anne Barnard, and is nel,eilt
by her to the account of the interview :—" I am a Te,„
incompetent judge of the impression which the last el,
of Childe Harold' may produce on the minds of indi;
rent readers. It contains the usual trace of a conseic`a
restlessly awake. I will hope, as you do, that 'f
survives for his ultimate good. lam decidedly be
opinion that he is responsible. He has wished !esr6,
thought partially deranged, to perplex observers an" cogs
vent them from tracing effects to their real causes. I 1.0„
as I told you, at one time the dupe of his acted inS3nl
te
till the whole system was laid tare. He is the ebsole
monarch of words, and uses them, as Buonaparte did lii of
for conquest. Why then, you will say, does he
r±
employ them to give a better colour to his own charaetc,i
Because he is too good an actor to assume
garb which it would be easy to strip off. In regard t°,0,,,
poetry, egotism is the vital principle of his imaginfiti of
By the introduction of fictitious incidents, by chang:
is
scene or time, he has enveloped his poetical disclosure
i.lO
a system impenetrable except.to a very few. Nothiacv
contributed more to the misunderstanding of his real
meter than the lonely grandeur in which he shrouds it,1340
his affectation of being above mankind, when he c'\,, s
almost in their voice. The romance of his sentialent'oo
another feature of this mask of state. I know no one.iis
habitually destitute of that enthusiasm he so beautliti:eoi
expresses, and to which he can work up his fancY
by contagion. I had heard be was the best of loot e
• sf
the most generous of friends, and I thought such • tore
only required to be warmed and cherished in and
diffusive benevolence. Though these are eradicated',
could never return but with the decay of my°etches
you will not wonder if there are still moments sites
the association of feelings which arose from them6o-oser
and sadden my thoughts. My wishes fon
were to injure Lord Byron in any ivDS !fe,lo
though be would not suffer me to remain his wl6 sot
cannot prevent me from continuing his friend. It 100'
necessary to speak ill of his heart in general ; it 15t
siy
cient to me that it was hard and impenetrable-'th• been
own must have been broken before his could have teas
touched. I would rather represent this as me 11115 tt° be
than as his guilt ; but, surely, that misfortune is °,rei 0'
made my crime ! It is said in this poem that here Jos
him will be taught as a lesson to his child. 111eother
been no moment when I have remembered inirirY
wise than affectionately and sorrowfully. It is 11 oiteed
duty to give way to hopeless and wholly nn le
affection, but so long as I live, my chief strliggd,
probably be not to remember him too kindly- 11,00,A1)
seek the sympathy of the world, but I wish to bearos
by those whose opinion is valuable and whose kin
dear to me."
s 5 Of
eov se
Last Sunday added another to the succ 0010e:A
the National Sunday League in the way of ese seer
Four trains from London-bridge and Victoria Sostlut
some 3,000 persons bent on enjoyment to r°rt-t,glel,
where three packets were specially engaged thr°AsSeli.,,
the day conveying them to and from the Isle of /Ty
dbi 00
The last train re ached Portsmouth by 11.45 a. We an
~coro .0
p.m. all were in London without mishap. This e' Dot is
was intended to have been the last of the seasolliry
ss
consideration of the services of their hon. seer° soceest;
his sacrifice of time having contributed so much tss° 0004
the Council have resolved on an excursion t OP
and Margate on the 19th inst., the proceeds frame
ci
are to be p resented to Mr. Morrell. all/e
e lj
AN A MERICAN itOMANCE.— girl A
young a ft
_o
tf
Carrie Ketchman, of New Orleans, was shot, tror colic
supposed mortally wounded, by her lover, Saillterstl fsr°l,B
tee
two or three months since. She has since ree7oo.
her wounds, but refused to give evidence agair°
to elot
judge asked her if thirty days' confinement wi:ered toe
her obstinacy, when she, amid tears, airs op ice
she was not obstinate, but had nothing t°
ea to gsd
Judge finally told her that he was afraid, if f°:10, e
itee_,eol
evidence, she would commit perjury to save stsserdJss,
from well•deserved punishment, and as th
fert;costet"
had requested it, h would disch her
i 10
She was married to Collot on the same evening' till
of OOP oer,
On the day when the recent eclipse t astron° go
looked for in America,Dr. Peters,theeraineno cid nileoce
connected with Hamilton College, told A ~,bigPos
Be` loifvinhgennsr
frorhisatob4sAersvtaitleoyrywtoouslNd-ategho ctoarreofonslkyu TAstestlicit,l:,
eclipse was over lie came, evidently In crilitesil ,ebb 44
"How was it?" said the doctor.
said the negro. " When tie darknessoo7o 50e0,
' 4
,1
chick'n run for de hole in de barn. De d
fu
Il ow,
the lest vsos
and de next ones run ober one anudder, al long
dey just squat right down in (lc grass' eleon We
know dis ting was a coming?" "
it more than a year," said the doctor. 13_ „0 what Oh ! !,rseseats (let of
Here you away in New York knowd a s'eara 7s,ou es'
cb Hens was gu ine to do dis bay of tcrnoon, n
telly
see de chik'ns afore nuddcr !" tooll e 1
TIIE PEERAGE.—It appears that scoss e talcls p
40
oral Pc eye
11)100s ls
eaonfd Commonson spirituale
w asapd
the Marquis of Anglesey, the Earls of ll
Glasgow, Itadnor, and Wicklow, Visco. , usloosor:s,
Stangford, Lords Broughton, Castleu(Z_
.eurley,
iirry
elle'eceterd.lia7hetitieeduesPB:_rr,
Harwke, Kenyon, Leconfield, Stanley
.3 Dio
1,000;s
ton, and Wynford.ford t
of Broughton and Taunton have eel, con,„ is The viscountyvrof spirituala,f:berol:ll,l,llteisili3j
Salisbury.
XAersilis.9.PyWyLll not attain 14q_p_i_ajori