The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-20 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, SEPT. 20, 1869.

A sermon yesterday, at Lambeth, illustrated in a
rather remarkable manner the execrable character
of Mrs. STows's sensational slander directed against
not only the memory of one of the greatest poets
that ever breathed, but also, and in a particularly
heinous manner, against the hitherto unsullied repu-
tation of hii half-sister—a blameless wife, widow,
mother, long since deceased. As Lord LINDSAT has said
in his second letter, written on the 14th instant at
Dunecht, and published in the Times of Saturday,.
" the charge here is not against BYRON only, but Mrs.
LEIGH !" And, further on, in that same communica-
tion, the_ noble writer (adds—" The true question

raised by Mrs. STOWE is between herself and
Mrs. LEIGH, not BYRON." We should bear in remem-
brance, moreover, in connection with this especial
consideration, two or three facts of overwhelming
significance. Firstly—that Lord and Lady Britort's
only child was called (with the latter's consent) after
the former's half-sister—AUGUSTA ADA ! Secondly,
that at the bottom of the white marble tablet in the
chancel of Hucknall Church, near Newstead, there
are engraved these words—" HU sister, the Honour-
able AUGUSTA MARIA LEIGH, placed this tablet to
his memory." Thirdly, that this lady was the
beloved wife of Colonel LEIGH, and the cum-.
plary mother of that brave soldier's seven children.
Fourthly, that, towards the close of her honoured
life, she was awArded a suite of Royal apartments in
St. James's Pal ice by the late virtuous Queen ADE-
LAIDE. Fifthly, that Mrs. LEIGH died in those apart-
ments, not many years ago, during the reign of her
present Gracious MAJESTY, and was buried amidst the
respectful grief of all who knew her—her sorrowing
friends and relatives little anticipating at the time that,
after her body should have long crumbled into dust,
there would come a time, in the autumn of 1869, when
a woman, wholly unknown to her (an American maga-
zine-writer) would, for so many pounds sterling, or in
homage to the Almighty Dollar, endeavour to hold her
name—this English matron's name—up to popular
abhorrence as that of an Incestuous-Adulteress! The
cruelty, or rather, we will say, the atrocity of Mrs.
STOWE'S attempt to bring this infamous charge home
against the accused, is mainly, in so far as it applies
to Lord BYRON'S half-sister. What says Lord
BYRON'S grandson—RALPH GORDON NOEL-MIL-
BANEE, twelfth Baron Wentworth, and only surviv-

ing son of WILLIAM KING-NOEL, the first (that is
the present) Earl of LOTELACE, by his beautiful and
gifted wife, the late Countess AUGUSTA ADA, only
daughter of the great poet, whom Mrs. STowE is now
so monstrously endeavouring to traduce—what says
BYRON'S grandson, Lord WENTWORTH, in regard to
this atrocious calumny ? Why, writing from Paris
on Thursday last, the 16th inst., he says to the Daily
News, "I feel it to be due both to the readers of
the Daily News and to myself to affirm my full
acquaintance with the history of Lai), BYRON, and
especially the period of her married life and sepa-
ration. The denial I gave of the truth of Mrs.
BEEC.HER STOWE'S narrative rested on Lady Byron's
own written testimony, contained in those papers to
which, according to your leading article of Saturday,
I have not access." Now—than this denial, we take

it, nothing can by possibility be more distinct, explicit,
positive, or authoritative. It is not second hand. It is
" affirmed" upon a full knowledge of the history of
Lady BYRON, and particularly in regard to the period
of her married life and separation. And by whom ?
By the poet's grandson, by the grandson of Lady
BYRON, by the son and heir of Lord and Lady
BYRON'S only daughter, AUGUSTA ADA, the late
Countess of LOVELACE. Lord WENTWORTH'S denial,
as he distinctly " affirms," resting on—what Mrs.
STOWE'S monstrous narrative has the hardihood to
refer to for corroboration, namely, upon—" Lady
BYRON'S own written testimony !" We are asked,

,hen, to decide on the amount of credit

to be accorded--on the one hand to an
American magazine writer, who has long sir.ce
been ehewn to have blundered in this " True
Story," both in regard to names and dates, and
who has avowedly penned her narrative upon her
confused remembrance of a so-called confidential con-
versation with Lady BYRON thirteen years ago—and,
on the other, to Lady BYRON'S own grandson, who
writes with a full knowledge of the facts, and who
rests his solemnly-affirmed denial of Mrs. STOWE'S
statement upon—what ? Upon—Lady BYRON'S own
written testimony ! Everything considered, we do
not believe this True Story of Lady BYRON'S
Life," written by Mrs. BEECHER STOWE,
for publication simultaneously in England and
America—while, on the other hand, we do be-

licve this solemn denial of it by Lord and Lady
13viviN's grandson, by the Earl and Countess of
LOVELACE'S S3l), Lori WENTWORTH. No wonder
that, in the knowledge of what has recently occurred
in regard to this most lamentable controversy—no
wonder, we say, that one of the clergymen of Lam•
beth, while yesterday referring to it from the pulpit,
should have recalled- to recollection what we our-
solves shrank not from reminding our readers of
several days previously in these columns—namely,
those impressive words of Holy Writ, in which the
Apostle, alluding to certain heinous offences says "let
them not be so much as named amongst you." No
wonder that thesame preacher of yesterday, speaking
from his pulpit in Lambeth, recalled to the remem-
brance of his hearers (and through them to Mrs.
STowE's) the awful words delivered iu thunder to
MosEs on Mount SINAI---" Thou shalt not bear false
witness against thy neighbour."

THEY are both so bad that we do not know which
is the worst. Beverley is utterly corrupt, Bridg-
water is corrupt utterly. Beverley has been a
stepping stone for four Tory baronets, who having
spent their money in a manner that the law declares
worthy of punishment, were rewarded by the Prime
Minister for doing so. Bridgwater has been
the battle-ground where rival Liberal iron-
masters and others have poured out their money like
water, but without being recommended to the
QUEEN for the honour of a title. That is the
only difference, reflecting credit upon the Liberal
party to that extent ; but, save for this, both parties
have been equally bad and equally deserve the
extremest punishment which the law permits. It is
really enough to make cynics of us when we read of
the hypocrisy of the men whose misdeeds have been
brought to light by the Commissioners. We have
yet to hear all the circumstances of Sir HENRY
EDWARDS'S connection with Beverley elections, for
he was concerned in more than one. But we know
enough of them from other witnesses to appraise at
its proper value the high political morality which he
used to assume when denouncing Mr. GLADSTONE
for wishing to reduce the borough franchise in 1866,
and for wishing to disestablish the Irish Church
in 1868. Who so full of, so overflowing with, vir-
tuous- indignation as that eminent soldier who
by virtue of his command of a troop of yeomen
dubbed himself " colonel " before Mr. DIsnAELI
made him " Sir ?" There was not a fiercer or more
valiant defender of our Constitution in the House,
so far as words go, than this valiant man of war
and patron of the Beverley Waggon Company. How
are the mighty fallen ! First he lost his seat, then his
reputation for electioneering integrity, and now, if the
Commissioners will have but the courage to deal
with this redoubtable militaire, he will be a spectacle
for men, to say nothing of the man in the moon. As
for Mr. BROGDEN, fighting, even of the Yeomanry
review kind, is not in his way. He is an ironmaster,
not a soldier ; he raises iron, he does not use it. He
has already been exposed to the ordeal that
we trust is still in store for Sir lIEN-itY EDWARDS.
And the way in which he—a member of the
Legislature at this present time--scoffed at electoral
purity will, we trust, secure for him the attention of
the House of Commons when it meets again, especially
of ono particular member of it, known in his official
capacity as the Attorney-General. Indeed we wish
we could hear of greater activity in that quarter. If
anything is to be done to give effect to the new law
against bribery, if it is intended to make it anything else
but a miserable sham, a prosecution must be com-
menced within the next two months. Anything
short of this will prove that the Government is insin-
cere in this matter ; for nothing short of this has any
effect. The disgrace of exposure is no disgrace at all
to men who laugh at their sins and glory in their

DIE SUN, LONDON, MONDAY EVENING, SEPTEMBER 20, 1869.

shame. The spectacle of a convicted baronet and
M.P. locked up in adjacent cells and fed on bread and
water for a few months would do more to put down
bribery than all the Acts of Parliament passed
hitherto or to be passed hereafter. One word more ;
how about the Irish Commissions ? If we mistake
not, there are some scandalous revelations to be made
there. If so, it is time that they were made.