The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-14 00:00:00

TO THE EDITOR OF THE DAILY NEWS.

Sin,—A considerable amount of discussion having
now taken place on the Byron question, and there
appearing a great danger of the vital points of the
cpntroversy being buried under a multitude of
words, I beg once more to recall the public atten-
tion to a few plain facts, on which the foundations
of the whole dispute rest. The great fundamental
fact is, that all the dark and revolting charges
against Lord Byron are avowed to proceed from
the very person who, before making them, took
care to destroy the evidence of the person against
whom they are made. That is, Lady Byron, dur-
ing the life of her husband, had sternly refused to
make any explanation to him, or to the public, of
the causes of her separation. If she had any to make,
the proper time to do that was whilst her husband
was living, and, if not true, could have rebutted
them. She should have done this or for ever after
held her peace. But when her husband was dead,
and died with the hundred times repeated de-
claration of his ignorance of her reasons for leaving
him ; when she had accomplished the destruction
of her husband's statement of his side of the ques
tion, and then written, as we are informed, her
own representation of it ; when all those who
knew him best, who had his full confidence, and
could best defend him, had followed him to the
tomb, we find her, in open breach Of her Solemnly
reiterated assertions of an inviolable silence on the
subject, corning out, if Mrs. Stowe's story be truei
with the most damning calumnies which it is pos-
sible for a woman to utter against her husband. I
beg to ask once more whether it be the opinion of
the justice-loving British public that this style of
conduct can for a moment receive its sanction? y If
a practice of this kind can be tolerated, then will
no man's reputation be safe from " the wife of his
bosom." Any wife with a pique may, the moment
that the breath is out of her husband's body, rifle
his cabinets, overhaul the most sacred records of
his past life, and then with impunity proceed to
blacken his memory with the most odious
pigments of hell. This, however, is precisely
what the zealous advocates of Lady Byron's un-
warrantable proceeding recommend to us as admis-
sible. I have no hesitation in asserting that it is a
proceeding as odious, as abhorrent to every right
feeling, as opposed to, and destructive of, every
principle that is sacred in life, as it is pre-eminently
un-English. I repeat it, that the moment that Lady
Bryon caused to be destroyed the memoir of her
husband she put herself out of court on the ques-
tion, and rendered it impossible that it can ever
be settled except upon defective and exparte evi-
dence.

Beyond this primal fact, which ought to stand
for ever broadly, strongly, and uneclipsel by ver-
biage or sophistry before the public eye, it is scarcely
worth while to go ; but there are one or two minor
facts made patent by recent correspondence. It is
perfectly clear, from the letters of Lady Anne Bar-
nard and Lady Byron, quoted by Lord Lindsay,
and made still more palpable by the important state-
ments of "An American Citizen" in the 7imes of
the Bth inst., that for years after the separation Lady
Byron had no idea of any such crime as Mrs. Stowe
makes her allege against Lord Byron 13 years
ago. There is not a shadow of a shade of any
such cause assigned for the separation. The causes
enumerated are violent conduct, affected insanity,
and general licentiousness. That Lord Byron had
no idea of any such charge on her part the " Ame-
rican Citizen" satisfactorily shows from his inter-
course with Moore ; that Lady Byron had no such
idea, the fact, so well observed, of her naming her
infant daughter after after Augusta Leigh is most
conclusive proof. If Lady Byron afterwards fell
into such a belief it must have been from the fiend-
ish insinuation of some base person like the woman
" born in a garret, in the kitchen bred."

One more fact. The writers, English and Ame-
rican, who claim for Mrs. Stowe the peculiar and
almost exclusive confidence of Lady Byron on this
subject, are dealing in mere fudge. It is well
known to a certain number of persons that Lady
Byron, with all her affected strength of character,
had the weakness to make such confidantes of most
of her lady friends of long standing. Most of these
ladies are now dead, and prudently " died' and
made no sign." But there is one at least still liv-
ing who possesses a series of letters from Lady
Byron, containing not horrors of the Beecher
Stowe type, but heavy charges not only against her
husband, but against her own daughter.
What are we to do with a person at once so vir-
tuous and so vituperative—so saintly in one corner
of her mind, and harbouring in another that which
does not spare even her own flesh and blood ? What
are we to say to the noble reticence of a wife who
destroys her dead husband's defence, outwits his re-
maining friends, and then furnishes to her lady ad-
herents all round a sheaf of poisoned arrows, to be
shot off when not au opposing shield can he raised
against them. It is the story of Orpheus over
again— torn to pieces by a mob of infuriated
women

Certain anonymous correspondents talk of Byron
being " now unmasked." lie was the very last man
to wear a mask. His faults lay from first to last
open to the day. We know no more positively of
him now than we did. We have no proof whatever ;
only one-sided assertions ; but much counter proof ;
and we are bound to characterise this attempt to
swear away his literary and moral character—such
as it was—as most monstrous. 1 have no desire to
condemn Lady Byron. No one honours certain

HER MAJESTY.

BALMORAL CASTLE, Sept. 11.
her Majesty, accompanied by Princess Chris-
tian, drove out in the morning.
In the afternoon the Queen, accompanied by
Princess Christian and Prince Leopold, drove out
again.

LATEST INTELL IGENCE

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)

AMERICA.

NEW YORK, Sept. 13.
The Guion steamihip Nevada arrived here to

day.

COMMERCIAL INTELLIGENCE.
CLOSING PRICES.

Gold closed at 135 i ; the highest quotation dur•
iug the day was 135,-1 ; the lowest, 135 g.
Sterling Exchange on London lOBl.
5-20 U. S. Bonds, 1882 122.
46 " 1885 l2ll.
gg " 1867 l2O.
10-40 46
Illinois l3Bl.
Erie 391.
Cotton—Mid. upland 33c.
Petroleum—Standard White 32lc.
Flour, extra state, $6.45c. to $7.5c. Corn, old
mixed, $1.14c.

QUEBEC, Sept. 13.
The Allau (Glasgow) steamship Austrian arrived
out to-day.

BOSTON, Sept. 13.
The extra Cunard steamship Palmyra arrived
out to-day at G a.m.

PRUSSIA.

KOENINGSBERG, Sept. 13.

During to-day's festivities in honour of the visit
of the King a deplorable accident occurred. Owing
to the crush of spectators, the railings of a bridge
gave way. Up to 10 o'clock to-night 24 dead
bodies, belonging to persons of various ranks in
society, have been discovered.

ITALY.

FLORENCE, Sept. 13.

After investigating the circumstances connected
with the alleged attempt to assassinate Deputy
Lobbia at Florence, the Court of Appeal has
summoned him and four other persons to-day to
answer the accusation of fraudulently concocting
the charge referred to. Signor Lobbia and Deputy
Cucchi have also been summoned by the Correc-
tional Tribunal on the charge of complicity in
the robbery of documents from Deputy Fambri.

FRANCE.
BOURSE, Sept. 13.—Three o'clock—The market
closed as follows :

4} per Cent. .... 101 25 Bank Shares 2835
End of month... —.— Italian Fives 52 90
3 por Cent
End of month 7l 171 Ottoman Loan ... 327 50
Credit Mobilier
Transatlantic 270 Spanish Threes ... 27
Credit Foncier l7OO Ilomo Debt —
Paris Gas ............ 1595 Deferred —
RAIL WAY s. Cash
Orleans ... 960
Western
Northern ... lO9O
Strasburg
•• 590
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern..... 602
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard so7}
North of Spain
--
Saragossa
50
m Roan

- The following appointments were made yes-
terday at the Admiralty :—Lieutenant George R.
Donkin to the Ocean, additional, for disposal ;
Lieut. Herbert 11. Grenfell and Lieut. Lainbton,
L. Bevan to the Excellent ; Navigating-Lieutenant
Erasmus C. Roberts, additional, to the Ocean ;
G. R. Divett, midshipman, to the Duke of Wel-
lington, as supernumerary, for disposal ; James R.
G. Simpson, naval cadet, to the Royal Adelaide,
additional, for disposal ; and Dr. Alex. Mitchell,
assist.-surgeon, to the Orwell.
EXCLUSIVE, VERY IMPORTANT, RARE, AND VA.LUABLE
aro the properties of Lamplougu's Pyretic Saline, curing the
worst headaches, sickness, skin, or binary affections. Pleasant,
paialagble, and invigoratin Evld by all Citemists.--[Aclvt.],