The Sun.
London, England, 1832-07-02 00:00:00

NEW MONTHLY MAGAZINE.

" Conversations of Byron" have disappointed
us. They are neither sufficiently minute, nor
sufficiently characteristic to justify the pompous
way—through the medium of repeated advertise-
ments—in which they have been ushered into
existence ; the best part about them is the
sketch of Byron's person :

" GENOA, APRIL 1, 1832.—Saw Lord Byron for the
fret time. The impression of the first few minutes dis-
appointed me, as I had, both from the portraits and de-
scriptions given, conceived a different idea of him. I had
fancied him taller, with a more dignified and commanding
air ; and I looked in vain for the hero-looking sort of per-
son with whom I had so long identified him in imaAna-
tion. His appearance is, however, highly prepossessing ;
his head is finely shaped, and the forehead open, high, and
noble; his eyes are grey and full of expression, but one is
visibly larger than the other ; the nose is large and well
shaped, but from being,a little too thick, it looks better in
profile than in front face ; his mouth is the must remark-
able feature in his face, the upper lip of Grecian shortness,
and the corners descending ; the lips full, and finely cut.
In speaking, he shows his teeth very much, and they are
white and even ; but I observed that even in his smile—
and be smiles frequently—there is something of a scornful
expression in his mouth that is evidently natural, and not,
as many suppose, affected. This particularly struck me.
His chin is large and well shaptd, and finishes well the
oval of his face. He is tx,reniely thin, indeed so much so
that his figure has almost a boyish air; his face is pecu-
liarly pale, but not the paleness of ill-health, as its charac-
ter is that of fairness, the fairness of a dark haired person
--arid his hair (which is getting rapidly grey) is of a very
dark brown, and curls naturally : he uses a good deal of
oil in it, which makes it look still darker. His counte-
nznee is full of expression, and changaa with the subject of
conversation ; it gains on the beholder the more it is seen,
and leaves an agreeable impression I should say that
melancholy was its prevailing character, as I observed that
when any observation elicited a smile—and they were
many, as the conversation was gay and p'ayful—it ap-
peared to linger but for a moment on his lip, which in-
stantly resumed its former expression of seriousness. His
Whole appearance is remarkably gentlemanlike, and he
owes nothing of this to his toilette, as his coat appears to
have been many years made, is much too large—and all
his garments convey the idea of having been purchased
ready made, so ill do they fit him. There is a gaucherie
in his movements, which evidently proceeds from the per-
petual consciousness of his lameness, that appears to haunt
him; for he tries to conceal his foot when seated, and
when walking, has a nervous rapidity in his mann: r. He
it very slightly lame, and the deformity of his foot is so
little remarkable that I am not now aware which foot it
His voice and accent are peculiarly agreeable, but
effeminate—clear, harmonious, and so distinct, that though
his general tone in speaking is rather law than high, not a
word is lost. His manners are as unlike my preconceived
notions of them as his appearance. I had expected to find
him a dignified, cold, reserved, and haughty person, re•
ambling those mysterious personages he so loves to paint
in his works, and with whom he has been so oft- n iden-
tified by the good-uatured world ; hut nothing can he
more different ; for were Ito point out the prominent de-
fect of Lord Byron, I should say it was flipparcy, and a
total want of that natural self-possestion and dignity which
ought to characterize a man of birth and education."

" Asmodeous at Large" contains passages 0.