The Sun.
London, England, 1826-07-07 00:00:00

LORD LYTTLETON.

[From Reynolds's Life and Times.]
" Speaking of the late Lord Lyttleton, and of the sin
gular dream which preceded his death, Topham related to
us the whOle story; but:Which, with its supernatural bird,
white lady, awful prophecy, and fatal completion, has Since
been so frequently and so variously detailed, that I cannot
muster sufficient assurance to introduce it here; there
fore will pass to,an event that is also connected with
strangodeath of Lord Lyttleton,und which, though nearly
I equally extraordinary, has, I believe, never been publish-
ed.. Of this event, Topham could speak with considerable
certainty, as he was an eye-witness to the occurrence
of the .principal circumstances; and which circumstances
I afterwards heard. (more than once) confirmed by the
party himself.
" Andrews, imagining that Lord Lyttleton was in Ire-
land, with Lord Forteseue and Captain
_O'Byrne, and
wholly unconscious of the fatal prophecy* on the day pre-
ceding his. Lordship's death, proceeded' with his partner
llr.
Pigou, to their residence adjacent to their gunpowder
mills, in the vicinity of Dartford. On the following even-
ing, being indisposed, he retired to bed at I I o'clock; his
door was bolted, and he had a wax taper burning on' the
hearth. 'Whether he was asleep or no, he never could de-
cide; , but he either saw, or thought he saw, the figure, of
his friend Lord. Lyttleton approach. his bed side, wrapped
in his long damask morning gown, and heard him exclaim,
Andrews, it is all over with me.'
I" So deeply was Andrews convinced of the reality of
this appearance, that imagining that Lord Lyttleton had
arrived at Dartford without his knowledge, and had
walked into his room for the purpose of alarming him (a
practice his Lordship was very fond of following), he ex-
postulated with the figure on the absurdity of the joke,
and rising in his bed, was muck surprised to observe the(
it Ilid.disappeared. Leaping on the floor, he-commenced
an immediate search; behind the curtains, under the bed, j
and around eVeiy'liart of the room, but no LordLyttleton
was tole found. Then, proceeding to the Chamber-door,
he perceived that it was bolted,ns.he had left it; but,
still unconvinced, he rang his bell, and sternly desiring to
be told the truth, inquired of Harris, his valet, whether.
LordLYttleton had not just arrived, Thotigh the. servant
(who had just retired to his bed-room), freqtiently re-
plied in the negative, yet Andrews persisted that he had
seen his friend. However, after another vain search, and
a repeated request fr,.ri Andrews 'that hiti Lordship would
not be so foolish as longer to conceal himself, compelled
at length to abandon his unsuccessful attempts, he again
retired to bed, though not to rest; for exactly-as theland
of the clock on. the mantel piece pointed to twelve, he
sate the figure of his friend again, but with a countenance
sO altered, so pallid, so ghastly, that Andrews' alarm 'in-
creasing, he rang the bell, and vaned upon the whole fa-
mily, who, with great difficulty, at last composed him,and
convinced him of his error.
" In the morning at, breakfast, Andrews, in the pre-
sence of Mr. and Mrs. Pikon,•Topham, and various ' per-
sans, recapitulated all the particulars of this extraordinary
-
occurrence, andin his own mind evidently•believed he had
still seen Lord .Lyttleton.
!(, When ;Andrews returned .to town on the following
Tuesday, he found at his house in Gower-street, a letter
from Lord,WestcOte, and another from Captain O'Byrne,
informing him that Lord Lyttleton had died on the pre-
vious Saturday, at-midnight; the very night and the very
hour, when he thought he had seen' the ghastly figure of
his friend.
others,' concluded Tophami' I leave the task of
commenting on, or elucidating this singular transaction.
I van only. add, that as you know, few Mall talk inore,and
generally, more pleasantly,- -than Andrews'; but, for the
space of two or thrfttitrtonths after. Lord Lyttleion's death,
he would continue to sit,. during successive hours; mo.
tionless, and absorbed in silence ; in fact, never speaking
a word, but what related to the foregoing mysterious
event. "