Star.
London, England, 1824-11-06 00:00:00

LORD BYRON'S LETTER.

" January 2, 1816.
" Mau Six—Your offer is liberal In the extreme' and much
more than the two poems can possibly be worth—but I cannot
zccept it, nor will not. You are most welcome to them, as ad-
ditions to the collected volumes, without any demand or expecta-
tion on my. part whatever. •
" P.B. I have enclosed your draft TORN, for fear of accidents by
the way.—l wish you would not threw temptations in mine ;it
is not from a disdain of the universal idol—nor front a present super-
fluity of his treasures—l can assure yam that I refuse to worship
him—but what is right is right, and must net yield to circumstances. '
Nora.—The above letter relates to a draft for 1,000
guineas, cffered by Mr. Murray for two poems, The
Siege fif Corinth, and Parisiva, which his Lordship had
previously, at a short interval, presented to Mr. Murray
as donations. Lord Byron was afterwards induced, by
Mr. M.'s earnest persuasion, to accept the 1,000 guineas,
and Mr. Murray has his Lordship's assignment of the
copyright of the two pieces accordingly.

CAPT. MEDWIN, p. 166.
" Murray pretends to have lost money by my writ-
ings, and pleads poverty ; but if he is poor, which is
somewhat problematical to me, pray who is to blame?,
" Mr. Murray is tender of my fame. How kind in
him ! He is afraid of my writing too fast. Why ? be.
cause he has a tender regard for hii own pocket,, and
does not like the look of any new acculaintarice in the
shape of a book of mine, till he has seen his old friends
in a variety of new faces ; id esti disposed of a vast

•
editions of the formei Rnrks. I don't know what
would become of me without Douglas Kinnaird, who
has always been my best and kindest friend. It is not
easy to deal with Mr. Murray."
Norte —ln the numerous letters received by Mr. M.
yearly from Lord Byron (who was not accustomed to
restrain the expression of his feelings in writing them)
not one has any tendency towards the imputations here
thrown out; the incongruity of which will be evident
from the fact of Mr. Murray having paid, at various
times, for the copyright of his Lordship's Poems, sums
amounting to upwards of 15,000/.
[Hem follows a list of the sums paid to Lord Byron
by Mr. Murray for his several Poems, which we in-
serted in the STAR of yesterday.)
CAPT. MEDWIN, p. 170.
ig My differences with Murray are not over. When
' he pm chased Cain, The Two Foscari, and Sardanapalus,
he sent me a deed, which you may remember witness-
ing. Well, after its return to England, it was dis-
covered that But I shall take no notice of it."
NOTE.—Mr. Murray, of course, cannot answer a
statement which he does not see ; but pledges himself
to disprove any inculpation the suppressed passage may
contain, whenever discloSed. He has written twice to
Captain Medwin's publisher, desiring, as an act of jos-,
tice,to have the passage printed entire in any new edition
of the book, and in the meantime to be favoured with
a copy of it. As this has not yet been obtained, arid
as the context seems to imply that it accuses him of en-
deavouring to take some pecuniary advantage of Lord
Byron, he thinks he shall be forgiven for stating the
following citcumstances : •
Mr. Murray, having accidentally heard that Lord
Byron was in pecuniary difficulties, immediately for-
warded 1500/. to him,with an assurance that another such
sum should be at his service in a few monthi; and that,
if such assistance should not be sufficient, Mr. Murray
would be ready to sell the copyright of all his Lord-
ship's works for his use.—The following is Lord By.
ron s acknowledgment of this offer :
" November 14, 1815.
" Dean Sia—l return you your bills, not accepted, but certainly
not unhortassiest Your offer is a favour which I would accept from
you if I accepted such from any man. Had such been my inten-
tion, I can assure you I would have asked you fairly, and as freely,.
as you would give ; and I cannot say mere of my confidence or
your conduct. The circumstances which induce me to-part with
my books, though sofficiently are not immediately pressing. Ii
have made up my mind to them, and there is an end. Had I bees,
disposed to trespass on your kindness in this-way, it would have
been before now, but I ant not sorry to have an opportunity of da
dining it, as it sets my opinion of you, and indeed of human nature,
in a different light from that in which I have been accustomed to
consider it.—Believe me, very truly
" Your obliged and faithful servant,
" To John Murray, Esq. " BYRON."
No re.—That nothing had occurred to subvert these
friendly sentiments will appear from the three letters
subjoined, the second of them written by Lord Byron a
few weeks before his death, and the last addressed by
his Lordship's valet to Mr. Murray, as one of his de-
ceased master's most confidential friends.
•
LORD BYRON'S
LETTERS.
" May Bth, 1819.
" I have a great respect for your good and gentlemanly qualities,
and return your personal friendship towards me. ...
You deserve and possess the esteem of those whose esteem is
worth having, and of none more (however useless it may be) than
. " Your's, very truly, " BYRON."
" Missolonghi, Feb. 25, 1824.
" I have beard from Mr. Douglas Kinnaird, that you state a .re-
port of a satire on Mr. Gifford having arrived from Italy, said to
be written by use, but thatyou do not believe it; I dare say you do
not, nor anybody else, I should think. Whoever asserts-that I am'
the author or abettor of anything of the kind on Gifford lies in his
throat ; I always regarded him as my literary father, and myself as
his prodigal son. if any such composition exists, it is none of mine.
You know, as well as anybody, upon whom I have or have not
written, and you also know whether they do or did not deserve the
same—and so much for such matters.
" You will, perhaps, be anxious to hear some news from this
part of Greece (which is most liable CO invasion), but you will hear
enough through public and private channels on that head. I will,
however, give you the events of a week, mingling my own private
peculiar with the public, for we are here jumbled a little together
at present.
" On Sunday, (the 15th, I believe) I had a strong and sudden
convulsive attack, which left me speechless, though not motionless,
fur some strong men could not held me ; but whether it was epi-
lepsy, catalepsy, cachexy, apoplexy, or what other cry or guy, the
doctors have not decided, or whether it was spasmodic, or nervous,
&c. but it was very unpleasant, and nearly curled-me off, and all
that. On Monday they put leeches to my temples, no difficult
matter, but the blood could not be stopped till eleven at night (they
had gone too near the temporal artery for my temporal safety), and
neither styptic nor caustic could cauterize the orifice till after an
hundred attempts.
"On Tuesday, a Turkish brig of war ran on shore. On Wed-
nesday, great preparations being made to attack her, though pro.
tected by her consorts, the Turks burned her, and retired to Patras.
On Thursday, a quarrel ensued between the Suliotes and the
Frank Guard at the arsenal : a Swedish Officer was killed, and a
Suliote severely wounded, and a general fight expected, and with
some difficulty prevented. On Friday. the Officer buried, and
Captain Parry's English Artificers mutinied, under pretence that
their lives were in danger, and are for quitting the country—ithey
may. On Saturday, we had the smartest shock of an earthquake
which I remember (and I have felt thirty, slight or smart, at dif-
ferent periods ; they are common in the Mediterranean), and the
whole army discharged their arms, upon the same principle that
savages beat drums, or howl, during an eclipse of the moon ; it was
a rare scene altogether. If you had bat seen the English Johnnie*,
who had never been out of a Cockney workshop, before, nor will
again if they can help it! And on Sunday we heard that the
Vizier is cone down to Larissa with 100 and odd thousand men.
" Incoming here I had two escapes, one from the Turks (one of
my vessels was taken, but afterwards released), and the other from
shipwreck ; we drove twice on the rocks near the Scrophes (Islands
near the coast).
" I have obtained from the Greeks the release of eight-and-
twenty Turkish prisoners, men, women, and children, and sent
them to Patras and I'revesa at my own charges. One little girl
of nine years old, who proposes remaining with me, I shall (if I
live) send with her mother, probably, to Italy, or to England, and
adapt her. Her name is Hate Hatagee; she is a very pretty lively
child. All her brothers were killed by the Greeks, and she her-
self and her mother were spared by special favour, and owing to
her extreme youth, she being then but five or six years old.
"My health is rather better, and I can ride about again. My
office here is no sinecure—so many parties and difficulties of every
kied—but I will do what I can. Prince Mavrocordati is an ex-
cellent person, anti does all in his power ; but his situation is per-
plexing in the extreme; still we have great Imes in the success of
the contest. You will hear, however, mot of public news from
plenty of quarters, for I have little time to write.—Believe me,
• " Yours, ice. &c.
" To John Murray, Esq.
LETTER OF LORD BYRON'S VALET.
'"
Missolonghi, April 21, 1824.
" Sta—Forgive me for this intrusion which I ant now under the
painful necessity of writing to you, to inform you of the melancholy
news of my Lord Byron, who is no more. He departed this mi-
serable life on the 19th of April, after an illness of only ten days.
His Lordship began by a nervous fever, and terminated with an in-
flammation on the brain, fur want of being bled in time, which his
Lordship refused till it was too late. I have sent the Hon. Mrs.
Leigh's letter enclosed in your's, which I think would be better
for you to open and explain to Mrs. Leigh, for I fear the contents
of the letter will be too much for her. And you will please to in-
form Lady Byron and the Hon. Miss Byron, whom I am wished
to see when I return with my Lord's effects and bis dear and noble
remains ; Sir, you will please to manage in the mildest way possible,
or lan much afraid of the consequences. Sir, you will please
give my duty to Lady Byron. Hoping she will allow me to see
her, by my Lord's particular wish, and Miss Byron likewise.
Please to excuse all defects, for I scarcely either know what I say
or do, for after twenty years service with my Lord, he was more
to me than a father, and I an too much distressed to now give a
correct account of every particular, which I hope to do at my arri-

66 N. B."

. . .
val in England. Sir, you ea Skeletal have the goodness to for-'
ward the letter to the Hon. Captain George Byron,
who, as the
representative of his family and title, I thought it my duty to send
him a line. But you, Sir, will please to explain to him all the par-
ticulars, as I have not time, as the express is now Te2dy to male
his voyage day and night till he arrives in London. 1 must, Sir.
praying forgiveness, and hoping at the same titre that you wilt so
far oblige me as to execute all my wishes, which I am wull con-
vinced you will nut refuse.—l remain, Sir,
" Your most obedient and very humble servant,
" W. Fix.rciimit,

" Valet to the late L. B. for twenty years.
" P.S.—I mention my name and capacity that you may remem-
ber and forgive this, when you remember the quantity of times I
have been at your house in Albemarle street.

" To John. Alurray, Esq.":

- -
NOTE.—Other letters from Lord Byron, Of the same te-
nour and force with these now produced, might have
been added. But it is presumed that these are sufficient
to demonstrate in the present case, what has been. de.
monstrated in many others, that desultory, ex-parte
conversations, even if accurately reported, will often
convey imperfect and erroneous noti,,ns of the speaker's
real sentiments. JOHN MURRAY.

Albemarle-street, Oet. 38, 1824.
P.S. CAPT. MEDNiIN, page 170.
"My differences with Murray are not over. When
he purchased Cain, The Two Foscari, and Saydon:pa•
Ins, he sent me a deed, which you may remember wit-
nes.ing. Well; after its return to England, it was dis-
covered that it contained a clause which hod been intro-
duced without my knowledge, a clause by which I bound
neyself to °ter Mr. Murray all my future compositions.
But 1 shalt take no notice of it."

NOTE.—The words in Italic are those which were
suppressed in the ta•o first editions of Captain l‘ledwin's
book, and which Mr. Murray has received from the
publi.lier after the foregoing statement was printed. He
has only to observe upon the subject, that on referring
to the deed in que.tion, no such clause is to be found ;
that this instrument was signed in London by the Hon.
Douglas Kinnaird, as Lord Byron's procurator, and
v.:hi:ebbed by Richard Williams, Esq. one of the part-
ners in Mr. Kinnaird's banking-house ; and that the sig.
nature of Captain Medwin is not affixed.
2d Nov.

J. M.

LAW ItEPOR%'.

COURT OF CHANCERY, NOVEMBER 5.
In re LATHAM AND PARRY.
This complicated case of bankruptcy was resumed
this morning, by Mr. SHADWILL.
The LORD CHANCELLOR observed, in allusion to certain
forgeries alleged to have been committed by one of the
bankrupts before the commission had been issued, that
thov immoral transactions might appear to have occur-
reaefore the commission, yet if the bankrupt was
proved to him to have conformed to the Statute on
Bankruptcy, and was recommended by a certain nun►-
ber of his creditors as worthy to receive his certificate,
his Lordship should not, on the ground of any ante-
cedent misconduct, feel himself warranted to withhold
the certificate from the bankrupt. It was no uncom-
mon thing to see persons come here for their certifi-
cates, who had been guilty of 'the most flagitious and in-
famous transactions—transactions as much deserving the
utmost punishment of the law, as those persons who
were doomed in other places to suffer the last punish-
ment which the law could inflict. Yet those persons
having conformed to the Statutes, and having received,
through the characteristic humanity of English men
and English creditors, the proper recommendations, had
received and were entitled to receive their certificates.
It was not uncommon to see among such persons, men
who, having been entrusted with money, and requested
to lay it out in the Funds, yet advanced it to third per-
sons, and applied it to other uses than those intended;
continued to pay the dividends on it fora long space
of time, and when all was made away with, left to the
unfortunate creditors nothing but the knowledge of
their ruin. Yet by the law as it stood at present, those
persons, notwithstanding such immoral and infamous
conduct, had a right to their certificates; and it might
be useful to the world to know that conformity to the
Bankrupt Statutes would always shut out from his
Lordship's view any antecedent misconduct of the
bankrupt. In reference to the case before him, his
Lordship stated, that be would not, until he had read
and considered all the documents, deliver any opinion;
he would not take Any partial view of its merits, par-
ticularly as he was convinced that publication did occa-
sionally more mischief than any subsequent publica-
tion can remedy.

PREROGATIVE COURT, NOV. 5.
A great deal of business was done in this Court to-
day, but none of particular interest. One or two long
depending cases were advanced a stage or two.
HUNTER U. BURNS.
In this case an executorship had devolved through
several representatives; and Mr. Burne, the survivor of',
those representatives, was some time since called on to
bring in an inventory and account of the estate and
effects of a Mrs. Elizabeth Arbouin, deceased; parti-
cularly as to a portion of the estate of that Lady's hus-
band, which she, conjointly with her co-executor, had
administered, before making her own testament, of
which Mr. Borne was nominated the executor.
Dr. J. ADDAMS, on behalf of Mrs. Ilunter, the
daughter of Mrs. Arbouin, objected to the declaration
produced in Court in the way of inventory, and prayed
the Court to direct it to be reformed.
Dr. DonsoN, for Mr. Burne, observed that Mr. Ar-
bouin, the original testator, in regard to a portion of
whose property the present question arose, died in 1803,
in which year his widow and her co-executor took pro-
bate of his will. Now, as this event happened tct long
ago, and as Mrs. Arbouin bad herself died so far back
as 1806, and as the execution of the trusts created by
her will, on the part of Mr. Burne and his co-executor
(now deceased), had never before been objected to by
any of the other nnmerous kindred and legnees of Mts.
Arbouin, the Learned Counsel contended it was too
much to call on his client for any greater Specification
of the first estate (Mr. Arboutn's) than he had rendered
many years ago, to_the satisfaction of all parties except.,
the applicant. It might also be fairly contended that
this Court had no jurisdiction, or but a very feeble one,
to refuse or reject an inventory furnished in compliance
with its assignation. In a case tenni Led in sth Maule
and Selwyn, p. 406, entitled is Henderson v. French,"
it was held by the common law court, that a prohibition
would lie to the Consistory Court of London, compell-
ing it to receive an inventory; for the office of that
Court was merely ministerial. The Learned Counsel,
under all the circumstances, prayed that his party
might be dismissed. _
Sir JOHN NICHOLL said, the dictum which bad just
been referred to, ap.plietionly to a case for which an Act
of Parliament had already provided, and tAheaein the
original suit was brought by a creditor. The Court

' . 0 r
proceededto state the fact: out of which
question arose:* observing, that Mr.- Btirne
tively sworn in his affidavit, "tt that no Other, trti
gomis, chattels, credits, or efFecti of the first deceit
estate (Mr. Arbovin) had come to his knowledge's*
his possession, save and except such as he had ilreidt.
accounted for and paid over at the times and to the par;
ties mentioned in certain accounts therein referred to."
N. unle,s the other party could spew some teason.sble
wound of belief that this Soleinn averment was untrue,
the Court could not fairly c4l on Mt. Burne, at this
great distance of time, for any more detailed specifica;
tion of the effects of the first estate than was contained
in his present declaration. The Court, having no such
grounds before it, dismissed Mr. Burr* from all furthei
observance of justice in the suit, &c.

PALACE COURT, NOVENIBER 5.
LAKE V. BuRDETt.

Mr. EARL stated the case for the plaintiff, who is a
tailor in Sr. Jame:h-street. The defendant is Sir
Charles Burdett, Bart. The action was brought to re-
cover 51. 13s. the price of a coat and pair of trowsers
made by the plaintiff for the defendant, which the latter
had re:limed, after having kept them for some days.
Chit; lei Barrow, the plaintiff's foreman, stated that
he was present in his master's ,shop one day in the first
week in September, when Sir Charles Burdett ordered
a coat and a pair of trowsers; he was shewn the cloth of
which each was to be made, and took patterns with
him. fie gave very particular directions respecting the
manner i;r which the coat should be made, which was
different from what is worn by others. He desired that
there shoot(' be neither stiffening, nor stuffing, nor plait-
ing, but that it should be made to fit him as God made
him; for he would not allow any d—d tailor to alter
his shape. He agreed for the price of both articles;
the coat for 4.1. 15s. the trowsers 18. s. The reason the
latter were given so cheap was, that Sir Charles said he
w. 45 going to India, and would want some dozen pairs
of the same. Witness sent the coat and trowsers home
by the plaintiff's boy on the 9th of September. Sir
Charles returned the trowsers the next daj., to be altered,
which was done, and they were sent home the same
day. In four or five days after, Sir Charles sett back
both coat and trowsers.

The plaintiff's boy, by whom the clothes were sent
home, proved that he delivered them to a servant at
Sir Charles Burdett's house; No. 10, Clare-street, Man.
chester-square.
Mr. THOMPSON addressed the Jury for the defendant,
and said he would call a master tailor to prove that the
coat sent to Sir Charles Burdett, by the plaintiff, was
not fit for a Gentleman. The Learned Gentleman
I called his witness, who stated, that Sir Charles Burdett
sent for him in September, and shewed him a coat,
which he said he thought was not new, and shewed
witness spots upon it. Witness told him it was quite
new, and that the appearance he observed all coats
were liable to. Witness was satisfied it was a new coat.
Mr. EARL was going to reply, but the Jury said
they wet e satisfied, and returned a verdict for the plain-
tiff for the amount of his bill.