Cincinnati daily press. [volume] (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1860-1862, 1860-12-29

solf-The Countess GuicciOIl-HIs Pleas
ant Manners,
George Bancroft contributes TO the New
York Ledger an interesting paper on Byron,
from which we extract ss follows: IIl
/ was shown at once into spacious. cool
room, and in moment Lord Byron Joined
me, Offering me his hand. He began BY ask
ing many questions about the squadron, and
generally about our ships of war, and our
battles at sea. He appeared to be singularly
well informed Of the duels which had taken
place among distinguished American naval,
officers, knowing the names of the combat
ants, and something Of the causes of their
quarrels. lie understood, in some measure,
the political divisions in the United States,
and gave his sympathy to the Democratic
party. OF American men of letters, he
enumerated two or three with respect;
among them Mr.. Edward Everett; but he
spoke most of Washington Irving. He had
been delighted with Rnickerbocker's History
Of Ne1O York, which he seemed to prefer Of
all lrVlngs works and, though he thought
1rving,s style became afterward "rather
florid,' he commended it very highly. On
my expressing pleasure at hearing from him
the praise of our American favorite, Byron
replied, that his esteem for Irving was COM
mon TO all his countrymen.
HIS VIEW OF AMERICA AND SWITZERLAND.
He spoke a great deal of tour which he
was bent on making through America; he
believed that he should judge its people with
impartiality; thus far, lie said, none had
gone among them but spectators; he should
60 unprejudiced, and should certainly keep
himself unbiased by prepossessions in favor
Of his native country.
Referring to his last journey from England
to Switzerland, he described his tour on the
Rhine as having given him unmingled
pleasure; he liked the people as well as the
scenery and regretted only his ignorance
Of the German language, and that he had
not seen more of Germany and its inhabit-
ants. told him how often his poems had
been translated into German, and how widely
they were read; that the Court preacher at
Berlin had made version of his Hebrew
Melodies, that a eantO of Ohilde Harold had
been selected at Leipzig for the subject of
prize translation.
HIS DEFENSE OF SHELLEY AND HIMsELF.
Shelley, he added, was translating Faust,
and this led him to a defense of Shelley.
"You have heard" said he, "many foolish
stories Of his being man of no principle,
an atheist, and all that; but he is mott" and
he explained what appeared in Shelley as
atheism as only subtle metaphysical ideal
ism. He went on to defend himself. lie
owned, very frankly, that of his friends
in Italy, as well as in England, had entreated
him to go on with Don Juan; he apologized
for his immortality, pleading, in extenuation,
the example of Fielding, and that there
were much worse things in Smollett than in
| any thing he himself had written. He asked,
too, what the fault-fnders would say to the
introduction of Goethe's Faust
! He then spoke of the clamor which had
/ risen against him from all sides in England.
He said, with an air of Indifference, he had
heard that Jeffery was preparing new and
a severe article against him in the Edinburq
Review; that q letter Of remonstrance had
been addressed to his publisher, ''not tome"
said he, ''foI me they deem incorrigible."
Among other enemies, he observed that the
King George lV) was determined on prose-
cutting him. 81 never went to court" he
said, land one evening, at II ball, was pre-
sented to the King (then Prince Regent) at
the Kings own request, not at mine never
asked to be presented, and yet the King COM
plains of me, that after ne had treated me so
civilly, / had written eight lines against
him. The lines were written before l was
presented to him"
THE COUNTESS GUIcoIoLI.
On turning to take leave, to my great sur
prise, found lady had entered noiselessly
and taken seat on the sofa. 1t was the
Countess Guiccioli. She appeared to me tc
be about twenty-five, though her age was
really less. Her hair was light auburn
her complexion very fair, her cheeks deli.
cately rosy, her forehead rather high and o.
the purest white, while her fine large eyes
were dark, expressing calmness and gentle
ness. Her nose was a perfect model for q
sculptor; her mouth was small, and when
she spoke showed faultless rows of teeth;
her smile was sngularly pleasing; one
would have said that innocence and repose
were the leading expressions of her counte-
nance she seemed incapable of wishing i'll
to any one. l had seen and have often seen
more splendid beauty, but her manner was
that of uncommon gentleness and amiability
| HIS PLEASANT MANNERS.
1t was late in the day when left Monte
Nero Lord Byron had been throughout
most perfectly courteous and friendly, add
4 ing one civil thing to another, and detaining
me by some new suggestion, when l offered
once or twice to take leave. could moi
doubt that the scorn which he sometimes
professed for English opinion was only an
evidence of how greatly he would have val
ued the esteem of the best in England, and
how keenly his exquisitely sensitive nature
suffered from their reproaches.