The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1869-11-03
TIE BYRON CONTROVERSY
VIVA. the English PabHc Says.

or, at any rate, supplemented by the publication OF
own letters returned by the executorsl the task is
being made, II IL well can be, little more arduols
l was bso s cus
Ing article which has just appeared In the quarterly
i.esc.eu, we sn0a., have been quite within bounds.
that purpose. but new and valuable facts, letters
and attestatons still crop up, interesting In the
highest degree, not 80 much at this stage Of the
affair, as rescuing Lord ByrQn's memory lrvm
contact with the 1oulest fepr6ach, as In throwing
light on the thoughts, character ana habits OF
himself and those by whom he was surrounded. The
reviewer has done his work well, and the work Ia
exactly that which the public had right to expect
from such quarter. There Is time accorded to the
writer In such publication to analyze. sift and
weigh all that has been written as well as 70 col
lect more reconcile facts and browning evidence.
Not only does tue reviewer In this CASE act the part
OF an impartial judge in summing up all that has
been ELECTED in court, but lie has also important
additional evidence to state and bring forward.
Need we add that the whole result 10 one which can
not fail to impress the great panel Of the educated
world with the necessity Of acqutta SO far as Lord
Byron 10 concerned and to suggest still more imper
atiyely the duty OF impounding True Storyn with
the view OF It's writer's moral impeachment before
the tribunal OF earthly ngltq The reviewer com.
ian influential portion Of the press" "The sensitive
Journalistic he writes, ''can derive no pleasure
from ByrOn's poems since the terrible disclosure Of
Mrs. Beecher Stowe. and almost feels he shall never
open his works again. Y VIII, therefore be a kind
juan out Of quarantine and fumigate them for
family use. 10 do this effectualy = we
must venture INTO U tainted atmosphere" &C., &C.
we cannot help saying mere that we lear that GER
tain small section both OF the English and American
community may have been only too glad to believe
anything alleged against the author OF "Childe
Harold" and "D0n JUAN" and desire not to fumi-
gate but to burn them ruthessly as the romances
OF Don Quixote were committed to the flames These
persons would equally doom Byron through his
works as they would his works through Mrs. stoves
Lord Byron the QaaItelg Res'e s,, IN the first
l0n that the case was "a clear, undeniable, ineyi-
table one Of incompatlbility." Whether in the
nHnAt
she Qady Byron was always in the right" does not
"much mend the matter"
The reviewer after giving the new letters, ironi-
cay suggests "a second reyelatlon-to Lady lyron's
own mind, not from wlthout;" ''Old facts Ill new
lights" and "the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. theory which.
and the angelic theory which justihes lady Ut she
ls pure. chivalrous and relgious) In alternately ex
alting and vlify1ng, trusting and disrusting the
same person, according to her mood.
the AZ reason. which SIS
to state them in general terms In dealing with such an.ago
@ wa as = sS
surmsas in;inuaons and Inference with
DO TIL. estsy IS mot merely to clear Lord nsaons
charges Of unfeeng conduct towards his wife,
We must pass over DR.. Kennedy and his 'Conver-
sations," but the following Is too important to
When Mr. afterwards Sir Robert Wimo Horton, acting
ir @ M @ Sr
Bfouehon Insisted preliminary, that ali specific
witch Mr. WHmot Horton readily on her behalf
q 70
you adopt believe r to which the nyarabo answer
Iss vS. h ali ps4s. ss es ssd EsiR
s. & s v e hSr or no The
poets aS that his case was Al
Horizons disclaimer virtually complete When, in the
70 Ss deed
grceably immoralized In "a Sketch"
The public will ike to know that lady's name.
Then comes the examination OF Lord Byron as
Guided in these. The dowager Lady Snelley's i'm
pressions aud recollectlons OF Mrs. Leigh are most
striking. She writes:-
Mrs. Leigh like mother Byron, being much older,
and not at ali an attractive afterwards went with
when AND Lh
Ny astonIshment at the present accusation is
bounded; She Dowdgoody being then Isapposs
great deal about byron afterwards when ho
Byrons feet. She must have been married Tin 1870
of poetry her later
the aecon in her last nss How nny one
could have been wicked to write horrible story
too long dead to have friends left who could the
story seems beyond belief
This much injured lady Mrs Leigh hos daughter
and son living, "whose feengs,n writes the re.
viewer, "may be guessed.n
She left most favorable impression on all who had
opportunity Q, observing her and the conses of palaces
ono another good, bad indifferent IN her habits
especially this sort Of caumny
We need not re-enter into the consideration Of
Lord Byron's poetry referring to bis sister We may.
however, notice the ausiOn to the witch drama,n
as Lord Byron called 'Manfred.n lie told Mr.. Muir.
ray In letter written March 2o 1917. that he might
'put 1t into the fire II he liked,n "and THIS Ia the
poem" remarks the Quarterly, "tnat reveals the
grand secret OF hts life"
Byron his sister and his wife, to the day OF his
death. But these have already appeared. The
.pray tell Mrs. Leigh to request Lady Byronn writ
ten to MIR. Murray, February Il, 1920, and the 'My
dearest Augusta, received few days ago your and
Lady Byron's report OF Ada's health" speak vol.
so also his nfectionate remembrance OF his sister
and her children and his 'dear wife, In his will.
Byron was under deluslons and that the following
story really came from herr
That only had Lord Byron confessed the charge that
exposure had delivered to Lady Byron written and signed
the Lord Chancellor don) as bar to any future proceed.
ngs tha, migh. be taken by Lord Byron to obtain the
awe are convinced says the Quarterly. THAT
1t was her story Tor rather one of her stores) 70
expatate on IT'S impropaoiliy would be an insult to
The following Is worth noting:-
Let who can, reconcile Mrs. Beechcr stowes OF
aSa vs in m
and periods, renders II impossible to reconcile
any other
ony few days before she left him for ever Lord Byron
sent Murray mancrips in Lady Byron's handwriting, Of
the Siege OF Cornth and Parisina,' and wrote
~ am very glad that the handwriting a favorable
omen Of tho morale OF tho piece but you
that for copyist would write anything desired in
all the Ignorance Of innocence
But there hour OF revelotion-an when,
manner which left kind for doubt Lady Byron
ssy n. 5 n nss spssss
to BIO the cloak and nccomplice OF this infamy."
Again. "Hen U.ord Byron) "repudlatad Chris
tanity az an authority, and yet directly afterwards
lpaEe 3g5 we are assured that confirmed belief In it5
harshest tcnets was his destruction.n One passage
from the Kennedy Conversations we must give.
1t is quoted IN small capitals In the Rerietc:-
~ read Of the Bible than you aware" sad Lord
Byron. II have Bible which sister gave who ispn
excellent woman and read very often He went into his
bedroom saying this brought pocket Bible finely
bound, and showed II 10 me.
This alusion to his accidentally let drop few
months before his DEATH in earnest and solemn frame of