The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-09-14
The Byron Scant;nI--RcyelafiO by
Major George Gc-.i0n DE Luna
Byron.

The St. Joseph Herald. referring to the
disclosures of Mrs. Stowc'3 recent article in
the atlantic Montily, relates the following
experience with one of t,.o Byron family:
"While at Barnum's / i, in ST. Louis,
in the fall of the year lSGl, we were at
tracted by the name of Major George
Gordon De Luna Byron, entered upon the
register. After some inquiry, the Major
was pointed out TO us, dscsscd in the uni
! form of q Federal officer. He was man
| advanced in years, but erect and vigorous,
with close-curling auburn ha:r tinged with
gray, prominent nose, clear gray eyes, and
Il general resemblance to Lord Byron, sufii-
cient to arrest the !, Ht;on OF any one
familiar with the portrait o. he poet.
son investigation We .v,,;..,od that he
was one Of the many foreign officers who
joined Fremont on his taking command of
the Western Department. An introduction
and an intimacy followed which is among the
most pleasing of our past rccollections. His
familiarity with the contemporaries Of Lord
Byron and general acquaintance with Eng
lish literature was Extraordinary. Know
| ing that no one entitlcu % tie name of
Byron was then alive, we forcborc to press
him as to his family, but were informed by
him that he was born in Spain and edu-
Gated in England, where he had relatives.
He was formerly ma jor in the East India
service. Going to England from Spain, he
presented his claim, under the circum-
stances of his birth, to the representatives
of the Byron family, who, to save the en-
barrassment that might ensue from the
| nf l, L
| pension, and he went to India, where he
was made major of native troops; and
was thus not entitled to the register of his
name on the rolls Of the British army.
"Upon the subject of Lord Byron he was
enthusiastic, familiar with many passages
Of his life not generally known, and con-
versant both with his works and the occa-
sions which brought them forth. He e1hi-
bitcd to US many relics of Byron, manu-
scripts and otherwise. He professed TO have
| been present at the destruction Of Byron's
journal, which, he said, contained allusions
TO the causes Of hiR separation from Lady
Byron, which, according to his account,
were as follows:
During Byron's first visit to Spain he
met, loved, and marricd, q Catholic lady of
good Spanish family. The marriage was
secret, upon the pledge that it should be re-
ycalcd on his return to England. Ihc first
! Grccian beauty that he met on his arrival
in Greece made him unfaithlul to his Span
ISL bride. Absence and forgetfulness fol-
/ lowed, and after his return to England lie
declared his intention of disayowing mar
riagc, void at the time, both under the ex-
listing penal laws Of England and the laws
Of Spain. The marriage was kept secret
by the deserted wife, whom pride would not
! allow 10 prosecute an unayailing suit. Ol
| this marriage son was born. Our inform
ant states that Lady Byron, aware Of her
/ husbands many infdelities, inSanely jcGl-
/ ouS Of his sister, in an unfortunate hour
| discovered n portion Of the correspondence
With his Spanish wife. She then deter
mined to leave him forever, burying il her
own bosom the secret, which, if revealed,
would make her morally, if not legally, his
paramour.
"Though Major Byron never claimed to
be the son born in Spain, from other con-
elusive evidence VIC were convinced Of tie
fact. His recital made deep impression
upon us, revived by the occasion OF this
article. The student of Byron will find in
his letters and poems many corroborating
proofs. His poem addressed to his son, on
page SCI Of the edition of Oliver S. Felt,
sc Walker street, New York. which Moore
declared inexplicablc, can be thus solved,
as also the lock of hair he sent to his
mother at Seville, received from q woman
Of character whom he loved.''
Major Byron was married to an Eng
! lish lady, who bore him one child, a daugli-
| ter, both of whom accompanied him to this
country, and with whom he lived, after
| leaving st. Louis, Mt the corner Of Thirty
| fourth street and Sixth avenue, New York.
He was possessed Of q number Of mcmcn-
toes of Lord Byron, several early engraved
portraits of the poet (now out of print
locks of his hair, specimens of his manu-
script, with many memoranda Of his own
visits to localities celebrated in Byron's 5
poetry, and the place Of his death. He
had commenced lengthy history of the
| Byron family, three volumes Of which were
printed, and seen by the writer of this,
though the history was only brought down
TO the time of the poets grandfather, and
| the publisher falling about this time, the
prosecution of the work was suspended.
Soon after this he came to America. Be
sides his remarkable facial resemblance to
| Lord Byron he was not unlike him in many
other respects.
"That which we would enforce in this
article, however, is not go much history of
this scion Of the great poet as the promi-
nencc Of his statement that Lady Byron
was extremely jealous of her husband, that
passion even extending to Byron's haf-sis-
ter, Mrs. Leigh, and also to another, the
most prominent feature of this revelation.
1t is we'll established, independent of Mrs.
Stowe's statements, that previous 10 her
separation Lady Byron wrote to DR.. Lush
ington asking his advice in regard to it.
Dr.. Lushington advised against it; but sub
sequently, it is stated, after an interview
with Lady Byron. the Doctor advised her to
the step which she adopted which was @
separation. This ddUice araS based on a
secret reuelation made by Lady byron.
Now, while Mrs. Stowe contends, indirectly,
that this revelation was the substance Of the
revolving story she has told, we think Ma
ior Byron's revelations plainly indicate
that it was the fact Of Byron's previous
marriage. AT any rate, it is most probable
that so Intelligent man as Major Byron
showed himself to. be, and searching as he
was for any and every fact connected with
the great poets history, would have known
something Of the secret motive OF Lady BY
ron's separation had it been founded IN so
monstrous an accusation as Mrs, Stowe i'm
putes to Lady Byron"
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