Lexington advertiser. [volume] (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-187?, 1870-02-11
LORD BYRON.
His Visit to the Uuited States FRI
gate Constitution in 1922.

His Visit to the Uuited States FRI
gate Constitution in 1922.
A correspondent of the Boston
Transcript writes:
In 1914, | was Lieutenant on the
United States ship St. Louis, in the
China seas, commanded by Capt,
Isaac McKeever, who one day in
formed me, i'll the course Of familiar
conversation, that he was on board
the irigate Constitution, and officer
of the deck and watch, when Lord
Byron visited the Constitution in
1922. He said Lord Byron was
very much embarrassed by his re.
ception, all the officers being as
sembled on deck in full uniform,
and the marines drawn up under
arms to receive him.
Count Cambria, the father Of the
too celebrated Countess GuiccioIi,
accompanied him. An elegantly
bound volume of an American iil.
tion of his poems was lying on the
cabin table, which he examined
with the remark that II was the
handsomest compliment ever paid
him. At that time the pronuncla-
ton of his name was disputed in
the Unite States, and Commodore
Jacob Jones, who commanded the
Mediterranean squadron, Of which
the Constitution was flag ship--a
man Of great simplicity Of charac-
ter-put the direct question to him;
"Pray my Lord, which is the more
correct pronunciation ofyOul name
--Be-ron or Byron 2" Lord Byron'S
reply, though not direct one, set
Ties the question as to which he
favored He hesitated = moment,
said Capt McKeever, and then
said: "My grandfather called me
Byron; my mother called me By
ron; my guardian, Be-ron!"--in
toning his voice, and speaking of
his grandfather with pride, Of his
mother with affection, but of his
guardian with contempt. Yet not
withstanding this declaration, |
have seen his name written in his
own hand writing-either on the
walls of the bridge Of Sighs, or on
a column Of the Temple of Shes
ems at Athens, | forget which
and spelt Beron, or Biron, certainly
not with a v. He renamed full
hour on board the Constitution,
and when he left he was escorted
on shore by the Conmodore's
barge, by Capt McKeever, then
young Lieutenant. At the land
ing Byron invited Lieut.. Mckee
YER to come and see him. but with
this'caution: Il am not an early
riser Lord Byron mentions in his
journal of letters. that lady beg
ged a rose from him :qs That lady
was Mrs. Smith the wife of our con-
sui at Smyrna, believe. She pull.
ed the flower to pieces; saying she
intended leaf for each of her fe-
male friends, the admirers of his
Lordship's poems in America. The
next day he sent her a volume of
his poems, accompanied by a
note. And il was in allusion to
this visit and its incident that he
wrote Tom Moore: He would r TIL
er have a nod from an American
than a snuff box from an Emperor"
The Comm odore offered to place a
schooner of the Squadron at his
disposal to take him to Greece,
where he died, but he declined. At
the time of this visit Captain Me-
Keever said he was handsome and
distin ue, and his hair was long
and curling, and he wore whiskers.
His hair was black, but generally
sprinkled with gray, and he was be
ginning to be corpulent,
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