The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-01-04

From Messrs. Fields, Osgood & Co. we have
received the advance sheets of Mrs. Stoves
book entitled LADY Byron indicated" In
which she attempts to give history of the
Byron controversy from its beginning in 1916
10 the present time. Mrs. Stowe goes over the
same ground as in her Atlantic article, but with
greater expllctness, and she gives full account
of her interview with Lady Byron when the
horrible revelation was made to her. The
essential portions of this work we now Law
before our readers. The first part of the book
attempts to show how Lord Byron, during his
lifetime, habitualy attacked his wife, and en-
listed against her wide circle OF his literary
friends and admirers; how these attacks
were continued long after his death,
with increasing virulence and she quotes
largely from the "Noctes hmbrosians"
and the notes to that work of DIR. Shelton
Mackenzie to show how the sympathies OF the
choice ooterie of literary men who managed
Bldck,oood's Magazine were enlisted against
her. Mrs. Stowe then alludes to the Countess
Guiccioli's book and the article in Black,ooodsof
last July as her reasons for giving Lady Byron's
story to the world, alleging that preconcertcd
attempt was being made at this late date to
slander her memory and to glorify Lord Byron
In the second part Mrs. Stowe tells how she
became acquainted with Lady Byron, and de-
scribes her as she appeared during the later
years of her life. The most important chapter
of the work here follows, in which Mrs. Stowe
gives full account of the interview between
herself and Lady Byron, during which the
shocking revelation was made. We quote that
portion of this chapter that describes the inter
view:--
This calmness and dignity were never more
manifested than in this interview In recalling
the conversation at this distance of time, | can
not remember all the language used. Some
particular words and forms of expression | do
remember, and those gives and in other cases
give my recollection of the substance OF what
was said.
There was something awful to me in the in
tensity of repressed emotion which she showed
as she proceeded. The great fact upon which
all turned was stated in words that were unmis-
takable:-
Mrs. Stowe, he was guilty of incest with his
sister!"
She here became so deathly pale, that |
feared she would faint; and fastened TO say,
'My dear friend, have heard that" She asked
quickly, "From whom 2" and answered, "From
recollecting herself.
l then asked her some questions; in reply to
which she said 81 will tell you"
She then spoke Of her first acquaintance with
Lord Byron; from which gathered that she, an
only child, brought up in retirement, and living
much within herself, had been, as deep natures
often were, intensely stirred by his poetry; and
had felt q deep interestin him personally, as one
that had the germs OF all that is glorious and
noble.
When she was introduced to him, and per-
ceived his admiration of herself, and at last
received his offer, although deeply moved, she
doubted her own power to be to him all that a
wife should be. She declined his Offer there
fore, but desired to retain still his friendship.
After this, as she said, correspondence ensued
mostly on moral and literary subjects; and, by
this correspondence, her interest in him was
constantly Increased.
At last, she said he sent her a very beautiful
letter, offering himself again II thought, she
added 'thot 1t was sincere, and that ! might
now show him all felt. wrote just what was
in my heart.
afterwards, she said, II found in one of his
journals this notice ofmy letter:-A letter from
Bell-neyer rams but it pours."
There was through her habitual calm q shade
of womanly indignation as she spoke these
words; but 1t was gone in a moment. | said,
"And did he not love you, then| She an
swered, mo, my dear: he did not love me-"
"Why, then, did he wish to marry you ?" She
laid her hand on mine, and said in low voice,
''You will see."
She then told me, that shortly after the de-
clared engagement, he came to her fathers
house to visit her as an accepted suitor. The
visit was to her full of disappointment. His
appearance was so strange, moody, and unac-
countable, and his treatment of her SO peculiar
that she came to the conclusion that he did not
love her, and sought an opportunity to converse
with him alone
She told him that she saw from his manner
that their engagement did not give him pleasure;
that she should never blame him If he wished to
dissolve it; that his nature was exceptional; and
if on a nearer view of the situation, he shrank
from 1t, she would release him, and remain no
less than ever his friend.
Upon this, she said, he tainted entirely away.
She stopped moment, and then, as ii speak
ing with great effort, added, "Thea was sure
he must love me-"
"And did he not ?" said l. "What other cause
could have led to this emotion?'
She looked at me very sadly, and said, Fear
of detection"
What !" said l. 'did that cause then exist ?"
"Yes, she said, 'it did" And she explained
that she nOt1 attributed Lord Byrons great agi-
tation to fear that in some way suspicion of
the crime had been aroused inl her mind, and
that on this account she was seeking to
break the engagement. She said that, from that
moment, her sympathies were aroused for
him, to soothe the remorse and anguish which
seemed preying on his mind, and which she
then regarded as the sensbility of An unusually
exactng moral nature, which judged itself by
higher standards, and condemned itself unspar-
ingly for what most young men of his times
regarded as Venial faults. She had every hope
for his future, and all tho enthusiasm of belief
that SO many men and women of those times
and ours have had in his intrinsic nObeness.
She said the gloom, however, seemed to be even
deeper when he came to the marriage; but she
looked at 1t as the suffering of peculiar being
TO whom she was called to minister. i said TO
her, that even in the days of my childhood, j
had heard OF something very painful that had
passed as they were in the carriage, Immediately
after marriage. She then said that 1t was 80;
that almost his first words, when they were
alone, were, that she might once have saved
him; that If she had accepted him when he