The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-01-27
Lusrfneton and BYRON.

The death of the eminent lawyer and civil
ian the Right Honorable Stephen Lushing-
ton, reported by cable telegram in the LEDGER
OF the 2lst, once more recalls attention to the
Byron controversy. The attack made upon
the character OF the poet by Mrs. 81. B. Stowe
three years ago will be fresh In the recollec-
ton of Our readers. She therein eudeayored
to fix upon him the stigma of fearful crime.
and, had he. been guilty, his memory would
be justly execrated and bis poetry consigned
to oblivion. But when she made this attack
there were but two persons living who
really knew anything about the causes OF the
separation between Lord aud Lady Byron.
and these were Lord Brougbton (the John
Cam Hobhouse who was Byron's fellow.
traveller in Greece, and who wrote the yo-
luminous notes to Childe Harold), since
dead, aud DR.. Washington. OF these two
Dir. Hobhouse was the contldant of Lord
Byron DR.. LuShington that of Lady By
ron, as we'll as her legal adviser, In conjunc-
ton with Sir Samuel Romilly, in the matter
of the separation. Mr. Hobhouse acted as
mediator between the poet and bis wife, and.
according to Byron's statement, made on
his behalf the proposition to go before the
Divorce Court and to publish all the pre-
vious correspondcncc---a step rendered ne
cessary because Lady Byron refused to state
the real reasons Of her wishing to separate
from him; and her legal advisers, when ar-
pied to by Mr.. Hobhouse, declared their lips
to be sealed up. Mr.. N. G. Lewis, another
friend of Byron's, was equally unsuccessful
in obtaining the desired Information.
The only answer that could be OBJ
tanned from Lady Byron was one made under
the advice of her counsel, "that if he
(Byron) insisted on the specifications he
must receive them in open court in q suit for
divorce" Byron asserts that be was willing
to do this. and sent Mr.. Hobhouse to her to
say so. The case, however, for some reason
or other not known, did not come before
the public. Lady Byron left her husband
and went to her father in January, 1916, and
on the 25th Of April of the same year Byron
left England never to return. They never
saw each other again. In 1880, nearly six
years after Byron's death, Lady Byron wrote
to DR.. Washington requesting him to state
in writing what he recolectrd on the sub
Ject. The reply was to the effect that he Dr:
LuShington} had been retained by her mo-
Their to act rs her legal adviser, and that
from his first instructions he considered
Il reconciliation with Lord Byron posi-.
bic, but that fortnight afterwards he
was informed by Lady Byron of facts which
are utterly unknown Che had no doubD to
her father and mother, and these changed his
opinions entirely so that he considered re-
Cancellation impossible; and he added that if
such an idea should be entertained he could
not, either professionally or otherwise. take
any part towards effecting it. From that
time to his death DR.. Lushngton kept i2yio-
late the secrets or secret confided to him by
his papers some record of it, the truth will
now never be known. as for Mr.. Hob
house, he of course knew only what Lord
Byron chose to tell him, and that has been
repeatedly published, but throws no clear
light on the subject. The poet protested to
the last that he was unable to imagine what
Lady Byron's real grievance was, Of which
she made so profound Il sccrct.-Ledger,
Philddclphia.