The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1874-05-28

the request mcde by the British legation
"to be allowed TO remove the mortal
remains OF Mr.. Shelley and his com
panion, cast ashore by the waves of the
sea-, Mr.. Trelawny caused a furnace to
be made in Leghorn of strong sheet
iron, with iron bands around it, and
also collected such articles as Shelley's
much loved Hcllenese used on their
funeral pyres.
An officer of the quarantine, with q
squad of soldiers, accompanied the expe.
dition, armed with long-handled tongs,
nippers, poles with iron hooks, and di-
vers other implements. Lord Byron
and Mr.. Hunt joined them on the beach,
with the health officer and some dis
mounted dragons. There was also a
considerable gathering of spectators
from the neighborhood, and among them
many ladies richly dressed. A morbid
curiosity drew most of these, but it is
almost. beyond belief that personal
friends, men of birth, culture and gen
tie breeding, could have witnessed the
scene which followed. We copy IRE
lawny's account
On the removal Of layer of brush
wood all that remained of our friend
Williams was exposed--a shapeless
mass the head had fallen from the
trunk on being touched. rs that n
human body?" exclaimed Byron.
"Why, it's more like the carcass of a
sheep or any other animal this is a
satire on human pride and folly" and
he pointed to the letters Il. w. w. on
the black handkerchief tied sailor fash
ion which had fallen with the head
Byron looked on and muttered, "The
entrails of worm hold together longer
than the potters' clay of which man is
made"
The remains were removed piecemeai
into the furnace "Don't repeat this
with me-" said Byron let my carcass
rot where it falls" The funeral pyre
was now ready. The materials being
dry and resinous burned furiously and
turned us back As 500 as the flamesbe
came clear, and allowed us to approach,
we threw frankincense and salt into the
furnace, and poured n flask of oil and
wine over the body. TIE Greek ora-
ton was omitted, for we had lost om
Hellenic bard 1t was now insutfera-
bly, hot, the officers and soldiers seek,
ing shade from the effects Of the fire
and the sun. "Let us try the strength
of these waters that drowned our
friends, said Byron with his usual au-
dacity. Glow far do You think they
were out when their boat sank ?" "If
You don't wish to be put into tho fur
mace you had better not try; You are
not in condition for plunge" Byron
stripped and went into the water, but
soon returned sick and cramped.
At four o'clock the funeral pyre
burned low, and when we uncovered
the furnace nothing remained in it but
dark. colored ashes, with fragments of
the larger bones. Poles were now put
under the rei-hot furnace, and it was
gradually cooled in the sea ] gathered
together the human ashes and placed
them in a small oak box bearing an in
scription or Il brass plate, screwedit
down and placed it in Byron's carriage.
He returned with Hunt to Pisa, lromis-
ing to join us the following day at Via
Reggie. The next morning we went to
Via Reggie with the same party and
things, and began or preparations. In
the meantime Byron and Leigh Hunt
arrived, attended by the health officer
and soldiers as before. The lone y and
grand scenery that surrounded us har-
monized so exactly with ShelIey's gen
ms that could imagine his spirit soar
ing above us. As thought of the de-
light Shelley had in scenes of such
loneliness and grandeur, | thought we
were no better than herd of wolves or
pack of wild dogs, in tearing out his
battered and naked body from the pure
and yellow sand that lay SO lightly ove
it, to drag him back to the light of day;
but the dead have no voice, and the
work went on silently in the deep and
unresisting sand. The Italians showed
touch of sentiment and sympathy, and
even Byron was silent and thou ghtful.