Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1882-08-13
TWO GREAT POETS.
ReeOIleetions and "reminiscences Of Shell.
ley and Byron from the Diary of
". N. ROssetti.
Talks With TrelawDY-Great Men at
HOme-Iheir Personal Peculiarities
-Byron's Last Hours.

W. N. Rossetti. in the London Athenaum.
Edward John Trelawny, VINO died on the
18Th OF last August, aged Lightweight years,
was very singular and interesting old man
10 meet, and had a great deal TO tell about
persons more Interesting still, especially
Shelley and Byron. | fret had sight and
speech of Trelawny toward 1912, when was
mere boy and he a man of fifty, of mas
sive, athletic person, and very handsome and
striking presence; a commanding figure to
remember. After this L saw no more of him
until 1869. 10 me he was open and commu-
NEGATIVE, and in all essentials extremely
kind; often, 10 doubt, abrupt and overbear-
ing, and only 10 be approached on his own
terms-ierms with which i never felt any
reluctance to comply. Keeping a diary, L
noted down a number OF things that he told
me. / have now extracted from my disrv
some passages relating TO Trelawny, and
present them TO the readers of the Athenoe an:
March IL, 1870. l called on Treiawny;
thick be looks little older than he did last
Summer. He has been writing down come
further "reminiscences OF Shelley, which /
pressed him 10 publish. This he seems
toerably well inclined to do, but objects TO
he trouble of recopyiug. l offered 10 do it
for him. Miss Clairmount has lately been
writing TO him at great length, also in the
way OF Shelley "reminiscences. He saws
Shelley-jealous in the ordinary sense, and
also as regards the influence of other women
over his mind. But he seems to think las
far as L can make Quit that the conjugsl
jealousy was baselsss. Shelley, he says, at
tempted suicide in Naples-had also preyi-
ously done in London; but the effects of the
poison were worked off by walking him
about for some hours.
March 18th, dined with Trelawuy; his
house is at present kept by young lady,
Miss TT, to whom ! was introduced
He is, aud always has been, total disbe-
lever in every form of theological religion,
and contemplates humiliation without any
repugnance. Once when living in Italy he
saw a little man come up to his house. and
called through the wicket, mo admittance
except for atheists and republicans" 1t was
ROebuek. He seems TO be confident that
there was nothing beyond an abstract or
"Piatonic' attachment between Shelley and
Emilia Viviaua. He says Shelley was quite
incapable of gross amours with loose women,
etc; with him love az passion was never
dssocieted from sentiment, nor would even
the sight of beautiful woman have been
likely to produce much impression upon him
without the interest excited by conversation
Irelawny read me, from the memoranda
Gently made by him, an amusing anecdote of
Shelley's entering the saloon at Casa Magni
oaked from the sea-beacb, when Mary and
Mrs. Willisms, with lady visitor from
Genoa, were at dinner there. The horror
which bis apparition excited was calmly
met by the matter-of-fact question, "What
else do you expect me to do when my clothes
are Left in the bedroom, and there is no way
TO the bedroom except through, hers" Ire
awny described him as 'stag-eyed"-as in
dcating the fixed, full, unblinking gaze
which characterized him. His body, especi-
ally legs and thighs, was fidely formed, aud
MA of aY n eli hs
hills, distancsd al the party.
January z, 1872, spent the day with
Trelawny, at his invitation; arrived at 2
o'clock, and remained ill IL O'Clock, Ire
iawoy keeping up, without ever tagging, a
conversation about Shelley, Byron and seve-
raj other matters. He told me number OF
interesting details He showed me bit of
Sbelley,s jaw-bone which he snatched from
the funeral pyre, charred white, with the
teeth-sockets showing; his features were
almost gone when the burning took place.
| described TO Trelawny the spot which was
shown 10 me last summer at Viareggio as
being the site OF the cremation; he thinks
he information given to me must have been
Inaccurate, the true spot being further away
from he town, and only ''seven yards" from
the sea. He has himself also written down
some anecdotes-a and "reminiscences, which
read; valuable and interesting, but possibly
q fancy) little dressed up in some de tails
mostly what he had before told me. Ire
fawny's spelling is singularly faulty Tor a
man OF so many literary associations. He
wrote down in Byron's death chamber
number of details of the poets last hours,
given him by the valet, Fletcher; these have
never been published, nor did Fletcher go
freely relate the real facts to members of the
Byron family. Byron had habit of keeping
by his bedside Bible and two pistols. Near
his end he made some remark in a spirit of
IL -
"canting" turn according TO Trelawnyl
avsiled himself OF the opportunity TO open
the Bible, and began reading from it to By
ron; but the latter stopped him, saying,
"Shut it up; that is all weakness, weakness
weakness!' striking his hand on his fore
Gead. Byron had no palate. Trelawny
could mix his gin-and-water as weak as he
chose without Byron's taking any notice OF
1t whatever; once he purposely missed out
the gin altogether, and Byron seemed struck |
by it only after several SIPS Byron's left leg
and foot were much worse than the right I
The toes of both feet were perfectly we'll |
formed, and Byron used to wear linen panta- |
looms with straps 10 bathing. (Trelawny says |
this Is quite common, especially with sea-
fsrlng people). Hence 1t is that, although |
TrelawDy had often seen Byron bathing, he |
did not accurately understand the condition |
Of hislegs and feet till he viewed the corpse. |
This point that has struck several people |
myself iucluded) not accounted for in |
Trelawny's book of "reminiscences. Ire |
lawny considers that Shelley, had he sur
vived, would have joined him and Byron in |
the Grecian expedition, but would not have !
made good soldier. Neither did Byron |
show the least faculty that way or as political |
leader. Moore, l may observe, gives con-
trary idea. Had Byron. lived Cd, move
meut would have been started to make him |
king OF Greece, aud Trelawny thinks the |
thing would have been achieved. Shelley, |
he says, was utterly fearless in every way
standing on the edge of precipices, etc.
Trelawny thinks also he had no sensation OF |
horror as connected with the conception OF |
desth-only ideal feelings in relation to
death, and mostly even aspirations toward
il. L did not care TO discuss the point mi
nutely, but myself consider there is ample
evidence in Shelley's poems of a marked
horror and shrinking from whatsoever has a
disguztful physical aspect in death.
January 10Th / called again BY appoint
ment on Trelawny, who treats me most
kindly. He showed me two letters from
Shelley TO Goodwin (copies) written Just be-
fore he LETT England in 1916 They show
that Shelley was then raising $500 to give 10
Goodwin, although not on good terms with
him. He considered Goodwin to have wrong
fully objected, contrary TO his own avowed
princi piles, to The connection subsisiing be-
win, ii might appear, supposed Shelley to be
siisnaied from him by the influences of aris-
tocraiic birth, etc. Trelawny has also sent
me three or four more letters of Shelley,
copied out for Miss Clairmont by her niece,
relatipg as / observe on cursory inspec-
ton, to the marriage with Mary. These l
shall read at home at my leisure. Shelley,
says Trelawny, never smoked, but tolerated
any amount OF smoking in Trelawny himself
or others; Byron also could not smoke
Shelley may las Hogg and Peacock init
mate) have cared about babies at one time,
but he took no interest in children. He was
as dexterous with his legs as other people
with their arms; in the arms he was coppar-
atively weak.
January 23d l went round to Trelawny's
10 return him the Shelley letters he had lent |
me. He was not in, but l had some CONVEX
sation with Miss TT. Trelawny, she
says, battles every morning without excep-
ton in cold water, and at the seaside he
baihes in the sea in addition at all seasons