New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-30
SHELLEY AND BYRON.
TALKS WITH TRELAWNY.
A prCopD FROM W. NJ. RossETTTs DIARY-ANEC-
norve or THE poFTs-DYRON's LAST HOURS
IN.

lar aud interesting old man To meet, ana had
great deal TO tell aDou, persons T,n 'I first had Sght
and speech of TrelawDy towarC 10 -. Nnel VIZ
n mere boy and he "A man OF MY, Oh MASSIVE, h.
iotic nerson and very handsome ana stIlkihB pres
nnce a commanding figure to remember. AlieI
This | saw no more OF HIM uDtli lsoJ; 10 me no
was open and communicative ana III az Isl @
exf.e,nely kind often, no ubt. abrupt ana over
hearnr and only to be approached Oh MS own
terms-terms with which never felt any reluct-
once To comply. Keeping diary, noted down
nnn,ber of things that he told me- ! have now eX-
tracted from my diary the passages featllg 70
Trelawny. and present them to the reausrS Oh %
AfheRTHin. 1t may be saId-nor should ueny tne
statemeut-that the details are drlly ana Daldly
recorded without any tact or brlIlancy OF MARIA
tion and that the actual words OF conversation
are hardly ever given. such as my JOttlngs are,
however such / reproduce them. with very ltlle
variation, but some ncediul eXclsions from the
actual words of my diary ! may add that llle
diary although as a rule kept up with mucn regi-
larity was every now and then-and especially
Whenever | out OF town -lnterGupted' anu IL
is clear to me. on looking through ITS pages. 'nat
the Interruptions must often nave OccurIeu at tI'os
when | vas III the way OF seeing irela"Hy, 30 'hat
several OF his conversations WIN me remain ul
recorded W. NJ IL eShi IL
1869. June 2S-l called on Trelawny. He Is still
very fine vigorous old man, most energetic III tone
and manner at moments. stayed with INN lull Iour
hours and had "A highly interesting conversation on
Shelley, whom he regards win the sdhle uhuiI"no"
enthusiasm as evet-branchirg OIL somewhat 100
frequently to other subjects, such as America
medical systems etc. lie retains MS ancient haois
valuable details about Shelley, and cOnhded 70 me
the original Mss. OF the poems which Shellty al
dressed to Mrs Williams. WIN the scraps ol mes
sage which accompanied them most lnleIc>ilhH'
He did not greatly ike Mrs. shelley thinking ner
too eager to stand well with society. ana, a. re-
cards her husband. too fractions AMI plagny also
she had none of the haOits OF housewife; ana
dInper etc, had very much To take care Oh thehi'
selves ITcawny possesses ana hhOWeu ne pen
and-nk sketch OF shelley, head ana SHOULDERS
which he considers gives gOodish idea OF nm he
cannot now TecOliect whether or not u was dohe
bv Lieutenant iiliaTS, or 10y whom else. ~ lookN
IN general way like copy from MISS CuiIa
celebrated portrait, or from some engraving after
that but strict comparison al the two does not ny
any means satisfy me that II Is such' Ire uas "so
OH portraits ot Mrs. Shelley ana Miss ClarlnOhi ny
Miss (ufrau-faiTiy good. He says " ss Clalrmont
became a somewhat bIgOted Roman NalhOI'c'
Shelley's heart recovered from the funeral Nrc,
was delivered To Mrs Shelley; but she used 90 say
ii was too painful, etc. etc. ana the heait was men
transferred to Leigh Hunt. The renowned SURGEON
Nacca eX pressed TO lTeiawny after shelley uea'i
an opinion that the disease from which the poet hau
suffered was not nephriic
.JrIy 3-Trelawnv came III at my house, and
spcut the whole evening talking with me. Ire
lawnV had not an unpleasant IMPRESSION ui Nuehel
voice. save wHen he WAS excited, ana theh II
turned shrek, Is on one occasion whch Shclief
caine IN much perurhcd, from an hlcfNlr" WIN
r., ron and screrched. BY God. he's no better than
a Christian Ireldwny saw something OF Japan
in his youth, and was much taken WIN the series
OF Japanrse cOOrcd prints hung round nv dining
room. he must be some seventy -slA years OF age;
but thinks nothing of sitting M thi mi"l lght ana
walking home perhaps Tour ana NAN mllca from
my nriehborhood. When he left me, about ii. he
was gong round to SIR Dgby Wyatt $, IN laVStock
Place He SAYS he will write down all ms residual
reminisc noes OF shelley, Byron; etc. 10 ne pun
ISned aiter his death. He told ne the DINER day
that a daughter of Lieutenant " illlams married
one Of Leigh Hunts sons. lie dshkrd me Whoie
Hunt far.ily-thought Hunt exceedingly selfish;
1870. l arch IL called on IrcaWny; thlnk ne
looks a little older than he did last summer ne
has been writing down come further "REMINISCENCES
or Shelley, which ] pressed nm to publish ms
Inc seems tocrably well inclined 10 DO, nut oipects
10 the trouble Of rccopyIng. ! offered to do II iof
him. Miss Clairmont has lately been wiring TO
him at great length. also in the way Vi shelley
"reminiscences: and 4 seems that ri Sc. the SWISS
maid who attended to Miss ClalrmOnts and Bytnns
daughter Allegro, Is likewise still alive ana inclined
TO he reminiscent. ITelawny says he leelS nhrt M
the imputaiOn upon the moral character or harriet
Shelley IN her latter days as contained u. e. re-
peated from other printed staieineHtsl IN NY
memoir of Shelley II seems 10 he neW 10 MN, Dht
can doubt It's truth. He saws that Mary shelley
was excessively jealous of shelley Jealous IN the
ordinary sense and also regards tile lnilncncr OF
other women over ms mind hut he seems 10 tllnk
las tar as can make OUT that the conugal jealousy
was baseless. Shelley, lac says. attempted SUICIDE
in Naples-haI also previously done SO III LONDON;
but the effects of the pon on were WoIhtu OH ny
walking hun about Tor some urS; lieiaWy Is
now reading With extreme nellght ll"seS Ll'S %
Shelley" ththerto unread by hinl; be considers
Hogs view of the poet to Ice thoroughly consistent
" in his own later experience. shelley, lie san,
was more scl-willcd than myself ~; with eXqul-
site gentloucss OF manner he would always do. and
do on the instant. what he resolved on. AN I'd
dine with lrcldWnY next lursttS, anu may pcihdPS
meet Mrs. H0gg- previously married 10 Lieutenant
Williams, with whom she was pass0naiely III
love. Williams was decdedly good-l"oRlng
soi-beds toad which Is III the sittngr"om q" bdfohe
Klrkup in Florence II have seen n therel was
bought by Shelley at LEGION, and aiter"ald used
by Leigh Hunt
March 1j.-Dined with Trelawny; his mouse is at
present kept bv young iady, Miss TT. to whom
was introduced. lie -, and always has been, II
total uIsbciIevcr m every FORM al Theological re-
ligon, and cOntemplates humiliation without any
D
little man come mp to IN, house, and called through
the wicket No adnnttance except for atheists and
republicans" 1t was ROebuck. lie seems u be
confident that there was nothing beyond an an
stract or PatOnlc' attachment between shelley
and Emilia Niviani. He SAYS Shelley was quite IN
capable OF grUss amOurs with loose women et'';
with him love rs a passion was never dlSs"cateu
from sentiment; nor would even the sight OF
beautiful woman have been llkely 10 produce lhuon
impression upon him without tho interest cNclled
bv conversation. ITclawny read me. from the
memoranda recently made by him, an amusing
anecdofe of Shelleys entering the saloon at Casa
Magni naked from the sca-beach. when Mary ana
Mrs. Williams with lady visitor from Gen0a,
were at dinner there. The horror which ms app3H-
ton excited was calmly met by the matter-oi Tact
question. " What else do YOU expect me TO do, ien
my clothes are left IN the bedroom, ana hcre j. no
way TO the bedroom except through here Ire
lawny describes HIM rs "Stag-eyed AS indicating
the fXed. full, unblnklng gaze which characterlzru
him His body especially legs and Thighs.
finely formed; and his powers of active eNerton, as
in climbing hills, dlstanced all the party. Ire
lawny showed me letter which he has Just lately
received IRON MISS ~lalflnOhJ, now III IloI'hcc'
There is not he least sign of age IN It's composition:
il speaks with considerable anIInus against Byron
as contTasted with Shelley
1872, January Spent the day with Trclawny,
at his invitation: arrived AT .. and remained TIL
H. lrela~ny Keeping uP, without ever HiSs'hS
conversation about shelley. Byron and several
other matters. He told me a number OF interesting
details. lie showed me bit of Shelleys Jaw-bone
which he snatched from the funeral pyle. charred
white with tho teeth sockets showing; bis features
were almost gone when the burning took place.
Iaap he'd IN fIt-
TO me last summer at NIaIeggio being the site OF
the cremation: he thinks the information given 10
me must have been inaccurate. the true spot being
> fflurrs