The San Francisco call., 1897-09-05

Byron and an acquaintance with his SIS
ter. Augusta Leigh, is just now humbly,
prosaicalIy and temporarily welding a
clerical pen out Ill the Assessors office.
a copy of an ancient edition OF "Childe
Harold" with an autographic inscription,
afterward presented to him by the poet
sister, is one of his most precious treas
ures. This souvenir and the story OF his
meeting Lord Byron at Missolonghi when
! the poet was amid the glory which the
! Greek revolution gave him possess an In
terest that grows with time.
This man is Rupert Manuel. who is
widely known here, especially in the legal
| profession, for he is one OF the oldest law
clerks Of San Francisco, having since 1868,
| for thirty-four years, la bored in tile offices
of many of the leading law firms OF that
| period.
| His meeting with Lord Byron was an
| incident in his varied life, tie before un-
| written story OF which gives brief and
interesting glance at this one of the i'm
mortals and at great historical event-a
glance from the standpoint OF the COM
mon people of the day instead OF from
that of the historian and biographer.
| "If l remember rightly We were at Corfu
when my father heard of Lord Byron's ar
rival" is the way Rupert Manueps story
runs. He was going to Sicily, but he
changed his course and sailed to Misso-
longhi simp to see Lord Byron. think
he heard the news through one OF those
British frigates that were moving about
the Levant. l distinctly remember how
hilorious over the news my father was
when he came aboard. He fairly hugged
us in his joy, and | can remember OF his
saying, 'We'll have e new Leonidas, and
this Leonidas is more than a fighter, too.
Ny father had read Byron's poems, for be
knew English we'll, and / had heard him
repeat often:
You have the Pyrrhic dance yet,
Where is the Pyrrhic phalanx gone?
He said, Now we've got the Pyrrhic
phalanx,' and he was overioyed in the be-
lief that Lord Byron would win freedom
for the Greek people.
The Angostura dropped anchor at Mis-
solonghi during this turbulent time. Amid
the confusion, lawlessness, diseord and
patriotic ardor Byron shone as the star OF
hope, and the talk of the people was that
Byron would become King of Greece, a
possibility that Byroa's friend and COM
panion. Trelawney, spoke OF afterward.
This was shortly before Byron's thirty
seventh birthday-January2 %, 1924.
'I remember we'll the crowds and the
wonderful enthusiasm over Byron, says
Manuel. "The talk was all about Byron
and the war with Turkey. There was
plenty of fig hting vim, but the trouble was
that the Greeks were fighting among
themselves. 1t was about that time that
Byron saved mum Der of Turkish cap
tives, sending them to the Turkish COM
mander with letter asking that Greek
prisoners be treated as humanely, and l
can remember something of the talk
about this and the admiration for his
ability and policy.
1T was two or three days after we ar
rived that met Lord Byron. He had ap-
pointed time for a public reception, and
| during the forenoon some of the ships
sailors rowed my father and me ashore.
NV father had dressed me in a half Greek
costume and | wore a little Greek fez
with tassel on the top. There was a
great crowd wearing various picturesque
costumes. and every mothers son of
! Greece was fully armed with knives and
SO on after the Greek style of that day.
Grecian flags were everywhere, and the
streets were full of cheering and en-
thusiasm.
Late in the afternoon Byron took his
place in an open public square dressed in
his full uniform as commander-in- chief,
and my father and l TOOK our places in a
long line that moved forward to where
| w
father shook him warmly by the hand
and said, We greet you as the savior OF
Greece My father had moments con-
versation with him, and during it /, boy
like, took hold of Byron's hand. He
looked down on me smilingy, patted me
on the head and said, Be good boy
my lad. How proud and pleased I was.
81 remember his appearance perfectly.
He wore the splendid Grecian helmet he
had made for himself in Italy, had roll
ing collar to his military coat and looked
quite splendid with his sword and braid.
His cheek was flushed with red, and
later knew that it was habitually pale.
There were generals and captains about
him, but none that | Temem ber except q
small, lanky man wearing a sword and
civilian clothes, whom l took at the time
to be one of Byron's servants. My father
told me afterward that that YVES Prince
Mavracordato, who was, next to Byron,
the greatest man in Greece. There were
soldiers about him, and | afterward
learned that they were Byron's Sullotes.
"As grew up l retained the deep inter-
est in Lord Byron that l have felt all my
| life. In 1886, when l was 81 years old, ]
was in London, and | called to see Mrs.
| Augusta Leigh, announcing myself as an
admirer of her brother who had seen him
at Missoionghi. She seemed overioyed to
NEE, one who had seen her brother there,
even if he was hoy. There were few, if
I any, besides Trelawney and Fletcher,
! Dyron's valet, who were with Byron there
and to whom she had been able to talk
/ personally about him. l was then a
rather bashiul boy, but she was such a
! PLAIN. sweet, iadylike, cultured woman
| that she soon made me feel at ease and at
home, bringing me some wine and cakes
and talking in kindly way. told her
when and where / had seen Lord Byron
and she piled me with all manner OF