New-York tribune., 1899-04-22
BYRON'S LAST DAYS.
A HITHERTO UNPUBLISHED LETTER BY
COUNT PIETRO GAMBIA. BROTHER OF
THE GUICCIOLI. WHO WAS WITH
THE POET WHEN HE DIED.


THE POET WHEN HE DIED.
Byron died at Missolonghi on April ID. 1874,
in the presence Of Fletcher his old servant. and
his friend and companion in arms, Count Pietro
GAMBIA. brother of the celebrated Guiccioli.
Gambia soon aftervard addressed long letter
to Byron's sister the Hon. Augusta Leigh.
This letter hitherto unpublished. has at last
been brought to light in recent issue Of the
| "Caulois" of Paris We translate it as fol-
lows:
London August II. 1924.
Madame: Since the death, forever lamenta-
BILE of your illustrous brother, who had nom
| ored me with his friendship for so many years.
| NV sole object has been to fulfil my duty toward
| his memory and toward those whom know 10
have been nearest and dearest to MIN whne
he lived I would that the details am ABOUT
| TO in1part TO you were of kind to satisfy you;
| but II will be difficult for me to give you news
other than that you must already nave re-
| ceived | have noted the slightest Worus ne
uttered during his last moments ana my ac
| count will show you in the planest way that
| his sickness was so sudden that we were quite
! taken by surprise. and he even more thah the
| rest Of us. -
If you WISH will give you an exact ana
| minute account of his manner of life. ana OF
everything connected with ms pnysica ss,s tatai a
mental state from the beginning or this la'aI
| expedition to Greece For not only was 1
almost constantly by his side, Dut i LOON I'M .uH
pains to keep daily journal OF our ne l. WIZ s
|
| this period-that following MS at'ach vi 'p
| lepsy. - .,, T., tho
| II was on February Is. about o'clock In the
evening as YOU must have been told, that ne
| became suddenly indisposed. From tnat ti'iie
on he lived very soberly. eating nothing s,o,ua nu'
beans and feh. He took too mucn HleuieinS'
| however after q habit that he had always . nai.
| He was convinced that the only way TO prevent
! a relapse was to submit to a severe reeli
| and take great deal of exercise Inereiole S
| he took long horseback rides every gay, W. w.
| tba har nprmittpQ.
| not enough for in the evening ne eAei0i'eu
| with the single-stck and the SABRE. 10,
The Greeks continual demands TOT MONEY u u
gan IN he unbearable to him. we tr1ed 10 heeP
! them off: but who can protect hnsen HUM
| these peoples opportunities ..or.,ors
| The insubordnation and arrogant pi 1.nince
of the couliotes-a warlike tribe of the PROVING
| of Albania-had finally decided him 70 preah oil oil
| all relations with them, and TO give NeiR,,,on uR
thoughts of the long -proletteH le,oot himself to
| raiss at his own expense Greek legion. iis
| reserved the command Of II fQr iinrine. nra then
| anrojnted me his lieutenant we WIZ -
busying ourselves with this plan ana ne ,,sas mas
making his arrangements to qult 'he s""N'p'
| Of Mlssolongh as soon as possipie. -, L., he
hnril o-On the morning of TINS latdl uas ~
| GOT Letters from the Ionian 1slands ana lIoin @
| England containing most satisiactot! lnoI,b
particularly letter from you about the hearo arn
| Of his daughter Ada. You sent Dy eSa une s IN
| nail q portrait of his daughter, PRONE III
| Mcneil He left his room early with thls poa
| trait in his hand. He spoke TO me apou. ~ ir %
|
| himself when he was boy-preleIIeu atS tbot ~
stories in prose TO poetry. He also sald Una. az ~
| vas very curious that his sister shoulo nav, nave
| been taken seriously Ill at the saino '
| that he had his first attack r.. .o or
| AS he had not ridden his horse Tor two ~
three days he wanted to do so that uas' ~ r'V fonr
| ~ weather threatened rain. Three OF Ioui
| miles from the village storm came ro On 10 ne
s,'rnT,ss On our arrival before tne
walls of Missolonghi, he was drencnea ,, - ride
rain and sweat could not tnstead ,nue OF sitting
| down TO rest in a boat in the state ne Maa a 80,
"A fine soldier should be- II couiu io' aSter
| O i,ttIe discomfort like this" TWO houIS aItea
a. niue nde,rr r1sI he was taken with chill He also
| had a slight fever and rheumatic pains VIZ @
| 10 see him in his room about cIoch,; ;.ated
srrg'CmeI sur md ~ am suffering much pain l am m
not afraid of death. but can't bear tiiis pan 10
| The doctors proposed to Dleeu mn. 80 mn
| fused to allow them, asking, Are theio 0
| other remedes?" - shorad this
| fear that one of the doctors snoLeu lt. ,ha, i
aversion TO blood-l letting. and had tod nm onn
| there was no need of IT, But at lhat doneer
| there was not the least suspicion or DANGER
| The fact Is that there was no danger, o~ood
, April 14-He got UP al n;sad noon bnt he com
| nIaired of weakness and pains in his heau he. aa
| wished to take ride, but the SKY was oNei0"''
and the doctors dissuaded nm. ~ so, nv
| April 16-I kept In pea an an uSy ~ tbev
snrained foot. | could not see him. pu, theS
| came and told me that his illpess was loaLo a e
the usual course and that there waS T,rS;sh m Gov
|
| ernor and sent it to me to translate. ,, .oo,,
April III succeeded in walking 10 ms ,ooi,, ,nn
His expression shocked me. ne :" See' rne most
| calm TO my thinking. He spoke 10 me on',iS ms
| affectionately but in a sepuchral tone. couIu m
| not control my emotion. Iears roheu uo"N my
| cheeks and had to withdraw 80. 49,,
| That was the moment when 1 mrs it ie!' @
horrible suspicion of danger At last ne let ni,i.-
| self be bled. He could not sleep that hisht.
| His head and neck were bathed IN sWea'. ~
rs feared ;hat the inflammation would reach
| The brain. II was not till then that they sen'
| for DIR Thomas but he could not come at ohoe;
| Fletcher told me that he hah proposeu " sSmt Gt
| tor the doctor two or three days before but
| that he had refused. do not believe h~owevtl, ~
! that any of VI had any idea of the serloushess
| of his condition before $1,000, 49,
| April 17-Further we were convinced '"e
same evening" that he was better. J.. .,oo.
For some nights he had not been aple M 10 SIP. h
| He said then to DR.. Mnhngen KNOW tnat
| without sleep a person has either 10 Ole OF go
| mad | would e. thousand times rather ue,
He said the same thing to tletcher iit.ie iatsi;
! In the night Of the 18th he was delirious ana
smoke OF fighting but did not realize his condl-
| ton either that night or the next morning.
| April 1S-They were afraid this morning that
| the inflammation had reached the brain: The
doctors proposed TO bleed him again, but he re-
| fused. Al, - ,, 49,,
| when ne asked me II a letter had come for him.
There was one from Greek bishop. i told him'
| however, that there was none, tor rear Vi eN-
| citing him. Il know" he said, that there is a
| letter from Mavrocordato. at Luriottms II
| is true. my lord" well. want to read IT.
went to get the letter and came back IN nve
minutes He opened H. the letter was writer
| hoif I'm French and half in modern Greek. He
| translated the French into English without the
| least hesitation. He tried to translate the
| Greek Fearing that II might fatigue him /
| orqered 10 translate IL for him. He refused my
offer. Finally, he confused the sense and re-
| marked "As soon Napier comes we VIII see
| What we can do" Does not this show that on
| this morning of the 18th he had no idea OF the
| seriousness OF his condition.
| To-day Easter Sunday there was a grand
| n Ia he
| on This dav TO fire cannon and salvos OF artil-
| lery | had the battery leave town that there
| might be no noise near the poets house AT the
| same time the Government ordered the civil
| Guard TO patrol the streets and TO inform the
Citizens that their illustrious benefactor was
dangerously sick. and that they ought TO refrain