New-York tribune., 1900-08-12

S-s4H. lhe "iIe or his Venetian landlord re-
sEectaDle draper in the Frezzeria, he becomes
merely squalid- But it would be a r,ie+.1,o -
assume as has been cheaply assumed in some
quarters. that the squaIid motive dor,i,a+o 81,
period OF Byron's life. He was then 1S1e-
LA-D the same bundle OF astounding co,+.,4
thai ne was at every other stage Of his caroa-
mere IS much in addition to sorry love affairs
within the limits Of this instalnen+ Of tho ,,o-
TesPondence- On the very threshold of - wa
have recalled TO Us, by a letter To the Hon
Augusta Leigh that genial and tenacious af
lec'on Ior MS sister which gave the poet perhaps
the most generous emotions Of his life. He writes
10 her necessarily, when he is not sending a
-sller ne IS Keeping a journal for her amuse-
menti and through his communications coIored
emery as they are by observations Of travel
a2d notes on personal experiences there rim
tH7eacs Of something very like tenderness
t7r others, especially for children His daugb
teT was always in his mind There Is one
---ious passage relating to her He says: Ada
D the way Adas name (Which I found in
q-1igree under King Johns reiCn) is the sa,a'
~ith that Of the Sister of Charlemagne ~
Tead the ether day in a book treating of the
H-hlne- But the truest measure of his Maternal
interest Is given by the letter sent TO his
-ss2I representative, John Hanson. when he
heard That there was some talk OF Lady Byron's
golng on the Continent and taking the child
with her lie writes:
By daughter shall not leave England with nv
consent protest against il for every reason
eL- II every possible form; and beg and desire
mat you VIII Immediately take the proper steps
--'' = necessary, 10 prevent the possibility Of
Il Lady B. thinks proper now. or hereafter. to
.-'r-r l-aL Is no business Of mine; but my
1-lEhter and only legitimate child must not
~ II ne party. I do not wish TO take her from
me iaInl-y; let her IN such case remain with
/ wi i'm
-t1iately, Il necessary. TO receive herr. but let
r be Immediately settled and understood fb1t in
Hg case IS my daughter IL lcdrc The country
Pray lei me have an answer as soon as you
..1Fenlently can on this anxious subject and do
not delay ascertaining and arranging this point
. moment, as 1t is 10 me Of much consequence
II The present state Of the Continent I would
- nave my child rambling over it for mill
P S.-E necessary, I could come to England
Hg7T. bur wish 70 defer my return till Spring IN
-=as absolutely necessary Pray write and do
--t neglect or delay on this point. I suppose as
L-+-ns my power OF Attorney, you can act for
me- Il not let ne know al all events immedi-
The contrast between the fatherly solicitude
reflected in this epistle and the airy profigacy
set forth with perfect caudor elsewhere in the
correspondence IS nothing less than staggering.
Il ever Byron is an enigma it is in q situation
Ike this- But IL all times and in all aspects
be rings true, fact which deePens the tragedy
AID heghtens the romance Of his life and work.
There s g great deal, indeed. in this particular
volume Of the murky passion which infects his
biography as with disease. But there is a great
-=al also Of his sublime vivacity. and there is,
inevitably. the humorous element. Mr. ProtherO
prints in appendix some extracts from the
- hives Of the Italian secret police. In Bo-
-1Ena. where Byron's philauderings with the
EUIccIoi went on side by side with dabblngs in
-E= political interests Of the Liberals OF that
day, the police set themselves to watching his
--ovements The spies threw away their time,
Z course, but some Of their reports make in
.u-itab7y dr0u reading. Here" writes one of
The craft. is an Englishman in the fullest
ueanIng Of the term. He is like a madman in
MS desire 10 ruin everything that does not be-
long 10 him 10 paralyze every tendency that
our societies display toward national inde-
pendence (sic9. TO involve Us in ruin and blood
shed (sic sicD in order that at last the deserted
and still snouldering States may be divided
amongst his greedy and demoraIized conspira-
tors What a pity that Byron could not have
read this precious nonsense himself II would
have enormously ticked his vanity and one can
imagine the letters that the subject would have
yielded for the delectation Of his lucky CORE
spondents.
The recipients Of his letters were indeed lucky,
ard vEe share in their good fortune when We
are privileged TO read the witty pages he ad-
dressed TO them. Our pleasure Is increased
III ~L-ET eEr7r Frs-u7