New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-17
LIGHTS ON BYRON.
Dir. John Murray's Reply to Lord
LOUe[ace.
From The London Daily Chronicle.

From The London Daily Chronicle.
Mr.. John Murray replies to Lord Lovelace's
Byron book, "Astarte In the February MONTH
noticed the book: which deals with the old con-
troversey of Lord and Lady Byron and their
relative, Mrs. Leigh, and gives new information
from the papers in possession of Lord Lovelace
who is, of course the poets grandson.
Mr.. Murray is concerned only with those
parts of "Astarte' which refer to his own fam
lily and publishing house. What he has to say
on that head may be left to speak for itself,
since he takes the attacks in order" gives cor
respondence which passed between himself and
Lord Lovelace in connection with the recent
dehnitive edition of Byron" which his lord
ship was at one time to edit, and It Is
all very interesting and complete, and necessar-
lily now and then Mr.. Murray touches upon what
may be called the larger aspects Of his subject.
Thus he remarks:
I can assert that my father never believed in the
honorable man TO have concealed his belief from
me had it existed
Then again. Mr. Murray quotes the following
"a noteworthy light. certainly-from an I'M
published preface which Mr.. Protheroe wrote
for volume four of the Letters" in the dehnitive
Byron:
The whole of the Augusta Leigh correspondence
was at one time in the possession of Mr.. Murray's
falher In 1873 Mrs Leigh deposited With the late
Of 1850 all the letters from Lord Byron to herself
these letters In 1864 her daughter was anxious to
recover the coTrespondence. but could not repay
the seals of the box, RENTED the debt and re-
turned the letters TO Miss Leigh She on her part
executed a formal document giving a list OF the
letters and promising that, If published they
should be published only through Mr.. Murray. At
later date If not all OF the letters We're Sold
q large number being bought back by Mr.. Murray.
a considerable part of these letters he subsequent
y gave to Lord LOvelace, who thus owes his pos
session of any part of this correspondence 10 Mr..
Murray's generosity to his family or himself.
Elsewhere Mr.. Murray says he Is confident
that Lord Lovelace has exaggerated both the
charges made against Byron and the interest
which the public takes in Lady Byron He
adds:
I have declined more than one advantageous Of
fer to publish a Life of Byron, because 1t
without prytng into questions which had better be
allowed TO pass into oblivion had hoped that in
future Byron would be Judged by his works, and
not by his private life.
Finally, as bearing upon the relationship be-
tween Lady Byron and Mrs. Leigh, Mr.. Murray
quotes two verses from a manuscript poem
Lady Byron the refusal to place her hus-
bands statue in Westminster Abbey and sent
10 her sister-in-law, Mrs. Leigh, in a letter
dated Clifton. September %. 1923. beginning
My dearest A and ending, Yours most af-
fectionatey, a. 7. b" Here is one verse;
Think We TO tear the laurel from HIS brow;
To him ye had not dared the thought avow.
To Byron's name cenotaph refuse,
Reserve II for the sager laureat Muse;
Your pious zeal should decmate the crowd
To whom immortal honors allowed.
In Milton mark the regicidal stain,
And Danish Dryden, proHlgate. profane