Lord Byron.
The Times, 1824-10-30T00:00:00

The following anecdotes of Lord Byron are copied from i litte' work, just publisthed, entitled " A Ntnamtive of Lord Byron'a Voyage to Sicily, CorBica, and Sardirnis, in the year 1821. compiled from mninutes made during the voyage by the Passenger~, and ex- tracts from the journal of his Lordship'ts vah,Arxpa etb Captain Benson, R.N., comnmander." -ah,Mzpa etb LORD BYRON cxq A LTORSt..,SHIPWIRECL. Sailors say, that a calm always precedes a atorm; -end we had reason to give inito such presentimen.ts, for the. next morning the wind, which had blowrn from the south-west, with a light gale, Istuddenl', changed to the opposite point of the compass, and came down wvith -weeping vengeance. Wec 'o8-reefedl our sails, and made all snug; the captain and C nFt -n1' iideclaring we Should have to encoanter a strong I L 'tr"all our cfihtt weesrined to doable the head..land, and get in'to the gtilf of SL. Fiorenzo, but i.n vain ; so that a whole, day was spenit in tacking and veering to, close in with thie land, to no purpose. Sea-sicknesis now laid all our ladies and gentlemen "1on their beam ends'; Count P-.-, Air. Denzell, an the amiable orphan, St. F-., were alto overcomne, and the whole were bed-ridden. The sun set angrily, and the winid, veering more to the westward,brought us uipon a lee-shore to our uitter dismay. The elegant Falconer says, in htis unrivalled poenm- "Ah ! were it mir.e with tuineful Allnr's art, "To wake to sympathiy the feeling heart, Thien, too severely taught by crueli fare "To share in) all the perils I relate, "How might I witht umtqualleLd strains deplore The impervious horrors of a leeward shore." There hiorrors we were doomned to experience: we reduced our sails to a few yardS of cn s and lowered thte yards on deck. The sky appcared'as an extensive sheet of lightning, end pealt of thunder overeadapperedas if ready, to dispart the vessel, and bury us in tewv wich rolled over the vesisel with irresistible forme H:'s Lo0rdship, with Captain F-, Dr. Peto, and Percy S.-, kept the deck, and the hatchies were battened down over the reat of our corn- pany ; a tremendouts sea carried away the boat which was hoisted up at the stern, and broke in all the bulk-heads of the- quarters. For our own safety, all hands, after being revived with a dram. began to throw overboard the guns, Lord Byron himiself assisting in this painful duty ; the long host wats thien released from her lashings,andl, aswe wishe'd, tile waves soon. swept her 1romi the deck ; our two cows and goats shared the samec fate, as well as one orehbe horees; thie others wvere in the hold, andA to that thjey owed their preservation. 'rhe two large anchiors were rut from the bows, and the vessel thuaL eased of a heavy top-load, danced more lightly over the tremendous billows, and in~spired us with fresh hopes. The crew were all ordered to tile af'ter part of the deck, and again refresh-. ed wvith liquor. A light wie- seeli apparently ~n the clouids, which shone from somie rtountaineer's cottage; it gleamed with a sickly hiue through t.he storm, and thie sailors, with true Italian su- perstIition, pronounced it"1 St. Pezer's watch-light" to show us to the grave ; indeed, we w-ere all inclined to think it foreboded nio good, as the Captain (Benson) inflormed. us that there wa& no light- nouse on that part of thec coast, and wec must be very, near the land to see a light so plainly. W'e aeon saw thve high mountains, and would have heen " happy to bribe with, India's richest ore "A saf h accession to that barren shore." The Captain,who had been anxiouslY looking out, acquaintt4,is so as not to be heard by, the crew, that he saw breakers nearly- a-head an~d had no hopes of being able to weather them. Captain F-_n coincided in this opinion , to which his Lordship said.` Well, we are all born to die-! shiall go with regret, but certainlv not with fear." Dr. Peto couinted his rosary and kissed his croci i with 1er- vent devotion on his knees. Percy S whio heretofore made no secret of his infidelity, and whos sprit we houht o dagercoud ever appal, appeared to have los al enrg, ad te orrrs f pprachngdeath Emade hiraweep, liktciid.Tnsearos whcn eneerbforpronounced butin ridi- cult he ow clleduponin mvingaccents, of serious prayer. and mplredtheprorcuo oftha Bengwhose existence he affhct- Conscience dloes mnake cowards of us all." The horrors surroanding us were too appalling for human niature- to contemplate without shudderinrg, for In vain, alas! the sacred sbhades of yore "Would arm the mpind with philosophic lore, "In vain they'd teach u U with our latest breath To smile serene amid the pangs of death. "Even Zeno's self, and Epictetus old, "This fell abyss had shuddered to behold." The breakers were niow visible to all the crew, to whom bMs Lord- ship gave his advice to lash themselvez to the yards, whic:h they did. Captain F-n and Captain Benson took the helm ; his Lordship descendedt to the cabin, where all were toe much afraid to b-- sensible of their danger, nor could ithey be roused by any exertion or his ; he canie up withi a scent-box in hlis hand, which he placed by, his side, and,at down ; he had rot sat long when he asked"sthran chance ? to which lie wasanswered, "None whatever." " 'Then," said he. ris-ing, " it is even' mnan's duty to endeavour to presierve ttime life God hisa given himn', soI adviseyounalletostiipz Swiimming. indeed, c-an be of little use in these billow"s ; but as chiildren, when tired withl crying, hink placidly to repose ; we, when exhausted with struggling, shall die the easier ; and with God's blessing, we shall soon be at rest." His Lordship then thiew oil' every, thing but his trousers, and binding his silk neckcloth round his loins, he sac down and f'olded his arms across his chest, wai ting, in tranquil reelanation, hit; late. Percy ?-.-- lay at his feet in u suite of inscensibility. JH is Lprdship looked down upon him-, and ejaculatedL " Poor fellow !" Doctor Peto had covered hinsbead with his cloak, and was stretcesed at full length groaning in bitter anguiso. Captain F-n -was removing some dlollars from his coat into the pocket of his smaliclothes, whiich his Lordship observing, sniiled and tsaid, " F-n. do you mean 'hat as a ballast to sinik You soonet, or as a bribe to Neptune to giv,e you a good birth in his watery, pa- lace?e" The sun was now nearly an hour high, but all was likec the twilight of' the grace. The sea was long and heavy, and as it broke Upo the racks; the crash ntrack the ear as though a forest of' lofty- goaswrfalnbyawilid The countenance ot his Lord- ship never changed whilst thie person who writes this had power to view it; hut "i The heart that bleeds with sorrow all its, owni, .~Forgers the pangs of friendship to bemoan." Thne breakers now were not a quatrter of a julIe distant on the leebow. when Ceptain Benson remnarked to his Lordship, " Our onily chance is to put away, a paint before the wind, or we are sure to go broad- sside into the' Curt and pernsh at once." "As y-ou like," said his Lordship, raising. his head and looking upon) the danger: he then resumed his formper position. A heavy surge noew swept the vessel fore and aft, and carried over- bloard the doctor, wrho instantly sank to rise no more. His Lordship exclaimed, "1Good God !" anad at that imoment the vessel rose upon a mountain billoiv to a tremendous br-ight, fromn whose sumamit she descended with the velocity of lighitning, as if' she was going to bury herself in cite remorseless deep. By this rapid movenient she wasprecipitated forseaLrd beyond the reach of the breakeers that rolled behind her stern, sad burst in impoLence as if iiieeased at the loss of their destined prey. "WNe are safe," ex- claimed Captains F- andl Benson ; "jump, myen, from the yards, and make sail." This they did with tumlultuous Joy, which his Lord- ishiip checked, and told theus, "Whti'stcyou arc working, silentlv Ithank God tor yeuir miraculous preservation." He theLn went belowr. and bringing up a bottle bade every one drink,himiselfpledging thteam. Percy S_. was remnoved in a Ftate of' stupor to his bedi; his Lord- shipi comfrtibed thlose below with assurances of safety, and the vestsel was laid to. under"snug canvass." in the mouth of the Gulf oflSt.Fin. reozo, with ev-ery part or which the captain was well acquainted. The sea upon whichl this vesel rose was the means of her preserva- tionl ; prohably thiere was not, if the sea had been calm, a depthi of two feet weater oil cthe rocks over whiceh site passed ; but the sea car- ried licersate over a,t a Unionsent wiler, every hope, but that of mimenr- tality, teas gone. The vessel noiw rode smoDothlY, and the hiour of eight bring ar- rived, all the party were enabled to sit up., and take coffee. Tuje dloctor was missed, and hlis loss kcczsioned sincere regre.t: lIot chat lie hail letft a niieniory behind hiiti eitlier to be beluved or lamentedj. As there was it thick fog in the air, Mrt. Benson resolved to lav to, until it cleaLred away, and we all' began to prepare for a good ditiner; our cahiti guests dturin.g the stornm had each of thert a, line echuirin rite stomauch, and we who lian been roc,ked upon doccl had acquiredi an a~etite for any thing hum a gale ol' wind. All our fresh stork had been washed overboard ; hen and turk-ey colops, dove catges, and( even tile tiltcring-s'.ones tot the watec,'tr hisi Lotdship high1v valued, were carried sway let the flood. Ther-e were, hiowever, preserved luxurie-s of other kinds; portatble nmean, preserveS7, &e., aidl we liad an excellenit cook whilst he provitUd dlinnier, we all bathed., (for an the rear of the cabin were two conse- itteiti marble baths.) aLnd iheni dressed ourselvcfs. Our dinner was is happy one; rite Olass went britskly round ; Isis Lordship was in grea s pirits; lie thrcatened to compose an elegy on the death and resxorrec.. lion otf 1ercy S;-. anld the C;ountess said she would set his "ilYinlg speech" to music, and dedlicate it to the spirit of thestormr. Duli'ig these hlappyittoit-,emits, sasquietly din things move upon dleck, that w,e iniagined ourselves under sasl, when Captain Benson c-ame down and informned his. Lordship the vess,d was Safe at aichior to AMattello Bay, live muiles trout the town of 1'St. Fiorenro. LORD BYRON'S LAST POEML. Tue following are the verses alluded in by Captain DIXedwin and ilr. TrelawreY:- vil'issolonighi, Jan. 22, 1d24 On thh.r day, I complette sy ifbi rfp-rixth year. "'Tis time this heart should be unnmovied, S 1ince others it has ce-ased to move; " iet, thtough I cannot be beloved, My days are" iul let me love, 4p ,ydasaein the yellow leaf, The flowers and fruits of love are gone, The worm), the caker, and the grief', "1 Are mine alonie. TIse fire that in lajy bosom prey's Is16 like to soite volcanic islec, "1 No torch isa kindled sat its blazte A funeral pile. The hope, the fears, the jealous care, " Th' exalted portiOn of the pai i And power of love. I cannot share, *' But wear the chain. But 'tis not here-it is not here. *> Sueh thoughts should shake my soul; r.or now- 'here glory seals the heroWs bier, " Or binds his brow' The sword, the baitner, aid the field, '- Cilory and Greece around us see; " The Spartan borne upoit his shield *- Was not more free. i Awake ! not Greece-she is awake !- Awake, my spirit,-think through whom "lly life-blood tastes its parent lak-c_ " Aad then strike hnuem SI tread reviving passions dovn, " Unworthy Alanitood-ustto thee, ludifferent should the smile or frown '-Of beauty be. If thou regret thy youth,-why live?- The land of lonourable dceath Is here-up to field, and give ' Away thy breath! ' Seek out-less ofteim sought than found- - " A soldier's grave, for thee the est. " Then look around, and coboose thy grouiad, i And take thy rest, LORD BFROg.