Year: 1879

The British Museum has just como into possession
of batch of letters and manuscripts written by Lord
Byron. his wife and his sister, Lady Augusta Leigh
from which the academy gives copious quotations.
Some Of these are the correspondence between Lady
Leigh and Lady Byron. aud are of such nature ~
entirely to dispose of the charges made some years
ago by Mrs. Stowe. il such proof were necessary.
Here is written by Lady Byron. January l6 1916
the day after she left her husbands house;


KIRKBY Tuesday


MY DEAREST Al arrived here last night and was
not disappointed by you. You cannot know the
feeling with which receive every mark of vour
affection, because you will not allow-what shall
always feel-that have much to repair in my con.
duct toward you for having panied you by mis-.
trusting your kindness after such experience
OF it.. No; If all the world had told me you were
doing me an injury. ought not to have believed it.
My chief feeling. therefore, in relation to YOU and
myself must be that have wronged you and that
you have never wronged me. You will wish to con-
tradict this. but my impression be changed
SO it is useless to say more OF it than that it
me feel have no claim to what you give.


My looks have disapp pointed my mother, but you
have had little to answer for In regard to them
My mind IL altogether SO overstrained and my body
80 weak in comparison that II 1t not thing
1t would be another. think much worse of my
prospects Of health than usually avow. When !
tell you that there seldom two hours in day
when my head is not burning you will conceive
there must be a perpetual waste Of constitution.
l sometimes feel as II this could not go
on long. but it Is not of the subjects of my
anxiety-at least, when it does not make others
me, except that l may fulfil my duties whilst am
among them. and render me more thankful in per.
forming them by the comfort OF being dear to one
who feels for me you do.


The Hon. Mrs. LEIGH.


The following letter is without date but seems to
have been written on the next day.


have had worse than my usual waking to-day,
Augusta; am not lit to have the management Of
myself nor to be left alone, but Heaven will take
Of me. have not deserved to lose its protec-
slcn-nna Ssy sn perhaps al THIS may be it's mercy
sgonies. and have addressed them to B. III the en-.
closed. which wish you to read attentively. God
The child is very well. and begins to take notice,
Tell b. III you think ft) that am unwell. but not
seriously. IThis sentence is struck out with thu
pen.l No-1 won't send the enclosed to-day


The Hon. Mrs. LEIGH.


The following letter written on the 25th of the
same month was only partly quoted by Mrs. stowe:-


JANUARY 49,


MY DEAR AuausrA:-Shall still be your sisterY I
must resign lthese two words alteration from
have resignedl my rights to be SO considered but
Kindness have 80 uniformly experienced from you.
follow my duty and look to that peace which it
alone can insure, here hereafter. It would have
been deception and inconsistency In me to give ad-
vice or opinion to b. I have written you the few
lines In the envelope to be shown. il you please.


am sorry. very sorry. to have occasioned you or
other friends more than necessary uneasiness by
is now past win not renew your anxiety in the
same way. have not heard from my mother to-day.
Yesterday = she wrote Of you most kindly. and with
fear her nerves will not keep quiet much longer. II
she should quarrel with you think Of 1t but as the
grateful to you in her heart-and IL is one OF the
best, in spite OF an irritable temper.


1t is often great comfort to to think that tho
approaching event will not be felt severely. Ger.
tanly the heart will not suffer. SO far from ever
wishing to be the Of regrets it would grieve
me most to think that should be loss The dispo.
sitions SO antdomestic that hope to be remem-
Feelings must not now be INDUCED. but whenever
feel at all 1t will be rs kindly you could Inde.
pendent of malady do not think Of the past with
Aipttn nf frlara
OF injury. God bless him.


You must not let b. know the contents Of this, as
would be disadvantaeous before my father letter.
The Hon. Mrs. LEIGH.


81 do not think of the past with any spirit Of re-
sentiment and scarcely with q of injury God
bless him." Mrs. stowe did not quote that After
this they had trouble about money matters.
Lady Leigh did not like DIR. Lushington. whom Lady
Byron wanted ~ trustee of tho estate, and there
may have been other causes and there years Of
hard feeling. Alter Lady Leighs death Lady Byron
wrote the following letter to her daughter, which
will surprise most readers:-


No. IA BRuroN STREET. July g. 1852


DEAR EMLY-l found that Mrs. Villiers had touched,
In conversation with you. on my conduct toward
you any way. but, this has the case feel
that only give the true color to my own feel
them. you may hereafter find. and. perhaps. from
the letters In your possession. which hope you
proofs Of the truth Of what tell you.


Before my marriage, when your mother o
stranger to resolved to be to her sis
ter. Mine is not nature In which affection can
pass away. Nearly forty years have shown this In
regard to herr She was throughout. the object OF
my unvarying devotedness. 1t was her infstustion
pardon the world not to recognize In me her truest
friend-especially after she had, in case, been
saved by mo from taking step that would have
ended In irretrievabe ruin to herself and family.
Ask Mrs. Villiers IL this not failed IN
other attempts to save her and her children but
there never was time when her welfare was not
my first object. could not give up the rights Of
others my own. and was In conseQ uence forced
into an apparently untriendly position; but the
closing circumstances OF her life aud my previous
wish tor interview with her must prove that my
affection had wthstood every triAl-all-and your
expressions ~ to the effect OF my last message upon
her afforded me the consolation of believing that
she at last sensible how truly had loved ner.


Pray spare yourself the pain OF making any reply.
desire only to be permitted still to tesfy my good
will and kindest wishes toward you.


Believe me. my dear niece, every yours faithfully.


A. /. NOEL BYRON.


The rights of others" shows conciusively that
the writer referred to matters of business.