Circumstances have rendered it necessary to account to the
public for the appearance of the following Recollections in their present form. A work had
been announced as preparing for publication, entitled “Private
Correspondence of Lord Byron, including his Letters
to his Mother, written from Portugal, Spain, Greece, and other parts of the
Mediterranean, in the years 1809, 1810, and 1811, connected by Memorandums and
Observations, forming a Memoir of his Life, from the year 1808 to 1814. By R.
C. Dallas, Esq.” Much expectation had been raised by this
announcement, and considerable interest had been excited in the public
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | ii |
Under these circumstances, the public expectation has been disappointed,
and the interest which was created has been left unsatisfied; while, on the other hand, the
intended publication has been exposed to the charge of raising an expectation, and exciting
an interest, which it was improper and unlawful to gratify. The nature of the letters, and
memoirs themselves, has thus been left to the vague surmises which might be formed by every
thoughtless mind, pampered by the constant food of personality and scandal, which the press
has lately afforded in such abundance, and excited by the depraved character of many of
those works which Lord Byron, in his
| iii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Thus situated, no one can deny that it became Mr. Dallas’s bounden duty, both to defend himself from the charge
which might thus be brought against him, and to lay before the public such an account of
the work he had announced as might fairly explain its nature, and shelter it from the
suspicions of impropriety, which the very name of Lord
Byron seems so generally to excite. The latter of these objects has produced
the publication of the present work; to which the reader is confidently referred, that he
may form his opinion of the nature of that which has been suppressed. To obtain the former
object, it can only be necessary to publish a simple narrative of the facts connected with
the formation of the work, with its intended publication, and with its suppression. Such a
narrative it was in the contemplation of the author of the following Recollections to have
written, but it did not please God to prolong his life for the execution of his purpose. He
has been taken from this
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | iv |
Mr. Dallas’s knowledge of Lord Byron, and the circumstances which gave rise to his
intention of writing any thing concerning him, are fully detailed in the following work. A
few words, however, will convey such a recapitulation of them as will be necessary to
enable the reader to understand this narrative. Having been in habits of intimacy, and in
frequent correspondence with Lord Byron, from the year 1808 to the end
of 1814, which correspondence about that period ceased, Mr. Dallas had
many times heard him read portions of a book in which his Lordship inserted his opinion of
the persons with whom he mixed. This book, Lord Byron said, he
intended for publication after his death; and, from this idea, Mr.
Dallas, at a subsequent period, adopted that of writing a faithful
delineation of
| v | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The event proved the fallacy of human probability—Mr. Dallas lived, at seventy, to see the death of Lord Byron, at thirty-seven. The idea of digesting his work into a different form, and of publishing it with the greater part of the letters which it contained, came into his mind even before the report of Lord Byron’s death was fully
* The body of the letter which he wrote upon this occasion, will be found in the last chapter of this work, page 308. Although Lord Byron never replied to this letter, its writer had assurance that he received it—for, some time afterwards, a mutual friend who had been with Lord Byron, told him that his Lordship had mentioned the receiving of it, and referred to part of its contents. |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | vi |
“I hear that you have been presented with a frigate by
Lord Melville—I congratulate you on this,
too; but I own I suspect myself to be more sorry than pleased at it, particularly if you
are to go on a station of three years abroad. There are reports respecting your cousin, the
truth of which would render your absence very awkward—pray state this to
Mr. Wilmot, and consult him upon it. I hope, if you do go abroad,
that you will run over in one of the Havre packets, to spend a few days with me previously.
I cannot look forward to seeing you again in this world, and I should like to have some
conversation with you, not only respecting the situation in which you stand as to the
title, but also respecting Lord Byron himself. I have
many letters from him, and from your father and mother, which are extremely interesting. Do
not fail to see me, George, if but for a couple of days. The
Southampton packets are passing Portsmouth three times a week, and if you could not stay
longer,
| vii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The next packet, however, brought Mr.
Dallas the confirmation of the report of Lord
Byron’s death, and he was not long in deciding upon the intention
which he afterwards put in execution. The work, as it existed at that time, had been
written with a view to publication at a period when, after the common age of man, Lord
Byron should have quitted this world—that is, thirty or forty years hence. The
progress of the baneful influence which certain persons, calling themselves his friends,
obtained over Lord Byron’s mind, when his genius first began to
attract attention to him, was, in that work, more distinctly traced. Many circumstances
were mentioned in it which might give pain to some now living, who could not be expected to
be living then, or who, if they were then alive, would probably experience different
feelings at that time to those with which they would recall the circumstances now. In the
form it then possessed, therefore, Mr. Dallas would not think of
publishing it; but he determined
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | viii |
Having decided upon this, the materials were arranged accordingly; and the Editor can, of his own knowledge, assert, that many parts of the original manuscript were omitted, in tenderness for the feelings of both the very persons composing the partnership which has since so violently opposed the publication of the Correspondence, and that none of the parts then omitted have been allowed to appear in the present work. When this alteration was completed he came to London, and entered into an agreement with Mr. Charles Knight, of Pall Mall East, for the disposal of the copyright*. The book was immediately put to press,
* The introduction of Mr. Colburn’s name, in the publication of the book, was in consequence of a subsequent arrangement between Mr. Knight and that gentleman, in which the author was not concerned. |
| ix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
During the short stay which Mr. Dallas made in London, he endeavoured fruitlessly to see the present Lord Byron, who arrived in town, and sought him at his hotel the very day that he had left it, and therefore no sufficient communication took place at that time respecting the work which was about to appear. According to circumstances, which afterwards occurred, this was unfortunate, for had Lord Byron then seen Mr. Dallas, he would have been able at once to give his opinion when applied to by the executors; instead of which, when an application was made to him to join in opposing the intended publication, being ignorant of its nature, he was of course unable to express his approbation of the work so fully as he afterwards did.
The necessary arrangements being made, Mr.
Dallas returned to France, for the purpose of taking steps for the
simultaneous publication of a French translation, in Paris. Of this, further notice will be
taken hereafter, and it is not necessary, for the
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | x |
On the 23d of June, however, Mr. Hobhouse addressed the following letter to Mr. Dallas:
“I see by the newspapers, and I have
heard from other quarters, that it is your intention to publish a volume of
memoirs, interspersed with letters and other
| xi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“An intimacy of twenty years with his Lordship, may perhaps justify me in saying, that I am sure he would deprecate, had he any means of interfering, the exposure of his private writings, unless after very mature consultation with those who have the greatest interest in his fame and character, I mean his family and relations.
“I trust you will be so kind as to excuse me for my anxiety on this point, and for requesting you would have the goodness to make an early reply to this communication.
It is particularly to be remarked, that this letter is written without
professing to be by any other authority whatever than that which the writer’s
“intimacy” with the late Lord Byron might
give him. He
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xii |
| xiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Very shortly after writing this letter, Mr.
Hobhouse found himself associated with Mr. John
Hanson, as executor to Lord Byron’s
will; and not receiving any letter from Mr. Dallas,
he, on the 30th June, called upon Mr. Knight, the
publisher, taking with him a gentleman whom he introduced as Mr. Williams. This gentleman was to be witness to the conversation that
might take place; though Mr. Hobhouse prefaced his
object by expressions of a friendly tendency. Mr. Knight not having
any reason to expect a visit of the nature which this proved to be, was not prepared with
any one to stand in a similar situation on his part; but the very moment that the
conference was ended he took notes of what had passed. Mr. Hobhouse
stated, that he had written to Mr. Dallas, to complain of the
indelicacy of publishing Lord Byron’s letters, before the
interment of his remains; that Mrs. Leigh had not
been consulted; and that Mr. Dallas had not
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xiv |
| xv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Mr. Knight lost no time in informing the present editor of the conversation he had had with Mr. Hobhouse; and as the publisher had referred to some one intrusted by Mr. Dallas with the charge of conducting the progress of the work through the press, but had hesitated mentioning his name, not having authority to do so, the editor immediately addressed the following letter to Mr. Hobhouse, without however being aware of that which he had written to Mr. Dallas:—
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xvi |
“Mr. Knight has informed me of the conversation he has had with you upon the subject of Lord Byron’s correspondence.
“I might have expected that as you are not unacquainted with my father, his character would have been a sufficient guarantee of the proper nature of any work which should appear before the public under his direction; and I might naturally have hoped that it would have guarded him from the suspicion of impropriety or indelicacy. In the present case, both his general character as a christian and a gentleman, and his particular connexion with the family of Lord Byron, should have prevented the alarm which appears to have been excited in your mind, for I will not suppose the relations of Lord Byron and my father to have participated in it;—an alarm which I must consider as unjustifiable as it is ungrounded.
“Since these causes have not had their
proper effect in your mind, it becomes necessary for me, as my father’s
representative and agent in the whole of this business, distinctly to state,
that the forthcoming correspondence of the late Lord
Byron contains nothing which one gentleman ought not to write,
nor another gentleman to publish. The work will speedily speak for itself, and
will show that my father’s object has been to place the original
character of Lord Byron’s mind in its true light, to
show the much of good that was in it; and the work leaves him when the good
became obscured in the much of evil that I fear afterwards pre-
| xvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“As to any fear for the character of others who may be mentioned in the work, my father, Sir, is incapable of publishing personalities; and Lord Byron, at the time he corresponded with my father, was, I believe, incapable of writing what ought not to be published. If, at any subsequent period, in corresponding with others, he should have degraded himself to do so, I trust that his correspondents will be wise enough to abstain from making public what ought never to have been written.
“The letters which Lord Byron wrote to his mother were given by him unreservedly to my father, in a manner which seemed to have reference to their future publication; but which certainly rendered them my father’s property, to dispose of in what way he might think fit. Should you think it necessary to resort to any measures to obtain further proof of this, it will only tend to the more public establishing of the authenticity of these letters, and can only be considered as a matter of dispute of property, as Lord Byron’s best friends cannot but wish them published.
“Being charged by my father with the
entire arrangement of this publication, you may have occasion to write to me;
it may therefore be right to inform you that I have long since left the
profession in which I was
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xviii |
Although Mr. Dallas had not thought proper to reply to Mr. Hobhouse’s unauthorised communication, he did not leave it altogether unregarded; but, immediately upon receiving it, he wrote to Mrs. Leigh the following letter:—
“I have just received a letter, of which
I inclose you a copy. I see by the direction, through what channel it has been
forwarded to me. As the letter is signed by the son of a gentleman, I would
answer it, could I do it in such a manner as to be of service to the mind of
the writer, but having no hope of that, I shall content myself with practising
the humility of putting up with it for the present. And here I should conclude
my letter to you, did I not, my dear madam, remember you not only as the sister
of Lord Byron, but as the cousin of the
present Lord Byron and of Julia Heath. But in doing this, I cannot relinquish my
feelings. I must profess that I do not believe that you authorised such a
letter. That you should have
| xix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xx |
“It was my purpose to order a copy of the volume to be sent to you. As I trust you will do me the honour by a few lines, to let me know that it was not your intention to have me insulted, I will hope still to have that pleasure.
| xxi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
It has been attempted to throw all the blame, in the whole of the
subsequent transactions, upon this letter. Perhaps it might have been more desirable that
it should not have been written immediately upon the receipt of one which was felt as an
insult, however it might have been intended; and Mr.
Dallas did not scruple afterwards to express his regret, not only for any
expression in this letter which might appear to be intemperate or hasty, but for the
irritated impulse which could produce it, and he has authorised the editor to state this publicly; in doing which, however, he
cannot refrain from protesting against the misrepresentation to which the whole letter has
been subjected. It appears that it has been distorted into the conveyance of a threat that
the writer intended to insert in the proposed publication what would give pain to Mrs. Leigh, and make Lord
Byron’s friends blush. No fair-judging person, after reading the whole
of the letter, can conscientiously say that he rises from it with such an idea in his mind.
In a subsequent letter to the editor, Mr. Dallas
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxii |
But besides that no such intention can fairly be gathered from the
letter, it must not be forgotten to be observed, that in stating that the manuscript, as
intended for posthumous publication, does contain some things which would give Lord Byron’s sister pain, the writer only meant to
suppose that a sister must feel pain on being told of the errors of a brother. It was not
in his mind to convey an idea that Mrs. Leigh would
feel pain on her own account from any thing which was disclosed in
the original manuscript. The Editor has read that
manu-
| xxiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
That a very great alarm was excited, which ultimately led to the legal proceedings, is most certain. The letter was sent to the present Lord Byron as proof of the offensiveness of the proposed publication, and an immediate answer required of him to sanction the opposition to it. His conduct was indeed very different. In a subsequent letter to the editor (dated 11th July), he says, “I was applied to for my opinion. I answered, that if they had good grounds that any part of the work was likely to hurt the feelings of any relations, that the work ought to be inspected by one or two of his
* Quoted from the Bill in Chancery, filed by Messrs Hobhouse and Hanson. |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxiv |
The Editor has good grounds for believing that a similar application was made to Lady Noel Byron on the subject, who declined interfering in the matter.
Previously, however, to any legal steps being pursued, Mrs. Leigh wrote the following answer to Mr. Dallas’s letter:—
“I have to acknowledge the receipt of your letter of the 30th June, and am sorry to observe the spirit in which it was written.
| xxv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“In consequence of the message you sent me through Mrs. Heath, (confirming the report of your intention to publish your manuscript,) I applied to Mr. Hobhouse, requesting him to write to you, and expressing to him that I did, as I still do, think that it would be quite unpardonable to publish private letters of my poor brother’s without previously consulting his family. I selected Mr. Hobhouse as the most proper person to communicate with you, from his being my brother’s executor, and one of his most intimate and confidential friends, although, perhaps, I might have hesitated between him and the present Lord Byron, (our mutual relative,) had not the illness and hurry of business of the latter, determined me not to add to his annoyances—and I must also state, that I was ignorant of your communication to him until I received your letter.
I feel equal regret and surprise at your thinking it necessary to call upon me to disclaim an intention of “having you insulted,”—regret, that you should so entirely misunderstand my feelings; and surprise, because after having repeatedly read over Mr. Hobhouse’s letter, I cannot discover in it one word which could lead to such a conclusion on your part.
“Hoping that this explanation may prove satisfactory,
There are several curious points in this letter, to which it will be
necessary to draw the attention of the reader. Mr.
Dallas’s
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxvi |
| xxvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
But there is a still more extraordinary circumstance in this letter. Mr. Hobhouse’s conversation with Mr. Knight, which took place before Mr. Williams who came to act as witness, has been verified upon oath by Mr. Knight, from whose affidavit, registered in the Court of Chancery, the following is an extract:—
“On the 30th of June last, said plaintiff, John Cam
Hobhouse, told defendant, Charles
Knight, that he, said plaintiff, John Cam Hobhouse,
had written such letter to said defendant, Robert Charles
Dallas, and at the same time, told defendant, Charles
Knight, that he, said plaintiff, John Cam Hobhouse,
did not, at the time when he wrote said letter, know that he, said last-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxviii |
Thus it appears, that at the time of writing the letter in question, Mr. Hobhouse was ignorant that he was the legal representative of Lord Byron; but, from Mrs. Leigh’s letter, it also appears that she was not ignorant of that circumstance, since it was the special motive which induced her to “select Mr. Hobhouse,” as the proper person to communicate with Mr. Dallas in preference to “the present Lord Byron, a mutual relative.” As, therefore, it is impossible to suppose, that the lady in question could state what was not true; we can only wonder that, being privy to the contents of her brother’s will, and knowing whom he had chosen to be his executors, she should never have informed them of the selection he had made.
The appearance of the Correspondence was promised to the public on the
12th of July, 1824; and it had nearly gone through the press when, on the 7th of July,
Messrs.
| xxix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The deponents swear, that in the years 1809, 1810, and part of 1811,
Lord Byron was travelling in various countries, from
whence he wrote letters to his mother, Mrs. Catherine Gordon
Byron, “that such letters were principally of a private and
confidential nature, and none of them were intended to be published.” That
Mrs. C. G. Byron died in the year 1811, intestate, and that
Lord Byron being properly constituted her legal personal
representative, possessed himself of these letters, and became absolutely and wholly
entitled to them as his sole property. The deponents then swear, “that they have
been informed, and verily believe, that the said Lord Byron was in
the habits of correspon-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxx |
Messrs. Hobhouse and Hanson then swear, “that soon after the death of the
* The exact words of the affidavit are quoted when they relate to important points, which will be afterwards referred to in this narrative, that the reader may judge fairly for himself. |
| xxxi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxxii |
The affidavit next states, that the deponents verily believe that
Lord Byron’s letters to his mother “were
wholly written and composed by him, and that he did not deliver the same to the said
R. C. Dallas, for the purpose of publication,
but to be disposed of as he, the said Lord Byron, might direct.”
And that he never meant nor intended that they should be published—that they were, as
the deponents verily believe, at the time of Lord Byron’s death,
his own sole and absolute property; and that they now belong to the said deponents, as his
legal personal representatives. The deponents go on to swear that the letters written by
Lord Byron to Mr. Dallas were, as they verily
believe, “also wholly written and composed by the said Lord
Byron; and that such letters are not, and never were, the sole and
absolute property of the said R. C. Dallas; but that the said
Lord Byron, in his life time had, and the said deponents, as
his legal represen-
| xxxiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Then comes the following clause, “And the said deponents verily believe, that the said several letters were written in the course of private and confidential correspondence, and the said deponents believe that many of them contain observations upon, or affecting, persons now living; and that the publication of them is likely to occasion considerable pain to such persons.”
The Affidavit closes with the affirmation that the publication in question was intended to be made for the profit and advantage of the defendants; and “that such publication was, as the deponents conceived and believed, a breach of private confidence, and a violation of the rights of property,” which, as the representatives of Lord Byron, they had in the letters.
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxxiv |
Previous to stating the reply to this Affidavit, it may not be improper to make some observations upon the nature of its contents. It contains matter of opinion; but no matter of fact relating to the point in question. There is a great deal of belief expressed, but not one reasonable ground upon which the belief is founded.
It is really a matter of surprise that any one should so implicitly
believe that to be fact, which, upon the face of the business, he can only suppose to be so. Mr.
Hobhouse never saw or read the letters written by Lord Byron to his mother, yet he swears (and in this
case without the mention, that he verily believes; but as of his own knowledge,) “that such letters were
principally of a private and confidential nature.” Any one might suppose that a man writing to his mother may write confidentially;
but few men would allow that supposition so much weight in their minds, as to enable them
to swear that it was so.
Mr. Hobhouse was travelling with Lord Byron
during the time when many of these
| xxxv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
To the assertion respecting these unseen letters, Mr. Hobhouse adds, that “none of them were
intended to be published.” If it is meant to say, that they were not written
with the intention of being published, as the sentence may seem to imply, nobody will deny
the fact. If they had been, they would not have con-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxxvi |
The same observation as that which has been made upon Mr. Hobhouse’s swearing that Lord Byron’s letters to his mother were confidential, will equally
apply to his swearing that he believes his Lordship’s letters to Mr. Dallas were so also. But when he swears “that Lord Byron, being about again to leave
this country, deposited the letters to his mother in the hands of R. C.
Dallas for safe custody;”—when he states this upon oath, not as
verily believing
| xxxvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
* He alludes to an affidavit relating principally to this point, which he sent in this letter the moment he heard of |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xxxviii |
the Injunction; but which, not being sufficiently full upon other points, was not made use of in the legal proceedings. |
| xxxix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
It is not intended here to answer Mr.
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xl |
* It was understood that Lord Byron’s will was not to be opened till his remains arrived in England;—the vessel which bore those remains reached the Nore on the 1st of July, seven days after the date of Mr. Hobhouse’s letter to Mr. Dallas. |
| xli | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
But the said deponents “verily
believe” that Mr. Dallas formed a
scheme to print and publish the letters “soon after the death of
Lord Byron was known in
England” What could possibly have been the grounds of a belief so firm,
that the persons believing come forward to attest it by affidavit in a Court of Justice?
The gravamen of the matter is, that the scheme was formed soon after Lord
Byron’s death was known, and not before; and
this Messrs. Hobhouse and Hanson swear they believe to be the case. A dozen persons
of the highest respectability read the letters arranged for publication, in the first
intended memoir,
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xlii |
When it was known that the injunction had been obtained, intelligence of it was forwarded to Mr. Dallas, at Paris, and his immediate presence was required in London. The following certificate, enclosed in a letter from a friend, was the reply received to this communication:—
“This is to certify that Robert
Charles Dallas is now labouring under a very severe attack of
inflammation of the chest, which was attended by fever and delirium;—that he is
now under my professional care, and that his symptoms were of so dangerous a character
as to render large bleedings ne-
| xliii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“Given under my hand at Paris, Rue du Mail, Hotel de Mars, this 11th day of July, 1824.
In consequence of this unfortunate illness it became necessary to send out a commission from the Court of Chancery, to receive Mr. Dallas’s answer at Paris. This occasioned considerable expense, and a delay which was regretted at the time; but it afterwards appeared that the decision in the cause could not have been hastened even had no obstacle of this nature intervened.
The Answer was founded upon several affidavits, of which the first was
that of Mr. Dallas himself, wherein he
“denies it to be true, that the letters of Lord
Byron to his mother were principally of a private and confidential
nature; but, on the contrary, affirms that such letters were principally of a general
nature; and for the most part con-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xliv |
Mr. Dallas goes on to swear, that “being in
habits of friendship and correspondence with Lord Byron,
as Mr. Hobhouse had stated, in the course of that
friendship his Lordship gave him, as free and absolute gifts, the copyrights of the first
and second Cantos of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage,
and
| xlv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Mr. Dallas then states, in his affidavit, that
Lord Byron thought of leaving England in 1816, but
that “in or about the
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xlvi |
“Take them.—They are yours to do what you please with. Some day or other they will be curiosities.”
From this Mr. Dallas swears that he “believes that Lord Byron in so delivering these letters to him, and addressing him in this manner, did fully intend to give the same letters and every of them, and the copyright
* The sale of Newstead Abbey was the subject of these conversations. |
| xlvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The deponent distinctly denies that the letters were left with him for safe custody; and alleges that Lord Byron did not leave England until 1816, that is, two years after the gift of the letters.
The affidavit further states, that for several years previous to the
death of Lord Byron the deponent was engaged in
compiling and writing memoirs of his life and writings, and that in these memoirs were
inserted and embodied many of the letters both to Mrs. C. G.
Byron and to himself; and that he did so for the purpose of illustrating and
giving authority to the memoirs, and of placing in a just and favourable point of view the
conduct, character, and opinions of Lord Byron, their insertion being
essential to the illustrating and giving au-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xlviii |
These are the important parts of the affidavit made by Mr. Dallas, although it necessarily follows the whole of
the Bill filed against him, denying or admitting its several allegations, as the case
requires. There is, however, one other part of the affidavit which is important, though
only matter of opinion. It states, that to the best of Mr.
Dallas’s judgment and belief, the publication of the correspondence as
advertised, “will be of considerable service to the cause of literature and
poetry, as being illustrative of many of the best
| xlix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The affidavits of Mr. Charles Knight and Mr. Henry Colburn follow, which are mere matters of form; except only as far as relates to the conversation which Mr. Knight held with Mr. Hobhouse on the 30th June. An extract from Mr. Knight’s affidavit has been already given, in which he states, that Mr. Hobhouse declared to him that he did not know he was Lord Byron’s executor at the time he wrote to Mr. Dallas. Mr. Knight, who had read all the letters, also swears, that none of them were of a confidential nature.
The affidavit of the Editor of
the present work is the next. It states, that he had frequently seen and read the original
manuscript of the memoirs first compiled by his father, containing the letters in question;
and knew, so long ago as 1822, of his intention to publish them at a future period. That,
in that year, Mr. Dallas deposited
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | l |
| li | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The only other corroborative affidavit which the legal advisers thought
necessary to make use of, was one made by Alexander Young
Spearman, Esq., who states, that so long ago as the year 1822, he had read
the manuscript memoir in which was embodied the letters in question; and that, to the best
of his judgment, there was nothing contained in the work or in the letters which could
lower the character of Lord Byron, or which was of a
confidential or secret nature; but, on the contrary, that from reading them, he had formed
a higher and better opinion of the character and conduct of Lord Byron
than he had previously entertained; and that the letters were, for the most part, upon
subjects of
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lii |
From the substance of these affidavits, it may probably strike the reader as singular, that Mr. Dallas himself should have said nothing concerning the approbation of the present Lord Byron; while the Editor swears directly to his knowledge of, and concurrence in, the publication. To account for this, and to prove how ready both the Author of the memoirs and the Editor were to make any reasonable arrangement by which the pledge to the public might be fulfilled, it will be necessary to state some circumstances which occurred previous to the filing of the Answer to the Bill in Chancery; which, as has already been shown, was unavoidably delayed.
The present Lord and Lady Byron happened to be on a visit to the Editor at his house at Wooburn, towards the end of July;
and there they had an opportunity of reading the whole of the work as intended
| liii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | liv |
“George Anson, Lord Byron, maketh oath, and
saith, that he well knows the defendant, R. C.
Dallas, who is the uncle of this deponent, and that he well knows that
the said R. C. Dallas was formerly in the habit of corresponding
with the late George Gordon, Lord Byron, to whom the deponent is
the nearest male relation and successor. And this deponent further saith, that having
been informed that a certain work was proposed to be published by the said R.
C. Dallas, and to include certain letters written by the said
George Gordon, Lord Byron, to him, and to Mrs. Catharine Gordon Byron, the mother of the said
George Gordon, Lord Byron, this deponent declared his
reluctance to such publication taking place until the said work should have been
examined by the relatives and friends of the said George Gordon, Lord
Byron; and that the said deponent now maketh oath and saith, that he has
since read the said work, entitled “Private
Correspondence, &c.;” and the letters from the said
George Gordon, Lord Byron, to
| lv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
This affidavit received the sanction of Lord Byron; but it having been ascertained that the executors did not intend to make any use of the conditional opinion that his Lordship had expressed, it was not thought necessary that he should swear it; as from motives of delicacy it was wished if possible not to mix him up with a dispute in which he stood in close connexion with both sides. Nothing but the absolute necessity which now exists of making the public fully acquainted with all the circumstances connected with this strange proceeding, would induce the Editor to refer to him. As, however, his Lordship’s conduct throughout the whole business has been not only manly and open, but also guided by art amiable desire of conciliation, the public mention of these transactions can only be a testimony highly to his credit.
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lvi |
In consequence of what had taken place, Lord Byron called on Mr. Hobhouse, and personally stated his own knowledge of the nature of the work, and his opinion respecting the propriety of its publication. He also stated, that he knew the Editor was by no means averse to enter into any reasonable arrangement by which the difficulties in the minds of the executors might be overcome. It appears that the plea by which their opposition was defended, was, that other persons possessed letters of the late Lord Byron, which it would be highly improper to give to the public; and that the executors felt it their duty to establish their right to prevent the publication of any letters. However, Mr. Hobhouse supposed that matters might be arranged if Mr. Dallas would consent to insert in the title-page of the work, “published by permission of the executors,” of course submitting it first to the inspection of some person approved of by them.
Upon immediate consultation with the Editor, he declined giving a promise that such words should be used until
he had
| lvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“As to an executor’s veto—shall an executor be
allowed to decide on the publication of a work (letters) on general topics, when it may
be enough that there is in it a difference of opinion on religion, morality, or
politics? This is an argument which should be strongly urged. I see neither law nor
equity in such a veto, yet do not deny either, if the letters
are libellous; but
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lviii |
While Mr. Hobhouse went to
consult
| lix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“Mr. Dallas has no objection to insert the following advertisement after the title page of the work.
“The publication of this work having been delayed in consequence of an injunction from the Court of Chancery, obtained on the application of the executors of Lord Byron, it is proper to state upon their authority that the work had not been submitted to their inspection, when they entertained their objection to its publication; but that, having since been made acquainted with its contents, they have withdrawn their objection, and consented to the dissolution of the injunction.”
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lx |
“If the objection of the executors of the late Lord Byron be, that the publication of this work should not be drawn into a precedent by others, for giving to the world their improper and unauthorised compilations relative to Lord Byron, it is presumed that this advertisement will be considered sufficient for that purpose.
“If the executors do not consider this to be sufficient for that purpose, Mr. Dallas would only object to the words ‘published by permission of the executors of the late Lord Byron,’ being printed with the work, inasmuch as it may seem to acknowledge a property as belonging to the executors, which he does not acknowledge to belong to them—but to meet the supposed object of the executors, as above stated, Mr. Dallas will consent to the insertion of those words, if the executors will sign a paper to the following effect:—
“‘We, the executors of the late Lord Byron, hereby assign and make over to R. C. Dallas, his heirs, executors, or assigns, all and every interest,
property, right, claim, or demand whatsoever, (if any such
| lxi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
In the mean time, however, the two executors had consulted together, and Lord Byron received the following communication from Mr. Hobhouse:—
“I saw Mr. Hanson this evening, and have to inform you, that he objects to stopping the proceedings until the question can be laid before counsel, after your friend Mr. Dallas has filed his affidavits, or made his answer.”
This opening being thus closed up, the answer and affidavits were filed. Whether the question of negotiation was laid before counsel or not, Mr. Hanson best knows; but all that the Editor can say is, that four affidavits were immediately filed, intended to oppose the dissolution of the injunction.
The first was the affidavit of William
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxii |
| lxiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
To this assertion Fletcher adds his opinion and impression, that in speaking of the letters and papers so left in the care of Mr. Dallas, Lord Byron spoke of them as his own property, and did not convey to Fletcher’s mind any notion that he had given them to Mr. Dallas.
It was really necessary that Fletcher should have sworn to his impression and opinion, as to the
proprietor of the papers so left, for, from the subject of the conversation, in the course
of which they were casually mentioned, it seems doubtful whether
Fletcher did not think Lord
Byron meant that they were his (Fletcher’s)
property, to make up for the loss of the articles seized by his lordship’s creditors.
This interpretation however would militate against Mr.
Hobhouse’s affidavit, where
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxiv |
But no; this was not Fletcher’s idea of the matter. He understood that whatever papers Lord Byron left with Mr. Dallas were left for safe custody, because, as Mr. Hobhouse says, he was going to leave England.
It is somewhat singular that leaving papers and letters, several boxes
containing great quantities of them, as is afterwards sworn, which he considered of more
consequence than the goods and chattels of which his creditors had deprived him, with
Mr. Hobhouse and Mrs. Leigh, Lord Byron should have
selected a very small bundle of particular letters, and left them,
and them only, in the charge of another person nearly two years before he went abroad. So
small and particular a selection from the great mass of his papers seems strange, unless,
having high value for them, he did not consider that which was safe
| lxv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxvi |
But to come nearer to the time mentioned in Fletcher’s affidavit,
that in which his conversation occurred with Lord Byron.
In the beginning of the very same year, 1816, his lordship, being then about to leave
England, himself proposed to Mr. Dallas’s son,
(the Editor who now writes this narrative,) to
accompany him in his travels. A long conversation took place upon the subject, in which
Mr. Dallas was mentioned; and perhaps the Editor will be pardoned,
under the present circumstances, for adding that he was mentioned by Lord
Byron with a grateful feeling, as “one of his oldest and best
friends.” His place of residence was referred to; and yet not one word passed that
had the least reference to
| lxvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxviii |
The next affidavit is really ludicrous; it is sworn by the Honourable Leicester Stanhope; and begins by stating “that for several months prior, and down to the time of Lord Byron’s death, which happened on the 19th of April last at Missolonghi, an intimacy subsisted between him, the deponent, and the said Lord Byron.” It is truly absurd to see how all Lord Byron’s monthly friends prostitute the word intimacy. The reporter of his Lordship’s Conversations, lately published, is a remarkable instance of this, and the present affidavit is no less so; it shall be given to the reader in Mr. Stanhope’s own words. The honourable deponent goes on thus:—
“Saith, that about three months before said Lord
Byron’s death, he, deponent, held a conversation with said
Lord Byron, touching the events of his Lordship’s life,
and the publication thereof at a future period; and, upon that occasion, said
Lord Byron, in talking to him, deponent, of certain persons
who, he said, were in possession of the requisite information for writing
| lxix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“Saith, that said Lord Byron never, in
conversation which deponent so had with him as aforesaid, or in any other conversation
which he, deponent, had with said Lord Byron, ever mentioned, or
alluded, to the name of said Robert Charles
Dallas, or intimated, or conveyed, to deponent, that he, said
Lord Byron, knew that said Robert Charles
Dallas had any intention of publishing any Memoir, or History, or Life
of his Lordship, or that he had given said Robert Charles Dallas
any permission to write or publish any thing concerning said
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxx |
The Honourable Leicester Stanhope’s idea of the necessary communicativeness of a few months intimacy is somewhat new, and will, of course, have sufficient weight to prevent any but the two persons who are properly qualified from writing any thing about Lord Byron.
After this Mr. Hobhouse appears
again to aver, in an affidavit, “that for the space of seventeen years previous,
and down to the time of the death of the above-named Lord
Byron, which happened about the 19th of April last, he was upon terms of
the closest intimacy and friendship with Lord Byron; and, during
the years 1814
| lxxi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
If this assertion is good for any thing,
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxii |
| lxxiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Mr. Hobhouse ends his affidavit by swearing “that Lord Byron had it in contemplation, to the knowledge of the deponent, to go abroad about June, 1814, and had actually made preparations for such his last-mentioned journey, and that the deponent had agreed to accompany him, but that Lord Byron afterwards altered his intention, and did not go.”
This point also forms the opening assertion of the next deponent, the Honourable Augusta Mary Leigh, the half sister of the late Lord Byron. She states that she well remembers that Lord Byron did, about June, 1814, make preparations, and then had it in contemplation to go abroad, but that he did not then go abroad as he had contemplated and intended.
When a lady swears merely to her remembrance, she may very innocently
make a mistake in a year, especially after the lapse of ten years since the circumstance
took place. But, in this case, Mr. Hobhouse swears
“to the knowledge of the deponent,” therefore we are
bound, not only to believe what he asserts, but to under-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxiv |
These observations have arisen from a singular coincidence. Amongst the
late Mr. Dallas’s papers the Editor has found a printed catalogue of books belonging to
Lord Byron, to be sold. The Editor has frequently
before seen this catalogue, and been informed by Mr. Dallas that it
referred to an intended sale of Lord Byron’s library, which was
to have taken place in consequence of his intention to go abroad; but that he altered his
intention before the day of sale, though after the announcement, and that consequently the
books were saved from the hammer. The catalogue is curious, as many of the books were
presenta-
| lxxv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
Lot 151 A silver sepulchral urn, made with great taste. Within it are contained human bones, taken from a tomb within the long wall of Athens, in the month of February, 1811. The urn weighs 187 oz. 5 dwt.
Lot 152 A silver cup, containing
“Root of hemlock gathered in the dark,” |
The title-page of this catalogue is as follows:—“A catalogue of books, the property of a nobleman about to leave England on a tour to the Morea. To which are added a silver sepulchral urn, containing relics brought from Athens, in 1811; and a silver cup, the property of the same noble person; which will be sold by auction by R. H. Evans, at his house, No. 26, Pall Mall, on Thursday, July 8th, and the following day. Catalogues to be had, and the books viewed at the place of sale.”
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxvi |
So far this all corroborates the statement made in the two affidavits under consideration, that Lord Byron intended to go abroad, and made preparations to that effect, about June—for it is to be supposed that the 8th of July may fairly come within the interpretation of that phrase*. There is, however, a generally neglected part of the title page, which happened to catch the Editor’s eye on reading it over; it is the date following the printer’s name, which runs thus, “Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. Cleveland-row, St. James’s, 1813.” This may possibly be a typographical error, and this sale of books may really have been a part of the preparation for going abroad, which Mr. Hobhouse and Mrs. Leigh swear was made by Lord Byron, in 1814; or should the date of this catalogue be correct, probably Lord Byron made an annual preparation for leaving England about June. If any reader happens to know of a similar preparation made by Lord Byron, about
* The gift of the letters to Mr. Dallas was made by Lord Byron, on the 10th of June, 1814, in performance of a promise made in April, 1812. |
| lxxvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The object of Mr. Hobhouse and
Mrs. Leigh is to establish their statement, that
Lord Byron placed the letters in question with
Mr. Dallas, for safe custody, “being about to leave the country.” That statement
would altogether fall to the ground if Lord Byron’s intention to
go abroad was in June, 1813, as he gave the letters in June 1814, a twelvemonth after he
had abandoned his intention, having promised to give one of them in April, 1812, a
twelvemonth before he formed his intention. It is, therefore, to be regretted, as there is
proof in print that the intention to leave the country was in 1813, that Mr.
Hobhouse, in his affidavit concerning his knowledge
of the fact, did not mention or allude to some of the tangible data, upon which he
doubtless established that know-
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxviii |
Mrs. Leigh, by her affidavit, further presents, upon oath, a debtor and creditor account, similar to that which Mr. Hobhouse had already exhibited respecting the fact of Lord Byron’s never having mentioned either the delivery for safe custody, or the gift of the disputed letters. This account having been sufficiently audited in the former case, it is only necessary to state in the present, that a similar examination of it leads to a similar conclusion that the balance is nothing.
This honourable lady, upon her oath, declares also, that she
“believes that such letters were left or deposited, by Lord Byron, in the care or keeping of R. C.
Dallas, for the use of him, the said Lord Byron, in
the same manner as his Lordship left such other letters and papers with deponent and
others of his friends”—that is to say, she swears that she does not
believe Mr. Dallas’s assertion upon oath, which she must have
seen, as these affidavits
| lxxix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The Editor’s task is now drawing to a close. After a considerable, though unavoidable delay, arising from the mass of business which peremptorily occupied the attention of the Court of Chancery, on the very last day of the Lord Chancellor’s public sittings, an attempt was made to bring on the consideration of the cause, Hobhouse v. Dallas, out of its proper rotation. This was resisted; but Lord Eldon being informed, of the pressing nature of the business, kindly consented to take the papers to his house, and without calling for the arguments of counsel, gave his decision at a private sitting.* Accordingly, on the
* It is owing to this circumstance that no report of the cause has appeared in the public papers. |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxx |
“Lord
Chancellor.—In the case of Hobhouse
and Dallas, I shall reserve my judgment on one point till
Wednesday, because I think it an extremely difficult point. But upon the point, whether
this gentleman can publish the letters that Lord
Byron wrote to himself, I cannot say that it is possible for him to be
allowed to do that. I apprehend the law, as it has been settled with respect to
letters—the property in letters is, (and whether that was a decision that could
very well have stood at first or not, I will not undertake to say, but it is so
settled, therefore I do not think I ought to trouble myself at all about it,) that if
A. writes a letter to B., B. has the property in that letter, for the purpose of
reading and keeping it, but no property in it to publish it; and, therefore, the
consequence of that is, that unless the point which relates to the letters that were
written by Lord
| lxxxi | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“The other is a thing which, after carefully reading the bill,
and answers of these gentlemen who propose to be the publishers, I have formed an
inclination of opinion about it, but which I will not at this moment express, because I
think that opinion must be wrong, unless it is founded on every word that is to be
found in all the answer relative to the transaction of Lord
Byron’s putting these letters into the hands of Mr. Dallas. That is a point on which I would rather
reserve my opinion till Wednesday morning, and then I will conclude it with respect to
that question. With respect to the letters written to himself, I confess I entertain no
doubt at all about it. And there is another circumstance too, I think, which is, that
it is a very different thing with respect to letters written by Lord
Byron to his mother—it is
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxxii |
“Counsel.—Then of course the injunction continues as to the letters written to Mr. Dallas himself?”
“Lord Chancellor.—Yes; and with respect to the others that will stand over till Wednesday. I don’t see if an action was brought against Mr. Dallas for publishing the other letters, I don’t see how he could defend that action; for the question about the other letters depends entirely, I think, on what is supposed to have passed between himself and Lord Byron alone; and, therefore, if an action was brought against him, there could be no evidence at all that would take his case out of the reach of the law.”
These are the words of the Lord
Chancellor’s decision as far as it goes. Nothing
| lxxxiii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
That no step might be omitted which could by possibility enable Mr. Dallas to redeem the pledge which he had given to the public, the following letter was sent to the executors by the parties restrained, by the injunction of the Court of Chancery, from publishing the letters in question.
“As the Lord
Chancellor has given his opinion that the Letters of the late
Lord Byron, contained in the work which
we intended to publish, cannot be made public without the permission of his
Lordship’s executors, we beg to state to you, that the work in question
has been perused by the present Lord Byron,
who has expressed his approbation of it, and his desire that it should appear;
and we now request the permission of the executors for its publication,
declaring, at
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxxiv |
“The favour of an immediate answer is requested, addressed under cover to our solicitors, Messrs. S. Turner and Son, Red Lion-square.
In consequence of this letter written by the parties to the executors themselves, Messrs. Turner and Son, the solicitors to those parties, received the following letter, without a date, from Mr. Charles Hanson, the solicitor to the executors:—
“I am
directed by the executors of the late Lord
Byron, in answer to a letter addressed to them by your clients,
containing a proposal for the publication of the late Lord
Byron’s letters in the work in question, to inform you,
that the executors do not deem it proper to sanction the publication of any of
Lord Byron’s letters; and that they are advised
to pursue legal mea-
| lxxxv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
This letter having closed every possible avenue by which the
correspondence could be given to the British public, as had been promised, Mr. Dallas was placed in the situation which was stated at
the beginning of this narrative; and there was no alternative left to him but the step
which has now been taken. The following Recollections will, it
is hoped, sufficiently establish the propriety of the intended publication as far as
relates to the nature of its contents; this statement is now given
to the public with a view to prove the propriety of Mr. Dallas’s
intention and conduct in promising its publication; and the existence of the
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxxvi |
After the full statement that has been made, it will not be necessary
to detain the reader much longer from the perusal of the Recollections themselves. There
are, however, three points to which the Editor begs
to draw attention:—The first is the difference between the words “private” and “confidential”
The parties who oppose the publication of the correspondence made use of them as
synonymous; against this use of them, the parties who intended the publication distinctly
protest. The private letters of a public man
are those in which, unrestrained by the present intention of
publication to the world, he naturally and inartificially conveys his thoughts, sentiments,
and opinions to a friend. Can it be said that when a man’s celebrity has raised him
from his peculiar circle to belong to the unlimited one of all mankind, and when his death
has made him the subject of history, and rendered the development of his character
interesting to all the world, it is a
| lxxxvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | lxxxviii |
The second point to be attended to is the reluctance of Mr. Dallas to submit the correspondence to the inspection
of the executors, with a view to their decision on its publication. This point has been
already incidentally touched upon; but a few more observations may, perhaps, be pardonable.
Mr. Dallas never denied the right of an executor to prevent the
posthumous publication of letters which were either libellous, or injurious to the
deceased, or otherwise improper for publication; but, without adverting to the legal
question, he did deny that persons differing from an author in opinions respecting
religion, morality, politics, and patriotism, ought to have unlimited control, and the
power of an unalterable veto, over a work, in which those subjects
were more or less discussed. For this reason he refused to submit the work in question to
Messrs. Hobhouse and Hanson, because, as far as he knew, or had heard of either, he had grounds
for
| lxxxix | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The third point to be mentioned is that, after reading this narrative,
it cannot but be painful to be forced to the conviction that the opposition of the
executors amounts, by their own confession in the affidavits, to a matter
of property only. They cannot venture to say, in the face of all the evidence
adduced as to the nature of the work, that they oppose its publication in tenderness to
Lord Byron’s character; they know it is more
likely to exalt his character, as far as it may be exalted, than any other work that can be
written; they know that those who most desire to see Lord
Byron’s character placed, if possible, in a better light than it
stands
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xc |
|
* It is hardly possible to be believed that all these oaths, as of knowledge upon surmisings, have for their object to add a few hundreds to the hundred thousand of pounds that Lord Byron has stripped from an ancient and honourable title which they were meant to support—not to give to his daughter, which would have put the silence of feeling upon the reproach of justice, but to enrich his sister of the half blood, she being married, and of course naturally bound only to expect and to follow the fortunes of her husband. |
| xci | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
No one, under all the circumstances, can doubt, morally speaking, that
Lord Byron made a free gift to Mr. Dallas of his mother’s letters. Other proof than
that which can now be given might, perhaps, be necessary to satisfy the requirements of
law; but, certainly, the oaths that have been sworn are not calculated to remove the moral
conviction from the mind, that the letters are the property of Mr.
Dallas. As it is not according to the rules of law that matters of feeling
are decided, there is a circumstance, of no slight importance, which should be taken into
consideration in forming an opinion upon this transaction. For
many years of his life Lord Byron never saw Mrs. Leigh, and would have no communication with her; he
was averse to the society of the sex, and thought lightly of family ties. This separation
continued from his boyhood up to the year 1812; during the latter part of which period
Mr. Dallas, continually, but fruitlessly, endeavoured to induce
Lord Byron to take notice of Mrs. Leigh.
However, after his return to England, when the publication of Childe
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xcii |
|
* The result of this union, so produced, has been, that Lord Byron, against all moral right, has applied the money procured by the sale of Newstead Abbey, to enrich his half sister, and left the family title without the family estate which belonged to it. It may be said against all moral right, because the grant of Newstead was made by Henry VIII., to his ancestor, as the representative, at that time, of a very ancient and honourable family, which was afterwards ennobled by James I., |
| xciii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
The Lord Chancellor’s decision sets the question of law at rest; and the Editor is anxious distinctly to state, that neither Mr. Dallas nor himself have ever presumed to call in question the soundness of an opinion given by the venerable Lord Eldon. Neither of them, indeed, had taken the legal view of the subject, which his Lordship appears to have entertained; and they were warranted in bringing the matter to
having the estate, as well as that of Rochdale, in possession, to support the title so given. Lord Byron received this title and estate together in collateral descent, he being the grand nephew only of his predecessor. The law which destroyed the perpetuity of entails could not destroy the feeling which makes a man morally bound to transmit such honours and such an estate together to his successors; and had Lord Byron’s grand uncle sold Newstead and Rochdale, because he had no son, nor even brother, nor nephew, nor cousin, to succeed him, but only a grand nephew, his Lordship would have been the first to have felt the moral injustice done him. Lord Byron is succeeded in a nearer relationship than that in which he stood to his predecessor; yet he leaves a title and a name distinguished in almost every generation, from the conquest, without any of the rewards which were given to the successive bearers of that name, to support its ancient honours. |
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xciv |
| xcv | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
“You may, perhaps, remember my calling at your house when I was in Paris some time ago. I write at present to inform you, that I have some very interesting manuscripts of Lord Byron’s, which I am going to publish in London, where I purpose to send them as soon as they are copied. I am not decided as to disposing of the copyright; but whether I do or not, I mean to offer them to a Paris publisher for a translation, so that the French and English editions may appear at the same time. I offer you the preference; but I beg an immediate answer, as I mean, if you decline the offer, to write to a friend in Paris to treat with another respectable bookseller.
“With regard to the interest of the work, you cannot, it is true, judge of that without a more particular communication; but all I wish at present to know is, whether you would enter into this speculation, if the manuscripts prove to possess great interest. I would give you a sight of them, if the distance between us did not prevent it, but in the course of this week they go to London.
“When I was in Paris, I gave you a print of Lord Byron. It was much soiled, but certainly the best likeness I have seen of him. You purposed having a reduced engraving made of it—did you get it done?
| PRELIMINARY STATEMENT | xcvi |
After arranging for the publication in England, Mr. Dallas returned without loss of time to France. At
Paris, he entered into a written agreement with Messrs. Galignani, according to the terms
of which the sheets were transmitted to them, as they were struck off in London.
Mr. Dallas himself remained in Paris to conduct the work through
the press; and it had nearly advanced as far as the edition in England, when the progress
of both was arrested by the Injunction. Mr. Dallas has been under the
necessity of abiding by the pecuniary loss to a large amount, which the advanced state of
the work, when stopped, brings upon him in England; but this very fact is a reason why he
should be unable to meet a similar loss to nearly a similar amount in France. And not only
were the actual expenses incurred to be considered, but, by suppressing the work in Paris,
he would have been liable to the consequences of a law-suit upon his formal contract there
also. Mr. Dallas, therefore, was left without a reasonable
alternative,
| xcvii | PRELIMINARY STATEMENT |
As, in the first page of this work, it is asserted that Lord Byron was born at Dover, and as the public newspapers stated that, in the inscription on the urn which contained his Lordship’s relics it was said that he was born in London, the Editor thinks it right to publish the extract of a letter to himself, from the Author of the following Recollections, in which his reasons for making the assertion are stated:—
“I find in the newspapers that Lord Byron is stated on the urn to have been born in London. The year previous to the January when he was born, I was on a visit to Captain Byron and my sister at Chantilly. Lord Byron’s father and mother, with Mrs. Leigh, then Augusta Byron, a child then about four years old, were in France. I returned to Boulogne, where I then had a house, where I was visited by Mrs. Byron, in her way to England; she was pregnant, and stopped at Dover on crossing the Channel. That Lord Byron was born there I recollect being mentioned both by his uncle and my sister, and I am so fully persuaded of it (Capt. Byron and my sister soon followed, and staid some time at Folkstone), that I cannot even now give full credit to the contrary, and half suspect that his mother might have had him christened in London, and thus given ground for a mistake.”
|
ERRATA.
P. 38, line 10, for “age” read
“page.”
138, 13, for “breach” read
“beach.”
174, 12, for “do” read
“no.”
|
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