EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF LOID BYE ON.

Auckland Star, Volume I, Issue 269, 19 November 1870, Page 2

EXTRAORDINARY STORY OF LOID BYE ON.

Under the headiig, " The True Story of Lord Byron Out at Lat," a Correspondent of the Madras Mail, wio signs himself QCdipus," make the folloving extraordinary state-

ment :—

" The true stoif of Lord Byron's separation from his wife is very simple, through very curious. My fatier had it from one of his Lordship's most htimate friends, and I propose to give it in a succinct form exactly as it was told to me bj my father, or as nearly as I' can recollect it,,jist fifteen years ago. On his wedding day, as all the worlds knows very well, Lord Byron tvas in an unnaturally excited state of mind, andhis bride's somewhat prudish behaviour towards him tended to increase his perturbation. "When the pair started, together for the place where they had resolved to pass the honejmoon, Ihey had an altercation which did notlaugur w*ll for their future happiness, and after receiving some slight provocation, Lord Byron was betrayed into one of his ungovernable fits of] passion, in the course of which he foolish!;}, not to say wickedly, told his wife that •' sht had been idiotic enough to marry a devil instead of a man, and before long she woidd find it out.' These startling words, a_» might be expected, frightened very much for the raomentthe young and not overbrave girl to whom they were addressed; but the impression pioduosd by them, was wiped out shortly afterwards by a kind and judicious speech, and nothing farther occurred lon that, memorable day. But after the honey!- --! mouu had come to an end, one of Lady Byron's nearest relations learnt from he) the fact that j the-commencement of her weided life had j been productive of much miserjt, both to her and to her husband ; and that, iyen so soon, «ere -was too much reason t( fear lest'a sepu-at on should become necesary.' For Lorn Boon's minatory words hat it appears, contaiLed * f ay . greater proportion* of truth than could h^e been supposed possible by any person wlr, -^ al . c i them whil^ gazing on the noble head at* features and firm of the speaker. A3 he am angrily decked, Lady Byron was, in a sens., a devil. libredible as the thing may seem to the thougftless, the i handsomest man in Engird had a tall tail, a I pair of rudimentary horns, and shirt, squab ■ feet, difided forwards from the ifstep into j two parts instead of being finished Vith toes. : Before 1» was born his mother had bW once : greatly tenfaed --w in 4 very I delicate ; state of Kealth, I by *A brated picture ot bath,? Sn „J ■,„ . the gallery at La Haye: iMf* » had been the fashioning tf h&^JTO i some extent after the monstrous formi., I sight which caused her alarm, am ofwhicfc, £°

continuous recollection could not be effacedbv any means known to her physicians. At the time of herconfinement it was at last Suggested that the monstrosity should not be suftWd to live ; but the child's body as a whole, v^is so perfectly Bhaped, and his face so wondrous]-* beautiful, that the suggestion was forthwith put aside, and England was not deprived of what was to become iv due time one of its chief ornaments. Poor Laly Byron never recovered wholly from the shock caused by the discovery of what her husbana re»Hy wasand partly' through excess of imagination partly in consequence of bad advice from persons who shall be nameless, she felt it to bp her duty to insist upon her husband subjecting himself to certain painful operations. But this Lord Byron obstinately refused to do. He urged, and with considerable force, that the peculiar manner in which he wore his abundant curls effectually hid from view the rudimentary horns ; and that he had never appeared in public without his boots and trousers, none would ever suspect the existenco of his other defects, with the exception of hU valet, in whom he placed implicit confidence. And it must be remembered, i" justice to his memory, that the art of producing local anaesthesia had not at that time been discovered. Lord Byron was firm, and unhappy Lady Byron would not give way; and so it came to pass, after a year or more of tears, entreaties, and remonstrances, that the unfortunate wdman made up her mind to quit her home for ever. This, I am absolutely certain, is the true story of Lord Byron's separation from his wife, and as I have already explained, I feel it to be my duty to publish it. Many besides myself knew it; but for reasons which I am at a loss to conceive, and which cannot but be inadequate, they have hitherto preserved a most unsuitable silence."