The Press. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1914, Edward John Trelawny.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14975, 23 May 1914, Page 10

The Press. SATURDAY, MAY 23, 1914, Edward John Trelawny.

v Surely strange and interesting associations are'recalled by the publication in."Bohn"s Popular Library" of that curious classic of bygone years, Trelawny'a "Adventures of a Younger , "Son. , * It brings back the great days of Byron and Shclloy, and of tho wild, romantic figure, who -was so closely associated, with them in their later years, The tnio British tourist in Eomc, whatever eke- ho misses, nover fails to visit that peaceful nook under tho shadow of tho outer walls, which bears tho namo of "tho Protestant Cemetery," in ono corner of which are tho- threo ■tombs of Keats,. Shelley, and Trelawny. And probably many an average Briton, as he looks.on thorn, may honestly say to himself .-—"Well. Keats I know, and •"Shelley I know; but -R-ho vras tho "third, and why does ho lie hero beside

the immortals?" For answer, wo might refer him to threo works:—Trelawnv's own "Recollections of Byron and Shel"ley," and "Adventures of a Younger " Son/* and tho "Life and Letters of "Mary Shelley. , ' by Mrs Julian Marshall. His right to lie there is based, not- on literary renown, but on his faithful and loyal devotion, in life and after death, to. Shelley himself, and in after years to his widow. Ho -it was who sustained the two terrified women, Mary Shelley and Jano Williams (widows already, though they knew it , not) during those days and nights of agonised suspense, while they watched for tho return of their lords from that fatal trip in the <Julf of Spezzia. Trelawny it was who brought them the, news that the bodies had been -washed up on the beacby Ho it was who superintended the burning of Shelley's body, v snd the extraction of the heart which jSiwfaseri to burn. And later, aftor'his

return from his adventures in Greece with Byron, ho resumed close touch, with 3iary Shelley, and helped to consolo the lonely and world-weary years of her widowhood. Ho periodically reported progress to her on tho two tombs in Home, Shelley's and his own: for ho had his own tomb built besido hie friend's, though he was not to be laid in it till half a century after Shelley's death.

Trelawnr's confulencc {» Mary Shelley's literary judgment was to implicit that, when it camp to tho publishing of his own extraordinary story, ho remained .-broad, and loft the whole businos-, in her hnnds—the revision of the manuscript, tho Motion of .1 publisher. tho negotiation rf terms, an J all tho tiresome details inrident to publication. The title. "Adventures '"of a Younger Son," v?e> owe to hor; his own title had been much more commonplaco and undistinguished. The revision of tho manuscript proved no light task; for Trelnwny had had no education, though he had evinced nn extraordinary passion for devouring good literature, while, as a. crowinn; lad, ho was being cuffed and kicked and bullied on British warships. And the woman's hand, too. employed it-self ruthlessly in tho excision of some coarse pat-sages, though her determination in this respect almost led to a quarrel between them. She succeeded in ge.tting £400 from Colburn, tho piAfeher, for a first, issue. Colburn did not get, back his £400 for tin's 1831' edition: but further issues a few rears latesold like wildfire. And one cannot wonder. No writer of fiction has over evolved from his imagination a morethrilling narrative of adventure, tha.i these experiences of a "Younger Son," which profess to be fact. "Whether they are all sober fact or not, can never be determined. Trelawny ha'J added to his other strange- qualities a trick of vehement, rushfng narrafivo, which ho may havo caught from his long association with Byron; and this was eminently suitable for depicting, and perhaps overcolouring, a mad, reckless, and adventurous career. The whole of the experiences (that is, after he had been shipped off to sea by a tyrannical father) aro crowded into the few years following tho battle of Trafalgar. Tho'pace is breathless. Everything is told in - full detail; . bu"t, no sooner havo wo digested ono adventure than wo aro whisked into another. We long that this turbulent, rebellious, daring creaturo would pause in his wild, lawless career, and give himsolf and us a few minutes' peace.

After these strango voyagings and romancings in tho East, TreJawaiy returned to England in 1813. Then camo seven years of married Iffe. But tho yoke of conventional domestic iroiir tine proved intolerable to his rebellious temperament, and in 1821 he joined tho little circle of poets, who were enjoying their 6ocial ostracism in North •Italy. Liko.him, they were an rev.|lt against tyranny, social or political, real or imagined. Ho attached himself more particularly to Byron, whoso yacht he commanded. But it is to the credit of Trelan-ny's moral instincts that he always discerned how much •higher and finer w.as Shelley's spiritual temperament than Byron's. After Shelley's death he accompanied Byron io Greece, where they threw themselves into the liberation movement, then'in full swing there. They associated themselves with a picturesque personage, half brigand, half patriot, bearing tho classic name of Qdysscus. Even before Byron's death . Trelawny grew , sick of him, and pursued his own coursoe': He wandered again on tho Continent, and wrote tho "Adven•"tures," and later on tho "Recollecf' tiohs." v - Then he wandered in and ..tried to swim Niagara. -At last, in 1870,, when 77 years old, ho bought a "house- and property, near Worthing, and settled down. In 1881 ho died'peaceably in his., eighty-eighth year. In appearance ho was an extraordinary figure. His earlier portraits show a powerful frame, a dark, Moorish face,; irith flashing- eye and flowing black locks. In his old age he was tho model for tho old sailor in MiUais's familiar picture, "The North"W<>st Passage." Trclawny's fiery blood never cooled down. It is said that to the end of his lifo he ncvor woro either an overcoat or underclothing! i .

.••Democratising" the Army. No writer on military subjects in England, writes moro'clearly and incisively than the military correspondent of "The Times." and these qualities, used to express strong common-sense, are to bo found in his article, to which passing roferonco has already boon mado in our columns, *on" "democratising- ,, tho Britieh Army. The greater part of/ tho article is a most wholesome corj-ectivo to tho nonsense—somo of it pernicious nonsense —that has been talked on the subject. Ho begins by asking; what is meant by "democratising." In the sense that "democracy j s that form of go- '' vernmoat in Tvliieh tho practical or"dering of tho State is vested in and " exercised by tho people at large," the Army is already "democratised." The Army is maintained by tho votes of tho Houso of Commons, and tho House of Commons is elected by tho people. If the Houso of Commons did not pass the Army Bill annually, tho Army '-would ceaso to exist. The position of tho Crown is in no sense opposed to tho democratic ideal in relation to the Army, '"'for it is by tho will of tho " people that the Kins reigns, and! the "Crown is as much the offspring ol "democratic ideals as tho rest of our "constitutional system." The correspondent points out that it has been admitted that no orders given to the Army have been disobeyed and the conduct of all ranks has been exemplary, but ho declares —and this is the most controversial part of his article—that if Radicals desiro an Army "wholly devoid of conscience and convictions,'* that \riil cocrco Ulster, such, au Army

cannot bo recruited in England. Ho then passes on to safer ground, the desire of Radicals that commissions 'ehail be available for poor men, and independent means no longer be indispensable for an officer. A very largo number of officers, he say?, will heartily welcome this form of democratisation. The idea that tho corps of officers i& wealthy is quite wrong. There are, of course, some rich officers, but on tho other hand, in the- financial struggle to live hundreds aro compelled to drop out every year, and until this disadvantage to soldiering is removed, tho corps of officers cau nover bo freo from "constant and wearing anxiety." At any rate, people who vote themselves salaries out of the public revenue should not attack on financial grounds men who aro doing the country's work, and doing it well, on a wage insufficient to enable them to pay their way. If the Army i» ''democratised,' , the country will have '.o nay i'or the change. Officers will havo to bo educated, as at "West Point and Ihmtroon, entirely at the public expense, and pay will havo to be raised. Officers in the Indian Army and in -tbo Navy will, of course, expect similar increases, and the pension rates will havo to bo raised in proportion. But, and now we come to perhaps the most important part of the article, such a change will not onablo tho authorities to promote a- great many men from tho ranks. Radicals and Labour ntembers havo in mind a "democra"tised" army in which there will be literal promotion from the ranks, but so long as the Army is recruited as it is to-day, it will provide only "a very "small fractional percentage of men "suitable for a corps of officers." Tho principle of promotion from the ranks ca.n only be applied extensively and successfully "when rich and poor servo to- " gether, and when the talent and the " industry of all classes of the ponula- " tiou" are at tho disposal of the State. All who havo a good idea, of tho qualities and equipment needed in an officer will realise tho truth of all this. "Give •"us, Mr John "Ward," says the correspondent, in conclusion, addressing that I/abour member, "the army of Franco, ,; or give us the Ulster Volunteers," and the principle of promotion can be profitably and extensively applied. Ho might havo added the Army of Australia or New Zealand. The fact is no body of people welcome the cry of

"democratiso tho Army" moro than tho members of the Xational Service League, who happen to bo mostly Unionists. Though Radicals do not realise it, it is right into their hands.