reasons for this, and gave several; but he added, the Turks would not admit me at first unless I submitted to two indispensable ceremonies....  They agreed at length to remit the first and to commute the other for a solemn vow, for every offence to give expiation by the performance of some good action.  “Oh, gentlemen,” says he, “for good actions, you know you may command me,” and his first good action was to put to instant death an hundred of their priests, whom he suspected of intrigues against him.  Not aware of his summary justice, they sent a deputation to beg the lives of these people on the score of his engagement.  He answered that nothing would have made him so happy as this opportunity of showing his zeal for their religion; but that they had arrived too late; their friends had been dead nearly an hour.

He asked Lord Ebrington of which party he was, in Politics.  “The Opposition.”  “The Opposition?  Then can your Lordship tell me the reason why the Opposition are so unpopular in England?” With something like presence of mind on so delicate a question, Lord Ebrington instantly replied:  “Because, sir, we always insisted upon it, that you would be successful in Spain.”

During the spring and summer of 1815 Byron was a frequent visitor at Albemarle Street, and in April, as has been already recorded, he first met Walter Scott in Murray’s drawing-room.

In March, Lord and Lady Byron took up their residence at 13, Piccadilly Terrace.  The following letter is undated, but was probably written in the autumn of 1815.

John Murray to Lord Byron.

My Lord,

I picked up, the other day, some of Napoleon’s own writing paper, all the remainder of which has been burnt; it has his portrait and eagle, as you will perceive by holding a sheet to the light either of sun or candle:  so I thought I would take a little for you, hoping that you will just write me a poem upon any twenty-four quires of it in return.

By the autumn of 1815 Lord Byron found himself involved in pecuniary embarrassments, which had, indeed, existed before his marriage, but were now considerably increased and demanded immediate settlement.  His first thought was to part with his books, though they did not form a very valuable collection.  He mentioned the matter to a book collector, who conferred with other dealers on the subject.  The circumstances coming to the ears of Mr. Murray, he at once communicated with Lord Byron, and forwarded him a cheque for L1,500, with the assurance that an equal sum should be at his service in the course of a few weeks, offering, at the same time, to dispose of all the copyrights of his poems for his Lordship’s use.

Lord Byron could not fail to be affected by this generous offer, and whilst returning the cheque, he wrote: 

November 14, 1815.