e spectacle, and to
gratify their curiosity. Mr Adair, our ambassador, for whom the
Salsette had been sent, had his audience of leave appointed soon
after Lord Byron's arrival, and his Lordship was particularly anxious
to occupy a station of distinction in the procession. The pretension
was ridiculous in itself, and showed less acquaintance with courtly
ceremonies than might have been expected in a person of his rank and
intelligence. Mr Adair assured him that he could obtain no
particular place; that in the arrangements for the ceremonial, only
the persons connected with the embassy could be considered, and that
the Turks neither acknowledged the precedence, nor could be requested
to consider the distinctions of our nobility. Byron, however, still
persisted, and the minister was obliged to refer him on the subject
to the Austrian Internuncio, a high authority in questions of
etiquette, whose opinion was decidedly against the pretension.

The pride of rank was indeed one of the greatest weaknesses of Lord
Byron, and everything, even of the most accidental kind, which seemed
to come between the wind and his nobility, was repelled on the spot.
I recollect having some debate with him once respecting a pique of
etiquette, which happened between him and Sir William Drummond,
somewhere in Portugal or Spain. Sir William was at the time an
ambassador (not, however, I believe, in the country where the
incident occurred), and was on the point of taking precedence in
passing from one room to another, when Byron stepped in before him.
The action was undoubtedly rude on the part of his Lordship, even
though Sir William had presumed too far on his riband: to me it
seemed also wrong; for, by the custom of all nations from time
immemorial, ambassadors have been allowed their official rank in
passing through foreign countries, while peers in the same
circumstances claim no rank at all; even in our own colonies it has
been doubted if they may take precedence of the legislative
counsellors. But the rights of rank are best determined by the
heralds, and I have only to remark, that it is almost inconceivable
that such things should have so morbidly affected the sensibility of
Lord Byron; yet they certainly did so, and even to a ridiculous
degree. On one occasion, when he lodged in St James's Street, I
recollect him rating the footman for using a double knock in
accidental thoughtlessness.

These little infirmities are, however, a