30 — To Charles O. Gordon

Burgage Manor, Southwell, Notts, August 4, 1805.

Although I am greatly afraid, my Dearest Gordon, that you will not receive this epistle till you return from Abergeldie, (as your letter stated that you would be at Ledbury on Thursday next) yet, that is not my fault, for I have not deferred answering yours a moment, and, as I have just now concluded my Journey, my first, and, I trust you will believe me when I say, most pleasing occupation will be to write to you.

We

have played the Eton and were most confoundedly beat

; however it was some comfort to me that I got 11 notches the 1st Innings and 7 the 2nd, which was more than any of our side except Brockman & Ipswich could contrive to hit. After the match we dined together, and were extremely friendly, not a single discordant word was uttered by either party. To be sure, we were most of us rather drunk and went together to the Haymarket Theatre, where we kicked up a row, As you may suppose, when so many Harrovians & Etonians met at one place; I was one of seven in a single hackney, 4 Eton and 3 Harrow, and then we all got into the same box, and the consequence was that such a devil of a noise arose that none of our neighbours could hear a word of the drama, at which, not being

highly delighted

, they began to quarrel with us, and we nearly came to a

battle royal

. How I got home after the play God knows. I hardly recollect, as my brain was so much confused by the heat, the row, and the wine I drank, that I could not remember in the morning how I found my way to bed.

The rain was so incessant in the evening that we could hardly get our Jarveys, which was the cause of so many being stowed into one. I saw young Twilt, your brother, with Malet, and saw also an old schoolfellow of mine whom I had not beheld for six years, but he was not the one whom you were so good as to enquire after for me, and for which I return you my sincere thanks. I set off last night at eight o'clock to my mother's, and am just arrived this afternoon, and have not delayed a second in thanking you for so soon fulfilling my request that you would correspond with me. My address at Cambridge will be Trinity College, but I shall not go there till the 20th of October. You may continue to direct your letters here, when I go to Hampshire which will not be till you have returned to Harrow. I will send my address previous to my departure from my mother's. I agree with you in the hope that we shall continue our correspondence for a long time. I trust, my dearest friend, that it will only be interrupted by our being some time or other in the same place or under the same roof, as, when I have finished my

Classical Labour

, and my minority is expired, I shall expect you to be a frequent visitor to Newstead Abbey, my seat in this county which is about 12 miles from my mother's house where I now am. There I can show you plenty of hunting, shooting and fishing, and be assured no one ever will be more welcome guest than yourself — nor is there any one whose correspondence can give me more pleasure, or whose friendship yield me greater delight than yours, sweet, dearest Charles, believe me, will always be the sentiments of

Yours most affectionately,

Byron

Footnote 1:

This and

Letter 33

are written to Byron's Harrow friend, Charles Gordon, one of his "juniors and favourites," whom he "spoilt by indulgence." Gordon, who was the son of David Gordon of Abergeldie, died in 1829.

return to footnote mark

Footnote 2:

Byron's reputation as a cricketer rests on this match between Eton and Harrow. It was played on the old cricket ground in Dorset Square, August 2, 1805, and ended in a victory for Eton by an innings and two runs. The score is thus given by Lillywhite, in his

Cricket Scores and Biographies of Celebrated Cricketers from 1745 to 1826

(vol. i. pp. 319, 320) —

HARROW

First Innings Second Innings

Lord Ipswich b. Carter 10 b. Heaton 21

T. Farrer, Esq. b. Carter 7 c. Bradley 3

T. Drury, Esq. b. Carter 0 st. Heaton 6

—— Bolton, Esq. run out 2 b. Heaton 0

C. Lloyd, Esq. b. Carter 0 b. Carter 0

A. Shakespeare, Esq. st. Heaton 8 run out 5

Lord Byron c Barnard 7 b. Carter 2

Hon. T. Erskine b. Carter 4 b. Heaton 8

W. Brockman, Esq. b. Heaton 9 b. Heaton 10

E. Stanley, Esq. not out 3 c. Canning 7

—— Asheton, Esq. b. Carter 3 not out 0

Byes 2 Byes 3

Totals 55 65

ETON

—— Heaton, Esq. b. Lloyd 0

—— Slingsby, Esq. b. Shakespeare 29

—— Carter, Esq. b. Shakespeare 3

—— Farhill, Esq. c. Lloyd 6

—— Canning, Esq. c. Farrer 12

—— Camplin, Esq. b. Ipswich 42

—— Bradley, Esq. b. Lloyd 16

—— Barnard, Esq. b. Shakespeare 0

—— Barnard, Esq. not out 3

—— Kaye, Esq. b. Byron 7

—— Dover, esq. c. Bolton 4

Byes 0

Total 122

At this match Lord Stratford de Redcliffe remembers seeing a "moody-looking boy" dismissed for a small score. The boy was Byron. But the moment is not favourable to expression of countenance.

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