escription, is a venerable, respectable old person, quite in
possession of all her senses in general, and of that sixth sense of
propriety in particular, which appears not to be a common virtue in our
days.

As her testimony is important, we insert it just here, with a description
of her person in full. The ardent investigators thus speak:--

'Having gained admission, we were shown into a small but neatly
furnished and scrupulously clean apartment, where sat the object of
our visit. Mrs. Mimms is a venerable-looking old lady, of short
stature, slight and active appearance, with a singularly bright and
intelligent countenance. Although midway between eighty and ninety
years of age, she is in full possession of her faculties, discourses
freely and cheerfully, hears apparently as well as ever she did, and
her sight is so good that, aided by a pair of spectacles, she reads
the Chronicle every day with ease. Some idea of her competency to
contribute valuable evidence to the subject which now so much engages
public attention on three continents may be found from her own
narrative of her personal relations with Lady Byron. Mrs. Mimms was
born in the neighbourhood of Seaham, and knew Lady Byron from
childhood. During the long period of ten years she was Miss
Milbanke's lady's-maid, and in that capacity became the close
confidante of her mistress. There were circumstances which rendered
their relationship peculiarly intimate. Miss Milbanke had no sister
or female friend to whom she was bound by the ties of more than a
common affection; and her mother, whatever other excellent qualities
she may have possessed, was too high-spirited and too hasty in temper
to attract the sympathies of the young. Some months before Miss
Milbanke was married to Lord Byron, Mrs. Mimms had quitted her service
on the occasion of her own marriage with Mr. Mimms; but she continued
to reside in the neighbourhood of Seaham, and remained on the most
friendly terms with her former mistress. As the courtship proceeded,
Miss Milbanke concealed nothing from her faithful attendant; and when
the wedding-day was fixed, she begged Mrs. Mimms to return and fulfil
the duties of lady's-maid, at least during the honeymoon. Mrs. Mimms
at the time was nursing her first child, and it was no small sacrifice
to quit her own home at such a moment, but she could not refuse her