What did we see in Cyprus? What did we not see?
The golden land, basking in the fiery sun, between the azure sky and the azure sea. Glorious sunshine, reviving shade, the splendour of sunset, the shining sickle moon, the soft darkness and the scented air. The countryside: dry dusty plains rearing into massive mountains crowned with the ruins of former strongholds; the streams, lacing the land with greenery fed by waters sunk out of sight; the beaches, sandy or stony, inviting the enjoyment of the refreshing warmth of the boundless sea; and the villages, modern or traditional, basking on the beach, settled inland, embowered in greenery, or clinging to the hillside, rich in beehives.
The people and their homes: the circular foundations produced by the primitive technology and arduous labour of prehistoric times, the cyclopean masses used in later walls, the austere order of the Roman columns, the palatial Byzantine mansions with their brilliant mosaics, the luxurious serenity of Venetian courtyards, and their Turkish equivalents with their private baths; the practical productions of modern times, most brilliantly represented by the house of Rita and Costas, with its treasures, particularly, for us, the prints and paintings of historic Cyprus.
The people and the monuments of their stalwart faith: the classical temples; the medieval churches, with the stately serenity of the saints in icons, and the representations of personal appeal - the child's shoes hanging beside the door, the clew of cotton entwining the building in strands of prayer, and the candles, shining as a spark of hope in the dim light; the magnificent cathedrals, Lusignan or later; and the mosques, testaments to the shifts of history, whether new foundations or entered in older shrines.
The people: split into two camps, each smarting from the hand of fate, but resolutely resolved to repair the breach. Some of the conference papers held hints of this smart, and it was poignantly symbolized by the visit to the beautiful beach at the edge of 'the fenced city' at Famagusta, a childhood playground now inaccessible, and only to be viewed at a distance. There was interesting discussion with the British High Commissioner and some hope for the future bridging of the divide was held out by the Rector of the University of the Eastern Mediterranean in his mission statement.
The people and their hospitality: food in abundance, a liberal parade of meze; a liberal parade of rocket, luscious with tomatoes, savoury with cheese and olives; tasty grilled meat, the rich variety of seafood and firm fresh fish, and the superb trout of Kakopetria; the fruit, delicious fresh and juicy and or dried or candied; the drink, the wine, famous in England since Crusader times, the coffee, the refreshing juices and, most welcome of all, the clear cool water.
And the people themselves, warmly welcoming, good-humoured, helpful; the chance-met lady acting as guide to a distant shop through the intricate streets of Nicosia; colleagues and friends supplying help and information at every turn, smoothing our crossing at the miserable border-line, opening the display of the unique wrecked ship at Polis, or staying late so we could visit a museum at Larnaca and at the Bank of Cyprus in Nicosia, coming in on our first night so we could view the remarkable collection of antiquities, beautifully displayed, as with all the museums we visited, and their special display of books and maps. But among all the names which might be listed here, we will all think first of Rita Severis who efficiently organised our wonderful trip, worked tirelessly throughout it to ensure that her plan was smoothly carried out, and enlivened the whole experience with kind words, great knowledge and unfailing good humour.
Ann and John Revell
Beyond Rita, the success of our tour was due to the help of many
individuals and institutions, too many to thank all individually. We recognise
especial gratitude due to:
The Cyprus Tourism Organisation for the provision of transport, guides and information
folders; The Cyprus Department of Antiquities and the Turkish Cypriot authorities
for entrance to sites; The Municipality of Nicosia for hosting our conference
in the beautifully restored Famagusta Gate Cultural Centre; Vassos Cliodes Ltd
for providing refreshments in the conference breaks; the Mouflon Bookshop for
the book display at the conference; the people who provided fascinating conference
papers (many of whom are now members of ASTENE whom we hope to meet again);
The University of the Eastern Mediterranean for their welcome in the Nestorian
church of Famagusta, the British High Commissioner for his generous reception
and informative responses to our questions; The Bank of Cyprus for the opportunity
to view their remarkable collections and the generous collation their provided;
the Dali Choir for their singing of a welcome and other traditional songs at
the Hadjii Georgiadis House; Aeolus Travel for providing so much support and,
most importantly, our guides Titina Liozides who showed us fascinating aspects
of Nicosia on three walking tours, Anna Marangou who showed us highlights of
the striking ruins of Salamis, and Demetra who informed us so competently on
the second part of our tour, and throughout our driver who brought us safely
through some narrow passages.
Oct 2004
Briony Llewlyn will described this excellent day at the National
Portrait Gallery in the next Bulletin. Suffice it to say here that we had three
excellent papers from ASTENE members: Charles Plouviez on Queen Caroline and
Lady Craven; Mary Lovell on Jane Digby and Isobel Burton and Sarah Searight
on Lucie Duff Gordon.
Oct 2004
The Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East (ASTENE), was established in 1995, and formally founded in 1997. The Association encourages and promotes learning with particular reference to the history of travel and travellers from earliest times in Egypt and the Near East including Greece and the Ottoman Balkans. ASTENE brings together anyone interested in the subject, whether a professional academic or not, across a wide spectrum of nations and subject areas.
In 2005 ASTENE holds its fifth biennial conference at Hulme Hall, Manchester University 14-18 July. This is the first call for papers for this conference. Among the many subjects upon which we look forward to receiving papers are:
We are also interested in papers on such individual travellers
as Egeria - George Sandys - Ida Hahn-Hahn - John Mason Cook - Lady Herbert -
Lady Franklin - Alexander Kinglake - Harriet Martineau - Frederick Norden and
other Scandinavian travellers - Reverend Samuel Manning - W.H. Bartlett - Christopher
Wordsworth in Greece - Mary Seacole -- John Lloyd Stephens - Bayard Taylor -
Frederic Caillaud - Lord Castlereagh - Alexandra Tinne - Domenico Frediani -
Baron Sack - Charles-Theodore Frere
and many others….
Please send your paper title and your 100 word abstract to the Conference Secretariat (info@oxconf.co.uk or to 57 Plantation Road, Oxford OX2 6JE) preferably before 31 March 2005. The closing date for offers of papers is 1st May 2005.Late offers will be considered but we may not be able to include them.
Oct 2004
CONFERENCE BURSARY 2005
The Association (ASTENE) has decided to award bursaries for the purpose
of enabling individuals, who are not able to obtain outside support, to attend
its biennial conference to give a paper. The number of awards made at any one
time will depend upon the costs of the conference and the number of applications.
Not all available funds need to be disbursed for any one conference.
By e-mail Conference Secretariat: info@oxconf.co.uk
By post: ASTENE, c/o 57 Plantation Road, Oxford 0X2 6JE
Please mark your submission ASTENE Conference Bursary.
The scheme will be piloted in 2005 and then reviewed.
Oct 2004
THE ASTENE RESEARCH RESOURCES PROJECT
The ASTENE Research Resources Project is now up and running. Like
many other organisations we have turned to our website to provide our members
with information on resource material through an easy to research facility.
Now all we need is your contributions.
We aim to highlight archives and other places (sometimes quite unexpected ones)
where information on travel and travellers can be found. As you will have seen
we already include some of these resources as a regular feature of our Bulletin.
During your own research you may have stumbled across fascinating caches of
material not immediately relevant to your present work but which could be invaluable
for other researchers. Members who know each other have always been able to
pass on information informally. Now we are able to give members all over the
world the chance to share these vital snippets of knowledge.
The information you provide is only available to ASTENE members who have received
the password with their membership. Just click on 'Research' on our homepage,
put in your password, and you will find full instructions for providing us with
your material on our specially designed forms. The forms can be filled in and
sent electronically or just grab your pen and hope the Royal Mail is still functioning
here in the UK. We will be doing some judicious editing, so please don't send
us lengthy tomes as we want you to distil the main sources. You will also find
out how to search and access information yourself. Do try it out and tell us
about your discoveries so that ASTENE members can continue to exchange information
to their mutual benefit.
Patricia Usick
Oct 2004
So far we have been able to welcome a handful of willing researchers to this project who have offered to cover Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Devonshire, Lincoln, Yorkshire, Somerset, West Sussex and Hampshire, and some research at the British Library. Work has started with some exciting results. The first reports will be on the ASTENE Research Resource website soon.
Please refer to Bulletin 20 to see if you can offer help near you. We are particularly keen to recruit people in Wales, Scotland and London (National Army Museum, British Library and other archives.)
If you would like to be involved, contact D. Manley on 01865 310284
or at 57 Plantation Road, Oxford OX2 6JE. Information about how this will appear
on the website will be given in the New Year.
NB: There are journals recorded in USA archives and we would like
help with those too, please. The Huntingdon Library in California holds much
relevant British material.
Oct 2004
BELZONI STRAYS IN DEVON: a note on the Royal Memorial Museum, Exeter and its collectors (I)
As someone with a long-standing interest in the temples of Abu Simbel it was rather gratifying to find that James Mangles (1786-1867), involved with Belzoni, d'Athanasi, Finati and Beechey in the first European survey of the temples, had settled in Exeter. His house, Fairfield, which appropriately for a naval man, commands a view of the Exe at Countess Weir, is now St Loye's College. Mangles' fellow traveller, explorer of Abu Simbel, and later brother-in-law, Charles Irby (1789-1845) made his home at Torquay. On their journey downstream from Abu Simbel to Cairo in 1818, Irby and Mangles stayed for a short period with Charles Brine in Middle Egypt. A Devonshire man by birth, Brine had entered the service of Muhammed Ali, settling at Ramarun, just north of Mallawi, in 1817. Brine introduced sugar cane and its production to Middle Egypt, and also acquired antiquities for Henry Salt. Irby and Mangles give the first account of the celebrated scene at the tomb of Djeuhty-hetep at al-Bersheh showing the transportation of a colossal statue of the tomb owner. The actual 'discovery' of the tomb was probably made by Brine, as Irby and Mangles state quite clearly that it was opposite where he lived. As yet, no artefacts or papers relating to any of these men has come to my attention here in Exeter; but they were not the only people with a Devon connection to travel in Egypt, or collect its antiquities.
Over the past few years, as time permits, I have been preparing a full catalogue of the Egyptian antiquities in the Royal Albert Memorial Museum (RAMM), Exeter. The collection and its records have suffered over the years, and the task of uniting the archival documentation with the artefacts has been difficult. Much of this was achieved by John Allan, until recently the curator of archaeology. He has encouraged me to work on the material and publish it. My thanks go to him and to his volunteers who have prepared a working catalogue from many sources.
The Egyptian collection in the RAMM comprises several hundred objects, mostly unprovenanced, some damaged, some fakes. To an Egyptologist looking through the shelves and boxes in the stores, it is not a particularly thrilling collection. But, like most of the small provincial collections that have been built up through donations, it does have some unusual, interesting and aesthetically appealing pieces, and certainly merits publication.
In many cases the documentary evidence associated with donations gives little more than the names of the donors, and sometimes the original collectors of the objects (usually parents or spouses). Some donors were prominent in county, or national life, but many remain rather obscure.
I would be interested to hear if any ASTENE members have further information on any of those I mention here - or if they themselves are interested in the individuals. One satisfying outcome has been finding a piece that was originally in the collection of Rev. G. A. Browne , who was the subject of a paper by Penny Wilson at the 1999 ASTENE Conference in Cambridge.
The first phase of the RAMM was completed in 1868, but it was not the first repository of antiques in Exeter. The Devon and Exeter Institution was founded in 1813, and its collections (formed before 1830) were transferred to the RAMM between 1868 and 1871. These included one of the most significant of the Exeter Egyptian pieces: a grano-diorite head of a late 18th Dynasty pharaoh, which was originally part of a larger group. Unfortunately there is, as yet, no information on when, where or by whom it was acquired, although an early 19th century date is certain. Another early acquisition, originally in the collections of the Institution, was a mummy and coffin acquired by the Revd [Robert] Fitzherbert Fuller 'from Thebes' in 1819. The inner coffin was given by the RAMM to the University of Wales at Swansea and is now displayed in the Egypt Centre there.
Donors in the early days of the museum included : F.W.L. Ross of Topsham (d. 1860); F. Harger, whose collection was donated between 1868 and 1873, although a note associated with one object indicates that it was acquired in 1829; and the heirs of Admiral the Lord Clarence Paget, and the Revd. Mackworth Trefusis. Lieut. Teschemaker's collection was given around 1870, but the objects were acquired in 1849. Winslow Jones (1825-95) was an Exeter attorney and one of the founders of the RAMM, and donated a substantial number of antiquities to the museum in 1874.
Robert Morkot
This article will continue in the next Bulletin, but in
the meantime if any reader has information which might be useful to Robert Morkot's
researches please communicate to him at the Department of Lifelong Learning,
St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Rd, Exeter EX1 2LU.
Oct 2004
THE COLLECTIONS OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY
The collections of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) fall into five groups. First, there are the books: over 150,000 titles and 800 journals. Then there are the maps: roughly a million sheets, together with 3000 atlases and over 1000 gazetteers. Third, is the picture library, with over 500,000 images from all over the world, many of them historic. Fourth, we have the manuscript archive, including not only the papers of the RGS itself but also the manuscript diaries, letters and journals of travellers, particularly those of the 19th and 20th centuries. Finally, there are the artefacts associated with some explorers and travellers. All this material is now accessible again, after a few years of closure, at the conclusion of a Lottery funded project entitled 'Unlocking the Archives', costing £7.1 million.
Physical access is through a glass pavilion towards the Hyde Park end of Exhibition Road, London, though the catalogues are available on line at www.rgs.org. Readers are required to sign in at the desk. Behind it is a small exhibition space, currently devoted to displaying the nature and development of Geography. However, the real centre of activity is the Foyle Reading Room. This is built into about half the garden of the RGS's house, and is reached down a spiral staircase or a lift. Here the overhead lighting is subdued and the air conditioning moderate.
The Reading Room has two arms leading from the help desk where
the friendly and helpful staff are based. Each arm contains a table big enough
to lay out large maps and files of documents. There is seating for 30 people,
with additional places beneath the windows looking out on the replanned garden.
The arm on the right of the help desk, looking outwards, contains a basic reference
collection on cartography, together with sets of travel guides and gazetteers.
In the arm to the left of the help desk are the new books acquired by the Society,
reference books on travel (including atlases showing how Europeans and Americans
explored the world) and sets of the Journal of the RGS (1831-), Proceedings
of the RGS (1856-), Lists of Fellows from 1876, Transactions of the Institute
of British Geographers, (1935-) and Area (1969-). Workstations are
lined up beneath the windows opposite the help desk. These allow you to search
the collections. Despite the electronics, though, orders are placed with paper
forms and the staff fetch the items requested.
The Foyle Reading Room is open 10.00 - 17.00 Monday to Friday except on public
holidays. Anyone can use it, but a new reader must have proof of identity (driving
licence, passport, student card, utility bill) or a membership card (if a Fellow
of the Society), and be willing to have their photograph taken. Entry is free
to educational users and RGS members, but members of the public must pay a fee
of £10.00 per day. There is also a charging policy where readers require
one-to-one help, research and lengthy enquiries. Photocopying is possible, depending
on the physical condition of the item concerned, and charged at a standard rate,
but cameras and other forms of copying equipment are not allowed. Enquiries
and reservation of material may be made by telephone at +44 (0) 207591 3040.
Malcolm Wagstaff
Oct 2004
On 30 July two archive projects were unveiled at the Griffith Institute, Sackler Library, St John St., Oxford.
One project was work on some 850 tracings made by Norman and Nina de Garis Davies in various Theban tombs that have been cleaned, restored and re-housed. Many of these tombs have deteriorated and the tracings represent an extremely valuable source of information.
The second project was the database of all 5398 objects found by Howard Carter in the tomb of Tutankhamun in 1922. It can be consulted on http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/gri/4tut.html.
These records are now generally available for the first time.
This project was under the direction of our Vice President Jaromir Malek with
editing by ASTENE member Dr Diana Magee.
Oct 2004
There are a number of European artists who worked in the Near
East but are little known - as yet - in Britain. If any member is working on
such artists, it would be interesting to hear of their work at the next conference.
Here are some of these travellers:
Austrian artists
Ludwig Deutsch (1855-1935) Egypt
Ludwig Fischer (1848-1915) in Egypt several times in 1875-7
Hans Makart (1840-84) accompanied a 'train princier' to Egypt 1875-6
Leopold Muller (1834-92) was in Egypt including Upper Egypt in 1873 and 1886
Alois Stoff (1846-?) painted Edwardian tourists at the Pyramids
Belgian artists
Jacob Jacobs (1812-79) to Constantinople in 1838, and then Greece, Asia Minor,
and Egypt
Jean-Francois Portaels (1818-95) visited Egypt, probably before 1849
Franz Vinck (1827-1903) Egypt
French artist
Charles-Theodore Frere (1814-88) in 1851, visited Malta, Greece, Syria, Palestine,
Egypt and Nubia. Returned several times. Set up studio in Cairo. Painted inauguration
of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Oct 2004
EGYPTIAN MIRAGE - LEVANTINE MIRAGE
The Griffith Institute in Oxford has one of the largest collections of 19th century 'studio photographs' of Egypt and the Levant. From these they have created two data bases of 19th century photography. These studio photographs were taken by professional photographers who had studios in the major tourist centres such as Cairo, Alexandria, Port Said, Luxor and Aswan between 1860 and 1890. The Egyptian photographs show ancient Egyptian, Christian and Islamic monuments, as well as scenes of contemporary 19th century life.
The Levantine photographs show similar scenes.
The purpose of these databases is twofold: To make a large and important collection of photographs available to scholars and other interested persons; to provide an easy-to-consult corpus of 19th century photographs which will help in the study and preservation of other photographs of this type elsewhere.
The two websites are:
Egypt:
http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/gri/4mirage.html
Levant:
http://www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk/gri/4mirlev.html
The Griffith Institute would be very grateful for any corrections
or additional information. Please e-mail to: griffox@herald.ox.ac.uk
Oct 2004
CONWAY PHOTOGRAPHIC COLLECTION, COURTAULD, LONDON
The Collection at Somerset House, Strand holds 19th century photographs
of Egypt and the Near East by well- and lesser-known photographers. Viewing
is by appointment only. Many of the photos are on the Courtauld website: www.artand
architecture.org.uk/images.
Oct 2004
AN IMPORTANT NEW ARCHIVE PARTNERSHIP: RIBA AT THE V & A
The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), founded in 1834, is the oldest professional body for architects in the world. For 170 years, its Library has been collecting books, drawings, manuscripts, photographs, etc, related to its purpose of the promotion of architecture. The Drawings and Manuscripts collections of the RIBA Architectural Library now amount to about a million and a quarter items.
The whole collection is in the process of moving to the Victoria
and Albert Museum, in South Kensington, London, to a 300 sq. metre permanent
Architecture Gallery, with another 50 sq. metres of temporary exhibition space.
RIBA study rooms, offices and storage areas will be arranged in and around the
V & A's Prints, Drawings and Paintings Collections (to which ASTENE members
recently had a visit, introduced by Curator, Charles Newton). It is hoped to
open the RIBA Archive to the public in November, but it may turn out to be somewhat
later. When it happens, the RIBA's former opening hours will be doubled. There
is to be a joint RIBA/V & A Education Officer, "who is developing programmes
for a wide spread of groups, from primary school children to Third Agers"
- (and ASTENE persons in between ….?) Nineteenth century architects are
particularly well represented and many of them travelled to the Near East. These
are a few of them:
Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860) in the Near East 1819-20; Henry Parke (1792-1835)
travelled up Nile in 1824 with Joseph John Scoles (1798-1863). They were also
together in the Levant. John Dibblee Crace (1838-1919) in the Near East 1868-9;
Owen Jones (1809-1874) in Egypt 1833 and also in Turkey
Peta Ree
Oct 2004
Occasionally one comes upon the record of a traveller in a churchyard or in a church memorial. Such records can seem very personal, like this one we came across unexpectedly in the church at Kylemore Abbey in Connemara, Ireland:
MARGARET
BELOVED WIFE OF MITCHELL HENRY
OF KYLEMORE CASTLE
DIED AT CAIRO DEC. 4, 1874
AGED 45
MITCHELL HENRY
DIED NOV. 22, 1910
AGED 85
------------------------------------------------------------
Some British travellers' graves and memorials
Lord Byron (1788-1824): St Mary Magdalen, Hucknall Torkard, Nottinghamshire; Sir Stratford Canning (1786-1880): St Alban Frant, East Sussex; Dame Agatha Christie (1890-1976): St Mary's Cholsey, Berkshire; Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881): St Michael and All Angels, Hughenden, Buckinghamshire; Lord Elgin, 7th Earl (1766-1841): St Mary, Maulden, Bedfordshire; T.E. Lawrence (1888-1935): St Nicholas, Moreton, Dorset; Edward Lear (1812-1888): San Remo Cemetery, Italy; Sir Charles Barry (1795-1860): nave of Westminster Abbey; Caroline of Brunswick, wife of George IV (1768-1821) Brunswick, Germany; Sir Richard Burton (1821-1890): St Mary Magdalen's, Mortlake, London; Sir Hudson Lowe (1769-1844): St Mark's, North Audley St., London; Florence Nightingale (1820-1910): St Margaret's, East Wellow, Hampshire; Charles Piazzi Smyth (1819-1900): Sharrow, Ripon, N. Yorkshire; W.M. Thackeray (1811-1863) and Anthony Trollope (1815-1882): Kensal Green Cemetery, London.
Does anyone want to add to this list in future Bulletins?
Oct 2004
Off the Beaten Track: Three Centuries
of Women Travellers by Dea Birkett, hardback, 144 pp., illustrated,
National Portrait Gallery, London £18.99, ISBN 1 85514 526,
"This book … celebrates people so determined to explore other places
and countries that they overcame enormous barriers - whether physical or social
- to pursue the excitement of discovery," writes Sandy Nairne, Director
of the NPG, in the introduction of this book, linked to the NPG exhibition.
Many of these determined women were travellers in our region In this well-presented
and illustrated book Dea Birkett has included quotes which clearly underline
the task they faced, and pictures or accounts which show their vulnerability.
Lady Hester Stanhope in 1813, for instance, advised Mary Rich on her way to
Baghdad how to travel in the desert and most particularly how to deal with the
'loo' problem. Princess Caroline of Brunswick (1768-1821) departed from a miserable
marriage to the Prince Regent to travel around the eastern Mediterranean, leaving
a trail of irritated consuls, bad debts and gossip in her wake.
Using the travellers' portraits, paintings and artefacts, Dea Birkett and the Gallery have created a knowledgeable and most attractive book to read and wander through. The photographs include a touching one of Isabella Bird as a little old lady - yet, when she died in 1904, her bags were packed for a journey to Morocco.
Deborah Manley
Oct 2004
A Victorian Traveler in the Middle East: The Photography and Travel Writing of Annie Lady Brassey by Nancy Micklewright, Ashgate, 256 pp., b&w photographs, hardback £50. 2003, ISBN 0754632024
Married to a wealthy industrialist, Annie Lady Brassey (1839-1887) was highly esteemed among her contemporaries for the popular books in which she documented her extensive travels. Of them-selves, these five publications provide plenty of interest for the historian of travel, but it is the survival of 70 volumes of photographs collected from around the world by Lady Brassey, and now housed in the Huntingdon Library, San Marino, California, that really make her an outstanding case study.
As the subject of her recent book, Nancy Micklewright has chosen to focus on the eight Brassey albums dedicated to Middle Eastern subjects, seven of Egypt and one of Turkey, some 637 photographs in all. The content of these volumes is examined following on from an overview of Lady Brassey's life and projects and succeeded by a comparative study of other photograph albums relating to the region from a similar date. This structure works well and, as the subject demands, is supplemented by a good number of illustrations.
Lady Brassey first visited Egypt in 1869, spending further time in the country during 1877 and 1883, visiting Turkey in 1874 and 1878. As Micklewright points out, this was a particularly interesting period in the history of photography when the choice of images for the compilation of souvenir albums was largely dictated by the availability of commercial views rather than a traveller's personal interpretation of a given place. A broader range of subject matter appeared after commercial photographers began to move to the Middle East in order to sell their products on the spot, but it was still not until 1888, with the advent of the first Kodak box camera, that travellers were able to take their own photographs with any great facility. Micklewright therefore looks at the Brassey albums as evidence of personal choice as well as wider currents of consumer demand determining the subjects offered for sale.
Significantly, in none of the albums discussed by this book do the stereotyped images predominate. Portraits of locals are less common than 20th century studies would lead us to expect and the photographs of women purchased by travellers like Lady Brassey do not generally promote the exotic, erotic fantasy. Nor do the views of cites and their buildings support the Orientalist paradigm of stasis: modern architecture and landscaping feature alongside photographs of ancient and Islamic Egypt. In the Turkish album Lady Brassey included a series of eleven photographs of the newly built Ciragan Palace on the Bosphorus, most of which have never been published but provide valuable documentation of the building in its original state.
There is much in this book to interest ASTENE members, both in terms of shedding light on an important but lesser known traveller and also, by reference to the visual record, in illuminating some of the complexities inherent in the way travellers sought to remember and transmit their experiences of Egypt and the Near East.
Kathryn Ferry
Oct 2004
The People's Chef: Alexis Soyer, a life in seven courses by Ruth Brandon, 320 pp., illustrated, ISBN 0-470-86991-7, £16.99
The renowned French chef of the Reform Club (where in 1846 he
had cooked for Ibrahim Pasha) seems a most unlikely subject for an ASTENE review,
but in 1855 Alexis Soyer volunteered his services to the British army hospitals
at Scutari, and - with his proven experience in designing relief mass feeding
during the Irish famine - , was accepted. In Ruth Brandon's most readable account,
the longest chapter or 'course', entitled 'Entremets: Turkish Delights', is
devoted to this period of his life.
At Scutari Soyer turned his skills to feeding soldiers and invalids. He invented
a stove so practical that a variant of it was still in use during the Gulf War.
Like Florence Nightingale, whose high standards he had to satisfy, he had an
eye for essentials and endless capacity for work. His main stumbling block was
the complete inability of the British soldier to appreciate how good, cheap
food could be created. He devised detailed, indeed fool-proof, recipes, and,
as Miss Nightingale did with the practice of nursing, laid down the practice
of army cooking.
Exhausted by his Eastern travels, Soyer lived only a short time
after returning to London. He died on 5 August, 1858, aged only 48.
Ruth Brandon's is a lovely book and a wonderful introduction to Soyer's own
Culinary Campaign, (1857, re-issued Lewes, 1996)) on which she draws extensively
- making one want to go on to enjoy the whole of the original.
Deborah Manley
Oct 2004
Zieht hin und erforscht das Land: Die deutsche Palaststinaforschung im 19 Jahrhundret by Haim Goren, translated from the Hebrew by Clara Naujoks, 432 pp. including bibliography and Index, Goettingen: Wallstein Verlag, 2003, E44.00, ISBN 3-89244-673-3
Haim Goren's study, commissioned by the Institute of German History at the University of Tel Aviv, is an historical survey tracing the pioneering German exploration of Palestine in the 19th century.
Beginning with Ulrich Seetzen, contemporary and colleague of Humboldt, and the 'Arabiser' Johann Burckhardt, Goren offers many fascinating accounts of the earliest explorations and many interesting insights into the considerable physical and intellectual dangers and difficulties faced in the attempt to penetrate the prevailing Islamic culture. Noteworthy is the remarkable range of developing disciplines brought to bear: archaeology, linguistics, physical and historical geography, cartography, botany, biology and microbiology, and geology, as well as the increasing volume of theological and biblical insights.
Goren outlines at length the eras succeeding the pioneering period of lay travellers and pilgrims and highlights the crucial role of the universities in the development of professional disciplines, and the vital contribution of systematic publication, initially at Goettingen, then most significantly at Berlin (1835-75). He then traces the consular interest, developed by the Prussian and newly-formed German governments, which provided vital funding, as increasing interest in the region, and in particular in mineralogy and geology, raised the ever-contemporary issue of the relationship between political interest and scientific inquiry.
Among the interesting insights offered by Goren are the influence of the German Romantic movement, and its fascination with the Oriental and Hellenic worlds; the contribution of the Knights Templar who built up valuable information on plant life in the search to understand and control the malaria which had decimated their numbers; and the not inconsiderable influence of the religious orders and their successful efforts to found and fund research institutes in Palestine.
Goren's work is an interesting survey of the history of German
exploration of Palestine, if at times too generous in detail. More frequent
comparison with contemporary British, American or French research would have
been beneficial. While Goren concludes by regarding the overall contribution
of this Palestinian research as of limited value in the light of modern technological
advances, he does recognise the complex, many-faceted achievements of this period,
for example, the development of cartography, and the invaluable provision of
climatic data and cataloguing of flora
and fauna as a major contribution to historical studies. This fascinating book
has much that will prove of interest to the German reader and the German-reading
student, as will the extensive bibliography.
Noel M. Williamson
Oct 2004
Byzantium Rediscovered by J.B. Bullen, Phaidon Press, 240 pp., c. 220 colour, 30 b&w ills,. hardback £45, 2003, ISBN 0714839574
The 19th century interest in Islamic or, in broader terms, Oriental art and architecture has been identified and well documented. There can be little doubt of the impetus this current received from travellers' accounts and the journeys of discovery undertaken by the artists themselves. Reactions to the monuments of Byzantium, however, have received far less critical attention and in this beautifully illustrated book, J.B. Bullen gives a fascinating survey of this parallel trend.
The book's scope is ambitious, covering the 19th and early 20th centuries in Germany, France, Britain and America. In European terms Byzantium offered exoticism without being too remote from western tradition, a sort of middle ground between the Gothic and Oriental whose meanings were subject to personal and local interpretation. In this context it is interesting to see the inclusion of men better known for transmitting their knowledge of Islamic styles. Architect Pascal Coste, for example, who had spent nearly a decade in the service of Muhammed Ali, was consulted by Leon Vaudoyer about the designs for a new cathedral in the French port of Marseilles, a city that self-consciously styled itself as the gateway to the Orient. Sainte-Marie-Majeure (1852-93) with its rounded arches, domes and bands of horizontal colour represents an amalgamation of ideas taken from measured drawings of Greek Byzantine churches, French Romanesque examples and drawings of Hagia Sophia sent by the French ambassador in Istanbul, shaped according to local needs and myths.
As Bullen makes clear, not all exponents of the adapted Byzantine style travelled as far as Constantinople for inspiration; the lure of Sicily, Ravenna and especially Venice as eulogized by John Ruskin, was extremely strong. Nevertheless, the significance of the Justinian basilica of Hagia Sophia, illustrated in 1852 by Gaspare Fossati following its restoration, remained crucial in senses both real and mythic. Visiting Constantinople in 1906, Virginia Woolf had been struck on her first morning by 'St Sophia, like a treble globe of bubbles frozen solid, floating out to meet us… For it is fashioned,' she continued in her diary, 'in the shape of some fine substance thin as glass, blown in plump curves, save that it also as substantial as a pyramid. Perhaps that may be its beauty…' (p. 182)
Byzantium Rediscovered adds a compelling new dimension to the artistic outcomes of 19th century travel to the Near east. Bullen convincingly links well-known artists such as Klimt with the Arts and Crafts Movement, William Morris and W.R. Lethaby and the Art Nouveau of Louis Comfort Tiffany, also discussing less prominent buildings such as the parish church of Hagia Sophia in Lower Kingswood. Surrey, which features nine original Byzantine columns brought back from Turkey. This broad overview leaves the reader wanting to know more about specific examples, but the identification of these links between artists, travellers and ideas of Byzantium may provide fruitful grounds for further investigation by ASTENE members.
Kathryn Ferry
Oct 2004
Travellers in the Near East, edited by Charles Foster, 305 pp., B/W illustrations, Stacey International, London, ISBN 1-900988-71-2, £18.50
This book may be viewed as the long-awaited selection of Proceedings of ASTENE's 2001 conference, for which we have bided. And our patience has been rewarded. Travellers in the Near East has exceeded expectations and will quickly become a fundamental resource for anyone interested in Near Eastern travel.
I was speedily seduced by the sheer scope of the chapters and the surprising diversity of content: some authors demonstrating am enviable flair with the use of archival resources, and others making manifest a pellucid and incisive scholarly precision.
Photography, cartography, Egyptology, arch-aeology, theology, espionage, architecture and simple, pure curiosity are the travel motives explored in the twelve self-contained chapters. While each chapter is based on a conference paper, and so some, overall, discontinuity may be expected, this is carefully minimised by Charles Foster's careful editorial selection and the overarching sense of focus that is one of ASTENE's strengths.
All the chapters contain a full set of references and comprehensive bibliographies and the work as a whole is generously illustrated and handsomely produced. This is a book of enduring quality and great appeal to the researcher; I got so caught up that I began to take notes, forgetting that I was supposed to be writing a review. The book is a real page-turner, and mine is already well-thumbed; one hopes a handsome tribute to the scholarship within.
A fine work has been produced of which ASTENE can be justifiably proud. I only have to ask why it has been limited to twelve papers? And how long do we have to wait for the next one?
Edwin Aiken
Oct 2004
Travels in Egypt and Nubia, Syria and Asia Minor, during
the Years 1817 and 1818 by the Hon, Charles Irby and James Mangles 560
pp., - Printed for Private Distribution.
The Literary Gazette in 1824 (p. 690) commented:
The above four words of black-letter demonstration in the title-page of this
volume, would prohibit criticism, had criticism aught else to do on the occasion
than to bestow the highest praise. But the work of these two gallant Officers
is alike honourable to their spirit and talents. Imbued with a laudable thirst
for knowledge, and inspired with a love of science, when their own noble profession
no longer claimed their exertions, they ventured forth in search of information
in lands where it is most difficult of attainment. They found, as every one
will find who engages in literary and scientific pursuits, increase of appetite
grow with what it fed on; and during four and a half years they devoted themselves
to travel and inquiry, principally in the interesting regions to an account
of which these pages are addressed.
Oct 2004
A MUSICAL
NOTE: An addition to review of The Rise of International Travel,
Bulletin 20.
Readers of Professor Maclean's book might like to indulge themselves further
by listening to two new records, - both come with interesting cover notes.
Dream of the Orient by the combined forces of Concerto Koln and the Turco-German ensemble Sarband (Archiv 474 992-2) is a mixture of traditonal Turkish music and European pieces of the 18th century. Mozart's Overture to Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail - with full Turkish percussion, is probably the most familiar, and reflects the fascination with - and fear of - the Ottoman empire. Most of the other European works, by Gluck, Kraus, and Sussmayr, belong to a similar 'exotic' and pastiche oriental genre. The 'Concerto Turco' published in Venice in 1787 is a rather enchanting piece of Orientalism based upon real Turkish sources. Most of the traditional Turkish music here was notated by Dmitrie Cantemir (1673-1723), a Moldavian Prince who spent several decades in Constantinople.
Invitation to the Seraglio by the London Academy of Ottoman Court Music (Warner Classics 2564 61472-2) is rather different: a group of 19th century pieces, mostly by European composers working for the Porte, and reflecting the lament quoted in the notes that "the ancient Turkish music is in its death throes … Sultan Mahmud loves Italian music…" There are several pieces by Turkish composers: the Invitation to the Waltz by Sultan Abdulaziz (c. 1861) and others by Ida, wife of Omer Pasha. Ida was a Hungarian pianist who had studied with Carl Czerny, and went to Istanbul/Constantinople to teach. … Plenty more people for ASTENE members to research here!
Robert Morkot
Oct 2004
HMS DEFENCE AT THE BATTLE OF THE NILE, 1798
The famous Battle of the Nile was fought on 1-2 August 1798 when
Nelson defeated the French fleet at anchor in Aboukir Bay off Alexandria.
On board HMS Defence under Captain John Peyton there was a Petty Officer William Sands, a relative of mine by marriage. HMS Defence was designed by Sir Thomas Slade and built in Devonport in 1763. It had a displacement of 1,630 tons and carried 74 guns with a complement of 530. Defence took part in many naval battles, including Trafalgar, but foundered off the Danish coast in 1811 when only five of the crew survived. The accompanying illustration seems to be a photograph of a model of the ship which, together with the above information, appears on the internet from where I have obtained further details about the issue of a commemorative medal and the drawing of one.
I have the gilt-bronze medal of the Battle of the Nile awarded to William Sands, but I have been unable to trace him and have no idea whether he landed in Egypt. However, during research at the National Archives, Kew, I found the ship's log (ref. ADM 51/1266). In this bound volume, written by Captain Peyton himself, there is a matter-of-fact account of the battle which may be of interest to members of ASTENE since it gives a first-hand commentary like a journalist on the spot but hardly mentioning the horrors of the occasion. It comes as some surprise to me that this battle was fought mainly during darkness, hostilities having started in the late afternoon. The French fleet was at anchor in Aboukir Bay lined up parallel to the coast. The French Commander-in-Chief, Francois Brueys d'Aigailliers who died during the battle, considered it impossible for the British fleet to sail between him and the coast. But that was precisely what Horatio Nelson on HMS Vanguard decided to risk in the shallow waters, thereby pounding the French from both sides.
Instead of quoting Captain Peyton verbatim without punctuation, with many abbreviations and curious spelling making reading rather difficult, I paraphrase some parts and quote others, as indicated, with modified punctuation and spelling.
The afternoon of 1 August was fine with a moderate breeze off Alexandria. HMS "Zealous made the signal for 16 sail of the line east and the Admiral [Nelson] made the signal to prepare for battle at 4" [pm]. "The body of the enemy squadron [lay] SE and E or 10 miles [away]. At 4:20 pm "the Admiral made the general signal to prepare for battle and to anchor. Admiral made the signal to engage the navy [?} and centre of the enemy."
At 6:20 pm "made sail for the enemy's fleet in the line of battle at anchor. The enemy opened their fire upon us, the Goliath our leading ship began to engage the van of the enemy. At half past 6 Admiral made the signal to engage close, at 10 minutes before 7 the Colloden made the signal for being aground. At 7 came to an anchor with the sheet cable out of the gun room port. Engaged our opponent until 10 o'clock, when they ceased firing, being totally dismasted. At the same time our fane [pennant] top-mast went over the side. At 5 minutes past 10 veered away on the sheet cable in order to get alongside the next ship of 80 guns. At half past 10 the S. Admiral of 120 guns, the French Commander, in Chief's ship, took fire. At quarter past 11 the 80 gun ship hailed us to say she had struck; sent the 1st Lieut. on board & took possession of her - she proved to be the Sc. Franklin of 80 guns, Vice-Admiral Blanquet & 2nd in command.
"The rear ships continued firing until half past 2 am when the firing ceased. At 8 o'clock [in the morning] nine of the enemy ships of the line in our possession most of which were totally dismasted & 1 frigate sank near the Orion [perhaps L'Orient, the French flagship]. At 10 [am] the enemy on board a frigate in schocs[?] discharging her guns struck her colours, quitted and set fire to her.
"Answered the signal for all Lieuts employed clearing the wreck etc [presumably the wreckage on board]. Found the lower masts and bowsprits very much wounded; buried 4 men killed in action; received prisoners from the Franklin.
The enemy consisted of 1 first rate, 3 ships of 80 guns, 9 of 74 guns, 4 frigates & 4 mortar brigs."
That ends Captain Peyton's log for the battle. His next entry covers 2-10 August: "Anchored off the island of Bequier SW 2 miles extremities of Rosetta [now Rashid] ESE 5 or 6 miles." Unfortunately, he adds that "several sailors died", presumably from their wounds during the battle. About 3000 French sailors died and as many were taken prisoner.
After this naval battle, as well as others such as Trafalgar,
there was much booty to be dealt with by a Prize Agent. Nelson had a wealthy
Scottish friend by the name of Alexander 
Davison,
whom he had met in Quebec during 1782. Davison became Nelson's prize agent,
obviously making a huge profit since he minted at his own expense of some £2000,
the commemorative medal with his name inscribed along the edge "from Alexr.
Davison Esqr., St James's Square, Tribute of regard". A gilt bronze one
was awarded to petty officers. The medal measures 1 7/8th in (47 mm) diameter,
1/8th (3mm) thick. Obverse is inscribed "Rear Admiral Lord Nelson of the
Nile", with embossed figure of Britannia holding an olive branch and an
oval shield showing a bust of Nelson and inscribed "Europe's hope and Britain's
glory". Reverse has an embossed picture of the two fleets lined up for
battle and in the sky above "Wm. Sands, HMS DEFENCE" is engraved;
around is the inscription "Almighty God has blessed His Majesty's arms"
and "Victory of the Nile August 1, 1798." The medal is protected by
an openable glass case (like a waistcoat watch) which is enclosed in a padded
crimson leather hinged case.
F. Nigel Hepper
Oct 2004
On 25th May 1850 a traveller from Egypt arrived at London Zoo in Regent's Park. He was a young hippopotamus named Obaysch after the island in the White Nile where he was born. People knew about such creatures from Herodotus, but Obaysch was the first ever seen in Europe since the days of Imperial Rome. Nor did Herodotus' description give an accurate picture in George Rawlinson's 1858 translation:
It is a quadruped, cloven-footed, with hoofs like an ox, and a flat nose. It has the mane and tail of a horse, huge tusks which are very conspicuous, and a voice like a horse's neigh. Its size is equal to the biggest oxen, and its skin is so tough that when dried it is made into javelins.
The British Consul General, Sir Charles Murray, (1806-1895) in Egypt 1846-53 is reported to have made an exchange with Mehemet Ali's successor, Abbas Pasha: Obaysch and some other animals for a stud of greyhounds and deerhounds and their trainer. Obaysch's journey to England had begun early in 1849 up the Nile in a boat especially constructed for him and his wet-nurse cows, escorted by a company of infantry. Arrived at Cairo and the Consulate, his daily milk intake was 7-8 gallons. His keeper, Hamet, slept close beside him each night.
Murray warmed to the stout young creature - already about seven
foot long and as much in girth:
"The hippopotamus is quite well," he reported, "and the delight
of everyone who sees him. He is as tame and playful as a Newfoundland puppy;
knows his keepers, and follows them all over the courtyard;
in short, if he continues gentle and intelligent as he promises to be, he will
be the most attractive object ever seen in our Garden,
and may be taught all the tricks usually performed by the elephant."
It was early 1850 before Obaysch, Hamet and two further attendants (who doubled as snake charmers) sailed on the P & O steamer Ripon to Southampton, with a special pool for the star passenger. Reaching his new home, Obaysch (described as "the great overgrown dropsical baby" and "the uncouth and powerful amphibious monster") followed Hamet and a trail of dates to his cage with its specially heated pool. The Times of 6 June 1850 carried a long account of his first experiences in the Zoo, and soon 10,000 people a day came to see him. - though not all to admire. The journals took up the tale. Punch published stories and cartoons; Household Words carried articles. There was a 'hippo craze' in London, with silver models of Obaysch and a Hippopotamus Polka.
According to P.L. Sclater, secretary of the Zoological Society, when Murray returned to England, he frequently visited Obaysch, "shouting to him in Arabic, when the enormous creature would come towards him, grunting loudly in recognition of one of his earliest friends." Murray wrote himself in March 1857 about his own celebrity when he brought Obaysch to England and was widely known as 'Hippopotamus Murray'.
By the mid-19th century, the wild hippopotamus was a seriously threatened species: vulnerable to guns, desired for its flesh and valued for its hide and tusks, and regarded, rightly, as a great danger to boatmen and others. Even Obaysch, in the Zoo, showed signs of this fierce character and was treated very respectfully by his keepers.
In 1854 Abbas Pasha sent another young hippo (Adhela or 'Dil') to the Zoo - a bride for Obaysch, but it was 17 years before the pair produced their first progeny - a calf who lived only two days. Another baby, born the following January, also died. However, a third robust calf, born as normal for a hippo in the pool, in November 1872 survived - at birth over a yard long and weighing about a hundred pounds. After an awkward introduction, when the parents fought dramatically in front of their offspring, 'Guy Fawkes' (who was in fact a female), 'Dil' and Obaysch lived happily together at the Zoo until Obaysch's death in 1878.
Deborah Manley
References:
A.D. Bartlett, Wild Animals in Captivity, London, 1899
Wilfred Blunt, The Zoo in the Park in the 19th century, London, 1976
Sir Herbert Maxwell, The Honourable Sir Charles Murray KCB: A Memoir,
London, 1898
ADDENDA
In October 1818 Charles Barry and his companions were told of a remarkably large
hippopotamus being shot by the Arabs near the second Cataract. It was at that
time going by ship to Rosetta "as a gift to the Emperor of Austria from
the Pasha". Did it ever arrive? (Information from Charles Barry's Travel
Journal.)
Oct 2004
THE FUTURE KING LEOPOLD II OF BELGIUM AND HIS TRAVELS IN THE NEAR EAST
Responding to a query in ASTENE Bulletin 20 (Summer 2004) on the state visit of Leopold to Jerusalem, I came upon sources permitting me to sketch briefly his travelling days in the Orient before he became King of Belgium in 1865.
Between 1854 and 1865 Leopold, then Duke of Brabant and heir to his father Leopold I, travelled extensively in the Mediterranean, Egypt and Palestine. on 14 November 1854 the Duke and Duchess Marie-Henrietta, a member of the Austrian imperial family, only 19 and 18 years old, leave Brussels. After spending some time with the in-laws in Vienna, they embark from Trieste for Alexandria on 27 January, 1855. Arriving there on 2 February, they are welcomed by the Viceroy Said Pasha and the Consuls of Belgium and Austria. The following days they visit several monuments, public buildings, hospitals and Christian schools before quitting Alexandria for Cairo.
In Cairo they are received in the Palace of Kasr-el-Nil and for some days they visit the numerous monuments. On 10 February they embark on a steamer, this time for Upper Egypt, in the company of the famous Linant-Bey de Bellefonds, probably the best guide available in Egypt. For three weeks they visit the classic sites (Karnak, Luxor, Valley of the Kings …), before returning to Cairo on 3 March. After visiting Suez and the Pyramids and, again, encounters with the Viceroy, the Duke decides to leave Cairo for Damietta, only accompanied by Linant-Bey, the Duchess and his doctor (the steamer provided by the Egyptian government was too small to accommodate his retinue). On 19 March the group is reunited and it sets out for Rosetta. On 22 March the group reaches Alexandria again. The Duke and Duchess spend their last days in Egypt in the palace of Ras-el-Tin, before going on to Palestine on the yacht of the Khedive. From 27 March to 16 April they are in Palestine visiting the important sites. The next two weeks they are in Syria (Damascus) and Lebanon; on 3 May they are off to Cyprus, Rhodes, Smyrna, Greece, and the Greek islands, Returning home they also visit Malta, Sicily, Rome and Naples. Finally they reach Brussels on 25 August 1855. (1)
Leopold's second voyage to the Orient took place in the spring of 1860. It was limited to a month in Constantinople. In his personal journal, written in the form of a long letter to his father, Leopold I, all kinds of information is to be found. (2) It is noticeable that he preferred Cairo to Constantinople, especially the monuments of the former. The journal is above all important for Leopold's slumbering ideas on colonisation (he tries to obtain land concessions in Cyprus and Crete).
During the winter of 1862-3 Leopold returns to Egypt. This time he is accompanied by, amongst others, Dr Staquez, who left a detailed narrative of the journey. (3) The group starts off from Brussels on 21 October 1862. In Marseilles they embark for Algiers. After a short stop there and also in Malta, they arrive in Alexandria 9 December. Then it's off to Cairo, Aswan and Philae. This time Leopold's main guide is the famous Auguste Mariette. Returning they visit the building site of the Suez Canal and make an excursion to Mount Horeb and the Sinai Desert. Finally the group returns to Brussels, arriving there on 30 May 1863.
Jan Anckaer
References
1 The sources for this voyage are to be found mainly in the Archives of the
Foreign Affairs Ministry in Brussels.
2 Voyage a Constantinople (1860), ed. Sophie Basch, Bruseels, 1997.
3 L'Egypte, ; la Basse Nubie et le Sinai: Relation d'apres des notes tenues
pendant le voyage que Son Altesse Rpyale Monseigneur le Duc de Brabant fit dans
les contrees, en 1862 et 1863, par le docteur Staquez, Leige, 1865.
Oct 2004
EUROPEAN
MAGAZINE, OCTOBER 1822
The Canal of Alexandria last year received, in honour of the Sultan, the name
of Mahmoudie. It terminates a few steps from Pompey's column, and begins near
the Nile, and under the town of Saone. Its length is 41,706 toises, its width
15 toises, and its depth 3 toises. One hundred thousand men began it in January,
1819; this number was increased the following month to two hundred and sixty
thousand; the workmen received a piastre a day. In the month of May, thirty
thousand other workmen, from Upper Egypt, were added to the number; and on the
13th September the work was completed. Six European engineers directed the work.
In Bulletin 19 Dr Alix Wilkinson described her recent survey of the Canal with Yvonne Neville Rolfe.
Oct 2004
In The Literary Gazette and Journal of the Belles Lettres 1825, a report appeared extracted from Pilgrimages in the East in 1815 and 1816 by Otto Frederick Von Richter whose "untimely death" had been reported in the first number of the Gazette. His papers were sent to the University of Dorpat and his tutor, Professor Evers, had selected material from his letters and manuscripts to publish as a book. M. Lidman, Richter's fellow traveller, Professor of Linkneping University had promised also to publish an account, which had not then appeared. Here is the published extract recounting a visit to Lady 'Esther' Stanhope.
I found her with two slaves and two little pages, in a wretched hut (at the convent of Maschmash) … She had recently returned from Palmyra and this was the main matter of their discussion. She continued about the political relations of the neighbouring tribes. … she especially boasted of having in her service the most desperate rogues, robbers, and assassins - which gave her great power. She had just sent some of them to procure information respecting Mr Bautin (sic), a French traveller, who was reported to have been assassinated in the mountains of Annsarieh, while he was pursuing his bold resolution of visiting these famous mountains in Caramania. (Colonel V.Y. Boutin (1772-1815) had travelled in Egypt (with Drovetti), in the Eastern desert, Sinai, Siwa and Syria and was murdered in April 1815. Who was Who in Egyptology, M. Bierbrier.) Lady Hester then sent for the Abbe Gandolpho, "a Roman Missionary, who at that time resided with her" and they supped together. Otto Richter's conclusion about Lady Hester was:
"She appeared to me a person of superior understanding; but, with her head full of strange ideas, she does well to remain where she is."
Oct 2004
Emily Beaufort and her sister, daughter of Admiral Beaufort of the Beaufort Wind Scale and author of Egyptian Sepulchres and Syrian Shrines by Viscountess Strangford, reached the Second Cataract and the great rock at Abu Sir in the spring of 1858….
But before we retraced our steps there was something to do, to accomplish which I had armed myself with a hammer and chisel, not knowing in the least how to use them, but resolved to leave our names among the pilgrims who had rested on that narrow ledge of rock before us. A mighty company of names are gathered there, and a feeling of something awful came over one in the sight of the hundreds recorded on that unchanging stone - abiding there still like tangible shadows of those who carved them when in health and vigour, yet of whom so many have now already passed away! For only a few years - twenty at most - has that ancient river been open to travellers, yet already, like the Volume of the Great Book, that rock, the record of those who spent but one short hour of their brief existence there, is crowded with the names of the dead! Of those we had personally known by far the greatest number were gone into that land whence none return; and it was with a feeling of sad pleasure that we placed our names among them - thus making a sort of reunion in matter as well as thought - a silent, half-living companionship. (p.32)
Oct 2004
click on Walton's camel for top of page
