14

NINEVEH AND ITS DISCOVERERS.

soon to put an end to them, even though his learned friend had been kind enough to come to his assistance. However, the attention of the antiquarian world had in the meantime been greatly excited by the accounts of the first fruits of researches, the subsequent success of which was certain; and on the demand of Monsieur Mohl, whom Messrs. Vitel and Letronne hastened to support with their influence, the French government decided on giving a fresh proof of that generosity with which it is always so ready to facilitate scientific researches. By a decision of the 24th of May, 1843, Duchâtel, Minister of the Interior, placed at Botta's disposal a sum of 3000 francs, that he might thenceforward carry on the works with more activity, and on a more extensive scale.

Notwithstanding this important aid, Botta had to contend with fresh obstacles at every step. The marshy environs of the village of Khorsabad have a proverbial reputation for insalubrity-a reputation which was fully justified by his own personal experience, and by that of the workmen employed; for they all, in turns, felt its dangerous effects, and on one occasion the antiquary himself was very near falling a victim. But this was the least of his difficulties; the unfavourable disposition of the local authorities was one which caused even more uneasiness, and one which was most difficult to surmount. It is a well-known fact, that the Moslems, too ignorant themselves to understand the real motives of scientific researches, always attribute them to cupidity, which is the only spring of their own actions. Not being able to comprehend that the sums laid out were for the purpose of obtaining ancient remains, they believed that the search was for treasure. The inscrip

tions, copied with so much care by Botta, were in their eyes the talismanic guardians of these treasures, or to point out the spots where they were concealed, for the benefit of the Frank who should succeed him. Others, who no doubt thought themselves more cunning than their neighbours, proposed, by way of explanation of Botta's researches, a still more eccentric idea; they imagined that their country formerly belonged to the Europeans, and that these latter search for their inscriptions in order to discover therein the title by which their rights might be proved, and by the help of which they may one day or other lay claim to the whole Ottoman empire!

These absurd notions did not fail to influence the avaricious

and suspicious mind of Mohammed Pasha, who was then governor of the province of Mósul, and it was not long ere he began to grow uneasy at the researches which he had at first authorised. Taken with the idea of the treasure being hidden in the ruins which were being brought to light, he at first confined himself to having the workmen watched by guards, and when the slightest object formed of metal was found in the course of the excavations, it was seized and carried to him. These relics he submitted to every possible kind of proof, to convince himself that they were not gold; and then fancying that, despite this watching, the men who were employed might still succeed in keeping from him objects of value, he threatened them with the torture to make them reveal the existence of the imaginary treasures. Several of the workmen were, in consequence, on the point of leaving Botta's service, notwithstanding all his assurances of protection, so well did they know the cruel disposition of Mohammed Pasha. Each day threatened some fresh difficulty, and Botta, who had continually to recommence his negotiations, would perhaps have been driven to throw the matter up in disgust, had he not been encouraged by the certainty of the extreme interest of his discovery. The works, however, although often interrupted by these petty annoyances, gradually advanced until about the commencement of the month of October, 1843, when the Pasha, in obedience perhaps to hints emanating from Constantinople, formally prohibited all further search. Some pretext or other was necessary, but a Turkish governor is never at fault in this respect, and the following is the one he invented. Botta had built, with the governor's express permission, a small house at Khorsabad, in order that he might have a place in which to reside when he visited the ruins; nevertheless the Pasha pretended that this house was a fortress erected to command the country, he informed his government of this grave fact, and any further excavation was immediately prohibited, and the innocent researches of the zealous antiquary suddenly assumed the proportions of an international question!

Botta lost no time in taking measures to obtain the removal of the prohibition. On the 15th of October, 1843, he despatched a courier to the French ambassador at Constantinople, informing him of what had occurred, and begging him to apply to the Sultan for such orders as might be necessary to enable

16

NINEVEH AND ITS DISCOVERERS.

him to continue without impediment the works which were, at that period, being executed at the command and expense of the French government. While awaiting the result of the steps taken by the ambassador, he had the greatest difficulty in prevailing upon Mohammed Pasha not to pull down his house at Khorsabad, nor to fill up the excavations, which he affected to believe were the ditches of the pretended fortress. At last, however, he granted the persecuted savans a respite, in the hope that his falsehoods would gain credit at Constantinople, and that the Sultan would approve of his conduct. The means which he employed for this purpose were very curious, and afford an illustration of the way in which the Turkish government is continually being deceived as to what takes place in the provinces of the empire. The inhabitants of Mósul knew, from long experience, that Mohammed Pasha shrunk from no means by which he might attain his ends, and fear rendered them obedient to his will. He first obliged the Cadi of Mósul to go to Khorsabad and draw up a false account of the extent of the pretended fortress: this report was sent to Constantinople, accompanied by an imaginary plan, calculated to inspire the most horrible ideas of poor Botta's hut. He then had a petition against the continuation of the researches drawn up, which he compelled the inhabitants of Khorsabad to sign; this petition also was sent to Constantinople. During all this period Mohammed Pasha never desisted from his protestations of friendliness towards Botta; he assured him that he was a complete stranger to all the difficulties that impeded the scientific work, and gave him, in writing, the most favourable orders, while he immediately afterwards threatened the inhabitants with the bastinado in case they were unfortunate enough to obey him. One single trait in this long comedy will show the manner in which Mohammed Pasha played his part. "I told him one day," says Botta, "that the first rains of the season had caused a portion of the house erected at Khorsabad to fall down." "Can you imagine," said he, laughing in the most natural manner, and turning to the numerous officers by whom he was surrounded, "anything like the impudence of the inhabitants of Khorsabad? they pretend that the French consul has constructed a redoubtable fortress, and a little rain is sufficient to destroy it. I can assure you, sir, that, were I not afraid of

hurting your feelings, I would have them all bastinadoed till they were dead; they would richly deserve it, for having dared to accuse you." "It was in this manner," continues the justly indignant Frank, "that he spoke, while he himself was the author of the lie, and his menaces alone were the obstacle which prevented the inhabitants from exposing it."

At the expiration of a little time, however, Mohammed Pasha perceived that the shameful tricks he was carrying on did him more harm than good. His position was no longer sure, and as he desired a reconciliation, Botta was in full hope of obtaining permission to continue his operations, when the Pasha's death, which took place in the interval, afforded him the wished-for opportunity. But by this time he knew the intentions of the French government, and was expecting that the draftsman he had asked for was on his way to Mósul. He had found how quickly the sculptures lost their freshness when once exposed to the air, and thought it better to await this gentleman's arrival, as he could then copy the bas-reliefs as they were dug out. Besides this, he had no doubt that the French ambassador would obtain such orders as would effectually prevent all future annoyance, and he therefore did not think it advisable to take advantage of the opportunities afforded by the Pasha's demise, but preferred commencing when he had obtained the means of continuing the work without fear of interruption, and with every chance of turning it to account. During the interval of delay he finished the copies of the inscriptions already discovered, and conveyed into the court-yard of his house at Khorsabad all the bas-reliefs which he judged worthy of being sent to France.

Up to the period of his researches being interrupted, he had brought to light a large number of monuments. He had opened a door, and at the feet of one of the winged bulls which ornamented it, had found a bronze lion, the only one remaining of all which must formerly have been placed at the entrances. While the workmen were digging to lay the foundations of his house, they had discovered the head of one of the bulls of another door; and this single fact would have convinced him, had he not been before satisfied, that the whole space was full of ancient remains. Lastly, the accounts received from the inhabitants of the town allowed no room for doubting that there

с

18

NINEVEH AND ITS DISCOVERERS.

were also ruins buried at the place where, at a later period, he found the small monument of basaltic stones. He possessed, therefore, the most unmistakeable signs of the existence of archæological treasures throughout the whole extent of the mound, and his conviction on this head was so great, that he invariably expressed it in his letters to his friend Mohl.

The Paris Academy of Inscriptions and Belles-Lettres had followed the progress of Botta's discoveries with the liveliest interest. The certainty there was of arriving at still greater results than those already obtained had induced them to second the demand he had made for an artist who was better qualified than himself to preserve, by an exact copy, those sculptures which it would be impossible to send to France. This demand had been granted, and by decisions of the 5th and 12th of October, 1843, precisely at the period that the Pasha of Mósul was stopping his researches, the Ministers of the Interior and of Public Instruction had adopted measures for furnishing him with means of terminating his undertaking in a manner worthy of the French government. A fresh sum of money was placed at his disposal for the continuation of the works, and, on the suggestion of the Academy, Monsieur E. Flandin, a young artist, who, conjointly with Monsieur Coste, had formerly been employed on a similar mission, was selected to proceed to Khorsabad to copy the sculptures already found, and which might yet be discovered. At the same time, the Ministers decided that all the sculptures which were in a state to admit of their removal should be conveyed to France, and that a publication, dedicated especially to the purpose, should make the world acquainted with Botta's discoveries.

We must now return to Khorsabad. Botta still had to obtain the consent of the Porte; and those who are ignorant of the resources which Ottoman diplomacy derives from misrepresentation, would hardly imagine all the difficulties that the French Embassy had to overcome in order to prevail upon the Divan no longer to feign a pretence of a belief in those phantom fortifications, said to have been erected by the Consul of France at Mósul. Some more real obstacles, however, founded upon certain peculiarities of the Mohammedan law, were added to this ridiculous pretext. The village of Khorsabad was built over the monument it was desirable to lay bare. To do this, it was necessary that the inhabitants should remove to some