T. E. Lawrence Correspondence – Page 430

Enclosed in letter of 15 27.12.1912 Copy. In the year 1879 the British Museum decided to excavate on the site of Garchemish, known today as the Kalat of the village of Jereblu... in the .a... of ...redjik. Accordingly a fourth share of the site, amounting ... conums out of the total of 160, was purchased by Mr. Henderson then British Consul at Aleppo. The sale was properly reg...tered at ...redjik, where the record still remains. Excavations were begun tentatively afresh in 1911 and a protest was at once made by the owner of the remaining 120 conums of the Ma...nt, Hassan ibn Hussein. The Imperial commissioner attached to the excavations assessed a fit compensation for him of 25 Turkish plo..rs value, but in spite of this, a little later Hassan appealed to the local authorities urging his d...rings and his protest was for...rded to Constantinople. The result was an inquiry from the Minister of Public Instruction as to the nature of the ground under d...pution, transmitted by the Mutessarif of Urfa to the mu... of ...redjik. The ... reply being that the ...a... was useless for military purposes and further stated that the entire site, if put up for sale would not (fetch. deleted) by him to the Dragoman of the British consulate of Aleppo. The site is in matter of fact in part covered with ruins, and subground should not be intensively irrigated. No further steps have been taken by the Imperial authorities. ... pending a declaration from them it may be difficult for the expedition to resume excavation, or to put up the re...isite storehouses for the antiquities in the Drying of hole. It is therefore desirable that the validity of the Henderson purchase of 1879 should be confirmed as soon as possible and instructions ... able to conduct its operations without fear of interference from local landowners.