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My dear Smyly,
I hope 'Cleg Kelly2' has reached
you all right. It lasted me as far as
Rugby3 on a very pleasant journey, the sea4
bring like a lake.
The Fund agreed to our proposals without
discussion. They had been wrangling for
half an hour about Naville5 and Sir John6
Evans, not being a subscriber to the G.R.B7,
was too bored to discuss it. So I have
written to the Americans8, though whether I
shall get an answer is very doubtful. But
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we shall proceed on the hypothesis that
next year's vol. is to be a crocodile one,
and shall expect you here in October.
Gradenwitz now proposes to come here at
the beginning. of August. I hope he will
be presentable!
I had a very pleasant inside of a week
in town9, though not such as to efface
the memory of my Dublin visit. Petrie's
show10 is well worth visiting, if only for
the Aegean pots warranted (by P.)
comtemporary with the 1st dynasty. I also
went to the Wallace Collection11. The
French pictures are I suppose valuable
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historically, but interested me less
than the Dutch and English ones, which
are superb. By the way is your
(engaged) sister12 aware of the likeness
between herself and the famous 'Nelly
O'Brien13'. If not, let her go and study it.
Remember me to Mahaffy when you see
him and thank him for forwarding the
letters. He is, I understand, to pay
Lord Amherst a visit this week; I am
sorry I have not time to go down there too.
1. 1900
2. Refers to Cleg Kelly, Arab of the City: His Progress and Adventures, a book by S. R. Crockett, 1896.
4. Refers to the Irish Sea.
7. Stands for Graeco-Roman Branch, the part of the Egypt Exploration Fund supporting Grenfell and Hunt's excavations.
8. Presumably refers to Phoebe Hearst through George Reisner.
9. Refers to London.
10. See W. M. F. Petrie, Catalogue of antiquities from excavations at Abydos, found by the Egypt Exploration Fund and the Egyptian Research Account […]. London: University College, 1900.
11. The collection was donated to the state by Lady Wallace in 1897.
12. It is unclear which of Smyly's sisters this refers to.
13. Joshua Reynolds, Miss Nelly O'Brien is the portrait that Grenfell saw.