TAA i.2.1.129

in the proposed concession made by Mr. Lacau June last. Our conversation, prompted by Foucart, drifted towards the unfairness of the recent new Rules and Regulations which were to be brought to bear on the excavator. Foucart said that they practically prohibited further scientific investigations and research in this Country. Ziwar Pasha agreed, and he was most emphatic that both the excavator or discoverer should be fairly treated and he even went so far as to point out that the Civil Laws of Egypt dictated no other than that attitude. I then asked if he would kindly call a meeting between the Minster of Public Works, Merzbach and myself for us to discuss and arrange a final settlement. He said "No", but asked me to write him a letter embodying my request, when he would at once take the matter in hand. This terminated the interview, and I saw Merzbach that evening at his home when he drafted the letter (dated December 29th.) attached.

On January 4th., having received no advice, though apparently the Cabinet had had a special sitting on the Tut.ankh.amen question, and the Press reported the meeting as being favourable, Merzbach agreed to phone to Sidky Pasha (Minister of Interior) asking him to kindly expedite the matter and to appoint an early meeting for settlement. 5 pm. the same day at Merzbach's request I called at his house, when he told me that we were shortly to meet Sidky Pasha, Abd el Hamid Bedawy Pasha (Conseiller Royale) and Lacau at the Ministry to discuss the Tut.ankh.amen settlement on the lines of Sir John Maxwell's letter of March 11th. 1924. (see copy attached).

This introduced a somewhat upsetting element in the present negotiations. It appeared that the new Ziwar Ministry being necessarily ignorant of the facts connected with the Tut.ankh.amen question, were obliged to resort to our past enemies, Badawy Pasha and Lacau. This was unfortunate for us. We were thus brought into contact with the hostile feelings of the past, a fact which became apparent during a private conversation that I had with Ziwar Pasha at the Mohamed Aly Club the following evening. Ziwar Pasha informed me that the whole matter could be easily settled with the exception of the last paragraph in my letter - the question of division. He said that they wanted that point renounced, but that the Egyptian Government would in the end be generous towards Almina, Countess Carnarvon, in the matter of duplicates which would not interfere with "le grand ensemble". He also asked me to withdraw the law suit.

January 5th. discussed with Merzbach Sir John Maxwell's letter of March 11th. 1924 and various details in the clauses of the proposed concession of June last.

At noon January 7th. Merzbach and I went to the office of the Conséiller Royale at the Ministry of Public Works, where we met Bedawy Pasha and Lacau, and opened the negotiations based upon Sir John's letter. I much regret to say that there was a decided anti undercurrent throughout the whole discussion, but notwithstanding this Merzbach brilliantly carried many points through: we were to renounce all rights to a division but we were to receive a letter wherein the Egyptian Government would undertake to give Almina, Countess Carnarvon, some duplicates after the completion of the work. The vital point now rests on the wording of that letter - to be discussed in our next interview 11 am. Sunday January 12th.

I must say I was astonished how our request "not to oblige me to remove the royal mummy from its tomb" was opposed.

The summary of this interview was reported to you in the following cable of January 7th;-