Hone, Brindley

manuscript journal with detailed daily entries from 26 November 1860 to 1 May 1861, mostly concentrating on antiquities and wildlife, with 13 stereoscopic photographs and 19 engraved views laid down, concluding with a transcription of "Address to the Mummy in Belzoni's Tomb" by Horace Smith, and with three documents and firmans relating to travel inserted, the diary being a later fair copy in 253 numbered pages, plus blanks, 4to, Ballybrack, Dublin, after 1864 (paper watermarked "A. Pirie & Sons 1864"), some adhesive residue surrounding items laid down into the volume

Condition is described in the main body of the catalogue, where appropriate.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A LIVELY AND UNPUBLISHED RECORD OF EGYPT, THE HOLY LAND, LEBANON AND SYRIA BY A WESTERN VISITOR. Brindley Hone (c.1827-1909) was the brother of the artist Nathaniel Hone, RHA. He undertook this ambitious expedition to ancient sites with three friends, George F. Swettenham, Captain Gibton, and Rev. George S. Simcockes. They travelled up the Nile from Cairo as far as Lower Nubia, visiting historic sites including Giza, Memphis, Thebes (Luxor) and the Temple of Kom Ombo. Hone gives detailed accounts of archaeological sites as well as wildlife (primarily describing birds killed on his many shooting expeditions) and local customs, such as the scanty dress of Nubian women. In March 1861 they travelled by sea from Alexandria to Jaffa, and from there continued to Jerusalem. They visited the major sites in Jerusalem and its environs as far as the Dead Sea. Hone and Rev. Simcockes got themselves tattooed with "the five crosses, crowns, and olive branches, forming what is called the 'Jerusalem mark' as a safeguard against the evil eye", and the group visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for "a sort of full dress rehearsal of the Easter ceremonials to take place next week", finding the building hazy with incense and patrolled by Turkish soldiers with fixed bayonets in case of trouble between the Christian sects. They then travelled north, passing through Nablus, Nazareth (where the group visited "'Aga Akiel', the celebrated robber chieftain"), Acre, and Tyre to Beirut, where part of the city was in ruins following recent massacres of Maronite Christians. Finally, the group travelled overland to Damascus, where Hone is full of praise for "the oldest city in the world", and then to the ancient site of Baalbek. Hone judged the remains even more impressive than Thebes and includes some fascinating details of the state of the ruined temples, including that of Jupiter ("...it was much shaken by the earthquake... in 1709... when the central block of stone of the lintel, and on which is carved the Eagle sacred to the Sun, fell a depth of four feet... and now looks so insecure, that one hesitates a moment, before walking under it...")