D'Athanasi, Giovanni; Salt, Henry [Hrsg.]: A brief account of the researches and discoveries in Upper Egypt: To which is added a detailed catalogue of Mr. Salts collection of Egyptian antiquities (London, 1836)

I

BELZONl's PRETENSIONS. 39

the greatest ease. In this I am happy to say I
completely succeeded ; and it was not long before
Mr. Banks received, at a very trifling expense,
the pedestal of his obelisk.

After the removal of the obelisk, Mr. Belzoni
resolved upon setting out for Thebes in the same
boat which had brought the obelisk; instead of
which it was undoubtedly his duty to have
shipped off the alabaster sarcophagus and all the
other pieces of antiquity, and to have accompanied
them to Alexandria.

One evening before quitting us, he had the
audacity to demand of Mr. Salt, as the price of
his services, this very sarcophagus, which he
wanted as he said to form part of the tomb which
he was about to erect in England. He thus
had the modesty to fix upon the choicest and
most valuable article of all that Mr. Salt had
been able to procure, after an outlay of some
thousands of piasters. Mr. Belzoni knew very
well that he had already been liberally rewarded
by Mr. Salt for his services;—for besides the
salary agreed upon between them, the latter, as
a gratuity for his discovery of the tomb, made
him a present of a thousand piasters, besides two
sculptured lions' heads, which he afterwards sold