647.a.1

Imprint: Day and Son, lithographers to the Queen and to H. R. H. the Prince of Wales, 6, Gate Street, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C. 1864.

Quarter bound folio volume, green buckram boards with gilt rules and coat of arms on upper and lower boards, measuring 380 x 290 mm and containing the narrative report of the expedition, 12 maps and plans, 22 double-tinted lithographic plates, 10 lithographic reproductions of Greek inscriptions, 26 woodcuts in text and 16 original photographic illustrations by Francis Bedford, showing a selection of the sculptures brought back to England. The printed advertisement for the book, pasted into the front of this copy, states that the publication would be limited to 300 copies, costing six guineas each, and would contain 'a narrative of the proceedings of the expedition, from the time of its starting from Malta, in November, 1860, until its return in October, 1861, including a particular account of the excavations, and a description of the remains of the other cities, which, with Cyrene, formed the ancient federation of Pentapolis. Some account will also be given of the present condition of the country, and of the character, manners, and customs of its Bedouin inhabitants.' The expedition was originally undertaken by Smith and Porcher as a preliminary reconnaissance, at their own expense, with the object of examining the ruins of Cyrene (modern Shahhat) on the Mediterranean coast of Libya, with a view to organising a larger expedition at some future date. The Admiralty granted the use of a naval gunboat to transport the expedition from Malta to North Africa and, after putting together a caravan at Benghazi, the expedition reached Cyrene on 23 December 1860. The initial excavations proved so successful that it was considered that enlarging the scope of the expedition would bring to light many important finds of Greek and Roman sculpture. Surveys of the surrounding country also convinced Smith and Porcher that any such finds could (with some difficulty) be transported directly to the coast for shipment to England, rather than travelling the much longer route via Benghazi. Official naval assistance was accordingly forthcoming, and the naval vessels 'Assurance' and 'Melpomene' were sent to bring the statues back to England. Further expedition funding was also supplied by the British Museum, where the sculptures were housed on their arrival in England and where they were photographed by Bedford for this volume.