New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-06-24
A CHARMING EXPLORER
MADAME DIEULAFOY AND HER SHUSHAN
TREASURES

Dieulafoy, the explorer OF the mounds which stand
on the site Of the City Of Shushan, whose name
through the Book of Esther is familiar to all Bible
reading nations. She shares the honor in degree
with her husband, who is civil engineer in the
department OF roads and bridges. lie had the first
idea, it is true of doing Of ShusIian what Layard
did at Babylon. But General Sir Robert Smith,
who organized the Geographic service in Persia for
the British Government and greatly helped the
enterprising couple, says that Madame Deulafoy
was the soul of the Undertaking, and that nobody
unacquanted with the part Of Persia in which she
carried through her enterprise could have any idea
of the difficulties that were to be surmounted.
Shushan was the winter palace Of the great Darius
and in the plains, as Persepos up in the mountains
was the summer one The whole country about
both is utterly wild, and the plain, which was
covered with network Of canals for irigating
purposes is now all marsh. Roads even 80 rudi-
mentary as tracks or trails do not exist The
horses and mules arc unused to draft work, and
the inhabitants have fallen into state of barbar-
ISM Fever is o. terrible enemy to the European.
Water is not drinkabe and is almost deadly, unless
first boiled. Food supplies are meagre and uncer-
TAIN and the sun is hot that t drink any Of the
wines which the country produces would be to
have brain fever 1t took ninety days to pen
citrate from the Persian Gulf to Shushan. Ac-
cording to Sir Robert Smith, who attended the
opening of the Persian Museum created by NJ
and Madame Dieulafoy. and who gave me many
particulars about her work. she was never de-
pressed under the most depressing circumstances,
made light of disappointments and difficulties.
and though worn to thread by fever and
famine continued the soul Of the enterprise
At first she had. she said. to save honor. The
French Government allowed NJ Dfeulafoy 4l,0O0
francs to make searches for art and antiquities
in the mounds Of Sbushan. and the brave little
woman felt as though he and she would be
eternally disgraced, and at any rate expose them
selves to the charge Of having got the grant for
the mere purpose of making an Oriental tour
at the cost Of their country. When after
much digging they came to a wall-facing in small
glazed and colored tiles and representing in bas-
relief q large lion, she found in it encouragement
to 20 on The lion is now in the Louvre. Tho
first thing she saw was rhe lions nose. and then
the head was brought out by the excavators. In
few more days the rubbish was cleared away
from the forehead and terrible brute. modelled
as well as if by Cain Barge stood out to the adj
miring eyes Of the French engineer and his wife,
They then came upon bas-reliefs of human figures
in line, also in painted and glazed tiles, and
matching exactly with the types at modern
Shushan. The Persian potentates who dwelt in
the palace which the Dieulafoys have partially
laid bare were probably tender fsshers to their
offspring, to Judge by the quantity Of toy vessels
which have been brought to light. There are
kettles, cruises. water jars. bottles. decanters
and many other kinds Of playhouse
or dolls'-house furniture in pottery aud
glass. The iridescent and milky glasses
Of which these are fragments are OF great
beauty and antiquity. Another art in which the
ID fi,,,a ~ ipnao Great
excelled was seal-carving Sometimes the seal was
cylindrical and the sunlzen carving all round, in
which case it was to be rolled on piece OF wax
the breadth of its circumference. There were
other concal seals, with the signet on the base.
The stronger the magnifyng glass with which one
looks at the impressions they make the more their
beauty is apparent.
The President of the Republic and Nine. CarnoS
attended the opening of the Persian huseum'
which consists Of three rooms, and Will soon en-
brace five. NJ Carnot bargained in accepting tho
invitation that only hundred persons were to be
invited and that he was to see the list Among
the hundred were NJ. Renan, NJ. Oppert, the decl-
pherer of cuneiform inscriptions; Sir Robert III.
Smith, Mr.. Armstrong, head of the Science and
Art Department of Great Britain; NJ Kaempfen,
the Director of the Louvre and NJ Jules Claretie,
of the Theatre Francois. In addition TO the objects
have above described, there was hall pillar OF
astonishing originality Of form, astonishing mass
iveness of effect, and I have no doubt great
beauty when in o colonnade The capital was
formed of two hornless antelopes' heads, looking
in different directions, and resting on sub-cap-
ital, which looked in front, so far as shape Went,
little like the two lower leaves of the shamrock
The column would represent the stalk. which had
for its pediment duplicate OF the top, less inc
deers heads which last were like sub-capitaL
The shaft and base Of gray stone and OF great
size, and supported large projecting block Oh req
marble, square and polished
NJ Dieulafoy did the honors to the President
and Nine. Dieulafoy to Mime. Carnot, who was
dressedin black MORE antique, with jet trimmed
mantle and black lace bonnet Nine. Dieulafoy
herself was in mans clothes, and she looked
charming. Without being exactly pretty she has
O charming face, honest as the sum- fresh OF COM
pIexion, surmounted with q high. wide forehead
lighted I'D with dark blue eyes. which have
nothing to hide and much to say, and delicious
smile on a wide but well-formed mouth Her hair
was cropped as close though she were !ailbird'
and so q finely formed head Of considerable power
was well in view Her standing collar. shirt
breast and spread cravat Of white figured silk were
spruce and in ell respects faultless The blacK
paletot was of light twilled cloth, fitted loosely
and came down to the knee. 1t was buttoned up
enough to hide the waistcoat but not
the shirt front The trousers were
of the same stuff as the paletot,
neat and rather in the pegtop' form. noticed
that her hands were very pretty and ended OIL In
almond shaped nails that bore marks OF constant
attention. The voice was small in volume, but q
very pretty treble, and the dicton was also charm
ing. 1t was, after NJ. and Nine. Carnot left very
funny to see her when addressed by any one taKo
off her hat and stand with it in her hand, unti
her interocutor said: MADAME, couvrez vous
je vous, en- prize" The little woman shows frankly
and artlessly desire to plesse-and peases. lhere
is not grain of mannishness about her, ana one
is astonished to see how her mental and moral
qualities more than supply the want OF iriliinss'
fopncinos and other adornments in which the feni-