Evening star., 1923-04-07
CARNARVON'S LAST NOTE
TELLS OF FUTURE PLANS
Written Prior to Departure for Cairo,
Where Death A,uGited, Article Out.
lines Many Problems to Be Faced.

coping with this large surface lies
in the very narrow space there Is
between the canopy and the wall.
Proba bly, is long we can get in
lays to stay fixed in the wood we
shall be safe, for Immediately we can
get to less cramped quarters the
work viii become comparatively easy.
Must Remove Canopy.
AS TO what chemical treatment Will
be used nothing is yet definitely fixed,
but Mr. Carter. with the aid OF Mr..
Lucas. is constantly thinking of the
matter, trying to decide what will be
the best means of solving this per-
picking problem.
or course, II is absolutely necessary
TO remove the outer canopy. for moth
Ing could be taken out of the inner
chamber until this has been effected.
NO doubt. however. we shall board up
the entrance to the inner store cham
per TO prevent dust getting there and
gradually remove all the canoples.
of its-or their--lesser size. be prob
ably easier to handle. but in a case
or this sort 1t is generally the unex
pected that happens. and II is quite pos
Slbte that some Unforeseen difficulty may
arise 10 retard the work.
Inner Chamber Easier.
The inner store chamber will be
eaSlcl u Idtklt. IOT i tnlnk tne OD-
jects are in a better condition. The
sans and rigging of the boats. al
though without doubt exceedingly
fragile. are still where they ought
to be and appear as II they could be
preserved. ] rather doubt il this
would have been the case had they
been in the outer chamber Although
some of the ivory inlays seem to have
sprung, yet the boxes seem generally
TO be in a far more solid condition
than those found elsewhere.
1t is difficult to assert (for | have
not touched iD. but l certainly think
that what is perhaps the most won
derful object that we have so far seen
in this tomb-the Canopic chest
looks almost fiercely solid.
Thus 1t will be seen that ] antici-
pate less trouble in this chamber than
with the objects we have handled so
far.
Would Leave Sarcophngus.
As regards the sarcophagus. which
one hopes 10 find intact, together with
the body OF the king, that | very
much hope-and I can say feel sure
VIII be allowed to remain where IT
was placed so many centuries ago
There are quantities of sarcophagi
and hosts of kings mummies in the
CAIRO Museum. and / cannot really
believe that any government can wish
TO add to their number.
When Napoleon's coffin was opened
at st. Helena prior to it's being car
rled to the Invalides drawings were
made of his face, which was in per-
feet state of preservation. Unfortu-
nately. l do not think that any great
artist was present at the ceremony
Of evhumatIon at ST. Helena. for there
is nothing, as far as l know in the
shape of a drawing or a picture by
any famous artist.
May Take Face Mask.
At the present moment we. at all
events, possess photographs. and the
lens, properly worked. as a rule faith
fully reDroduCeS what il is asked to
accomplish. Thus. when we open the
sarcophagus we may be able to give
TO the world true portrait of the
King. This will surely be better than
placing him in glass case in a mu-
scum.
1t may also be possible to make
wax copy of his features.
To my mind. mummies a. best are
unpleasant objects to look upon. AS
long as science is satisfied with re-
gard to the kings age and one or
two other details. | think we should
be content to let King Tutankhamen
remain in his sarcophagus in the
place he has occupied for the last
$3.50 years.
Fears for objects I'm Annex.
With regard to the third stage here
to solve. The room or annex is so
packed with objects that ii is hard
to say what there is or what there
is not There are some dozens of
boxes and baskets. all OF which will
have to be opened, and if the con-
tents at all come up to what has
been found in those from the first
chamber the work will be stupendous
l rather doubt if the preservation in
this portion of the tomb is as good as
chAmhHr oh
ber is deeper and further in, and the
way leading to the mortuary chamber
having been sealed ii would seem quite
likely that the things in it will have
felt the ravages of time less than the
objects in the annex, where a hole had
been made in the sealing and the damp
air that penetrated to the outer cham
ber must have been able to flow into
the annex with greater ease.
Much study Stni Needed.
This chamber appears to be, and is,
smaller than the first or outer cham
ber, but l should not be surprised to
see more objects come out of it than
out of the first. 1t is SO crowded with
things that 1t would be quite impossi-
BILE to move at all in the room, and
be made to move the first objects out
without setting a foot within.
L have, hope. made 1t clear what
task lies before us, and how very i'm
portant it is not to be unduly dis
turbed. Should the experiences of the
present season be repeated 1t is i'm
possible to say when the work can be
II should also be remem-
bered that even with the absolute and
final clearing of the tomb the work will
be by no means finished. Endless
study and research will still be re-
Qufred worthily to present the artistic
and historical facts that have been OBJ
tanned by much hard woodwork
willingly given, it is true. but which
will come to naught unless the opera
tors are allowed to work in peace and
without interference.