Travels of Lady Hester Stanhope, Volume 3 (of 3) — Inside the Classic

Archaeological Observations and Inferences

The excerpts reveal a methodical approach to ruins. At San, Meryon notes a fallen obelisk with hieroglyphics, a granite sarcophagus, and a colonnade of granite stumps. He measures a pillar fragment at nine spans in diameter. He also discovers a part of a granite statue in alto relievo, with a right foot still intact. His inferences are cautious: he suggests the city was built on the flat, not on the monticules, because a wall of sun-baked bricks remains while marble columns have fallen. He attributes the survival of the brick wall to its lack of portability, unlike the marble and granite that attracted removal by Moslems. This shows a critical eye for both material evidence and human impact.

Travel Conditions and Local Interactions

The journey is marked by discomfort and negotiation. Meryon's boot chafes his foot, forcing a halt. The party hires workmen to carry a statue fragment to their boat, but hastens away due to fears of being plundered: the locals' 'rude jocularity' and 'half insolent, half inquisitive' looks are taken as warning. They sleep on the boat at Weled Ali. Later, they buy cheese and milk at pens on the canal banks, and must report to a subaltern officer levying salt duty. The raïs (boat captain) gives unreliable information about the duty amount. These details paint a picture of constant vigilance and improvisation.

The Editor's Role and Narrative Voice

Charles Lewis Meryon, as editor and narrator, shapes the account. He refers to himself in the first person and includes personal observations, such as his chafed foot. He also mentions 'Shaykh Ibrahim' who runs ahead to search for fragments. The narrative includes direct speech from locals offering to lead to other ruins for reward. Meryon's voice is that of a physician and scholar, but he does not hesitate to record his own physical limitations and the party's fears. The catalog subjects list 'British -- Middle East -- History' and 'Women travelers', but the excerpts focus more on Meryon's own experiences than on Lady Hester's actions, suggesting her presence is mediated through his perspective.

Readers should approach this volume as a physician's travelogue rather than a biography of Lady Hester Stanhope. Meryon's detailed descriptions of ruins and daily logistics offer a ground-level view of early 19th-century travel in the Levant. The narrative's value lies in its specific observations of material culture and local interactions, though it is filtered through a European lens. Those interested in archaeological history or Ottoman-era travel will find much to examine.

In Meryon’s account of Lady Hester’s weary caravans, I often think of the quiet loneliness of the road—the same solitude that hums beneath the hobo’s tramping in An American Hobo in Europe A True Narrative of the Adventures of a Poor American at Home and in the Old Country — A Closer Reading. Both wanderers carry only their wits and a wary hope, strangers to every hearth they pass.