Vyse and the removal

The work in 1837

The diary entry for 1 August 1837 records access to the Third Pyramid’s passages and names Perring, Mash, Raven and Hill in the work. Vyse’s publication combines the investigation account with later footnotes about removal and transport.

Vyse’s stated reason

Vyse said he resolved to send the sarcophagus to the British Museum because he believed it would otherwise be destroyed. This is his stated justification, not independent evidence of an inevitable outcome.

Extraction and timber packing

The footnote describes removal of one ramp in the inclined passage, trucks, cleared blocks in the anteroom and hauling by men using a “crab” at the pyramid’s mouth. When part of the trucks failed, levers were used to move the object out. It was carried over rock and sand to the tents and cased in strong timber.

Vyse estimated its weight at nearly three tons. The account documents specific interventions; additional claims about the means or extent of damage require their own original evidence.

The museum and consular arrangements

Nielsen describes the January 1838 offer and trustees’ acceptance, with £150 authorised for transport. He quotes a Foreign Office instruction of 17 February and Campbell’s reply of 18 May reporting Hill’s separate £150 Giza–Alexandria contract and procurement of export permission. The archival originals remain awaiting examination.

The reported firman

Campbell’s statement, transmitted through Nielsen, reports that permission had been obtained. The permit itself, its wording and conditions have not been established from an examined copy.

Reference: people, roles and firsthand knowledge ↗