1953: McFadden's death (2 of 2)

Mr. Hill may have written you about the general financial status between George's personal account and the excavation account at the time of his death. In brief, for your information, the expedition owed George at that time (for disbursements properly chargeable to the Curium Excavation account, but actually paid out of the personal account) a total of £276-18-3. During the spring and summer, while Mr. Hill was handling the accounts, the whole amount was repaid out of the Excavation Fund by paying off George's local personal indebtedness and expenses, and we have in addition paid out the £67-10-6½ mentioned above. The details of this can readily be made available. I presume we should have the accounts gone over and certified by an accountant before we present our final bill to the estate.

(Note: It occurs to me that the above does not take into account the $600. advanced to George for the mosaic project. This amount was paid into the Curium account in Limassol, and the funds in this account had been entirely used up by the time of my arrival for running expenses in general. Result is, as best I can see it, is that we pay twice if we want the mosaic for Phila. Would you suggest I add this to the bill to the estate, or isn't it worth the trouble in view of their generosity?)

In looking over Mr. Hill's inventories,of which I have copies here, several things occur to me:

1. Curium Excavation account, Ottoman Bank, Limassol.

This account, I gather, is one which has been maintained at the bank over a considerable period of years and the money paid into it over the years presumably came from both the Museum's contributions for excavation at Curium and from George's contributions. I assume that this account was originally a Museum account and should also like to assume that it continued to be down to the time of George's death, even though after we withdrew our support of Curium the funds deposited in it were contributed by George. I have my authority to draw on it from the University, not from the estate, for instance. It seems likely also to me that any sums he deposited in this account would have gone on record in his income tax returns as contributions to the Museum.

If this is so, can I not assume that any equipment purchased from the Excavation account is automatically Museum property and that we simply take it over without legal transfers and fuss? The less of that we have the better.

a. A glance at Mr. Hill's inventory will show a great deal of expedition property (which will be Museum property, if I assume correctly above) which we will probably not be interested in retaining at the end of our year (furniture, linens, etc.), and which probably the Cyprus Museum would like to have here. Have you any views about disposing of such things to them? This question at this point since I expect to see Peter Megaw soon to discuss matters. I am inclined to suggest that we make such items over to