Letter from Schaeffer to the Colonial Secretary acknowledging his decision, and letter to Megaw on funds and purchase of land to excavate, with a draft announcement of the excavationsClaude Frédéric-Armand Schaeffer

[printed: Le Castel Blanc, 14 Rue Turgot, St.Germain-en-Laye, (Seine et Oise).]

Mirror-image ink text, bleed-through from reverse: "...are now comfortably reestablished in Nicosia and we are well with your delightful hermitage at St.Hilarion. ... our kindest regards to your wife. With best wishes, Yours sincerely,"

1st June 1948

Dear Megaw,

A formidable amount of work and new difficulties of all kind with our undertakings in Syria and Palestine as the result of the deplorable situation there, have prevented me from answering earlier yours letters of March 13th and 24th which crossed mine of march 15th.

1. Enclosed is a proposed draft for announcement. I hope you will find it acceptable.

2. I shall reserve for the acquisition in 1948 the necessary funds in order to participate to the limit of 350 pounds.

3. The Commission des Fouilles ask me to discuss the acquisition with you again in view to reserving to the French Mission a share in the propriety of the land purchased with its funds. We can leave that matter until I see you again in autumn.

4. I am enclosing a formal reply to the High Commissioner's letter of March 5th.

5. I told you that as a result of the franc's devaluation I shall not be able to do this year as much as last. I therefore, want to concentrate probably on the north quarter to get the plan of the big house complete. Would you be good enough to have inquired what the cost of transport would be, of the earth dumped on the south side of the quarter. It could be taken away by the villagers in their spare time for a reduced price and either be dumped with the rest north of the quarter outside the town limit indicated by the big stones of the North wall, or be used to improve their fields to the north of the road Enkomi-Styllos. The workmen workmen could be made responsible for collecting stray finds and building stones. - It would be a good thing to have that part cleared before our return to work. Of course, in case it is cheaper to take a contractor from Famagusta I don't care; the villagers, each time I asked them a price for anything where always extremely costly. The amount of earth is easy to assess.

6. Have our dump of stones to the left of the road to Styllos since been disposed of and how many millions did it bring ...?!

7. I enclosed a letter for Dikaios.

P.T.O.