616 ATHENS. 
Eleusiman marble. After some deliberation, 
the Governor acceded to our request ; but upon 
the express condition, that we would obtain for 
him a small English telescope belonging to 
Signor Lusieri. This request opposed a very 
serious obstacle to our views; because it 
became necessary to divulge the secret of our 
undertaking to a person indeed in whom we 
could confide, but who was at the moment 
actually employed in collecting every thing of 
this kind for our Ambassador ; who had pro- 
hibited the removal of any article of antient 
sculpture on the part of his countrymen, ex- 
cepting into his own warehouses, as an addition 
to the immense Collection he was then forming, 
in the name, and with the power, of the British 
Nation. Yet there was no time to lose: the 
Wahvode might soon mention the matter himself 
to an intriguing Consul, who paid him a daily 
visit ; and then, (although the Statue were the 
Wahvode 's property, and, of course, the right to 
dispose of it belonged exclusively to him) we 
had reason to believe that our project would 
be instantly frustrated. Accordingly, we made 
Lwieri acquainted with the whole affair; and 
our generous friend, disdaining every unworthy 
consideration, not only resigned the telescope 
upon our promise of sending him another from 
