HENRY SALT

Henry Salt became associated with Egyptology as the employer of Belzoni, friend of Burckhardt, and the owner of three important collections of Egyptian Antiquities. He was born in Litchfield, in 1785. He had been trained as a painter. He first visited Egypt when he toured India and North Africa with the Viscount Valentia, George Annesley. He returned to Africa in 1809 on a government mission to establish contact with the King of Abyssinia, which occupied him for 2 years. In 1815 Salt was appointed Consul-General in Egypt, and he reached Alexandria in March 1816. He financed the excavations of Belzoni, Caviglia and d’Athanasi. He married an italian lady (who died preamturly with her daugheter in 1824) and died outside Cairo in 1827.

TWENTYFOUR PLATES da "A VOYAGE TO ABYSSINIA" (da sinistra a destra e poi ancora) 1. "The Great Hall of Joseph" incisa da J. Greig 2. "A Brind Feast", incisa J. Fittler 3. "Abyssianian Resting" incisa C. Warren 4. "Azoro Tishai at Adowe" incisa da C. Warren 5. "Abyssinian at Massowah" incisa da Pollard

LA BIBLIOGRAFIA DI SALT

A Voyage to Abyssinia and Travels into the Interior of that Country, executed under the order of the British government, in the years 1809 and 1810; in which are included, an account of the Portuguese settlements on the east coast of Africa.  4to. Half-title, 28 engraved plates on 27 leaves, 7 engraved maps and charts on 6 sheets, 4 folding, 1 hand-coloured, and 2 vignettes.

Egypt, A Descriptive Poem with Notes by a Traveller. Small 4to. 51,1 pp. Alexandria, Printed for the Author by Alexander Draghi, at the European Press, 1824.

LE PAROLE DI SALT

On "Egypt". "This poem was printed with a view to divert the Author's attention, whilst suffering under severe affliction as well as to give encouragement to a very worthy man, the Printer. It is the first English work carried through the press in Alexandria, and as the compositor was entirely ignorant of the language in which it is written, the difficulties that existed, in correcting the proof sheets, may be easily imagined. This it is hoped may excuse many errors..."Salt was British Consul-General in Egypt when he wrote this work. His wife and infant child had just died and he too was in poor health which explains his melancholy strain.

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