Dear Mr Whittemore,

april 6. 32

10, Kings Avenue, Bromley, Kent.

I send you some more notes. You will have to sort them & sift [mot barré] the wheat from the chaff. The two articles from the Quarterly Review 1819 & 1845 were very interesting, both are written probably by the Editor – there is no name to them & both review what appear to be books or articles, but I have not been able to trace the books in the Museum.

Both articles refer principally to the convents in the later districts, but the political conditions refer I suppose to all convents in Egypt. St Anthony & St Paul are mentioned. The pencil notes on Quarterly Review, vol 77 are all extracts with the exception of two notes of my own, these are marked in ink. AB. notes.

It is almost impossible to believe there were 70000 monks at any time in Egypt.

The notes mention Edessa which apparently was one of the most important centres. I gather that few of the monks went over to Europe. The Greeks certainly did after the Turks came to Asia Minor but the other races seem to have gone south. I have applied for a student

#tu..l# & next week intend devoting more time to Burtons diary, not so much for his notes but with the hope that I may ## his print.

Burton « struck oil » at Ezzeit, he has several notes about it stopping his digging, I copy one

Aug 15. 1823 Ezzeit

Petroleum pits. « We had several about 15 ft below the level of the sea & the rock whence arises the petroleum is just about level of the sea … The petroleum rose & fell with the sea as the pits were dry. »

He later had to abandon his work there owing to the increase of petroleum. You had better give this information to some of the Standard Oil ## & if these pits are not worked by the Egyptian Oil Company it may be profitable to investigate & if anything comes of it you will please remember y[ou]rs sincerely

Arthur Baker