At home in England the deepest disappointment was felt by those who had interested themselves in the acquisition, and a protest was forwarded by Mr. S. P. Cockerell through Mr. Hamilton to the Government, petitioning that no permission to remove the marbles from Malta should be granted, and demanding a new sale on the ground of improper procedure in the first. In the end, however, it was not found possible to contest the validity of the sale, and they were finally delivered to the Prince of Bavaria in 1814. FOOTNOTE: [41] Now the Hôtel de Provence. CHAPTER XVI ATHENS--THE EXCAVATION OF MARBLES AT BASSÆ--BRONSTEDT'S MISHAP--FATE OF THE CORINTHIAN CAPITAL OF BASSÆ--SEVERE ILLNESS--STACKELBERG'S MISHAP--TRIP TO ALBANIA WITH HUGHES AND PARKER--THEBES--LIVADIA--THE FIVE EMISSARIES--STATE OF THE COUNTRY--MERCHANTS OF LIVADIA--DELPHI-- SALONA--GALAXIDI--PATRAS--PREVISA--NICOPOLIS--ARTA--THE PLAGUE--JANINA. The fate of the Ægina Marbles being now practically settled, Foster, who was engaged to make a marriage very displeasing to his family, with a Levantine, left for Smyrna, while Haller, Linckh, and Cockerell went to Athens. The latter had not been in Greece since November 1811. In the interval the expedition to dig up the sculptures he had discovered at Bassæ had been there and had successfully accomplished their purpose, the party consisting of Haller, Foster, Linckh, Stackelberg, Gropius, Bronstedt, and an English traveller, Mr. Leigh.[42] They had provided themselves with powers from Constantinople sufficient to overcome the resistance of the local authorities, and after many difficulties had succeeded in bringing away the sculptures with one exception, to which I will presently refer. The excavations were carried out in June, July, and August, while my father was absent at Malta and in Sicily. Nevertheless, as he had discovered their existence it was understood that he was to be a participator in any sculptures that should be disinterred. The party of excavators established themselves there for nearly three months, building huts of boughs all round the temple, making almost a city, which they christened Francopolis. They had frequently from fifty to eighty men at work at a time, a band of Arcadian music to entertain them, and in the evening after work, while the lamb was roasting on a wooden spit, they danced. However, if Cockerell lost the pleasure, he escaped the fever from which they all suffered desperately--and no wonder, after living such a life in such a climate.