Sir Austen Henry Layard was a British Assyriologist, traveller, cuneiformist, art historian, draughtsman, collector, politician and diplomat. He was born to a mostly English family in Paris and largely raised in Italy. He is best known as the excavator of Nimrud and of Nineveh, where he uncovered a large proportion of the Assyrian palace reliefs known, and in 1851 the library of Ashurbanipal. Most of his discoveries are now in the British Museum. He made a large amount of money from his best-selling accounts of his excavations.
Earl Russell to Mr. Adams. [Confidential.] Foreign Office, August 4, 1862. Lord Russell presents his compliments to Mr. Adams, and has the honor to forward to him herewith, confidentially, for…
Her Majesty’s Foreign Office to Laird Brothers. Foreign Office, September 4, 1863. Gentlemen: Earl Russell has been led to understand that you have intimated that, while you were not in…
[Inclosure 1.] Mr. Layard to minister for foreign affairs. Madrid, October 16, 1873. M. le Ministre: It has been my duty, acting under instructions from my government, to call the…