THOMAS HARTLEY CROMEK (BRITISH 1809–1873) and other 19th Century hands An album of 52 watercolours and sketches belonging to Edward Law Durand  An album of 52 drawings and watercolours by various hands compiled by Edward Law Durand (1st Barnonet 1845-1920). Including: three signed views by Thomas Hartley Cromek (1809-1873) depicting Rome., Athens, and Mycenae; three signed sketches by Arthur John Strutt (1819–1888); four sketches by William Swainson (1789-1855) of the Hutt Valley, New Zealand dated 1847-8 and other subjects including: views of Haddon Hall, Chatsworth and Hardwick Hall; Dresden, Avignon, Corfu. The earliest dated sheet is 1807 but the majority of the works appear to date around the 1840’s. Most of the unsigned works are inscribed in English. Album size: 37.5 x 27.5cm (14 3/4 x 10 3/4in) (52) The album appears to have belonged to Sir Edward Law Durand (1845-1920). He was one of three sons of Sir Henry Marion Durand (1812-1871) who had served with distinction in the First Afghan War and the Indian Mutiny. Edward was educated in Bath, Repton and Guildford. He entered the 96th Regiment of Foot in 1865 but transferred to the Indian Political Service in 1868 and in 1870 was selected as ADC and Private Secretary to the Lieutenant-Governor of the Punjab. From 1871-77 he filled various posts in Rajputana and Central India, before briefly serving as Acting Political Agent in Manipur in 1877. In 1878 he was appointed Acting Assistant Resident in Bushire. During this posting Captain Durand was sent by the Resident in Bushire, Colonel E.C. Ross (q.v.), to survey Bahrain. It was on this occasion that he became the first European writer to comment on the Bronze Age burial-mounds there, and had the fortune to discover a cuneiform inscription which he brought back to his family home in Scotland but which was later moved to London where it is believed to have been destroyed during the Blitz. Durand's report on the island was forwarded by Ross to A.C. Lyall, then Secretary of the Government of India's Foreign Department, and was later published in 1880 in the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society (New Series) vol. XII (Part II), pp. 189-227, where it was entitled Extracts from Report on the Islands and Antiquities of Bahrain. In 1881 Durand was placed in charge of the former Amir of Kabul and from 1884-86 he was Assistant Commissioner for the Afghan Boundary Commission. In 1888 he was appointed Resident in Nepal , where he served from 1889 until his retirement in 1893. He was author of Cyrus the Great King (verse; London 1906), and Rifle, Rod, and Spear in the East (London 1911). He died in London in 1920. ·