/ WAYNE S. VUCINICH ^/it i^iC^^W^*- r'Jx^f' GEISEL LIBRARY *> *£ ORh/fRSlTY OF CALIFORNIA, SAN WIGQ ^ LA XXIA. CALIFORNIA ^ ^^ WAYNE S. VUCINICH EGYPT AND NUBIA. EGYPT AND NUBIA, THEIR SCENERY AND THEIR PEOPLE. BEING INCIDENTS OF HISTORY AND TRAVEL, FROM THE BEST AND MOST RECENT AUTHORITIES, INCLUDING J. L. BURCKHARDT AND LORD LINDSAY. J. A. ST. JOHN. ElLElTHTlAS. ILLUSTRATED WITH ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY-FIVE WOOD ENGRAVINGS. LONDON: CHAPMAN AND HALL, 186, STRAND. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGB Historical Importance of Egypt — Shores of Egypt — Arrival at Alexandria —Ophthalmia— The Donkey Ride— The Quarantine Harbour , . 1—10 CHAPTER II. Description of Alexandria— Its History — Divisions of the City — Wretched- ness of the Arabs— Porapey's Pillar— Cleopatra's Needles . . 10—19 CHAPTER III. Climate of Egypt— A Levantine Party— The Pasha's Fleet— Naval Regula- tions— Bazaars of Alexandria ...... 19—29 CHAPTER IV. Sheikh Ibrahim — Insurrection at Alexandria — Castle of the Phai'os — Pasha's Salt-water Baths .....•• 30—38 CHAPTER V. The Catacombs— Gardens of Boghos Bey— Character of Mohammed Ali 39—4 CHAPTER VI. Journey to Rosetta — General View of Egypt — Bedouin Encampment — Aboukir Bay— Night Scene— Lakes of Egypt— Rosetta — Battle of the Nile — Famines in Egypt— Eating live Serpents .... 48 — 63 CHAPTER VII. The Delta— Voyage by the Nile to Damietta — Circumcision Feast — Menouf — Mansoura — Love Charms — Damietta — The Pasha's System of Taxation — Misery of the Fellahs — Departure from Damietta — A Bedouin Encampment — Voyage up the Nile ..... 64 — 82 CHAPTER VIII. Journey across the Delta — Ferry over the Nile — Hunting Excursion — Manufactories of Fouah— Sa of the Stones — A Sheikh in want of Wine — Shibin-el-Kom — Fair of Tanta— Marketing in the East— Mohammedan Justice — Distant View of the Pyramids — Movement of the Population of Cairo 82—103 CHAPTER IX. Cairo — Description of Cairo — An Eastern Dwelling-house — Story of El- Amj ad and the Lady ..... . • 104 — 111 CONTENTS, CHAPTER X, PAGE The Citadel of Cairo — The Hall of Saladin — Interview with the Governor of Cairo — Saladin's Well — Visit to the Pasha's Harem — Massacre of the Memlooks — The Spuinx — Excursion to the Pyramids — The Sphinx — Operations of Captain Caviglia — Discoveries in Front of the Sphinx — Sentiments inspired by the Pyramids — View from the Summit of the Pyramids — Discussion on Petrified Lentils — Oriental Account of the Pyramids — Descent into the Well — Interior of the Pyramid — Sunset near the Pyramids ....... 112 — 147 CHAPTER XI. The Haj Escort — Memlook Horsemanship — The Virgin's Tree — Historical Conjectui-es ........ 147 — 153 CHAPTER XII. Across the Desert to the Fatoum — Terrors and Charms of the Desert — Supper near the Site of Memphis — The Desert— Reports of Insurrection — The Mh-age, or Goblin of the Desert — Mysterious Sounds of the Desert — The Fayoom — Fix-st View of Lake Mceris .... 153 — 166 CHAPTER Xin. Adventures during a Visit to Lake Mceris — Beautiful Scenery — Rebellion of the Moggrebyns — The Shores of Lake Moeris — Voyage across the Lake — Ruins on the Western Shores of the Lake — Danger from the Moggrebyns — Rose-Gardeus— Medinet . . . . .166—180 CHAPTER XIV. From Medinet to Benisooef — Brick Pyramid of Hawara — Bedouin Encamp- ment — Noble Bridge over the Bahr Yusuf — Market-Day at Benisooef . 181—190 CHAPTER XV. The Harem-el-Kedab — False Pyramid — Route to Mitraheni — Pyramids of Dashour — Colossus at Mitraheni — Pyramid of Sakkarah — Pyramid of Cephrenes— Egyptian Superstition ..... 191 — 205 CHAPTER XVI. Superstitions of the Modern Egyptians — Theory of the Jinn — The Jinn in England — Stoi-y of the Haunted House — Continued Persecutions of an Efrit— Death of a Ghost ....... 205—2)5 CHAPTER XVII. Departure of the Pilgrim Caravan — Animated Scene — Lawlessness of the Bedouins — Visit to the Madhouse of Cairo — Description of the Bazaars —Lock-Makers and Turners ...... 215—226 CHAPTER XVIII. Egyptian Saints— Character of the Santons— Story of Weli— Palace of Ahmed Pasha — Interior of the Harem — Characters of the Ladies and their Slaves — Inmates of the Harem — Reception of Visitors — Devotion in the Harem ........ 226—241 CHAPTER XIX. Gardens of Shoubra— Kiosks and Baths — Egyptian Horses . . 242 — 245 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XX. PAGB Visit to the Mosque of Flowers, to that of Sultan Hassan — Dwellers in the Mosque — Tomb of Sultan Hassan — The Ashoora — Shrine of El- Hoseyn ......... 245—253 CHAPTER XXI. The Nilometer and the Island of Rhoda — Island of Rhoda — Valley of the Wanderings ........ 253—258 CHAPTER XXII. Isthmus of Suez — Desert of Suez — Slave Bazaar — Patriarch of the Copts — The Pasha ........ 259—267 CHAPTER XXIII. Dancing Girls of Egypt — The Dancing Girls — Song of the Ghawazee — Armenian Entertainment — The Dance ..... 268 — 276 CHAPTER XXIV. Departure from Cairo — Tracking on the River — Melancholy Incident — Quarries of El-Massara — Arab Burial — Scenes on the Nile — The Pelican — Arab Aversion for the Army — One-eyed Regiment . . . 277 — 288 CHAPTER XXV. Voyage up the Nile — Pleasure of the Journey — Incident — Storm on the Nile — Visit of a Hyaena to the Boat — Conflagration — Splendid Sunset — Coptic Convent on the Bird-Mountains — Swimming Monk — Ruins of Achoris — Story of Ibn Khasib ...... 288 — 302 CHAPTER XXVI. From Mineh to Manfaloot — Grottoes of Benihassan — Approach to Man- faloot — Story- telling on the Nile ..... .303 — 311 CHAPTER XXVII. Crocodile Mummy Pits — Preparations to visit the Catacombs — Search for the Entrance — Second Attempt — Dangers of the Pit — Explanatory Legend ......... 311—321 CHAPTER XXVIII. From Manfalootto Siout — Conscription in Egypt — Affectionate Parting — Visit to Siout — Anecdotes of the Defterdar Bey — Administration of Justice in Turkey—" The Cities of the Dead "—Egyptian Village . 321—335 CHAPTER XXIX. From Siout to Abydos — Condition of the People — The Red and White Con- vents — A Stuffed Crocodile — Market-day at Es-Serat — Palace of Memnon ' — Adventure — Site of Chenoboscion — Temple of the Goddess of Love — Approach to Thebes — First View of Thebes — Egyptian Theory of Art — Visit to the Tombs of the Kings — View of the Plain of Thebes — Descrip- tion of the Memnonium — The Vocal Statue of Memnon — Medinet Abou — Tombs of the Queens — Temple of Luxor — Temple of Karnak — The Hall of Columns — Egyptian Serpents . . . 335 — 378 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXXI. page Rebellion of an Arab Prophet — Battle of Gamounli — Rout and Massacre at Gheueh— Victims of the Rebellion . . " . . . 378 - 386 CHAPTER XXXII. Voyage to Esneh — Temple of Cleopatra — Mode of administering Justice — En-yptian Barber— Oases of Libya — The Ghost Caravan — People of Breris 386-398 CHAPTER XXXIII. From Esneh to Es-Souan — The Harvest Home — Arrival at Fares — Quarries at Silsilis — Arrival at Syene— Isle of Elephantine'— Distant View of the Nubian Desert — Ludicrous Scene— Island of Philae— A Dancing Party — Philse by Moonlight — Crossing the Nile — Ancient Tunnel — Evenings on the Nile 398—422 CHAPTER XXXIV. From the Gates of Kalabshi to the Second Cataract — Stony Mountains — Human Sacrifice — The Nubians — Irrigation — Gyrshe and Gherf Hussein — The Nubian Desert — Dakke — Nubian Hamlets — The Lion's Valley — Lovely Prospect — Nubian Households — Arrival at Derr — The Wady Ibrim — Pyramidal Rocks — Approach to Aboosambal — The smaller Temple— Egyptian Sculpture — Aboosambal — Desert Town and Castle — The Torpedo — Faras — Moonlight Scene — Vegetation of the Desert — Rock Abousir — The Cataracts— Conclusion. . . . 422-472 Alexandria— Terrace Pwoofs. EGYPT AND NUBIA. CHAPTER I. Historical Importance of Egypt — Arrival at Alexandria. From time immemorial Egypt has been an object of extreme curiosity to the rest of the world. The number of travellers who have explored and described it is accordingly immense ; yet each successive visitor feels as though he were approaching a new scene, a country of undelineated beauties, the very home and abiding-place of all that is most strange and mysterious in human society, and in the monuments of past ages. Of these feelings the roots lie scattered far and wide over the face of history and tradition. Almost the dawn of Scripture light breaks upon the rocks and sands of this wonderful valley, whose vast river, rolling from the unknown regions of Central Africa, diflFuses fertility wherever it flows, and has, through all ages, inspired those subsisting on its bounty with feelings closely akin to piety and religion. In Egypt, Abraham, a Bedouin from Mesopotamia, sojourned as a stranger, when his wife Sarah was taken from him to be transferred to the king's harem. Here, during four hundred and thirty 2 EGYPT AND NUBIA. years, the Beni-Isr.ael, or Children of Israel, served the Pharaohs, and grew up, despite their captivity, into a great nation. From the banks of the Nile they set out on that marvellous pilgrimage to Sinai' and Zion, those two rocky pinnacles whence the awful splendours of the law, and the mild and beneficent radiance of the Gospel, beamed forth upon mankind. Tradition, faithful appai'ently in this instance to its trust, still points out the track they pursued, conducting the traveller towards the Red Sea, tlirough the Valley of the Wanderings. But that which most hallows and endears Egypt to us, is the know- ledge that its soil received the impress of the foot of Christ, who fled thither when a child to escape the cruelty of Herod. The tree under whose thick and spreading foliage the Holy Family is believed to have sheltered itself from the noon-day sun, is shown to the traveller, shattered and time-worn, but still verdant, its trunk and lower boughs quaintly carved all over with the names of Christian pilgrims. The religion of the ancient inhabitants of Egypt, shrouded in symbol and obscurity, is still an unsolved problem to the learned, though many of its temples are yet standing almost entire, and have, painted or sculptured on their walls, innumerable representations of their charac- teristic rites and ceremonies. These venerable edifices have many of them survived the vicissitudes of perhaps four thousand years. Their massive proportions and primaeval simplicity carry us back almost to the birth of society. What a cloud of doubts and conjectures rests upon the Pyramids ! What vague hopes and expectations are excited by the hieroglyphics im- pressed on the countenance as it were of ancient Egypt, not to reveal, but hide, what it thought and did. Who has not heard of its spacious though gloomy fanes excavated in rocks beneath the earth, and of those gorgeous subterranean palaces, in many of which the dust of its ancient kings still reposes in peace, though some have been opened and rifled by the curiosity of modern times. Even the sepulchre of Osiris still exists, and may yet be discovered in the sacred Island of Philse, situate beyond the borders of Egypt, nearly beneath the Tropic, where the subjects of the Pharaohs came in contact with the black races of the interior. Nor are the associations of civil history less rife in this extraordinary land. The Valley of the Nile constituted the extreme limits of Persian conquest towards the south-west. Here Alexander the Macedonian and his successors fought and founded a new empire, overthrown a few centuries later by the legions of Rome, which, in their turn, yielded up the palm of victory to the fanatical and victorious Arabs. On the shores of Egypt, moreover, many a stern crusader was gathered to his fathers ; and in our own days, the fleets and armies of England have reaped abundant laurels on its waves and sands. Besides, throughout the whole civilised world, speculation is busy conjecturing the nature of the next change in its destiny, a change obviously fast approaching, and fraught with paramount interest to Great Britain. The satisfaction with which I approached the shores of Egypt, over which, as I have said, history, both ancient and modern, has cast so extraordinary a degree of glory, was greatly heightened by a feeling of security ; it having SHORES OF EGYPT. 3 been more than once doubtful, during the voyage from Leghorn, whether we should ever arrive or not, so boisterous and contrary were the winds, and so tempestuous was the sea. On the preceding day, the level sandy coast of Africa, west of the Arab's Tower, had been for a short time visible. It was found, however, that we had made the land much too far west, and the wind proving contrary, we again put out to sea, and worked nearly in the teeth of the weather towards Alexandria. In the course of the night the sailors, with their glasses, often caught glimpses of the coast, but it did not become visible to my unpractised eye until some time after dawn, when, as the sun rose behind the city, every eminence and inequality in the line of the horizon appeared, relieved against the pure saffron sky. The first object we discovered was the Pasha's palace, on the point of the Cape of Figs ; the next Pompey's Pillar ; and then the windmills and the shipping. Tiic land itself was so low, that we seemed to descend to it from the water. For some time before the shore becomes visible, the colour of the sea, by the intermixture of the waters and mud of the Nile, changes from blue to a dirty green, from wliich some travellers have inferred that the line of the coast is continually gaining upon the sea, though, on account of its physical conformation, it seems that no further enlargement of Egypt can be effected by the agency of the river.* It has been said that the uniformity of the shore is so great, that there are extremely few points sufficiently individualised to serve as landmarks to the mariner, for which reason shipwrecks are frequent. Nevertheless, in autumn, the proximity of the coast before it becomes visible is indicated by the colour of the water. At that season of the year, the Nile pours so vast a volume into the sea that it is almost blanched by the mud held in suspen- sion. The gradual deposition of this mud in the course of ages has formed the Delta, and given rise to those bars which obstruct the entrance of the river. The same cause diminishes every day the depth of the sea near the shore, and it is supposed may contribute, in time, to the increase of the dry land. But although this, up to a certain point, may be the case, it seems reasonable to infer that the sea at low Nile counteracts its influence. The sites of many large cities and celebrated temples on the shore are at present overflowed. Lakes have always existed ; but their dimensions have been extended. Those of Menzaleh and Bourlos now communicate with the sea, and their waves roll over the roofs of several towns, which, in some instances, have formed islands. It may be calculated, therefore, that the equilibrium of the waters of the sea and those of the Nile is different from what it was formerly. t On drawing near the land, numerous sea-mews, fishing-eagles, and other aquatic birds, were observed skimming along, or settling upon, the waves. The wind had sunk into a light breeze, the sky was cloudless, the sun, warm as in our northern latitudes during summer, cast a veil of beauty over sea and land ; and my mingled feelings of thankfulness, curiosity, and joy, strongly disposed me to invest every object around with golden hues. In itself, however, the scene was highly interesting : pillars, obelisks, forts, * Travels in the Valley of the Nile. t D«c de Ras;use. 4 EGYPT AND NUBIA. palaces, with other edifices of use or luxury, white, and sparkling in the sun, lining the shore, and partly beheld through a forest of masts ; merchant- vessels and ships of war, with outspread sails and colours flying, entering or quitting the port ; and numerous jerms, feluccas, and pilot-boats, scud- ding, like huge sea-fowl, with large white sails, along the waves. The Bay of Aboukir, rendered memorable by the battle of the Nile, was distinctly visible on our left ; and the small sandy eminences extending westward to the ancient Necropolis, were surmounted by a number of windmills of a peculiar construction, and not unpicturesque aspect. Presently the Arab pilots, dressed in the Turkish costume, which is much more convenient than the long loose dress of the Egyptian for those engaged in any active occupation, came on board, and began to direct our move- ments. A recent traveller * was greeted even before landing with signs of the most prevalent malady of Egypt. I picked up a pilot, he says, blind of one eye, as were all the crew, except an old man who had lost both. He very deliberately squatted himself, cross-legged, upon the poop, and commenced smoking his long pipe, which he scarcely ever removed from his lips till we anchored. He seemed, however, to understand his business very well, and was the first of his profession we had met whose opening inquiry was not after the rum-bottle. It took us about two hours and a half to make our way in ; the entrance, winding between shoals and sunken rocks, being peculiarly difiicult and dangerous. As soon as we had entered, numerous boats, filled with Arabs, Turks, and dirty Italians, came crowding alongside ; and when the anchor was cast, the whole of this promis- cuous rabble, motley in complexion as in =_^i . garb, poured upon the ^-^?^^^HS|:-- - deck, chattering, bar- gaining, wrangling, like a herd of Jews in 'Change Alley. The sun, glowing in a cloudless sky, poured its warm rays upon the deck. Around, the quivering and glit- tering waters flowed in channels of greater or less dimensions, be- tween the ships of war which lay motionless on tbo surface, while nume- rous small boats passed incessantly to and fro between the shipping and the quays. Late in the afternoon we landed at one of the wharfs near the custom- house, and met a company of the troops in undress, who all looked rather dirty, and walked like so many turkeys in long grass. Their Pluuos in the dibUiice. * Wilde. OPHTHALMIA. 5 dress, which is of white cotton, may be the reason they appeared so very dinwy, but otherwise they were all very comfortably clad. Their costume consists of a light jacket ; wide trousers, fitting tightly to the leg from the knee to the ankle, and buttoned down the side like gaiters ; red shoes, a striped cotton sash round the waist, and a small red cap, with a blue tassel, buff belts, and bright Birmingham fire-locks. Each party was preceded by a set of drums and fifes. As we walked along the wharfs we met several groups of both sailors and soldiers off duty. They seemed exceedingly happy, generally walking hand in hand, or playing with each other. They were all young, and mostly slight-made active men. Our entree into the city of the Ptolemies was anything but pleasing. Outside the gate, we had to pass through a village of miserable mud huts, only equalled in tilth and squalidness by the wretched-looking set of old people, half-clad women, and wholly naked children, squatted around them. These extend all along the walls of the town on the land side, and are the abodes of the wives and families of the troops and sailors. The streets are much wider than those of Algiers, and many of them very filthy. I was not many minutes in Alexandria before I was forcibly struck by the numbers of blind people I met at every turn : it is really incredible : the majority had but one eye, but many others were grop- ino- their way through the streets in perfect darkness. Squinting is a very common affection among the people of Alexandria, and the greater number of the lower orders are what would be termed " blear-eyed ;" and wherever we went we discovered lamentable traces of the ravages of ophthalmia.* Prosper Alpinus, who resided many years in Egypt during the sixteenth century, accounts more satisfactorily perhaps than any writer for the extraordinary prevalence of ophthalmia in that country. The causes lie assigns are three : — first, the prodigious quantity of nitre mingled with the soil, which, ascending in dust, injuriously affects the sight ; second, the hot winds, which, blowing for a length of time in summer, sufiice of them- selves to produce inflammation; third, the sands carried through the air by those burning blasts, which, sometimes, in the course of a few minutes, pro- duce the most painful effects. In this way, he observes, at least fifty per- sons out of every hundred are afilicted by ophthalmia, t In the desert tracts of Sinde, immediately on the banks of the Indus, ophthalmia has been found to prevail in an almost equal degree, and is there chiefly attributed to the immense clouds of dust which at certain seasons of the year are continually driving before the wind, penetrating tents and houses, and covering the very meat upon the table, as though it were dredged with flour. On one occasion, an officer jocularly observed, that his champagne was almost converted into a paste by the dust. j: During our walk through the city, we happened to light upon one of the donkey stations, when a scene ensued that beggars all description. The whole body of donkey boys, with their animals, rushed upon us with one accord the moment we made our appearance, pushing, jostling, and abusing * Wilde, Narrative, p. 246. f De Medicina jEgyptiorum, lib. i., p. 53. X Delhi Gazette. b2 G EGYPT AND NUBIA. each other in most unintelligible jargon; and half-a-dozen laying hold of each of us at once, attempted to place us, nolens rdens, on their don- keys, I was literally lifted off and on three of them, before I could employ my stick to any advantage, to deter others from plucking nie oflf the one on which I had at last secured a seat. The whole scene is really so ludicrous, that it is worth witnessing for once, after which I would advise all travellers to provide themselves with a good stout koorbask, which is made of the hide of the hippopotamus, and forms a staple article of com- merce with the inhabitants of Upper Nubia, and on the Blue River ; it is the only remedy for an Alexandrian ass-boy. As soon as we were fairly seated, the boys set the animals off at a most dashing pace, through the narrow streets, over bread-stalls, old women, and all the various merchandise that strew the floor of an eastern bazaar. The boys kept goading the donkeys with a sharp stick, and shouting to the people, " Riglac, riglac, darick," — " Get out of the way," and cursing in tolerably plain English. It was quite impossible to stop or hold up against the vis a tergo. I nearly came in collision with several enormous camels, ran foul of various Egyptian ofl&cers, naval and military, and narrowly escaped upsetting numerous blind people at every turn ; bounding or trampling over whole hosts of half-starved dogs that are always lurking about the bazaars. To attempt to reason with our drivers was out of the question ; the more we endeavoured to pull up, the more they shouted and urged on the animals ; and to turn in the narrow crowded streets was impossible. The boys laughed and seemed to enjoy it of all things, beating the unfortunate dogs most unmercifully whenever they came across them, I formed but a very passive member of the trio to which I belonged ; as a formidable blow on my donkey's head, from some passing stick, very soon convinced me. At this the beast suddenly twisted into the mouth of a narrow lane, which seemed from the smell to be the tobacco-bazaar ; when in rushed a crowd of every description, as if pursued by some terrible enemy — an avalanche could not have more confused the city. When the panic had subsided, in majestic state came the governor's coach ; and, indeed, it was necessary to fly from it. Away it rattled with four horses and a proportion of out- riders, as indifferently as if it had been flying over Salisbury Plain, bumping against the shops from side to side as it went. It would not have been possible to upset it ; and, aware of this security, with most imposing dig- nity sat the Pasha of Alexandria, with an amber-headed pipe in his mouth, and an equally grave companion on the opposite seat. This was an apparition I never expected ; and although such an advance in civilisation is highly commendable, I hope, when carriages become general, those who indulge in them may see the necessity of building towns to liold them.* This was all ludicrous enough. Another exhi- bition, equally characteristic, was now encountered. AYe were stopped by a large crowd, which quite filled the street, near one of the public ware- houses. I heard heavy blows, followed by piercing cries, in the midst of the throng of rather shabby-looking people. Urging on my donkey to the * Maj'H- Skinner. THE DONKEY RIDE. 7 spot, I saw an athletic man inflicting merciless blows upon a female with a heavy stick. She cried out i)iteously, but without any eflFect. The crowd looked on with interest and apparent satisfaction, and no one attempted to interfere. I inquired of a young Arab dragoman what was the meaning of this outrage. He answered, with an air of great indifference, in his bad English, " It is an Arab man licking his woman." I asked him if this was a common practice ; he answered, " Yes ; the wife do bad, and the Arab lick 'em." I afterwards learned that this sort of domestic discipline is universal in this country. No one supposes it is wrong, or that the con- jugal relation can exist on better terms. A European lady, resident in Alexandria, informed us that she had lately inquired of a favourite servant after the health of his wife,—" Very well," he said ; " better than common the last two days, since he had given her a good flogging." She told him that Englishmen did not whip their wives. He replied it was indispensa- ble to whip Arab women, otherwise their husbands could not live with them : they were not like Frank women.* To return, however, to our montures. It has been remarked by some travellers that the Egyptian donkey, as well as the camel, is shaven. How- ever, a shaved jack-ass is a phenomenon which neither in Egypt nor elsewhere ever came under my observation. In the desert the camels are said to be clipped by the Bedouins ; but it would greatly enhance the comedy of a pilgrimage to Mecca to behold a string of those ungainly quadrupeds closely shaven, with their enormous burdens on their backs, surmounted by the driver, toiling over the sandy plains, or down the rocky ravines which separate the Egyptian Mussulman from tlie tomb of his prophet. The barbers no doubt would greatly approve of the fashion, though there might, perhaps, be some difliculty in passing the razor over the camel's hunch. The ass would submit to this, as to every other infliction, patiently. Ali Bey, a propos of asses, observes, that although the Egyptian quad- rupeds of this species be extremely small — in some cases not exceeding thirty-seven inches in height — they are extremely quick-paced and full of vivacity. It may often be doubted, however, whether the vivacity resides in the ass or in the koorbash of the urchin who urges it forward. It may, nevertheless, be conceded to the worthy traveller, that the introduction of these beasts into our great European cities would be judicious ; and had his beyship ever visited Hampstead Heath, he would have perceived that some steps have already been taken towards carrying out his suggestion. When I had reached the midst of an extensive area, on one side of which was a wide street running down to the borders of the old harbour, with a row of high white-washed houses on each side, while, on the other, was a heap of mud, and narrow lanes opening upon it, that would, I think, have done no discredit to our St. Giles's, my little guide stopped me, and asked where we were to go. This was a simple question, and conveyed to me in one Italian word—" Dove ? " but it was far beyond my power to answer. I took the oi)portunity of a parley, however, to shake off my companion and his donkey ; and having gained some piastres from the boatman who * Dr. Olin. 8 EGYPT AND NUBIA, brought me on sl)ore, in exchange for a French piece, I rewarded him beyond all his hopes. I alighted in front of a guard-room that stands at the entrance of the street. The men had just turned out to do honour to a mounted officer, who caracoled past on a pretty little horse, and had the air of a man of some distinction. He was dressed in blue cloth, a la Turque, with a pair of European boots and large brass spurs ; instead of a shawl round his waist, he had a girdle, and no turban graced his head. He wore the close red cap, with about half an inch of a neat white one peeping below it ; he was compact, and, I may add, soldier-like enough, but shorn of everything that gives in my eyes dignity and grace to an Oriental. He reminded me very much of the compressed and uncomfortable appearance of a cock that has just had its comb cut off. The soldiers of the guard wore the same sort of head-dress, and were clothed in scarlet serge, being in make some- thing of a compromise between the fashions of the East and "West ; the officer, who was a Turk — (his men were Arabs) — was dressed in the same manner, with the addition of a quantity of gold ; and round his wrist he wore a strip of hide, with which he inflicted most tremendous cuts on the faces of the poor men if they were not, in military phrase " well dressed."* Though the persons to whom I had brought letters of introduction hap- pened on my arrival to be absent at Cairo, I still experienced the princely hospitality which our countrymen settled in the East seldom fail to exercise. An invitation to sup and spend the evening out awaited me on my landing, so that, having seen my baggage safely deposited at the " Aquila D'Oro," I immediately proceeded to the house of my new friends. All the donkeys of Alexandria were of course at my disposal ; and though I could only ride one at once, I had the satisfaction to be followed all the way by half a dozen supernumeraries, which the owner of each maintained was far supe- rior to the one I had mounted. Every Englishman is transformed at Alexandria into a naval officer, or the master of a ship at least. I had of course the honour to be thus complimented : " I say, captan," exclaimed a crowd of laughing, grinning urchins, pushing their beasts before me, as they shouted, to stop the way, " ber good donkey, dam good jackass ; take, take!" The owner of my beast, alarmed lest, if sufficient time were allowed me, I might perchance change my mind and my vionture, applied his stick vigorously to the crupper of my donkey, and bawling out at the same time in his best Lingua Franca, " Lashee la breed, lashee la breed, Senor Captan ! " soon made an opening through his opposing rivals, floor- ing some, and sending others spinning on either side towards the walls of the houses. In this dashing way we proceeded until, in an incredibly short space of tinse, I was safely deposited at my place of destination. English people are the same all the world over. I need scarcely there- fore describe my entertainment, which was such, that, had it not been for the divans, the windows, the pipes, and those who filled them, I might have imagined myself at home again. The ladies exhibited all that quiet elegance of manners which belongs almost exclusively to our countrywomen. They * Major Skinner. THE QUARANTINE HARBOUR. 9 had seen much of the world, and conversed well, but never obtruded their remarks. We talked of my projected journey and of the countries through which I was to pass. The coffee, the wine, and the pipes were excellent ; and so deeply interested were we all in the topics under discussion, that it was not until a very late hour we thought of separating. On taking leave of my hospitable entertainers, I learned the existence of a salutary regulation, compelling all persons after dark to have a light borne before them, or run the risk of being arrested by the nightly guard, and detained until the morning. Accordingly an Arab servant was ordered to conduct me with a lantern to my inn. It was late ; few persons were in the streets ; the Arab paced before mc in silence ; but, not knowing exactly where I lodged, took me to the wrong inn. This was perplexing ; for as he spoke no European language, and I no Arabic, we stood still in the street, looking at one another. The few stragglers who passed were all natives, ignorant of every language but their own. After turning over the matter in his mind for some time, the man seemed to derive some encourage- ment from my long black beard, and in an inquiring tone pronounced the word " Greco ? " I shook my head. " Franco V 1 replied in the affirm- ative in all the languages I knew : but this did not help us in the least. At length I remembered that the Tuscan Consul resided at the Golden Eagle, and on repeating his name, the Arab turned round and discovered the unknown house within five paces of where we stood. The window of my bed-chamber overlooked the quarantine harbour. It was late, as I have said, yet, feeling little inclination to sleep, I drew aside the curtains, and gazed forth with feelings of indescribable pleasure on the tran- quil basin. There was no moon : but the stars shone so brilliantly that all objects within a certain distance were distinctly visible. Numerous vessels, each carefully stationed a short way from the others, lay motionless upon the waters. They were all from suspected countries, and one with the plague then on board had cast anchor within fifty yards of where I stood. There was an Austrian gun-brig, on the deck of which, but a few days later, a most extraordinary tragedy was enacted. All the crew having been attacked by the plague, they one day, in the height of their delirium, rushed on deck, and fired the guns which happened to be loaded. The balls flew thick among the other shipping, and the cause of this strange conduct being conjectured, it was for some time thought it would be necessary to sink them. But the poor wretches were unable to reload their guns, on the carriages of which many of them dropped and died ; one individual only — an ofiicer, I am told — ultimately survived, the strength of his constitu- tion triumphing, in spite of all disadvantages, over the disease. The bedsteads of the Golden Eagle, on one of which I am now^ about to throw myself, were all of iron, wood in these latitudes being somewhat too apt to harbour bugs. An ample curtain of thin gauze, descending from a considerable height, fell on all sides, and rested upon the bed-clothes, for the purpose of excluding the musquitoes. It is a nice operation to slip under this curtain without admitting one of your enemies along with you ; for if a single intruder get in with you, farewell to your night"'s rest, I had the happiness to succeed, and the 1mm of the disappointed foe, mingling with the murmur of the waves on the beach, soon hushed me to sleep. 10 EGYPT AND NUBIA. A former traveller, whom fear of the plague induced to sleep in the vessel that brought him hither, says : " We have a minor plague on board, musquitoes and flies ; they boarded us yesterday as busy as custom-house officers ; the flies are wading incessantly through this scrawl, following my pen as crows do the plough. What trouble, not sport, Domitian would have had here ! Sir R. Wilson states that he used to kill such quautities at a time, that it appeared as if a cask of currants had been spilt. It is surely no harm to kill a musquito, and I do not know which are our greatest enemies, the flies or the musquitoes ; they hold divided sway — half sting by night, the others sting by day." * CHAPTER II. Description of Alexandria. — Pompey's Pillar. — Cleopatra's Needles. I WAS awakened, soon after dawn, by the singular scream of the stork under my window, mingled with the shrill voices of the Arabs, and the crowing of the cock, which does not here, as in Europe, proclaim the approach of morning, but is heard indififerently at all hours. My bed- chamber overlooked the sea-port, where on the left I enjoyed a view of the island on which the Pharos of Ptolemy Soter stood ; and on the right of the modern fort, which commands the entrance into the harbour, a low ledge of rocks, commencing at the site of the Pharos, stretches out a considerable distance into the sea, and over this the waves break continually in spray and foam. Other rocks, unconnected with the former, occupy the centre of the harbour's mouth, and, opposing the course of the waves, are almost perpetually covered with snowy breakers. OIJ Harbour of .\lexandria. Alexandria is situated in 31° 13' 5" north latitude, and 27" 35' 30" * Sir Frederick Henniker. HISTORY OF ALEXANDRIA. 11 longitude, near Lake JMareotis, on an isthmus which connects with Urra- firma the peninsula that forms the two ports. The new port on the east is very open, and does not afford secure anchorage in stormy weather. At the extremity of the mole which protects it, the fort of the Pharos is built on the site where anciently stood the celebrated light-house of the Ptolemies. The old port on the west offers to ships of all sizes a deep and safe basin, though the entrance, as we have said, is difficult for such as draw much water. Before Mohammed All's time. Christian vessels were forbidden to enter the harbour, being compelled to content themselves with the danger- ous road on the east. The prohibition probably traced its origin to a prophecy which foretold that upon the entrance of the first Christian ship into this port, the empire of the Jlussulman in Egypt would be at an end. The prediction has not been literally accomphshed ; for European vessels are there, and the Crescent is still in the ascendant. It may be possible, however, to foresee the period in which the words of the seer shall receive their fulfilment. Surrounded on one side by the sea, and on the other by the sands of the desert, Alexandria is placed, we may almost say, in an insular position. The present city, as has been often remarked, has inherited scarcely anything from the ancient one but its name and its ruins. The original city was built by the architect Dinocrates, after plans sketched by Alexander. Accord- ing to Pliny, its circuit was fifteen miles, and it contained a population of 300,000 citizens and as many slaves. A street, two thousand feet long and one himdred broad, traversed it from north to south, and was crossed by another nearly as beautiful. Magnificent palaces, temples, gymnasia, circuses, theatres, monuments of every kind were crowded in the cir- cumference. When Alexandria was taken by Amrou it formed, according to the Arab historian, three cities, Menne, Nekite, and Iskanderia. In his report to the Caliph Omar, Amrou says, that it contained 4,000 palaces, 4,000 baths, 400 theatres or public buildings, and 12,000 shops. About the year 1212 of our aera, a successor of Saladin surrounded it with a wall two leagues in length, flanked by a hundred towers, which still exist, and have been repaired by Mohammed Ali. Under the yoke of the Mussulmans, but principally under that of the Mamlouks, Alexandria declined rapidly ; and, at the time of the French invasion, was nothing but a large straggling village and a resort of pirates. Its population amounted scarcely to 8,000 souls, its fortifications were crumbling to decay, and such was the audacity of the Bedouins, that they frequently rode with impunity up to its walls to commit their ravages, and it was dangerous even to pay a visit to Pompey's Pillar without an escort. The rule of the French in Egypt was not sufficiently long to allow them to do much towards restoring the former splendour of Alexandria. They added, however, new fortifications, and repaired the old ones, which were fast going to ruin when they came into their possession. Mohammed Ali, however, was no sooner established in power than he pei'ceived the three- fold importance, military, maritime, and commercial, with which nature had endowed Alexandria. 12 EGYPT AND NUBIA. The city indeed is tlie military key of Egypt, the point against which the first attacks of an enemy must necessarily be directed. It was above all things requisite, therefore, to provide for its defence. The descent made by the British in 1807 proved to the Viceroy how fatal the least negligence in this particular might prove. The ports of Alexandria are the only ones possessed by Egypt ; and if fleets are necessary to protect the independence of this country, which European powers can only attack from the sea, Alexandria affords a vast and well-defended retreat. Mohammed Ali has availed himself of all the natural advantages of the place. He has made of Alexandria a military port, and has there established his arsenal. The commercial importance of any point on the northern coast of Egypt depends of course on the facility of the intercourse which may be carried on with the centre, Cairo. In antiquity, Alexandria communicated with the heart of the country by a branch of the Nile, at the mouth of which it was placed ; but this branch being gradually filled up by the deposits of the water, the first Arab conquerors were compelled to dig a vast canal, of which Eastern historians give a magnificent description. But under the administration of the Mamlouks this canal gradually deteriorated and soon became a mere ditch, completely dry during the greater part of the year. Upon this Alexandria lost its commercial importance, which was transferred to Rosetta. But Mohammed Ali has restored it to its rightful uses, by Bridge of the Aqueduct over the Canal, Alexandria. opening the navigable canal called Mahmoudiyah, in honour of the Sultan Mahmoud ; and the whole commerce of Egypt is now concentrated at Alexandria. The office of the minister of commerce is established in that city, and it is there that he disposes to European merchants of the exports of that country. Thus regenerated, the population of Alexandria has rapidly increased, DIVISIONS OF THE CITY. 13 amounting now to 60,000 souls, including the crews of the fleet and the workmen of the arsenal, forming about one-third. The other two-thirds include 20,000 Arabs, 6,000 Turks, 10,000 Jews and Copts, and 5,000 Europeans. The aspect of the city, it will be easily imagined, has been greatly chanfred within the last few years. The immense cemeteries which were once within the walls have been removed without. The sheets of stagnant water which formerly gave rise to noxious exhalations have been dried up, and the hollows filled. The streets have not been paved, it is true, but they are clean, which was not formerly the case. Buildings of all kinds, arsenals, palaces, barracks, manufactories, hospitals, &c., have been erected ; and a considerable portion of the wall near the shore has been thrown down to make way for the growth of the city. The marine arsenal is built on the peninsula called Ras-el-Tin, the Cape of Figs, together with the palace of the Viceroy, and many other edifices belonging to the government. The isthmus which unites Ras-el- Tyn to terra-firma is covered by the Turkish town, built on the ordinary plan of Mussulman cities. Then comes the European quarter, formerly called the Frank quarter, which has long been superior to those parts of the town occupied by the natives. But it is more especially since the establish- ment of Mohammed All's government, — for until then the residence of the consuls-general had never been definitively fixed at Alexandria, — that it has begun to assume an imposing aspect. In 1825 there were still but few okellas ; but now the quarter has entirely changed, having extended from the New Port to Cleopatra's Needles. In the neighbourhood of these Cleopatra's A'eeJles. monuments there exists at present a sort of square about 800 yards long and 150 broad. The houses v/hich surround this place arc built after European designs, and are very elegant. Some of them belong to Ibrahim Pasha. Here are the residences of the principal consuls. Within the old wall are two eminences about 200 feet in height, crowned 14 EGYPT AND NUBIA. by forts built by the French army. One of them still retains the name of General CafFarclli Dufalga, killed at the siege of St. Jean d'Acre. The hill on which it is situated, the nearest to the town, is formed by a heap of rubbish, and does not, to all appearance, date farther back than the time of the Arabs. The other, called Kom-el-Dyck, the Cock's Hill, is a calcareous rock, against which in old times stood a theatre. On its sides until lately were a few wretched Arab huts ; but at present the rich Europeans, having discovered the healthiness of the spot, have built upon it villas, each with its garden. The environs of Alexandria are covered, for the space of two leagues, with extensive ruins, which prove that there is nothing exaggerated in what historians have related of the wonders of the ancient city. The materials with which the Arab town is constructed, were furnished by such ruins as were scattered near the surface ; but vast remains may still be found even at the depth of sixty feet. Preparatory to issuing forth for the purpose of examining minutely the interesting and varied scenes, of which the above is an outline, I, in com- pliance with the custom of travellers, had my head shaved, and assumed the tarboosh, an elegant red felt cap with a blue silk tassel, which in Egypt has almost universally superseded the turban. But this must be regarded as a highly injudicious innovation ; for, besides that the forehead, entirely exposed to the burning sun, becomes blistered and wrinkled, the eyes suffer extremely from the fierceness of the light, so that, after a few days' journey, ophthalmia frequently ensues. Broad- brimmed hats, if the Pasha could cause them to be adopted, might in part prevent the Egyptians from degenerating into a race of Cyclops. To guard the head from the heat of the sun, two of these caps, with another of double calico, are worn ; and as the season advances, or as we proceed further south, a thick handkerchief is stuffed into the crown. Notwithstanding that the hair is always closely shaven, all these envelopes keep the head exceedingly warm, and may, perhaps, con- tribute more than any other cause to render the Egyptians grey-headed from their youth. The effect of the climate of Egypt upon the hair is remarkable. ]\Iy own beard, which in Europe was soft, silky, and almost straight, began immediately on my arrival at Alexandria to curl, to grow crisp, strong, and coarse, and before I had reached Essouan resembled horse-hair to the touch, and was all disposed in ringlets about the chin. This is no doubt to be accounted for by the extreme dryness of the air, which, operating through several thousand years, has, in the interior, changed the hair of the negro into a kind of wool. At least the conclusion seems v.'arranted by experi- ence ; for again on quitting the country I found, in traversing the moist atmosphere of the Mediterranean, that nearly all the curl and crispness of the beard disappeared. My experiment, however, terminated at Malta, where I shaved and re-assumed the European costume. It is the custom among the Franks of Alexandria to dine about noon, after which, in imitation of the Orientals, they generally indulge themselves with a siesta; but I always found one or two individuals who preferred riding out among the ruins, and who, having themselves frequently visited every quarter of the city, were tolerably indifferent respecting the direc- tion we took. Most travellers eschew the sight of misery ; and it is WRETCHEDNESS OF THE ARABS. 15 the regular practice of the Pasha's professional admirers to dwell incessantly on his magnificent constructions, on his dockyards, his arsenals, his fleets, and his palaces. It is proper, however, sometimes to look at the otiier side of the picture, and observe the striking contrast existing in this country between the ruling class and the oppressed and powerless people. Evidences of this exist everywhere, but most strikingly present themselves perhaps in the Arab suburbs of Alexandria; which I was careful to visit soon after my arrival. A few hundreds of low and dark mud hovels, built or rather hidden amidst vast heaps of rubbish, afford a scanty shelter to a population whose misery seems to exceed the bounds of possibility, little accustomed as I was then to contemplate the new civilisation of Egypt : father, mother, children are huddled in these pestiferous dens, pell-mell with dogs, cows, goats, all impressed with the same aspect of misery as the wretches to whom they belonw. It was scarcely possible to recognise our fellow-creatures in these men, undermined by want and blighted by slavery; in those half-naked, squalid, ricketty children, with swollen bellies, and eyes and mouths per- petually assailed by a cloud of flies, which they have neither the will nor the strength to drive away ; in those women, whose long blue tattered garments scarcely conceal their emaciated forms, and whose countenance, shaded by a black veil, recals the woful aspect of the penitent nuns. Nothing can give an idea of the wretchedness to which are reduced these unfortunate natives ; for in Egypt woe to whatever is Egyptian ! To the Turks, to the Europeans, are accorded liberty, privilege, licence ; to the Arabs and the Blacks, absolute deprivation of all rights. Power is the lot of the first class, subjection of the other. What a strange country is this, in which man and nature seem to have vied in accumulating the most striking and painful contrasts ! By the side of the most luxuriant and varied vegetation, the African desert spreads its sad scenes of desolation ; and near monuments which have braved the storms of ages, palaces of yesterday are crumbling to ruin ; in the midst of abundance, on the most fertile soil in the whole world, the fellahs are in rags and dying of hunger. The entire population of the country bends unresistingly beneath an iron yoke, and exhausts itself to minister to the luxuries of a handful of strangers who oppress it.* Nothing could more forcibly exemplify the frailty of the Arab tenements in tlie Alexandrian suburbs, than a circumstance which occurred during a recent winter, which being more rainy than ordinary, between three or four hundred of them were washed down in the course of one stormy niglit. On the morrow the wretched inhabitants, fathers, mothers, and children, were beheld sitting in the most forlorn and pitiable state, on the vast heaps of mud to which their dwellings had been reduced. In many cases they had not even had time to carry out the few earthen pots and mats which con- stituted their whole worldly substance, before the walls fell in and smashed or buried them. Here, therefore, was an occasion for the exercise of charity. Nor was the occasion neglected. First, the Europeans came forward, and in the course of a few hours subscribed a large sum, which, however, knowing the character of the tyrant with whom they had to deal, they did not venture * De Cadalveue et De Bieuvciv. 16 EGYPT AND NUBIA. to distribute without having first obtained the Pasha's permission. Upon their application it was peremptorily refused ! His Highness, shamed by their alacrity, or jealous of the influence they might thus obtain over the Arabs, said he would provide for his own poor, and advised them to bestow what they had collected on the European hospital. This of course they did ; and, to the honour of Mohammed Ali be it said, the sufi'erers by the storm were provided for, and had new huts erected for them, better in all pro- bability than those which had been thrown down.* In the midst of the prostrate remains of the ancient city we find, thinly scattered, the modern dwellings of the actual lords of the soil, of which some are fine large houses, in the Turkish style of architecture, situated for the most part in gardens, or rather small groves of date palms ; which, with their lofty columnar trunks, and long pendulous branches waving and trembling in the breeze, constitute one of the most interesting objects in an African landscape. This beautiful tree was now loaded with fruit, which hung down between the branches in prodigious clusters of from fifty to one hundred pounds weight. Of these dates, some were small and of a dark yellow ; others red, and others nearly black. The stems of the clusters, as large as a man's arm, and of a tawny yellow colour, come out between the branches on every side, and scarcely seem equal to the great weight which they have to support. The yellow dates are by far the smallest known, and the black ones the largest, in Lower Egypt ; but at Es-Souan, in the confines of Nubia, are found yellow dates three inches in length, though I was told that only one tree bearing such fruit existed in Egypt. Nothing in the vegetable creation can be more beautiful than a date palm, a hun- dred feet in height, loaded with ripening fruit, such as we find on the plains of Memphis. I say ripening, because, as soon as ripe, each date is gathered to make room for the rest, and lest it should fall and perish. Even the creaking sounds of the water-wheels, as the blindfold oxen went round and round, and of the tiny cascade splashing from the string of earthen pots into the troughs, which receive and distribute the water to the wooden canals, arranged for conveying it over the grounds, were not disagreeable to my ears ; since they called up before the imagination the primitive ages of mankind, and the rude contrivances of the early kings of Egypt for the advancement of agriculture, which have undergone little change or improvement up to the present hour. As almost everything at Alexandria which can be regarded as a relic of past ages lies beyond the inner wall, it is customary with travellers to divide the environs into a certain number of parts, all of which they visit in suc- cession. The place, however, is now interesting merely as a site. Power, and art, and beauty, and learning, have, we know, been there ; but for this knowledge we are almost wholly indebted to history. Still, while musing among its scanty fragments and choked and broken cisterns, we experience that melancholy satisfaction which every relic of a great people, now vanished, inevitably inspires. Riding out with a young Egyptian lady * The disaster which on this occasion befel the poor Arabs, may serve to show the fallacy of the opinion that rain is unknown in Egypt. Abdellatif observed, long ago, that although rain is rare in the Said, it falls abundantly in the northern part of the country and on the coast, par- ticularly at Alexandria and Damietta, though little or no advantage be taken of it in agriculture. POMPEY'S PILLAR. K toward the Rosotta or Canopic suburbs, I passed those overthrown cohnmis and vast substructions, which, according to M. Chaaipollion, mark the position of the famous Alexandrian Hbrary ; and, having issued through the gate, entered on a country wild and barren, but exceedingly interesting to the imagination, where long trains of camels, laden with water or with wood, and mounted or followed by Arabs, were toiling across the sands toward the city. The march of these tall, spare, uncouth animals, with heads erect, is singularly majestic : beautiful they undoubtedly are not ; but here, on the borders of the wilderness, neither the ass nor the horse appears so entirely in harmony with the scene. On each side of the road, which is merely a broad pathway worn in the soil by the feet of animals, large mounds of sand, thrown up by the action of the winds, or by the hands of man, diversify the aspect of the plain, whose undulating surface reminded me of the sea. In the distance, toward Rosetta, a long dark line of verdure like a cloud, marked the site of extensive date groves ; and near at hand were various plantations and gardens, the property of Europeans, which we traversed, and proceeded to the bank of the Mahmoodiyah, or great canal of Alexandria, where we saw numerous large boats bringing merchandise from Cairo, and towed along by men, as barges are by horses in England. In the course of our ride we observed the elegant palace and gardens of Moharram Bey, and returned towards the city by Pompey's Pillar. The appearance, dimensions, and history of this famous column have so frequently engaged the attention and excited the controversial propensities of travellers, that nothing new can now be advanced concerning it : but it may be worth remarking, that monuments which, from the frequent mention made of them, seem hackneyed and common- place in books, by no means appear so when actually beheld. You for the time forget the dis- sertations of the antiquarian, the measurements of the mathematician, the spruce trim copy of the artist, and yield up your mind to the romantic enthusiasm inspired by grand historical associations. It is doubtless im- portant that we should not attribute to one man the great public works bequeathed to mankind by another, whether those works were designed for use or ornament; but there is a pleasure altogether independent of antiquarian erudition derived from the contemplation of the monuments of past ages, vague, shadowy, composed of many mingled sentiments and feelings, but sweet to the mind, and perhaps the only adequate compensa- tion which the traveller can ever receive for his toils and privations. While gazing on this vast lonely column, the names of Leo Africanus, Pietro della Valle, Pocock, Shaw, Bruce, Volney and Denon, all men of immortal reputation, who had once mused on the spot where I then stood, came crowding upon my memory. I thought, too, of what Alexandria was when that pillar was erected ; of the temples, the theatres, the gardens, which once delighted the eye from tliat barren eminence — all now vanished like a dream. The height of Pompey's Pillar, including that of the pedestal and capital^ is ninety feet. Some travellers have inferred, on account of its rough workmanship, that the capital is extremely ancient, whereas its coarseness of execution and bad taste prove it to be the production of a very lute period, when the arts had all degenerated in Egypt. The shaft EGYPT AND NUBIA. of rose-coloured granite >Yas exceedingly beautiful before it had been dis- figured by the absurd vanity of nautical travellers, who have daubed it all ■Pompey's Pillar. over with their barbarous names. Miss Talbot, a young Irish lady, who ascended with a party of officers to the summit, is said to have written there a letter to Mr. Salt, which she dated : — " From the top of Pompey's Pillar." The Consul, then at Cairo, very wittily, in replying to her, dated his epistle : — " From the bottom of Joseph's Well." Into antiquarian research it is not my province to enter. That the column had no reference, however, to the Great Pompey may be very confidently assumed. Though by whom it was erected, and in honour of what emperor, if of any, are points scarcely capable of decision. At any rate, they are not worth all the learning which has already been expended on them. Objects of this kind have in all ages most amazingly puzzled the Arabs. One of their writers, who visited the pillar in the thirteenth century, tells us that there then existed a cupola on its summit, and that, strewed around in confusion, were the fragments of other columns, whicli, along with it, had supported the roof of a vast portico erected, he surmised, by Alexander the Great, for the accommodation of Aristotle, who there taught philosophy to the CLEOPATRA'S NEEDLES. 19 Egyptians ! On the same spot also stood the famous library burned at the command or with the permission of Omar by Ararou-Bcn-Alas.* Gibbon, to mitigate the pungency of our sorrow for this catastrophe, insinuates that the greater number of the books must have been on theology, if in reality the conflagration ever took place. From this relic of antiquity, near which we descended into the vaulted passages of an extensive venerable edifice, whose lower part seems still to exist beneath the sands, we proceeded over innumerable heaps of ruins, to Cleopatra's Needles, those beautiful obelisks of rose-granite, which are supposed to have adorned the entrance to the palace of the ^Egyptio- Macedonian kings. Of these the one towards the east is still standing : the other has been overthrown, probably by an earthquake, and lies partly buried in the sand. The latter is mounted on props, and seems as if pre- pared for a journey : accident alone has prevented its being in England. t CHAPTER III. Climate of Egypt. — A Levantine Party. — The Pasha's Fleet. In their description of Alexandria, travellers would frequently appear to have been more intent on indulging their ge- nius for satire or ex- aggeration, than of conveying a correct idea of the place. No two accounts re- semble each other ; but, as the city itself has undergone innu- merable revolutions and changes of for- tune, much of these discrepancies may, per- haps, have arisen from this circumstance. At present it is a respect- able, if not a handsome city. The number of spacious okellas in- habited by European merchants ; the new detached houses erect- ed in various quarters by Turks and Franks ; the elegant well-fur- nished shops ; the Tower in the Wall of the Arab Quarter. * Abdcllatif. f Richardsou. 20 EGYPT AND NUBIA, mosques, convents, villas, and palaces, situated within the walls, — render its aspect gay and agreeable. As a place of residence, it is undoubtedly pre- ferable to any other city in Egypt; indeed, it would, in many respects, bear a comparison with some of the seaport towns of Italy or France. Two small theatres, with temporary decorations and scenery, and supported by amateurs, have been established by the French and Italian residents ; and the per- formances, though no professed actors are employed, are far from being contemptible. Other amusements, adapted to the taste of civilised nations, are likewise obtainable ; music parties, conversazioni, soirees, balls, routs, dinners, wine, dancing girls, &c. Latterly, indeed, the Pasha has affected extreme strictness on the subject of the ghawazi, who are forbidden to visit professionally the houses of Europeans. But they still exhibit at the coffee-houses, of which there are numbers at Alexandria. Here, while sipping your mocha and flourishing a palm-flapper to drive away the flies, you may behold the performances of the artiste, or listen to the tales of some wandering story-teller who has by accident found his way to the coast. A book-club, consisting of the most respectable residents, has been esta- blished ; and a newspaper, in French and Arabic, is published by the Pasha. Both here and elsewhere in Eo-ypt, the dwellings of the fellahs, unworthy the name of houses, are inferior in comfort and appearance to dog-kennels or pig-sties ; but these constitute no part of the city, being merely a strag- gling suburb attached to certain quarters. A wise government, however, would provide the poor with more airy and commodious habitations, with the view of arresting the progress of depopulation, and interesting the body of the people in its support. Though nearly surrounded by water, Alexandria, in the time of Strabo, was esteemed ahealthy city; and for this phenomenon the geographer accounts in a satisfactory and philosophical manner, by explaining the peculiar nature of Lake Mareotis. Other lagoons, he says, from the effects of evapora- tion, become half-dry in the season of the greatest heat; and their shores, converted into so many swamps or morasses, exhale mephitic eflluvia, which corrupt the air and engender disease. Mareotis, on the contrary, being filled by the influx of the Nile, whose inundation occurs in summer, instead of retiring within its bed, and exposing a marshy, slimy margin to the action of the sun, rises above its ordinary level, and abundantly irrigates the neigh- bouring fields, thus effectually preventing all pestiferous exhalations. In the time of the Mamlooks, wlien this lake had been in a great measure dried up, the miasmata arising from it, though the land was partly brought into cultivation, seem greatly to have accelerated the ravages of the plague ; which, since the sea was introduced into it by the English, has been much less frequent and destructive. At present Alexandria appears to be a salubrious city, though the atmo- sphere in winter is, perhaps, too moist and cold. My own health, during my short stay there, was upon the whole good ; and the observations I made on the health of others likewise corroborated my opinion, the majority of the European inhabitants bein j- no less hale and robust than tliey could have been in their respective countries. Even the complexions of such women as take exercise, without too much exposing themselves to the sun, are ruddy and clear ; and their forms, entirely abandoned to nature, CLIMATE OF EGYPT. 21 possess all that plumpness and richness of contour which distinguish the females of the North. It should, however, be observed that the constitution, though not sub- jected, by the nature of the climate, to more than the ordinary chances of disease, appears to wear out more rapidly than in Europe. Youth and manhood are of comparatively short duration ; and old age, both of the mind and body, makes its approaches earlier. Nowhere have I beheld so few old people. But the remark applies equally to natives and foreigners, to women no less than to men. The signs of premature decay, and of an old age unconnected with length of days, everywhere meet the eye. Women, who, in the temperate regions of Europe, would still be regarded as in the bloom of life, or objects of the deepest interest and love, here seem to be verging towards decrepitude, with their hanging bosoms, hollow eyes, wrinkles, and emaciated limbs. " Quo fugit Venus ? heu ! quove color ? deccns Quo niotus ? Quid habes illius, illius, Quae spiiabat amores ? ' The men, also, supposed to be less the creatures of climate, experience early a damping of the fire of the imagination, from the decrease, probably, of that animal heat, that physical energy, which supplies fuel to the passions ; in short, the sun of life is obscured before it has declined from the meridian. Intemperance and excesses, in which both Turk and Christian are here too apt to indulge, may, perhaps, contribute towards producing this premature decline of the senses and intellect ; but the result is principally chargeable on the climate, since, even to the temperate and virtuous, length of days, and " A green old age unconscious of decay," are rarely vouchsafed. Among the Bedouins, instances occur of men who attain the age of one hundred, or one hundred and ten years ; but no example of such longevity in Turk or Fellah, inhabiting the valley of the Nile, has ever, I believe, been known. The ancient Egyptians, who probably discovered, at a very early period, this peculiar defect of their climate, laboured, by rigid atten- tion to diet and medicine, to counteract its eflPects, though without any re- markable degree of success, since it was observed by the ancients tliat, of all mankind, the Egyptians were the shortest-lived. To children, likewise, the air of Egypt is highly unfavourable. Instead of that freshness and beauty, that benignant placidity, betokening the unrufiled calm of the soul, which, in more temperate regions, are the companions of childhood, infants generally exhibit countenances deformed by pain and sickness. With their eyes running and half-closed with purulent matter, swollen bellies, tot- tering limbs, scurfy heads, and sallow squalid features, tliey repress that involuntary affection to which the innocence and loveliness natural to their age would otherwise give birth. Among the Greeks and rich Turks fine children are frequently found ; but the offspring of Europeans who settle in the country are generally cadaverous and unsightly. Their lives, also, are extremely uncertain ; and, accordingly, large families are rare. The Arabic writers best acquainted with Egypt observe that it is not until young men approach their twentieth year that they begin to develop the beauties of 22 EGYPT AND NUBIA. the form.* With this opinion, however, my own experience does not concur. It appeared to me that about the age of thirteen or fourteen, boys already had become sHm and active, while girls of the same age already displayed many of the charms of womanhood. On the plague of flies, which is still one of the plagues of Egypt, Sir Frederick Henniker observes : — " The most strange, the most disgusting, and the most unavoidable sight in Alexandria is this — the eyes and mouths of all the children are literally embanked with flies ; their mouths are beset as if they were the mouths of honey-bottles, their eyes are too filthy for description ; the children have no prescient dread of ophthalmia, but sufitr the vermin to remain undisturbed ; whether these two organs of sense are used as fly-traps, or whether to be fly-blown is to be complimented, I will not decide ; but Plato was more fortunate in his infancy in being over- swarmed by bees." But, whatever may be the disagreeables or inconveniences of Alexan- dria, the Franks and Levantines who reside there contrive to spend their time agreeably enough. One of the habits most general amongst them may have some reference to the flies : they all smoke inveterately. A lady with whom I spent many hours during my stay used constantly to present me with a pipe on my entrance, after which, taking another herself, she would seat herself beside me on the divan, where for an hour or so we pufi'ed away as oravely as two Pashas, occasionally intermingling a remark or an obser- vation with the smoke. On such occasions the musquitoes generally made themselves scarce, having obviously an aversion to the fumes of tobacco. It may be doubted therefore whether the most fastidious persons, if they had to choose between the two evils, would not prefer the smoke to the flies, and if so, their presence will constitute the apology of the chibouque- loving ladies of the East. Other methods of killing time, more consonant with our European ideas, are likewise resorted to in the Frank quarter. Theatres and cofi"ee-houses have already been mentioned ; and to tliese may be added baths, dinners, evening parties, scandal, and dancing. At the house of a French family I had the good fortune to meet all the principal Europeans of the city ; the men were generally in Frank costumes, but among the ladies there were some of the gayer fashions of the Levant ; and several of the elder ones stumped across the room in the high wooden shoes of Aleppo, made like clogs of sandal-wood, prettily inlaid witli mother-of-pearl, which raised their wearers a foot at least above their natural height, while the younger ones had their black tresses braided round a scarlet cap similar to that worn by the men, like the folds of a turban, and tastily intertwisted with the threads of the silk tassel that hung from it. There appeared a struggle between Eastern and Western manners which should gain the ascendancy. The old ladies, without scruple, as they sat on the couches round the room, screwed up their legs a la Turque ; and I thought I sometimes detected, by the absence of a pretty little foot that had been stolen up to a position it was accustomed to, that the young ones also would have preferred such an attitude. There was an absence of form at any rate in the society, and I thought, * Abdellatif. A LEVANTINE PARTY. ill one ceremony that amused me mucli, not a little simplicity : most of the (lancers, who seemed mere girls, were young mothers who could not for any time be separated from their babes ; instead, however, of remaining at Interior of an Egyptian 11 home, they determined to combine their pleasure and their duty, and a pro- cession of nurses, after a little while, filed through the dancing-room to an adjoining chamber. I did not quite understand the meaning of this inte- resting group at first ; but a gentle whine from one of the infants caught the ears of an old lady, who clumped upon her pattens up to the seeming girl with whom I was dancing, and in very plain terms scolded her for suffering her child to starve. " I know its tone," said the old lady, " from a thousand." — " It is not mine, mama, I am sure," said my partner, and I thought a siiarp argument would arise between them upon the subject ; wlien suddenly the note was taken up by all the infants, and the old ladies, jumping off their seats, bustled about to drive in the young ones, who, to do them justice, showed no unwillingness, and in an instant the dance was abandoned, until, the office being performed, the mothers returned, and, apologising prettily for what could not be neglected, gave their hands once more to their partners, and resumed the dance until the lambs should again call them away by their bleating.* Among the public establishments of Alexandria, the most important is undoubtedly the arsenal. Here Mohammed Ali has endeavoured, and not altogether without success, to imitate the maritime powers of Europe, tliough, while creating material improvements, he has not by any means been equally careful to promote the comforts or connect the interests of the natives engaged in carrying out his views. On the other hand, the Euro- peans employed are generally rewarded with honour, and paid liberally. * jNIajor Skinner. 24 EGYPT AND NUBIA, Coffee Service. Of these, the greater number have always been French, who have laboured to persuade the Pasha that, by attending sedulously to his navy, he might in time become the rival of Great Britain. As an Englishman, therefore, I could not but feel some curiosity to visit this, the chief creation of the Pasha. I was first ushered into an office near the entrance, where the commissioners of the dock-yard were seated, cross-legged, on a divan. They were exceedingly courteous, as, indeed, we invariably found the higher classes of Egyptian Moslems. CoflFee was presented in small china cups, holding about a third of one of ours, not on a tray, but handed to each individual by a sepa- rate servant, on a small silver stand (zerf), exactly like an egg-cup, which I have always found very serviceable, as the finjans are so hot, one is in great danger of burning one^s fingers. The cofi'ee is far superior to that commonly used by us ; it is drunk without cream or sugar, boiling hot, and, as they never strain it, thick as mud ; yet it has a delicious fragrance. Who will say that it is not a more grateful and more rational, while it is fully as refreshing, and much less injurious a beverage, than those intoxicating liquors in use in our northern countries ? In this, my first visit into polite society in the East, I was surprised at seeing each of the Moslems present make the usual salutation, by touching the forehead with the tips of the right-hand fingers, on receiving their cofi'ee. At first I imagined it for the servant, but I afterwards learned that it is intended for the master of the house, who returns it. Their salute is {peculiarly easy and graceful. Besides that mentioned above, others generally approach the open hand to the lips, and then touch the forehead. To an intimate friend, or superior, the salutation is by laying the hand first upon the breast, and then touching the lips and forehead, accompanied by a gentle inclination of the body forward. Their dress was remarkably handsome. The outer cloak, or beneesh, of brown or drab cloth, trimmed with sable, fell in loose folds upon the divan, where they sat cross-legged, leaving their red, pointed slippers on the floor beneath. Their under-garment, of striped silk, was confined round the waist by a splendid cashmere sliawl, in which was placed the ink-horn — the badge of their profession. The turban, bold, yet graceful, of white spotted muslin, overshadowed a face, handsome, expressive, and intellectual. The eyes of all those present were of exceeding brilliancy, and their long silky beards gave a dignity to their appearance, such as is not to be found THE PASHA'S FLEET. 25 in the trim, well-shaven features of the European. Some few Copts, who were engaged in the office, wore black, the only colour allowed them in Egypt. But we must pay a visit to those fine vessels now upon the stocks — and here is one just ready to be launched, which I will tell you something about, without having your ears assailed by the most stunning of all noises, the caulking and coppering. This is a two-decker, but corresponding in number of guns to our tiiree-deckers, than any of which it is larger, being 3000 tons. It is not so long as some of ours, being but 189 feet by 40 in the beam, and will mount 100 guns. The timber of these vessels is confessedly very inferior, and much smaller than would be used in any English vessel of war ; but as there are no forest trees in this land, most of it is imported from Trieste, as formerly from Karamania in Asia ]Minor. The shipwrights endeavour to make up in quantity for deficiency in quality, so that the bottoms of these vessels are perfect beds of timber. This is the tenth of this class, and there are eight in commission. The ninth was brought out of tlie docks yesterday, to be rigged and got ready for sea. The com- plement of men on board each of these is 1005, including officers, who in rank and number correspond to those of the English navy. Besides the ten line-of-battle ships, there are seven frigates, an armed steamer, four corvettes, eight brigs, and other small craft, in commission. So far as the vessels go, they are, I suspect, rather more than a match for the Porte. In our walk round the yard, we were surprised at the number and extent of the works, all divided into their several departments, and at the order and regularity that prevailed. Brass-founders, carvers, blacksmiths, carpenters, rope-makers, sail-makers, and all the diffiirent requisites in ship-building, upon a most extensive scale, all worked by native hands, who amount to about 800. Tlie stores and arsenal were as neat, as clean and orderly, as could pos- sibly be. Originally, the heads of the different departments were Europeans, but at present the situations are nearly all filled by natives, who rose under their instruction, or were educated in France or England ; among these was the principal mathematical instrument-maker, a very intelligent young man. How very fluently, and with what a good accent, many of these speak our language ! There is an extensive rope-walk, and we saw some of the cables being worked by a patent machine : the head of this department is a Spaniard, but there is also a native fully capable of conducting the work. I was much struck with the skill and neatness of several of the workmen, particularly in brass-turning, carving, &c. We were shown a handsome room for the drawings, plans, engine-work, &c., and several models of the crack English vessels. There is a mosque in the yard, whither the men go three times a day to pray, for about five or ten minutes. It is a small but neat building, covered with clematis, and other creepers, now in blow, and has a pretty fountain attached to it, where the men perform their ablutions each time they go to worship. All the workmen are enlisted in the Pasha's service as sailors or soldiers, and are drilled occasionally, so as to be capable of almost immediate service. They are fed, clothed, and get from fifteen to 26 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tliirty piastres a montli pay, which they, and all the men in the service of Mohammed Ali, receive into their own hands, to prevent any sort of peculation. The wages of these artisans are raised according to their merit, and are never in the same arrear as those of the army or navy. The greater number are married, their wives inhabiting wretched hovels outside the tovvn ; if they liave sons, each receives fifteen piastres a month from the government, and the child must be brought to receive it in his own hand. Their wives are all in some ss.rt of traffic or huckstering, and tend much to the support of their husbands ; so that the more viives a soldier or trades- man in Alexandria has, the better he lives ! The majority have a plurality, and if sons are the result, it is a rather good speculation. The men work from sunrise to sunset, with the exception of an hour at breakfast and dinner ; they get three meals a day, and during our visit the drum beat to the mid-day meal, which consists of a plentiful supply of coarse brown bread and bean porridge ; and for breakfast they are allowed, in addition, olives, with some vinegar and oil. All the artisans are given meat once a week, and the troops once a month. They are divided into messes of three and five each. The greatest order and quiet prevailed, and if the countenance be an index of the inner man, contentment seemed to reign amongst them. The ancliors, and most of the foreign goods in the dock-yard, are English ; and there were also a vast number of fine brass and metal guns, in most perfect preservation, lately fished up in Aboukir Bay. I next day visited one of the vessels of war. No. 8, along with its surgeon, an Englishman, whose salary of £10 a month and rations, consisting of beans and brown bread, although equal to the ordinary expenses of a country where necessaries are so cheap, is yet insufl&cient inducement to any number of well-educated English medical men to enter the service of the Pasha ; and consequently, with the exception of the professors at Cairo, and those filling higher stations, the general run of European medical men in the service are ignorant and uneducated Italians and Frenchmen. I found this vessel, and others that I visited, particularly clean and orderly, and this is the more marked, as there is a greater quantity of brass inlaying and ornamental work in them than is usual in any of our men-of- war. This is a 100-gun ship, but equal in tonnage to ours carrying 120. The uniform is a dark brown, and the officers are principally distinguished from the men by the fineness of the regimentals, and having an anchor, star, or crescent, emblematic of their rank, and composed of silver, gold, or jewels, on the left breast. In the navy as well as the army, neither beard nor whiskers are allowed ; except the mustache, all must be close-shaven daily ; this at first was considered a very great innovation, and was loudly complained of as quite too Christian and uncircumcised a form. Precisely the contrary has recently taken place in France, where the judges have refused to sufi^er the lawyers to ])lead in mustaches, though beards are allowed, legal wisdom being supposed to reside all below the mouth. The men are trained to military tactics, as well as to go aloft, and in this latter they are often very clumsy, to the no small amusement of any English tars who may be lovpering top-gallants, or reefing topsails at the same time. NAVAL REGULATIONS. 27 But much cannot be expected from a navy called into existence since the battle of Navarino, and whose service has consisted in little else than a great summer visit to Candia. There is a moolah, or priest, on board each ship. The men are not allowed to smoke in watches, and a certain number each niffht are permitted to go to their families, who live near the town. There was an air of great simpHcity in the officers' berths, even in that of the Principal Bazaar, Alexandria. captain ; a plain divan surrounded two sides of the cabin — a table with writino- materials, and a couple of chairs, and on the side of each was huno- a plain glazed frame, in which was written the name of God, and sometimes a verse of the Koran underneath. From a desire to avoid even the appearance of any " graven image," there are no figure-heads to any of the Egyptian vessels. There is a naval academy at Alexandria, where the young officers are instructed; a noble establishment, having accommodation for 1200 students.* Though the bazaars of Alexandria, compared with those of some other • Wilde. 28 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Oriental cities, may be regarded as insignificant, they have still preserved mncli of their Eastern character, and therefore deserve to be visited by the traveller ; at least if lie arrive from Europe. This was my case ; and they accordingly possessed much novelty for me. At Cairo, Constantinople, Ispahan, Kandahar, Shikarpore, and other great cities of the ]\Iohammedan world, the bazaars are of vast extent, and make a display of riches scarcely to be looked for in countries so ill governed, and so little civilised. But the commercial capital of Egypt is approximating more and more every day in appearance to a Frank city. All the traders of the place are now by no means found in the bazaars. Shops of every kind are springing up in other quarters. These, kept, many of them, by our Maltese subjects, whose indefatigable industry is proverbial in the Levant, or by Greeks or Italians, contain a respectable assortment of European goods, mercery, drapery, cutlery, china, glass, &c. Except as signs of progress in civilisa- tion, however, such shops command little notice from the stranger. His attention is directed to the place where the native buyers and sellers congregate, as it necessarily presents many characteristics of the people and the coimtry. The buildings which in England go under the name of bazaars in no re- spect resemble those of the East, which consist of a number of narrow streets covered above, generally crossing each other at right angles, and having on each side shops open in front, like the booths in a country fair, with floors raised about thi*ee feet and a half above the level of the pavement, project- ing a yard or so beyond the wall of the house into the street, and forming a broad bench, which, joining with that of the next tenement, extends the whole length of the bazaar. Both the bench and the floor are covered with neat mats or carpets, and the walls with deep shelves, divided into large compartments, in which the various kinds of merchandise are arranged with little attention to display. Tlie shopkeeper, with nargeel or chibouque in his mouth, sits cross-legged on the bench in front of his wares. When a customer presents himself, he lays aside liis pipe, receives him with a smile and a bow, but continues sitting. The salaam is given and returned. A sort of conversation is then set on foot. When the parties are nearly of the same rank the dialogue commences pretty much as follows : " In the name of God is your house well ? " — " Kater kke rouhene." — " Thank God it is well." — "And your house?" — "The same." — '"''Fih sakkar?" — "Have you any sugar ? " — " Majish — There is none." — " Wallah ! Mafish ? " — " By God have you none ? "— " Wallah ! "— " By God ! " The customer then inquires perhaps for some other article; the merchant, a name generally afi"ected even by the most humble dealer, treats him to a whiff from his pipe ; they smoke and talk together for an hour, after which the buyer strolls on leisurely to some other shop. In these narrow and crowded passages, while prying into the mystery of buying and selling, the safety of your head is frequently endangered by the passage of a string of loaded camels which go shufiling along with burdens of grass, or vast panniers, reaching nearly across the street. The appearance and arrangement of the sliops often recall to one's mind the descriptions in the " Arabian Nights." Here the barber, the draper, the money-changer, the jeweller, and even the BAZAARS OF ALEXANDRIA. 2t» schoolmaster, exercise tlieir various arts and mysteries in the view of the public, and all, to judge from their appearance, conduct their business with a dignity and self-satisfaction which must contribute greatly to their general happiness. The provision markets of Alexandria are almost always as well furnished as the best in Africa. There are various kinds of meat, fresh and dried fruits, vegetables, herbs, fowls, game, fish in abundance, very good bread, eggs, and milk. The country round about produces very little, being sur- rounded with a desert ; but the productions of Rosetta, and all Lower Egypt, tlie borders of Syria, the ishmds of the Archipelago, and the African coast to Derna, are brought to tlie city, without interruption, in little boats ; so that, in regard to provisions, this town has everything that could be wished for.* * Ali Bev. Tree of the Pilgrims, and Aqncduct, Alexandria. 30 EGYPT AND NUBIA. CHAPTER IV. Sheikh Ibrahim. — Castle of the Pharos. — Pasha's Bark. MonAMMED Ali is said recently to have made some progress towards the ;il)olition of the slave-trade in his country ; and may success attend his efforts, if he really make any ! I fancy, however, that very little has hitherto been done: at all events, when I was in the country, slaves were as common in that part of the bazaar appropriated to the flagitious traffic as Manchester piece goods, though the supply on hand depended on the irregular arrivals of Kafilas from the interior. It is still moreover reported that his highness looks with a sort of Janus-face upon the slave trade, frowning with the one which is turned towards Europe, but with the one turned towards Africa smiling and encouraging the slave hunts. I was indebted to accident for my knowledge of the manner in which the traffic in slaves is transacted. Groping my way one morning through some of the dirtiest and darkest parts of the city, my servant, assuming a most comical grin, ushered me suddenly through a small-arched passage into a filthy gloomy court, little removed in wretchedness from an Irish pound. On entering, about a dozen or two young creatures of both sexes, but princi- pally girls, perfectly black, and with scarcely a rag of covering on them, rushed tumultuously out of the low dens by which the court was sur- rounded, wondering at my Frank dress, and particularly delighted at the sight of a dead flamingo I carried in my hand, and which they seemed to recognise as an old acquaintance, these birds being very plentiful in the Dongola country, from whence most of these slaves are brought. So sudden and unexpected was my entree, and so very strange the scene, that I almost forgot where I was, till an involuntary start awoke me from my reverie, as one of the slave-dealers, a most kidnapping-looking scoundrel, stepped up and inquired if I wished to become a purchaser. I did not, because I dared not, knock the fellow down. The greater number of these slaves are girls from ten to fifteen years of age, and generally bought for houseliold servants. They seem quite unconscious of a situation which Christians look upon as so degrading. These young ladies, although nearly in a state of nature, had all necklaces and bracelets of blue beads — had their hair plaited in small twists, and were already beginning to assume the modesty of Mohammedan women, and attempted to cover their faces while the rest of their persons was wholly devoid of garments.* On another occasion I found a wholly diff"erent class of gii'ls for sale. They were of a bright, warm, copper colour, and beautifully formed, though their countenances were far from handsome. From what part of Africa they came the slave-merchant either could not or would not explain. Negresses it would be improper to denominate them, though their crisp and * WUde. SHEIKH IBRAHIM. 31 curly hair, the thickness of their lips, and the peculiar conformation of their heads, appear to denote their affinity to the negro family of mankind. The cells in which they habitually sat looked gloomy and squalid, but the young women themselves were scrupulously clean in their persons. Clothes of any description they had none, their only defence from the cold being the mats which closed the entrance to their dormitories, and the rugs and blankets, rolled in which they usually slept on the ground. It may here be remarked that the African slaves found at Alexandria are generally the refuse of the Egyptian market ; for as the Kafilas enter from Nubia, the rich men in all the cities through which they pass enjoy the opportunity of making their purchases first. Sometimes, indeed, it happens that girls of more than ordinary beauty are reserved for the Cairo market, where the Pashas and opulent Turks habitually reside. In such cases, they are not exhibited at all in the cities of Upper Egypt, as Siout Girgeh and JManfalout, but kept concealed in separate enclosures. The Georgian, Circassian, and Mingre- lian slaves, are never I believe brought to the bazaars at all, but kept in the houses of their owners, whither the men of rank proceed to view them. Having heard much of one Sheikh Ibrahim, a popular Mohammedan preacher, distinguished at least as much for his fanaticism as for his eloquence, I one day paid him a visit. He resided in a wing of the princi- pal mosque. He received us very politely, talked a great deal, and, among other things, inquired with much apparent interest about Sir Sidney Smith, whom he said he had known. Pie ap])eared to take a great liking to my beard, which he was fully persuaded must be a mark that I belonged to the caste of mufti or priests ; nor, tliough we denied it, did he seem at all con- vinced, as the Mohammedans, having themselves little respect for truth, imagine that we Christians exactly resemble Ulysses in the accounts which we give of ourselves to strangers. When we seemed to have exhausted the Arabic of our interpreter, the old gentleman undertook to show us the Medressy, (school or college of the mosque,) and his own library, supposed to be the richest in Alexandria. In the appearance of the Medressy there was nothing remarkable, except that, instead of being seated on forms ranged regularly in the centre of the apartment, the boys were all squatted ci-oss-legged upon a mat, with the pedagogue in the raids-t of them. In Egypt, Nubia, and, I believe, generally in Mohamme- dan countries, boys are taught to write upon a smooth thin tablet painted white, about the size of an ordinary cijjhering-slate, with a handle at one end. From this the characters are easily effaced by wash- ing. While studying, or rather learn- ing to repeat, their lessons, each boy declaims his portion of the Koran aloud at the same time, rocking his body to and fro, in order, according to their theory, to assist his memory ; and as every one seems desirous of Schoolboys 32 EGYPT AND NUBIA. drowning the voices of his companions, the din produced hy so many shrill discordant notes reminds one of the " labourers of Babel."* They who wish to make any great advances in study, go to Cairo ; but even here the most respectable sheikhs in the city give lectures in the principal mosques, which seem to diffuse instruction. The sheikh, when he delivers liis lectures, is seated in the middle of the mosque upon a carpet, and the auditors form a circle at a distance round him ; those who arrive in succession, form circles beyond, being all seated with the greatest regularity upon the ground. There is a little green candle placed upon a low table in the middle. Oppo- site the sheikh is seated a reader with papers in his hand. These papers contain generally the articles of the principal expounders of the Koran. The reader begins a verse, which he has hardly commenced, before he is interrupted by the sheikh, who comments upon it for a long or a short time, and occasionally makes the most extravagant commentaries upon a single word. The reader resumes his discourse, and the sheikh his remarks, speaking always as if he was inspired ; now and then he introduces some agreeable sallies and hon mots.\ The library of Sheikh Ibrahim consisted of some six or seven hundred manuscripts, carelessly piled upon each other in an awkward kind of book- case, or strewed in a slovenly way about the floor. Several of those which we examined were beautifully written on fine parchment, and might, per- haps, be valuable. I wished to see a copy of the Koran. The time is past in which such a request could be regarded as imprudent ; but the fanaticism and bigotry of Sheikh Ibrahim were well known, and it was foreseen that he would refuse, or escape from the dilemma by some ingenious evasion. Accordingly, he replied, that he would at that time show me the commen- tators on the sacred text ; but that on some future day, when I should favour him with a second call, he would permit me to view the hallowed volume itself. He was next made to understand that it would give us great pleasure to be allowed to see the interior of the mosque. His excuse was ready : his vakeel, or deputy, who was entrusted with the keys of the edifice, was absent, and it was, therefore, out of his power to oblige us. But, with the exception of the great mosque, and that of St. Sidi Abilab- bas, the patron of the city, whose tomb is in one of the chapels, there are no mosques in Alexandria wortii mentioning. It is remarkable that the ground-floor of the greater part of the mosques contains shops, store-houses, and dwellings, I perceived an addition in the form of their worship, which I had not previously remarked in the East. Before the commencement of the prayers on Friday, several singers recite some verses in the choir ; an old man afterwards walks to the foot of the preacher's pulpit, and takes in his hand a sort of cross or long stick, and, turning towards the people, says in a nasal trembling tone of voice, as if he were going to give up the ghost, " Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar," and the choristers sing the same words twice ; after which the old man continues the whole form of the call, which the former I'epeat verse after vei'se in singing. At length the old man, in a low voice, repeats a sentence from the Koran, in which the Friday's prayer is recommended ; then, laying aside his stick, he goes away, and the imam * Laue. t Ali Bey. INSURRECTION AT ALEXANDRIA. 33 begins his sermon. This small addition, which is practised in all the mosques of Alexandria, is imposing, inasmuch as it gives to the worship a degree of seriousness.* Many curious anecdotes are related at Alexandria of our friend Sheikh Ibrahim, who is a determined enemy of Jlohammed Ali, and constantly holds up, in his sermons, all his innovations and improvements to public execration. Some years ago, when his highnes'^'s power was less firmly established than it is now. Sheikh Ibrahim contrived to excite a popular commotion, by constantly preaching on a subject equalling in importance the ground of controversy between the Big-endians and the Little-endians commemorated by Swift. It would appear that, about the period alluded to, that penetrating people the Jews, ever intent on turning the penny, had monopolised the butchering trade throughout Alexandria ; so that however grateful, as the Cairo almanack affirms, it might be to eat mutton-chops, no pious Mussulman could enjoy this honest gratification, without the secret drawback of knowing that the animal, on whose xmfortunate remains he was regaling himself, had been slaughtered by a Yahoodi with a knife hav- ing only three nails in the handle ; whereas it is an acknowledged fact that no Mohammedan, who fears God and honours the Prophet, should ever taste of animal food not killed with a knife having five nails in the handle, and with the head turned towards Mecca ; a circumstance which it was not to be expected that a misbelieving Yahoodi should attend to. Against this enormity Sheikh Ibrahim lifted up his voice ; and so cogent and convinc- ing were his arguments, that the people trembling on the brink of perdi- tion, on account of the sin of the three-nailed knife-handles, and knowing no other mode of putting a stop to it, burst into a furious insurrection. Mohammed Ali, who had all the while been aware of the preacher's declama- tion, was now constrained to exercise his authority, and the orator was exiled to Tunis ; upon which the people, each fearing a similar or worse fate, were quickly cured of the fever of fanaticism. For some years Sheikh Ibrahim remained quiet in his place of banishment ; but, bigot as he was, the love of home at length prevailed over his intemperate zeal, and he caused it to be represented to the Pasha, that if his highness would grant him permission to return, the butchers might slaughter their victims with any sort of knife whatsoever ; nor would he any longer concern himself as to whether, in its last moments, a sheep had its head or its tail towards Mecca. But the Pasha refrained from taking the slightest notice of his application. At length an English ship of war touching at Tunis on its way to Egypt, the preacher, now thoroughly humbled, sued for permission to proceed to Alexandria under the protection of the British flag. His request being readily granted, on his safe arrival he invited the captain to dine with him at his own house, where our countryman found a numerous party of Turks assembled, and spent a very agreeable day with his grateful host. When the hour of parting arrived. Sheikh Ibrahim led his guest aside, and, taking a large bag of dollars from under his garment, put it into his hands, begging that he would accept it as a token of his gratitude. Surprised and not displeased at this proof of good feeling in such a fanatic, * Ali Bev. 34 EGYPT AND NUBIA. the Englishman endeavoured to make him understand that it was incon- sistent with the character of a gentleman to accept of a pecuniary reward for an act of kindness performed through mere humanity ; but his argu- ments were thrown away : the Mussulman, ignorant of the refined casuistry of civilised nations, insisted that " one good turn deserved another," observ- ing that as Europeans in general appeared to value gold above all things, he was persuaded that his money was refused from the belief that he was poor. " If that be your reason," said he, " let it no longer deter you. I am rich ; I have bags of gold : you have saved me from pining to death in exile : you have behaved towards me like a brother by the way ; I have more money than I need ; and Wallah ! by God you shall share it." — " You are a fine fellow," replied the captain, pushing aside the bag with his hand ; " and it rejoices me exceedingly to think I have been of service to you; but for your money, by God ! I will not touch a piastre of it." Among the many attractive objects in Alexandria and its vicinity, the most interesting perhaps is the Castle of the Pharos, which, even under the liberal government of Mohammed Ali, has never, I believe, been visited by any Christian traveller but myself. Lord Belmore, when in Egypt, was positively refused admittance; JMr. Barker, the British Consul-General, during the whole period of his residence, used his official influence with no better success ; several British and foreign merchants in the highest favour with the Pasha, who had lived, many of them twenty years, at Alexandria, had never been able to obtain the slightest glimpse of the inte- rior of this fortress. Such being the case, _ - r£^^r^^r^;r^ I can only attribute _ i:r=;^=^ ^^^^^:;=^^v -> my better fortune to . 7''v^g gSs ag-^ s ^ g g:^-.^ g ^g^=g ^ :S^jV'z- the caprice of his __ Highness, who per- ^^=1 -^^ - --- - ^3==.*i^^, haps desired on this '^ j^^^?: V _^ ^^^^^^E~ Cial claims. My prin- Castle of the Pharos. Old Harbour of Alcxaiidna, cipal reason for de- siring to view the spot was the belief that I might possibly discover there some traces of the famous liglithouse, once enumerated among the seven wonders of the world. Xorden supposed that some fragments of it might be still remaining in his time ; and more modern writers also have entertained the same belief. Indeed it seems somewhat difficult to imagine, that of so magnificent a structure as the Pharos, which we know to have been still existing in the thirteenth century,* no portion whatsoever should have escape d the rage of time and barbarism. Some * Abd-el-Atiif. CASTLE OF THE PHAROS, 35 idea of its grandeur and dimensions may be formed from the following passage : — " On various headlands and promontories of the ancient world, beacon- fires were habitually kindled to guide the course of the ships into port ; in after-ages, lighthouses, adorned with every beauty of architecture, and carried to a vast height, were substituted. Of these, the most remarkable was that erected for Ptolemy Pliiladelphos, by Sostratos, the Cnidian, whose name, by permission of the king, was inscribed upon the structure. By one author it is described as 450 feet high, and equal in dimensions at the base to one of the great pyramids of Memphis, In form it may possibly have resembled the Harem-el-Kedab, which consists of a series of square towers from the basement upwards, diminishing in size, and appearing to spring up out of each other. With this the language of Strabo very well agrees, since he tells us it was a building consisting of numerous stages. On the summit bright fires were kept perpetually burning, so that on that low shore, where tliere is no hill or mountain for many days' journey, the Pharos was ever the first object which presented itself to mariners at sea, where its light, we are told, was visible at the distance of 100 miles. Occasionally, however, from its great size and brilliancy, it was mistaken for the moon, as this planet itself, I'ising behind the domes and towers of a great capital, has suggested to distant beholders the idea of a conflagra- tion." * The Arabs pretend that there was on the top of the Pharos a huge mirror, so marvellously constructed, that you might behold represented on its surface the image of all ships which issued from the ports of Greece. Several gentlemen, anxious to take advantage of the Pasha's extraordi- nary act of courtesy, requested permission to accompany me, which I very readily granted, not foreseeing that I thus ran the risk of being excluded myself. It was a fine clear morning, the wind blowing gently from the sea. Impatient to enjoy the anticipated pleasure, we sipped our coffee liastily, and, attended by a superior officer from the palace, mounted our beasts, and proceeded h.astily towards the place of attraction. On arriving at the entrance of that long narrow causeway, carried over an artificial foundation from the mainland to the islet, where the celebrated lighthouse stood, the soldiers on duty at first refused admittance even to the Pasha^s representative, considering it incredible that Franks should have received his highness''s sanction to enter this military sanctuary. But the officer, irritated at their fanatical intolerance and want of respect for his authority, menacing them with the punishment awarded to disobedience of orders, they reluctantly made way. The road now lay between two high walls, which cut off the view on either side, but the sound of the waves dashing against the rocks informed us we were surrounded by the sea. On reach- ing the gates of the castle, fresh difficulties occurred. The governor, a Turk of rank and distinction, informed us, that in addition to his general orders, he had received private instructions to admit no strangers under any pretext whatever ; but the bearer of his highness's peremptory commands replied — " On my head be it ; " at the same time placing his hand upon his * History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece. 36 EGYPT AND NUBIA. turban: upon which the governor, making a low bow, allowed us to advance. Passing the drawbridge we entered the court of the castle, under an immense portcullis, between long files of soldiers, drawn up on either side the gateway. Traversing this area, which is of spacious dimensions, and mounting tlie platform, we examined the guns, mortars, bombs, and piles of ball, which meet the eye on all sides. The parapet, of unusual height and tliickness, is cased, like the platform, with prodigious blocks of stone. A lower line of fortifications, erected by the Pasha, encircles the castle ; and its guns, when the works are completed, will be nearly on a level with the surface of the water. These, I imagine, would do more execution than those above. From the entire absence of breakers, the sea, it may be inferred, is of considerable depth, so that it is probable ships of war might approach almost close to the guns. No portion of the islet is at present uncovered; whatever remains of the Pharos it may formerly have contained have therefore been buried beneath the foundations of the fortress. The castle is a large square lofty building, surmounted by a lighthouse, in the shape of a minaret. Ascending to its summit by a narrow winding staircase, we enjoyed a magnificent prospect over the quarantine harbour, the palace on the Cape of Figs, and a large portion of Alexandria. Numer- ous ships, with their white sails bellying before the wind, were visible in the ofling. Here and there, between the Pharos and the Pharillon, and along the shores towards Aboukir Bay, the existence of numerous sunken rocks is indicated by breakers incessantly dashing over them in snow-white foam. A view very different in character was commanded from this spot in the time of the Ptolemies, when each harbour was crowded with elegant Greek galleys, and the shore, as far as the eye could reach, lined with obelisks, palaces, and temples. On descending from the roof, we entered a small mosque in the centre of the building, in which the soldiers of the garrison perform their devotions. An extraordinary revolution has been efi^ected since the year 1819, when the Christians, according to a former traveller, were turned away with insult from the fortress, for now a Chris- tian, having examined at his leisure the military portion of the structure, entered into the mosque in his boots, under the guidance of a Turkish officer. These advantages we owe to the enlightened tolerance of Moham- med Ali, who is perseveringly, though quietly, proceeding with the destruc- tion of those prejudices which interrupt the free intercourse of Turk and Christian. Failing in our attempt at discovering any remains of antiquity in this island, we returned towards the promontory of Ras-el-Tyn^ and passing between the Pasha's harem and divan, entered the fort, where files of infantry under arms were drawn up on either side, as at the castle. The habitations of the soldiers extend round a spacious area, containing several large cisterns, excavated in the rock, which, when it is judged necessary, are probably filled from the Mahmoodiyah by camels; but they were now entirely dry. The service magazine is found, I imagine, at the northern extremity of tlie quadrangle, where a handsome colonnade perhaps conceals the'entrance to it. Proceeding beyond the fort, over the rocks, which here project considerably into the waves, I endeavoured to discover some trace PASHA'S SALT-WATER BATHS. 37 of tlic numerous edifices formerly found on tliis island, wliere many persons suppose the Pharos itself to have been situated ; for Cas.sar describes a village as existing on the same cluster of rocks with the lighthouse. A few brick substructions and fragments of pottery were all that rewarded my search. The fort itself is ill-constructed, and in many places crumbling to decay ; the walls having been shattered by the firing of the guns on occasion of public rejoicing. In its form there is nothing remarkable,^lie bastions advancing and receding in a series of obtuse angles. The guns are mounted on old decayed carriages, and not numerous ; the whole number, both here and in the castle, not exceeding lO'O. Close imder the walls of the harem is a battery, which the officer feared to show us, lest, the windows of the sacred apartments being open, any of us should commit the unpardonable indiscretion of regarding the ladies. However, at our desire he ventured farther perhaps than was prudent ; but finding nothing to reward our search, the scrutiny was not carried far. A low rampart of sand-bags had been thrown up along the beach, flanked by numerous guns. Our next visit was to the Pasha's salt-water baths, situated in the sea, below the palace, on the western side of Ras-el-Tin. They consist of a large low edifice, resting on several rows of pillars, and constructed entirely of wood. A narrow wooden causeway, extending from the shore to the esplanade, leads to the entrance, which, being surrounded with clear water, and rendei'ed exquisitely cool by the sea-breezes, forms a most agreeable retreat during the heats of summer. Entering the building, and leaving a spacious saloon, the walls and roof of which are tastefully decorated, we arrived at the principal bath, where a low flight of steps descends to the water, which is of moderate depth, and so beautifully clear, tliat every pebble in the bottom is visible. A narrow corridor, with neat railings, extends round the apartment; pillars, disposed at regular intervals, support the roof ; and at each of the four corners is a diminutive aviary for a number of singing-birds. Arranged along the pillars is a series of rose-leaves in bronze, curled and hollow, in which the birds may build their nests. From the centre of the glazed cupola depends a magnificent chandelier, which in the evening, when the ladies of the harem generally bathe, casts a dazzling splendour over the waters ; and on these occasions, when a number of beautiful forms are seated unadorned in those cool refreshing recesses, sporting in the waves, talking, laughing, singing, or listening to some wild tale related by their handmaidens, the fictions of the Arabian Nights appear to be realised. The female bath occupies the centre of the edifice, and is surrounded by a long suite of dressing-rooms, elegantly furnished, where, after bathing, the ladies sip coffee or sherbet, seated on English chairs, or reposing on soft divans, while they are shampooed, fanned, or perfumed with essences by their women. In all these apartments the divans, though tasteful and elegant, are less sumptuous than in the palaces of Cairo, being covered with gay chintzes of Egyptian manufacture. The windows in general are fitted up with ground glass. On the northern side of the building is the children's bath, resembling the larger one in form, but more plainly fitted up, and containing shallower water. At the western part, facing the harbour, is a large open verandah, with seats, where the Pasha 38 EGYPT AND NUBIA. smokes and amuses himself in the summer evenings, by observing the ships entering or leaving the port. A narrow gallery, furnished with showy railings, surrounds the exterior of the batlis. When the Duke of Ragusa visited Alexandria, he found the forts CaflFa- relli and Kom-el-Dyck nearly in the condition in which they were left when the French were driven out of Egypt by the English thirty years before. They liad been constructed under liis own orders; and with the proud feelings of an old soldier, who had distinguished himself on many a well- fought field, he probably regarded their freshness and fine preservation as emblem- atic of his own glory. He ran through them eagerly, looked down from their ramparts over the city, which had changed so much ; and in the tumultuous state of his feelings missed notliing but the palisades which had once extended along the works. A closer scrutiny might have disclosed to him the fact, that Time had not, as he supposed, been quite idle there. No doubt the climate of Egypt, even to its most northern limit, is favourable to the preservation of monuments of all kinds; but ruins and storms some- times visit Alexandria, and both the celebrated forts in question were some years ago considerably the worse for their visitations. "When I saw Fort Caffarelli, it contained a small cistern, and a few houses in which lodge the last of the famous Turkish gunners, many of whom are now deaf. The guns, which appeared to be about forty-eight pounders, are six in number, and without platforms. Tliere were also two ten-inch mortars, directed towards the town. The shot and shells lay about in confusion. The ram- parts are sand, and half-riveted with masonry ; but the whole has been suffered to go to decay ; and by means of the neighbouring buildings, hills, and hollows, it may be approached the whole way up under cover. Achmed Chelebi, who has the superintendence of the re]iairs, is engaged in renewing the drawbridge ; but the ditch is nearly filled up. Wooden platforms are making. ■ It possesses a species of covered way, but this likewise had been nearly overwhelmed by debris from the ramparts above. The neighbourhood, however, abounds with materials for all the requisite repairs, so that it might be easily converted into a respectable post. Mohammed AH would, no doubt, have put this and all other parts of the fortifications of Alexandria in thorough repair, had the apprehensions of war with England, exj>erienced during our operations in Syria, been of longer duration. Indeed much, it is said, was actually done during the first paroxysm of fear. But he grievously deceived himself if he supposed that, witli any improvements he could have effected, his maritime capital would have been able to oppose any lengthened resistance to our arms ; and probably the fate of St. Jean d'Acre enlightened his mind on this point. 39 CHAPTER V. The Catacombs. — Charactkr of Mohammed All The manner of interment prevalent among ancient nations, more parti- cularly in the East, was far better calculated than that which now obtains in Europe to reconcile the imagination to the sepulchre. In the vicinity of Ceuieteiy of Alexandria. all great cities there was another city inhabited by the dead. And how serene and solemn was its aspect ! Thither the living might repair, when desirous to subdue and soften their minds, and in the gloom of twilight, or beneath the calm radiance of the moon, imbibe the chastening influence of the place. No spot in the whole valley of the Nile seemed so sweet or beau- tiful to me as the abodes of the dead. There, the Egyptian sleeps with his fathers; there, distant generations have been brought together; there, the subjects of the Pharaohs, ay, and the Pharaohs themselves, slumber calmly in odoriferous coffins, in spacious but dark halls, adorned nevertheless with paintings as gorgeous and elaborate as though the eye were expected to dwell on them daily in the most brilliant light. Most travellers seem to have experienced more or less pleasure in ex- ploring the tombs of Egypt. It is universally felt that they are " the houses prepared for all living." Of this feeling I have always, perhaps. 40 EGYPT AND NUBIA. experienced more than my share; and consequently, among the earliest inquiries which I made on entering any Egyptian city was that wliich reo-arded the way to the tombs. But, properly to enjoy so solemn a delight, one must seek it in Upper Egypt, and, if not altogether alone, yet certainly accompanied by few. At- Alexandria such an arrangement is scarcely possible. If you have friends or acquaintances, they will insist on accom- panying you to the Catacombs, and it would appear highly ungracious to reject their hospitable attentions. I was fortunate enough to meet with many there who took a warm interest in my movements, and of these the greater number made up a party expressly for the purpose of exploring with me the principal excavations of the Necropolis. We were attended by a janissary, a kawass from the palace, and a number of donkey-boys ; all such excursions being performed on asses. It was one of those beautiful winter days which seem peculiar to Egypt, when the sun's heat is so tempered by the sea-breezes that it is rather refreshing than oppressive. The landscape, though divested of all those charms arising in other lands from mountains, running streams, and luxuriant vegetation, was clothed in beauties altogether its own, which, whether intrinsically of a picturesque character or not, affected the imagination no less powerfully than alpine snow and mountain cataracts. Words can represent but indis- tinctly the characteristic peculiarities of such a scene. We were treading on the verge of the boundless desert of Libya, that mysterious portion of our globe, the nature and exact extent of which are hitherto unknown, and whose skirts a scanty number of hardy adventurers have passed hastily with fear and tremblinsr, while the simoom, the whirlwind, the sand-storm, and the fierce inhospitable Bedouins, hovered aroiind their path. A secret reference to ideas of this kind imparted to the rocky and barren wilderness an aspect of savage grandeur not properly, perhaps, belonging to it ; though the drifted sand-heaps, of all forms and dimensions, with the traces of the hurricane still fresh upon them; the gaping mouths of innumerable sepulchres profaned and rifled of their dead ; the rocks fretted to honey-comb by the everlasting action of the waves ; the deep, deep blue sea, the stainless sky, the silence, the solitude, the utter desolation visible on all sides, necessarily produced an impressive effect upon the mind. From time to time, as we looked towards the desert, we discovered a single Bedouin, on a laden camel, moving, afar in the distance, across the plain, which only appeared to render us the more sensible of the sterility and forlorn condition of this unblessed land. We rode leisurely along the rocky shore, among the crumbling remains of the Necropolis, which have in many places been broken up, and the fragments employed in the erection of the neighbouring forts. At length we arrived at the entrance to the catacombs, which faces the sea, and, during the prevalence of high north winds, must be filled with the spray and foam of the waves. It at present resembles the mouth of a quarry ; but I make no doubt there were formerly a droraos or court, a portico, a corridor, and all the regular appendages of an Egyptian hypogeum. Lord Lindsay seems to have made his way into the catacombs by some other opening, because he and his companions took much pains, he says, to dis- THE CATACOMBS. 41 cover the grand entrance, which he conjectures must have been from the shore. There could however, I tliink, have been no other than that through which we passed, at once spacious and lofty, in all respects suitable to the chambers within. In the great hall, or vestibule, we threw aside our burnooses, or Arab cloaks, and having lighted our wax tapers, proceeded with eager curiosity to the examination of the interior. The apartment into which we passed from the vestibule is of vast dimensions, and communicates, on the left, with another, smaller, and provided with three recesses for coffins. On the right is a very large saloon, with a circular roof, which, by the illusion of sculpture, seems to spring up into a dome. From this, which has been dignified, I know not wherefore, with the appellation of " state-room," numerous passages branch ofi^ in different directions, leading through the rock to various other chambers of inferior dimensions. These passages are in many places filled up with earth nearly to the roof, so that you creep along with difficulty ; in others, the surface of the ruins and rubbish sinks so low as to allow of your standing upright ; while, from time to time, you find deep holes, descending, perhaps, to the original floor. There are two suites of chambers ; the one running in a southerly, the other in a westerly direction. I pushed on through the latter ; and, notwithstanding the intricacy of the passages, the extreme lowness of the roof in some places, and the heat, which very much resembled that of an oven, succeeded in reaching what appeared to be the extremity of the hypogeum towards the west ; but in all this long succession of rooms I saw only one niche. When we had arrived at what seemed to be the end of the catacomb, we observed that the rock was jagged and broken, like the side of a natural cavern ; and it is possible that, between these rough projections, some straight passage, not discoverable by the faint light of our two tapers, may exist, leading still farther westward. On returning towards the entrance, we found some of our party engaged in examining a small opening which seemed to have been recently broken in the rocky partition, and was at first supposed to lead to an upper suite of chambers ; but having, with much difficulty, forced in my head and the upper part of my body, I discovered it to be nothing but a diminutive sepulchral cell, from which the mummy and sarcophagus, if it ever contained any, had been removed. Besides this western suite of rooms, there seemed, as I have already observed, to be another, branching off^ towards the south ; for a low narrow passage, care- fully cut in the rock, conducted, Ave could not doubt, to other apartments ; though our Arab guide assured us gravely that it extended beneath the desert all tlie way to Cairo, ajid asserted that he had ci'ept along through it for several hours without meeting with a single chamber. Had we fol- lowed this opening, we might, perhaps, have arrived in a few minutes at apartments similar to those we had traversed ; but the heat was oppressive ; and our curiosity betrinningto be satisfied, — for every new chamber seemed exactly to resemble that which had preceded it, so that nothing appeared likely to be gained by pushing our researches any farther, — we therefore turned round, and proceeded towards daylight ; while our scattered compa- nions, many with candles in their hands, through distant chambers, now E 2 42 EGYPT AND NUBIA. appearing and now disappearing in the dark passages, or behind the angles of the rocks, resembled so many phantoms. Numerous writers have marked their names upon the walls, which, like Pompey's Pillar, are daily more and more disfigured by this vulgar ambition. On emerging into the open air, we found it exceedingly keen and cold ; but yet proceeded to examine what are vulgarly called Cleopatra's Baths, consisting of three contiguous excavations in the rock, on the western side of a large artificial basin, into which the sea enters by a narrow opetiing. They are somewhat difficult of access, unless approached through the water, which is beautifully clear, and by no means deep. A low divan, cut in the rock, surrounds these chambers, the largest of which may be about ten or twelve feet long, and eight or ten broad. Two are lighted from without ; but the other is quite dark ; and tlie noise produced within by the roaring of the waves is loud and almost incessant. They have been hewn with considerable care ; and, though it would be difficult to believe that the voluptuous and beautiful wife of Ptolemy Dionysius ever bathed in these rocky, sequestered chambers, they may have contained no less beautiful forms, when they had been rendered cold and rigid by death. In fact, from their situation and vicinity to the tombs, it is probable that they were appropriated to the washing of dead bodies previous to their being embalmed. Behind, likewise cut in the rock, are two other apartments, warm and dry, where all the subsequent process of embalming may have been performed. One has no leisure to be ill while engaged in travelling. The excite- ment of the imagination produced by a constant succession of new objects, imparts a force to the frame which enables it to triumph awhile over disease or fatigue. Still the seasoning fever which ushers most persons to the pleasures of Egypt did not entirely spare me, and I was labouring under a slight attack of it when I paid my first visit to the garden of Ibrahim Pasha. The road, running along tlie naked shore, was bleak and dreary, and exposed to the north-west wind, which blew so keen and cold, that our thick Arab cloaks were scarcely sufficient to protect us from its bitterness. The gardens, formerly a mere expanse of sand, are surrounded by a hedge of lofty reeds, which, when full-grown, will form an excellent fence, imper- vious to the sight. The ground is laid out in large square compartments or beds, somewhat in the French style of gardening ; and these are divided from each other by numerous broad walks, bordered on either side with rows of acacias, mimosas, and peach and orange-trees. At the extremity of the gardens, near the water-wheel, there is a neat kiosk, with a terrace before it, commanding a fine view over the whole breadth of the Mareotic Lake, the canal, and the magnificent expanse of verdure produced by the new plantations which adorn this part of the vicinity of Alexandria. These gardens, it is supposed, are intended to be always left open to the public. A few small flowers, the last of the year, were blooming near the water-wheel. They were of a brilliant colour, but their odour was faint, barely sufficient to awaken our regret at the absence of the spring. In this neighbourhood were situated the vineyards Avhich produced the Mareotic wine, celebrated by several of the ancients. GARDENS OF BOGHOS BEY. 43 An Armenian gentleman, who had travelled much in Europe, was engaged, at the period to which these pages refer, in laying out extensive vineyards on the site apparently of those celebrated of old. Of the numerous varieties of the vine known in Europe he had imported between forty and fifty, which appeared to like the soil and to thrive well in it. This example has since been followed by many others. All the plantations I saw to the best advantage in the following spring, when every bush and tree was in full leaf. The unusually copious rains of the preceding winter had, in fact, clothed the surrounding plains and eminences with verdure. Among the plants that here flourish, during a short period, is the ffhassoul, of which fifteen thousand quintals are annually collected by the government, the ashes being used in the manufacture of salt. Viewed from any command- inw heio-ht, the country now exhibits a luxuriant and smiling aspect, every green hollow and swelling undulation being sprinkled with wild flowers, impregnating the air with their short-lived fragrance. Here the ice-plant is found in great abundance on the sand-hills. Hitherto all attempts at naturalising fruit-trees have been found unsuccessful ; for, after the sixth or seventh year, their roots descending, enter the sand impregnated with salt, upon which their topmost branches, it is said, immediately begin to decay, until about the twelfth year, when they perish entirely. Yet the Egyptian sycamore, in size equal to the oak, finds nutriment in a soil supposed to be destructive to other large trees. The late Boghos Bey, who, though his whole life was spent in political intrigue, cherished a fondness for rural objects, possessed an elegant villa within the walls, surrounded by a large garden, containing a great variety of rare flowers, among which the most remarkable were the carnations, four feet high, the largest and finest, perhaps, in the world. Here I was shown an extraordinary fruit-tree, produced by an extremely ingenious process. They take three seeds — the citron, the orange, and the lemon — and carefully removing the external coating from both sides of one of them, and from one side of the two others, place the former between the latter, and binding the three together with fine grass, plant them in the earth. From this mixed seed springs a tree, the fruit of which exhibits three dis- tinct species included within one rind, the division being perfectly visible externally, and the flavour of each compartment as different as if it had grown on a separate tree. This curious method of producing a tripartite fruit, was introduced by Boghos Yusuf, from Smyrna, his native city, where it is said to have been practised from time immemorial. The site of Alexandria, between two lakes and the sea, is a dull desert of moving sand, which has no other vegetation than some large tufts of grass. But at a small depth, under the bed of sand, is a sheet of water ; so that, whei'ever they dig, they find water more or less briny, and sometimes nearly drinkable. It is on this account that plantations of fig and palm trees, as also some melons, may be discovered on the side of Aboukir, where it would be thought impossible for anything to thrive. The horses bury themselves in the moving sand up to their bellies to enjoy the moisture. The way in which they plant their melons is as follows : they dig large ditches of forty- five or sixty feet in length, and eight or ten in depth, that cost little trouble 44 EGYPT AND NUBIA. on account of the sand, which they prevent from falling in by giving an inclination to the sides of the ditches, which are by these means very wide at the upper part, and have only a foot in width at the bottom ; where they sow a row of melon seeds throughout the whole length. The plants spring up and run over the sides of the ditch. As the roots find plenty of water early, the plants grow very vigorously. Every plantation consists of a number of these ditches parallel to each other. They cultivate some few vines in this manner.* Before quitting Alexandria, I ought perhaps to give some short account of him who has imparted to it all its present prosperity. Much has already been written on him. Some having received favours at his hands, have thought it incumbent on them to cover him with flattery in return for his liberal treatment. Others again, either through attachment to the Turkish Sultan, or because they suppose themselves to have been personally injured or insulted by the Pasha, have indulged in the bitterest satire against both his character and measures. I shall not imitate either of these classes of writers. For, although Mohammed Ali showed me many civilities, some of which, as the admission into his harem and into the castle of the Pharos, might almost perhaps be termed favours, I cannot consent on that account to admire what my conscience tells me is wrong in his policy. I shall, therefore, speak of him as though he had conferred on me no obligation. He is a public man, and his character has already passed into the domain of history. All, consequently, that he can demand of any traveller is the plain truth, expressed as courteously as may be consistent with the complete statement of it. Mohammed Ali is a man of middling stature, robust and stout in his make, exceedingly upright, and, for a man of his age, hale and active. His features, possessing more of the Tartar cast than is usual among Euro- pean Turks, are plain, if not coarse ; but they are lighted up with so much intelligence, and his dark gray eyes beam so brightly, that I should not be surprised if I found that persons familiar with his countenance thought him handsome. In dress he differs but little, if at all, from any other Turkish gentleman : he has, however, a certain dignity in his manner, which, in the estimation of many, even borders upon majesty. But this dignity seems almost inseparable from the possession of power : the man who can do much good or harm, whatever may be his stature, form, or features, will always appear to exhibit it : as the scorpion, in size no larger than a snail, is viewed with awe, because he is supposed to carry death in his sting. The manner in which the Pasha spends his time is nearly as follows : — He sleeps very little. Europeans who have happened to repose in the same tent with him, while on a journey, complain of having been often disturbed in the night by his asking them questions, and afterwards con- tinuing to talk on when they wished to sleep. He rises at or before day- break ; and, very shortly afterwards, leaves his harem on horseback, and repairs to his divan for the despatch of business. Here he receives all memorials, petitions, despatches, &c. Shortly after his arrival, the * Ali Bey. CHARACTER OF MOHAMMED ALT. 45 secretaries walk in with large bundles of letters, received since the day before, the contents of which are road to him. He then commands, and sketches out, viva voce, in a rapid manner, the necessary replies. Then the answers to letters and papers, ordered to be made on the preceding day, are brought in, and read to him by the secretaries ; and when he has heard and approved of their contents, he orders his signet, which he delivers into their hands, to be afhxed to them, while he generally paces up and down the room, turning over the matter in his mind, and probably deliberating whether there shall any postscript be added. This sort of business usually occupies him till about nine o'clock ; at which hour all those consuls and other persons, who desire a public audience, arrive. In an hour or two these individuals take their leave ; upon which he retires to his harem, where he remains till about three or half-past three in the afternoon. Even here, however, he is still employed ; and his general orders are, that if any verbal message be forwarded to him, it is to be delivered to the chief of the eunuchs : but that, if any letter or note arrive, whether by day or night, he is to be immediately awakened from sleep. Boghos Yusuf often attends him in the harem for the despatch of important business. At half-past three o'clock he again returns to the divan; when,— except that the order of proceeding is reversed, as he first gives audience, and then enters into the affairs of the interior, — the same mode of business is gone through as in the morning. About an hour after sunset he takes a slight repast, and remains in the divan until ten or eleven o'clock at night. During these evening hours, he generally finds time for a game or two at chess, a person retained for the purpose being always in attendance to play with him ; and this fellow, being his Highnesses buffoon as well as companion in amusement, always afi'ects to be inconsolable, and makes a sad outcry, when the pieces are taken from him. Both the Pasha and his court are very plain at Alexandria ; but at Cairo, where, however, he spends but a small portion of the year, things are conducted with more state, though he is everywhere extremely acces- sible. Any person who has leisure, and knows no better mode of employ- ing it, may go every evening to the palace, whether he have business there or not, and, if he does not choose to force himself upon the notice of the Pasha, he can enter into any of the other magnificent apartments, which are lighted up as well as the audience-chamber, and converse, if he pleases, with some of the numerous company there assembled. To show his Highness's close habits of business, it has been remarked, that when accidentally indisposed at Alexandria, and compelled to take exercise in his carriage instead of on horseback, he is known constantly to take on with him the public despatches. Driving to the banks of the canal, he has his carpet spread upon the ground ; and there, while coffee is prepar- ing, he usually sits reading and sealing his despatches. He will then enjoy his coffee and pipe, and afterwards return directly to the palace. This is one of his recreations. In the harem he reads, or has books read to him, or amuses himself by conversing with the abler of his eunuchs. At other times he is employed in dictating his history, or in playing at chess, to which, like most other Orientals, he appears to be passionately 46 EGYPT AND NUBIA. addicted. In fact, his active, restless temper, will never suffer him to be unoccupied ; and, when not engaged with graver and more important affairs, he descends even to riddling. Nothing is too minute for him. For example, a young Egyptian Turk, educated in the school of law, now pro- fessor of the mathematics, and teacher of the junior officers at Alexandria, is compelled every week to give him an exact account of the manner in Avhich each of his pupils pursues his studies. During the period in which he was pushing forward the preparations necessary for putting his fleet to sea, a much smaller portion of the day than usual was devoted to his audience and ordinary business. Indeed, he would often give audiences in the arsenal, where he spent a considerable part of his time ; after which he used to step into his elegant little state- barge, and cause himself to be rowed out into the harbour among his ships, to observe the progress of the naval architects and shipwrights, and urge them forward by his presence ; and in these little excursions of business he was sometimes so deeply interested that he would not return to the palace before twelve o''clock, thus greatly abridging his hours of relaxation. The accidents of the weather never interfered with his resolutions : he will some- times set out on a journey in the midst of a heavy shower of rain or a storm, which has more than once caused him very serious illness. His movements are sudden and unexpected ; he appears in Cairo or Alexandria when least looked for, which maintains a certain degree of vigilance among the agents of government ; though something of all this may, perhaps, be set dovi'n to caprice or affectation. In the gardens of Shoubra there is a small alcove, where the Pasha, during his brief visits to that palace, will frequently sit, about eleven or twelve o'clock at night, and, dismissing from about him all his courtiers and attendants, remain for an hour or so. From this alcove two long vistas, between cypress, orange, and citron trees, diverge and extend the whole length of the grounds ; and in the calm bright nights of the East, by moon or starlight, when the air is perfumed by the faint odours of the most delicate flowers, a more delicious or romantic station could hardly be found. In the affairs of the heart, IMohammed Ali is not altogether without delicacy : during the whole life-time of his wife, an energetic and superior woman, he invariably treated her with the most profound respect, and she alv^^ays retained a great influence over him. Even since her death, he has never married another woman, though he has not refrained from keeping a number of female slaves in his harem. She lies buried beside her son Toussoun, in a sumptuous tomb near Cairo ; and, when I visited the place, some friendly hand had recently been strewing sweet flowers over their graves. Latterly, it is said, the Pasha has greatly reduced his female establish- ment; and the mode in which he effected this reduction is highly character- istic. He ordered all the unmarried ofiicers of his court and army, who were of sufficient merit and rank, to assemble at an appointed hour in the garden of one of his palaces. They were advised of his gracious intentions, and properly arranged for the mode of procedure which had been chosen as most favourable to a judicious selection of husbands for the fair brides. The old lady who had the care of the harem, from a position where she was CHARACTER OF MOHAMMED ALL 47 concealed from view, examined the physiognomy and port of each of the assembled bachelors, and, without further ceremony, wrote down the name of the lady whom she thought best suited to a man of such developments. The assembly was then dismissed ; and each man, on going to his house, received his bride. Tliis honour was not without its disadvantages, since, if it should unaccoimtably happen that a man was not exactly suited in his new wife, he was deprived of the distinguishing privilege of other Mussulmans. He hnd taken her for better or for worse, as no prudent courtier would incur the displeasure of the Pasha by divorcing a wife received under such circumstances. The Pasha has now only three elderly slaves, who have little influence over him.* The Duke of Ragusa has attempted an appreciation of the political cha- racter of Mohammed Ali, with partial success. He has described ably all Ins better qualities, and estimated at their full value whatever reforms or improvements he has efi"ected in the countries under his rule. But he has omitted to complete the picture by describing the mischief eflfected by the Pasha, and the numerous lamentable failures which have attended his prin- cipal enterprises. I have enjoyed more extensive opportunities than the Duke of observing the working of the modern Egyptian system, and can therefore venture to speak of it with greater confidence. Every part of the country supplied unequivocal proofs that his Higlmess understood but ill the art of civil government. Under the Mamlooks, a superabundance of prosperity will not be supposed to have existed, for their Beys were tyrants, eager to live in splendour and luxury at the expense of the indus- trious classes. Nevertheless, ignorant and oppressive as they were, their sway still left the peasant numerous material comforts, with moans of cultivating his land, which we should now look for in vain in the whole Valley of the Nile. Since the accession of Mohammed Ali, innumerable villages have been deserted, most of the towns and cities have shrunk in their dimensions, the clothes of the people have been exchanged for rags, their food has been deteriorated by many degrees, whole districts have been thrown out of cultivation, and are fast becoming a prey to the sands of the desert, and the population has dwindled from three millions to one million and a half, according to the estimate of Sir Gardner Wilkinson, which may, how- ever, be somewhat too low. In Syria, while it continued in the hands of the Pasha, the same process rapidly went on. This fact, which it is impos- sible to deny, appears to be a very important set-off against the Pasha"'s successful achievements, whatever they may be. It is much easier to build ships, and construct arsenals, and excavate canals, than to promote the happiness of the people, which all will confess ]\Iohamnied Ali to be incapable of doing, who reflect that his government has cost Egypt half as many lives as, by all the wars of Napoleon, were destroyed in Europe. To speak the truth frankly, Mohammed Ali is an ignorant politician, easily duped by adventurers of all kinds ; and ever since his arrival at power in Egypt, he has been incessantly encircled by a cloud of the locusts collected from all parts of Europe, but chiefly from France, where the animal abounds in greatest plenty. These, for their own advantage, have urged him into * Dr. Olin. 48 EGYPT AND NUBIA. an extravagant expenditure, and the most wanton waste of human life, to secure themselves employment, and gratify their unworthy passions of every Mohammed Ali. kind. Again, in diplomacy the Pasha has alNva)'S been the tjol of his worst enemy, the court of the Tuileries, which, while using its utmost exertions to bring about a rupture between him and Great Britain, lias been secretly undermining his authority in Egypt, and taking every prac- ticable means to precipitate his downfall. CHAPTER YI. Journey to Rosetta. — Egyptian Lakes. — Battle of the Nile. Though I am far from adopting the notion of Volney, that Alexandria belongs not properly to Egypt, because it seems not naturally and origin- ally to have been visited by the waters of the Nile, I admit that there exists the greatest possible contrast between its barren environs and the noble land Avhich the Nile's deposits have created. Over this land, stand- GENERAL VIEW OF EGYPT, 49 ing now upon the verge of it, and about to enter, it may be useful to cast a cursory glance. Egypt consists properly of a single valley, upon an average about eidit miles in breadth, extendino; for five hundred miles from Essouan, under the tropic of Cancer, to Cairo, a little below which tlie country branches out on botli sides, and assumes the figure of an equilateral triangle, the base of which rests against the sea. Througli the whole lengtli of this valley, the Nile, entering between piles of basaltic roclcs from Nubia, flows in a majestic stream, diffusing fertility and abundance on all sides, and branching off here and there into canals, which in one case have called into existence a rich and beautiful province in the heart of the desert. Arriving at the apex of the triangle above mentioned, its waters divide and flow north-oast and noi'th-west along the limits of the cultivable land, dis- charging themselves into the Mediterranean near Damietta and Rosetta. Anciently the Nile had seven mouths, which were adorned by so many cities; and even at the present day the river communicates by various minor channels with the sea. The Delta is interveined throughout its whole extent by canals, which maintain, as it were by circulation, the principle of vitality. From this very brief sketch it will be seen that Egypt is a country of extraordinary character. But, in order to convey a complete idea of its aspect, it must be added, that through eight degrees of latitude two lofty chains of barren mountains, running parallel with the Nile, wall the country in, as it were, from the Libyan desert on the one hand, and from the desert of Arabia on the other. Here and there gaps in these chains open up a communication with the wilderness, and admit from time to time torrents of sand which, tumultuously driven in by the hurricane, bury the fertile soil for miles : these defy the labours of the husbandman. But the same wind which brings, by degrees disperses them ; and the Nile, by its benig- nant inundation, in time obliterates all traces of their inroad. From one end to the other of the valley, and over the spacious plains of the Delta, cities, towns, and villages are more or less thickly interspersed, their vicinity being always marked to the eye by groves of palm-trees towering above the loftiest buildings, and shading in many places undulating mounds of rubbish, the growth of centuries, which daily rise higher and higher round the habitation of man in Egypt. These the traveller, at first sight, invariably pronounces a nuisance and a deformity. But during the period of the inundation, when, by the rising of the river, Egypt is con- verted into a sea, these mounds constitute the protection of the people, and are beheld rising above the surface of the water, like the hilly shores of so many small islets. At this season Egypt assumes a character of beauty altogether its own ; for though the Ganges and the Indus overflow their banks, and present frequently a much vaster surface of water to the eye, they want those rocky barriers on either hand, which here confine the flood, and are reflected in all their grandeur from its surface. Nor does the beauty of these arid ridges consist in their height and precipitous cliffs only. Flooded morning and evening by the oblique rays of the sun, they present an infinite variety of brilliant colours to the eye, assuming at every instant, as the luminary rises or descends, fresh hues which, blending differently, 50 EGYPT AND NUBIA. produce the most gorgeous effect in the world. And on this spectacle how delightful it is to gaze in the freshness of the dawn, or toward the close of evening! Overhead an amethystine sky; in the distance, on all sides, towering forests of palm- trees, mingling with mosques, domes, and minarets, and the broad and majestic Nile at your feet, converted into a golden expanse by the illusions of light ! The atmosphere, too, impregnated with delicious perfume, lends its influence to complete the intoxication, while the notes of music, rude but joyous, burst from each village as your boat sails by; for even despotism itself cannot wholly repress the Arab's buoyant s])irits. Towards sights and enjoyments such as these I felt that I was hastening, while engaged in pre- paration to quit Alex- andria. I had left Europe alone ; but, during my short stay in the above city, formed numerous ac- quaintances, some of whom were to accom- pany me to Cairo, while others resolved to afford us the plea- sure of their society, for some hours at least, on our way thither. We had the choice of three routes, — one across the Desert, usuallv performed on camels; the other by the Mah- moodiyah canal and the Nile ; and the third through Rosetta and the Delta. I preferred the last, as being incomparably the most interesting. Our beasts were donkeys, the owners of which sent a number of lads to attend us and bring back the animals from the capital. About one o'clock in the afternoon we quitted Alexandria by the Canopic gate, our road at first lying between high mounds of sand and ruins, which, as we advanced, became smaller and fewer, and at length wholly disappeared. "We then entered upon the Desert, and for a time lost sight of every trace of vegetation, although, in the course of the afternoon, we saw a few small clusters of date palms, with two or three poor Bedouin tents, whose owners were absent with their flocks. Near one of these little groves we observed a Mohammedan cenotaph or head-stone, consisting of a low slender pillar of white marble, surmounted by a neatly-sculptured turban, beneath which, in very legible characters, was a long inscription. In the sandy waste, close to this spot, where our friends took their leave of us, I for the first time beheld the phenomenon of the mirage, or " false water of the Desert." About a league in advance there appears to be a large sheet of water, interspersed with rocks and cattle immersed to their knees ; their images are Arab Musicians BEDOUIN ENCAMPMENT. 51 seen reflected, though the surface of the mirror is disturhed by a flickering liaziness ; oppressed with heat and sand, you hasten onwards, the water still receding as you advance ; surely one of the plagues of Tantalus was invented on this spot ; an i(/nis fatims is not half so provoking as this " mirage," again and again continuing, though the last deception left you determined not to be deceived again. Thus, even the Desert is productive of interest ; an infinity of sand is in itself a novelty, — not a pleasing one ; yet to know that it is sand, and at the same time only not believe that it is water, equals any deception in the legerdemain of nature. Swallows in great numbers skim over the plain — are they also deceived? The plumage of their breasts is of a deep red colour : I leave it to naturalists to determine whether it is the same bird that comes wnth summer, when summer does come to England, and if in changing country it changes plumage.'* Pursuing our way through the waste, in which the drifted sand was in' some places blown up into heaps ; in others spread out into vast beds, where our animals often sank a foot deep, and in others, again, covered with water and reduced to soft mud, we a little before nightfall arrived opposite the ruins, or rather site, of Canopus. The remains of this desolate city, erected gradually, according to tradition, around the rude tomb of the pilot of Menelaus, have long been covered by the waves, which, in this part of the coast, must be gaining on the land, against which they are driven with great and continual violence by the north wind. We now approached some Bedouins ; they live in low ragged tents ; a wooden bowl, a cofi'ee-pot, a mat to sleep on, a gourd rind for water, a donkey, and a goat for milk, comprise tlieir domestic utensils ; they pack up and pack ofi" at a moment's notice, as our gipsies. I requested a draught of water, which was brouglit to me in the bowl, enough for man and donkey ; the bearer of it, a fine young woman, wore a pair of large ear- rings ; it seemed as if she had sold her wardrobe to purchase these barbarous ornaments ; she was, otherwise, beauty unadorned, except being tattooed, not only as to her eyes and chin, but very low down. A man was employed in making cloth — I hope for the young woman. The Bedouins in general live beyond the reach of despotism, and differ much from those who dwell in the cultivated parts of the country. We had passed the spot where Abercrombie fell, and were now within sight of Aboukir, Denon, speaking of the battle of the Nile, boasts that two or three vessels escaped from Nelson, having cut and run in a fog — '■'■ fallereet effugere est triumpkus." t Through the inner extremity of the bay the sea was turned by the English into Lake Mareotis, where it is said a number of villages, with their fields and gardens, were overwhelmed beneath the watei-, which is now again excluded by a wall, or stone embankment, erected by the Pasha. Latterly, however, the old works were found insuflicient to resist the fury of the waves, and workmen were now employed in erecting a new line of wall immediately within the old one. The wind, blowing from the north, was very high, and the sea came roaring and dashing in a tremendous manner on the shore, frequently breaking over the old wall, along the top of « Sir Frederick Henniker. t Idem. 5-2 EGYPT AND NUBIA, which the road now lay. For several miles our course continued close to the southern extremity of Aboukir Bay, where the aspect of the Desert, viewed -iKi. Aboukir hay. in the dull twilight of a cold cloudy day, was dreary and desolate beyond expression. This was in fact the moment for feeling the full influence of the waste, not a sound being anywhere heard but the howling of the wind and the dashing of the surge, mingled at intervals with the melancholy scream of the heron or stork. We had ourselves ceased to speak, every one seeming to be absorbed in his own thoughts ; and these, if I might judge by the complexion of my own, were as gloomy and comfortless as the landscape. Myriads of enormous crabs, issuing from tlie holes in which they had lain concealed during the day, traversed our route, grievously terrifying the donkeys, wliich appeared not hitherto to have cultivated the slightest acquaintance witli this description of beast. * It had been already dark for some time when we reached that broad deep channel, formerly perhaps the mouth of the Canopic branch of the Nile, by which the sea flows into Lake Edko ; and, owing to the lateness of the hour, and the boisterousness of the weather, there at first appeared to be but little likelihood, even if the wind would allow us to make our- selves heard, that tlie Arab ferrymen would risk their boats in such anight. "We shouted with all our might, but no answering voice from the opposite shore gave us the assurance of being heard, and we in vain looked across the dusky waves in search of a boat ; tlie wind blew more and more fiercely, * Cadalvene et Breuvery. NIGHT SCENE. ^3 the cold grew bitterer, and something between rain and dew began to fall. To bivouac unsheltered on the open plain, or to return to the village of Aboukir, appeared to be our only alternative ; but at length some one advised the firing off of a pistol, and this means succeeded ; for presently afterwards we had the satisfaction of hearing a shout from tlie water, and in a short time beheld the ferry-boat approaching. The embarking scene which now took place was not a little ludicrous. Our luggage, beds, &c., were, of course, easily put on board ; but when it came to the asses, they seemed to have some secret objection to this mode of conveyance, and exhibited so striking a degree of that firmness of purpose for which their race has long been renowned, that it appeared altogether doubtful whether they could be prevailed upon to go over or not. However, the vociferation of the Arabs, and the blows which were most unsparingly dealt upon their cruppers, at length convinced thorn that they were likely to get the worst of the argument ; so that they yielded up the point ; and, the long dispute over, we were carried on board on the backs of the Arabs, and the boat put off. It was by this time so dark that we could scarcely distinguish one another, and the crazy old harls rolled and pitched in an extraordinary manner. At length, however, we reached tlie opposite shore, a bare unsheltered beach, where we found a solitary stone hut, half in ruins, round which all the winds of heaven seemed to be blowing. On entering this wretched tenement, which, in European maps, is dignified wnth the appellation of a caravanserai, we found a Turk established in the least uncomfortable corner, where he had spread his carpet, and was smoking his pipe, by the light of a small dim lamp, burning beside him on a window- seat. It was one of those wild-looking places which writers of romance delight in describing. Situated on the bleak sea-beach, almost within reach of the spray, slightly built at first, and now fast crumbling to ruins, with shattered doors, a few rough boards for windows, long fowling-pieces, pistols, sabres, &c., suspended against the wall, and one solitary man, smoking and musing in the partial gloom — it formed a savage picture, which, under other circumstances, I should have contemplated with pleasure. The Turk saluted us civilly as we entered, and in the hope, perhaps, of a small consideration, yielded us up his place, undertaking to assist our Arabs in preparing tea and coffee. While this operation was going for- ward, we spread our beds upon the floor, "and put evei-ything in readiness for passing the night. As it blew almost a hurricane, the wind entered in strong gusts through the numerous apertures in the Avail, and swept scl violently round the room, that it was with much difficulty that either candle or lamp could be kept burning ; but having despatched our simple meal, we bade defiance to the winds, and, retiring to bed, every one of the party, except myself, was almost immediately asleep. From various causes I found it quite impossible to follow their example : fleas, bugs, and other vermin, enumerated among the plagues of Egypt, soon found their way into my bed, and began to initiate me into the mysteries of travelling : the strong tea and coffee which we had taken, co-operating with the excitement created by our extremely novel situation, had also their share in producing wakefulness ; and there I lay — " Chewing the tuJ of sweet and bitter fiincy;" 54 EGYPT AND NUBIA. listening to the roaring of the sea and the storm, and ardently wishing for the dawn. About midnight, when the Turk and the muleteers, after much loud talking, had fallen asleep, a party of Bedouins arrived, demanding, with vociferous shouts, to be admitted out of the rain, which was now falling in torrents. Not being immediately attended to, they beat the old door with their lances, and were, I believe, upon the point of sending it in to the middle of the floor, when the Arab awaked and admitted them. The dying embers of the fire were now kindled once more into a blaze, and the new-comers, crowding round it to dry themselves, contrived by their noisy conversation to keep me still longer awake ; but they again departed before day-break, and left us to our repose. Sir Frederick Henniker found somewhere near this spot a still inferior tenement, where he passed a night of discomfort, which he describes with as much zest as if he had enjoyed it. "The half-way house is a wooden hut, nearly filled with a wooden dresser ; stretched my mattress and myself upon it. A dirty fellow was baling out coffee all night ; a gin-shop cannot be more disagreeable ; the boards of the roof had parted company, and the stars and myself were winking at one another till morning." When we arose in the morning, the rain, which had fallen heavily during the night, had ceased, though the wind still continued A^ery high. We breakfasted hastily and set out. Tiie portion of the Desert upon which we now entered seemed still more wild and desolate than that traversed on the preceding evening. Our route still lay close along the edge of the sea, where alone the sand was hard enough to support the weight of our beasts, which frequently moved through the waves, from whose crests the wind snatched away the foam, and wafted it over the Desert, while our garments were almost drenched by the spray. A few miles beyond the caravanserai we saw a part of the hull of an English ship, recently cast on shore and wrecked there ; the planks had been nearly all stripped off^ and the waves were now running like sluices through the ribs. Various parties of Arabs, some on foot, others mounted, like ourselves, on asses, passed us on their way to Alexandria. Our attendants, consisting of two men and three lads, were exceedingly cheerful and merry, laughing and singing snatches of Arab songs all the way. From time to time we discovered the date groves of Edko, and about ten o'clock the lofty minarets and palm-trees of Rosetta became visible ; shortly after which a black pillar, about eight or ten feet in height, informed us that we were to strike off from the shore ; and similar columns, erected at regular distances, marked the track across the Desert, the city itself being discernible at a distance only in very clear days. Before finally quitting the shore, it may perhaps be useful to take a rapid view of the extraordinary series of lakes which stretches along it from beyond the Arab's Tower in the west, almost to the environs of El-Arish eastvvard, a distance of nearly two hundred miles. Many of the lakes communicate by narrow openings with the sea. When this is not the case, a belt of sand-hills, narrowing sometimes to a mere causeway, and descending in level almost to that of the watei', separates the lakes from the Mediter- ranean. The most westerly, that of Mareotis, was, previous to the French expedition, almost entirely dried up, only a very small portion of water LAKES OF EGYPT. 55 remaining- in the lower ynYt of the liollow. All the rest of the broad area was cultivated and studded with villages. In order to distress the French who occupied Alexandria, the English broke down the dikes towards the east, and let into this vast basin the waters of the sea, which took sixty- three days to fill it. Forty-four villages, with the lands on which the inha- bitants subsisted, were thus deluged. But the loss sustained in territory was amply, perhaps, compensated for by the increased salubrity of the atmosphere of Alexandria. By the works of Mohammed Ali the sea has been ao-ain excluded, so that the existence of the lake depends on the rain and the overflowings of the canal. In summer, consequently, it subsides greatly ; but so completely saline do its waters continue, that the lands uncovered as it retires, are clothed with a thick crust of salt. It is the inten- tion of Mohammed Ali to drain it entirely, and restore its area to cultivation. Lake Maadiah, divided from the former by the narrow neck of land over which the canal has been carried, is of much inferior extent ; it is Hkewise salt, and supposed to be of recent formation. The line of works by which it is separated from Aboukir Bay I have described above. The next basin, proceeding eastward, is that of Lake Edko, partly surrounded by groves of palm-trees, which nearly conceal the tombs, mosques, and minarets of the village. Lake Bourlos in the Delta, the largest, perhaps, of the Egyptian lakes after that of Menzaleh, communicates with the Mediterranean by one mouth. The channels by which the sea enters Lake Menzaleh are sup- posed to represent the Mendisian and Tanitic mouths of the Nile. Its waters abound with fish, and its banks are celebrated for the number of wild birds there caught. The most remarkable is the flamingo, from whose tongue is extracted a species of oil, though they are not now eaten, as in the time of the Romans, who esteemed them great delicacies. Under the emperors, Egypt paid a great part of its tribute in flamingos' tongues. The water of Lake Menzaleh is less salt and disagreeable than that of the sea. The rice planted on its borders enjoys a great reputation, attributable, no doubt, to the quality of the soil impregnated with salt, which everywhere covers the surface with a white incrustation.* Farther to the east we have the Birket-el-Balah or Date Lake, and the Sebaka Bardual or " Sirbonian bog, Where armies whole have sunk." Modern experience has verified the account given of this singular tract by the ancients. The descriptions of Strabo and Diodorus Siculus are still applicable to its present state. Diodorus tells us that entire armies have perished through ignorance of this marsh, which the wind sometimes covers with sand that conceals its dangers. " This does not," he adds, " give way immediately beneath the feet, but sinks by degrees, as if to betray travellers, who continue to advance, until, discovering their error, they endeavour in vain to assist one another, their eftbrts contributing only to their destruction. Their struggles only plunge them deeper and deeper until they are finally overwhelmed. For this reason the name of Barathron was given to this marshy plain." -j- * CaJalvene et Brcuvcry, t. i., p. 42. t Clot Bey. 56 EGYPT AND NUBIA, I now resume the journey to Rosetta. It has been observed above, that a line of high columns marks the route across the Desert, from the sea to the environs of the city, in traversing which we arrived at a well, furnished, for the use of travellers, with a small metal basin. Our attendants, desirous of keeping all the water for themselves, pretended it was dry, and would have persuaded us not to alight ; but, being thirsty, we thought it best to examine for ourselves, and found that the well contained much more than the whole company needed. The approach to Rosetta from the Desert is singularly striking and agreeable. The imagination, which for many hours has been dwelling, though not without pleasure, upon ideas of barrenness, aridity, desolation, feels suddenly an influx of delightful images, arising partly from contrast, partly from the view of luxuriant verdure, exhibiting, in spite of winter, all the glossy freshness of spring. Though the first date-palms at which we arrived stood in the midst of dry shifting sand, where it is wonderful that they should find any moisture, they were loaded with noble clusters of ripe fruit, which our donkey-boys thinned, as they went along, with stones and brickbats. It appears to be generally believed that these trees naturally spring up with tall columnar trunks, bare of branches to the summit ; but, in fact, this nakedness is the work of man, for the young palm of two or three years' growth is covered with branches from the earth upwards, like a huge Mosque near Rosetta flag or water-lily; and a plantation of them in the improved state is peculiarly verdant and beautiful. Were the sap, however, allowed to distribute itself through these superfluous branches, the tree would never acquire that towering height which it now reaches, nor would the fruit attain the size or flavour it possesses in its cultivated state ; and for this reason the lower branches are annually lopped ofi*, both in the date and doum trees. Many men, however, of many minds. The date-palm, which to me always appeared so magnificent, lias been found to suggest extremely ROSETTA. 57 different ideas to others. A palm, observes Sir Frederick Henniker, is elegant as to its leaves ; but tlie trunk is a long and bare straight line, like Lady Lath-and-Plaster at a drawing-room, or a corpse carrying its own plume of feathers. The city of Rosetta, properly Ilas/iid, built by a grandson of Ilaroun-al- Rashid, and situated about four miles from the sea, is surrounded by low walls, and at a short distance wears the appearance of a European town ; but this resemblance vanishes when you enter, though its long streets, lofty red brick houses, with projecting latticed windows, numerous mosques, and large open spaces like squares, impart to it an original and important air, far superior to the Turkish portion of Alexandria. Many of the houses, like those of Lahore, are five stories high, and have several tiers of project- ing windows, in the form of small Gothic turrets, with curious open work. They are higher than those in Alexandria, with the convenience that, in the upper stories, you may shake hands across the streets. The mosques, though all, I believe, built of brick, are spacious and lofty, and adorned with tall slender minarets, surrounded by three or four narrow galleries, placed, the one above the other, at various heights. From the size of the l^lace, it must formerly, I imagine, have contained at least 30,000 inhabit- ants, which have now dwindled down to about half that number; its decline being justly attributed to the formation of the Mahmoodiyah, which has almost wholly turned into another channel the trade between Cairo and Alexandria, and is daily enriching Fouah at the expense of Rosetta. Our party, which was somewhat numerous, put up at an inn kept by an Italian. The accommodations found here were none of the most magnificent; but there being no other in the place, we were reduced to ITobson's choice. Having deposited our baggage in the sleeping apartment allotted to us, a huge chamhre de menage^ common to all travellers of all grades, the beds being ranged round the apartment as in an hospital, w^e strolled forth to examine the city and its environs. To me the object of greatest curiosity was of course the Nile, consecrated by the associations of four thousand years, which roll as it were through the pages of sacred and profane history, allying itself with tl)e most extraordinary events, and borrowing additional interest from a thousand creations of Oriental fiction. It was to me almost a fabulous river ; and now that I ai)proached so near its banks, I began to apprehend I should experience considerable disappointment. But when emerging from a narrow and crowded street I stood suddenly upon the quay, and beheld its magnificent expanse stretching eastward, with all the beau- ties of the Delta beyond it, I felt that, in this instance at least, the reality exceeded expectation. This, then, was the Nile ! The river celebrated by Herodotus, and a long line of historians after him ! On the banks of this stream the lawgiver of the Israelites had lain in a cradle of bulrushes. From its waters the Saviour of mankind had quenched his thirst. I gazed up and down, to the north and to the south ; the sun, though slightly declined from the zenith, was shining brilliantly ; clear and blue stretched the atmosphere above ; innumerable groves of palm-trees, rising behind each other, appeared to unite and form one vast forest, stretching over the plains of the Delta to the verge of the horizon, leaving, however, the 58 EGYPT AND NUBIA. green and sunny glades for the eye to rest upon between ; on the river were many sail gliding lazily before the breeze, while the sounds of a new language filled my ears : all these circumstances united, rendered the moment in which I first caught sight of the Nile one of the most pleasure- able of my life. Volney, whose imagination appears to have been sick during his stay in Eo-ypt, though he does j ustice to the environs of Rosetta, disparages the Nile by comparing it with the Seine between Auteuil and Passy ; exactly as Tavernier discovers the Ganges to be very much like the same river oppo- site the Louvre. Between the city of Rosetta and the river there is a spacious quay, where all those boats which drop so far down the stream land their cargoes. Here, likewise, the inhabitants enjoy the air in the cool of the evening ; for, if the Orientals do not walk so much as Europeans, they ai'e no less fond of promenades, where they can lounge at their ease, and build castles in the air. A Turk of consequence was here performing his ablutions as we passed, near the river's edge, in public ; one slave poured water over his foot as he held it up, another wiped it, and in the same manner with his hand: ablution, as the purification from all uncleanliness, is commanded to be performed five times a day, and extra, after every dirty act, such as touching a dog or a Chris- tian, (dogs and Christians are often called by the same name, Kelb) ; thus often is a Mohammedan bap- tised. A Turk does not wear either gloves or stockings, nor even his walking-shoes in a house, lest they might be considered a screen of dirt ; cleanliness is next to godliness.* Continuing our ramble along the banks of the stream, we soon reached the celebi'ated gardens, which lie chiefly to the south of the city, on the way to the convent of Abou-Man- door. They are not, however, gar- dens in the European sense of the word, but large walled plantations of henna, pomegranate, banana, lemon, citron, and orange-trees, inter- mingled irregularly ; luxuriant, unpruned, a verdant wilderness of every variety of tint, with fruit, glowing like spheres of gold, clustering thick among the leaves, weighing down the boughs, and tempting the hand at every turn. Here and there, among this almost matted undergrowth, a palm-tree towers aloft, and waves in the wind its graceful feathery branches, while near it the Egyptian sycamore, or Pharaoh's fig-tree, the growth of a thousand years, stretches forth its vast tortuous boughs, affording, even when the sun is hottest, a grateful refreshing shade. Were * Sir Frederick Hcnnikcr. Head of a Greek, Rosetta. BATTLE OF THE NILE. 59 these inclosures a little larger, and their woods of lovely fruit-trees separated from each other by open spaces of greensward, they might without impro- priety be compared with those paradises of the Persian kings, described by Xenophon ; and with this advantage on their side, that no Persian garden ever beheld so majestic a river as that which flows beneath their walls. The gardens of Rosetta afford the Arab an agreeable shelter from the intense heat; and here he frequently takes his evening meal of pilau (boiled rice and fowls), doubly grateful from the abstinence of the day, and the refreshing shade. The grounds are watered by the Persian wheel, from wells filled by the Nile during the inundation. The small wheels are turned round by asses, the larger by buffaloes. The gardens of Rosetta derive mucli of their celebrity from the sudden contrast witnessed by the traveller in exchanging the barren wastes in the circuit of Alexan- dria, for a tract of country round Rosetta, and in the Delta, abounding in trees and the mosrt luxuriant vegetation.* From the gardens we proceeded along the Nile to the convent of Abou- Mandoor, situated on a sharp and somewhat elevated promontory project- ing into the river. This convent, erected in honour of a saint of the same name, which in Arabic signifies the Father of Brightness,+ is inhabited by certain dervishes, intrusted with the care of keeping in order a superb fountain, the pious foundation of a Mussulman. Fruits of a religious spirit, these institutions of public ntility, so common in the East, are nearly all due to private individuals. X Turning a little to the right, we ascended to an old tower standing on the summit of the hio[hest eminence in the neighbourhood, where Mohammed Ali has lately erected a telegraph. The low hills, which here border t!ie stream on the west, appear to have been formed by the sands of the desert, and are in many places sprinkled with a few hardy plants, coarse and prickly, but which occasionally serve as pasture for the ass and the camel. The Arab intrusted with the working of the telegraph Avillingly permitted us to ascend the tower. The weather, though cold, was clear, and the view v.'hich presented itself interesting and varied in a very high degree. To the south and west was the desert ; to the north the sea ; beneath our feet, towards the east, the Nile, with numerous sail moving to and fro upon its broad surface ; and beyond the level bright open rice fields, the diminutive lakes and canals, the picturesque villages, and vast forests of the Delta. To all these elements of a charming landscape must be added the trans- parence of an African atmosphere, the brightness of the sunshine, and, still more, the glory and splendour which prodigious ancient renown has cast over that singular land. It was from the summit of this tower that the ti-aveller Denon, in con- stant apprehension of being captured by the Arabs, witnessed the first movements of the British and Fx'ench fleets in the famous battle of the Nile. His description is so rapid and lively, and so vividly realises the feelings which a spectator so circumstanced must have experienced, tliat I am tempted to translate it here. " On the l4th Fructidor, chance had led us to Abou-Mandour, which is the termination of a pretty walk from Rosetta along the banks of the * Dr. Hume. f Clot Bey. + Cadalveiie ct De Breuvciv. 60 EGYPT AND NUBIA. stream. Having ascended the tower which commands tlie monastery, we perceived twenty sail approaching the Bay of Aboukir : to near it, to form in order of battle, and begin the attack, was the affair of a moment. The first cannon was heard at five o'clock ; and the smoke soon concealed from ns the movements of the two armaments ; but when night came on, we were able to distinguisli a little better v/hat was doing, though without being able to form any very clear conception. The danger we ran of being sur- prised by the smallest party of Bedouins could not turn away our atten- tion from an event to us of such vast moment. The rolling and redoubled fire was perpetual; we could not doubt that the combat was terrible, and maintained on both sides with equal obstinacy. On returning to Rosetta we got upon the tops of our houses ; towards ten o'clock a great light announced a conflagration ; a few minutes after, a frightful explosion was followed by a profound silence ; we had indistinctly seen ships of war on either side of the burning object, firing upon it, and we guessed that our countrymen it was who had set it on fire. Tlie silence which succeeded seemed to indicate the retreat of the English, who alone could continue or cease the combat, since their motions alone were not confined and restricted. At eleven o'clock a slow firing recommenced ; by midnight the battle raged ns fiercely as ever, but by two in the morning it once more ceased. By the break of day I was at the advanced posts ; and, ten minutes after, the cannonade recommenced ; at nine, another vessel blew up ; at ten, four ships, the onl}' ones that remained entire, traversed under all sail the field of battle, of which they seemed to be masters, since they were neither attacked nor followed. Such was the phantom conjured up by the enthu- siasm of hope ! " I spent most of my time at the tower of Abou-Mandoor ; I counted twenty-five ships, of which one-half were mere wrecks, whilst the rest were so disabled as to be unable to manoeuvre in order to rescue them : for three days we remained in this painful state of im certainty. With my telescope in hand I had sketched the disasters I had seen, in order to learn if the morrow brought forth any change. We refused to believe in the evi- dence of our senses ; but the boghaz closed, and all communication with Alexandria cut off, soon taught us that our fortunes were changed ; that, separated from our mother-country, we had become almost compelled to exist on our own means imtil the closing of the war : we learned, in fine, that the English fleet had doubled our line, which was not sufiiciently well sheltered by the island against which it rested ; that the enemy, taking with a double line our vessels, one after the other, had rendered, by this manoeuvre, one half of our force the spectators of the destruction of the rest ; that it was the Orient that blew up at ten o^clock ; that L'Hei'cule sprang the next morning, and that the vessels Guillaume Tell, Genereux, Diane, and Justice, had taken advantage of the eneniy^s weariness to escape from its united strength. We learned, in fact, that the 14th Fructidor had deprived us of one half of our strength ; and that tlie destruction of our fleet had restored to our enemies the empix*e of the Mediterranean, which the unexampled exploits of our armies had snatched from them, and which the preservation of our ships would have enabled us to retain."* * Voyage, pp. 35, 36. FAMINES IN EGVPT. Gl Returning to tlie city, we visited the deserted rice-mills of the Pasha, where large sums of money have been squandered upon steam-engines, and a complicated apparatus for cleansing the rice from the husk, which have all proved utterly useless ; as, instead of effecting the intended purpuse, they only crush and spoil the grain. A large factory, likewise, erected at great expense, has been for some time abandoned, and is fast going to ruin. The great tannery we found in operation, under the direction of three or four Europeans, who employ in the works about three hundred Arabs. The shoonah^ or warehouse, of the Pasha, where prodigious quantities of red and yellow rice were piled up in heaps, employs a great number of hands. Nearly all the rice in the kingdom is collected here, and it all belongs to one man, the Pasha himself. This merchant- viceroy monopo- lises the whole, and at his own price, vi et armis : when the grain is nearly ripe, soldiers are placed in the fields as guards, lest the Pasha should be defrauded, and lest he who sows should reap : " proprio condidit horreo, quicquid de Lil)ycis verritur acervis."* Here, in 1829, the most fearful scenes are said to have taken place, when there was a famine in Egypt, an artificial famine, created by the Pasha's monopoly of grain ; when the people, collecting in crowds around the public stores, beheld, through the palisades of this same shoonah, huge piles of corn spoiling in the open air, while they were perishing of hunger. It has been asserted, but I trust incorrectly, that government refused to sell the grain to the people, until it was spoiled, and that it would not even permit them to purchase better elsewhere. This famine was equally felt throughout the country. At Cairo the government first sold a kind of mixture, half wheat and half barley ; but for the wheat mouldy beans were afterwards substituted ; and this continued for about three or four months, during which corn was contraband throughout Egypt. Some wheat was even imported, by private speculators, from Syria ; a thing unheard of since the famine of Ismain Bey ; but a heavy duty put a stop to this promised relief, f It may not be improper to make, in this place, a few remarks on the subject of famines in Egypt, occasioned generally by the inadequate rise of the Nile. We find one great dearth described in Genesis ; ancient histo- rians, also, relate many remarkable examples of scarcity, in which, through the deficiency of proper nourishment, the inhabitants fed upon human flesh, though they spared the sacred animals. Several terrible famines are re- corded by Jemaleddin, in his History of Modern Egypt : — In the reign of Almostanser Billah, who succeeded his father Aldhader in a.h. 427, occurred a dearth greater than had been known in the memory of man. A small measure of wheat sold for two golden dinars (neai'ly 1/. sterling), and in a short time the price was again doubled. This, however, was but the beginning of their calamities : for all the usual articles of food at length failing, they openly devoured dogs and human flesh. The dogs which survived, rendered furious by hunger, broke into the houses, and tore to pieces the children in the sight of their parents, who were too wea k * Sir Frederick Henniker. t Deux Mots sur rEgyptc. G2 EGYPT AND NUBIA. to defend tliem. In the street Altabek, the most elegant in Cairo, twenty houses, the meanest valued at a thousand dinars, were sold for a small quantity of bread. The same calamity occurred thrice in two years. It is related by Ben Aljouzi, that a lady of great opulence and distinction, taking four measures of jewels in her hands, went forth into the streets, exclaiming, " Who will give me corn for these gems ?" No person attending to her cries, she thus spake : — " Since ye cannot aid me in my distress, what need have I of you ?" and with these words she cast them into the street, where they were suflFered to remain, no person regarding them. Almostanser exhausted the public treasures in alleviating the miseries of his people ; and these not sufficing, he disposed of his personal ornaments and possessions, and the riches of his palace, amounting, it is said, to thirty thousand gems of all kinds, seventy-five thousand garments inwrought with gold, twenty thousand swords, together with eleven thousand villas. In this manner he was reduced to such extreme poverty, that he possessed nothing but the carpet on which he knelt to pray, and a wooden footstool. Borrowing a mule from the president of the council, he descended from the citadel to the mosque of El Azhar, where he exhorted the few survivors to patience ; and shortly after this, his affairs assuming a new aspect, the whole kingdom of Egypt was restored to its wonted prosperity. A story not dissimilar to that of Aljouzi is related by Ibn Hasham. By the rushing of a sudden torrent a sepulchre was uncovered in Yemen, in which lay the body of a woman, with seven strings of pearls about her neck, on each of her hands and feet anklets and bracelets, besides seven other crural and brachial ornaments, rings set with gems of great price on every finger, and at her head a chest filled with riches, on which was this inscription : — " In thy name, O God ! God Hamyar ! I, the lady Di Shafar, sent my steward to Yusuf, who, delaying to return, I despatched my maid with a bushel of money for a bushel of wheat ; this not succeeding, I sent a bushel of pearls : which also proving of no avail, I commanded them to be broken to pieces, and took refuge in the tomb." In the year 695 of the Hegira, another grievous famine afflicted Egypt, in which, as before, men fed on dogs and on each other's bodies. The governor of Cairo discovered three ruffians, sitting round the body of a little child, which they were eating, having seasoned itwith salt, onions, and vinegar. On being apprehended, they confessed they had long subsisted on the flesh of infants, one of which they had devoured daily. Being executed, their bodies were gibbeted at the gate Zawilet ; but, during the night, they were taken down, and eaten by the famishing people. To this famine a terrible plague succeeded; and ah. 784, another grievous famine. But, even in times of plenty, the Egyptians, as we learn from Scripture, used to feed on mallows. It is remarked by an Arabian historian, that the numerous examples of Cannibalism which occurred in Egypt during the above famines, so accus- tomed the people to human flesh that the eating of it excited neither disgust nor astonishment : they grew altogether reconciled to this dreadful kind of food ; they contracted at length a fondness for it throughout the country, and began to lay up a store of it for future use, without betraying any EATING LIVE SERPENTS. G3 tokens of shame or remorse ; so easy is the slope to the lowest depths of wickedness.* No doubt the sufferings of the inhabitants of Rosetta, above described, were greatly multii)lied by the state of extreme poverty to which the city had been reduced by the want of trade and other causes. An air of sadness and destitution broods over the whole place. Scarcely a vestige of the meri'y character of the Arab is anywhere discernible ; and when they endeavour to procure themselves entertainment, it is by spectacles which would sadden any other people. There is a tribe of Arabs in Egypt, who pretend that they arc respected by serpents, and that no sort of snake can hurt them. As a proof of this, they have an annual procession through the streets of Rosetta, of which I was a witness ; one of their number is obliged to cat a living snake in public, or so much of it as to occasion its death. Probably the snake may have been rendered harmless by some means ; the people, however, suppose that for some act of piety performed by the ancestors of this tribe or family (which is by no means numerous), the Prophet protects the descendants from any injury which the snakes might occasion. The ophiophagus, who is to keep up this ridiculous farce, being, no doubt, well paid, begins to eat the living reptile ; a pretty large snake is held in his hands, which writhes its folds around his naked arm as he bites at the head and body. Horror and fury are depicted in the man's countenance, and in a strong convulsive manner he puts the animal to death, by eating and swallowing part of it alive. This disgusting and horrible spectacle, however, is but seldom exhibited at present.-|- The environs of Rosetta, and as much of the Delta as is visible from tlie eminence above the city, are described by Sir Robert Wilson as barren and unsightly. His motives for thus misrepresenting the country, it is, of course, impossible to determine with certainty. Nevertheless, he seems to have been considerably influenced by a desire to contradict the accounts of the French, many of whom are doubtless prone to exaggeration. Still, in this particular instance, I think their delineations more to be relied on than his. My experience, at least, and, consequently, my opinion, coincides with theirs. Guide Posts in the Desert leading to Rosetta. * Abdellatif. t Dr. Hume. C4 EGYPT AND NUBIA. CHAPTER YII. The Delta. — Damietta. — Anecdotes illustrative of Egyptian Despotism. I INTEND making the tour of Lower Egypt before I visit Cairo ; the boatmen have persuaded me to take their skiff, which is only eigliteen feet long ; the waters are out, and lean cut across the country. The fashion- able thing is a kanjia, or a maash, which you hire reasonably to yourself, and in your own cabin you can go from one end of Egypt to the other with- out seeing anything, and perform your journey, moreover, with great expedition ; but I am not carrying dispatches, and so wish to see the man- ners of the natives. A kanjia being to a maasli as a gondola is to a barge, is a decked boat, with two masts and two triangular sails, of which the foremost is much smaller than the other. There are two cabins upon deck : one about six feet in length, in which you live ; the other, much shorter, for containing your provisions. Several small windows, with sliding shutters, but without glass, afford you a prospect of the river and country on both sides, and let in the cool air. Your servant sleeps in a small tent of mats before your door. The boatmen, with their captain, occupy the fore part of the kanjia, where they sit, cook their victuals and sleep. The steersman is perched aloft on your after-cabin.* My boatman promised that he would not sit all day long cross-legged and smoking; the English vice-consul answers for his honesty, and I am per- suaded. As to the honesty of this place, I have been robbed twice, and this has happened, on two successive nights. Without alluding to the circumstance, I inquired the character of my hosts. The vice-consul assured me that they are of good repute. I did not mention my loss, willing rather to abide it, than cast even a suspicion on characters reputedly honest. A hook, either through the roof or through the windows, may have been the means : the window-place is open, having neither glass nor board. The skiff is ready, a matting is put up ; a mattress, a small sail, and a pair of oars, incommode the crew considerably. At taking leave of the vice-consul, coffee and pipes are i^resented by a slave: the vice-consul is not an Englishman ; he is, however, supposed to be a Christian. Coffee and pipe answer to " refreshment," and are invariably brought in with a " Will you allow me to offer?" Drinking and smoking are expressed by the same word in Arabic (eishereh) ; the pipe is of wood, either cherry or jasmine ; in length about six feet : length cools the smoke. Kinneir men- tions one too long for the room, and always put in at the window — mem., to try a fishing-rod. Presenting a cup of coffee, the slave places his liand on his forehead, his lips and his heart, signifying that he honours you in thought, word, and strength ; he pledges faith to you at the same time in one of the usual forms of " double life to you," or some other set phrase. Poison is sometimes administered in coffee ; there is no other cup for the " Egypt and Mohammed Ali. VOYAGE BY THE NILE TO DAMIETTA. 05 tragedy given here ; but the slave does not " make essay," the cup not beino- so big as an egg-shell. On starting we proceeded up the Rosetta branch, which is lined with palms, sycamores, and acacias ; the numberless villages are enlivened with birds unknown in England, such as the white ibis, the Egyptian crow, the black hoopoe, the Damietta duck, and the Oriental dotterel. This last bird is about the size of a crow, and is gene- rally found in the acacia groves of this part of Egypt, or near the sepul- chres of the ancient Egyptians, or in the Desert. Like the black wood- pecker, it has a shrill voice which it raises and lowers, successively, uttering agreeable notes. This bird is greatly valued by the Turks and Egyptians, who, if they can take it alive, keep it in a cage for the sake of its singing. Its flesh is hard, and very well tasted, and somewhat aromatic. The dotterel is a very voracious bird, catching and devouring rats and mice, which abound in Egypt. It seldom drinks, and, when taken young and kept in a cac^e, they give it no water for several months, but feed it with fresh meat, macerated in water, which it devours greedily.* The Damietta branch of the Nile is much more wooded than the Rosetta branch ; willows and poplars form tufted thickets on every side, and even droop over the waters ; the eye perceives in the distance vast forests of palms, and the plain is dotted with numerous turrets built for the pigeons ; numerous herds of cattle pasture in the green meadows, and well-built villages rise on either bank.f My boatmen are two brothers ; the elder does nothing but smoke ; the younger all the work : the latter is near-sighted, but coolly reconciles everything in the true Italian style, " Cosa-fa ? Non-fa-niente." I natu- rally call busy-body, " Cosa-fa," and lazy-boots, " Non-fa-niente.'" The country seems as fertile of sparrows as it is of grain. Aristotle, speaking of the fecundity of Egypt, says, that a woman has been known to give birth to twenty children in four accouchements ! This, however, is nothing to the story told by Ibn Kathir, who relates with much gravity, that in the year ^58 of the Hejira, a slave-girl in the harem of the Emir Alhamdan, brought forth at once forty children, fourteen of which were girls, the remainder boys, and all remarkable for their beauty. Jemmaled- din, who abridges the story, exclaims, and not without reason, " May God have mercy upon Ibn Kathir ! " which shows, I suppose, what degree of credit he attached to his narrative. J Frequently the mast of a foundered vessel is seen rising out of the water. It being the grain season, and the vessels laden for the Pasha, they are, probably, wilfully scuttled. I went on shore ; there Avas a jerm aground, and a corn vessel had been sunk near it ; saw six naked black fellows jump overboard, and thought myself their prey. They seized my boat; I hastened back ; they told me that their vessel was aground, and the pas- sengers wanted to be put on shore. I went with them for that purpose ; there was a company of soldiers on board, two of whom immediately jumped into our boat, and took us on a cruise. We soon fell in with a jerm, which the soldiers seized, and liberated us. One of them, when he * Hazelquist. f Michaud et Poujoulat. + Mauied Allatafet. gft EGYPT AND NUBIA. took possession, told me tliat lie was " a Turk — a Turk — not a fellah." Our boatmen are what are termed fellahs, that is, native labourers. Fellah seems to answer to our old word villanus, and to be synonymous with villain as a term of reproach. Sais is under water ; nothing to be seen except the mound that indicates the ancient site, and the excavations that indicate the labour of the Arabs. They tell us that Franks, foolish Franks, come there to buy whatever is found ; that only one statue or monument is left, and that, because it cannot be taken away, " not even an English- man can move it ;" it is at present under water. I here shot some beautiful birds, the entire plumage snow-white, and in form as graceful as the heron, but the body not larger than a parrot. Cosa-fa concealed them, lest the natives should be offended. This bird lives upon locusts and grass- hoppers. A Dutchman would not thank me for killing a stork. The country is flat and covered with water. It resembles the sea, at least as much as do the lagunes of Venice. Upon an artificial elevation, on the banks of the river, were huddled together men and cattle, driven from their village by this annual deluge : they will never find their houses again, for the inundation will cause them to return to the mud of which they came ; however, they can soon re-earth themselves, and their houses will make good manure. I would have gone on shore, but Cosa-fa was afraid that I, in my character of Christian, might be bastonadoed. I confess that the spirit of martyrdom did not urge me on. I observed a Turkish encampment on the bank ; the cavalry were amusing themselves with the exercise of the jerreed. We steered towards them. The Turkish soldiers fight individually — each man trusts to his own prowess. In practising the jerreed he urges his horse to full speed, throws a lance, stops short in mid-gallop, and wheels suddenly. Slaves, or running- footmen in attendance pick up the lances. The variety and gaiety of their costume give a fine stage effect to this " game of soldiers." AVe were within a few yards of the bank, when an officer, snatching up a musket, took aim at poor Non-fa-niente, commanding him to run the boat ashore immediately, which he did. Cosa-fa said that " the officer woiild have shot him as soon as he would a duck, though he had better shoot a duck." A soldier came on board, and we were ordered to give him a passage to Cairo ; as soon as out of gun-shot of the camp, I offered him the choice of going on shore where we then were, or on board the first vessel we should see going up the river ; he preferred the latter : and, as he seemed a hon diable, I did not care to turn him out. The sound of music led us on shore at the village of Beara, where a "fantasia" was given to celebrate the circumcision of the village children, who, undergoing the same operation in company, may, if they can, laugh at one another. This event, which generally takes place among the peasantry when the lads are between the age of twelve and thirteen,* occasions as much rejoicing to the Mohammedan parents as the christening of a son and heir in Christendom ; two drums and two squeaking pipes formed the band; eight villagers were * Lane, Modern Egyptians. CIRCUMCISION FEAST— MENOUF. 67 very awkwardly, but very innocently, handling some long poles, with which they pretended to strike at one another, but gave a minute's notice as to what part of the body was the object of attack. During this, they kept time to the music like dancing bears ; these poles are iron-bound at either end, and are the arms of the villagers; the dance and sham-fight are as much objects of delight to the Arabs as the Romaika to the Greeks : the jokes of our sword-stick players are serious. The band belonged to some ladies of easy, or no virtue, who graced this tournament with their company, seated on horseback, and bedizened with feathers, grease, necklaces of onions, and other attractions. The clown, upon a donkey, with his face to the tail, was the master of the ceremonies ; he cleared the way for us, and did not forget backsheesh ; his face was white- washed, and he was clothed, which is no slight disguise to an Arab. The ladies were without masks, which is a less happy conceit ; our soldier was of considerable use in rendering the corps de ballet content with the profiFered backsheesh : he was also himself very liberal in the use of his whip. To avoid the current, we frequently cut across the country ; occasionally aground, once so fast that we all got out to help the boat off. I am no longer astonished at the fecundity of the Delta : I was up to my knees in the alluvial deposit ; and our military friend, being a heavy man, was fairly planted: I had thoughts of leaving him there to try what he would grow to. We shortly, however, regained the river. Many boats were goino- up ; and though we could get within hail, not one would allow us to approach near; at length, the soldier concealed his red cap; we came alongside a jerm, and Don Whiskerandos jumped on board ; but moving all things by his frown, he took Turkish possession of the best place — so much for the cap of liberty, the appearance of which, on board our boat, had alw\ays indicated a corsair. He was extremely proud of being a Turk, and used to tell poor Non-fa-niente that it would stain his sword to take off Arab heads. I had a pocket- pistol, which was a subject of great ridicule to him : he conceived it im- possible that so short a barrel could be of any service, and almost enticed me to fire at him. His own pistol was nearly as long as a blunderbuss. JMenouf, on the north side of the canal of the same name, is a large village, which, according to the inhabitants and Dr. Pococke, is a city :* it is surrounded by an embankment of rubbish. aAt first it is almost impossible to conceive how such mounds could be formed ; but, considering the cheapness of crockery-ware, and the fragility of mud- houses, the laziness of the people who never repair, and who are not com- pelled to carry the rubbish beyond the outskirts of the town, the wonder nearly ceases. At Menouf is a manufactory of mats, made of rushes ; they are exported throughout Turkey. There are no remnants of ancient buildings, except that in a mosque are some columns of cipolino and granite; columns are bought wholesale for this use. On leaving Menouf, we had some difficulty in finding a hole to hide our boat in : great appre- hension of land pirates. At day-break, drew our boat over land into a garden ditch, by which means we entered the canal of Harien : moored at * Description of the East. 68 EGYPT AND NUBIA. the mouth of it. At 7 a.m. entered the Damietta branch of the Nile, and floated down to Senienhoud : the remains of an ancient building are here to be seen ; that is, a piece of masonry has been discovered, and recovered ; but it is uncovered as often as any one will give backsheesh. This town is not ill-built, and has a population of between three and four thousand. It marks the site of the ancient Sebenitus.* Left Senienhoud : in two hours landed on the west bank, opposite to Wheesh, and in half an hour reached the ruins of Beybait : here was once a granite temple, the materials, the style, and the hieroglyphics of w^hich, rendered it perhaps one of the most beautiful in Egypt : there is not now one stone upon another in the order they ought to be in ; it is fallen into a mass like the temple of Hercules at Girgenti. I was ruminating on the strength of Samson, when an Arab of the neighbouring village gave me the following tradition : — Mohammed passing by the temple, applied to a Christian for a bit of bread ; the Christian refused : the temple fell imme- diately, and the town went to ruins. To this he added : — " You Franks come here to look for treasure because your ancestors built these temples ; there were a great many more in the kingdom, but Mohammed destroyed them all, and you are a blasted people." Such ideas naturally suggest themselves to Arab minds, when they see Franks carrying away mummies with as much anxiety as if related to them, and blocks of masonry as if they had found the philosopher's stone. The relics of Beybait are worth visiting : the hieroglyphics are on granite, beautifully executed, and there is nothing to disturb you but owls and jackals. On our way down the river we encountered a sandstorm ; all our sails ■were immediately reefed ; clouds of dust overhung us ; a huge column advanced towards our kanjia, and for a moment I thought we should be submerged. It disappeared, however, suddenly, and was swallowed up noiselessly by the waters of the Nile, like a vast phantom that had quitted for awhile the regions of darkness to threaten and disappear. In about an hour the sky cleared up, and the minarets of Mansoura (the Zoan of Scripture f) appeared on our right. This town is of no very ancient date. It took its rise subsequently to the sixth crusade ; for after the siege of Damietta by the Christians, the Sultan fell back to the right bank of the Ashmoun canal with his army ; tents were first erected, then houses, then palaces, then mosques. Mansoura, like Cairo, was a camp before it was a city. It gives its name to a province, of which it is the capital, and is renowned for its salubrity, patients being sent thither from Cairo and even Damietta. I visited the famous canal of Ashmoun, called by the crusaders the canal of Tannis. We found the place where the engineer of Saint Louis undertook to construct a causeway, and farther on, the ford over which the Christian army passed. J "SVe now entered the canal leading to Menzaleh : our boatmen were very unwilling; they had "never been there before, and the people might be savages ;" at length, with backsheesh in one hand and stick in the other, I persuaded them. At the village of Mersy we endea- * Michaud et Poujoulat. f Pococke. + Michaud et Poujoulat. MANSOURA— LOVE CHARMS. 69 voured to procure some bread, but it was impossible ; the Pasha's agents having accurately calculated to a tooth the quantity of grain requisite for the village,had sent the overplus to the Pasha^s granary. A crowd of women and children came to the boat : I commenced a sketch ; all my subjects ran away shrieking. Cosa-fa begged me to put up my pencil ; the villagers imagined that I was writing talismans, and he himself knew the force of magic. He had been in love witli a fair one who despised the charms of his face and fortune ; at length he procured a subtler spell, and, though neither himself nor his Dulcinea could read, she was so afraid that she acceded to his proposals. The charm had cost him a dollar : the Bank of England could not have found one more serviceable. This is distress- ing, as it is common to observe the fear and superstition of the people in general ; a pen will put them to flight ; a hat, though looked upon as the ensign of freedom, will clear a field of workmen, will irritate the dogs, and even the buffalo ; that animal that used to alarm us, will break from its labour at the approach of a Frank, About four miles south-east of Mersy is a mound of rubbish, to which we were directed in pursuance of our inquiries concerning antiquities. The waters were out — the way dangerous and intricate : at length a guide appeared, curiosity induced me, and money prevailed on him to proceed. A considerable part of the distance we waded nearly breast-high, for which we were half-stripped, (N.B., leeches here), but of the temple, there are only two small parcels of worthless granite. The rashes that grow here are of a three-sided or prismatic form, lately cut, perhaps the papyrus plant; if not, I have seen none since leaving Syracuse. There were cattle upon the mounds; and it was remarkable that whenever a hoof had been impressed at the water's edge, the indentation was covered with a lamina of salt, having 70 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tlie appearance of ice, yet the water is perfectly fresh, the sand alone being imprecrnated with salt. Those who work in salt mines are subject to a complaint in the eyes ; perhaps the ophthalmia is in some measure to be attributed to the same cause. The excursion occupied four hours. A man in liis own country will scarcely deviate from the road to see a lake or a cathedral : in a strange land where he cannot move without danger and an interpreter, he pries into everything. From Mansoura to Menzaleh cost us three days ; between which latter place and JMersy we saw other rubbish mounds, but were informed that there were not even stones there. I had sufficiently cooled not to doubt my informant. Menzaleh is a large town, and gives name to the lake. Even here, however, it was with great difficulty that we could procure rice and bread. We succeeded in dragging our bark into the lake of Menzaleh : and were taken in tow by the Damietta passage-boat. A rapid sail of four hours brought us to the Garden of Palm-trees. The Lake of Menzaleh abounds with fishermen and fish, great quantities of which , especially a sort of mullet, are brought to Damietta. Their roes, when cured, are called botargo. When they desire to preserve them in the best manner, they dip them in wax, and carry them not only all over Turkey, but also to many parts of Christendom.* A beggar living on a scrap of an island, about five yards square, called loudly as we passed for his daily bread, which was thrown to him. Rows of pelicans stretched along the smooth surface of the water ; they appear even more beautiful when on wing ; they resemble swans, while at the same time part of their plumage is rose- coloured, and glistens to the sun. * Pococke. DAMIETTA. 71 There is no inn at Damietta : I therefore lodged in the house of the EngHsli Vice-Consul. His table is hospitably spread : beds there are none ; lie allowed ns to sleep upon the boards, but the musquitoes would not. Thus far our journey has been tedious and unsatisfactory. One village is remarkable as having a house one story bigh ; it must belong to a man of consequence. It contains a mat, a coffee-pot, cups, spoons, bowls, earthen vessels, water-jars, pumpkins, and two stones for pounding corn ; hoopoes, hawks, doves, and sparrows abound, and live together in apparent harmony. "We dined with Signor , rich, fat, and jolly. To be rich is to be fat — fat is an evil loss than care. There are many extraordinary things in his house ; excellent and various wines, with a free use thereof; knives, forks, and chairs ; books, and the assurance that your host can read and write. Dinner was served a V Anglaise — at least so it was thought to be ; excepting a capon, its head stretched out like that of a flying wild duck, and its legs in the act of supplication, all the meats were in scraps, according to the custom of a country where knives and forks are unknown, and though we had also these rarities, even our host's son did not understand the use of them, but ate with his fingers. A slave was in attendance upon each to brush away the flies. These animals seem to have emigrated from Alexandria. Dinner was finished by half-past one, mid-day ; water was poured over our hands, followed by eau cle rose. Pipes and coffee were then served, and our host retired to his " siesta." He generally reads himself to sleep, and his library furnishes plenty of soporifics. The common wine in use here is imported from Cyprus in goat-skins ; it is sold at about a penny a gallon, but is not worth so much ; it tastes of the skin. There is no memento of St. Louis and the Crusades, save the name. The extent and population of this city have often been very greatly exaggerated. Instead of the seventy or eighty thousand inhabitants, which many have supposed it to contain, it possesses, at the utmost, from twenty-five to thirty thousand. The principal buildings worthy of notice are the mosques, rice-warehouses, barracks, and military school. The modern city has been built at about the distance of two leagues from the site of the Damietta of the Crusaders. Many of the houses are spacious and stand in the midst of extensive gardens. They are flat-roofed and fur- nished with terraces, from which can be descried in the distance the course of the Nile ; the streets are wider than those of the capital ; the air circulates freely through them, and as the heat is thus tempered, the inhabitants are compelled to take fewer precautions against the sun. Rain is frequent, especially in winter. The pompous descriptions which have been given of the environs of Damietta must be received with some reserve. However, there is much to admire in the vast rice-fields, which form the source of the city's wealth, and the extensive meadows intersected by a thousand canals, whose waters disappear beneath the green shade of the lotus. I often wandered forth amidst these beautiful scenes, gazing on the groves of citron and orange-trees, the palm-woods, the plantations of sycamores, the gardens where grow the broad-leaved banana-tree, the pome- gxanate with its scarlet blossom, and the lovely cassia. The people of Damietta appear less indolent than the Calreens ; fewer 72 EGYPT AND NUBIA. jugglers and dancers are seen in the streets, and fewer idlers in the coffee- houses. Damietta has its alme, but they do not make their appearance in public places. The rich often give concerts, to which the singers of the country are invited ; and, to certain musical parties are brought nightin- gales trained to sing in concert. The city has some fine bazaars, which were evidently built at the time when commerce was flourishing. Damietta carried on formerly an exten- sive trade with Syria, Cyprus, and Marseilles ; it received the silks of Mount Lebanon, the tobacco of Lattakia, the soap of Palestine, the wood of Asia Minor, and furnished to all these countries the productions of Egypt. But monopoly and heavy duties have cut oft" these sources of prosperity. Damietta has no longer any connection with Cyprus. The mouth of the Nile is no longer visited by vessels from France, or Italy. Formerly ships from Marseilles came to fetch the finest rice pro- duced in Egypt. But since the Pasha has placed himself at the head of agricultural industry, and that attempts have been made to improve the method of preparing rice, it has come to pass that the rice of Damietta has deteriorated in quality, and that, in all the markets of Europe, it has been unable to compete with that of Lombardy and Piedmont. On entering Egypt by the Nile, the decline of commerce and industry becomes evident even to the eye. When we passed Rosetta, the Nile was covered with sails ; at Damietta, there were but a few jerms that had escaped the shallows of the Bogaz. JVIany Arab historians tell us that Damietta was formerly celebrated for its jasmin-oil,* and its tissues of gold and silk: it no longer manufac- tures any rich stuffs, but still furnishes table napkins to all Egypt and the neighbouring countries. This branch of industry, which affords occupation to a great number of artisans in the city and the villages on the banks of the Nile, would suffice to maintain the people in comfort if the Pasha had not interfered, and imposed a heavy tax.t But it is not, perhaps, so much the amount of the taxes paid as the manner in which they are collected, that causes the ruin of the peasantry. According to the Pasha''s execrable system, each man is liable for the debts of his neighbour, each village for the debts of the neighbouring village, and each district for the district adjoining. It is therefore next to impossible that the population of Egypt should be a thriving one. Scarcely, in fact, can people ■ desire to amass property, when the laziness or the misfortune of others may at any moment furnish the government with an excuse for depriving them of it. This new mode of raising a revenue is said to have been invented by Mahmoud Bey, who, in consequence, rose greatly in his master's favour. Guttemberg in discovering the art of printing, Christopher Columbus in opening a new world to mankind, did not experience a livelier joy than this Albanian, wlien he formed in the recesses of his mind the new financial system which was destined to be so profitable to the coffers of his lord and master, Mohammed AH. Mahmoud Bey presented himself in a state of triumphant exultation in the palace of his highness ; he gave to his gracious * Abdellatif. -f- Michaud et Poujoulat. THE PASHA'S SYSTEM OF TAXATION. 73 sovereign the paper on wliich was traced his famous plan. Mohammed AH read and re-read this precious memoir, then grasped the paper firmly in his hands, and exclaimed in an ecstatic transport of joy, " Oh, peki ! peki ! a thousand times peki ! Thou art a man of genius, O Mahmoud Bey ! Henceforth the population of Egypt shall pay its debts, past, present, and future !" An European consul was present at this scene ; Mohammed Ali was unable to contain himself before him. In what way could Mahmoud Bey be rewarded for having rendered such a service to the state ? The viceroy nominated him Minister at War ! To illustrate the practical working of this system, I may relate two or three anecdotes, which, however exaggerated they may seem, are perfectly in keeping with the manners of the country. A short time ago, a peasant found himself utterly unable to pay the miri and the other taxes ; all that remained to him was an ox. His father had left him this, and for no consideration was he inclined to part with it. Pay he must, however, or die under the stick. The fellah was therefore obliged to go and sell his ox at the yearly fair of Farescouz, not far from Damietta, The peasant demanded six hundred piastres for his beast, but no purchaser presented himself. A Frank, inhabiting Damietta, happened to be at this fair of Farescouz. He offered six hundred piastres to the fellah for his ox, but he could not pay this sum in less than forty days. What was to be done ? The stick was raised over the head of the fellah. The sequel was this — a tax-gatherer bought his ox for one hundred and fifty piastres. But tliis is not all. Wait awhile. When the rice harvest was got in, and the govern- ment had paid the amount of it, the same tax-gatherer forced the fellah to buy back the ox for six hundred piastres ! On another occasion, two of these agents happened to be in a village not far from Damietta. It was evening ; some fellahs were smoking the chibouk in the sheikh's house, constructed of the mud of the Nile, like all the others in the Delta. The two tigers were this time sitting in the midst of the sheep, without having much the appearance of desiring to devour them ; but suddenly one of the Turks perceived a few grains of rice on a peasant's beard. The poor devil had forgotten his after-supper ablution. " You have been eating rice, you wretch ! " cried the tax-gatherers in a terrible voice. " I assure you, effendi, that I have not eaten rice," replied the trembling fellah. The two Turks entered the peasant's hut, and searched carefully for hidden rice, but found none. What then did these two Turks do ? They compelled the fellah to swallow soap- water, that they might convince themselves he had eaten rice ! After this, they administered two hundred strokes with the stick on the soles of his feet. O Egyptian civilisation ! Under all circumstances, the bastinado is the tax-gatherer's instrument in Egypt. If a man be rich, more than he owes is required of him, and he is bastinadoed till he pays ; if he be poor, demands are still made upon him, and he is bastinadoed till he robs or borrows wherewith to satisfy the claims of government. What a Jesuit once said of China is equally true 74 EGYPT AND NUDIA, of Egypt, — it is the stick that governs it, — all ranks receive the stick, which falls, however, as a matter of course, most heavily on the poor, especially when they owe anything to the treasury; this almost neces- sarily excites in thoni the spirit of resistance, which, however, is most passive in its character. When they happen to possess money, they will almost suhmit to be flayed alive sooner than part with it, and often refuse to pay their taxes till they have been well bastinadoed, thus apparently justifying the opinion of Abderrahman Bey. But they know their government, and are apprehensive that, if they paid their taxes too easily, they would shortly be called upon for twice as much. This circumstance accounts for the occurrence of such scenes as the following : — A fellah declared with many protestations that he was unable to pay his tax, amounting, I think, to 15 or 20 piastres. He was ordered by the proper functionary to receive a certain number of blows upon the soles of his feet, which were inflicted with such skill and violence as to extort the most piteous groans and exclamations. The sufferer, upon being released, was unable, for a considerable time, to stand upon his feet. AVhen at length he was able to advance towards the magistrate's seat, he was asked again if lie would paj' his tax. He re-affirmed, with many solemn protes- tations, his utter inability to comply with the demand ; a punishment still more severe was immediately ordered ; the poor man was laid again upon his face, and was held down by two soldiers, while the practised operator returned to his task with increased vigour. The culprit struggled and screamed as in the last agonies, and finally swooned before the claims of justice were satisfied ; after some time had elapsed, he recovered so far as to be able to hobble up to the tribunal, where he kissed the hand of the officer, and thanked him for his great lenity, promising to bring the money and pay the demand of the government without further delay.* On arriving once at Mansoura, I paid a visit to the governor of the city, who filled also the office of revenue-collector of the beautiful and rich province of Sharkieh. This collector, who is no more than twenty-seven years of age, is called Abderrahman Bey. He is by birth a Copt. Abderrahman passed his youth in the palace of Mohammed Ali as writer to his highness. He received the title of Bey when he renounced the faith of Christ to embrace that of Mohammed. Abderrahman is thin, and not more than four feet in height. He has a little unbearded face, with an expression of mingled gentleness and ferocity impossible to define. Such is the type of a collector. No one knows better than he how to screw the taxes out of the fellahs. These never pronounce without trembling the name of Abderrahman Bey. Abderrahman is the demon, the terror, the affright, of the inhabitants of the province of Sharkieh. I found him sitting at the corner of a handsome scarlet divan. By his side was an Italian, his private medical attendant. The Bey received me with distinguished politeness. Five pipes were offered me in rapid succession by his slaves ; the coffee, the sherbet, the sweetmeats, which he graciously shared with me, were banded to me on plates of silver, fashioned in rich oriental style. * Olin. MISERY OF THE FELLAHS. 75 " How did yon find the country wliicli you have crossed in coming from Cairo to ^lansoura?" inquired the Bey. " Admirable, your excellence, admirable ; Lower Egypt is a perfect terrestrial paradise ; but it is painful to behold, in the midst of this Eden, a population so unhappy. These poor fellahs have no bread to eat. Yester- day evening, I saw in the village of Fisbeh, five hours from Mansoura, peasants supping on clover and thistles." "These fellahs are so miserly!" answered tlie Bey with a grimace, which sufficiently expressed his regret for having asked me the first question. I continued : " The peasants have nothing wherewith to clothe them- selves : I have seen young women, young girls, old men, children, with no other clothing than a miserable piece of stuff round their loins."" " These fellahs are in civil costume," said the Italian doctor with a smile. " Methinks the doctor might have chosen a more fitting theme for his jokes." " I will explain myself," proceeded the medical man. " A hundred fellahs, in the costume you observed in the Delta, were taken, some time ago, for the army. They were conducted to Cairo, into the court of the Minister at War's palace. A few Turks and some Europeans attached to the Egyptian government happened at this moment to be in the Minister's reception hall. Among the Europeans was a Frenchman, who was surgeon in one of Ibrahim's regiments. He looked into the court and said, 'Here come some conscripts,' — 'In uniform?"' inquired the Minister. ' >so, your Excellency,' replied the Frenchman very seriously, ' the conscripts are still in civil costume."' The JMinister, the Turk, the European, surprised at this answer, rose, approached the window, and beheld a troop of men either in rags or completely naked. At this a general laugh was raised. Those words, ' The conscripts are still in civil costume,' have become quite famous among the Frencli esta- blished in Cairo and Alexandria. It is no longer said, in speaking of the fellahs, *They are covered with rags,' but ' They are in civil costume.'" Let us now return to Abderrahman Boy, wlio could not help lauLdiinc; at the doctor's narrative. " You vi'ill have a false idea of the condition of the peasantry of Egypt," said the Bey, " if you judge them from their costume and their bad food, which they take pleasure in displaying to all travellers. I have already told you that these people are excessively avaricious. I may add that they have hidden treasures in the earth ; the proof of which is, that the fellah's bring them forth when compelled by the bastinado. The province of Mansoura, or Sharkieh, has eight hundred villages ; it owed one hun- dred and fifty thousand purses to my master's treasury. Before my lime no collector could obtnin a para of this sacred debt. I have been in my place only eight months, and the fellahs owe only eighteen purses. Pasha- el-Kebir has received this money ; and has done me the honour to give me, as a recompense for this poor service, the title of general. May God preserve the days of his highness !" 76 EGYPT AND NUBIA. The Bey, however, did not relate to me all the atrocities he committed to wring these hundred and fifty thousand purses from the fellahs. He had caused thirty-six of them to die under the stick ! The cruel renegade became so hateful to me, when I heard of these enormities, that I could not make up my mind to go and pay him my adieus. It is well to observe that these hundred and fifty thousand purses were not owed by those who paid them. They were the debts of a number of villages that no longer exist. A sheikh, who had been ruined by taxation, one day observed to me : " Listen to the following story. You will recognise in it the image of the justice of Mohammed Ali, on whom be the curse of God ! There lived at Menouf a ricli manufacturer of silk. — One night a robber broke into his house. Having no light with him, this malefactor ran his eye against a nail which stuck out from the wall, and blinded himself. Discomfited by this accident, he got out of the house as well as he could, whilst the manufacturer still slept. Next day the robber went to complain to the governor of Cairo, whose name was Haraos ; he told him that the manu- facturer of silk had put him to sleep in a room, in the wall of which were nails, and that, being without a candle, he had knocked out his eye. The governor ordered the manufacturer to be brought before him, and said, ' When a man sticks nails in the walls of his house, he must take care and give a light to those who come and ask hospitality of him. You have not done so, and justice requires that my cawass thrust out your eye, as one of your nails has thrust out the eye of this man. That's all.' " ' But I do not know this man ; I have never seen him.' " ' Silence !' exclaimed the governor. ' Guards, seize this manufacturer of silk, and thrust a nail into his eye.' "'A moment! a moment!^ cried the inhabitant of Menouf, 'My neighbour is a man who passes his life in shooting the birds of the Nile ; one eye is enough for him ; shall I bring him before you ?"* " ' Very good !' said Haraos. Egyptian Merchant. DEPARTURE FROM DAMIETTA. 77 " The hunter accordingly was brought to Cairo, where his . eye was thrust out. The responsibility established by j\Iohammed Ali is nothing else — what I can't pay, my neighbour must. In this way we are both ruined at the same time."* In the Nile, near Damietta, dolphins, it is said, have always been com- mon ;f and, according to an Arabic historian, the hippopotamus also was anciently found in this part of the river. The hippopotami of those days, however, will seem to have been far more bold and ferocious than those at present found in the Nile. They now only show themselves at night, and that with the greatest possible caution, whereas, in the thirteenth century, they used to attack boats in open daylight, and when they could succeed in upsetting them, devoured tlieir crew, A couple of these ani- mals, more enterprising than their fellows, were accustomed, it is said, to make excursions into the neighbouring fields, where they snapped up indis- criminately whatever fell in their way, cows, fellahs, and even buifaloes ! It was in vain that the inhabitants collected together, and sought to kill them. In all encounters the hippopotami were victorious. At length, however, a number of hunters were sent for from Nubia, who, being accus- tomed to the sport, soon delivered the good people of Damietta from their persecutors.! Occasionally, during the inundation, crocodiles are still carried down to the sea, though they have never, I believe, been found in the Rosetta branch ; but the hippopotamus has not, for many centuries, been seen in Egypt. On quitting Damietta I determined to visit Sann and Pelusium, the Kashiff having given me a favourite slave as a guard, and promised that at Matarieh we shovild be furnished with a sheikh to guide us. We were soon on board our little skiff once more. The slave lent to be our guard was a black, in himself a host, armed with a brace of horse-pistols, a sabre, and a firelock. In four hours we landed at ]\Iatarieh. Matarieh gives name to two small islands, covered with wretched habitations : its trade consists in salt-fish and botargo ; the former was in perfection, if I might judge by my nose. Tame pelicans are in constant attendance to receive the overplus of the miraculous draughts of fishes taken at this place. The price of a pelican is two piastres. We were delayed here all night for a guide. The sheikh sent in that capacity had a patriarchal appearance. We steered for Sann, where we arrived in twelve hours. We were hailed (four A.M.) by the Cavaliere Frediani and M. Gemini; the latter was " chan- cellor," i. e. secretary, to the English Consul at Damietta. At Sann we saw six obelisks ; their bases vary from six to seven feet ; on each is a perpendicu- lar row of hieroglyphics; all are prostrate: but it appears that they did stand in a direct line drawn east and west, in length about one hundred and sixty yards; at either end are blocks of granite, so that this place was probably ofice worth seeing — for farther particulars inquii'e of Denon. Upon one of the highest mounds is a heap of bricks and stones : every passing Mussulman adds something to the pile. I was requested to do the same ; it is the burying place of a sheikh or saint; the object is to perpetuate his memory. * Baptistin Poiijoulat. t Sxard. X Abdellatif. 78 EGYPT AND NUBIA. We paraded a small village in search of provisions ; — surrounded by the astonished natives ; the object of curiosity, a hat. A man requested per- mission to put mine on his head, for he had seen the consuls in the Levant, who, notwithstanding their Eastern robes, wore a hat in token of freedom ; and he wished to be free. Those who were not acquainted with the pro- perty of the hat of Fortunatus, laughed immoderately at it. I agreed to accompany the cavaliere to the Tanitic branch, and to cross the lake. While I slept, blackie gave orders to moor in the sedge ; waking I missed the other boat ; after four hours' search I rejoined it and accepted the offer of going aboard. Here I dismissed Cosa-fa, Non-fa-niente, and Othello ; the black refused to go, and stating that he was the favourite of the governor, and I only a Christian, ordered both boats home. He also tlireatened the men of the other with a bastinado for daring to bring Christians on the lake without permission ; the men who knew the power of a favourite slave, were inclined to obey him, and it was with some diffi- culty I changed my quarters. Blackie insisted on coming also ; he fired his pistols and reloaded them ; he then put his bundle into our boat ; it was thrown back, and he submitted ; I gave Cosa-fa a note to the Consul at Rosetta ; I refused also to take the sheikh, till, being informed that he was necessary to our safety, and that any accident which might happen to us, would be visited upon him, I gave assent. We proceeded by the Tanitic branch to the opening " Om Faraj." This mouth is about one hundred yards in width, but too shallow for even our boat to pass ; dolphins sported round ; the sheikh requested me not to fire at them, as the crew classically believe that they assist drowning mariners. Do they not give notice of storms ? The lake is celebrated for the great number of birds that are taken on its banks. The most remarkable is the flamingo, from the tongues of which they now make oil instead of eating them, as in the time of the Romans, who esteemed them a great delicacy. Under the emperors Egypt paid a part of its tribute in flamingo-tongues. The waters of Lake Menzaleh are less disagreeably salt than those of the sea. The rice growing on its banks is in much repute, which is doubtless to be attributed to the quality of the soil impregnated with salt, everywhere seen crusting the surface.* From Om Faraj we directed our course towards the Bubastic branch. I went on shore shooting ; the Cavaliere, the Cancelliere, the Sheikh, and another, joined me. — We proposed to visit Pelusium, and a Bedouin encampment. After three hours' walk we arrived at the " Bubastic Mouth," which we forded, knee-deep. It is a hundred yards wide. We soon came within sight of a long dark rag, flapping in the wind ; and this the Sheikh informed us was the outpost of the Bedouins — not in our route, but it was judged better to visit than to be visited. We marched towards it, our guide giving us instructions as to our line of conduct. We had a boisterous but friendly welcome : when once an Arab has given his faith, his hospitality is inviolable. We sat down cross- legged ; coffee was prepared. The Arabs swore " by the Sun " that we * Cadalveae et Breuvery. A BEDOUIN ENCAMPMENT. 79 were safe, and offered to conduct ua to their encampment, at the Roman mountain, " Gebel Romano.'' One of the Bedouins, an invalid, re- quested advice, concluding that we, being Franks, were of necessity skilled in medicine, though not one of us had more right to the title of doctor than if we had bought diplomas — if such things are to be bought. Our sick friend offered us, however, room for " twenty-one days," and every other requisite that Bedouins can offer ; we arranged that he should accompany us to his party at Gebel Romano, and to our boat on the fol- owing day for medicine : thus his illness insured our welfare. Four hours' walk, and quite dark, when the assault of dogs warned us of our approach to the habitations of men or Bedouins. A party were seated on the sand round a glimmering fire; an occasional ray exhibited them to horrible advantage : ten men, with black beards, white teeth, half-clothed, and com- pletely armed ; what would Mrs. Radcliffe have given to have seen them, or I to have been away ? Bandits, when out-bandittied on the stage, are gentlemen in appearance compared to these Bedouins. They sprang up, as if taken by surprise ; we performed the ceremony of Salam Aleikoom with the whole party. In a few minutes a blazing fire was furnished by hospi- tality and curiosity ; our number increased by at least fifty, all armed ; for arms are the first, and clothing a very secondary consideration. Pipes, coffee, boiled rice, and bread, in form and thinness resembling pan- cakes, were soon prepared. These inhabitants of the desert " practise the laws of good breeding" with a punctilio that even Frenchmen would call ultra-polite. Whenever an elderly man made his appearance, the whole party invariably stood up, and unconscious of the applause that such conduct ever obtained, offered the seat, according to priority of years. Women were seen gliding among the trees, more anxious to see than to be seen ! The Frank fowling-piece is greatly admired. English gun- powder is compared with Turkish : the grains of the latter are nearly as large as mustard-seed. Having been drawn on this expedition from a shooting walk, I had come without either coat, shoes, or stockings, and now had leisure to feel the cold. I requested to be shown to my bed-room ; did not expect a flat-candlestick and a pan of coals ; but having been invited to a residence for three weeks, I did hope for a hut of some kind. There was not one without women ; and to be admitted into the same apartment with the females, would be an innovation unprecedented in Arabian customs. We were therefore desired to huddle together in the sand, and a rush mat, big enough for the great bed at AVare, was spi'ead over the whole party. Twelve Bedouins mounted guard in a circle round us ; one of them taking notice that I placed my fowling-piece carefully by my side, tied an old gun-barrel to a stick, without a lock, and offered it to my neighbour. Our guard disencumbered themselves of their clothes, and placing them upon their heads, were soon asleep in the sand. We did not indulge in bed after daybreak ; a sheep was killed, and dejeuner sans fourchette prepared ; bread, rice, coffee, boiled mutton, and pipes ; fingers supplied the place of forks ; this hastily finished, we took leave and scrambled up a lofty ridge of sands ; where it is said that Pompey was killed, and hence the name Gebel Romano. '80 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Notwithstanding the fatigue of the a?ccnt, we were followed by all the invalids of the village, not only those really unwell, but those who fancied themselves so, and others who begged for physic, that they might be so ; I prescribed for them all ; for many of them a bastinado, which prescription was received with great good humour. A plain of sand leads to Pelusium, a lamina of salt, about an inch in thickness, and of a pale rose colour, forms a surface over many hollow places (natural salt-beds) in the sand. Accom- panied by the invalid and three others, four hours' march brought us to the groundwork of Pelusium. Pelusium is said to have been the " key of Egypt," and to have " been sacked three times." There is nothing to dis- prove the latter assertion. Of its boasted magnificence, four red granite columns remain, and some few fragments of others. It was dark ere we regained the lake of Menzaleli ; as we entered into it we were hailed, and ordered to bring to ; we could distinguish two large boats moored in the sedge ; returned no answer to the first order ; to the second, asked by whose command ? " The governor of Matarieh is here in person." The cavaliere, who had lived some time in Egypt, concluded that it was a "ruse des Bedouins," for they are generally reputed robbers, and two men were on board our boat ; we held these two in surveillance and crowded all sail ; the two boats followed, and, notwithstanding our repeated threats to fire, still approached ; we fired across the bow of the nearest : " No bono," was the reply ; " you have shot at the governor ;" the boats sheered off, and we pursued our course to the islet of Tenneys, where we moored about four hours after midnight. At daybreak we discovered two kanjias, a broad red flag flying, and two swallow-tailed pennants. " The governor, really the governor," was the reiterated exclamation of the frightened Sheikh and crew : while we were disputing what ought to be done, two slaves from the governor's boat came to ours with provisions. We now agreed that the English secretary should go and demand satisfaction for the con- duct of Blackie ; this was followed by the present of a live sheep (a peace ofi'ering). The governor himself descended from his boat, and we went to meet him, told him that we came to desire that Blackie might be punished for his violence. The good old governor almost in tears replied, " I have punished him for daring to return without you. Do you wish for his head ? I have brought you bread and meat and water, and hearing that your boat was uncomfortable, there is a kanjia at your service ; and when at Cairo you mention this affair to the Pasha, make it not against me." We went on board the governor's boat, v^here we were presented with coffee, sweet- meats, and pipes. On returning to my own, we found the slaves waiting for backsheesh. It is an insult to the master not to reward his servant ; custom requires it to be done in gold, and at least to the full value of the present. One of the Bedouins, seeing us at a loss, took the rag from his head, and offered us as much gold as we might desire. The policy of the Pasha of Egypt induces him to show every attention to Franks, and the governor of Matarieh was therefore afraid lest any complaint should be made against himself. The slave, who knew his own power over his master, bad treated us as Turks ordinarily treat Christians. Slaves in VOYAGE UP THE NILE. 81 general have an ascendancy over their employers, and are not to be killed and stuffed for a museum ad libitum* Tennys has been thoroughly ransacked, the virtuosi having carried avvay every sign of its former grandeur, except a small cistern encrusted similarly to those of the " Sette sub/' at Rome. To the west is the island of Toomah, where is the burial-place of a sheikh, — a small room hung with strings of wooden beads like a button-maker's shop ; in the centre is a square frame covered with green cloth, on which is embroidered a text from the Koran. One of our boatmen, who wore a long string of coarse beads round his neck, was said to be a priest, and entered this chamber uttering dismal yells. Then shutting his eyes, and reiterating "Allah hu !" he continued walking round till I complained of the ear-ache, when he tore off a scrap of the cloth, and giving it to me demanded backsheesh. Having visited the Debbee, or False Mouth, we returned to Damietta, and found there Cosa-fa and Non-fa-niente. The note to the consul at Rosetta was written on so small a piece of paper, that Cosa-fa thought it resembled too much an order for a bastinado to contain any good, and the poor fellow was afraid to go home ; for had he returned without a certifi- cate of my safety, he would have been imprisoned ; and had he not also had a sood character of himself, he would have been bastinadoed. Sucli . . . 1 regulations, though a melancholy necessity, are a restramt upon guides, and ensure the safety of the travellers. In the more dangerous parts it is by no means uncommon for a guide to leave his son in hostage for the travellers' safety, the sins of the father being visited upon the children in many cases by the Turkish law. I gave up my design of navigating the Alvey canal on finding that it would cost ten additional days, and afford no gratification. We had already lost thirty to the same effect. I renewed my engagement with Coso-fa, taking care at the same time to provide myself with a bastinado stick ; notwithstanding which, we advanced on our voyage like snails. It is but a cowardly thing to beat an Arab, they are so used to it. The English who complain so much of the want of liberty have at least that of returning a blow. Among our delays must be reckoned a stoppage at Mansoura for the purpose of visiting Tmai. The waters were unabated, and, with some difficulty, we procured a rude species of fen- duck boat. Three of us contrived to balance ourselves in it, and leaving Mansoura at twelve o'clock, about half-past four reached Tmai. But a few^ years since, here stood a temple, which, according to report, was one of the least injured and most beautiful in Egypt ; what ought to have preserved it has caused its destruction. It is now in worse condition than the temple of Beybait. There is scarcely a stone unturned and unbroken. " If gold be not concealed in them," say the Arabs, " why are the Franks at the trouble of visiting and the expense of carrying away these stones?" I searched till nearly sunset, but in vain, for any object that might satisfy my labour and curiosity. Suddenly I was startled by most dismal cries, such as Hecate would have ordered by particular desire for the entertainment ot * Sir Frederick Henniker. 82 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Macbeth"'3 witches : running suddenly towards the spot whence the sound proceeded, I discovered an assembly of jackals at their evening conver- sazione. Their tones are the most unhappy variations of the dying howl of a dog and the amorous ditty of a cat. I would fain have shot any of the serenaders. We again balanced ourselves in the canoe, and about an hour after midnight regained Mansoura, not only cold and tired, but having been for many hours wet to the skin, owing to the dew ; " it droppeth like the gentle dew from heaven" with a vengeance. Having satisfied our curiosity as far as concerned this part of Egypt, we returned by the shortest route to Rosetta, CHAPTER VIII. Journey across thk Delta. "We left Rosetta about eight o'clock in the morning, and shortly afterwards, struck off into the desert, which, immediately south of the mosque 'of Abou-Mandour, comes down close to the water's edge. Very heavy rain having fallen during the two preceding nights, the blades of a fine tender grass were this morning quite thick among the loose sand, giving their wavy surface an appearance of verdure, which convinces me that water only is wanted to render even the Desert fertile. Here and there several small groves of date-palms enlivened the waste, which, ascending and descending in strongly-marked undulations, wore a very striking aspect. Mosque of Abou Mandour. In a short time, divcrginor a little to the left, we came down to the bank of the river, directly opposite the (Treat bend which it here makes towards FERRY OVER THE NILE. 83 the east, and, on turning round, enjoyed a noble prospect of the convent of Abou Mandour, with its elegant dome and minaret, embosomed in pahn-trees ; and, beyond these, the city and orange-groves of Rosetta, beautified by distance. The Nile is here exceedingly deep ; its banks are perpendicular ; and, notwithstanding the decrease of the inimdation, the water was not many feet below the level of the land. Our path- way, which ran close along the edge of the stream, proved, in many places, barely wide enough to allow of the passing of a single beast between the sand-hills and the water, and so unstable and slippery, that the smallest degree of unsteadiness would inevitably have precipitated us into the Nile. For some hours our road still continued to lead through the Desert, or over those fields, once fertile, which its perpetual encroachments have snatched from cultivation ; once, in the midst of this sterile tract, we passed by a lofty ancient tower, in the Saracenic style, standing in the sands, close to the deserted mosque or convent of Mesa. The character of the country now changed. From a bare waste expanse, whose surface is the perpetual plaything of the winds, we entered upon a marsh, adorned, in many parts, by groves of date-trees, and various kinds of shrubs, rushes, reeds, and other aquatic plants. Scattered here and there among these woods and copses were numerous sheets of clear water, which beautifully reflected the passing clouds, and on whose surface were seen, on all sides, snipes, curlews, wild-ducks, with large flights of the white ibis, or paddy- bird, moving hither and thither, or settling on the branches of the trees, like immense snow-drops. The appearance of these diminutive lakes, running in various shapes among low sandy shores, their surface dotted with small bosky islands, or with mud-banks, covered with a thick efilorescence of salt, as white as snow, was exceedingly picturesque. At length, after a ride of several hours, we arrived at Tifeny, a village situated on both sides of the Nile, where we were to cross over into the Delta. There being no caravanserai at this place, we halted by a sheikh's tomb close to the river, where our beasts were unladen. Dates, butter and excellent buffalo's milk, with bread, brought from Alexandria, con- stituted our mid-day meal, which we ate sitting in the sun, while the muezzin, from the minaret of a neighbouring mosque, was summoning the faithful to Salak-il-Do/ir, or " noon-prayer," which is generally repeated, however, when the sun begins to decline.* On the margin of the river, various operations connected with the domestic economy of the Arabs, were, at the same time, going on. There was a man cutting up, upon the mud, a l)ufi"alo, which he had just killed, while the dogs were lapping the blood. Three or four parties were engaged about their rude mud ovens baking bread. Several women were employed in turning the entrails inside out, and others in hacking and hewing the reeking limbs for immediate consumption. A little below these was a party of washerwomen. While I was engaged in looking at these different groups, a pretty young female, bareheaded and barefoot, came tripping across the green, to draw water * Lane, Modern Egyptians, i. 82. 84 EGYPT AND NUBIA, from the river. The immodest costume wliich Euripides objects to the Spartan women,* was decent, compared with that of this young Arab matron ; for the open- ing in the blue chemise, the only garment which she wore, not only ex- posed to view the whole of the bosom, but the greater part of the abdo- men. At this, however, I soon ceased to be sur- prised ; for the fair sex, in Egypt, provided they can hide their face, — and it is those of the higher order only who attempt to do this — care not what other part of their person they ex- hibit ; observing that it is by the features alone that one individual is distinguished from an- other, all women being, in other respects, pretty nearly alike. Females of the class immediately above the lowest wear loose calico drawers and a piece of cloth or muslin thrown over the head.t Having filled the jar, our young matron twisted a wisp of straw into a ring, and placed it on her head to hold the vessel, which an Arab, apparently a neighbour, lifted up for her. In crossing the ferry, our party occupied three boats, one with a sail, which drew the second after it. The third was rowed across. As soon as we entered the Delta, we observed on every side proofs of its amazing fertility : luxuriant crops of young wheat exquisitely green, exuberant rank grass, plants of gigantic size, beautiful tall tufted reeds, and palms and sycamores of enormous growth. Our road lay along the banks of the Nile, whose muddy waters were now beautifully smooth, and reflected every reed which fringed its margin, and every lazy sail that moved upon its surface. Game abounds prodigiously in these rich plains. Wild ducks, widgeons, snipes, curlews, hoopoes, doves, pigeons, plovers gray and green, partridges, together with hares, and fine large wild boars, are met with in the greatest abundance ; but, the hares and boars requiring too much time and preparation, we confined our attention principally to the doves, snipes, Egyptian Oven. * History of the Manners and Customs of Ancient Greece. j Lane. HUNTING EXCURSION. 85 and wild-ducks. Tvvonty-four birds of all sorts were shot in a few hours, as we went along, and served to exercise the ingenuity of our Arab co(jk in the evening. On one occasion, daring a sporting excursion, we found ourselves on tlie hank of a stream which it was necessary to cross; on the other side Ave saw a strapping Arab, and called to him to come and carry us over. Like most of his tribe, he was not troubled with any superfluous clothing, and slipping over his head the fragments of his frock, he was in a moment by our side, in all the majesty of nature. I started first, mounted upon his slij)- pery shoulders, and went along very well until we had got more than lialf-way over, when I becran to observe an irreo-ular totterinff movement, and heard behind me the smothered laugh of my companions. I felt my Arab slowly and deliberately lowering his head ; my feet touched the water ; but with one hand T held my gun above my head, and with the other griped him by the throat. I found myself going, going deeper and deeper, let down with the most studied deliberation, till all at once he gave his neck a sudden toss, jerked his head from under me, and left me standing up to my middle in the stream. I turned round upon him, hardly knowing whether to laugh or to strike him with the butt end of my gun ; but one glance at the l)Oor fellow was enough ; the sweat stood in large drops on his face, and ran down his naked breast ; his knees shook, and he was just ready to drop himself. He had supported me as long as he could; but finding himself failing, and fearing we should both come down together with a splash, at full length, he had lowered me as gently as possible.* At about an hour's distance from Fouah we passed a sheikh's, or saint's tomb, erected under the shade of a sycamore of extraordinary * Stephens, Incidents of Travel. 86 EGYPT AND NUBIA. size and antiquity, in the trunk of wliicli had been driven a number of large nails, intended to support as many votive offerings, consisting of rags of every possible form and colour. In other parts of Africa, where Pagan superstition still prevails, trees themselves sometimes appear to be the objects of worship, and are adorned by the natives with a number of polished bones.* Here, however, the offerings were made to the saint, in whose honour, elsewhere in Egypt, the women bring offerings of flowers of the hennah-tree, and jasmine and roses, and sprigs of myrtle and palm-leaves.f It is not in the villages only that we meet with the tombs of saints ; they frequently, in all parts of Egypt, stand in solitary places, and have usually a fountain and f^mall grove adjoining, where the wandering derwish pauses to pray, and the less pious traveller to quench his thirst, or enjoy the cool shade. These buildings generally consist of a large square apartment, surmounted by a dome, in many cases handsomely fluted ; and some pious or gloomy man commonly devotes himself to the service of the sheikh, and resides in the tomb, where we always find a mat, a «ater-jug, and a small chest to receive the donations of the passer-by. On arriving at Fouah, we proceeded to the caravanserai, which stands in the midst of the bazaar ; and, having taken possession of a large apartment, began at once to feather our birds and j)repare for supper. The dates and bananas, which constituted our dessert, were of excellent quality, and the finest Nile water was our beverage. Fouah is a large town, picturesquely situated on the right bank of the Nile, in the midst of vast groves of palms and sycamores, and has a small island in front of it, covered with tall reeds.:}: It contains, moreover, high brick houses, with many windows, now partly in ruins, and possesses several mosques, cupolas, minarets, baths and manufactories. § The tar- boosh manufactory, founded by Mohammed Ali, enjoys some celebrity in Egypt, and is in the hands of Tunisians. It is a large building, well con- ducted, and is kept neater and cleaner than any other of the Pasha's other factories. The fulling-mill, moved by a wheel turned by oxen, is placed below the surface of the groimd, and in it stands the driver who urges on the animals. They make some of the best European wool, partly imported from Spain, which, after being carded in small slips, is spim by women and netted into tarbooshes by little girls. || The caps are then taken to the fulling-mill, where they undergo the operation of being cleansed with soap and water of very high temperature, in which they shrink to nearly half their original volume. They are then wrung, put upon blocks to drv, teased and sheared smooth and neat, after whicli they are dyed to any intensity of shade required, though the prevalent opinion is, that the colour is always inferior to that of the Tunisian caps. They are after- wards furbished up with fine shears, brushes, &c., and being marked and mounted with silk, are put under a press. The cattle used in the mills were all in excellent order ; and the working-people of both sexes, * Barboot, Book i. chap. 10. + Lane, Modern Egyptians, i. 306. :J: Due de Raguse, Voyage, torn. iii. p. 223. § Clot-Bey, Apeifu Ge'n^mlde L'Egypte. II Cadalvene et Breuvcry, torn. i. p. 33, MANUFACTORIES OF FOUAH. 87 amounting to two thousand, seemed much better off than the poor devils employed in the cotton-mills. This establishment can manufacture six thousand caps in a week.* The Pasha used, in time of war, to send in orders for thirty or forty thousand for the army. A finer sort of tar- booshes is likewise turned out here for the Cairo market, where they are made to pass for Tunisian or Fezzani. They formerly produced, for Con- stantinople, tarbooshes higher in the crown, and thicker, than those worn in Egypt, where two, the one a little smaller than the other, are generally used to protect the head from the sun. But the most curious articles pro- duced at Fouah are certain very delicate caps for the Pasha's harem, of the most beautiful texture, and so small as to fit the nipple of the breast ; it being the custom among ladies of rank in the East, to show the bosom through a thin gauze, but to cover the most tender part with red, probably for the sake of eftect. There is also a department for the manufacture of zaboots, or coarse woollen military cloaks for the troops. After breakfasting on coffee, eggs, dates, bananas, and most excellent fresh butter, we quitted Fouah about half-past seven o'clock. The morn- ing, though there was a cool breeze stirring, was sunny and beautiful ; and the country so richly wooded, so varied in aspect by different kinds of cultivation, so dotted with villages, and flocks and herds, and flights (if white ibises, that it might well be called picturesque. Our road constantly lay within a short distance of the Nile, and sometimes close along its edge, where there was just I'oom enough to pass between the water and those high banks of earth, or grassy thickets, which, in many places, boi'der the stream. The river, in this part of its course, is much broader than at * Due de Raguse, Voyage, torn. iii. p. 225. 88 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Ro'jetta, and here and tliere its cliannel is divided by small fairy islands, thickly covered with wood. Numerous boats with large triangular sails, and manned with Arabs and Nubians, were sailing rapidly along the shore ; some stemming, others taking advantage of the current. The villages are extremely thick in this part of the Delta; and though, in reality, poor and ruinous, their mosques, cupolas, minarets, and white turrets, seen from afar through openings in the forest by which they are surrounded, have an air of importance and grandeur which serves to delight the eye. In the course of the afternoon we passed through Ed Desoug, or Deir Ibrahim, a large village, possessing a celebrated mosque, formerly, we are told, held in veneration through(mt Egypt, and visited twice a year by up- wards of two hundred thousand pilgrims. The traveller* to whom we are indebted for this piece of information observes, that the saint interred here performs no greater miracle than suspending, during their pilgrimage to his tomb, the jealousy of all Moslems, since their women, it is said, were allowed extraordinary liberty. Numerous alme, here as elsewhere, per- form their pantomimic dances for the amusement of the multitude. At present Ed Desoug seems no longer to be a place of pilgrimage : at least the inhabitants were unable to give us any information on the subject. Ed Desoug occupies the site of the ancient Naucratis, tlie port at which all the Greeks resided during their stay in Egypt, which the Pharaohs granted them in the same w^ay as the Chinese emperors formerly did Canton to the Europeans, as their abode. Here, by permission of Amasis, such Greeks as traded with Egypt built altars and erected sacred inclosures in the neighbourhood of the city, tliough I vainly sought, when on the spot, to discover the slightest trace of them. The nine cities of the lonians, Do- rians, and ^olians, erected, at their common expense, a sacred edifice, which they called Ilellenion. The Ionian cities were Cliios, Teos, Phocea, and Clazomense ; the Dorian — Rhodes, Cnidos, Halicarnassos, and Phaselis ; the iEolian — IMitylene. The ^ginetans raised for their own use a temple to Zeus, the Samians to Hera, the Milesians to Apollo. + At that time, however, Naucratis was tlie only hai'bour in Egypt ; and as this was pretty generally known, ships making land anywhere else were naturally suspected of being pirates, for wliicli reason the captain was required to swear that he bad come thither involuntarily. This done, he had to steer for the Canopic mouth of the Nile ; or, if the weather were contrary, his cargo was conveyed round the Delta in barides to Naucratis, which the historian understood to be done for the benefit of the foreign settlers; so greatly, says he, was Naucratis honoured. At this time, one of the principal articles exported into Egypt by the Greeks Avould appear to have been wine, since all the drink in the country was foreign, the vine not having been as yet introduced. + From Ed Desoug we proceeded to Sa el Haggar, or " Sa of the Stones," near which is supposed to have stood Sais, once the capital of Lower Egypt. Long before we reached the place, vast mounds of rubbish were seen rising beliind the village ; and close to the road stood a small rocky * Denon, Voyage, p. 54. t HtroJotus, ii. 178. + History of the Mauiiers and Customs of Ancient Greece, vol. iii. p. 259. SA OF THE STONES. 89 eminence, in the face of which were two or three low openinf^s, like the entrance to so many caverns. Trusting to the assurances which were given lis, that no antiquities whatever existed in this y)lace, we made no stay at Sa el Haggar ; but, although there seems to be no reason to doubt the accuracy of these assertions, I still regret that I did not devote at least one day to the city of Neith, where stood of old the mysterious statue of Nature, with the inscription — " / am all that has been, is, or shall he ; and no mortal hath ever draion aside my veil." Apries, who was conquered at Momemphis by Amasis, had here a magnificent palace ; and his successor, not to be outdone by him in taste or splendour, is said to have constructed in this city propyltea so vast, and built with stones of so prodigious a mag- nitude, that they surpassed in grandeur everything of the kind which had been before seen.* But with Herodotus such expressions are not uncom- mon : he makes use of much the same phrases in speaking of the Labyrinth which the colleagues of Psarameticlius erected in tlic Arsinoitic Nome ; and modern travellers, fond of dealing in the marvellous, repeat the hackneyed tale one after another. Next day, having crossed the canal of El Feresak, and passed through the villao-e of Beis, we arrived about noon at Kafr Diami, where we dined in the shade of a beautiful orange and citron grove. The ground was covered with fine green turf, and the trees were filled with doves and pigeons. Directly opposite this village, on the other side of the canal, we observed a great number of men employed in raising an embankment. Among these poor people there appears to exist no idea of modesty or deco- rum ; for the greater number of the men were quite naked, notwithstanding/ that a crowd of women and children — probably their wives, motliers, and daughters — were assembled close by, looking on. The men, in this part of the country, have generally athletic forms, brown complexions, and fine features; and many of the women are good-looking, if not handsome, and have very graceful figures. Boys always go naked to the age of puberty ; the girls have commonly a few rags to cover them. The SanU or mimosa tree, whose thin shade is compared by the Arabs to a false friend, who deserts you when most needed, is extremely common, and in some places literally embowers the road, or rather per- haps track, occasionally leading over ploughed fields, intersected with sloughs and ditches. The canals, numerous in this part of the Delta, are generally traversedin ferry-boats ; but we this morning found a fi.ne stone bridge thrown over one of the principal branches of the canal" of Harinen. This is one of the useful works of the Pasha. A few good roads and bridges would do more than a hundred cotton-mills towards amelioratino- the condition of the people — the first step towards genuine civilisation : for though the Nile forms a vast and splendid highway from one end of Egypt to the other, ordinary roads are still wanting, more especially in Lower Egypt. Several children who passed us in the after- noon, mounted astride on buflaloes, possessed extremely fair com]dexions, and one, that particulai-ly attracted my attention, had long light hair, and all the engaging features of a European child. These buffaloes diflfer * Euterpe, cap. 175. I 2 90 EGYPT AND NUBIA. remarkably from these of India, in not having the hump upon the back. They are large awkward animals, with horns turned back flat upon the head, and, like their brethren of Asia, love to roll in the mud, and lie in the water during hot weather, with their noses only appearing above the surface. The buffiilo does not appear to be indigenous in Egypt ; * for it is never represented on ancient monuments, nor found in the mummy state. It is said tliat it was introduced after the conquest of the Arabs. The climate and soil of the country agree admirably with this animal. The breed is, in fact, multiplied with tlie greatest facility, and has acquired a very fine size. The Egyptian buffaloes have little hair; the colour of their skin is black or iron-gray. They live so much in the water that they might almost be called amphibious. Though fierce in aspect, they are in reality extremely gentle, and do not possess the suspicious ferocity of the buffalo of Europe, and particularly of Romagna. The females yield on an average from seven to eight quarts of excellent milk a-day. The Arabs have not as yet ren- dered the prodigious strength of the buffalo useful, by employing it in domestic labour. Its flesh is very coarse, and is eaten only by the humbler classes. Wilkinson observes, that he has met in the ancient sculptures witli no representation of the buffalo ; though, from its being now so common in the country, and indigenous in Abyssinia, he infers that it was not unknown to the ancient Egyptians. The Indian, or humped ox, was common in former times, and is abundant in Upper Ethiopia, though no longer a native of Egypt. Like other cattle, it was used for sacrifice as well as for ti:e table ; and large herds were kept in the farms of the wealthy Egyptians, by whom the meat, particularly the hump on the shoulder, was doubtless esteemed as a dainty. It is sometimes represented, decked with flowers and garlands, on its way to the altar ; but there is no appear- ance of its having been emblematic of any deity, or of having held a post among the sacred animals of the country, -f- Some time before arriving at our halting-place, I had separated from the rest of the company, and was riding on alone. One of our Arabs, wlio understood a little of that strange kind of Italian spoken at Alexandria, immediately deserted the sumpter animals, and stuck close to my skirts. I desired him to leave me and attend to his charge ; but, as he did not i\ppear to understand me, I repeated the same thing twice or three times; and at length became rather angry. He then shovved me his stick, and, pointing across the field to several fellahs, who were at work, replied : " I will not leave you here alone. Those Arabs are bad men ; but they will not touch you while I am by. When the other gentlemen come up, I will attend to the baggage." I told him I wore pistols. " No matter," said he, '• your pistols are but two, and the Arabs are a thousand." There were at most tliirty persons within sight, but this is their manner of speak- ing. " Very well, Mohammed," I replied, " you may stay ;" and he accordingly trotted behind me as long as he tliought proper. * Clot-Bey, Apercu General de I'Egypte, t. i. p. 175. t Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptiaus, vol. v. p. 199. A SHEIKH IN WANT OP WINE. 91 We arrived about nightfall at Tookh-el-Nassera, where we were lodged in the house of the Sheikh of the village. The room assigned to us was in the upper part of the building, and approached by a narrow flight of steps on the outside, as is the fashion in Switzerland. While our people were preparing supper, which they did in the open air, we witnessed a ])roof of that degeneracy of manners among the Moslems, which unhappily ])re vails, more or less, throughout the East. The Sheikli, accompanied by several persons, came in the course of the evening to pay us a visit, from hospitable motives, as we at first supposed. Our agreeable delusion was soon dispelled ; he had brought some papers in his hands, which, as he had no lamp at home, he requested permission to read by our candle. Of course, we were too happy to be able to oblige him. He therefore spelled over the documents, slowly and deliberately ; and from the gravity of his visage, one might have conjectured that they related to matters of import- ance. Probably, however, he had perused them a dozen times before. At any rate, their contents no way disturbed his equanimity; but, interrupting himself in the midst of his task, he, with a most knowing and waggish look, requested we would favour him and his friends with a little wine. For the best of all reasons, we were compelled to appear inhospitable in his eyes. We assured him that it was not, while travelling, our practice to drink wine, especially in Egypt, where the water of the Nile was so excel- lent. He was incredulous, and grinned, and joked, and looked insinuating, fully persuaded that he should overcome our obduracy at last. When the wine, however, appeared not to be fortlicoming, he whispered something about brandy. One of my companions, full of mischief, and fond of playing tricks upon the Arabs, proposed that we should dose them with Eau cle Cologne ; but this having been overruled, our guests departed, disgusied by what they, no doubt, regarded as a proof of Prankish meanness. This scene over, I wrapped myself in my burtioose, and went forth to observe the appearance of an Arab village by night. The lanes were dark and narrow, and the dogs, barking as I passed, brought out many an old woman to the door. The majority, indeed, had retired to rest ; but in several cottages, and in one large building, I heard the sound of the spinning- wheel, which, as I was unluckily compelled to observe, continued at work all night. Tookh being a walled village, there stood at every gate a senti- nel keeping watch as in a besieged city — aproof of the insecurity in which the peasantry pass their lives. Returning, I retired to bed with the rest, one of whom had a fever, another the dysentery. Few slept much, and myself not at all ; for the fleas, bugs, musquitoes, and other vermin, literally swarmed, and the rats and mice, rummaging in the baskets of provisions, biting each other, squeaking, creeping down the walls, leaping upon our feet or breasts, eflectually put sleep to flight. I might have very properly exclaimed with Cowley — " The halcyon sleep will never build his nest In any stormy breast. 'Tis not enough that he does find Clouds and darkness in their mind, Darkness but half his work will do; ; 'Tis not enough ; he must find quiet too." 92 EGYPT AND NUBIA. There being every possible inducement to early rising, we were up long before four o'clock ; and, having taken coffee, and saddled and bridled our beasts, were prepared to start with the dawn. Sooner than this we could not, as our asinarii were unacquainted with the tracks which, the waters of the inundation not having yet retired, were exceedingly circuitous and intricate ; but as soon as the light began to appear in the east, we took our leave of the musquitoes and rats of Tookh-el-Nassera. It was a fine serene morning ; the skylarks were already busy among the gray clouds; the peasants afield ; and I watched with unusual interest the unfolding of the landscape, as its rich and varied features came forth one after anotlier. A vast canal, which we crossed about six o'clock, supplied witli its wind- ing course and reedy banks the place of a river, and the wliole face of the country, green and level as a meadow, was beautifully ornamented with small tufted groves of the mimosa tree, intermingled with ])alms and sycamores. After passing through two or three smaller villages, we arrived, about half-past ten o'clock, at Shihin-el-Kom, a place of some consideration, where the Paslia has erected an extensive factory. Here we entered into a large garden, and breakfasted under the shade of orange and citron-trees. While the coffee was boihng, we were enlivened by what, in popular phraseology, may be termed a row between two or three men, and a woman who appeared to be the proprietor's wife. Upon promise of a small reward, she had permitted us to enter the garden, which the husband on arriving thought proper to take amiss, and began to jDour forth a torrent of abuse upon his helpmate. She returned his vituperation with interest ; and, in the end, though he was backed by two of his workmen, whose tongues were to the full as loud as his ovvn, the matron, who from time to time pointed at us with her finger, clearly gained the victory, and sent them all away grumbling to their work. Another young female, with a child in her arms, who seemed to have entered the garden in order to gaze at us, was tattooed in an extraordi- nary manner, having several lines of small figures running across the chin, a row of blue stars and flowers on the inside of the arm, and round the wrists a very curious imitation of bracelets. This practice prevails more or less among all Arab women, especially of the humbler classes, whose chins are generally thus disfigured ; in addition to which, some imprint the form of a small flower on the left breast, or three small circles in the space between the breasts, others on the backs of the hands and feet ; but I have nowhere observed a person so ingeniously 'j'attcioud remalc FAIR OF TANTA. 93 ornamontccl as tins young woman. The punctures, as among the South Sea Islanders, are made with the points of needles, generally seven tied together. Some smoke-black of wood or oil, mixed with milk from a woman's breast, is then rubbed in, and in about a week, before the skin is quite healed, a paste of the pounded fresh leaves of white beet or clover is applied, and gives a blue or greenish colour to the marks. It is generally performed at the age of about five or six years, and by gipsy women. The term applied to it is duk. jMost of the females of the higher parts of Upper Egypt, who ai'e of a very dark complexion, tattoo their lips instead of the parts above mentioned ; thus converting their natural colour into a dull blueish hue, which to the eye of a stranger is extremely displeasing.* It may be added, that the Coptic women generally, among the tattooed ornaments of tlieir breasts, introduce the figure of a cross. The process is highly dangerous ; fevers almost invariably ensue, which sometimes termi- nate fatally. A little to the north of Shibin-el-Kom, the canal of Tanta joins that of Harinen. We were here tempted to turn aside from our direct track to visit Tanta, a city celebrated throughout the East for the saints which reside in it, and the number of pilgrims by which it is annually frequented. I once met in the Libyan Desert a holy man, accompanied by two servants, who after having visited the shrine of Sheik-el-Bedawy, at Tanta, was proceeding towards the banks of the White River to converse with a celebrated saint, who resided there. Pilgrims are constantly passing to and fro between the several holy ])laces of the Mohammedan world ; and wherever there is a remarkable shrine numbers of devout personages, who gradually acquire the reputation of saints, are sure to settle near it, and attract visitors. Tanta in this respect is to Egypt what Haridwara is to Hindustan, and Mecca to Arabia — the most distinguished place of pilgrimage, and the most remarkable resort of merchants, traders, and pleasure-seekers, from all parts of the world. We were of course anxious to behold the fair, and the great variety of amusements by which it is enlivened. It happened, huwever, that we were disappointed. We arrived " the day after the fair," notwithstanding which our curiosity was not altogether disappointed. The town occupies a little ridge running north and soutli : to the east is seen a kind of hill, or rather, huge heap of rubbish. We passed through two gates and two walls of inclosure in entering. The houses are built of unburnt brick ; and the streets are dirty and narrow. Shops occur every- where. The fair, although over, had bequeathed for a while to the city an animated appearance. We visited a great many okellas, where are laid up all kinds of mer- chandise ; one of these okellas contained black slaves. Tanta possesses many bazaars, one devoted to silks, another to cloths and stutfs, another to corn, another to agricultural instruments. We went to the great j\Iosque, the most I'emai'kable building in the town ; the edifice occupies a considerable raised space in the centre of the city ; the two minarets of white stone may be seen afar off : they have two galleries, and are sur- * Lane, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, vol. i. p. 46 ; vol. ii. p. 310. •84 EGYPT AND NUBIA. mounted by a crescent with balls of bronze. The dome of the mosque is covered with lead ; the walls of the sanctuaiy are marble ; under the dome stands the tomb of Sidi- Ahmet Bedawy. An iron railing surrounds the sarcophagus, which is covered over with silk. Here and there were fine columns, removed no doubt from some temple of Isis ; around the sacred inclosure we were shown a reservoir for ablutions, the dwellings of the Imams who officiate in the mosque, a bake-house, a kitchen where food for the poor is prepared, and, not far from the temple, a sort of fish-pond, in which, every evening, the infirm and the sick come to bathe, in hopes of obtaining a miraculous cure. The mosque, at all hours of the day, and especially at the hour of prayer, is filled with a great multitude of the faithful — women and men mingled ; conversation is carried on aloud, the pipe is smoked, articles of female dress and children's toys are sold. The Sheikh Bedawy lived in the thirteenth century, and established himself at Tanta about the time when St. Louis landed in Egypt. As he died with a great reputation for sanctity, a tomb and a chapel were in the first instance raised in his honour. In the next century, the Sultan Malek- el-Nar built him a mosque, and to this a great number of Mussulmans were attracted by devotion ; commerce followed in the track of tlie pilgrims, and from the earliest times there Avas held at Tanta an annual fair, whither flocked merchants from India, Syria, Persia, Asia Minor, and all parts of Africa. The famous Ali Bey rebuilt the Mosque of Sheikh Bedawy ; at the same time many great okellas were erected in the city of Tanta. The mosque, which was richly endowed, fed numbers of poor people ; and the city afibrded to travellers and merchants all kinds of amusements and merchandise. The influx of strangers, therefore, increased every year, and amounted in times of peace to as many as one hundred and fifty thou- sand. The mosque of Tanta has now been deprived of its revenues, the Pasha of Egypt at present defraying all the expenses of the establishment. Every year he sends the red silken cloth which covers the holy man's sar- cophagus ; and he pays all who officiate in tlie mosque, or are employed about it. Their number is considerable. Poor pilgrims are fed by the charity of the faitliful ; the rich kill buffiiloes, oxen, and sheep, for the mosque; the fellahs bring fowls, pigeons, ducks, geese, rice, onions, cab- bages, and other vegetables. All these ofl:erings of devotion are cast into great caldrons, and distributed every day to the multitude, who offer thanks to the patron of the place. Women upon whom nature has inflicted the curse of barrenness, come to ask a remedy from the Sheikh Bedawy. This singular species of devotion lias always brought great crowds to Tanta, and profligacy has not failed to follow in the train of superstition. The alme of Cairo, of Upper Egypt, of the Delta, and the shores of the Nile, flock to this place during the first half of April, In their train come mountebanks, singers, musicians, whose task it is to enliven the multitude ; men and women appear in the mosque, repeat a prayer before the tomb of the saint, then spread themselves through the city and in the coffee-houses that cover the plain. Every- where are pitched tents, which soon become the abode of amusement and FAIR OF TANTA. 95 pleasure ; on all sides shows and dances are seen ; and the sound of the tambourine is heard, with the noise of castanets, and voices that call to the passers-by from beneath a screen of verdure, or a tent of reeds : " Tale ! tale !" — " Come, come !" After having visited the city, still filled with merchants, and the envi- rons, where thousands of stalls and tents remained standing, we i-epaired to the hill before mentioned, which forms so conspicuous an object. It is an enormous collection of rubbish and unburnt bricks, and presents in some places a precipitous face. Certain travellers have considered that this mound marks the site of an ancient city, the name of which is not known. It has been long the cemetery of Tanta, and is covered with monumental stones ; some surmounted by a turban, others bearing inscriptions of sen- tences from the Koran. Before many tombs lighted lamps were placed. Groups of women and children were praying in the place, and their pious abstraction formed a singular contrast with the sound of tambourines with wiiich the plain was filled. In descending the hill on the north side, we came to the cattle-bazaar, where, during the fair, a prodigious quantity of sheep, camels, buffliloes, and oxen, had been offered for sale. Horses, also, of the Delta breed, are brought thither ; and it is to this market that the butchers of Cairo, and even Rosetta and Alexandria, repair to obtain their cattle.* The following adventure was related to us at Tanta : — A European merchant, born in Egypt, happening to be at the fair some years back, dressed in the Oriental style, was arrested by the police on some pretext or other, and imagined that his character of Frank gave him a right to strike the chief of the guard. Being led before the Nazir, he could not, for want of a passport, prove his European origin, which was not at all confirmed by the facility with which he spoke the language of the country. In spite of his protestations, accordingly he received one hundred strokes with the koorbash on his back. On his return to Alexandria, he laid his complaint before his consul ; in consequence of whose energetic remon- strances the Nazir was condemned to receive the same number of blows he had administered. But this individual, high in credit with the Viceroy, obtained permission to send his khaznadar, or treasurer, in his stead. This officer, therefore, thus made the representative of the Nazir, received the hundred strokes with the koorbash in presence of the consul and the beaten merchant, who actually consented to this substitution !t For some time after leaving Shibin-el-Kom, we proceeded along the stream formed by the jimction of the canals of Tanta and Ilarinen, which, though an artificial cut, possesses all the beauty of a natural river, its winding banks being richly adorned with plantations of orange and lemon-trees, whose golden fruit, now ripe, and clustering thick among the deep-green foliage, glowed in the sun. The earth in many places was beautifully carpeted with tender green corn ; and groves of sant, tamarisks, acacias, and sycamores, exhibiting all shades of verdure, formed a remarkable contrast with the fields of ripe yellow grain, which clothed every broad glade and opening * Micliaud et Poujoulat. t Cadalvene et Bieuvcrj-. 96 EGYPT AND NUBIA. vista with an air of opulence and abundance. Indeed, the land had here all the characteristics of the finest park scenery, and at one particular bend of the river greatly resembled the landscape on the Thames below Richmond. Our track lay almost constantly along the banks of the great canals, so that we probably saw the most fertile part of the country ; Ijut as small arms or branches from the main streams ramificate, like veins, in every direction, there can nowhere, I imagine, be any lack of rich corn-fields or noble pasturage. Yet in the midst of this magnificent plain, lying between the canal of Menouf and the Damietta branch of the Nile, fertile even to rank- ness, the poorest villages perhaps in Egypt are found. The Nile overflows, and the sun ripens in vain. Misgovernment more than counterbalances the bounty of nature, and leaves the wretched peasant pining with want in the midst of luxuriant harvests and well-filled granaries. The ruined cities which attract the traveller into Egypt, their temples and tombs, the enduring monuments of its former greatness, do not yet present themselves. The modern villages are all built of mud or of unburnt bricks, and sometimes, at a distance, beinff surrounded by palm-trees, make a pleasing appearance ; but this vanishes the moment you approach them. The houses, or rather huts, are so low that a man can seldom stand up in them, with a hole in front like the door of an oven, into which the miserable Arab crawls, more like a beast than a being made to walk in God's image. The same spectacle of misery and wretchedness, of poverty, famine, and nakedness, which I had seen in the suburbs of Alexandria, con- tinued to meet me at every village on the Nile, and soon suggested the interesting consideration, whether all this came from country and climate, from the character of the people, or from the government of the great reformer. At one place, I saw on the banks of the river forty or fifty men chained together, with iron bands around their wrists, and iron collars around their necks. Yesterday they were peaceful Fellahs, cultivators of the soil, earning their scanty bread by hard and toilsome labour, but eating it at home in peace. Another day, and the stillness of their life is for ever broken ; chased, run down, and caught, torn from their homes, from the sacred threshold of the mosque, the sword and musket succeed the imple- ments of their quiet profession ; tliey are carried away to fight battles in a cause which does not concern them, and in which, if they conquer, they can never gain. * On arriving at Bershaum, we found that the Sheikh el Beled, who had several villages under his government, was absent, and not expected to return that night ; in consequence of which we for some time inquired in vain for a lodging, and began to think of passing the night in the street ; but at length some good-natured Arab consented to accommodate us with a cow-house, and another small chamber capable of containing two beds. The inhabitants of the village crowded round us with all sorts of things for sale, and beset us so closely that we were obliged to station our people round to keep them off in some degree. As many of them had the same kind of goods, we had often some difficulty in choosing the person with * Stephens, Incidents of Travel. MARKETING IN THE EAST. 97 whom we would deal ; for, tliougli the competition was so great, they never oflfered to undersell each other, but adhered with plaguy unanimity all of them to one price. At last our friend, who usually took charge of the commissariat department, got over the difficulty with his accustomed cleverness, by making no purchase except from the youngest and prettiest women, whereat the old ones set up a tremendous screeching, and there was such a comical squabbling and fighting, that we were compelled, by dint of laughter, to put an end to the market. Nothing could be more ludicrous than the almost frantic eagerness with which the women ran up with their heavy burthens, and strove, with all sorts of coaxing and wheed- ling, to obtain custom. One of them, for instance, would have a basket of butter and eggs on her head, some fowls in one hand, and a pitcher of milk in the other, ^ and all this they balanced so adroitly, that in spite of the pushing and driv- ing, nothing was spilt or broken. Each woman had generally one or two dirty little brats holding fast by her blue shift, which they never ventured to let go from fear of the Franks. The poor little things fared, therefore, very roughly in the confusion ; many a time they were laid sprawling, and their shrill wailings mingled harmoniously with the screeching of the wo- men. At last we had completed our necessary purchases; we did not require much, for it was the last day we should have to cook our own pillaus and fowls. We withdrew into the shed to get rid of the throng, with which, for many reasons, we were not desirous of coming in close contact.* The floor of the cow-house, where we dined, was thickly strewed with dhoura straw ; and our lantern, shaken to pieces by the jolting of the road, placed upon the earthen vessel which contained our butter, was often upset among the straw, to the no small danger of the whole tenement. How- ever, our Arab cook, accustomed to scanty conveniences, served up an Egyptian Woman. * Hackliindcr, DagiieiTcotypen, u. s. w. 98 EGYPT AND NUBIA. excellent supper, consisting of doves, snipes, quails, &c., stewed in onions ; and our long day*'s journey had provided us with an appetite. Next morning, being desirous of reaching Cairo before sunset, we set out soon after dawn, through a thick white fog, like those which during the preceding winter I had seen covering the great plains of Burgundy. Though our course on quitting Bershaum lay close along the Damietta branch of the Nile, we could at first discover nothing beyond the mere edge of the stream ; but as the fog cleared up a little, and suffered us to discover the opposite bank, this arm of the river expanded before us in all its mag- nificence. By degrees, as the sun gained force, a light breeze sprang up, and began to dissipate the vapour, which was driven along like sleet, leaving the whole earth drenched as after a heavy shower. Every object beheld through this mist appeared greatly magnified ; a man riding an ass seemed to be mounted on a camel, and a little boy looked like a man. The heat of the sun now became very powerful ; every person felt oppressed, and our animals moved along faintly and languidly — the efiect of humidity ; for in Upper Egypt and Nubia, where the heat is far greater, no sucli languor is experienced. At Shubr-es-Shawieh we crossed the Nile, and entered what is generally called the Land of Goslien, the residence of the Beni Israel, once fertile and flourishing, but now more than half deserted, and rapidly assimilating in character and features to the desert. At Kelioub, the capital of this district, our party halted to breakfast. There, beneath a spreading sycamore, we foimd a kind of hedge coffee-house, the landlord having kindled a fire between two piles of loose bricks, and spread his mat under the shelter of a mud wall. We took up our position on the other side of the tree, and while some proceeded to the village in search of dates, eggs, milk, and butter, the remainder under- took to boil rice and prepare coffee. The Pasha's monopoly having rendered the real Mokha exceedingly scarce and dear, the poor Arabs have long been fain to content themselves with a very inferior American sub- stitute, which, in order to render it more palatable, they sometimes flavour with cloves or cardamom seed. Occasionally they impart a peculiar flavour to the coffee, by fumigating their cups with the smoke of mastic ; " and the wealthy," observes Lane, " sometimes impregnate the coffee with the delicious fragrance of ambergris." * But the beverage which the man of Goshen distributed to the wayfarers in Kelioub, was the clove mixture above mentioned. This being exceedingly hot to the palate, was much relished by the natives. My companions, who ventured on a single cup, thought it execrable, though to me it seemed not much amiss. When our meal was ready, we sat down and ate it under the tree ; and a poor old beggar, who had previously established himself there, and whom we per- mitted to share with us, called down tlie blessings of Allah on our unbelieving heads. Charity covereth a multitude of sins. He was pro- bably one of those derwishes, who travel about the country from village to village, appealing to the charity of the people in the name of God " the * Modern Egyptians, vol. i. p. 169. MOHAMMEDAN JUSTICE. 99 Compassionate, the Merciful," and wlio, to the honour of the Egyptians be it spoken, are never allowed to want. Frequently these men are treated and spoken of as impostors, and some of the fraternity are doubtless no better. In many instances they go about mounted on horseback, and accompanied by two or three men carrying flags or beating drums, for the purpose, I suppose, of rousing in their countrymen the sleeping spirit of charity. It was at Kelioub that I for the first time tasted the conserve of dates, so well known in the East, made in the latter end of autumn, when the fruit is perfectly ripe, by taking out the stones, and then pressing them in thick masses together. This conserve will keep all the year, and is extremely well tasted ; but, in some cases, when no care has been taken to cleanse the fruit, a number of sandy particles are found grating under the teeth. Near the sycamore-tree was a large pond of water, left by the inundation, vv'hich served as fountain, washing-place, and horse-pond to the whole village. Kelioub, where there are several factories and cotton mills, is very much frequented on account of the cattle-market held there every week. After a long walk through its dark and iiarrow streets, we went to see the Memour, who received us in the most friendly manner. Whilst he was giving us some information about the province under his government, four men were brought before him accused of murder. These unhappy beings were immediately sent to the kihaya, or secretary, to be interrogated. He reported in a quarter of an hour, that from the confusion exhibited in their answers, he doubted not that they were the assassins of the Eftendi killed some days before. " Good ; inquire of the authorities at Cairo, by means of the telegraph, what I am to do with them." The answer was not long w^aited for — " Since their guilt is evident," was the message of the chief of the council, " let them be executed." It was market day. Besides, as we were bound for Cairo, the Memour was glad that we should be able to give a good account of the way in which he administered justice in his province. Orders were consequently given to hang these unfortunate men, who in all probability were innocent, that very day. We were present at the execution. The four prisoners were taken out of a kind of warehouse, where they had been confined for want of a prison, and led to a little open place near the ]\Iemour's house. The merchants there assembled remained squatting by the side of their goods, and saw with the most perfect indifference these wretched men pass by under a guard of six soldiers and a sergeant. Every one continued to attend quietly to his own affairs ; and had it not been for the cries of the women and children who followed to the place of execution their fathers, their husbands, their only friends, one might have thought that nothing was to happen out of the established order of every- day life. Four gibbets had been erected at the four corners of the place. The soldiers asked the neighbours for some cords ; but they were luxuries 100 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tliat nobody possessed. The sergeant therefore went and brought some twine, which the soldiers instantly set about plaiting. Some standers-by obligingly offered their assistance to perform this operation, whilst the condemned looked on with tranquillity, without thinking of attempting to escape, which would have been easy enough, their hands only being care- lessly tied behind their backs, and nobody paying any particular attention to them. The fatal moment at length arrived. The younger was chosen to be hanged first. " Blockhead ! that is not the way to go about it," said one of the soldiers to his companion, who was about to fasten the cord in the first instance round the neck of the victim; "better tie it first to the gibbet." Upon this he ordered one of the spectators to bring him a ladder, and made the necessary preparation to despatch the condemned man, who, being taken round the waist by another soldier, was raised without offering the slightest resistance, and soon expired, after having protested his inno- cence. Three of these unhappy men had already ceased to exist ; the last remaining was an old man, with a white beard, surrounded by his wife and children, and who, in answer to their sobs and shrieks, contented himself with repeating that he was innocent. " Ah !" said the sergeant to one of his soldiers, " if you were to go to the Memour, and ask the life of this poor old man, he might, perhaps, spare it — go !" The soldier, carelessly shouldering his gun, repaired slowly to the governor to fulfil his mission. In the meantime the old man tranquilly conversed with his family. A few ininutes only had passed before the soldier reappeared ; at sight of him a gleam of hope and joy brightened the faces of the women ; but soon their cries and sobs were redoubled ; the Memour had refused a pardon. " 'Tis a pity," said the sergeant ; " this old man seems an honest fellow ; but his last hour is come." Whilst pronouncing these words he himself passed the cord round the neck of the condemned, who, after having embraced with wonderful resig- nation his wife and children, simply exclaimed, " God is great !" The small number of persons whom curiosity had drawn to witness this sad spectacle, now slowly dispersed among the neighbouring coffee-shops ; and very soon nothing was to be heard but the sound of musical instru- ments, and the song of the alme.* Remounting our beasts we pushed on towards Cairo. The slight haze, which had all the morning obstructed our view, now cleared away, and we discovered, on the edge of the Libyan desert, the apex of the Pyramids. Upon this I felt that I was in Egypt. But, notwithstanding the ideas, manifold and mysterious as they are, which history has invincibly con- nected, in our mind, with these pi'odigious structures, they by no means, when first beheld from afar, excite those powerful emotions of astonish- ment and admiration to which the sublimity of nature gives birth. On the * Cadalvene et Bveuverv. DISTANT VIEW OF THE PYKAMIDS, 101 contrary, when beginning to loom upon you across the desert, througli openings in the palm forests, they appear little better than large brick-kilns. In fact, you only see a small portion of their upper part. But when you consider that you are still at the distance of a long day's journey ; that these fair proportions are apparently curtailed by the mere rotundity of the globe ; that they have withstood the wear and tear of three thousand years; and that, if left entirely to the action of the elements, tliey will probably equal the world itself in duration, your imagination begins to take fire, and acquires, by degrees, a just conception of the sublime design of the architect. As we rode along, the eye, thus aided by the imagination, which alone vivifies and endues this sublunaiy scene with beauty, began to be fami- liarised with them, to measure them more accurately, and to transmit to the mind a juster idea of their magnitude and grandeur. Every other object, from this time, was forgotten. They occupied and filled the v^diole mind ; and as we drew nearer and nearer, they seemed to lift themselves up, like giants, far above everything around — the monuments and the tombs of an extinct people, whose bones and ashes, gathered together, might all have been hidden within the dimensions of those prodigious edifices. Two only of the Pyramids are at first visible ; and it is some time before that of Mycerinus appears. As you advance, those of Cheops and Cephrenes seem to join at the base : you behold two points apparently rising from one foun- dation, and, shortly afterwards, the former entirely masks the latter, and they appear to be reduced to one. Arriving at Shoubra, we passed through the grounds of the Pasha^s palace, and entered that grand avenue which leads all the way from thence to Cairo. The road, raised several feet above the surrounding country, to keep up the communication with the city during the inundation,* is here at least a hundred feet in breadth, and bordered on either side by a row of noble sycamores, acacias, mimosas, and tamarisks, the successors of those mulberries which Mohammed Ali had at one swoop cut down,t and whose branches, meeting above in many places, form a verdant arch, at all times impervious to the rays of the sun. The views on both sides are magnificent. * Wilde, Narrative, i. 330. f Mrs. Lusbington, Narrative, p. 122. 102 EGYPT AxXD NUBIA. Close at hand, on the right, is the Nile, with its whole surface trembling and ghttering in the sun ; numerous small barks, with lateen sails, moving up and down the stream ; and, beyond these, a richly cultivated country backed by the desert. On the left, between the stems of the trees, we could perceive Cairo itself, with its walls, and minarets, and domes, and towers, basking in the sun, apparently at the very foot of the Porphyry mountains, which, unlike all others, appear red at a distance, even when their tops seem to blend with the sky. When the Pasha is at Shoubra " the couriers passing and repassing upon their dromedaries, at a rapid pace, to the royal residence, and the number of persons who throng this avenue, give spirit and animation to the scene."* Beheld from afar, Cairo truly appears worthy to be the metropolis of Egypt ; skirted by groves and gardens, its light, airy structures seem to be based upon a mass of verdure ; long lines of buildings, white, glittering, and infinitely varied in form, rise behind each other ; and the palace and citadel, cresting a steep projection of the Mokattam ridge, conduct the eye to that vast rocky barrier which protects the Victorioust city from the blasts of the desert. At the termination of the grand avenue, where the road from Boolak unites with that of Shoubra, immense mounds of rubbish, with the appearance of natural eminences, obstruct the view of the Nile ; but, on the left, the eye is still refreshed by the sight of numerous gardens of banana, lemon, orange and citron-trees, laden with ripe fruit, and scat- tering through the air a faint but delicious perfume. The Alexandrians had tauglit me to expect a very diiFerent prospect. Tlie entrance from Shoubra to the capital, they said, was mean, naked, insignificant; but I found it otherwise. In fact, the near view of the city from this side was more imposing than the distant one. Lofty garden walls, over which long regular rows of palm-trees were waving their elegant pendulous branches ; houses, in many cases new, spacious, and furnished with glass windows, or very neat lattice-work, conducted us to the place Esbekeyah, an immense square, containing large sheets of water, fields of green corn, and groves of towering sycamores ; and traversed by a fine, broad gravel walk, over which crowds of people were passing to and fro, some on foot, others on horses, or asses, or camels, or dromedaries, in every variety of costume, from the meanest to the most gorgeous. Two sides of this immense square, equal in dimensions to the Champ de Mars at Paris, or upwards of sixty acres, are surrounded by palaces, one of which, during the French expedition, was occupied by Napoleon ; on the other sides are ranges of lofty antique struc- tures, which, though considerably dilapidated, have still a striking Oriental air, resembling, in some respects, the architectural palaces of Prout and Canaletti. In one of the gardens extending behind this square General Kleber was assassinated by a janisary. During the month of September, when the inundation of the Nile attains its greatest height, the whole area of this square was formerly filled with water many feet deep, on which floated numerous barks, illuminated during the night. Having crossed this * Wilde, Narrative, i. 330. f Masr cl Kabira, or " the Victorious," ihe Oriental name of Cairo. MOVEMENT OF THE POPULATION OF CAIRO. 103 open space, the principal in all Cairo, we plunged into the narrow, tortuous streets leading to the Frank quarter, through so motley a crowd as no other city, perhaps, in the world could have supplied : — Arabs, Jews, Armenians, Copts, Turks, Negroes, Germans, Poles, Italians, French, English, Greeks, — all in their national dresses, — red, blue, yellow, green, gray, black, white ; — in short, all the colours of the rainbow. Clot-Bey, a man extremely familiar with the scene, presents us with the following animated picture : — " The movement of the population of Cairo commences at six o'clock in the morning ; it is discontinued, during the heat of the day, from twelve to three o'clock. All travellers who have written on Egypt, speak of the picturesque scene exhibited in the streets, the bazaars, and the squares, by the motley crowd which fills them. All speak of the numerous contrasts it presents ; the v/ealthy man in his splendid and gold-covered garments by the side of the beggar in his rags ; the man of business passing rapidly before the indolent santon who receives, as he lies carelessly stretched on the ground, the touches of the women whose superstition teaches them to expect thus to obtain their cure or some other miraculous favour ; and then all those men of different nations, religions, and sects, distinguished from each other by their physical charac- teristics and peculiar costumes ; and those ladies with everything but their eyes concealed by the voluminous folds of their dresses, gliding hither and thither like phantoms ; and here, moreover, threading the crowd, the ass goaded on by his young and petulant driver, there the grave and slow camel, then again the horse of the noble magniucently caparisoned and the man of law's mule moving along with a gentle and measured pace ; in fine, those numerous mountebanks who amuse the passers-by, those story-tellers, who, in the coffee-shops, feed the contemplative spirit of the indolent smoker. To the peculiarities of its population add the strange physiognomy which is bestowed on Cairo by its terraced houses, its serpentine streets, the innu- merable minarets which rise on every side, and you will obtain a conception of a city the like of which nowhere else exists, a city stamped with a genuine Arab impress, a true city of the Arabian Nights." 101 EGYPT AND NUBIA. CHAPTER IX. Description of thk City and Houses of Caiuo. The city of Cairo, or, as the natives denominate it, Masr-el-Kahirali, situate in latitude 30° 2' 21" N., and longitude 28° 58' 30" E., is about nine MaliuiouJiyeh Slosiiue, and City Gate, Cairo. miles in circumference, and contains a population which has been vai-iously estimated at from two hundred to three hundred thousand.* Truth, how- ever, may lie between : it is probably two hundred and fifty thousand, rather less than more. The descriptions of this truly Oriental capital which have been given by travellers are extremely numerous, but all of them perhaps in some respects imperfect. My picture will doubtless be so also, my object being rather to dwell on its prominent and characteristic features than to enter into those minute details which an attempt at com- pleteness would involve. Cairo was formerly surrounded by a wall, strengthened and adorned by towers, and pierced by several magnificent gates, (sixty-nine, great and small, according to some accounts,) several of which still remain in all their beauty. In many places, however, the fortifications have crumbled into dust, and, suburbs projecting themselves beyond the old circumference, • Jomard, Descriptiou du Caire. DESCRIPTION OF CAIRO. 105 that which was meant as a defence lias noAV dwindled into a mere orna- ment. The interior is divided into fifty-four quarters, or systems of buildings, so contrived that each has but one issue by Avhich it communi- cates with the neighbouring sections of the city. This outlet is closed at night by massive wooden doors, with huge locks and bolts, which a porter inhabiting a square low cell close at hand watches over. The men who act in this capacity are commonly Berbers, from Lower Nubia, who have in Egypt a reputation for incorruptible fidelity, like the Swiss guards in Europe.* These quarters, some of which derive their appellation from the profession of those who inhabit them, or from some market-place, bath, or tomb, are all of them traversed by innumerable streets, or rather lanes, courts, or alleys, so narrow for the most part, (some not exceeding two feet and a half in width) that they exclude at all hours the rays of the sun ; to effect which more completely, a succession of palm-mats is thrown across on poles, with narrow apertures here and there, to admit a certain supply of light. This custom the generality of European travel- lers strongly condemn ; but when, after a long ride in the suburbs or surrounding country, I have returned to Cairo about the middle of the day, nothing used to appear to me more delightful than to plunge out of the scorching sunshine into the cool and dusky passages, where a brisk current of air is generally felt. No doubt sufficient care is by no means taken to cleanse these streets, which ai'e consequently in many parts filled with offensive and noxious effluvia. This, however, it will be perceived, is a wholly different consideration. Attempts have recently been made by the Government to introduce certain improvements, after the European fashion, widening the streets, and bringing them as near as possible into a straight line, chiefly, however, with reference to the convenience of the Pasha, whose equipage it was impossible to draw through Cairo in its pristine state. These changes may also be beneficial, because a broad and agreeable promenade may during the cool hours of the day tempt the inhabitants to forsake their indolent habits, and walk abroad. It would be wrong to infer, as from certain accounts one might be tempted to do, that the whole of Cairo, even as it existed originally, was a crowded, pestiferous agglomeration of buildings, in which a large popu- lation huddled together could scarcely find room to move or breathe. It is quite true that in many quarters, more particularly in that of the Jews, the population is much concentrated in lofty ill-ventilated, uncleanly houses. But this is not the case universally. In many parts there are large open spaces, encumbered indeed with mounds of rubbish, but perfectly dry. They in some respects answer the purpose of our squares. Again, around the mosques, of which there are nearly four hundred, small and great, there is generally a. clear space, commonly swept very clean. Here the air is cooled by a splashing fountain, erected by some pious Moslem for the use of the passers-by. Trees, also, in some cases, wave over the gilded gates, which, in the opinion of the natives, open the way to Paradise. Besides, all the ])alaces of the great, and many houses of a humbler character, * Cadulveiii; et Breuvery, I'Egypte et la Nubie, t. i. p. 96. 106 EGYPT AND NUBIA. open behind into gardens more or less extensive, planted with row3 of shady trees, adorned with bowers and alcoves, and almost invariably possessing a fountain or two. Nay, so fond are the Caireens of the aspect of vegetation, that they plant palm-trees even in tlie narrow courts of their houses, which, soon growing to a great height, at once shade them on their terraces, and impart a beauty to the general aspect of the city. The Kalish or Great Canal, which traverses Cairo in its whole length, is at one season of the year an ornament to the quarters through which it passes, being bordered by gardens and shaded by lofty trees. It then reminds the traveller of Venice, being spanned here and there by light bridges, and reflecting on its broad smooth surface the picturesque fa9ades of the neighbouring houses. But at low Nile, the whole state of the case is changed. It then ceases to be a running stream, and presents to the eye nothing but a succession of green stagnant pools, from which a fetid exha- lation perpetually ascends, generating fever and plague. Nevertheless, it was close to this kalish that the unfortunate Burckhardt chose his dwelling. The house, when I saw it, was falling rapidly to decay ; moist, yellowish lichens were growing along the walls in patches ; the little garden was damp, neglected, and covered with weeds ; and I could well fancy the depressed spirits and dreary thoughts which saddened the last days of the enterprising traveller. The citadel by which Cairo is overlooked and commanded, is a very striking and spacious structure, erected on a bold lofty projection of the Jebel Mokattam. From almost every open space in the neighbourhood it is beheld white and glittering in the brilliant sunshine, in very marked and extraordinary contrast with the sordid Arab hovels which the eye is able to take in at the same time on the plain below. To the north and to the south are extensive cemeteries, where the taste of the Mohammedans is exhi- bited to great advantage in the construction and ornaments of tlieir tombs, domes, cupolas, sarcophagi, oblong square basements, and humbler graves, whose frail mounds speedily mingle with the sands of the desert. On one side are the tombs of the Caliphs, a succession of splendid mosques, each adorned with fountains, colonnades, and aspiring minarets, from the upper galleries of which one may behold at a single glance both the city of the living and the cities of the dead, by far the more beautiful and impressive. Towards the Nile, and extending southward from Boulak to the island of Iloudah, we behold the palace and gardens of Ibrahim Pasha, with exten- sive plantations of olive trees, which now occupy the site of those mounds of rubbish, so large as to resemble hills, which formerly encompassed three sides of the city. All are not yet removed, but they are rapidly disappear- ing. Hundreds of workmen were employed at the task during the whole of my stay. If we describe noAV the private dwellings of the inhabitants, it may be observed, that the basement walls, to the height of the first floor, are cased externally, and often internally, with the soft calcareous stone of the neigh- bouring mountain. Its surface, when newly cut, is of a light-yellowish hue, which, however, soon deepens. The alternate courses of the front, particularly in large houses and mosques, are sometimes painted red and AN EASTERN DWELLING-HOUSE. 107 white, or green, on which, in several cities of Upper Egypt, I observed representations of fishes, trees, and otlicr natural objects. The super- structure, the front of which generally projects about two feet, and is supported by corbels or piers, is of burnt brick, of a dull-red colour, often coated with an inferior kind of plaster. The external doorways of private liouses are generally arched, and orna- mented with a kind of torus in low relief. Below, they are furnished with a raised threshold, consisting usually of a single stone. The door itself is sometimes painted green, adorned above with sundry compartments in red, with white borders. On one of these, in black or white characters, is the inscription, " God is the Creator, the Everlasting.""" In ordinary houses the street-door commonly consists of a number of planks rudely put together. It has generally an iron knocker and a wooden lock. Close to the entrance is a stone seat, which serves horsemen as a mounting-stone, and is gene- rally occupied in the cool of tlie evening by the elders of the family engaged in smoking and chatting with their neighbours. The ground- floor apartments near the street have small wooden-grated win- dows, placed sufficiently high to render it impossible for a person passing by in the street, even on horseback, to see through them. Tlie windows of the upper apart- ments generally project a foot and a half or more, and are mostly formed of turned lattice- work, which is so close that it shuts out much of the light and sun, and screens the inmates of the house from the view of persons without, while at the same time it admits the air. Occasionally, however, in very warm weather these lattices are thrown wide open, so that it is quite possible for a man riding by on a lofty dromedary to look into the chambers. The wood-work is commonly unstained, though in some few cases it is painted red and green. A window of this kind is called a ros/ian, or, more commonly, a meshrebeyeh. Some- times a window of the kind above described has a considerable projection in front, or on each side. In this, in order to be exposed to a current of air, are placed porous earthen bottles, used for cooling water by evaporation. Hence the name of meshrelfyeh, which signifies a place for drink, or for drinking. Similar practices for cooling water are resorted to ihrougliout the East. At Bassora they suspend porous vases in the shade, and in a current of air, though the efl^ect thus produced is by no means constant ; for when Street Door of a Dwelling House. 108 EGYPT AND NUBIA. the north wind blows, the water in these jars is rendered delightfully cool, whereas the south wind is itself so warm and humid, that it cannot operate as a refrigerator. At Bassora, however, the heat is much greater than in Egypt, for drinking-glasses, unless kept constantly filled, become too hot to drink out of. * The use of glass for windows, formerly almost wholly unknown, is now becoming fashionable in Cairo, the houses of the wealthy being generally furnished with frames, closed in winter to exclude the cold, which is severely felt in Esypt when the thermometer of Fahrenheit is below 60°. Instead of glass, thin plates of gypsum, elaborately painted with gorgeous and glowing colours, are frequently used by the wealthy, so that when opposed to the morning or evening sun, they admit a flood of many- coloured light into the room. The houses in general are two or three stories high, or sometimes even four in the more populous quarters ; and when sufficiently large, inclose an open impaved court, entered by a passage constructed with one or two turnings, for purposes of privacy. In this passage, just within the door, there is a long stone seat, called mastabah, built against the back or side wall, for the porter or other servants. In the court is a well of slightly brackish water, which filters through the soil from the Nile ; and on its most shaded side are commonly two water -jars, replenished daily from the same river. The principal apartments look into the court ; and their exterior walls, when of brick, are plastered and whitewashed. Of the several doors which lead thence into the house, one, called Bahel-harim, is the entrance of the stairs, leading to the apartments appropriated exclu- sively to the women, with their master and his children. Most houses of distinction have, on the ground-floor, an apartment called mandardh, which, like the andron of the ancient Greeks, is assigned to the men of the family, who there receive their male visitors. A wide wooden-grated win- dow or two, opening into the court, supplies it with light and air. A portion of the floor, depressed six or seven inches below the rest, is paved with black and white marble, interspersed with pieces of red tile, disposed in fanciful and complicated patterns. Here there is a fountain, whose waters, after rising into the air, fall perpetually with a splashing sound into a shallow basin of many-coloured marbles, diffusing around a refresh- ing coolness, and soothing the inmates with an agreeable murmur. Fronting the door there is generally a shelf of marble or common stone, called sooffeh, about four feet from the floor, supported by two or more arches, under which are placed utensils in ordinary use, such as perfuming vessels, basins for ablution, coffee cups, water bottles, &c. In handsome houses the arches of the sooffeh are faced with marble and tile, like the pool of the fountain, and sometimes the wall over it, to the height of about four feet or more, is also cased with similar materials, partly with large upright slabs, and partly with small pieces. The raised part of the floor is called the leewan, a corruption of el eeican^ which signifies " any elevated place to sit upon," and also a " palace." Every person slips off * Fontanier, Voyage dans I'lnde. AN EASTERN DWELLING-HOUSE. 109 his shoes hefore he steps upon the leetcan, chiefly tliat he may not defile a mat or carpet upon whicli prayer is usually said. The origin of this prac- tice, which dates from the earliest antiquity, may be traced to the idea, that to go barefoot is a mark of humility ; it was to inspire this feeling that the Lord said to Moses, when he stood before the burning bush, " Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."* The leewan is generally paved with common stone, covered occasionally with mats and carpets, and is surrounded by a deewan, consisting of a mattress and cushions jilaced against each of its three walls. The mattress, which is generally about three feet wide, and three or four inches thick, is placed either on the ground, or on a raised frame ; and the cushions, which are usually of a length equal to the width of the mattress, and of a height equal to half that measure, lean against the wall. Both mattress and cushions are stuffed with cotton, and covered with printed calico, cloth, or some more expensive stuff. The walls are plastered and whitewashed, and generally contain two or three shallow cupboards, with doors composed of very small panels, on account of the heat and dryness of the climate, which cause wood to warp and shrink as if it were placed in an oven. For this reason the doors of the apartments also are constructed in the same manner. We observe great variety and much ingenuity displayed in the different modes in which these small panels are formed and disposed. The ceiling over the leewan is of wood, with carved beams, generally about a foot apart, partially painted, and sometimes gilt. But that part of the ceiling which is over the durkah, in a handsome house, is usually more richly decorated ; here, instead of beams, numerous thin slips of wood are nailed upon the planks, forming patterns curiously complicated, yet perfectly regular, and having a highly ornamental effect. The slips are painted yellow or gilt, and the spaces within green, red, and blue. From the centre a chandelier is often suspended. In some houses there is another room, called a nudad, for the same use as a mandarah, having an open front, with two or more arches, and a low railing ; and also, on the ground floor, a square recess, called a sukhtahosh, with an open front, and generally a pillar to support the wall above ; its floor is a paved leewan ; and there is often a long wooden sofa placed along each of its three walls. The court, during the summer, is habitually sprinkled with water, whicli renders the surroiuiding apartments agreeably cool. In several of the upper rooms in the houses of the wealthy, there are, besides the window of lattice- work, others of coloured glass, representing bunches of flowers, peacocks, and other gay and gaudy objects, or merely fanciful patterns, which have a pleasing effect. These coloured glass win- dows are mostly from a foot and a half to two feet and a half in height, and from one to two feet in width, and are generally placed along the top of the projecting lattice window in rows, or disposed in a group so as to form a large square, or elsewhere in the upper parts of the walls, singly or in pairs, side by side. The panes are small pieces of glass of various * Exodus, iii. 5, comp. Joshua, v. 15. no EGYPT AND NUBTA. colours, set in a rim of fine plaster, and inclosed in a frame of wood. On the walls of some apartments are paintings of the temple of Mecca, or of the tomb of the Prophet, or of flowers and other objects, executed by native Moslem artists. These occasionally are very tasteful, and in addi- tion to the objects above enumerated, represent scenes in the neighbourhood of the city, in which kiosks and palm-trees are generally conspicuous objects. Sometimes, also, the walls are ornamented with Arabic inscrip- tions of maxims, &c., written in letters of gold, on paper, in an embellijihed style, and inclosed in glazed frames. No chambers are furnished as bed- rooms. The bed, in the day-time, is rolled up, and placed on one side, or in an adjoining closet, which, in the winter, is a sleeping- pi ace ; in summer many people lie upon the house-top. A mat or carpet, spread upon the raised part of the stone floor, and a deewan, constitute the complete furniture of a room. Every door is furnished with a wooden lock, the mechanism of which may be thus described. A number of small iron pins, four, five or more, drop into corresponding holes in the sliding bolt, as soon as the latter is pushed into the staple of the door- post. The key, also, has small pins, made to correspond with the holes, into which they arejintroduced to open the lock : the ' former pins beingthuspushed up, the bolt may be drawn back. The wooden lock of a street-door is com- monly about fourteen inches long ; those of the doors of apart- ments, cupboards, &c., are about seven, eight, or nine inches. The locks of the gates of quarters, public buildings, &c., are of the same kind, and mostly two feet, or even more, in length. It is not difiicult to pick or break this kind of lock. In the " Story of the Two Princes, El-Amjad and El- Asad," there occurs a passage which the abovedescriptionmay serve to illustrate. El-Amjad having in the street formed an acquaintance with a strange lady, she offered to accompany him to his house, but living as he did in mean lodgings he was ashamed to take her thither or to acknowledge that he possessed no dwelling of his own. She followed him, and he continued walking on with her from by-street to by-street, and from place to place, until the damsel was tired, and she said to him, " O, my master, where is thy house ? " He answered, " Before us, and there remaineth but a short dis- tance to it." Then he turned aside with her into a handsome by-street, and continued walking along it ; she followed him, until he arrived at the end of it, when he found that it was not a thoroughfare. So he said, " There is no strength nor power but in God, the High, the Great ! " And, Wooden Lock. STORY OF EL-AMJAD AND THE LADY. Ill looking towards tlie upper end of the street, he saw there a groat door with two niastabahs ; but it was locked. El-Anijad therefore seated him- self upon one mastabah, and the damsel seated herself upon the other, and said to him, " O, my master, for what art thou waiting ? " Upon this, he hung down his head for a long time towards the ground ; after which he raised it, and answered her, " I am waiting for my mcmlook ; for he hath the key, and I said to him, ' Prepare for us the food and beverage, and the flowers for the wine, by the time that I come forth from the bath.' " He then said within himself, " Probably the time will become tedious to her, and so she will go her way and leave me here." But when the time seemed long to her, she said to him, " O, my master, thy memlook hath been slow in returning to us, while we have been sitting in the street." And she arose and approached tlie wooden lock with T a stone. So El-Amjad said to her, " Hasten not ; but be patient until the memlook Cometh." Paying no attention, however, to his words, she struck the wooden lock with tlie stone, and split it in two ; so that the dooropened. He there- fore said to her, "What possesseth thee, that thou didst thus ? " — " O, my master," said she, " what hath hap- pened ? Is it not thy house ? " — He an- swered, " Yes : but there was no necessity for breaking the lock," In the plan of almost every dwelling there is an utter want of regularity. The apart- ments are generally of diflFerent heights — so that a person has to ascend or descend one, two, or more steps, to pass from one chamber to another adjoining it. The principal aim of the architect is to render the house as private as possible ; particularly that part of it which is inhabited by the women ; and not to make any window in such a situation as to overlook the apartments of the neighbours. Another object of tlie archi- tect, in building for a person of wealtli or rank, is to make a secret door from which the tenant may make his escape in case of danger from an arrest, or an attempt at assassination ; and it is also common to construct a hiding-place for treasure in some part of the house. street in Cairo. 112 EGYPT AND NUBIA. CHAPTER X. The Citadel of Cairo. — Massacre of the Mkmlooks. Though many travellers have published their remarks on Cairo, it appears to me that a new and very interesting volume might still be written on that city alone. It is, in fact, an epitome of the whole Eastern world. Tliere, as in a hot-bed, flourish all those vices which have proved the bane of the vast, but often short-lived, despotisms of the East. Converse with whomsoever you please, you quickly discover, amid the charms of the most dazzling and fascinating manners, infernal ideas and principles peeping forth, like the asp and the scorpion, among flowers. Corruption, if not universal, is so general that it seems to exhibit itself everywhere. The very tombs, Avhen a little secluded, are not free from pollution. Yet, in the midst of this vortex of iniquity, the exterior aspect of manners, the features and costume in which society presents itself to the eye of the stranger, are generally solemn and stately ; virtue and gravity ai'e compli- mented with a ritual of hypocritical observances ; and barbarians, in whom meanness and ignorance are as the breath of life, affect, in their walk and conversation, a dignity and generosity which belong to the highest w^isdom alone. To the traveller, however, all this masquerading furnishes amuse- ment ; each day presents some new moral group to his observation ; he learns to detect, one after another, the numerous contrivances which are resorted to, by every one, to baffle his peneti'ation ; and, perhaps, among all the phenomena which excite his astonishment, none are more truly wonderful than the metamorphoses which Europeans appear to undergo in that Circean sty. But, besides these ethical pictures, Cairo affords more palpable spectacles, which, though perhaps less instructive, are yet not destitute of interest. Among these is the citadel, which we early one day proceeded to visit. The crowds which circulate through tlie streets of this vast city never appeared more animated or gay than on that morning, the fine sunshine which succeeded the previous night's rain, seeming to liave quite revived them. On our way to the castle, we passed by several noble mosques and public fountains ; many of the latter adorned with marble steps and gilded railings, and furnished with clean bright brass cups, for the use of the people. On arriving at the entrance to the citadel, we were invited to aliglit, to view the Pasha's menagerie, which consisted of a young elephant, of very meagi'e appearance, and three lions, not of a large size, which are kept chained (though rather carelessly and slightly) in a wretched shed, closed in front with mats. One of the lions was blind, perhaps from ophthalmia, which, in Egypt, attacks both man and beast ; but there was a young lioness of remarkable beauty, though inferior in size to that of the King of Naples at Portici. The Turkish keeper not being present, we witnessed none of those foolish familiarities which are usually exhibited at THE HALL OF SALADIN. 113 menageries between lions and their valets, the Arab deputy being possessed by a salutary fear of those ferocious animals. Citadel of Cairo. From this miserable exhibition we ascended into the citadel ; which is reached by two winding ascents cut in the solid rock. Of these, one mounts the northern face of the pile, and terminates in the Gate of the Arabs; the other leads from the east towards the Gate of the Janisaries. On entering the great area which occupies its centre, Ave were exceedingly pleased with the first coiip-frmil. The fa9ade of the palace, which, in design, approaches nearer than I could have expected to the European style of architecture, is adorned by a small light portico, with raised terrace, in the Oriental taste ; and in front of what may be termed a wing (though it contains the principal apartments), there is another portico, with tall slender columns of elegant form and proportions. On a part of this open space stood formerly the hall of Saladin, in which the Ayubite Sultans dispensed justice to their subjects. The explosion of a powder-magazine in 1824, reduced this ancient structure to so ruinous a state, that it became necessary to pull it down entirel}'. It was seen, however, by a European traveller in its dilapidated condition, and described in the following terms : — The roof of this edifice is very beautiful. It is formed of a succession of little domes made of wood, into which are introduced con- cave circles, containing octagons of blue and gold. The corners and arches of the building are carved in the best gothic manner, and in many places the colours and gilding continue perfectly bright. The columns 114 EGYPT AND NUBIA. of rose (rranite which decorated this celebrated deewan (originally, per- haps, from J\Iemphis)* were subsequently bestowed by JMohamraed All on the mosque which he caused to be erected on the same site. It has been said that the interior of this mosque is to be faced with alabas- ter, and adorned by columns of the same beautiful material, obtained from tlie celebrated quarries in the Arabian chain, the sight of which having been lost sight of for many centuries, was re-discovered a few years ago. AVhen I visited the country the building was still incomplete, but it has probably by this time been finished, though the Pasha is by no means remarkable for a display of diligence in his works of pious munificence. He intends, nevertheless, it is said, to have his own mausoleum erected in this mosque, not being of opinion, as a late traveller has remarked, that after life's fitful fever he should sleep well among the Memlouk Beys in the cemetery below. The scene presented by the persons engaged in clearing the area for the construction of the square and mosque was most striking and characteristic. Parties of women and children were seen running up and down the precipitous rock on which the citadel stands, on planks without railings, removing the rubbish, and carrying mortar for the new building. My heart ached when I saw these poor creatures struck with a thick stick which the overseer flourished in his hand ; though but for the blows I should scarcely have known they were not all in play, as they were singing in the loudest key ; this, however, I afterwards learned, was compulsory. The different parties, in presenting themselves for work, almost tore the overseers to pieces, screaming out their song, and never ceasing to run round and round, like so many dervishes in a circle, till their hods were emptied or filled. Moved by their apparently hard fate, I was lamenting my inability to relieve the whole of the wretched crowd, when, after a longer inspection, I observed with astonishment how little either the children or women seemed to care for it themselves — the former, with all tlie hilarity of their early age, were dancing about, and running up and down without their burthens, evidently for pleasure ; while the women shrunk away, hiding under the guns, and behind the rubbish, and when detected by the harassed overseers, only flew from the expected blow with a loud laugh : in the end, I scarcely knew who was most to be pitied, the overseers or themselves. Each village sends a certain number of inhabitants for the public works, and also an overseer, who being of the same village, and a countryman, might be expected to feel more com- passion than a Turk. Tlie labourers w^ere supplied with as much bread as they could eat, in fact, were better fed than they would have been at home; and on the collection of the taxes, a small sum was remitted to them, equal, I believe, to a penny a day each.t Intending to be presented to Habib Effendi, the governor of Cairo, we ascended the principal flight of steps ; and, passing through the portico, and a long suite of spacious but rather plain apartments, filled with crowds of oflicers and persons assembled on public business, entered the audience- chamber, where the principal dragoman and a number of attendants were * Cadalvene, p. 99. t Mrs- Lushington, p. 131. INTERVIEW WITH THE GOVERNOR OF CAIRO. 115 waiting for the arrival of ilie governor. We were received politely, and invited to seat ourselves on the divan ; while the dragoman, with that restless curiosity which distinguishes the Armenian, immediately com- menced making inquiries respecting our professions and pursuits ; and we observed that, in order to effect his purpose, he adroitly contrived to mingle a considerable portion of flattery with his questions. The audience-chamber, smaller in dimensions than that of Alexandria, is much more highly ornamented, both the walls and ceilings being richly adorned with arabesques of very elegant design. The various niches, or recesses, which break the uniformity of the wall, are likewise covered with small landscapes ; and both these little paintings, and those which orna- ment the roof, all representing rural objects (the green fields, the groves, the winding river, tlic sea-shore, with temples and ruins interspersed), are extremely well conceived, though executed in that stiff, inanimate style, which prevailed in Italy before the time of Giotto. In a lai'ge recess, at tlie bottom of the room, we observed the instruments for administering torture : a small pole, with a loop of reddish cord suspended from the centre, for containing the feet ; and the koorbash, or strip of hippopota- mus hide, with which the strokes on the soles are given. Through the windows, which were partly hung with fine chintz curtains, we could command a very magnificent view of the city and environs of Cairo. It was not long before Habib Effendi arrived. He was a man some- what advanced in years, with a cold savage look, but handsome. Yet, though possessing much finer features, we could discover in his countenance nothing of that intelligence and energy which light up with interest the face of ]\Iohammed Ali. He was calm and quiet ; but there was a feeble- ness in his eye incompatible with great powers of mind. Our conversa- tion with him, if conversation it could be called, was perfectly common- place. He put a great number of questions, but none which denoted acuteness or capacity ; and, long before he terminated his inquiries, I was impatient to take my leave. While this scene was enacting, the rightful heir to the throne of the Ilejaz, a lineal descendant of the Prophet, taken prisoner by the Pasha, and detained in Egypt as a hostage, entered the audience-chamber, and took his seat on the divan. He appeared to be engaged in conversation witli the governor, but constantly cast a curious, inquiring look upon us. His complexion was very dark, almost black ; his features sharp, angular, unprepossessing ; his figure short and undig- nified. He was dressed in green, the livery of the Prophet's descendants; but his turban was flat and of a different colour. The governor, to do him justice, was exceedingly obliging, and readily granted us permission to see both the palace and the harem ; that is, as much as could be viewed without encroaching upon the parts actually occupied by the ladies. Taking our leave of his Excellency, we proceeded to visit the curiosities included within the walls of the citadel. Previous to this, however, the kawass conducted us to the terrace of the palace, which commands one of the noblest and most extensive views in the world. Here the eye, almost at a single glance, takes in the whole city of Cairo, with its innumerable gilded domes and minarets, its squares and bazaars, and public places, its 116 EGYPT AND NUBIA. walls, and gates, and groves, and gardens, and battlements ; and those vast melancholy suburbs, — the cemeteries, — whither the gay and giddy Caireens, when the dream of life is over, retire to their eternal abodes. A little beyond, winding its way through the richest valley of Africa, was the bountiful Nile, whose broad surface, studded with numerous sails, glittered in the morning sun like a sheet of molten silver. On the right hand were the tombs of the khalifs, Boulak, and the site of Heliopolis ; behind us, the sterile ridges of Mokattam ; to the left, the spacious plains, where once stood Babylon, Troia, Acanthus, and Memphis, cities which, except- ing in the pages of history, have left no certain traces of their existence. Farther still, and beyond the reach of the inundation, were the pyramids of Ghizeh, Sakkarah, Abousir, and Dashour, skirting the boundless expanse of the Libyan desert, whose dim, dismal colour seemed to be diffused over everything on botli sides of the river ; for, in this interminable landscape, the fields, groves, and gardens of the valley appeared like mere specks of verdure in an ocean of sand and rock and water. Directly under the palace windows was a large open space, in which several regiments of the Pasha's military slaves were performing their evolutions, marching, charging, firing, and the other operations of war. It ought here, perhaps, to be observed, that the citadel covers the side and summit of an eminence divided by a narrow valley, from the Mokat- tam range. In the age of Saladin, by whom it was erected, it may doubt- less have been a strong place, and sufiiced to overawe the city ; but, although it be skilfully fortified and furnished with thirty large guns and ten mortars, it can no longer be regarded as formidable to a European enemy. It is, in fact, completely commanded by a spur of the Jebel Mokattam, on which, for that reason, Mohammed Ali some years ago con- structed a fort. Of this the Duke of Ragusa judges favourably, and although in any other matter his testimony is of little value, we may allow it some weight in an affair of this kind. " It is," he remarks, " a fort built in the Turkish style, but with considerable care. It is capable, there- fore, of offering some resistance, and may be deemed impregnable by the enemy most likely to bring a force against it, since it can scarcely be sup- posed that it will ever have to sustain a regular siege. It is a small square with a revetement, in the midst of which rises a tower, the whole mounted with cannon."* Returning into the palace, we visited the Mint, a wretched establish- ment, where we found a few Arab workmen employed in hammering out four-piastre pieces (gold coins, value one shilling) on clumsy little anvils. The currency of Egypt passes for thirty-three and one-third per cent, more than its full value ; that is, the kheri, or nine -piastre piece, which has been assayed at Genoa and Paris, is worth only six piastres. The value of the gold used up annually by the Pasha's Mint, has been estimated at about two hundred thousand pounds. The gradual deterioration of all Turkish coin, and especially of the paras, has compelled the viceroy to renounce the manufacture of these small pieces, which constituted some years ago one of * T. iii. p. 281. SALADIN'S WELL. 117 the most active branches of Egyptian commerce. It will be easy to appre- ciate the deterioration which these coins have undergone, if we remark that in 1772, under the government of Ali-Bey, ninety paras were worth one Spanish dollar ; the value of the same coin was fixed at one hundred and fifty paras at the time of the French expedition, and at present it answers to eight hundred ! * From the Mint we proceeded to Saladin's Well.-|- Though we had with us a kawass, or officer of the governor, we experienced some difficulty in gaining admittance ; a difficulty which was satisfactorily accounted for when we had descended. The entrance to this great work, which is far more useful than magnificent, and has little in it, more than a great coal- pit, to strike the imagination, is as mean and obscure as that into a cellar. Kindling each a small wax taper to light him, we all fol- lowed the footsteps of the guide. The well is of a square form, cut per- pendicularly, though not in one continued shaft, in the solid rock, to the depth of about three hundred and eighty feet ; that is, to a level with the waters of the Nile. A little more than half-way down, it widens into a spacious chamber, containing a large deep cistern, and the wheel, turned by a cow, draws up the series of small earthen pots (attached to a rope, as in a common sakia) by which the cistern is replenished. A similar appara- tus at the top fills the cisterns which supply the citadel, and are so capacious that one of them would contain water enough to serve a large garrison during a whole year. A narrow staircase, hewn out in the rock, winds round the w-ell from top to bottom, with so easy a descent, that you might almost ride down on horseback; on assback you certainly might. In fact, the cow or bullock, which turns the wheel below, descends this staircase, which resembles a Macadamised road, though there seem formerly to have been steps. At short intervals cut in the rock, there are several large windows for the purpose of admitting light, and to enable those descending the staircase to look out into the well ; and these windows, except that they are much larger and lower, considerably resemble those in the galleries of the Simplon. When we had reached the great chamber, or half-way house, our cuide related to us the ostensible reason — a desire to be bribed . ...... being the real one — why so much difficulty is now experienced in obtain- ing permission to descend. About five years ago a man was mur- dered in that very chamber, where his body being discovered, our cicerone himself had been suspected of the deed, and cast into prison ; but, having remained twenty-one days in confinement, and no proofs of his guilt appear- ing — perhaps none were sought — he was liberated. The murdered man, an Armenian, had gone down with a sum of money about him ; and the spot where the body had been found was pointed out to us, perhaps by the man who had hidden it there. On the same side of the gallery we were shown a large fissure in the rock, now walled up, to which another legend is appended. Two or three years ago, the cow employed in turning the water-wheel, on being liberated from her task in the evening, squeezed * Cadalvene, i. 101. f Commonly called Joseph's Well, because the prenomen of Saladin was Yussiif; but it is better to avoid the equivoque and the explanation by denominating it at once Saladiu's Well. 118 EGYPT AND NUBIA. herself into this fissure, and, wandering away into some dark unexplored passage, entirely disappeared. One of the poor Arabs, more venturous than his companions, taking a lamp in his hand and overcoming his national apprehension of the Marid and the Jinn, entered in search of her, but was never more heard of. Twelve days they awaited his return, but at the expiration of that period, giving him up for lost, they walled up the cavern, thus cutting off all chance of his escape from the Stygian gloom. Perhaps he fell, by some oblique descent, into the well below, and they may now be drawing water from among his bones. The wheels, pots, ropes, &c., had an extremely antique and dilapidated appearance ; and, if much used, would undoubtedly fall to pieces. But the excavation itself is a splendid work, and well worthy of the chivalrous Sultan who executed it. Our next visit was to the apartments appropriated to the use of the Translation Committee, which is under the direction of a Frenchman and an Armenian, both of whom received us very politely. A number of young scribes of various countries were squatting about the rooms on divans and carpets, translating books or documents, or interpreting them to secretaries. The greater number, perhaps the whole of these young men, were Christians ; or, if there were any Mohammedans among them, they were far from being riofid Islamites. The printing-office, close at hand, where the Cairo Gazette, in Arabic, is printed, is a small insigni- ficant establishment, which would be novt'here remarkable but in such a country as Egypt. The press, the tympans, the galleys, the sticks, the halls, &c., were all of a very inferior description, and the forms apj)ear to be made np in a slovenly way upon the press itself. There were but few compositors or pressmen at work, but they all seemed rather expert. The Arabic manuscripts from which they were composing, written on one side only, were such as European compositors rarely meet with — extremely legible, the lines being wide apart, and the interlineations and corrections very carefully made. The works which have issued from the press — gene- rally history and poetry — have hitherto met with but little favour from the Arabs, whether the blame is to be attributed to their poverty or their want of taste. Mohammed All's authors meet with, in fact, but few buyers, so that the records of their labours, piled up in warehouses, are abandoned as a prey to the rats and mice, or to be decomposed slowly under the influence of the climate. The reason is obvious. No pains are taken to adapt the publications to the wants and predilections of the people, who care little to read histories which dare record no truth, if it happen to be unpleasing to the Pasha, and who have little relish for poetry which derives its inspiration from a state of society which has no analogy with theirs. Having passed through the apartments where the diplomatic scribes and secretaries were at work, we entered the council chamber, where we were introduced to the president, a merry old Turk, who laughed and chatted with amazing volubility. The council of which he is the chief, consists of a number of individuals, public officers, and government clerks, who assemble daily for the despatch of business. This is what, in Europe, has been denominated the senate, or parliament of Egypt ; but it is a parliament of a very extraordinary kind. When the Pasha has anything VISIT TO THE PASHA'S HAREM. 119 agreeable to do, he does it himself, without consulting this WTetched assembly, which, he well knows, would not dare to entertain an opinion different from his ; but when application is made to him for money, or some favour is demanded, whicli it might be inexpedient to grant and im- prudent to refuse, he suddenly feigns a high veneration for the authority of his council, refers the applicants to them, and while he imperiously directs their decisions, shifts off the odium upon their shoulders. Such is the parliament of Egypt. The next object of our curiosity was the harem. It will not, of course, be supposed that we beheld the ladies ; it was an unusual favour to be allowed to enter at all into the female apartments ; to see tlie rooms in which they usually sit, and the divans fi'om which they had just risen to make way for us. Crossing a large gravelled court, we entered a spacious hall, divided into compartments by many rows of elegant columns. A grand staircase of white marble conducted us to the principal apartment on the first floor, which was in the form of a Greek cross, large, lofty, tastefully ornamented, with numerous noble windows commanding nearly the same prospect as the terrace near the divan. The Kaah where, when in Cairo, the Pasha usually sits, surrounded by his family, was finely matted and fur- nished with a soft and beautiful divan of scarlet cloth, with a long blue silk fringe hanging to the floor, running round three sides of the apartment. A recess adorned with carved ornaments and slender columns with gilded capitals, occupied the bottom of the room. Arabesques and landscapes, executed in the same style as those in the audience-chamber, adorned the ceiling of this spacious apartment, which would be admired even in London. It measures one hundred and fifty by one hundred and twenty feet, is furnished with large plate glass windows, and paved with marble slabs, of the extraordinary size of eighteen feet in the square. The furni- ture of the side rooms was cloth of gold, embossed with tulips and roses, in purple and green velvet, and had been brought from Constantinople. The bed-chambers, offices, &c., were neat, and scrupulously clean, but contained nothing remarkable. While passing through a small ante-chamber we met a young Memlook — a Greek or Georgian boy. about nine years old, beautiful as an angeL His exquisite little mouth, his fair complexion, his dark eyes, and finely arched eyebrows, his smooth lofty forehead and clustering ringlets — everything conspired to enhance his loveliness. Anywhere else I should have supposed it to be a girl in disguise. In a large apartment in this part, of the palace we were shown the Pasha's children. We found the three yoimg princes sitting side by side on a carpet at the farther end of the room, busily engaged with their writing lessons, under the direction of a master ; and when we were presented to them they looked up surprised and wonder-stricken, like children to whom such things were not familiar, and cast many furtive inquiring glances at each other, but did not speak. They must have been by three different mothers, as their ages seemed nearly the same. The one who, if there was any difference, appeared to be the youngest, may have been about five years old ; he was dressed in green j and there was a pride and fire in his eye which strikingly distin- 120 EGYPT AND NUBIA. guished him from his brethren. They were accompanied in their studies by a number of otlier boys, all under twelve years old ; and their governor, a grave venerable Turk, seemed pleased to exhibit his pupils, but did not run into the common fault of flattering them by extraordinary praise. I had been dissuaded from demanding permission to enter the old mosque in the citadel, from an apprehension of being refused ; but while the rest of the party were otherwise engaged, I walked up to the door, where I found two soldiers, a negro on the one side, and an Arab on the other, both looking good-tempered ; I, therefore — the interpreter being absent — inquired by signs whether I might go in, and they replied, in the same language, and with smiles, that I might. So I stepped over the threshold, and found myself in a spacious Mohammedan place of worship. It was a hypajthral building, consisting of a neatly paved area, and a series of arcades, resembling the colonnades of a monastery, which extended all round. The minaret, which towers far above every other part of the citadel, is remarkable for the chasteness of its design, which is exceed- ingly light and elegant, the turret, galleries, and fairy cupola harmonising finely together. On either side of the door-way was an antique column. The one on the left hand was surmounted by a curious capital, which could be referred to no order of architecture ; but that on the right belonged to the Corinthian order, and the foliage is most rich and delicately executed. On leaving the citadel we descended by the road which had been the scene of the slaughter of the Memlooks. On our right and left were the lofty walls and buildings from the summit of which the Albanians had fired on their victims. The road, as I have already observed, is cut in the rock, and commencing at the summit of the hill goes down its steep slope, winding now to the right, now to the left, in obedience to the accidents of the ground, and narrowed exceedingly in parts by projecting angles of the rock. At the bottom, a strong gate opens upon the place Roumeileh. On the morning of the massacre, March 1st, 1811, all the Memlook Beys in Northern Egypt repaired, at the invitation of the Pasha, to the citadel. Shahin Bey appeared at the head of his house. He came with the other chiefs to pay his respects to the Pasha, who awaited them in the great reception hall. He caused coflPee to be handed round, and en- tered into conversation with them. The whole having assembled, the signal for departure was given ; each took the place assigned to him by the master of the ceremonies. A corps of Dehlis, commanded by Uzoun-Ali, took the lead ; then came the Wali, the Aga of the Janisaries, and the Chief of the Commissariat, the Ojaklis, the Yoldashes ; next was Saleh-Kosh with his Albanians ; and following him were the Memlooks, led by Soli- man Bey, El-Bawab ; the infantry, the cavalry, and the officers of the government. The head of the column was ordered to descend along the steep road above described, towards the gate El-Azab, opening upon the place Roumeileh. But no sooner were the Dehlis and Aghas fairly out of the defile tlian Saleh Kosh gave orders to shut the gate, and communicated to his followers the Viceroy's command, to exterminate all the Memlooks. MASSACRE OF THE MEMLOOKS. 121 The Albanians immediately turned round, and climbing to the top of the rocks on either side of the road, to be out of reach of their adversaries, and to take a surer aim, fired upon them. Having heard the report of the guns, the hindermost troops began in turn to fire from the summit of the rocks which afforded them protection. Tiie Memlooks, who had reached the first gate, tried to take another route to return to the citadel, but not being able to manage their steeds, on account of the difficult position in which they found themselves engaged, and seeing many of their companions already killed or wounded, they alighted, abandoned their horses, and took off their upper garments. In this desperate situation they retraced their steps sword in hand ; but no one would oppose them face to face ; they were shot down from the houses. Shahin Bey fell before the gate of Saladin's palace. Solyman Bey El- Bawab ran half-naked to implore in his fear the protection of the harem, which among the Memlooks was looked upon as a sanctuary ; but in vain ; lie was dragged to the palace, where the Viceroy gave orders to cut off his head. Others went to implore the mercy of Toussoun-Pasha, who took no part in the transaction. Those who were not killed by the fire, were dragged from their horses and stripped naked ; Avith a handkerchief bound round their heads, and another round their waists, they were led before the Pasha and his sons, and by them ordered to immediate execution. Even there the suffering Avas aggravated, and, instead of being instantly beheaded, many were not at first wounded mortally ; they were shot in different parts of their bodies with pistols, or stuck witli daggers ; many struggled to break loose from those who held them ; some succeeded, and were killed in corners of the citadel, or on the top of the Pasha^s harem. Others, quite boys of twelve or fourteen years, cried eagerly for mercy, protesting, with very obvious truth, that they were innocent of any conspiracy, and offering themselves as slaves to the Pasha : all these, and, in short, every one, however young and incapable of guilt, or however old and tried in his fidelity, the most elevated and the most obscure, were hurried before the Pasha, who sternly refused them mercy, one by one, impatient until he was assured the destruction was complete.* Orders were now sent round to the troops to seize upon all Memlooks wherever they might be found, and no sooner were they taken than they were led before the Kiaya-Bey, who gave instant orders for their decapitation. Many individuals who were not included among the obnoxious party, perished in spite of tlieir innocence, so eager did the soldiers become in the work of carnage. The corpse of Shahin-Bey was dragged by a rope round its neck here and there through the city. The citadel was one vast bloody arena : the mutilated bodies of the dead encumbered the passages ; on all sides were seen richly-caparisoned horses stretched by the side of their masters ; Sa'is or foot-attendants, pierced with balls ; broken weapons and garments stained with blood : all the booty was given up to the soldiery. In the morning were counted four hundred and seventy mounted Memlooks; not one of them escaped from the massacre. * Walpole, Meiuoivs on Europvan and Asiatic Turkey. 122 EGYPT AND NUBIA. None of tbo Frencli Memlooks were included in the proscription. Those ■who happened to be in the citadel in the service of the governor, were warned by the Kiaya-Bey, who shut them up in a chamber adjoining his own, to protect them from all injury. Mourad-Bey, of the house of Elfy, had for a long time employed them about his person ; by a lucky accident they did not ride out that day. Amin-Bey did not share the sad fate of his colleagues. He had delayed taking part in the ceremony ; for being detained in his house by some pressing business, he did not arrive near the citadel until the Dehlis had commenced defiling from the gate El-Azab. The issuing forth of this troop prevented him from entering; he waited for it to pass ; but seeing the gate close after them, and hearing almost at the same time the firing, he put spurs to his horse and escaped with his suite to Basatin, whence he repaired to Syria, under the protection of an Arab Sheikh, of the province of Sharkieh. Scarcely had the procession put itself in motion, when the Pasha became uneasy ; his movements betrayed his feelings. When he heard the first discharge of musketry, his agitation redoubled ; he turned pale ; fear- ing lest, through his orders not being punctually obeyed, a combat should be begun, which might compromise the safety of his family, and even his own life. The sight of the prisoners and the heads that were brought in relieved him from his fear, but did not restore serenity to his counte- nance, or appease the anguish of his mind. Soon afterwards the Genoese Mendrici, one of his physicians, entered the apartment where he was, and drawing near to him said gaily — " The affair is over ; this must be a day of rejoicing to your highness." The prince answered nothing, but his silence was expressive ; he then asked for something to drink. Meanwhile the passage of the procession was anxiously awaited in the city; all the inhabitants assembled in the streets had come out to take part in the solemnity. The crowd blocked up the entrance to the shops. After long waiting, the Dehlis, with the Aghas and their suite, appeared. A sullen silence, precursor of the sinister events which were soon to be known, succeeded the passage of this troop. An instant after, a number of terrified Sais passed, running at intervals, without uttering a single word. This sudden flight had given rise to a thousand conjectures, when a confused noise was heard, and a voice exclaimed — " Shahin-Bey is killed ! " Upon this the shops were instantly shut, and every one hastened to retire to his own house. The streets were soon deserted. Notliing was to be seen but bands of soldiers, rushing pell-mell into the houses of the pro- scribed to sack and plunder them. These ruthless men committed all kinds of atrocities ; the women were insulted, their clothes torn from their backs ; and a soldier even, in his eagerness to gain possession of a bracelet which was on a lady's wrist, actually cut off her hand. The Turks, who could only marry women of an inferior class, saw^ with displeasure that those of a higher, rank, disdaining their alliance, showed the greatest eagerness to ally themselves with a Momlook family. They had the baseness to revenge themselves on this occasion upon a defenceless sex. The spoils were incalculable. The houses of the Beys were rich ; MASSACRE OF THE MEMLOOKS. 123 many among them were making preparations for marriage ; furniture, costly stuffs, Kashmeers, and jewels, had been bought. Not only were the houses of the proscribed sacked, but those in their neighbourhood underwent the same fate ; on every side were seen traces of pillage. The city resembled a place taken by storm ; no inhabitant appeared in the street ; all waited in their own retreat the fate decreed him by destiny. The following day the soldiers indulged in the same excesses ; murder and pillage continued. At length 3Iohammed Ali thought it his duty to« descend from the citadel ; he was followed by numbers of armed men, on foot, in state costume. He traversed various quarters. At each post he severely reprimanded the chiefs for having permitted such crimes ; but these, far from having attempted to restrain their men, had been the first to set the example of pillage. Near Bab-El-Zoweyleh, the governor encountered a Moggrebin, who complained of the pillage of his house, asserting that he w-as neither soldier nor Memlook ; the prince stopped, inquired into the matter, and sent to the man's house some of his guards, who arrested a Turk and a fellah, whose heads were ordered to be cut off. In advancing towards the quarter of Kakkir, some one came to tell him the Sheikhs had assembled in order to come and compliment him. The Pasha replied, that he would go in person to receive their felicitations. He repaired to the house of Sheikh-El-Sherkawy, and having passed an hour with him, returned to the citadel. Next day Toussoun-Pasha traversed the streets, followed by a numerous guard, causing all those whom he found engaged in pillage to be decapi- tated. It was necessary to take the severest measures, for the city w-ould have been otherwise completely ravaged. Nevertheless, the search after the Memlooks was continued, and even the most aged and those who had never quitted Cairo were put to death. The Kiaya-Bey was their most inveterate enemy ; no one obtained mercy in his sight. Many, however, in spite of his diligence, escaped by hiding with the Dehlis and taking their costume ; and others, disguised as women, repaired to Upper Egypt. The Viceroy had communicated his secret to Hassan-Pasha, to Saleh- Kosh, to the Kiaya-Bey, and to Soliman-Agha, his selikdar. He had caused his Deewan-Effendi to write to the governors of provinces orders to arrest and put to death all the Memlooks who were scattered among the villages. Provided with the authority of their master, the Kashefs put to death without distinction all those whom they wished to get rid of ; their heads were sent to Cairo, where they were exposed in public. The sight of this bloody spectacle re-awakened feelings which had begun to be deadened; and vengeance dictated new death-warrants. Omar-Bey-Elfy was seized in the Fayoom, whither he had escaped ; and his head and fifteen others were exhibited on the same day. Those of the principal Beys were skinned, and sent to Constantinople. The corpses were thrown pell-mell into holes dug in the citadel. There perished on this occasion more than a thousand persons. The relations of the Memlooks, overwhelmed by their own misfortunes, could not demand the dead that they might give them sepulture. The mother of Marzouk-Bey obtained, however, the body of her son, which was 124 EGYPT AND XUBIA. recognised after three days' search ; he was the only one buried in the tomb of his family. The Pasha granted safeguards to the women of the Mem- looks, and allowed his favourites to take some of them as wives. In many cases, however, a still worse fate awaited them. Stripped of nearly all their clothes, deprived of every refuge, they were long left wan- dering without a protector, without a home, and even without bread. After this tragic event, a Kashef, sent by the Beys of Upper Egypt, came ' to inform the Pasha that they were at Beyra, that they entreated for mercy, and a place whither they might retire and live in peace. The governor made him wait for an answer, and secretly sent Mustapha-Bey, his brother-in- law, to Upper Egypt, with the command of all the troops, and orders to make war on the Memlooks. The messenger of the Beys followed him with this intelligence, which he carried to the camp at Beyra. The order of the Viceroy was punctually obeyed in the Sai'd. Sixty-four Memlooks taken in the province were brought to Old Cairo ; they were put to death at night, by torch-light ; their heads were exposed at Bab-El- Zoweyleh, and their bodies thrown into the Nile.* It may not be uninteresting to follow a few steps further the fortunes of the Memlooks. About eleven hundred of them, under the command of Ibrahim Bey, escaped the ferocious persecution of Mohammed Ali, and cut their way into Nubia, closely pursued by a Turkish army under Ibrahim Pasha. Being encumbered with baggage and women, they could not march with their usual rapidity, and the Turks at length came xip with them about night-fall. Feeling sure of his victims, Ibrahim Pasha would not attack them in the dark, but pushing forward a small body in advance of their position, held them as it were in a trap. The jNIemlooks, far inferior in numbers, assembled anxiously to deliberate. On one side they were hemmed in by their enemies ; on the other lay the broad Nile. Towards the dead of night, when the Turkish camp was buried in profound sleep, the Memlooks mounted their horses, and placing their wives and the most valuable of their effects before them, plunged into the stream, and succeeded, without the loss of a man, in traversing it. According to some, the Nile at that very place is fordable ; others say that their horses swam the stream. Be this as it may, it is impossible to describe the rage of the Turks next morning on discovering that their prey had escaped them. Escaped, however, they had, and that so completely, that the most eager pursuit proved wholly unavailing. The Memlooks succeeded in reaching Dongola, where, after destroying the petty chiefs of the country, they armed five or six thousand blacks. One of their Beys was acquainted with the art of casting cannon, and among them were many English and French deserters, t * Mengin, Histoire de I'Egypte. f Captain Light. 125 CHAPTElt X. Thf. Sphinx — Thf. Pyramids. The traveller's sojourn at Cairo is usually diversified by a number of excursions each, to borrow a phrase from the Arabian Nights, more interesting than the other. We enjoyed exceedingly our visit to the Citadel, with its numerous historical associations and actual display of magnificence ; we felt that we were traversing a Scriptural landscape as our feet wandered towards Heliopolis and tlie Fountain of the Sun. One of the events recorded in Exodus appeared to be enacting before us, when through a gap in the Arabian chain we diverged away from the cultivated country into the Valley of the Wanderings. Similar were our sensations when traversing the skirts of the Libyan Desert ; we made our way towards the Fayoom, with its orange plantations, rose gardens, and the ruins 0*^ that wonderful labyrinth and still more wonderful lake, which, surviving its twin-marvel, still bares its broad bosom to the sun, in the midst, as it were, of the Great Sahara. But none of these enjoyments was perhaps so replete with pleasure as our visit to the great pyramids of Ghizeh. To most persons those structures have now been rendered familiar by description. Thousands of travellers have beheld them, hundreds have delineated their forms, and repeated their dimensions. But this considera- tion does not in the slightest degree diminish the delight with which the European who arrives for the first time at Cairo imdertakes his little expedition across the Nile. On the morning fixed for our first visit to the Pyramids, we rose several hours before day, and, having breakfasted, mounted our donkeys, and set out in the dark. Our Janissary, likewise riding on an ass, preceded us through the streets, and an Arab with a lantern ran before to liwht us along. It had rained hard during the night, and the ground was so slippery that two or three of our party fell down with their beasts before we had proceeded the length of a single street. The Muezzins from the minarets of the various mosques were sum- moning the people to their devotions — •■' Arise, ye faithful, and pray ! Prayer is better than sleep ! " And these sounds descending through the air at that calm and still hour, before dawn had lighted up the earth, before any other indication of life was abroad, had a thrilling, solemn eflect, nearly allied to piety. The streets of Cairo, traversed at such a time, present a ciirious appearance. No lamps, no movement, no sign of inhabitants but the Berber porters and gate-keepers slumbering in their cloaks on the bare earth. After traversing a large portion of the city, followed by troops of savage dogs, we emerged into the country, where we found, even thus early, the labourers of Ibrahim Pasha employed in levelling and carrying away the mounds of rubbish which used to encumber the environs of Cairo. In approaching Masr-el- Atikeh, we saw on our left the Great Aqueduct, which 126 EGYPT AND NUBIA. conveys the water of the Nile to the citadel. Apropos of this aqueduct, a very absurd story is told. The architect, they say, in constructing the Aqueduct of the Nile to Cairo. steep winding passage which leads to the summit, forgot half his design, and made it too narrow to admit the oxen that were to work the water- wheels ; in consequence of which a number of calves were carried up, and kept there until they acquired the necessary size. But how the wheels were turned while the calves were growing, the story sayeth not. Another story, which may be better founded, is, that the King of England a few years ago presented the Pasha with a complete hydraulic apparatus, for raising the water of the Nile into this aqueduct, which was utterly spoiled by the engineer employed in setting it up. EXCURSION TO THE PYRAMIDS. 127 Having passed through a portion of 3Iasr-cl-Atikeh, or Old Cairo, we arrived about sunrise at the ferry, and embarked upon the Nile. The prospect, as we moved across, was truly magnificent. The long lines of white buildings on the eastern bank ; the tower of the Nilometer ; the groves and gardens on the Island of Rhoudah ; the village of Ghizeli, flanked by palm-woods ; glimpses of the Libyan Desert between the trees ; the lofty summits of the Pyramids ; the broad bosom of the river enlivened by numerous sails ; the partially clouded sky illumined by the first rays of the sun, — all these elements harmonising beautifully together, formed a panorama of incomparable interest. But the air was exceedingly keen and cold, so that our thoughts were often diverted from the landscape to the means of protecting ourselves from the wind. At a short distance to the south of the point where we crossed, the patriarch Joseph, according to a tradition of the Moslems, was buried in the Nile. They laid his body, it is said, in a stone colfin, closed it with lead, and covered it with a varnish which keeps out air and water, and then threw it into the river opposite the town of Memphis, where in the fourth century of the Hegira stood the Mosque of Yusuf. Arriving at Ghizeh, on the western bank, we re- mounted, and pushed on hastily towards Sakkiet Mekkah. Tlie plain we now traversed being intersected in various directions by canals, and partly covered by broad sheets of water, the remains of the inundation, between which in many places lay the road, over slippery causeways or banks of earth, barely wide enough to admit of one person's riding along them at a time. Large flights of ibises, as white as snow, continually kept hovering about us or alighted on the lakes, while several other kinds of water-fowl, of brilliant plumage, were scattered here and there in flocks. A threat portion of the plain was covered with forests of date-palms, of magnificent growth, planted in regular lines ; and springing up from a level carpet of grass or young corn of the brightest green. Interspersed among these woods and numerous smaller groves of tamarisks and acacias, were the villages, mosques, and Sheikhs' tombs ; not un])leasing objects when beheld by a cheerful eye. Here and there were fields of ripe dhourra sefi, a species of Indian corn, of prodigious powers of increase, which grows to a great height, and forms a principal ingredient in the food of the Arabs. Hamilton reckoned on one ear of this corn three thousand grains ; and a lady who frequently made the experiment in the Thebaid, constantly found between eighteen hundred and two thousand. As, owinc/ to the quantity of water which still remained from the inun- dation, the pathway turned in various directions, and proceeded in a very circuitous manner, we often seemed to be moving towards the East, and cauoht a view of the Mokattam mountains : frequently the pyramids of Sakkarah, Abousir, and Dashour became visible in the distance towards the south ; but though they are many in number, I could discover no more than seven. The appearance of the country continued exceedingly fine ; and the rocks and gray sand-hills of the Desert, which bounded our view towards tlie west, seemed only to enhance by contrast the splendour of the intervening landscape. It would appear to be mere prejudice to suppose that a fine level country like Egypt contemplated through an atmosphere 128 EGYPT AND NUBIA. of extraordinary purity, with a surface diversified by all the accidents of wood and water, rustic architecture, flocks and herds, and hemmed in by rocks and sands eternally barren, must necessarily be insipid and un- picturesque. The landscape now before me was beautiful ; and there are artists in England who, from such materials, and without overstepping the modesty of Nature, could create pictures to rival the softest scene among the works of Claude. The date-palm itself is a lovely object, far more lovely than I have ever seen it represented by the pencil ; and when beheld in its native country, relieved against a deep blue sky, or against the yellow sands of the desert, with a herd of buffaloes, a long string of laden camels, or a troop of Bedouins passing under it, lance in hand, it constitutes a per- fect picture. But when we have before us whole forests of these trees, of all sizes, from ten to one hundred feet in height, intermingled with mimosas, acacias, tamarisks, and Egyptian sycamores, more noble, if possible, than the oak, disposed in arched echoing walks, with long green vistas, glimpses of cool shady lakes, villages, mosques, pyramids, the whole over-canopied by a sky of stainless splendour, and glowing beneath the pencil of that arch-painter, the sun, nothing seems to be wanting but genius to discover the elements of the most magnificent landscapes. The pyramids themselves, though towering far above everything around, did not disclose all their vastness, there being no object near by which to judge by comparison of their magnitude. Standing alone in the desert, which they exactly resemble in colour, they appeared to appertain to and form a part of it ; but before we approached them they seemed near, quite at hand, and the intervening space, a field or two, over which we should pass in a few minutes. We rode on for another hour ; and though they certainly seemed to have increased in dimensions, there was no very striking difference in their aspect : yet we could see that we had still some space to traverse. Another hour : the pyramids had insensibly increased In bulk ; the sun occasionally shone upon them, and gilded their peaks, and the shadows of the clouds as they passed along travelled over them as over the face of a mountain. At length we crossed the Bahr Yusuf, emerged from the cultivated country and entered upon the desert, where our animals sank deep, at every step, into the sand, stretching away la mound and valley Interminably towards the left ; while flocks of plovers, quails, Ibises, &c., rested upon the fields on the right, or skimmed along the atmosphere, tempting our sportsmen. A considerable space of sand, interspersed vi'ith small patches of a kind of prickly plant, eaten by the camel, still remained to be crossed. We now saw a number of Bedouins hastening towards us, to offer their services as guides ; the greater number were tall, muscular, clean-limbed, young men, in many cases handsome ; and they all appeared lively and good humoured. There were far too many of them : but though they were so Informed, and positively assured that they could not be all employed, not one of the number would relin- quish the hope of earning a piastre, and the whole party, laughing and chattering, ran bounding along over the heavy sand, with as light and springy a step as If it had been a smooth gravel walk. At length we entered the hollow valley, at the foot of the Pyramids, THE SPHINX. 129 -IL Sphinx, after Denoa. in wliicli the Sphinx is buried all but the head. Three superb spreading trees, nourished by a hidden fountain, afford an agreeable shade in the centre of this burning hollow ; and there, should I ever revisit the spot, I would pitch my tent during my stay. The features of the Sphinx, whatever their beauty or merit may formerly have been, are now so time- worn and mutilated by violence that they can scarcely be said to represent the human countenance; but from the outline of the face, no man, not under the influence of some vi- sionary system, could ever, I think, conclude with Volney that the physiognomy was that of a negro. Even Denon, who has deli- neated the Sphinx with a negro face, contradicts in his text the authority of his own pencil. Were the whole of this hollow cleared of the sand which now encumbers it, and the land restored to cultivation, as it might be without any very extraordinary expense, the Sphinx, in spite of the injuries of time, might once more be a sublime object ; as it is, the greater part of the interest which it inspires is traceable to the imagination. Nevertheless the physiognomy of this stupendous image has drawn from a recent traveller the following reflections : — " Near the Pyramids, more wondrous and more awful than all else in the land of Egypt, there sits the lonely Sphinx. Comely the creature is, but the comeliness is not of this world ; the once- worshipped beast is a deformity and a monster to this generation : and yet you can see that those lips, so thick and heavy, were fashioned according to some ancient mould of beauty — some mould of beauty now forgotten : forgotten, because that Greece drew forth Cytherea from the flashing foam of the JEgean, and in her image created new forms of beauty, and made it a law among men, that the short and proudly- wreathed lip should stand for the sign and the main condition of loveliness, through all generations to come. Yet still there lives on the race of those who were beautiful in the fashion of the elder world ; and Christian girls of Coptic blood will look on you with the sad serious gaze, and kiss your charitable hand with the pouting lips of the very Sphinx." * It is impossible, however, to form any adequate idea of the grandeur of the Sphinx without having recourse to laborious and expensive excava- tions ; for although the imagination may descend through the sand and pursue the dimensions of the statue, it is necessarily checked by the reflec- tion, that it has no certainty to proceed on, and may be dealing with one * Eothen. 130 EGYPT AND NUBlA, of its own creations while attempting to familiarise itself with a reality. Once, and once only, since the time of the Romans, has this prodigious image been laid bare to its basis. Mr. Salt, while Consul-General of Egypt, and Captain Caviglia, achieved this undertaking ; and the account given by the former of their operations is so interesting, that I am tempted to abridge it here : — This monument, so imposing in its aspect, even in the mutilated state to which it has been reduced, has always excited the admiration of those The Sphinx laid bare who possessed sufficient knowledge of art to appreciate its merits at a first glance ; for though, to an untutored eye, there remains so little of the features as scarcely to give more than a general idea of the human head, yet, by repeated and accurate observation, the several parts may be suffi- ciently traced to afford a tolerably complete idea of its original perfection. The 'contemplative turn of the eye, the mild expression of the mouth, and the beautiful disposition of the drapery at the angle of the forehead, sufficiently attest the admirable skill of the artist by whom it was executed. It is true that no great attention has been paid to those proportions which we are accustomed to admire, nor does the pleasing impression which it OPERATIONS OF CAI^TAIN CAVIGLIA. 131 produces result from any known rule adopted in its execution, but it may rather be attributed to the unstudied simplicity of the conception, to the breadth yet high finish of the several parts, and to the stupendous magni- tude of the whole. Such ai'c the sentiments which a repeated view of this extraordinary Avork has inspired. At first, I confess, that, like many otlier travellers, I felt that the praises lavished u])on it by Nordcn, Denon, and by others, were exaggerated ; but the more I studied it at different liours of the day, and under different effects of light and of shade, the more I became con- vinced of their having barely done justice to its merits : it must indeed be allowed, that the drawings by both these gentlemen but faintly accord with their encomiums ; but, after having repeated the same task myself with little success, I must admit, that the difficulties which attend the under- taking are sufficient to baffle the efforts of any one not professionally dedicated to the arts. Before I proceed, I must premise, that the general impression made upon me by this monument, has been produced by a deliberate contemplation of it, when laid open to its base, with the fragments of a beard resting beneath the chin, with its paws stretched fifty feet in advance, and with the temple, the granite tablet, and the altar, represented in the accompanying sketches, spread out on a regular platform in its front. These interesting objects, which no one for ages had had an opportunity of seeing, have undoubtedly tended to exalt it in my estimation ; and, in order that I may endeavour to convey something of the same feelings to others, I shall proceed to a de- tailed account of what was discovered by Captain Caviglia; which, together with the several sketches taken on tlie spot during the progress of his operations, may remain as a record of his labours, when the objects them- selves are destroyed, or again entombed in the moving sands. From various reports I learned that the French had made a considerable excavation in front of the Sphinx, and that they had just discovered a door when compelled to suspend operations. This account was repeatedly con- firmed by the Arabs, several of whom declared that they had been present at the discovery ; and said, that the door led into the body of the Sphinx ; while others affirmed that it conducted up to the second pyramid. Though little stress could be laid on such statements, they still rendered Captain Caviglia very unwilling to give up his researches, without at least doiuf all in his power to ascertain the fact. To tliis end he first began to open a deep trench on the left, or northern side, opposite the shoulder of the statue; and, though the sand was so loose, that the wind drove back frequently during the night more than half of what had been removed in the day, yet he managed by the aid of planks, arranged so as to support the sides, to dig down in a few days to the base. The trench, however, being no more than twenty feet across at the top, and not above three feet wide at the bottom, the workmen were evidently placed in a dangerous situation ; for if any large body of sand had fallen in, it must have smothered those who were employed below. It was, therefore, found necessary to abandon this part of the attempt. By what had been done, however, the height of the statue from the top of the 132 EGYPT AND NUBIA. head to the base was ascertained, and it was also found that the external surface of the body was composed of stones of various sizes, put together with much care. The form of the masonry was not very regular, but it consisted of three successive ledges, sufl&ciently broad for a man to stand upon, and intended, probably, to represent the folds of a mantle or dress. It seemed to have been added by the Romans. The result of the first operation not proving satisfactory, Captain Caviglia began a large excavation towards the front, in which he employed, from the beginning of March to the end of June, from sixty to a hundred labourers. Many interesting discoveries were now made. Among other fragments that were found, were portions of the beard of the Sphinx, and the head of a serpent. Most of these lay in a small temple, ten feet long and five feet broad, which was immediately below the chin of the statue, and which contained, according to Pliny, the body of Amasis, the first king of the eighteenth dynasty. Between the front walls of this temple, a small lion of good workmanship was found, with the head towards the image ; and, as small statues of the bull JMahdes are similarly placed in Indian temples, I conceive that this statue was in its original position. Fragments of other lions, rudely carved, and the head and shoulders of a Sphinx, were likewise discovered. All these remains, together with certain tablets found in the small temple, the walls, and the platform, had been ornamented with red paint ; which colour, according to Pausauias, was appropriated in Egypt, as in India, to sacred purposes. A large part of the left paw was uncovered, and the platform of masonry was found to extend beyond it. In the course of a fortnight Captain Caviglia had removed the sand from the paw, and from the outer walls of the temple, in front of which was an altar formed of granite. It is now in the British Museum, and has had at the angles projecting stones, which may be supposed to have been called the horns of the altar. This fragment still retains the marks of fire — the effects, probably, of burnt ofi"erings. Captain Caviglia succeeded in laying open the base of the Sphinx, and in clearino- away the sand in front of it, to the extent of more than a hundred feet. Many short Greek inscriptions were indistinctly cut on the paws of the statue. They prove that the image was held in high venera- tion ; confirm the expression of Pliny, " quasi silvestre nemus accolen- tium ;" and contain various phrases, which elucidate many doubtful points in the sculptures of the adjacent tombs. It is scarcely possible for any person, unused to occupations of this kind, to form an idea of the difficulties which Captain Caviglia had to surmount when working at the depth of the base ; for, in spite of all his precautions, the slightest breath of wind or concussion set the surrounding particles of sand in motion, so that the sloping sides crumbled away, and mass after mass tumbled in, till the whole moving surface bore no unapt resemblance to a cascade of water. Even when the sides appeared most firm, if the labourers suspended their work only for an hour, they found that the greater part of their labour had to be renewed. This was particularly the case on the southern side of tlie right paw, where the people were employed for seven days without making any sensible advance, because the sand rolled DISCOVERIES IN FRONT OF THE SPHINX. 133 down in one continued and regular torrent as fast as it was removed. He therefore only examined the end of the paw.^ when an imperfect descrip- tion was discovered on tlic second dio;it, and a few dedicatory phrases, addressed to llarjiocrates, Ares, and Ilerines. At the distance of about two feet to the southward of the right paw, the platform abruptly termi- nated. It was therefore supposed that the Sphinx was placed upon a pedestal ; but, by extending the operations in front of the statue, the plat- form was found to be continued, and the steps were discovered. They were bounded on each side by walls formed of unburnt brick, like those which enclosed the ancient cities and temples of Egypt. The inner sides of the walls, nearest the steps, were lined with stone, and coated with plaster; the stonework, however, appeared comparatively modern, for upon several of the blocks were the remains of Greek inscriptions, which alluded to other buildings. Another of the inscriptions recorded repairs, which were performed by the orders of Antoninus, and of Yerus. The walls appeared to branch off towards the north, and also towards the south, and to form a large enclosure around the Sphinx ; but their direction Avas not ascertained. The steps, about a foot in breadth and eight inches in height, were thirty in number. They ended abruptly on the northern side, so as to leave a passage between them and the wall. This passage was not examined. On a stone platform, at the top of the steps, was a small building, which, from its construction, and from various inscriptions found near it, seemed to have been a station whence the emperors, and other persons of distinction who visited the Pyramids, could witness the reli- gious ceremonies performed at the altar below. An inscription on the front of it was much worn. The platform above the steps was of narrower dimensions, and the al)utments had a theatrical appearance. In a few days another flight of thirteen steps was discovered, and another small building, which appeared by the inscription to have been erected under the Emperor Septimius Severus ; and the name of Geta is erased from the inscription, in the same manner as it has been taken from the inscription upon the triumphal arch at Rome. At this place, another inscription on a stele, erected in the reigns of Mai-cus Antoninus and of Lucius Verus, was found ; it was sent to the British JMuseum, and recorded that the walls vv^ere restored on the 15th of Paclion, (10th of May,) in the sixth year of the reign of the Emperors Antoninus and Verus. From these facts, and many others to which we might refer, it appears that the Romans were at considerable pains to preserve the sacred monuments of the countries they conquered. In this they set us an example which we should do well to follow. The Taj Mahal, indeed, and one or two other great monuments, are preserved at the public expense in India ; but others, equally interesting, are suffered to go to decay, and to have the operations of time accelerated by ignorance and barbarism. At the top of the second flight of steps a platform is carried on with a gradual ascent, to the length of 135 feet, bounded by a wall on the southern side till it arrives nearly at the level of the ground, when the rock rapidly descends towards the Nile, whether or not in the form of 134 EGYPT AND NUBIA. steps was not discovered. It is difficult to convey, even by drawings, a distinct idea of this approach to the Sphinx. It was impossible, however, to conceive anything more im- posing than the general effect ; or better calculated to set off to advantage the grandeur of tlie enormous monument, particularly in the evening, when the suu was setting behind it. The spectator advanced on a level with the breast, and thereby witnessed the full effect of that admirable ex- pression of countenance, which characterises tlie features, whilst, as he descended the successive flights of stairs, the stupendous image rose before him, wliiist his view was confined, by the walls on either side, to the interesting object, for the contemplation of which, even when he had reached the bottom of the steps, a suffi- cient space was allowed for him to comprehend the whole at a single glance. Such was the result of Captain Caviglla's exertions in June, when, in consequence of exposing himself too much to the sun, he was unfortunately seized by an attack of ophthalmia, that compelled him to suspend his operations, and shortly afterwards to return to take charge of his ship at Alexandria. It is, perhaps, a circumstance unexampled in Mohammedan countries, that these operations should have been carried on by a single individual, attended occasionally only by one soldier, without the slightest molestation having been offered, or unpleasant circumstance having occurred, notwithstanding that numerous parties of idle soldiers went every day to inspect the excavation, and that thousands of Arabs, during part of the time, were encamped in the neighbourhood ; the circumstance unques- tionably does honour to the government of Mohammed AH, who, on this occasion, as well as on many others, has shown a remarkable liberality in facilitating the researches carried on by Europeans in any way connected witli science. The whole expense of these operations amounted to about 18,000 piastres (^450) ; "and I have to add," says Col. Vyse, "that Captain Caviglia, to whom by our engagement was left the disposal of everything that might be discovered, very handsomely requested me to forward the whole, of what I might think interesting, to the British Museum, as a testimony of his attachment to our country, imder the flag of which he had for some years sailed."* Entrance to Sepulchral Chamber near Sphinx. * Col. Howard Vyse. SENTIMENTS INSPIRED BY THE PYRAMIDS. 135 Tlic rocky eminence upon which Cheops and his successors erected their vast pyramidal temj)les to Venus, rises about one hundred feet above the Panoramic View of the Plain of Gizeh level of the Egyptian plain, and has now^ been covered, by the action of the west wind, with sandy mounds, various in form and height, which cause it to exhibit a ruggeduess of aspect altogether congruous with our ideas of the Libyan waste. When we had gained the summit of this height, and cleared the hillocks which at first obstructed oiu* view, all the sublimity of the Pyramids burst at once upon us. The tallest among our companions, standing at their feet, were scarcely so high as a single layer of stones ; and when I drew near and beheld the mighty basis, the vast breadth, the pro- digious solidity, tlie steep acclivity of the sides, misleading the eye, which appears to discover the summit among the clouds, whilst the kite and tlie eagle, wheeling round and round, far, far aloft, were yet not so high as the apex, I secretly acknowledged the justice of tlie popular opinion which enumerates those majestic structures among the wonders of the world. Here, then, after many disappointments and hopes frequently deferred, I at lengtii stood, realising, by the indulgence of Providence, one of the long cherished schemes of my youtli. Nor did the pleasure fall short a jot of the measure of delight promised at a distance by hope. Genius of the first order had reared these Titanian temples, and so thoroughly did it succeed in embodying its vast conceptions, that men the most illiterate, and of the grossest apprehension, contem])lating these mysterious fanes, have their minds penetrated and warmed into admiration by a spark of enthusiasm, an involuntary consciousness of the sublime. Less than these it was impos- sible I should feel. Pythagoras, Plato, Herodotus, Germanicus had gone of old on the same pilgrimage, and though I may never share their renown, not one of them all could have experienced more pleasurable emotions, or sympathised more earnestly witii the unknown architect in tlie glorious triumph of his intellect. I'.Ien, ambitious of the reputation of philosophers, have declaimed in all ages about the inutility of tlie Pyramids. But can anything be called useless by which the mind is elevated and aggrandised ? which rouses and fires the imagination with ideas of diuturnity and grandeur and power? What are we, divested of the pleasures furnished b\' the imagination ? Why has Art in all ages mimicked tlie creative energy of Nature ? Is it not that we may I'emove from ourselves that sense of insignificance which is inspired by the feebleness of our physical power, by 136 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tlie exertion of another power, in which it would appear from many of the works of men that we are not deficient ! However this may he, I thanked Cheops, Cephrenes, and Mycerinus for creating a marvel in the regions of art, and thus, whatever may he pretended to the contrary, adding to the sum of permanent enjoyment. If in the execution of tlieir designs they oppressed their subjects, the fact is to be lamented ; but too many modern princes, with equal recklessness of what they inflict upon the people, wantonly engage in wars which still more lavishly and uselessly exhaust their treasures, without producing anything for the instruction or gratifica- tion of posterity. Proceeding with our guides to the entrance, which is the common point of departure, whether we mount to the top or descend into the interior, we selected two Arabs, to aid us in running along the narrow ledges, and pass- ing over the dangerous projections and angles, and forthwith began to ascend. At first it must be owned " the way seemed difficult and steep to climb," but as we proceeded and rose from one of the Bomidai (as the steps are aptly termed by Herodotus) to another, you gradually become familiar with your position and leai'n to be bold. Our track lay along the north-eastern angle, where time and the irresistible storms which sweep across the desert have tumbled down many of the stones; and thus made, at various heights, resting-places for the traveller. And indeed such rest- ing-places are exceedingly necessary ; for the exertion and labour of the ascent, with the impatience which animates most persons on such occasions, soon put you out of breath, and make you glad to sit down from time to time^ to contemplate what you have already achieved. Looking upward along the face of the Pyramid the steps, like those of the visionary ladder of Padan- aram, seem to ascend to the clouds ; and if you turn your eyes below, the height looks dizzy, prodigious, fearful, and the people at the bottom appear to be shrunk to dwarfs. The prospect of the country enlarges at every step ; the breadth of the Pyramid sensibly diminishes ; and at length after considerable toil you find yourself on the small table land which Vandalism, or the premature death of the original builder, has left upon the top of the Great Pyramid. A number of large blocks of an unfinished layer occupy a portion of the square area, and serve the travelltT (or at least served me) as a desk to write on. They are covered with the names of innumerable visitors of all nations cut deep in the stone ; but I saw none to which any great celebrity is attached. It was now about mid-day, and the sun, entirely free from clouds, smote upon tlie Pyramid with great vehemence ; so that, what with the warmth produced by the labour of the ascent and the ardour of its rays, we expe- rienced a heat resembling that of an oven. The air was clear, and our view unimpeded on all sides. To the south, scattered in irregular groups, were the Pyramids of Sakkarah, Abousir, and Dashour, glittering in the sun, like enormous tents ; and appearing from their numbei", and the confusion of their arrangement, to extend to an unknown distance into the desert. On the west was the wilderness of Libya, stretching away to the edge of the horizon; arid, undulating, boundless, apparently destitute of the very principle of vegetation, an eternal prey to the sand-storm and the whirl- VIEW FROM THE SUMMIT OF THE PYRAMIDS. 137 wind. A flock of gazelles, or a troop of Bedouins scouring across the plain, would have relieved its monotony; but neither the one nor the other appeared. In the foreground the sand of various colours, yellow, dusky brown, and gray, swelled into hillocks which looked like the nuclei of new pyramids. To the north and the east the landscape presented a perfect contrast to this savage scenery : night and day are not more different; and if the contests of Typhon and Osiris represented symbolically the struggles between the desert and the river — the one to nourisli, the other to destroy — the gods were still there, drawn up in battle array against each other ; though the evil demon, alas ! had evidently long prevailed, and was daily curtailing the empire of his adversary. All, however, that remains of the valley of the Nile is luxuriantly covered with verdure and beauty; corn- fields, green meadows, woods of various growth and foliage, scattered villages, a thousand shining sheets of water, and, above all, the broad glittering stream of the Nile s])reading fertility on all sides like a god. Beyond this were the white buildings of Cairo, Babylon, and Rhodah, backed by the long lofty range of the Gebel Mokattam, reflecting the bright warm rays of the mid-day sun. We remained for some time on the summit of the Pyramid, as if loth to quit the spot, admiring with unwearied delight the extraordinary features of the landscape beneath, but it at length became necessary to descend. AVhen I approached the edge of the platform, and looked down the steep rugged side of the Pyramid (a slope of nearly eight hundred feet), I no longer won- dered at the accident which caused the death of poor Maze, v/ho, as some persons in Egypt suppose, threw himself purposely down, from the same motive which impelled Eratostratos to destroy the Temple of Diana at Ephesos. But the accident may very well be accounted for witliout this supposition ; in fact, the wonder is, that such things should not frequently happen. Hasselquist, we know, failed twice in his attempt to reach the top ; the first time because he feared that the high wind then blowing would have hurled him down ; the second, because the steps had been so intensely heated by the sun that they burned his feet through his boots. We descended rapidly. I had an Arab on either hand, who actively assisted me, springing from step to step with the agility of a chamois. It was now that the height looked pernicious, the blocks on Avhicli we stood vast, and the labour that had ])iled them upon each other marvellous ; but we reached the bottom in perfect safety, in one-twentieth part of the time it had taken us to ascend, It is generally supposed that the whole of this part of the desert is so completely sterile, that no plant of any kind will groAv in it, and its appear- ance certainly suggests so much. But an attentive naturalist may discover even here jiroofs that no part of God's creation is entirely destitute of the princij)le of life. One solitary plant, the gum succori, and more than one species of animal, were found in the sand by Hasselquist ; and j)erhaps if a diligent search were made, other individuals of both kingdoms might present themselves. The small lizard, common in the Levant, where it may be beheld gliding like a little shadow along tlie faces of houses, garden- walls, or ruins, nestles in the burning hollows at the foot of the Pyramids, N 2 138 EGYPT AND NUBIA, subsisting on heaven knows what. Its neighbour in these solitudes is the lion-ant, which, guided by instinct, erects, on the shifting surface of the Top of the Great Pyramid. waste, structures which, though infinitesimally small, rival the Pyramids themselves in subtle contrivance and ingenuity. They are probably the only republicans in this part of the world, who, setting sultan and pasha at defiance, have erected their well-ordered commonwealth in sight of the immemorial hot-bed of despotism. They may generally be seen travel- ling in o-rcat numbers upon the sand, each holding a morsel of stone or a rotlen bit of wood between his curious jaws, and hastening with it to the dwellings which they have made for themselves in the ground. I saw numbers of this insect's nests. They were tlirown up in tufts in the sand, about the size of the two fists, and slightly depressed at the top. In the middle of this depression was a little hole, no larger than a pipe stem, throuf'h which they w^ent in and out. I attacked them within their entrenchments in hopes of seeing tlie inward construction of their nests, but I was deceived, and only demolished their outworks, from which went a private passage, so artfully conducted, that it was vain to endeavour to come to their innermost dwelling. All the arcliitecture, magnificence, and expense, displayed in the Pyramids, cannot give a contemplater of nature such hifrh ideas, as the art of these little creatures can excite.* Strabo, who visited this spot eighteen hundred years ago, after having described somewhat too concisely the grandeur and mechanism of the Pyramids, speaks of certain curious petrifactions discovered in the mounds scattered here and there around their bases. His relation has given rise to much discussion among the learned. He observed, he says, in the * Ilasselquist. DISCUSSION ON PETRIFIED LENTILS. 139 heaps formed by the cliippings of the stone used in erecting the vast struc- tures near at hand, multitudes of small pebbles, in form and size resembling a lentil. It would have been altogetlier an extraordinary thing had the Egyptians failed to have a legend associated with these petrifactions : they informed him that they were so many relics of the food with which the old pyramid builders had sustained themselves, then, as now, consisting in great part of lentils. By some, however, the pebbles were thought to be like grains of dhoura imperfectly hulled. I say dlioura, fur the idea of Greaves, that barley is meant by Strabo, seems to me extremely erroneous. Strabo was not at all indisposed to accept the marvellous interpretation of the Egyptians, though by what agency lentils could, in such a situation, be turned into stone, it would be diflficult to comprehend. Besides, he had seen in his own country an abundance of pebbles similar in shape and dimensions, and he remarks that everywhere along the sea-shore, and along the banks of rivers, an abundance of such pebbles may be met with. Greaves, because he could discover none of these relics himself, appears more than half inclined to call in question Strabo's veracity; though, on second thoughts, he confesses it to be pi'obable that the sands of the desert may, in process of time, have buried the heaps of stones which the Greek geographer saw. He then, by way of illustration, repeats certain super- stitious stories, curious enough in themselves, and characteristic of Oriental credulity, though not, perhaps, strictly appropriate in the place they occupy : " Were not Strabo a writer of much gravity and judgment, I should sus- pect that these petrified grains (though I know such petrifactions to be no impossibility in nature ; for I have seen, at Venice, the bones and flesh of a man, and the whole head, except the teeth, entirely transmuted into stone ; and at Rome, clear conduit water, by long standing in aqueducts, hath been turned into perfect alabaster) are like those loaves which are reported to be found by the Red Sea, converted into stone, and by the inhabitants supposed to be some of the bread the Israelites left behind them, when they passed over for fear of Pharaoh. They are sold at Grand Caii'o handsomely made up in the manner of the bread of these times, which is enough to discover the imposture. For the Scripture makes them to have been unleavened cakes ; ' They baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt."" Or else Strabo's relation may be like the tradition of the rising of dead men's bones every year in Egypt; a thing superstitiously believed by the Christians, and by the priests, either out of ignorance, or policy, maintained as an argument of the resurrection. Sandys, in his travels, writes that they are seen to rise on Good Fridav. A Frenchman at Grand Cairo, who had been present at the resurrection, sliowed me an arm which he had brought from thence ; the flesh shrivelled up and dried like that of the mummies. He observed the miracle to have been always behind him ; once casually looking back, he discovered some bones carried privately by an Egyptian, under his vest, whereby he under- stood the mystery," Diodorus, describing the environs of the Pyramids, obliterates all trace of the mounds noticed by Strabo. He obsi-rves that no marks of human labour were anywhere discoverable, no fragments of stone, no rubbish, no EGYPT AND NUBIA. !?"rfp^ 'ATfflBOIwr^Wr^ jf i^ Bridie in Southern Djke. nothino- but tlie sandy level of the wilderness, and the towering monuments of Egyptian magnificence, springing out of it as though they had been placed there entire by the hand of some divinity. The Roman naturalist, always ready to be carried away by a -^ ,_^^. _ striking idea, adopts the representation of - Diodorus, in which he has been imita- ted by some modern writers, who, from this circumstance, seem to infer that Strabo's mounds were imaginary. The sligh- test familiarity, how- ever, with the Libyan Desert ought to have suggested a diflferent CDiiolusion. Nothing is there more common than the shifting of sand-heaps, which to-day perhaps, in certain localities, may rise to the elevation of hills, while the whirlwind of to-morrow may carry them away, and leave the stony skeleton of the earth stripped as it were of its integuments. Before we enter the Pyramids, it may not be wholly without interest to consider what the writers of the nation which now possesses the country think of the origin and purpose of those mysterious structures. Many strange theories have obtained currency in Europe upon this subject. They have been tombs, and temples, and I know not what besides. Among the ancient Sabfeans they were regarded as objects of mysterious reverence ; the professcjrs of that religion proceeded from Mesopotamia on pilgrimage to the Pyramids, conceiving, probably, that they had some talismanic connection with the celestial spheres. The imagination of the wildest speculators amongst us has fallen far short of the notions suggested to the Orientals by the sublimity of these buildings. "The greatest part of chronoloorers agree," say they, " that he who built the Pyramids was Saurid Ibn Salhouk, King of Egypt, who lived three hundred years before the flood. The occasion of this was, because he saw in his sleej), that the whole earth was turned over, with the inhabitants of it, the men lying upon their faces, and the stars falling down, and striking one another \\\\\\ a terrible noise ; and being troubled, he concealed it. After this he saw the fixed stars falling to the earth, in the similitude of white fowl ; and they snatched up nu'u, carrying them between the great mountains; and these mountains closed upon them, and the shining stars were made dark. Awaking with great fear, he assembled the chief priests of all the provinces of Egypt, an hundred and thirty priests ; the chief of them was called Aclimum. Relating the whole matter to them, they took the altitude of the stars, and, making their prognostications, foretold of a deluge. The King said, ' AVill it come to our country ? ' They answered, ' Yea, and will ORIENTAL ACCOUNT OF THE TYRAMIDS. 141 destroy it.' And there remained a certain number of years for to come, and be commanded in tbe mean space to build the Pyramids, and a vault to be made, into wbicb tbe river Nilus entering, sbonld rnn into tbe countries of tbe West, and into tbe land Al-Said ; and be filled tbem witb telesmes, and witb strange tilings, and witb ricbes and treasure, and tbe like. He engraved in tbem all tbings tbat were told bim by wise men, as also all profound sciences, tbe names of alakakirs, tbe nses and burts of tbem ; tbe science of astrology, and of aritbmetic, and of geometry, and of pbysic. All tins may be interpreted by bim tbat knows tbe cbaracters and language. After be bad given orders for tbis building, tbey cut out vast columns, and wonderful stones. Tbey fetcbed massive stones from tbe Ethiopians, and made witb these tbe foundation of tbe three Pyramids, fastening them together with lead and iron. Tbey built tbe gates of tbem forty cubits nnder ground, and they made tbe height of the Pyramids an bnndred royal cubits, which are fifty of ours in these times ; he also made each side of them an hundred royal cubits. Tbe beginning of tbis building was in a fortunate horosco])e. After that he had finished it, be covered it with coloured satin from tbe top to tbe bottom ; and be appointed a solemn festival, at which were present all tbe inhabitants of his kingdom. Then be built in tbe western Pyramid thirty treasuries, filled with store of ricbes and utensils, and with signatures made of precious stones, and with instru- ments of iron, and vessels of earth, and witb arms which rust not, and with glass, wbicb might be bended and yet not broken, and witb strange spells, and with several kinds of alakakirs, single and double, and witb deadly poisons, and witb other tbings besides. He made, also, in tbe east Pyramid, divers celestial spheres and stars, and what tbey severally operate, in their aspects, and tbe perfumes which are to be used to tbem, and tbe books which treat of these matters. He also put in tbe coloured Pyramid tbe commentaries of the priests, in chests of black marble, and witb every priest a book in which were the wonders of his profession, and of bis actions, and of bis nature, and what was done in bis time ; and what is, and what shall be, from tbe beginning of time to tbe end of it. He placed in every Pyramid a treasurer ; the treasurer of the westerly Pyramid was a statue of marblestone, standing upright, witb a lance, and, upon bis head, a serpent wreathed. Those tbat came near it, and stood still, tbe serpent bit of one side, and, wreathing round about bis throat, and killing him, returned to his place. He made tbe treasurer of the east P^^ramid an idol of black agate, his eyes open and shining, sitting upon a throne, with a lance ; when any looked upon bim, be beard of one side a voice, which took away bis sense, so tbat be fell prostrate upon his face, and ceased not till he died. He made the treasurer of the coloured Pyramid a statue of stone, called Albut, sitting ; be which looked towards it was drawn by tbe statue till he stuck to it, and could not be separated from it till such time as he died. The Coptites write in their books, tbat there is an inscription engraven upon them, the exposition of which in Arabic is tbis : ' I, King Saurid, built tbe Pyramids in such and such a time, and finished tbem in six years. He that comes after me, and says that he is equal to me, let bim destroy tbem in six hundred years ; and yet it is 142 EGYPT AND NUBIA. 'W)Wi- known, that it is easier to pluck down than to buiUl up. I also covered them, when I had finished them, with satin ; and let him cover them with mats.' After that Almamon the Caliph entered Egypt, and saw the P3Tamids, he desired to know what was within, and therefore would have them opened. They told him it could not possibly be done. He replied, I will have it certainly done. And that hole was opened for him, which stands open to this day, with fire and vinegar. Tiie smiths prepared and sharpened the iron and engines which they forced in ; and there was a great expense in the opening of it. The thickness of the wall was found to be twenty cubits. And when they came to the end of the wall behind the place they had diofCfed, there Avas an ewer of green emerald ; in it were a thuu- .sand dinars, very weighty ; every dinar was an ounce of our ounces : they wondered at it, but knew not the meaning of it. Then Alma- mon said, ' Cast up the account, how much hath been spent in making the entrance.' They cast it u]), and, lo, it was tlie same sum which they found ; it neither ex- ceeded, nor was defective. Within they discovered a square well, in the square of it there were doors ; every door opened into an house or vault, in which there were dead bodies wrapped up in linen. They found, towards the top of the Pyramid, a chamber, in which there was a hollow stone ; in it was a statue of stone like a man, and within it a man, upon whom was a breastplate of gold, set with jewels : upon his breast was a stone of incalculable price, and at his bead a carbuncle of the bigness of an egg, shining like the light of the day ; and upon him were characters written with a pen ; no man knows what they signify. After Almamon had opened it, men entered into it for many years, and descended by the slippery passage which is in it ; and some of them came out safe, and other.s died." We now propose to descend into the interior chambers. The entrance, which is in the northern face of the Pyramid, about forty feet above the level of the Desert, and equidistant from either side, is approached over an artificial elevation of the soil. The heat and closeness being very great within, we partly undressed, and leaving behind us our superfluous gar- ments, each person took a lighted taper and followed his Arab guide, who, accustomed to the place, crept down the slippery passage like a cat ; but raised in his progress such clouds of dust, that I considered myself fortunate in being the foremost of the i)arty. The ])ass.nge, which dips at an angle of twenty-six degrees, is entirely cased with slabs of oriental pori)hyry. Entrance to the Great Pyramid. DESCENT INTO THE WEU* 143 finely polished, and so exquisitely fitted to each other as to seem but one piece. When we reached the mouth of the well, we quickly discovered that the precaution we had taken of bringing a good quantity of cord had not been useless. There are indeed some steps, or rather holes, on both sides of the shaft ; but they are broken in many places, and so worn throughout, that to trust to them would most certainly be to put one's neck in danger of dislocation. To avoid so fatal a catastrophe, I tied the cord round my body. Before descending, I let down a lantern by a piece of twine. When it reached the bottom, I prej)ared to follow. Two servants and three Arabs held the rope which was attached to nie, though with evident reluctance, for they wislied me to relinquish the hazardous undertaking. They did all in their power to frighten nie, expatiating on the dangers I ran, and averring, " that there were spirits below, from whose clutches I should never escape." When they saw, however, that I was resolved to rush uj)on my ruin, and that their remonstrances only made me laugh, they consented to hold the rope, and contented themselves with deploring my sad fate, and looking upon me as if it was to be for the last time. At length, after having provided myself with paper, a compass, a measure, and a candle in my hand, I began to descend, sometimes trustingr to the rope, sometimes to the steps, until I had reached the bottom of the first well. The opening at this place is towards the south, and leads into a passage about eight feet long, after which there is a perpendicular descent of four feet. Four feet and ten inches from this there is another well, or rather a continuation of the same. The entrance is almost blocked up by a huge stone, leaving only a small aperture, through which it is somewhat difficult to pass. I now again let down the lantern, not only that I might see my way, but also to discover whether or not the air was mephitic. On this occasion, however, the precaution was of no avail ; because this well is not, like the other, an exact perpendicular, but a little crooked, so that when I had let down the light I could no longer see it. But this did not discourage me. I was determined to descend as far as I could go; there was no other way of satisfying my curiosity. I now found it necessary to have some one to hold the rope at the mouth of the second well, as well as at the first, and I accordingly called two of the Arabs who were above ; but, instead of coming, they began to relate a thousand stories to excuse themselves ; among others that of a Frank, w^ho some years ago coming to the place where I then was, and having let down a long cord to ascertain the depth, had it snatched from his hands by some demon. I knew very well to whom they were indebted for this story ; for the Dutch Consul swears that the thing happened to himself. There is only one way of dealing with such folks — I mean the Arabs. I promised money to the first who would come, and besides that the treasure, if there really was one below, as they pretended, should be all for him. This last observation had its weight ; all conceived some desire to brave the dangers of the well ; but no sooner had one begun to descend than superstition overcame him, and he drew back in a state of great trepidation. I was not in a mood, or in a place, highly conducive to 144 EGYPT AND NUBIA. patience. I bawled for a long time in bad Arabic without producing any effect, and was at length about to give np the attempt in despair, when the love of money overcame the superstitious fear of one of tlie Arabs, and he began to descend, though with manifest signs of repugnance. It was easy to see that he did not come down with all liis heart. He was in such a state of agitation that he did not know what he was doing. He passed his tremblino- hand over the wall without being able for a long time to find the holes which were to assist him. I, accordingly, judging it not safe to remain directly under him, retired towards the other well. Wlien he reached the bottom, he seemed more like a spectre than a man. Pale and trembling, he cast furtive glances on every side. His hair, if he had had any, would have stood upright on his head. I hastened to go down lest I might give him time to repent of what he had done. I had tlie rope still tied round my waist. I soon discovered the lantern far below me, whicli showed that this well was deeper than the former. A little lower than the middle I perceived the entrance of a grotto, about fifteen feet deep by four or five wide, for it is not regular, and hioh enough to allow of my walking upright. From thence I descended to the°entrance of a third well, which is not perpendicular, like the others, and whose slope is very rapid. I found it was of great depth by rolling a stone down. I called out to the Arabs to slacken the rope by degrees until I told them to pull, and dropping the lantern before me as I went, descended as well as I could, putting my feet in the little holes which had been cut in the sides. I continued following the lantern for a lono- time witliout perceiving any sign of a termination to this horrible place. I was proceeding in a perfectly straight line, when suddenly the well became perpendicular, and shortly afterwards 1 reached the bottom. It is choked up with stones, sand, &c. I had liere only two things to fear ; first, that the bats should fly against my candle and extinguish it, and second, that the great stone, of which I have spoken at the entrance of the second well, and upon which the Arab was obliged to lean his whole weight, should fall forward and shut me down where I was for ever. It is cer- tainly very fine to say that I ought to have considered it an honovir to be buried in a pyramid, in one of the famous monuments which were destined only for kings. I candidly acknowledge that I had no ambition that way. On the contrary, I was a thousand times more glad to emerge into air and daylight, than I should have been at being buried alive in so remarkable a place. I found a rope-ladder at the bottom of the second Avell, whicli, though it had lain there many years, was as fresh and stroncT as when it was first made. The rounds were of wood. It was left by a traveller who attempted to descend where I now was, but who did not ffo further than the grotto. It was on this occasion that the Dutch Consul averred that some one below had snatched the cord out of his hands, a relation of which the Arabs preserve every circumstance recorded in their memories. By means of my rope we succeeded in bringing up the ladder, thouo-h with some difficulty, because the second well is, as I have said, somewhat crooked, and the wooden pieces caught every now and then in the holes in the sides. When we reached the bottom of the first well INTERIOR OF THE PYRAMID. 145 our candle fell and was extinguished, upon which my poor Arab gave himself up for lost. He seized the rojje when I attempted to ascend, and protested that he would rather I should blow his brains out than be left down alone in company with the Efrcets. I accordingly allowed him to mount first, for which he seemed very grateful. Although it is much more difficult to ascend than to descend, I don't know how it was, but he got up a hundred times quicker than he came down. "When I issued from this extraordinary place I was as black as a smith, and my clothes, it will easily be believed, had not benefited by the rottgh usage they had met with. The first well is twenty-two feet in depth, the second twenty-nine, and the third ninety-nine ; which, with the descent of five feet between the first and second wells, makes a total of one hundred and fifty-five.* We now proceeded to the adit leading to the King's Chamber. This narrow, smooth corridor, which mounts with a steep ascent, is cased, like tlie former, with porphyry. We passed over the mouth of the entrance to the Queen's Chamber, which lies directly under that of the King. Notches cut in the pavement enabled us to fix our footsteps ; and after groping along for a considerable time, through dust and heat, we arrived at a level passage of no great length, which led directly into the royal chamber. Here our tapers, though numerous, at first seemed inadequate to the light- ing up of the apartment ; but our eyes by degrees began to pierce through the gloom, and to discover the form and dimensions of objects. The mysterious sarcophagus, wliich, in my opinion, was never meant to contain the bones of any mortal, is placed with its head turned to the north, the sacred quarter, towards which the fables and traditions of all ancient nations point as to the birth-place of their ancestors. It has been much injured ; the cover has been removed, and it is more than half-filled with dust and fragments of sandstone. In the southern wall of tlie apartment there is a small niche, which may have contained a mimic coffin during the celebration of the mysteries ; but it is now empty. The pavement is covered with dust. The walls are beautifully coated with square slabs of polished granite, exquisitely joined. The ceiling is formed of a number of blocks of stone, about three feet in breadth, which reach across the apart- ment ; and being alternately of a lighter and darker grain, give the roof the appearance of being painted in broad stripes of different colours. We found the length of the apartment to be above thirty-nine feet, the breadth about eighteen, and the height about twenty-two. In the northwest corner there were two small square cavities sunk in the floor, and probably of great depth ; but they were now nearl}' filled up with dust. Their use we could not conjecture. Before we left this apartment, a small pistol was fired off. The sound, which seemed louder than that of a cannon, almost rent the drum of the ear ; and went on rolling through the Pyramid, as if multiplied by a thousand echoes. Indeed, the interior of these mysterious struc- tures doubtless contains innumerable undiscovered chambers and passages ; and, as I listened to the sound, it seemed to sink or mount from cavity to cavity ; to rebound repeatedly from obstructing walls ; to divide ; * Davisou. 146 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Sepulchral Chamber in Third Pyramid. to be multiplied, and at length to die away in distant vaults. If this was fancy, it produced at the time all the effect of reality ; and I am not sorry to find that this idea has likewise occurred to others, and that subsequent researches have proved its correctness* The Queen's .4^|.. >,%^. apartment, to which wo now ' "^'':. descended, is considerably smaller tiian that of the King ; and the ceiling rises to a point in the middle, like the inside of the roof of an European house. Being ignorant when we left Cairo that the Bedouins had destroyed the wooden staircase, by which tra- vellers used to ascend into what is commonly called " Davison's Chamber," we had come impre- pared with a ladder, and our guides were unable to supply the deficiency. As, moreover, the greater part of the day was spent, it would have been too late to remedy the evil by searching for a ladder among the distant villages. The heat in the interior is very great ; the big drops of perspiration stood upon our faces like peas ; and when we emerged into the open air, our heavy cloaks could scarcely enable us to bear the change of temperature, even in the sunsliine. We dined in the rocky chanibers in the eastern face of the hill ; after which I quitted the party, and returned alone to explore the numerous sepulchral chambers which here occupy the skirts of the Desert. I found the whole surface of the ground, east of the Pyramid of Cheops, strewed with Egyptian pebbles, or agates, of which I picked up several. I like- wise took three small pieces of calcareous stone from tlie Pyramid itself; together with a little of the mortar, of a pale pink colour, in which the stones were imbedded. Now the vast structure presented itself to my mind in all its grandeur. I stood by it alone. Neither noise, nor laughter, nor contests with the Bedouins, disturbed me. No living thing was anywhere to be seen, save the eagle of the Desert, which wheeled and floated in the sunshine, far aloft towards the alpine summit. Below and all around were tombs and absolute stillness. I wandered to the mouth of the second Pyramid. The entrance, like the other, is cased with beautiful porphyry ; but having no light, I could not descend into the interior. The space between the two larger of these structures seems unquestionably to be traversed by covered passages ; and judging by the sounds which the earth returned to my footsteps, I thought I could * See Colonel Vyse's " Operations," &c. SUNSET NEAR THE PYRAMIDS. 147 reckon at least four or five. Wlien I had been here some time, I heard the shout of Arabs at a distance ; and soon afterwards saw my guides running towards me across the sand, which here seems to be entirely formed of the crumbling particles of the Pyramids. As what I had given them appeared liberal payment in their eyes, they were desirous of mani- festing their gratitude, by showing me a shorter way across the plain than the one by which we had come ; and ran with much glee by the side of my donkey, imtil I requested them to return to their village. As the evening drew near, the air was richly scented by the odour of numerous bean-fields in full blossom. In recrossing the Nile, from Ghizeh to Old Cairo, the scene was beautiful beyond description. The sun, just as we embarked on the river, was setting behind the Pyramids and the Desert ; and the summits of the woods, the tombs, the minarets, and other lofty objects, were relieved against a sky of the richest hues. The firma- ment, on the edge of the horizon, was of a deep tawny-orange colour, which, growing paler as it ascended, appeared, a little higher, to change into a light green ; and this again, in its turn, growing less and less intense towards the summit of the vast arch which it described, terminated in a lovely purple flush, which diffused its brilliance over the whole circle of the hemisphere. The moon, calmly rising in the east, threw its soft rays over a portion of the river ; while, on the other hand, the indescribably beautiful purple, and pink, and green, and gold of the sky, were reflected from the surface of the water, which, when slightly rufiled by the motion of the boat, or the dip of the oar, shone and glistened like a metallic sea. In the back-ground, towards the east, the naked rocks of the Gcbel Mokat- tam were painted with the most gorgeous hues by the setting sun, which seemed to convert its rude pinnacles into masses of lapis lazuli, turquoises, and amethysts. But, had I the pen of Milton, or the pencil of Claude, I should despair of imparting to others a just conception of that sunset, which I never, but once in Upper Egypt, saw surpassed. It was quite dark when we reached Cairo. CHAPTER XL The Haj Escort. — Horsemanship. — The Virgin's Tkee. — Heliopolis. Another of the attractions which exist in the neighbourhood of Cairo, is the site of Heliopolis. To this I paid my visit in the spring, under the exhilaratiDgr influence of the returnino; sun, when the face of nature throughout Egypt is most lovely, and when persons in robust health enjoy a flow of animal spirits indescribably delightful. Both sacred and profane traditions impel the traveller to make this excursion, llelioi^olis, now Matarea, was the On of the Scriptures ; but its principal charm to me consisted in the fact — for as sucii I regard it — that the feet of the Virgin had rested there, and that the glory of Christ had illuminated it. Few places consequently on the earth are so holy beyond the precincts of Pales- 148 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tino ; and to me these were the outworks of that Land, which I did hot visit, hallowed by the cycle of Gospel events. As the road leading to Heliopolis lay over the extensive sandy plain, north-east of Cairo, stretching from the city to the mountains, — where at this time the military escort, designed to protect the pilgrim caravan in its march across the Arabian desert towards Mekka, was encamped — we deviated a little from our course in order to observe the tents and equipments of this diminutive host. Though the number of the soldiers was small, the whole materiel of the scene — tents, horses, furniture, arms, all in their form and appearance Oriental — presented an aspect highly striking and characteristic. On the countenance of every individual, the marks of having braved the sun and scorching blasts of the deserts were deeply engraved. They were mostly veterans ; men who, in the numerous shocks and vicissitudes of life, had been entirely emancipated from the ingenuous prejudices of youth, from the influence of ardent enthusiasm, from the love of adventure, from the passion for distinction, all now replaced by that valour generated by continual exposure to danger. To behold this camp, and not to feel the desire to accompany it in its perilous marches over the sandy plains of Arabia, was impossible. In a few days it would be in motion, at the head of many thousand pilgrims, who had already, in their advance to the Holy City, traversed the greatest part of the African continent, from beyond Fez and Morocco ; and, had fortune permitted, nothing could have been more flattering to my imagination than to have joined this vast body of enthusiasts, penetrated with them through the indescribable paths of the Wilderness, and contemplated their wild but pious exercises at the birth-place and tomb of their Prophet. The tents of the common soldiers and inferior ofllicers were white, and of the ordinary form ; but those of the commander and treasurer of the troops, who probably claimed a descent from Mohammed, were of a light leaf- green colour, and most elegantly fashioned. Numerous horses, several of them of rare beauty, were picketed in the usual manner on the plain, eating corn, in the London fashion, from small bags suspended on their noses; while their owners, in the gorgeous costume and sparkling decorations of the Egyptian cavalry, were sauntei-ing idly through the camp. Formerly it would have been highly imprudent in a traveller to venture among these fanatical Moslems, who, when preparing to visit their holy places, seem to have been animated by a double portion of the spirit of persecution. The ordonnances and example of the Pasha have effected a wonderful change in these matters : and whatever may have been the secret feelings with which they beheld us ride among their tents, and scrutinise their horses, accoutrements, and arms, their behaviour manifested no disposition to insolence, but rather a desire to exhibit to the best advan- tage all the politeness they were masters of. Supposing that all English- men, since they are admirers of horses, must necessarily be proficients in the veterinary art, they did us the honour to consult our judgment respecting the various ailments of their beasts, several of which they said had for three days rejected their food, while others ate a great deal without getting fat. In some of these cases we prescribed bleeding, in others physic ; but they MKMLOOK HORSEMANSHIP. H9 appeared to entertain a horror of Caircen phlebotoinists ; and were evidently inclined, after all, to trust the whole affair to nature. Mean- while, one of those who possessed hcaltliy steeds, mounted, in order to amuse us with some of the singular feats of Turkish horsemanship; lie wheeled, he curvetted, he stopped his courser in mid-gallop ; but in exhi- bitions of this kind the Turks fall short, perhaps, of the old Memlook cavaliers in boldness and dexterity. These celebrated horsemen were all admirably disciplined according to their peculiar system, which included exhibitions of skill better suited to Astley's theatre than a field of battle. They were taught to stand upright on a swift horse, and even on two, running side by side, and in that posi- tioH to discharge arrows in all directions. It was also their custom to ride with two swords fixed in their saddle, one pointing to their back, the other to their abdomen ; so that on the slightest awkwardness one of these might pierce them. Others lay on their backs upon the fleetest horses, discharging their arrows as the animals galloped along. Volney describes the exercises of the Memlooks of a later period, in which fire-arms were substituted for the bow. Tiiey assembled every morning in a plain near Cairo, and there acccustomed themselves, while on full gallop, to draw the carbine from their belt, to fire it with exactness, to place it under their thigh, in order to seize a pistol, which they discharged and threw over their shoulders ; then a second, with which they did the same, trusting to the cords by which they were fastened, without giving themselves time to replace them. The Beys who were present encouraged them ; and he who shattered the earthen vase, which served for their target, was rewarded with praises and money. They were also taught skilfully to manage the sabre, especially the reverse stroke, wliich cuts upwards, and is most difficult to ward off. The edge of the Memlook sabre was so excellent, and their hands were so dexterous, that many would cut through a bale of wet cotton, as if it were butter. * At a short distance beyond the pilgrim camp, we passed along the skirts of one of those extensive cemeteries, which may almost be said to encom- pass Cairo on every side. These necropolises, or suburbs of the dead, are not inclosed, as in European countries, with wall or railings, or by a circum- vallation of pious reverence as in Nubia ; thither, on the contrary, the jugglers, the dancing girls, the lewd and profligate of both sexes, repair ; and by their bacchanalian orgies, conducted with indescribable effrontery, profane, in open daylight, the peaceful but neglected grave. In the midst of the cemetery stand a few superior mausolea, the last home of the wealthy and the great, consisting of a neat square building, in the light Saracenic style, surmounted by a dome or cupola, resembling that whence Bedreddin Hassan was taken away in his sleep by the Jinneyeh ; but by far the greater number are humble tombs, whitewashed, as in Wales, and exhibiting evident signs of dilapidation and decay. Having traversed this melancholy spot, and the sandy tract beyond it, we entered on the richly- cultivated plain of Heliopolis, interspersed with groves of spreading trees, and the evergreen odoriferous gardens of Africa. Such landscapes, though * Oriental Herald, vol. iv. p. 175, et s(q. 150 EGYPT AND NUBIA. destitute of the charm of hill and dale, always appeared to me eminently beautiful, when clotlied, as they now were, with the fresh vegetation of spring. Here the rhamniis-lotus, the lime-tree, the citron, and the orange, growing in unpnmed luxuriance, presented to the eye their lovely fruit, partly green and partly gold, clustering thick among the dark leaves, which, when pressed or shaken by the wind, exhaled a rare and delicious per- fume. Every part of the prospect, far as the eye could reach, exhibited some peculiar charm. The trees and bushes by the wayside — many of the latter apparently deciduous — were already covered with young leaves ; and innu- merable wild flowers ; some — as the daisy and the butter-cup — familiar, others unknown, enamelled the fields. In several places the ground was covered with newly-cut grass, which, as the warm rays fed upon its moisture, diffused that well-known, but exquisite fragrance, which scents our English hay-fields ; while numerous rills of clear water, running through grassy channels, maintained an agreeable freshness in the air. But, perhaps, the master-charm of all derived its power from historical associations, — I was approaching the birth-place of Moses ; before me was the plain on which the Hebrew shepherds first pitched their tents on their arrival in Egypt ; and such considerations, whatever may be the case with others, have always, I confess, exerted much influence over me. Sometime before arriving at Matarea, we turned into a citron grove on the right hand of the road, to behold that venerable sycamore, in whose shade the Virgin, with the infant Christ, is said to have reposed during the flight into Egypt. In all respects this grove was an agreeable retreat. The spaces between the trees, roofed by a thick canopy of verdure, completely excluded the rays of the sun, while a cool breeze circulated through them freely. Other "kinds of fruit-trees, besides the citron, rose here and there in the grove, and presented, in their unpruned luxuriance, an aspect of much beauty. Birds of agreeable note, or gay plumage, flitted to and fro, or perched upon the branches ; otherwise, the silence and stillness would have been complete, and might have tempted me to remain there for hours, delighting my ima- gination with reminiscences of the Arabian Nights, whose heroes and heroines are often represented reposing in such places. Here, likewise, is the Ai7i Shems, or " Fountain of the Sun," which, though supposed by Catholic traditions to have been miraculously produced to quench the thirst of the holy fugitives, existed, no doubt, in all ages ; and was, perhaps, if we may derive any inference from the modern appellation, consecrated to the service of a temple of Arotiris. Our brethren of the Church of Rome love to interpolate the traditions of antiquity, and to complete a legend, if they imagine it in any respects to require rounding off. According to them, for example, it was in the fountain at our feet, that the Virgin, with her own hands, washed the garments of the infant Saviour. Nothing is more natural or probable, nor, for a fact of this kind, should we require the testimony of history. I see no harm, therefore, in supposing that it was so ; and it seems to me to be a very perverse species of ingenuity to get up a formidable array of arguments to demolish harmless traditions like these. The Tree of the Madonna, as it is denominated, even by the Mohammedans, consists of a vast trunk, the upper part of which having THE VIRGIN'S TREE, 151 been blown down by storms, or shattered by lightning, young branches have sprung forth from the top, and extending their arms on all sides, still afford a broad and agreeable shade. Its shape is remarkable : flat on both sides, like a wall, but with an irregular surface, it leans considerably, forming a kind of natural penthouse. Numerous names, accompanied by the figure of the cross, have been cut by Catholic travellers ; but even the ]\Ioslems seem to regard it with veneration ; for those who visited it witli us spoke low and reverentially, as if they esteemed the spot where they stood to be holy ground. Protestants, from I know not what motive, sometimes aflFect to consider the tradition which sanctifies this tree as one of those many childish legends which liaA'e diverted Christians from the spirituality and simplicity of faith, but by what chain of ratiocination they arrive at this conclusion, it appears somewhat difficult to discover. At all events, since the Egyptian sycamore, among various other trees, will live many thousand years, there is nothing absurd in the supposition that the Virgin may have sat with the infant Saviour under the shade of this noble trunk, which bears all the appearance of prodigious antiquity. According to a tradition prevalent among the ]\Iohammedans, Elizabeth also fled with the infant John the Baptist into Egypt. Respecting Zacha- riah, the father of John, they relate a most extravagant story. The Jews having accused him of a great crime, and sought to put him to death, he hid himself in the heart of a tree, and might thus have escaped, had not Satan, the enemy of God, discovered his hiding-place. The people split- ting the tree, in order to secure their victim, accidentally cut him to pieces with their axes, as the story is very gravely told by El-Masudi. In Pietro della Valle's time, a house was shown at Matarea, in which the Virgin was supposed to have lived ; and beneath a small window or recess in the wall, the Christian clergy resident in the country used to say mass. From this grove we ])roceeded through beautiful corn-fields to the site of Heliopolis, marked by extensive mounds, and a single obelisk, rising alone in the plain, and at this time surrounded by a thick crop of barley. This obelisk, consisting of one block of red granite, about sixty-five feet in height, is still nearly perfect ; a part of the western face only havino- been chipj)ed away, probably at the time when Cambyses ordered immense fires to be kindled around this and similar monuments, in order to oblite- rate the traces of an idolatry which he despised, or of an ancient power which he had overthrown, and whose regeneration he may have dreaded. An inscription in hieroglyphical characters is repeated on each of its four faces ; from which antiquaries, versed in the sacred language of the Egyptians, have discovered the name of the monarch by whom it was erected ; but of this science I am entirely ignorant. The Arab historian, Abdalatif, gives a very strange account of this obelisk. It was capped, he says, in his time with burnished copper, on which was represented the figure of a man seated on a throne and looking towards the east. But the most remarkable part of the story is this, that from beneath the copper coating water perpetually oozed forth and supplied nourishment to a quantity of fine moss, whicli extended a considerable way down the 152 EGYPT AND NUBIA. obelisk, though neither the moss nor the water ever reached the ground. This circumstance the writer does not relate on hearsay : he saw it himself. Possibly, however, writing a long while afterwards from memory, he may have allowed his imagination to run away with his judgment, without intending to deceive. At all events he exaggerates greatly the dimensions of the obelisk, which he supposes to be 100 cubits high. The expression by which he seeks to characterize the rose-granite is curious. He says it resembled the couch of Venus, and was transparent. Somewhere near this spot stood the temple of which Potipherah, the father of Joseph's wife, was priest. Heliopolis, in fact, appears to have been the ancient capital of the country before the foundation of Memphis ; for from the historical details in the book of Genesis it seems clear that, when Jacob and his sons came by the invitation of Joseph into Egypt, the seat of government and the palace of the Pharaohs were here, nigh to the land of Goshen, which the minister obtained for his relations. When, in subsequent ages, Memphis arose and became the habitation of the kings, Heliopolis dwindled into a city of inferior rank, though it still contained the most celebrated colleges of the priests, and was regarded as the university of Egypt. Here, accordingly, we find that Herodotus, Plato, and Eudoxus, men dif- fering greatly from eacli other in character and genius, devoted much time and pains to the examination of the sciences and pretensions of the Egyptians : but from this period it must have fallen rapidly to decay ; as, when Strabo and iElius Gallus visited the spot, about thirty years before the Christian era, it had already been deserted by the priests, though the great Temple of the Sun was still standing and apparently frequented as a place of worship. The Greek geographer's description comprehends the notice of various ruins, temples, propylsea, obelisks, sphinxes, which no longer exist. Pococke, indeed, discovered several sphinxes among the mounds of rubbish; but these seem to have been buried by the continual accumulation of soil, for we could perceive no trace of them. Perhaps the solitary obelisk which marks the site of On, the city of the Sun, should be regarded as the most ancient monument existing in Egypt, since it was probably erected while this wms the capital of the kingdom long before the founda- tion of Memphis. Diodorus, indeed, speaks of two obelisks set up here by Sesostris, one hundred and eighty feet in height, and twelve feet square at the base ; and Pliny relates, that Sochis and Rameses, the latter con- temporary with Priam, erected each four obelisks : those of Sochis seventv- two, those of Rameses sixty feet in height. But little stress can be laid on the vague traditions collected by such writers respecting the monarchs to whom certain public works should be attributed. In all probability, the Great Rameses of the Egyptians (whose name occurs in the book of Genesis), like the Rama of the Hindoos, was a mythological personage, identical with Papremis, their God of War ; every great undertaking, the author of which was unknown, seeming, among the Egyptians, to have been referred to Rameses, as to Semiramis among the Assyrians. To him the priests of Thebes, (who probably knew no more of the ancient sacred language than we do), in their conversation with Germanicus, attributed the great military achievements and conquests of their ancestors, indulging, HISTORICAL CONJECTURES. 153 for the purpose of raisin^ his wonder, in a ridiciilous style of exaggeration, which must have excited his laughter. The village of Matarca is situated about six miles N.E, of Cairo, at no great distance from the Birket-el- Haj, or Lake of the Pilgrims, where the caravan usually encamps on the second night of its departure for Mekka. On our return to Cairo, we passed two of the government Abattoirs, filthy, stinking, and surrounded by pools of blood, which, with the other abominations of the place, attracted thither in troops the wild dogs of the neighbourliood. CHAPTER XII. Across the Deseht to thk Fayoum. In Egypt, the government intermeddles with everything. If, for example, you desire to enter into an engagement with a Bedouin Sheikh, to pass with security through any portion of the desert belonging to his tribe, it is necessary to appear before the governor of Cairo ; to have your contract drawn up in his presence ; and, when the instrument has been duly signed and sealed by both parties, to deposit the original, or a copy of it, in the citadel ; should dromedaries be required for the purpose of performing a journey within the limits of Egypt, or of the other dominions of the Pasha, the regular course is, to make application to government, which will furnish, at a reasonable price, the necessary number of animals, properly accoutred, with the requisite Bedouin guides and attendants. To the traveller this regulation is of inestimable advantage. The sum to be paid being determined, no disagreeable wrangling, at least on this score, can take place between the stranger and the camel-drivers ; and the undertaking is usually accomplished, where inveterate insolence or ill- nature does not constitute the characteristic of the parties concerned, in the utmost harmony and good feeling. In some cases, however, the authorities through heedlessness or indifference, seriously endanger the traveller's safety, by placing in his service guides, or attendants, belonging to tribes hostile to the lords of the country through which he is to pass ; and as he must generally be ignorant of the history or existence of such feuds, the first circumstance, perhaps, which calls his attention to the sub- ject, is a sudden attack in the desert ; for the chivalrous Bedouins seem to regard it as a point of honour not to disturb the imaginations of their employers by awakening apprehensions of dangers which, after all, may not be predestined to happen. Such was the conduct of Habib Effendi in our particular case. He knew perfectly well that the Mahazi, or Atouni Arabs, inhabiting the desert extending from Suez to Kossier, were at enmity, — as most of the Eastern tribes are, — with the Moggrebyn Bedouins of Libya ; yet it was from among the Atouni, abhorred by the people west of the Nile, that he selected for us a guide to Lake Moeris, through a province where even the Pasha's own engineers, in the most peaceable times, dared not make their appearance without a powerful military escort; l.H EGYPT AND NUBIA. a fact of which I was assured at Alexandria by Mr. Wallace, who had been employed by the Pasha in surveying the various districts of the Fayoum, and who very kindly dissuaded me from hazarding the journey without a guard. It was, therefore, not unwarned tliat we imdertook it ; but the peril would have been considerably diminished, had our guide been chosen from any other tribe of Bedouins. In all journeys of this kind, the pleasures of preparation and setting out, with the dim shadowing forth by the imagination of the adventures in which it is possible you may be engaged, are, perhaps, among the best that travelling supplies. Our provisions and kitchen utensils having been made ready, the impatience with which we awaited the appearance of our Mahazi, with his dromedaries, was extreme. At length, late in the day, he arrived, with four spare, long-legged animals, whicli seemed, like conscientious Mussulmen, to have gone through all tlie rigid observances of the Ramad'han. Mohammed, the guide, appeared from his bronzed, weather-beaten countenance, adorned with a long deep scar, and from the extreme airiness and freedom of his demeanour, differing entirely from that of the Fellahs, to be a fresh importation from the desert. He received our reproaches for the lateness of his arrival, as if conscious they were well merited, and replied only by the alacrity and activity with which he loaded tlie sumpter-camel, on which he was himself to be mounted, and adjusted the saddles of the other beasts. These operations completed, he informed us that all was ready ; held down the heads of our dromedaries while we mounted ; and then, vaulting lightly into his own saddle, put himself in advance of our little procession, and led the way through the tortuous, innumerable, endless streets of Cairo. Rejoiced at being once more in motion, my spirits rose as I quitted the city and began to look towards the desert, upon which we were soon to enter. The condition of mind in which travellers usually find themselves on such occasions, must, when described in words, appear, to such as have never experienced it, exceedingly incom- prehensible, if not altogether absurd. These find it difficult to conceive what satisfaction a man can promise himself from riding on a dromedary, in the burning sun, across a waste of sand, where, if he encounters any living creature, it will probably be an enemy, where neither ruins nor any other traces of civilisation exist, and where, in fact, it is impossible that man should ever leave any permanent marks of his vanity or power. But these very considerations include the secret cause of the delight which is generated by a journey through the wilderness. Most persons have been made sensible, by experience or hearsay, of the sublimity of the ocean, traceable to the terrors, the uncertainties, the vast powers of destruction with which it has been endued by the Creator. But with all these qualities the desert appears to be clothed in a superior degree. You indeed feel, while traversing its pathless expanses, that you have your foot upon the earth ; but you behold all around, as far as the eye can reach, innumerable mounds and hillocks of light sand, those inexhaustible magazines of destruction, ever ready to be lifted up by the whirlwind, and poured in irresistible torrents upon the traveller or the caravan. Here, moreover, iu these desolate places of the earth, roams the indomitable Bedouin, the TERRORS AND CHARMS OF THE DESERT. 155 model of primitive warfare and hospitality. Such are the circumstances which render the great wastes of Africa — those oceans of sand — delightful to traverse ; not that they are dangerous, — for no man can he in love with danger, — hut that tliey awaken the spirit of adventure, tlie most fascinating, the most inexhaustihle of all pleasures, and cast the gorgeous mantle of romance and poetry over the imagination, which, in the ordinary high-road of life, is apt to he clad in colours somewhat too sohor. On emerging from the streets of the city, we found that the wind, whicli hlew with great violence from the south, was hringing along with it tor- rents of dust and sand, so thick and impetuous, that it was impossihle to keep the eyes open for many seconds at a time. Even the dromedaries. habituated as they must have been to such a state of the atmosphere, seemed to go trembling on with their eyes closed, so that it was sometimes with difficulty we could keep them from striking against the walls, or run- ning foul of each other. The sky, as usually in the scirocco, was filled with thick hazy clouds, througli which the sun, when at intervals visible, appeared pale and raylcss, like the moon. At the ferry between Old Cairo 156 EGYPT AND NUBIA. and Ghizeh, we experienced some delay; but the time was not lost; for the scenes we witnessed among the Fellahs, male and female, who crowded the bank of the river, with their camels and asses, were so characteristic, and at the same time so grotesque and ludicrous,that they would have afforded many hours' amusement. There were several boats, but the number of passengers was so great that they scrambled for a place with as much warmth and eagerness as if they had been making their escape from an enemy. In their haste to cross the Nile, and return to the village, even the deference usually shown to a Frank was forgotten. Scarcely could we squeeze ourselves into one of the boats, between camels, asses, men, women, old and young, bags of corn, and baskets of bread, fruit and vegetables ; and when we were in, the next difficulty was to keep the asses, in the midst of which we stood bolt upright, from treading on our toes. For some minutes a promiscuous crowd of men and beasts poured after us into the boat, the camels roaring, the asses braying, the women and children shrieking, the men swearing, until the mingled din exceeded that of Babel; at length, becoming impa- tient and angry, we compelled them to put off. On account of the violence of the wind, there was the greatest difficulty in keeping the boat steady ; but, on the other hand, we crossed very rapidly, and had soon remounted on the opposite bank. I have already, in the account of my visit to the Pyramids, described the country through which we passed. The plain before us was that of IMemphis, and the rich pasture, the corn-fields, the lofty date- woods, and the flocks and herds by which its surface was now diversified, clothed in the sombre hues of twilight, seemed rather to belong to antiquity than to the present day. In a short time the moon rose, and conferred a still more poetical character on the landscape ; for the scirocco had passed, and with it the clouds and mist which had obscured the atnw)- sphere. It is difficult to convey a just idea of the effect produced by moon- light on the figures of the numerous pyramids now visible : ranged like a file of pale shining mountains along the skirts of the desert, they seemed to be some shadowy spectral things, not of this world; the white expanse of sand at their feet, contrasted with the dusky hue of the cultivated land, giving them the appearance of huge fabrics based upon a cloud, like those SUPPER NEAR THE SITE OF MEMPHIS. 157 which the mind often fasliions at evening among the vapours of a summer sky. It was our intention, at starting, to proceed as far as Dashour ; but Mohammed seemed to be of opinion that as, on the morrow, we should have to make a long journey, it would be better to go early to rest. "We there- fore directed our course towards the village of Mitraheni, guided by the extensive date woods and vast mounds, commonly supposed to be those of Memphis. Here the Fellahs have built their houses of unburned brick. Our first inquiry regarded not the antiquities scattered about the neighbour- hood, or anything relating to them, but the practicability of getting some- thing for dinner, which our long ride had rendered a matter of considerable importance ; but the modern IMemphians, whatever may have been the case with their ancestors, were so exceedingly ill provided, that our piastres, after making in vain the tour of the whole village, returned in their original shape to our purses, instead of being transmuted, by the divine alcliemy of commerce, into beef or pigeons. Had we come empty-handed from the victorious city, we might therefore, if we pleased, have devoured the remains of the temple of Vulcan ; but we contented ourselves with rice and macca- roni, which we shared with our Mahazi guide, who, though somewhat advanced in years, still exhibited in his appetite, as well as in everything else, the vigour and activity of youth. The little caravanserai of Mitra- heni, which has seldom, I conceive, been applied to the accommodation of a Frank, exhibited, during our culinary and commercial operations, a very original spectacle. Our baggage being stowed away in a corner, we arranged our beds near, and, sticking a lamp in the earth, opened our maps and books close beside it, and lay down to consult them ; so that the Arabs, whom curiosity attracted in crowds to the spot, took us, no doubt, for the members of some fanatical sect, who performed their devotions in that strange posture. The women, in particular, were greatly amused at our style of praying ; and, after regarding us for some time with a feeling midway between laughter and astonishment, burst out into their usual ex- clamation of " Wallah !" (By God !) Meanwhile our Caireen and Bedouin attendants had kindled a fire not far from us on the ground, the smoke of which, having no appropriate vent above, made the circuit of the room, and, being of a very pungent quality, brought tears into the eyes of our fair friends, putting them forcibly in mind of that " Gehenna," to which they charitably condemn all Franks and Giaours. In a short time, there- fore, the majority made their retreat ; but when the rice and maccaroni were served up, they did us the honour to return, in order to satisfy them- selves respecting the manner in which an infidel eats his stipper, — expect- ing perhaps to be invited to share it, and cursing, all the time we ate, our inhospitable disposition ; though, in point of fact, our whole stock, had it been cooked at once, would not have afforded our guests a mouthful each. When bed-time came, the ladies most politely quitted us ; not from any idea of decorum, but because they were sleepy ; for several, less drowsy than the rest, entered or passed through the room after we had lain down. Having a long ride before us, we departed early next morning from Mitraheni ; and proceeded along the skirts of the cultivated country, — one 158 EGYPT AND NUBIA. of the most fertile and beautiful plains in the world. The morning was lovely. Fields and copses steeped in dew, — which, trickling over the leaves and grass, glittered like diamonds in the sun, — and sprinkled with delicate wild flowers, involuntarily recalled to remembrance the enthusiastic descriptions of poetry, and that golden age of impassioned innocence, — " When love was liberty, and Nature law." To the traveller, in a climate so warm and delightful as that of Egypt, the Golden Age, so long as the inhabitants are out of sight, is no fable. Kept continually in a state of rapturous excitement by the sun, his imagination casts its own vivid colouring over everything, and causes him to move about in an atmosphere of poetry. His spirits buoyant as air, his feelings harmonised, his heart involuntarily overflowing with benevolence, he is at peace with heaven and earth, and can with difficulty be made to believe in the existence of crime or misery. In such a frame of mind the plainest morsel is sweet ; and, accordingly, the meals which we cooked and ate on the road, in the valley or the desert, beneath the shade of a tree, or amid hillocks of drifted sand, seemed more delicious than anything I had ever tasted ; but for this pleasure, I was principally, perhaps, indebted to Wayside Coffeehouse. health and hunger. At Kafr el-Kebir, we halted and unloaded our camels at a Sheikh's tomb, which we took the liberty to convert into a breakfast parlour. Our fire, however, was kindled, and our cofiee prepared in the open air beside the camels, which always lay down and ate when we did. Some young women from the village brought us milk and new-laid eggs, remaining there laughing and talking until we mounted our dromedaries to depart ; and then wished us, Franks and infidels as we were, a pleasant and prosperous journey. THE DESERT.— REPORTS OF INSURRECTION. 159 Mohammed, our Maliazi guide, now advised us to load and keep in readiness our arms, as tlie road on which we were about to enter — if road it could be called, where road was none — was always beset by marauding parties of Moggrcbyns, whose profession is robbery. Emerging from the cultivated country, we entered upon the Desert. It is difficult to convey a correct idea of those desolate and barren expanses bordering on the Valley of the Nile, to which the above term is applied. By the Arabs they are denominated Gebel, or " the JNIountain," because the only mountains with which they are acquainted are characterised by extreme sterility. Besides, the surface of these boundless wastes, though seldom sufficiently elevated to possess, in the eyes of an European accustomed to the prodigious masses of the Alps, the aspect of a mountainous country, is in reality very far from being uniformly plane, or from presenting that dull monotonous appearance, which for want of experience, we are in general apt to attri- bute to it. But the face of the Desert is singularly diversified. Arid no doubt it is, and, to many, gloomy and dispiriting, suggesting ideas of death, which are certainly in most cases unwelcome : yet this is by no means the effijct which it generally produces, since the Bedouins are, beyond most other nations, gay and cheerful; and, in my own case, never were my spirits more light, my fancy and imagination crowded with more pleasurable images, or my perceptions of the delights of existence more exquisitely keen, than when riding on a fleet dromedary across the sands, or through the stony valley of the Libyan desert, amid the refreshing breezes of the morning. When we had proceeded several miles through the wild rocks inter- spersed among sandy hollows, which bordered our track, we perceived, on turning the foot of a hill, a party of Arabs a little in the rear, who, pur- suing the same route, seemed to be proceeding towards the Fayoom. Amono- them was a Turkish gentleman, who, when he saw us, detached himself from the Arabs, and came galloping until he had overtaken our party. He then very politely demanded wli ether, as we appeared to be travelling in the same direction, we would permit him to join our company, since, the roads being unsafe, a large party was preferable to a small one : to which we assented, and somewhat slackened our pace, in order to enable his mule to keep up with us. In the course of the rambling conversation that ensued, and was kept up by our Turk with great vivacity, he inquired whether we had heard the news. Supposing he was alluding to some local affiiir, utterly indifferent to a stranger, we replied that, not being interested in such matters, we seldom concerned ourselves about them. " But in this affair," he said, " you are deeply interested. It relates to tlie Fayoom — the province whitlier you are going — in which by the machinations of the Moggrebyns, the fire of revolt has been kindled, and made to spread in the space of eight days over the whole country ; where the authority of the Pasha is for the present at an end, and where his soldiers, in a battle near Sanhoor, have been defeated with loss by the Bedouins, and afterwards pursued up to tlie very walls of Medinet." He was himself, he observed, returning after a week's absence to the capital of the province, though exceedingly doubtful whether he should be able to reach it. Thisintelli- 160 EGYPT AND NUBIA. gence threw a damp over our enthusiasm, since, instead of the " peace and welcome" with which we had everywhere else in Egypt been received, it seemed probable that, if subjected to nothing worse, we should at least experience a portion of the insolence and humiliation which were heaped upon our older travellers. Come what might, however, we determined to proceed. Our spirits and our arms were good ; and although, if attacked by numbers, there would be no chance of escape, we trusted to that aver- sion, which even bad men feel, to shed the blood of the solitary stranger who confidently ventures among them. By degrees the conversation flowed into another channel, and our imagi- nations became occupied by the singular features of the landscape. Here and there the rocks, though never rising to any great height, put on the appearance of houses, fortresses, or ruined castles, perched on grey cliffs, overhanging ravines narrow and tortuous, whose mouths only presented themselves to the eye as we passed. To these succeeded broad flinty or sandy valleys ; long reaches, like the bed of a great river, between bare, stony mountains, alternating with extensive plains of sand or gravel ; hil- locks of various colours ; and winding tracks through passes, where a few Bedouins might easily rout a whole caravan. On our way we met or passed several small parties of Arabs going to or returning from Egypt, all of whom gave us the " Salaam Aleyciim," or friendly salutation, to which we made the proper reply. Formerly, no Mohammedan, however lax in his religious principles, would have addressed these words — which appear to imply friendship and corre- sponding opinions — to a Christian, even though otherwise disposed to treat him with kindness ; but with the decline of their national power, a less overbearing style of manners has been introduced ; and it is now not uncommon, at least in Egypt, for both Turks and Arabs thus to salute the stranger, whatever may be his creed. Nevertheless, I have met with well-informed persons at Alexandria, who, not having remarked the change, insisted it had not taken place. The argument happen- ing, however, to be carried on among the ruins of the ancient city, while riding home in the evening from the tower of the Caesars, was imme- diately terminated ; several Arabs, returning to their villages, passed us on the road ; to each of these I addressed the " Salaam Aleycum,*" and was invariably saluted, in reply, with the " Aleycum Salaam." By this means my friends were convinced that the Egyptian Moslem is no longer averse to address this sacred formula to a Christian, knowing him to be such. Our Turkisli companion was mounted on a mule of exceeding beauty, equally remarkable for colour and form ; and, as we rode along on our spare ungainly beasts, whose utility can only be surpassed by their ugliness, it was impossible not to cast down, occasionally, an admiring glance at the sleek and spirited animal by our side, which seemed to be animated by the resolution not to be outdone in speed even by the native courser of the Desert. Observing our admiration, which, in the East, appears to be always interpreted into begging, the Turk immediately made us an offer of his mule; adding, politely, by way of inducement, that at home he pos- sessed a great number of similar animals ; that it was, in reality, of no THE MIRAGE, OR GOBLIN OF THE DESERT. 161 value ; but that since it seemed to hit our fancy, we should oblige him much by accepting it. From this obligation, or compliment, whichever it may have been, we defended ourselves, by saying it was our intention to return to our country by sea, when the confinement, want of exercise, and tossing about by storms, if they did not kill, would probably spoil the beast ; and therefore, though highly sensible of his generosity, we must decline profiting by it. In all the long tract of country, extending, in this direction, between the Nilotic valley and the Fayoom, the principle of vegetation appears to be entirely extinct ; neither tree, nor shrub, nor plant of any kind, however minute or simple in its organisation, presenting itself to the eye. Of animals and reptiles, native to the wild, no trace appears. Death, there- fore, seems here the paramount lord of all ; if death can be said to reign where there is nothing to die. But I would not be understood to assert positively that neither plants nor animals exist in this Desert, though unquestionably we saw none ; for, since even the snows on the solitary and nearly inaccessible heights of tlie Hindu Kiish are said to be peopled with what, by the natives, is denominated the snow-worm, it is exceedingly probable that the sands, also, of the wilderness have their inhabitants, which may yet be discovered by the minute investigations of science. I had been riding along in a reverie, when, chancing to raise my head, I thought I perceived, desertwards, a dark strip on the far horizon. "What could it be ? My companion, who had very keen sight, was riding in advance of me, and, with a sudden exclamation, he pulled up his di'ome- dary, and gazed in the same direction. I called to him, and asked him what he thought of yonder strip, and whether he could make out anything in it distinctly. He answered, that water had all at once appeared there ; that he saw the motion of the waves, and tall palms and other trees bend- inor up and down over them, as if tossed by a strong wind. An Arab was at my side, with his face muffled up in his burnous ; I roused his attention, and pointed to the object of our inquiry. " iMashallah ! " cried the old man, witli a face as if he had seen a ghost, and stared with all his might across the Desert. All the other Arabs of the party evinced no less emotion ; and our interpreter called out to us, that what we saw Avas the evil spirit of the desert, that led travellers astray, luring them farther and farther into the heart of the waste, ever retreating before them as they pursued it, and not finally disappearing till its deluded victims had irre- coverably lost themselves in tlie pathless sands. This, then, was the Mirage. My companion galloped towards it, and we followed him, though the Arabs tried to prevent us, and ere long I could, with my own eyes, discern something of this strange phenomenon. It was, as my friend had reported, a broad sheet of water, with fresh green trees along its banks ; and yet there was nothing actually before us but parched yellow sand. The apparition occasioned us all very uncomfortable feelings, and yet we con- gratulated ourselves on having seen for once the desert wonder. The phenomenon really deserves the name the xVrabs give it, of Goblin of the Desert ; an evil spirit that beguiles the wanderer from tlie safe path, and mocks him with a false show of wliat his heated brain paints in glow- p2 162 EGYPT AND NUBIA. ing colours. Whence comes it that this illusion at first fills with uneasiness — I mifflit even say, with dismay — those even who ascribe its existence to natural causes ? On a spot where the bare sands spread out for hundreds of miles, where there is neither tree nor shrub, nor a trace of water, there suddenly appeared before us groups of tall trees, proudly girding the run- nino- stream, on whose waves we saw the sunbeams dancing. Hills clad in pleasant green rose before us and vanished ; small houses, and towns with liio-h walls and ramparts, were visible among the trees, whose tall boles swayed to and fro in the wind like reeds. Far as we rode in the direction of the apparition, we never came any nearer to it : the whole seemed to recoil, step for step, with our advance. "We halted, and remained long in contemplation of the magic scene, until whatever was unpleasant in its strangeness ceased by degrees to affect us. Never had I seen any landscape so vivid as this seeming one ; never water so bright, or trees so softly green, so tall and stately. Everything seemed far more charming there than in the real world ; and so strongly did we feel this attraction, that, although we were not driven by thirst to seek for water where water there was none, still we would willingly have followed on and on after the phantom ; and thus we could well conceive how the despairing wanderer, who, with burning eyes, thinks he gazes on water and human dwellings, will struggle onward to his last gasp to reach them, until his fearful, lonely doom befals him. We returned slowly to our Arabs, who had not stirred from the spot where we left them. Looking back once more into the desert, we saw the apparition gradually becoming fainter, until at last it melted away into a dim band, not unlike a thin mist sweeping over the face of a field.* It was probably this phenomenon, which is beheld as well in Hadramaut and Yemen as in the deserts of Egypt, which gave rise to the fable of the Garden of Irem, described in the story of the Phantom Camel, in the " Tales of the Ramad'han." But the sense of vision is not the only one which the genius of the Desert mocks with fantastic trieks : the ear too sometimes experiences illusions, an instance of which is related by a recent traveller as having occurred to him on his way from Gaza to Cairo. " On the fifth day of my journey," he says, " the air above lay dead, and all the whole earth that I could reach with my utmost sight and keenest listening, was still and lifeless, as some dispeopled and forgotten world that rolls round and round in the heavens throuo-h wasted floods of light. The sun, growing fiercer and fiercer, shone down n«w more mightily than ever on me he shone before, and as I dropped ray head under his fire, and closed my eyes against the glare that surrounded me, I slowly fell asleep, for how many minutes or moments I cannot tell; but after a while I was gently awakened by a peal of church bells — my native bells — the innocent bells of Marlen, that never before sent forth their music beyond the Blaygon hills ! My first idea naturally was that I still remained fast under the power of a dream. I roused myself and drew aside the silk that covered my eyes, and plunged my bare face into the light ; then, at * Hacklander. MYSTERIOUS SOUNDS OP THE DESERT.— THE FAYOOM. 163 least, I was well enough wakened, but still those old JMarlen bells kept ringing on, not ringing for joy, but properly, prosily, steadily ringing ' for church.' After a while the sound died away slowly : it happened that neither I nor any of my party had a watch by which to measure the exact time of its lasting, but it seemed to me that about ten minutes bad passed before the bells ceased. 1 attributed the ettect to the great heat of the sun, the perfect dryness of the clear air through which I moved, and the deep stillness of all around me ; it seemed to me that these causes, by occasioning a great tension and consequent susceptibility of the hearing organs, had rendered them liable to tingle under the passing touch of some mere memory, that must have swept across my brain in a moment of sleep. Since my return to England it has been told me that like sounds have been heard at sea, and that the sailor becalmed under a vertical sun in the midst of the wide ocean, has listened in trembling wonder to the chiming of his own village bells."* At length, late in the afternoon, we discovered, on the verge of the horizon, tlie tops of the palm-trees, extending in one dark line from west to east, as far as the eye could reach, and marking the northern boundary of that celebrated and beautiful oasis, — for such is the Fayoom, — towards which we were journeying. If the Desert has its charms, — and charms not a few it has, — those green and fertile spots, which its burning sands encompass like an ocean, are, in a different way, no less attractive. To the former belong wildness, grandeur, sublimity — qualities that powerfully stir up the energies of the soul, and nerve it for exertion and strife ; to the latter, whatever is soft, and soothing, and lovely ; or, to sum up all agree- able qualities in one word, all that is feminine in nature. The Desert, therefore, can only please certain temperaments, and in certain moods of mind ; but those landscapes on which heaven has showered down the prin- ciples of beauty and fertility, where the earth is filled with abundance, and the air with fragrance, must delight, like woman, at all times, by awakeninof those poetical and impassioned associations that constitute the elements of the most perfect enjoyment. As we approached nearer and nearer to the cultivated region, we observed various changes in the surface of the waste. At first, a few scattered wild plants and flowers, the out- posts or advanced guard of vegetation, showed themselves timidly among the sand-hills, where some imperceptible moisture — the scanty dews dif- fused thus far, perhaps, by the exhalations of Lake INIoeris — sustained their verdure. As wo advanced, these signs of fertility became more numerous. A thin net- work, as it were, of creeping plants, denser in the hollows, more rare upon the eminences, clothed with a greyish verdure the undu- lating outline of the Desert, as if to prepare us gradually for the luxuriant and almost tropical magnificence of vegetation which we were to witness farther on. In approaching Tameia, we traversed the ancient canal, which, during the inundations, conducts the waters of the Nile from the Bahr Yusuf to the lake ; for the town, contrary to what appears in the ordinary maps, * Eothen. 164 EGYPT AND NUBIA. is situated on the south-west bank of the watercourse. Our Turkish com- panion accompanied us to the caravanserai, where, in confirmation of the alarminc intelligence he had given by the way, we perceived a Bedouin horseman, lance in hand, mounting guard at the gate. Fortunately, the Bedouin, whose attention at the moment was otherwise engaged, observed not the Turk, who, hastily bidding us farewell, slipped behind a wall, and made his escape. With us the case was dififerent. It was not by avoid- ing but by boldly facing the Bedouin, that we were to hope for safety. Riding, therefore, directly up to the gateway, and passing the guard, who made way for us, we entered the court, dismounted, and, ordering our beasts to be unladen, took possession of the best room in the caravanserai. This done, we went forth, unattended, to view the town and its antiqui- ties. It soon became obvious that we had got among people exceedingly different from the Fellahs on the Nile ; for, instead of exhibiting that naive simpUcity and curious wonder, always evident on the countenance of the latter, the Fayoomis displayed in their behaviour an impudent familia- rity, bordering on positive insolence ; rushed to snatch our arms out of our liands, in order to satisfy their curiosity in their own way ; followed us about in crowds, insisting, whether we would or not, on constituting them- selves our guides ; to which we at length put a stop, by informing them that, whether they guided or left us to ourselves, was a matter of perfect indifference, for that, in either case, we had determined not to give them a single para. However, two or three men still stuck close to our skirts, but conducted themselves very civilly ; and we promised to employ them, should we need any guides on the morrow. At Tameia the principal objects of curiosity are the remains of the extensive reservoir and water-works, by means of which all the fields in the vicinity were formerly irrigated. Pococke, in whose time this reservoir was still perfect, believed it to have been a recent work, constructed in consequence of the gradual filling up of the canal; which originally, he sup- posed, conveyed from the Nile sufficient water for the purposes of agriculture. But since the beds of the canals, everywhere, perhaps, in the Fayoom, are hio-her than the lake, reservoirs or sluices must always have been necessary, to prevent the water-courses from becoming absolutely dry. To those who may think the canals were formerly deep, I may observe that the water, nowhere half-leg deep, now runs like a natural rivulet, among pebbles, over the living rock. On either shore of this tiny stream the soil left by the inundation, not rising a foot above the level of the water, was in many places covered with a good crop of corn. The banks are high, and lined at intervals with masonry, while massive ruins and substructions are scattered about in various directions. A dam, or wall, of immense height and thickness, supported externally by a number of enormous but- tresses, was formerly thrown across the valley, — for, from its great depth and breadth, it deserves the name ; — but this has been partly swept away by some resistless flood, leaving a gap, towards the centre, of about fifty yards across. The water-works, of inferior dimensions and importance, exist close to this, on the western bank of the canal, and are still available in irrigation. The canals by which this part of the Fayoom is fertilized. FIRST VIEW OP LAKE MCERIS. 165 do not, as Pococke imagined, communicate directly with the Nile; being minor branches of the Bahr Yiisuf, running off from the main stream in the neighbourhood of Ilawara and Senofor, passing some by Saylek, Sirsin, and Ma^itli, and others by INIasloob, El Massera, and Zirbi. Exten- sive tracts of land, formerly cultivated to the east of the canals, are novv neglected, and gradually, through lack of moisture, crumbling into sand, and mingling with the Desert, which at present seems to be everywhere gaining ground. About the bed of the canal were numerous water-fowl, such as wild-ducks, curlews, snipes, and siksaks, skimming to and fro, and uttering their plain- tive screams ; but as it seemed probable we should have other use for our arms, wo did not molest them. The stream, diminutive but rapid, ran in limpid purity through a channel sometimes rocky, sometimes lined with a mossy grass, rippling, murnmring, or breaking in tiny cascades over abrupt descents in its bed. We pursued its course for two or three miles, in the hope of discovering some genuine remnant of antiquity, or that remarkable opening, whether natural or artificial, by which Lake Moeris is said to have flowed, during six months of the year, into the Nile. In the latter expec- tation we were disappointed ; nothing resembling such a channel appeared ; and observing that sunset was drawing near, we desisted from further search. Before we quitted the channel of the canal, an hyena appeared in one of the breaks on the opposite bank ; but very quietly, on our approach, made its escape into the Desert. On attaining an elevated point of the undulating plain, west of the stream, I caught the first glimpse of Lake Moeris, magnificently stretching away from east to west, crimsoned all over by the setting sun, and glittering like a sea of molten amethyst. To obtain a more extensive view of this glorious prospect, we climbed to the top of a ruined Sheikh's tomb — such as are found picturesquely scattered over all the desert parts of Egypt, — and from thence beheld what, if it be really, as antiquity believed, artificial, must incontestibly be regarded as the greatest, most poetical, and sublime of all the works of the Egyptian kings. My thoughts in an instant were hurried away to the shores of Lake Leman, where my children were then at play ; and this ideal asso- ciation imperceptibly, perhaps, imparted to the scene a beauty, a grandeur, an enchaining interest, which, for many other travellers, it may not possess. But, independently of any such consideration, this noble lake must always be regarded with enthusiasm. Those vast basins, scooped out by the hand of nature on the surface of our globe, however immense they may be, excite in us no wonder, since we know that to the Power which created them all things are possible ; but when we behold something similar effected by the genius and labour of man, producing a remarkable and permanent feature in the external configuration of the world, it seems lawful to experience something like exultation, while we reflect that, however feeble and transi- tory we may be, it is still within our competency, when seconded by the co-operation of others, to construct for the admiration and benefit of future ages monuments little less durable, perhaps, than the world itself. Near the saint's tomb, the ruins of which afforded us so fine a view of the lake, we observed, in a field formerly cultivated, fragments of two red 166 EGYPT AND NUBIA. granite columns, exquisitely polished and scolloped. Some great public edifice, palace, or temple, must, therefore, have formerly existed near this spot, of which further traces might probably be discovered by excavation ; but for this, even in more tranquil times, a military escort would, perhaps, be necessary. On returning to the caravanserai, we found a mob collected round the Bedouin horseman at the gateway ; but with what intentions we knew not. Fi'om their looks, however, it was clear they regarded us with no friendly eye, though they offered us no opposition. The agitation now prevailing among this savage populace had an aspect altogetlier revolu- tionary. Deserting their homes, and putting off those domestic habits, to which, under ordinary circumstances, they are attached, they seemed to be in momentary expectation of some exciting event, which might apparently justify them in taking up arms, and plunging into excesses. Our apart- ment close to the gate, having no door, exposed us to the perpetual gaze of the multitude, continually passing and repassing. By day the wretched place received light through several holes in the roof and walls, which now admitted the cold evening air ; while overhead, a goat was running to and fro, shaking down upon our heads showers of dust and straw, with wliich it was fortunate that no scorpions were mingled. Dinner being ready, we sat down on the beds, and placing the plates upon our knees, despatched our meal thus, by the light of a small lamp stuck in the floor ; while the insolent crowd filled the doorway, staring and laughing in the rudest man- ner. At this moment a number of soldiers, who had just traversed the Desert, arrived at the caravanserai ; upon which the Bedouin sentinel dis- appeared, as if by magic ; and the mob slinking away from about the entrance, tranquillity was for the time restored. However, it was possible that the place might still be assaulted during the night, in order, as at Sanhoor, to cut off the soldiers ; and, therefore, when the great gate had been shut, and we lay down to sleep, our brave and faithful Atouni guide, wakeful and vigilant, as accustomed to the sudden surprises and night- attacks of a Desert life, placed himself across the doorway, that, should any attempt be made upon us, the assailants might have to pass, in the first instance, over his body. Fatigued and drowsy, it was not long before we fell asleep ; and no disturbance occurred during the night to interrupt our slumbers. CHAPTER XIII. Adventures during a Visit to Lake M(eris. Had the Moggrebyns stormed the Okella that night, they would have acquired considerable booty, it being filled with merchants, chiefly inha- bitants of the province, returning with the goods they had purchased at Cairo. Most of these persons, as is the custom in the East, were stirring and preparing to depart at an extremely early hour ; and when, shortly after dawn, the gates were opened, recommenced their journey. Our Atouni guide, whose " green old age " had left him all the vigour and BEAUTIFUL SCENERY. 167 activity of youth, waa on foot witli the earliest of them, and engaged in saddling and loading the dromedaries. Nothing so much contributes, I imaf^ine, to the habit of early rising, so universal in the East, as their custom of lying on the ground, and never undressing when they go to rest; for it requires no effort to rise early, when you have only to put on your slippers, and adjust your turban, in order to be ready for a journey ; and where, besides, the air is so pleasant that it is a luxury to be abroad. All things being ready, we departed immediately after sunrise ; and our dro- medaries, fresh and naturally swift-paced, soon overtook the long strings of laden camels and asses proceeding towards the interior, which had quitted the caravanserai so much earlier. Their road lying towards Medinet, we very quickly left them behind, and struck off into a different track in the direction of Senooris and the lake. The country in the immediate neighbourhood of Tameia consists of a rich alluvial soil, which would repay tlie labours of the husbandman with abundant harvests, but it seems to have been long abandoned, and was now in an entirely uncultivated state. We very soon entered, however, upon a plain smiling and fertile, intersected by innumerable small canals, along the banks of which ran high causeways, serving as roads, and forming the only links of communication between the villages during the time of the inundation. In many places the water still remained in small pools, bordered with rushes and tufted reeds, consti- tuting an interesting feature in a plain of matchless beauty, clothed with vegetation ; — tender young corn, wheat in the ear, lupines, clover, beans, all in flower, enamelling the fields, and impregnating the whole air with fragrance. Towards the right, through breaks in the date forests, and the thick undergrowth of tamarisks and mimosas, we occasionally, in riding along, caught hasty glimpses of the calm shining surface of the lake, with the sterile crags and wide wastes of sand which form its northern shore. Never, at any period of my life, — except, perhaps, on the day that saw nie wandering among the barren mountains of Messenia in the Peloponnesus, — did I derive, from the presence of mere inanimate objects, a delight so perfect, so capable of absorbing the thoughts and filling tlie whole mind, so replete witli poetical enjoyment, so intense and rapturous, as I expe- rienced during this morning's ride. The landscape appeared to compre- hend every element of interest and beauty ; a plain of unrivalled richness and fertility, exhibiting each various shade of verdure, intersected by streams of water, sprinkled with tufted groves, disclosing between their foliage the rural village, and the towering minaret ; beyond these, the artificial sea of Moeris, quivering and glittering in the sun ; and, in the distance forming the majestic background of the picture, a range of rocky mountains, of com- manding elevation, arid, frowning, desolate, but invested with an air of gloomy grandeur highly congenial to the state of mind in which I viewed them. To those mute physical sources of pleasure, others of a moral nature were added. History and fable had assisted in peopling the spot with numerous interesting reminiscences ; but, more than each and all of these, extending in an almost contimious line along that edge of the lake, was a series of black tents, the dwelling-places of the redoubtable cavalry 168 EGYPT AND NUBIA. of the Desert, wliicli had defied and broken the power of Persian, and Greek, and Roman, and Turk ; and although, in tlie actual posture of aflfairs, we were not without apprehension from their marauding character, the conside- ration by no means diminished the pleasurable excitement of the moment. About nine o'clock we halted at a small caravanserai, standing near the cemetery, in the outskirts of Senooris ; and while Abu Zaid was engaged in kindling a fire and preparing coffee, our active old Bedouin proceeded into the village in search of milk. The inhabitants, little accustomed to the visits of strangers, seeing us dismount from our camels, came flocking thither in crowds which increased every moment. Our dress and appear- ance, which had elsewhere excited no attention, seemed to them an object of wonder ; and my writing apparatus, viewed with some degree of suspicion in all parts of Egypt, called forth so many extraordinary remarks, and was beheld with so many evident signs of disa])probation and alarm, that it appeared judicious to make no further use of it in their sight, lest it should draw upon us some impleasant consequences. In Europe, more especially in the sceptical atmosphere of large cities, even the vulgar affect to be delivered from the terrors of superstition, and the belief in the force of charms and talismans ; though, were the matter probed to the bottom, the old leaven might still, perhajis, be found lurking in the recesses of their souls ; but in the East, ignorance has not yet learned to conceal its deformity behind the mask of j)hilosophy. What they believe and apprehend, that they profess to apprehend and believe. Dissimulation, on sucli subjects, is above their reach. It was, therefore, as I have said, not without terror and dislike that they observed me writing, and consulting books and maps, all which things they ingenuously regard as the implements of a magician ; and at length, in order to put a stop to my diabolical machinations, it was hinted that the drift of our proceedings was perfectly well understood ; that we were come to take away the gold which, according to them, lies concealed in great abundance in tlie earth on the shores of Lake Moeris. We were supposed to be in possession of a book, by the reading of which, in the vicinity of buried treasures, we could cause the ground to open, and attract the gold to the surface ; which, they assured us, had, to their knowledge, been done by a famous magician, who visited the province some years ago. This is their only idea of the use of books. In order to tranquillize their minds respecting their hidden treasures, I shut up all my magical instruments, and, quitting the caravanserai, strolled forth among the tombs in the cemetery. But this was making a transition from bad to worse. Ghouls and Efi"rits and Marids, in the shape of men, delight to roam about amid graves and sepulchres, where, at certain periods of the day or night, they unearth the dead and feed upon their corpses; and, to judge by their looks, the good people of Senooris seemed not to be entirely exempt from the suspicion that we might possibly belong to that infernal order of beings. When, however, they beheld us sit down to breakfast in front of the caravanserai, and make use, like JMussulmans, of coflfee and bread, their ideas took another direction, and they seemed, poor creatures ! to envy us every mouthful we ate. They, in fact, acknowledged REBELLION OF THE MOGGREBYNS. 109 th.it tlic oppression and rapacity of the Pasha's government had reduced them to a state of starvation ; observing that, at length, the old prophecy was fulfilled, the father's hand being turned against the child, and the child's against the father, food being now all they thought of; that honest men, instigated by hunger, and beholding their wives and little ones pining and perishing around them through want, had become robbers, and infested the roads, on which assaults and murders were daily committed ; and that jVIohammed AH, — " upon whom," exclaimed they, " be the curse of God ! " — with his monopolies and ambition, was the cause of all their calamities. On the rebellion of the Moggrebyn Bedouins they appeared to dwell with satisfaction, as if they hoped, through their aid, to recover their independence, and see better days. It is possible, therefore, they may have somewhat exajjgerated their forces, the extent of their political views, and the terror of their arms ; but, whether this was the case or not, it v/as quite clear, from every view of their account, that we had entered the Fayoom at a peculiarly inauspicious moment, and could neither retreat nor advance, in any direction, without running imminent risk of being murdered; for the Western Arabs, taking advantage of the discon- tents of the people, the absence of the Pasha's military forces in Syria and the Hejaz, and crediting, or feigning to credit, the report of the arrival of an English and French fleet at Alexandria, for the purpose of deposing Mohammed Ali, had poured themselves in from the Desert in va£t bodies, encamped close to the towns, or spread themselves in marauding parties through the country, everywhere setting at defiance the authority of government. Tliough relying, perhaps, upon the support of the Moggrebyns, and for the moment, fearing nothing from the Pasha, the people of Senooris, unlike their brethren of Tameia, behaved — if we except their aversion to our talismans — with exemplary civility, running eagerly to fetch from the village whatever we vvanted, and accepting with thankfulness the trifles given them in return for their services. By the time we had ended our meal, however, and prepared to remount, the crowd which had collected round us was considerable ; though their manners underwent no change. They merely ventured to advise us, in a friendly way, not to advance any fui'ther into the country, which we should find teeming with difficulties and dangers ; but not knowing what degree of credit to yield to their reports, and unwilling to turn back for what might afterwards appear to be but a vain rumour, we declined following their counsel, and inquired whether there was any one among them who, for a handsome present, would undertake to be our guide to the turbulent town of Sanhoor and the lake. The idea appeared absurd, and they allowed us to ride away without a guide ; but we had scarcely turned the eastern extremity of the town, before a young man, of bold but prepossessing countenance, presented him- self, offering to conduct us whithersoever we might desire ; and to his fidelity and good sense we were indebted, before the sun went down, for our lives. Senooris is a considerable town, possessing a handsome mosque, adorned with a lofty minaret ; but, in accordance with the practice everywhere 170 EGYPT AND NUBIA. prevailing in Egypt, its environs are deformed by enormous mounds of filth and rubbish, between which a canal winds its way through a deep broad channel toAVards the north. In our way to Zaouya, the lake was constantly visible, unless when the view was intercepted by trees. Occa- sionally the windings of the camel-track conducted us into the immediate vicinity of the Moggrebyn encampments, from which we at length saw a small party of horse detach itself, and move westward, parallel with our route, evidently for the purpose of reconnoitring our movements. Per- ceiving the difficulty of our position, it might, perhaps, have been prudent to have abandoned the idea of descending to the shores of the lake, — of which we could now command an admirable prospect, — and have directed our course towards Medinet. But it was for the purpose of beholding the creation of Moeris that we had principally desired to visit the Fayoom ; and to have returned without tasting its waters, and contemplating at leisure the wild beauties of its shores, would have grieved us exceedingly. Besides, in all intercourse with savages, it has been observed, that less danger is incurred by advancing carelessly and confidently among them, than by manifesting symptoms of dread ; and, therefore, without appearing to observe the hostile demonstrations of the " Sons of Ismael," we con- tinued to pursue our original plan. Now, however, our stout-hearted old Atouni began, not altogether without reason, to entertain apprehensions for the safety of his camels ; — if he felt any for his own, he was too proixd to own it ; — and, lifting up his hands, bewailed the poor beasts, as if they were already lost. Between his tribe and the Moggrebyns of the Fayoom there existed, he said, a blood-feud ; and they would certainly not let sUp the present occasion of satiating their rancorous and hereditary hatred. I observed, however, that he made no mention of turning back, either con- ceiving it to be too late, or from the natural predilection of his whole race for strife and bloodshed. Many causes combined to render our progress slow and irksome. Owing to the infinite number of small canals, which intersect the country in all directions, the camel-track meanders in the most extraordinary manner, now leading towards the north, and now towards the south. Frequently, it became necessary to dismount, and force or coax the dromedaries to leap the ditches which crossed our path ; and, on one occasion, fortunately when no one was on his back, one of them fell, and rolled into the canal, from whence we had some difficulty to extricate him. At Zaouya, where we paused to make some passing inquiries, our Cairo domestic was on the point of seriously compromising us, by informing the inhabitants, through the vanity of being supposed to belong to the service of persons in authority, that we were officers of the Pasha, proceeding through the country in the execution of our duty ; which, since all these people were in league with the enemy, would, in all probability, have effected our destruction. Understanding quite enough of Arabic to detect the purport of his discourse, we questioned him on the subject ; and find- intr our suspicions well founded, he was directed to contradict his former statement, and forbidden to propagate such a report for the future, on pain of being instantly shot. Continuing to advance in a westerly direction, and passing through the THE SHORES OF LAKE MCERIS. 171 villages of Bayheeth and Tirseli, we at length arrived at the rehel town of Sanhoor, where, a few days before, had taken place the battle, in which the Pasha's forces were worsted by the Bedouins. It is, in fact, an extensive village, buried in a forest of date trees, and partly surrounded by a deep water-course. The canals of the Fayooni, though at this season of the year extremely shallow, have all the characteristic beauties of natural rivulets, running for the most part down gentle declivities, in a winding course, rippling and transparent, in many places over gravelly bottoms, between banks frino;ed with slender reeds or willows. On drawing near the town, we perceived a number of people engaged in a very noisy quarrel among the rubbish mounds,* but we received no molestation ; on the con- trary, an old man, with a venerable grey beard, who professed to be well acquainted with the country round the lake, came voluntarily forward, offering to be our guide. Having accepted his services, we were shortly afterwards joined by two other Arabs, who likewise, without further ceremony, constituted themselves our guides ; so that, being attended by four gentlemen of this profession, not to mention our Mahazi Bedouin, there was little danger of losing our way. On emerging from the date woods of Sanhoor, we observed that the land sloped gradually to the water's edge, and was covered, in the immediate vicinity of the town, with wheat, barley, and trefoil, and, further on, with halfah grass and copses of tamarisk. The view of the Sea of Moeris, with its Avild picturesque shore, was now peculiarly grand. Equalling in breadth the Lake of Geneva, between Rolles and Thonon, but differing in its accessories from everything in Europe, it seemed to have been created for the purpose of awakening in the mind the spirit of poetry. Alpine peaks with glaciers and eternal snows, are here not found, to rouse and elevate the imagination ; but in their stead, something no less sublime, no less calculated to suggest lofty and ennobling trains of thought, to carry the mind beyond the limits of the every-day world, and, by rendering it con- versant with the stupendous aspect of nature, in the burning, boundless Desert, the sun-scorched mountain, the abandoned plain, the unnavigated wave, to induce a habit of contentment and serenity, images of a novel character, and a love of whatever is gifted with the irresistible attributes of beauty. Towards the east, the opposite shore is low, consisting of a series of undulating sand-hills, which, as the eye turns westward, give place to rocky eminences, rising gradually into mountains, barren and wild, extend- ing westward to the extreme verge of the horizon. Between this arid chain and the traveller who contemplates it from the verdant plains of the Fayoom, lies the Lake of Moeris, which, on the morning of our visit, glit- tered in the sun like a sea of molten silver, and, neither of its extremities being visible, seemed to be of interminable extent. After pausing some time to enjoy the distant prospect, we alighted from our camels, and, leaving them to browse upon the plain, walked down to the beach, which I approached with more true pleasure than I had anywhere else expe- rienced in Egypt. Though a cool breeze, blowing across the lake, somewhat * See AVilkinsoa. 172 EGYPT AND NUBIA. tempered the lieat of the sun, it was fortunately not sufficient to chill the atmosphere, the temperature of which greatly exceeded that of July in Europe. Everything, therefore, contributed to augment our enjoyment. Absolute solitude prevailed on all sides. Our camels and attendants being concealed from sight by copses and thickets, and the distant villages, — here exceedingly few, — by lofty woods, nothing presented itself to the eye which could suggest a reference to human society. Enormous flights of aquatic birds — pelicans, wild-ducks, gulls, petrels, and white ibises — were here seen, some rising, others lighting on the shores, or swimming on the lake. Of these great quantities are taken by hooks attached to long lines, that are stretched at intervals over the surface. I saw a large black fowl with a sharp serrated bill, caught in this manner, and two fish, called Shillbee Beeri, with flat heads, and beards, or whiskers, six or seven inches long, which were said to be very fine, and were nearly a yard in length.* In the grass, almost under our feet, were numerous coveys of partridges ; and, when we had reached the beach, both sight and smell were struck by prodigious numbers of dead fish, which having, as the natives afterwards informed us, recently perished through cold, had been driven on land by a tempestuous north wind. The quantity was incre- dible, lining the shoi'e in heaps as far as the eye could reach, as if a multitude of fishermen had just emptied their nets there. They were exceedingly varied in form and size ; some measuring nearly five feet in length, and of more than proportionate thickness, — and of these many hundreds lay among the smaller fry upon the mud, — while others were no bigger than a herring. In general the largest were closest to the water, the smallest, in many instances, having been carried by the waves twenty or thirty yards inland. The stench arising from so great a quantity of fish putrefying in the sun was almost insupportable, and must have communi- cated a pestilential quality to the atmosphere. According to Diodorus, the species of fish caught in this lake anciently amounted in number to twenty-two. I did not count those we saw, but should certainly have supposed there were many more. Sir Gardner Wilkinson thinks that the fish of Lake Moerls are identical in kind with those of the Nile, though greatly superior in flavour. His opinion may possibly be correct, but among all the fish caught in the river I never saw any at all resembling the larger species which I have found upon the beach, nor did I ever meet with any person who had seen such. The fisheries of this lake are exceedingly productive, and abundantly supply the whole markets of the F.iyoom. Like that of the canals, the lake fishing is farmed by the government to some rich inhabitants of the district, who are usually Copt Christians ; and the fish, as in former times, are either taken fresh to the market, or are dried and salted, as Diodorus observes in his notice of the lake, though the number of persons engaged in this occupation bears a very small proportion to that of former times. This custom of farming the fisheries was pro- bably derived by the Arab government from their predecessors. It does * Colonel Howard Vjse. VOYAGE ACROSS THE LAKE. 173 not, however, seem to have been adopted at their first occupation of the country, since the Arab historian, El JMakrisi, who wrote in the fourteentli century of our era, mentions it as a new idea. It may hero be observed, that Lake Moeris lies about a hundred feet below the level of the Nile,* and that its waters could never have risen to a much greater height than at present, since we find the remains of ancient buildings close to tlie shore. As soon as we gained a practicable part of the beach, my companion, inipatient of the heat, bathed in the lake ; while I contented myself with tasting the water, and strolling along the shore. Whatever may be its depth towards the middle, JMoeris is extremely shallow near the land ; it being necessary, on this part of the coast, to advance several hundred yards before one can swim. I found the water of a brackish taste, though not to the degree mentioned by Pococke, who thought it " almost as salt as the sea." As far as we proceeded, the quantity of fish upon the beach continued imdi- minished ; so that the account furnished by the priests to Herodotus, of the value of the fisheries of Lake Moeris, does not seem to have been exaggerated ; foi', judging by appearances, they would furnish food to half Egypt. All this part of the shore is adorned with slender tamarisk bushes, covered, in many cases, with red catkins, like the willow, which, drooping and waving over the water, render the beach highly beautiful. The boat that formerly conveyed persons to the opposite shore had long been destroyed ; but an Arab, who lived some leagues farther to the west, was said still to possess a small bark, which might easily be hired. In the present state of the country, however, covered with marauding Moggrebyns, and rebel camps, it was judged unsafe to venture far from the camels and luggage ; and we had very soon reason to congratulate ourselves on our determination. Other travellers visiting the Fayoom at a more propitious moment, have crossed Lake Moeris and examined tlie ruins of towns and temples scattered on its western shores. Belzoni in particular was most fortunate in his visit. He found the province in peace, and the poor people eager to attend him for the smallest reward. Still it was not without some difficulty that he procured a boat, which he describes as so ancient and rickety that it might probably have served Charon himself to convey the corpses of the Egyptians to their last resting-place. The Roman traveller, full of the theories which prevailed in his day, discovered everywhere proofs that this was the original scene of the fable of Charon ferrying over the shades to Hades. The bark was entirely out of shape. The outer shell or hulk was com- posed of rough pieces of wood, scarcely joined and fastened by four other pieces, bound together by four more across, which formed the deck. No tar or pitch had been used, either inside or without, and the onJy thing * Monsieur Linant de Bellefonds bns written an elaborate and voluminous memoir to prove that the Birket-el-Karoon is not the Lake Moeris of the ancients, which he places on a part of the Fayoom, now dry, in the vicinity of Medinet. He argues the point with much ingenuity, though ids reasoning scarcely, perhaps, pioduces conviction. This, however, is not llie place to enter into such discussions; otherwise it would perhaps be possible to bring forward quite as many and as weighty arguments, and possibly a little more accurate learning, to prove Lake Maris and the Birkct-el-Karooa to be identical. q2 174 EGYPT AND NUBI.\, wliich prevented tlie water entering through the seams was a kind of weed. " IlavintT," says Belzoni, " made an agreement with the owner, who re- semhled the pilot of the Stygian flood, we put on board some provisions and made towards the west, where the famous Labyrinth was supposed to have been situated. The water of the lake was now drinkable, owing to the extraordinary overflow of the Nile, which surmounting all the high lands, and in addition to the Bahr Yusuf, poured in such torrents into the lake that it raised its level twelve feet higher than ever it had been remembered by the oldest fisherman. ^Ve advanced with our old Baris, towards the West, and at sunset saw the shore quite deserted, there remaining nothing to look at save the lake and the mountains on the north. The pilot lighted a fire, while his companion went to fish with a net, and soon returned with sufficient for our supper. The land we were now in had anciently been cultivated, as there appeared many stumps of palm and other trees nearly petrified. I observed also the vine in great plenty. The scene here was beautiful : the silence of the night — the beams of the radiant moon shining on the still water of the lake — the solitude of the place — the sight of our boat — the group of fishermen — the temple which bears the name of Old Charon, a little way ofi", reminded me of the Lake Acheron, the boat Baris, and the old ferryman of the Styx. I perceived this was the very spot where the poet originated the fable of the passage of the souls over the river Oblivion. Nothing could be more pleasing to my imagination than being so near the Elysium, perhaps on the very Elysium itself. I thought that the plants which appeared nearly petrified, were the very ones amongst which the souls were enjoying the happiness of their purity. I strolled along the banks of the lake in solitary musing, not unlike one of these wandering souls waiting its turn to cross the Styx, while my old Charon, with his semi-demons, was preparing supper. I thought that night one of the happiest of my life, and imagined myself out of the reach of evil mortals. Happy in the Elysian Fields, I feared not the mahce and treacherous arts of envy, jealousy, spite, revenge, nor the thousand other snares of man. I nearly forgot I was living ; and I suppose that, had I continued in my ecstacy, I should have proved that these waters have the power of oblivion. Next morning before sunrise we entered the old Baris, and steered towards the west, till we arrived near the end of the lake, which, according to these fishermen, now extended further than they ever remembered it, in consequence of the above extraordinary inundation. We landed here, and I took two of the boatmen and set oS^ for the temple called Kasr-el-Karoon, about three miles distant, standing in the midst of a ruined town, the foundations of whose walls are still to be seen, along with the substructures of several houses and small temples. There are also fragments of columns and blocks of stone. The temple, in tolerable preservation, is constructed in a style different from that of the Egyptians. No hieroglyphics are painted on the walls, and only two figures, which may be those of Osiris and Amnion. Part of the town is covered with sand. Towards the east there is a something like a gateway in an octan- gular form, and at a little distance a Greek chapel elevated on a platform, with cellars under it. In visiting this ruin I was near becoming the RUINS ON THE WESTERN SHORES OF THE LAKE. 175 breakfast of an liyena; for having loft my arms behind, I was about to mount the flight of steps, when the fierce animal, rushing forth from the apartments heneatli the chapel, darted past me. He had evidently been himself alarmed, but perceiving that I carried no weapon, was on the point of returning to the attack, when he was scared away by the shrieks of the terrified Arabs, after having shown us its pretty teeth, and treated us to one of its loudest roars. Whatever remains of beauty were to be seen in this town, it could not have been the site of the famous Labyrinth. The Laby- rinth was a building of three thousand chambers, one half above and one half below the surface of the earth. Such an immense edifice would probably have bequeathed to us sufficiently numerous fragments to determine where it had stood ; but not a trace of any such a building is anywhere to be seen. The town was about a mile in circumference, with the temple in its centre, so I cannot see how the Labyrinth could be placed in this situation. I accordingly left the place, and on my return towards the lake passed a tract of land which had once been cultivated, and saw a great many stumps of plants almost burnt. On my reaching the shore, a high wind arose from the south-west, and greatly agitated the waters, drifted the sand in the air, and stranded our boat. There being plenty of wood, we lighted a fire, and passed the night under shelter of a mat suspended over two sticks fixed in the ground. In the morning, the wind having abated, we again embarked, and shaped our course northward along the coast the whole day. In several parts we observed great quantities of weeds growing from beneath the waters, among which game greatly abounded. " The pelican is here as common as on the Nile. There are also many wild-ducks, and a kind of large snipe. Next morning the boatmen, being tired of the expedition, resolved to recross the lake. I had somewhere read, however, that there existed the ruins of a town near this spot, and shortly after daybreak set out alone in search of it. The Arabs imme- diately ran after me, observing that there was nothing to be seen save a few ruined houses and a high wall. But this was enough for me. I determined to proceed, and they, after exhibiting the usual amount of obstinacy, consented to go along with me. Having passed a narrow strip of bushes, where the slots of leopards and of antelopes were visible, we ascended a steep ridge, on which there had evidently been vineyards, as the remains were to be perceived struggling through the sand, that now covers the extensive ranges of desert mountains to such a depth, that their rocky summits are the only objects perceptible in the undulating waste. As the sand is deep and drifted, it is impossible, without very extensive excavations, to determine what was the former surface of the country ; but it is evident tliat the part next the water had been cultivated, and that the ancient town we came to visit had been placed to gi-eat advan- tage ; and that before the plains and mountains between it and the lake had been overwhelmed with the vast body of sand, had it commanded a magnificent prospect of the lake, from which it is not three miles distant, and of the fertile province on the eastern shore. On reaching the summit of a low range of hills, I discovered the ruins of a town not far distant. This must have been the city of Bacchus, which I have seen marked on many ancient maps. There are a great number of houses half tumbled 176 EGYPT AND NUBIA. down and a hifrli wall of sunburnt bricks, which incloses the ruins of a temple. The houses are detached, and arranged irregularly, and divided from each other by straggling lanes, narrow as those of Cairo. The temple, which faces the south, is approached by a causeway, constructed with laro-e stones, and extending all the way from the town. In the centre of the city I observed several houses underground, roofed with beams of wood, with layers of canes, clay, and bricks, so that one might walk over with- out perceiving that he was treading on the top of a house. As the fisher- men had brought their hatchets, I caused two or three of these houses to be uncovered, and found a fireplace in every one of them. They were not more than ten or twelve feet square, and the communication to each house was by a narrow lane, not more than three feet wide, which was also covered." Mr. Belzoni was at a loss to understand why these subterranean habitations had been constructed. It could not, he thought, have been for coolness, since they must have had all the force of the sun upon them without the slightest chance of a breath of wind. Probably, however, they were only the underground floors of the ordinary dwellings, built, ats in Affo-hanistan and elsewhere in the East, to be occupied during the great heats of summer, being kept cool by the shelter of the superincumben structure. " The houses above-ground were constructed in a manner somewhat difier- ent from any I had seen before. Few had a second floor, and those which were higher than the rest were very narrow, so that they resembled towers rather than common houses ; but now there is scarcely one to be seen entire. As to the temple, it is fallen, but appears to have been pretty extensive. The blocks of stone are of the largest size, some eight and nine feet lonarts of the East. Being themselves free, they allow their wives and XOBLE BRIDGE OVER THE BAIIR YUSUF. 187 (laughters to enjoy the same liberty, Avhich is very rarely abused. In y)cr- sonal charms, the women of the desert are greatly superior to those of the cultivated country ; possessing more delicate features, bright eyes, and countenances indicative of great intelligence and vivacity : though I saw none of those beautiful girls described by some travellers, whose judgment in these matters was not, perhaps, sufficiently exercised ; for, according to European notions, all the Bedouin women are deficient in that softness, harmony, and elongation of features indispensable to female beauty. In them, as among the men, the characteristic national type is remarkably unvaried ; for though, of course, differences in complexion and countenance may be observed, tlioy seem, upon the whole, like the members of one immense family. Both sexes are tattooed, — the men on the arms ; the women both on the arms and chin, — with the figures of flowers or stars, or some other fanciful ornament. In every respect these small encampments looked highly interesting ; for, though a number of the men were absent with their flocks and herds, enough remained to confer an air of life and activity upon the scene. I have already observed that the heat of the sun, in the sands near the pyramid, was exceedingly powerful, rendering walking a laborious task ; but the moment we mounted our dromedaries, and put them in motion, there again appeared to be an agreeable coolness in the air. In the desert, the camel possesses many decided advantages as a saddle animal over the horse ; for, in addition to those arising from the peculiarity of its construc- tion, and its capacity to endure privation and fatigue, it places the rider so high above the ground, that the reflection of the sun''s rays, nearly into- lerable on foot, is scarcely at all felt, while an agreeable freshness is kept up in the air by the rapidity of its movements. Turning off" towards the right, we crossed the bed of the canal of Illahoon, over a long causeway, wliere wall after wall has been thrown across the channel, for the purpose of retaining water for irrigation ; and the ponds and reservoirs thus formed were still far from being exhausted. Proceeding towards the cast, we in a short time arrived at a noble bridge of many arches, thrown across the Bahr Yusuf, and intended, not for the use of the peasant or traveller desirous of traversing the canal, but to regulate the quantity of water admitted into the Fayoom during the inundation ; for which purpose each arch is furnished with a kind of portcullis, which can be lowered or raised, in proportion as more or less water is wanted. This is one of the useful works of the Pasha ; and its design and execution are hio-hly creditable to the architect. A small village containing several public buildings in a state of forwardness, occupies the bank of the canal at the southern extremity of the bridge, erected a little to the east of some ancient water-works, apparently of more massive but less tasteful construction. Keturning over the bridge, which we had crossed by mistake, we pro- ceeded along the northern bank of the Bahr Yusuf towards Benisooef. During the whole of this journey, from the time of our quitting the river at Ghizeh, we had drunk bad and sometimes brackish water, and I now longed with an earnestness indescribable, to reach Benisooef, that I might again drink pure watei*. It is a saying among the Arabs, that whoever 188 EGYPT AND NUBIA. lias once tasted of the Nile, can never wholly abandon the Sacred Valley, but, wherever he may wander, will some time or another return to Egypt, drawn thither by the magical attraction of its river : and I pardon the Arabs for their enthusiasm, for on this day, though surrounded by canals, the water of the Nile appeared to me like that fountain for which David thirsted, — more desirable than milk or honey ; — and, as I rode across the wide plain which separated me from them, I beheld with extreme impa- tience the village groves coming in sight, one after another, informing me I was still far from the river. At length, however, early in the afternoon, the white minarets of Benisooef, glittering among the deep verdure of the date-palms, appeared in the distance, inspiring me with delight, for I knew that the Nile Ho wed at their feet ; but while I was enjoying, by anticipa- tion, the luxury of quenching my thirst with pure water, myriads of winged ants, ai'ising from the earth and stagnant pools, settled on our faces, shoulders, and hands, buzzing and stinging like bees. Their numbers were incredible. We appeared to each other like moving ant-hills ; for though we swept them off and killed them by thousands, until they stunk like putrid flesh, about our hands and clothes, the swarm never seemed to be diminished, until, on our arrival at Benisooef, they were killed with a besom in the court of the caravanserai. On reaching the city, unusual bustle and activity were observable in the streets, now so crowded that our dromedaries had scarcely room to put their feet upon the ground without trampling on some person. The cause soon appeared. Ahmed Pasha, with a division of the Egyptian army, had just arrived from the Hejaz, and the soldiers, previous to their march into the Fayoom against the JVIoggrebyns, were spreading themselves through the city, snatching in haste the coarse pleasures within their reach. All the dancing- girls, singers, and musicians, 'were consequently employed ; and we found the caravanserai so entirely occupied by this military rabble, that not a single apartment could be obtained. We were therefore constrained to pass the night in a kind of open shed, half-filled with sacks of corn and other merchandise. In the court, several asses and camels, besides our own, were stabled ; and, had any of them felt disposed during the night to share our lodgings, there was nothing to prevent them, the floor of the shed not being elevated a foot above the yard. Here, for the use of the wayfarer, stood a large jar of Nile water, which, in comparison with what we had been compelled to drink in the Fayoom, seemed doubly sweet. There was likewise in the court a kind of coffee-house, kept by a young ragged Arab woman, who, with the camels' dung, and similar substances, which she used for fuel, raised so acrid and abominable a smoke, that we were almost driven by it out of our deu. However, the poor girl, who was good-natured and obliging, voluntarily assisted our attendants, now considerably fatigued, in their culinary opera- tions, bringing them water, attending to their fire, »8:c. with great alacrity. When our mattresses had been unrolled in the shed, we sat down close to the entrance, to enjoy the curious spectacle which the motley groups, con- stantly entering or quitting the caravanserai, pi'esented. Poverty and wretchedness are not always companions : more ragged devils than were here collected it would be difiicult to find in any country ; but they were MARKET-DAY AT BENISOOEF. 189 not, as miglit have been expected, distinguislicd by rueful countenances, and a sullen spiritless gait. On the contrary, the ease and hilarity with which they supported the weight of despotism, and contumely, and want, at first made me angry : it seemed as if they hugged their chains. But this superficial view of the subject was succeeded by reflections of a dif- ferent character, and I acknowledged the wisdom and beneficence of nature, in making up for the want of freedom and its concomitant dignity, by a happy insensibility, and a disposition to catch and reflect from the speculum of the mind every enlivening ray which circumstances allow to find its way thither. Soon after we had dispatched pur dinner, the great gate of the caravanserai was shut, and the sober part of its inmates retired to rest ; but in the upper suite of apartments there were several boisterous Turkish soldiers, who sang, laughed, and made a great noise to a comparatively late hour. The youthful mistress of the coffee-house slept close to us, in the passage. For some time a small, dim lamp, suspended against a wall in the court, cast a gloomy light over our uncouth resting-place ; bnt the wind blew tempestuously, accompanied witli rain, which, falling in large drops on the flame, at length extinguished it, and left us in total darkness. Once or twice, when I awoke during the night, the camels and asses, incommoded by the weather, seemed very much inclined to quit the wet court, and step into our bed-chamber ; but they forbore, and permitted us to maintain undisturbed possession of it until morning. Benisooef is a place of some consideration, with several mosques, cara- vanserais, and large private houses, together with an extensive well-supplied bazaar, frequented once a week by the peasants of the covintry round. As it happened to be market-day, this bazaar, thronged with people, formed an interesting and striking, but not a gay scene : both sellers and buyers, with but few exceptions, had an air of poverty ; and among these excep- tions were the officers of a regiment of cavahv, quartered in the town, whose gorgeous uniforms, glittering with gold, contrasted disagreeably with the rags which scarcely covered the nakedness of the half-starved fellahs. If you except the necessaries of life, the articles exposed for sale in an Egyptian bazaar would in general be regarded with scorn at an English fair : in an earthenware shop at Benisooef, for example, all the articles of English manufacture consisted of one small white bason, a soup-plate, and a few dessert-plates of the commonest kind, most of which I bought for four ]>iastres. In another place you see a man vending pipe-heads, whose whole stock might he purchased for five shillings ; yet he gets his living, such as it is, by selling them. Another person has a few onions, another a small quantity of dates, a third, the most thriving person by far, is engaged in selling hot cakes mixed with butter, at ten paras each, which he bakes as you eat them. Bread every day grows cheaper as you ascend the Nile : at Benisooef we bought, for a piastre, sixteen small cakes, as nice, though not quite so fine, as muffins ; thirty-two eggs for the same money ; eight small lemons, or rather citrons, for ten paras ; mutton twenty- eight paras per pound ; butter and milk, both excellent, were rather dearer. From this part of the bazaar we proceeded to that which is held among the large mounds of rubbish to the north of the town. Here we observed 1,00 EGYPT AND NUBIA. Female Spinuicg a more lively scene. On one side, near an old wall, were a number of water-jars, pots, and pans, with a row of Arab women squatting down behind them, laughing and chatting with infinite glee and volubility. Near these appeared a group of female itinerant linendrapers, each with a piece of coarse linen on her lap, and in the midst of them a woman engaged in spinning the thread from which /y^ this coarse fabric is manufactured. Fur- ther on, a man with mats, another with printed cottons, and a third with carrots or other vegetables. In the midst of these, as if to shame the mean- ness of their humble dress, we observed a number of cavalry officers, in their rich variegated costume, mounted on superb horses, dashing up the steep mounds, then down again, checking their fiery steeds in mid-gallop. Their principal commander, dressed in a magnificent scarlet cloak, embroidered vest, and costly shawl, with a fine horse and sabre, appeared, from his luxuriant carrotty musta- chios, to be some German renegade ; though, on the day before, I had seen an Arab with a red beard, and even mummies have been found with hair of this colour. A large building, with numerous glass windows and green blinds, situated at the northern entrance to the town, is one of the Pasha's abandoned cotton manufactories, now converted into a hospital. One of the principal mosques of the city has been undermined by the Nile, which, unless artificially dammed off, will soon wash away the whole town. The great sugar plantations of Egypt commence a little to the north of Bene- sooef, and these, together with the Dhourra, seem to occupy all the industry of the inhabitants, there being fine fields of tobacco, wheat, and cotton, and indigo plantations. Sucking the raw sugar-cane is a great luxury with the Arabs ; and, in reality, the juice has a pleasant taste. Arab servants of Europeans generally behave very insolently towards their countrymen. This morning, in the bazaar, my Arab took an old man by the beard, because he laughed at him for ofi"ering too little for his goods ; and struck another person in the face, for daring to speak, no doubt, impertinently about the article which he was buying. He depended upon the respect which is everywhere shown to the English : alone, he would not have dared to act thus for his life. Reprimands, however, have very little effect in checking his passions ; for as often as the occasion presents itself, the fault is repeated. 191 CHAPTER XV. The Haram-el-Ivedab — Pyramids of Sakkmiah — Bird Mumsiy Pits. Quitting Benisooef at an early hour, and turning tlic heads of our dromedaries northwards, Ave proceeded gently along the banks of tlie Nile. The sky was overcast, and a slight sprinkling of rain fell as we entered on the plain ; so that, judging from our northern experience, we looked for nothing less than a perpetual succession of heavy showers. As far as the eye could reach, the whole face of the country was covered with verdure and signs of luxuriant fertility ; beautiful fields of wheat, lujnnes, and beans in blossom impregnating the atmosphere with an agreeable odour. Intermingled with these were extensive patches of tall sedory jrrass, used by the Egyptians in the manufacture of mats ; and elsewhere large tracts remained fallow. The rain having several times commenced and blown oflf, at length, as we drew near Boosh, began to fall heavily, rendering the paths slippery for the camels, and drenching us to the skin. This rich and populous village is approached by a fine long avenue of Mimosa trees, which, embowering the road, afforded us some shelter, and in the surround- ing fields and paddocks, were numerous herds of buffaloes and kine. Halt- ing at the caravanserai, at some distance from the village, by some sup- })osed to have been the Ptolemais of the ancients,* we kindled a fire in one of the courts, and, notwithstanding the rain, ate our breakfast in the other, the interior having been defiled by some dirty Arab. Here we saw pass an immense train of camels, intermingled with dromedaries, amounting to upwards of a thousand: a great number were unladen, and several, of enormous bulk and stature, shuffling along like so many elephants. AVhile j)roceeding at his natural pace in a line after many others, or when ridden by a person to whom lie is accustomed, the dromedary is certainly a ducile animal ; but remove him out of these circumstances, ])ut a stranger on his back, endeavour to compel him to travel abreast with another, or drive him through a bean or corn-field, without permitting him to stop and eat, and he grows savagely imruly, roars, snatches at the food, or suddenly throws himself upon the ground, to the imminent danger of the rider's neck. I have frequently seen these tricks played by a very good dromedary, Avhich, though sufficiently tractable in the desert, where there was nothincr to rouse his appetite, annoyed and impeded us perpetually in the cultivated country. From Boosh we proceeded northward to the village of IMaydoon, where, instead of pursuing the ordinary route, we turned to the left towards the false Pyramid, which had been long visible, sometimes presenting the appearance of a prodigious tent on the edge of the verdant horizon ; some- * Pocock, Description of tlic East. 192 EGYPT AND NT'BIA. times dwindling, from the undulations of the ground, to an insignificant cone, or disappearing entirely behind the larger eminences. Occasionally we were conducted, by a bend in the road, into its immediate vicinity ; but pursuing the sinuosities of the path, winding hither and thither, accord- ing to the position of the different hamlets, it again receded, seeming to fly our approach, like the unreal waters of the desert : and from this circum- stance it may have been denominated by the Arabs, the false or delusive Pyramid, though others derive the name from its being only in part of the pyramidal form. Our progress across the cullivated country, where no paths of any kind exist, was much impeded by extensive corn-fields, which could not be traversed without inflicting considerable injury on the proprietors. The Bahr Yusuf skirting the desert, whose encroachments and devastations it limits and confines, is now, by the neglect of government, reduced, during the hot season, to a chain of small shallow ponds, in many places miles asunder. Immediately after crossing the bed of this ancient canal, we emerged into the desert, and, leaving tlie camels to browse on the coarse prickly plants growing among the sand, ascended towards the Pyramid, over the lofty mounds irregularly situated round its base. Its appearance from a short distance is so red, that, like the other religious struc- tures, it appears to have been painted ; but the ruddy tint is in the stone, which, when broken by the hammer, discloses numerous rubiginous strata. This Pyramid difl^ers in construction from those of Memphis, consisting of a series of square inclined towers, erected upon each other, successively diminishing in size to the summit, and orioinally terminating, I imagine, in a point. Each tower, however, was built completely, from the foundation to the apex, before that which encloses it like a sheath was commenced, so that the Egyptians here exhibited the utmost prodigality of expense and labour ; for the masonry of this prodigious structure is so admirable, the stones are so truly squared and so exquisitely fitted in the parts intended to be concealed, no less than in those which present themselves to the eye, that it would be impossible o insert the point of a penknife between them.* Midway up the third * Mr. Perring conjectures that the whole was originally covered with large unsquared bricks,* so as to complete the shape of a regular pyramid ; but this supposition appears to me contrary to all probability ; first, because the coveriug of a stone building with brick, would be absurd in itself; and, secondly, because if such bad been the case, some trace of the bnck addition would have been discoverable about the Pyramid. * See Nordeu, Pocock, and Richardson. The False Pyramid. FALSE PYRAMID. 193 tower, reckoning from the base, a band of unfinislicd masonry, about eight feet broad, extends along each of its four faces, while all above and below is finely polished. Though the Egyptians appear always to have ])laned and made even their walls after they were erected, beginning in most cases from the top, and working downwards, this rough band cannot be supposed to have been accidentally left unfinished, being everywhere of the same depth, and studded with greater inequalities than would iiave been found on a surface intended to be smoothed. It is, therefore, probable, that it was originally covered with a fine stucco, ornamented with bas-reliefs or intaglios, and painted in the most gorgeous style observable in the tcmjdes. Thus adorned, it would be difficult to conceive a more striking object than this vast barbaric pile, towering aloft in a transparent atmosphere, and overlooking, like a mighty fortress, the whole extent of the sacred valley. In fact, the false pyramid greatly resembles the idea which the descriptions of the ancients convey of the Tower of Belus, except that no flight of steps, running along the face of the edifice, conducts to the summit ; though it may be conjectured that the central turret contains a staircase, approached by some subterranean entrance now unknown. Grand, how- ever, as this structure is, its magnificence has not sufficed to protect it from the bai'barism of the Turks, who, to obtain materials for the construction of cotton mills or barracks, have commenced the demolition of the exterior towers. An attempt has likewise been made, high in the northern face, to discover a passage into the interior ; but, after considerably defacing the beauty of the Pyramid, the barbarian, who most probably was in search of treasure, relinquished his hopeless undertaking. Heaps of stones and rubbish, the spoils of the edifice, encumber the ground, and beyond these are the sand-hills of the desert, and constantly advancing their shifting bases towards the cultivated country. In regaining the road leading from Maydoon to Riga, a considerable circuit was rendered necessary by the Bahr Yusuf, which intersected our course, and in this part still contained water. The wind, blowing almost a hurricane, and the appearance of the sky threatening rain, we hastened with all possible celerity towards the next village, intending there to pass the night ; for the Mahazi Bedouin, who understood the signs of the atmosphere, predicted a sand-storm. At first, indeed, this was regarded as a false alarm ; but presently, on looking towards the river, we observed that the scirocco was already in the eastern desert, whirling aloft the sands in enormous clouds, and driving them impetuously towards the north, covering the whole face of the country like a thick mist, and rising above the summits of the mountains. Behind us, and on our left, the same terrific masses were in motion. The wind blew tempestuously, and rain, though not continuous as in our climates, but descending in big, heavy, drops, like those accompanying a thunder-storm, mingled with the driving sand. The firmament became lurid, and appeared to be borne down towards the earth ; the villages, the palm-groves, the mountains, were alternately hidden and revealed, and the whole landscape exhibited an 194 EGYPT AND NUBIA. aspect of sombre grandeur well calculated to strike the imagination. Through those sand clouds, on every point of the horizon, rolling along with incredible rapidity, we continued to advance for some time, but, at length, growing impatient of pursuing the windings of the narrow path, lead- ing from hamlet to hamlet, we diverged towards the left, in the hope, by mak- ing straight across the plain, of discovering a shorter route ; instead of which, we lost our way, and went on floundering through the ditches and mire, ploughed fields and patches of desert, until the storm was past. Though much fatigued, the camels still proceeded at a brisk trot, so that, a little before nightfall, we reached the village, which, for many hours, had appeared to be flying from us. Here, close to the walls, we found a wretched caravanserai, with neither doors nor windows, but pierced with numerous air-holes, letting in the cold winds on all sides, and otherwise much dilapidated. While engaged in establishing our quarters in this tenement, the Sheik el-Beled, not, I regret to say, from motives of hospi- tality, invited us to his own house, where, he observed, both ourselves and our beasts would be secure from the attacks of the marauding parties which nightly overran the country. His representations were undoubtedly founded on truth, but it soon appeared that his principal motive for making them was mercenary ; since, for every article of provisions he supplied us with, double the price was demanded. He _„:z- was a rich man ; and, before the closing of the village gates, we saw his numerous flocks andherds, camels and she-goats, and kine, driven into a strong place for safety. Here his ploughs, har- rows and other imple- ments of agriculture were carefully laid up when not in use. In the erection of that portion of his house appropriated to the use of travellers, several frag- ments of marble and polished granite had been employed, which renders it probable that some ancient city was situated near the spot. Quitting, about sunrise, the dwelling of the sheikh, we continued our journey over a plain of extraordinary fertility and beauty. Thousands of spring flowers, red, yellow, white, purple, and blue, enamelled the greensward by the wayside, while a magnificent expanse of bright verdure extended on one hand to the Nile, on the other to the desert. Numerous mimosa- trees in blossom, budding palms and odoriferous shrubs and plants, difi'used a fragrance through the air, rendered soft and balmy by the genial influence of spring. But, if the prospect of inanimate nature was exhilarating, the pleasure derived from it was frequently damped by spectacles which a Egyptian Plough. ROUTE TO MITRAHENI, 195 country afflicted with the plague of despotism could alone supply : troops of men, torn violently from their homes, marching away under the sur- veillance of foreign mercenaries ; while their wives and children, menaced by penury and want, followed them with sobbing and lamenta- tion as long as their strength would permit, and then re- turned, widowed and fatherless, to their villages. Poverty we had beheld in every shape, until it had ceased to excite attention; but in this rich and smiling part of the country, where nature was bountiful even to profusion, its evils seemed to us to be by that circumstance greatly aggravated. We had elsewhere seen men feeding like cattle on lupines, and trefoil, and wild herbs ; emaciated women, with scarcely a rag to cover their waists, gliding like spectres through the ruined villages; and children, as naked as when born, sallow, squalid, bloated, eyeless, too young to know their danger, with no mother to guard, no father to maintain them, sitting The Lotus. among the rubbish, infested, during summer, with lizards, scorpions, and every noxious reptile, sub- sisting on the spontaneous but precarious charity of the poor. This morning the condition of the peasantry appeared more debased and humiliating than evei', for the neighbouring hamlets had been visited by a recruiting party, who, having collected a number of men, was proceeding with them towards Mitraheni : seeing that we were about to overtake them — for our camels were fleet and powerful — they hastily turned aside, and stood at a considerable distance until we had passed. Some wretched Frank was, perhaps, at their liead, who, not having lost all sense of shame, thus sought, by a precipitate retreat, to avoid the finger of scorn. The female relations of the conscripts, who had probably been forcibly compelled to return, we met upon the road : a heart-stricken, sorrowful group ; some absorbed in sullen grief, others weeping bitterly. Continuing our journey, we soon observed a complete shifting of the scene ; — small parties of peasants, male and female, young and old, with laughing eyes and merry faces, proceeding to a fair, held at a neighbouring village. Towards this point numerous pathways converged from distant parts of the plain, and, mounted on lofty camels, we could from afar discover the various groups as 196 EGYPT AND NUBIA. they appeared and disappeared among the scattered date-groves ; several knots we overtook and passed. Some, like pedlars, were carrying their usual merchandise, the produce of their fields and gardens, to sell at the fair; others, from their being empty-handed, were evidently proceeding there to buy ; but all seemed equally lively, laughing, talking, and cracking their jokes, as if Egypt contained no Pasha. The men were invariably armed, some with muskets or spears, others with those long heavy sticks, called " naboots," without which no Arab ever ventures abroad. I observed that the women always walked on foot, while the men, perhaps, were mounted on asses, and cari'ied the children on their laps : why the Avomen do not ride, is more than I can comprehend — it may be barbarism, it may be decency ; as, without saddles or stirrups, it would be difficult for them to do so without exposing themselves. Even in Cairo, where the fair sex wear trousers, and are enveloped in ample drapery, the legs, by the awkward manner in which they sit their beasts, are frequently bared up to the knee ; while the rude ass-driver, in lifting them up and down, and in preserving them in slippery places from falling, makes exceedingly free with the persons of women supposed to live retired in inviolable harems, and who, when abroad, affect scrupulously to conceal their faces. On arriving at the bazaar, held, like an English country-fair, in a field on the outskirts of the village, we alighted under a palm-tree, and leaving our attendants to prepare breakfast, mingled among the crowd of Arabs assembled on the plain. The scene was highly characteristic ; rare and costly spices from the farthest East, which could scarcely be supposed ever to find their way into the hut of an Egyptian peasant, were spread upon the grass in the midst of ordinary Venetian beads, corn, peas, beans, cheese, and butter. Rows of market-women, some with bread, others with eggs and dried dates, sat on the ground, surrounded by horses, asses, and camels, which cautiously passed to and fro, beneath their heavy burdens, without trampling on the hem of their garments. Both men and women, however, exhibited that brawling propensity which in all countries distinguishes the vulgar. The buyer and the seller, whatever might be the value of the article in question, seemed, by the loudness of their voices, and the fierce- ness of their gesticulations, to be engaged in mortal conflict ; but when the bargain was concluded, the vociferation likewise ceased, and the disputants chatted and laughed together with their usual good humour. If a sturdy Fellah were engaged in cheapening an ass, you might behold twenty indi- viduals of both sexes, nowise interested in the transaction, encircling the chapmen, and entering with so mucli earnestness into the business — some siding with the buyer, others with the seller — that a stranger would cer- tainly suppose that they were to receive a commission on the proceeds. To a painter in search of the grotesque, these motley groups would have afforded delectable materials ; for even tlie Neapolitan lazzaroni are less wild in their attitudes, and less whimsical in their costume, than the Arabs. Turbans, white, black, red, or green ; cream-coloured, brown, or striped white and green cloaks, blue shirts, tattered blankets, which disguised rather than covered the wearer, and rags of every colour in the rainbow. PYRAMIDS OF DASIIOUR. 197 fluttering in the wind — met the eye on all sides ; but the countenances of the Fellahs exhibit little variety, excepting such as results from sex or age, or different stages of famine or disease. Hungry dogs, the universal scavengers of Egypt, prowled about the bazaar, ravenously snatching up whatever was thrown to them, and seeming quite prepared to rend and devour the donors themselves. The path, upon quitting this village, leads towards the Nile ; upon which, long before the water was visible, numerous white sails appeared gliding along the green banks as if belonging to the land. Our track now lay along the top of an elevated causeway, running parallel with the stream, and intended to protect the irrigated districts from the inundation. Here we overtook two Bedouin pedestrians, armed with muskets and bayonets, who appeared to be travelling towards Cairo. Like the generality of their countrymen west of the Nile, they exhibited in their manner an impudent familiarity, betokening what is termed, " knowledge of the world ; " which signifies, that having, in their profligate career, lost all self-respect, they had likewise ceased to respect others, or the laws which make a difference between tnine and thine. Entering at once into conversation with our Mahazi guide — a simple, honest man — they very quickly learned from him all the particulars on which they desired to be informed ; — as, where we had been ; whither we were going ; which of us was treasurer, &c. The sight of our arms, however, appeared to stagger them ; they, therefore, dropped behind, with the design of robbing our Caireen attendant, who always loitered in the rear ; with him they used no ceremony, but began immediately to inquire what was in the saddle-bags. "Nothing but papers," he replied. — "Kafir!" they exclaimed, "it is false ! Franks never travel without money. Come down, therefore, you dog ! and open the bags, or we will shoot you, and burn your father ! " And there can be no doubt they would in a few minutes have made them- selves masters of our baggage, had we not just at the moment rode back to put an end to their conference. Upon this the Bedouins made their escape across the fields towards a small encampment, to which they perhap? belonged. Pushing on rapidly towards Dashour, we visited and examined its seve- ral pyramids, which have nothing very peculiar in their construction, except that the largest having been commenced on a grand scale, with the evident intention of being carried to an immense height, contracts suddenly, and terminates in a blunt point.* Its entrance, as usual, is found in the northern face, about twenty-five feet from the ground. Of the other pyramids, built in tlie same style as those of Sakkarah, there is one which has been so completely uncovered that the hillock of earth forming the original nucleus of the structure alone remains Leading from the valley are several cause- ways, the existence of which has given rise to various conjectures; for if they are admitted to have been the work of the ancient Egyptians, it will follow that the desert has not greatly encroached on the cultivated country, and that the pyramids must have been originally erected on rocks in the * Sir Frederick Henuiker. s2 198 EGYPT Ax\D NUBIA. midst of sand-hills. But, supposing them of modern date, constructed for the convenience of removing stones and bricks to be used elsewhere, the presumption would ensue, that the Pyramids were built in the valley considerably in advance of the desert. Appearances are favourable to the latter hypothesis; for the immense masses of stone which have been dis- placed are no longer to be seen, though the sands have not risen so high as to conceal them, did they still exist upon the spot. Without laborious and extensive operations it would, however, be impossible accurately to determine to what extent the sands of the Libyan waste have advanced eastw\ard ; but it is probable that the loss of land here sustained exceeds what has been acquired by the enlargement of the Delta. Evening approaching, we once more descended into the valley, and proceeded towards Mitraheni. The country on which w^e now entered, formerly celebrated for the ruins it contained, is now distinguished only for its richness and beauty. Covered with a carpet of luxuriant verdure, and adorned at intervals with magnificent palm-forests, traversed by lofty imibrageous avenues, and peopled with echoes, it seemed to be a fragment of fairy land. Passing through Sakkarah, situated at the northern extremity of these Avoods, and hastening over the intervening plain, wo arrived at Mitraheni, while sufficient daylight remained to enable us to examine the mounds and fragments of antiquity in its vicinity. Here, perhaps, the loftiest palm-trees in the world are found, many of them exceeding 100 feet in height ; their smooth trunks resembling tall slender columns, terminating in a capital of waving leaves. The ancient remains, supposed to be those of Memphis, stand on the southern shore of a small lake, in the midst of a wood, and consist chiefly of brick substructions, overwhelmed by exten- sive mounds of rubbish. With the exception of one colossal statue, there is little at Mitraheni calculated to support the hypothesis, that the ancient metropolis of lower Egypt, the dwelling-place of the Pharaohs, adorned with magnificent temples aud palaces, was here situated ; the traces of ruins, though widely scattered, being less considerable than in the neighbourhood of many Egyptian cities of inferior note. Nothing advanced by Pococke, Bruce, or any other traveller, with the design of invalidating the argu- ments of Shaw, who fixes the site of Memphis on the plains of Gizeh, is at all satisfactory; independently of the appearance of the ground, which, in my opinion, is unfavourable to their views ; the scanty architectural fragments, here discovered, being of too mean and paltry a character to be allowed much weight in the discussion, 'which must, therefore, be conducted on other grounds. The colossal statue above mentioned is properly a fragment, which, hav- ing been cast down, like Dagon, from its pedestal, lies upon its face, in a small hollow, opened by excavation, with the legs broken off a short way below the knees. The back has been greatly corroded by the atmosphere, and in parts wantonly defaced by violence ; but the countenance, the breast, and the drapery, descending in wavy folds over the limbs, are in a state of high preservation, and enable us to judge, with some degree of precision, of the merits of Egyptian sculpture at the period when this statue was COLOSSUS AT MITRAIIENI. 199 executed. There seems to be nothing in tlie costume or ornaments which positively determines whether it be the effi