BATTLE-FIELD OF ABOUKIR.

37

About two miles east of Alexandria is a large square enclosure, called the ruins of Cleopatra's Palace. Here, in the famous battle of Aboukir, the French took their position, and near it Sir Ralph Abercrombie fell. I wandered over the place near the close of day, and indulged in reflections connected with the hour, and the scenery around me. All was still and quiet, and but few marks now remain of the bloody scene once acted on this field of martial strife.

About two miles west of Alexandria, are catacombs of considerable extent; but as they are choked up and difficult to explore, and as we expected to see many of these up the Nile, we did not visit them.

The soldiers of the Pacha are miserably clad, and probably as poorly fed. I could perceive no difference in dress between the various kinds of troops. Whether cavalry, artillery, infantry, or whatever, they were dressed in the same kind of uniform. That of the common soldier consists of a tight roundabout coat, made of coarse cotton cloth, without coloring or bleaching; loose kilt breeches of the same material, leggins of the same, the coarsest kind of shoes, and a red turban cap with a large blue tassel hanging from the crown down the back side. Neither lace or tinsel marks either soldier or officer. An officer generally wears a blue coat, made of a thin cotton stuff, and is principally distinguished by his belt and side-arms. I saw several companies on parade in Alexandria. Their exercise in tactic would appear awkward enough at West Point, and their music of fife and drum, if possible, worse. The airs they play, had, to me, scarce the model of a tune.

A large number of languages are spoken in Alex

38

LANGUAGE AND DRESS.

andria, and yet I saw but few who could converse in good English. Even in the Frank quarters, the Italian and French languages are the most prevalent. There is one English hotel, and I believe but one, in the city. As to dress, the Frank quarters present a great variety of fashions, so that travellers, whether from Europe or America, will be sure there to find themselves in fashion. The Egyptian dress is of Turkish fashion. That of the males consists of a short roundabout coat, loose kilt breeches, coming just below the knees, and a red cap called a tarbouch. In four cases out of five, this constitutes the entire outward suit. Stockings and shoes are rare among the lower class, whether males or females. The higher classes are generally seen with long white stockings, and red or yellow slippers. The Egyptian females never wear bonnets. A cloth of black color is put on the head in such a way as to draw close over the forehead, from which is suspended, by a silver clasp, a small narrow veil, stiffened along the top by a piece of reed or wire. The clasp suspends the veil to a space just below the eyes, leaving them visible. When the veil is not on, the female, in walking the streets, generally conceals her face, except one eye, by holding the folds of her head-covering in a certain position. All this is but a slavish custom of the East, of long and rigid standing. There are, however, breaches of it. Native females are often seen with uncovered faces; and of all that I saw, their countenances were more forbidding than inviting. Diseased eyes are astonishingly prevalent among the native Egyptians, and filthiness of person, a trait not to be mistaken. I saw more persons in Egypt blind

RUINS OF ALEXANDRIA.

39

of an eye, and the other badly diseased, than I had ever seen before in my life.

The Frank quarters in Alexandria are rather pleasant. They are situated in the east part of the city, and mainly consist of an oblong square, of considerable extent, with buildings fronting to it. These buildings, generally, are good, and some of them have an air of elegance. But of the city in general, its houses, shops and bazars are poor, and its streets narrow, crooked, and extremely filthy. The present population is supposed to be about 40,000. But this is scarcely a shadow of what it once was. In the days of its glory, Alexandria was fifteen miles in circumference, and contained 600,000 inhabitants. But the hand of time and the hand of barbarism have both swept over it, and buried its glory in the dust and in the sea. Her illustrious schools of theology and philosophy are no more. Her vast library, famed in ancient history, was burnt by barbarous Saracen hands. The lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the world, has vanished, and its place is known no more. Most of her former site is yet strewed with remains of her early grandeur and greatness. But many foundations on which her grandest structures perished, have of late been torn up and borne off to build the modern navy yard and other works of the Pacha. Of Alexandria it may be said, the glory has indeed departed.

40

CONVEYANCES.

CHAPTER III.

Arrangements for leaving Alexandria-Monopoly and Travellers' RightsSetting out for Cairo-The Boat-Selim Hassan and the Boat's Crew -A Dilemma-Sudden Illness-Mahmoudieh Canal and Lake Mareotis -Oppressive Conscription and awful Mortality-Military Encampment -Egyptian Threshing Floor-Arrival at Atfe-Description-Embarkation on the Nile-Egyptian Agriculture-Sirocco-Visit to an Arab Village.

HAVING, in two days, satisfied our curiosity with examinations in and around Alexandria, we were now ready for a passage up the Nile. There is a small iron steamer, called the Lotus, which plies between Atfe, fifty-eight miles from Alexandria, and Cairo. It makes one regular trip a month, and this must be governed by the arrival of the mail-steamer from England. The steamer Lotus was then at Cairo, and would return in time to take passengers to that city, on the arrival of the British steamer, on or about the 21st of the month. We had but two alternatives before us: i. e., either to wait ten or twelve days longer at Alexandria for that medium of conveyance, or take passage up the Nile in a sailboat, with Arab attendants. I was anxious to improve my time, and my English friend was desirous of spending some days in Cairo before the arrival of the English overland mail, as by the same conveyance he must prosecute his journey to Bombay. The American consul was at Cairo, so that I had not the benefit of his counsel. His son-in-law, Mr. Todd, of Alexandria, thought it our best course to apply to the "East India Agency," Hill & Co., and secure our conveyance to Cairo in sail-vessels. If the wind

CHARGES FOR CONVEYANCE.

41

should prove fair, we might accomplish our passage in three days, and we might be longer; but under existing circumstances, he thought this our most expeditious and best course. I had another object in view, in going by this kind of conveyance. Our craft would occasionally stop by the way, and thus give us a better opportunity of making observations; whereas, if we took the steamer, we must be carried through from Atfe to Cairo, without stopping. We finally decided to take the mode of conveyance thus recommended to us.

We applied to the India agency forthwith, to be sent on our way to Cairo. For our passage we paid each the amount of six pounds sterling. So much for the expense of travelling in Egypt, one hundred and eighty miles, the distance between Alexandria and Cairo. This sum, too, is twelve shillings sterling less than is charged by the steamer. Let travellers not be deceived in relation to cheap fare and board in Egypt. But I was led to inquire, why these exorbitant charges? All kinds of labor are performed cheap by the natives, and provisions of every kind, so far as I was informed, bought of them at low prices. The obvious fact is, that individual monopoly is at the bottom of this evil. Certain European managers at Alexandria and Cairo are doubtless amassing wealth by draining from travellers all the money they can get by anything like plausible pretences. An English or American traveller comes to Alexandria, and is unable to make contracts or do business with the natives. Thus situated, he may be compelled to either stop where he is, or apply to an English agency to be sent up the Nile. For this he is sure to pay a