Chapter IX (1)

A daily report of all circumstances is to be made by the captain of the lazaretto to the superintendent of quarantine and marine police.

N.B. A _trattoria_ has been established at the lazaretto for the convenience of passengers who wish to avail themselves of it, from whence they can be supplied with dinners, wines, &c., &c., in their own apartments.

Beds complete and other articles of furniture, if required, can also be hired from a person appointed to provide them.

A note of charges for the _trattoria_, and for the hire of furniture, will be furnished to the passengers, on their applying for it.

Of the manner in which the time may be passed in a lazaretto, the following graphic sketch by Mr. Stocqueler, which appeared some time since in the "_Asiatic Journal_," will convey no imperfect idea:--

"Upwards of 140 passengers left Alexandria in the _Oriental_, at the end of May, for some fifty had joined it from Bombay; amongst the latter were several heroes of Meanee and Hyderabad--fine young soldiers, who were covered with honourable scars received in the desperate engagements between Sir C. Napier and the Belochees. Never, perhaps, was a vessel freighted with so many who had distinguished themselves in conflict with the enemies of their country. Not less than twenty-six officers, who had seen service in Afghanistan, China and Scinde, paced the deck every day, and described the scenes which their own prowess and that of their comrades had, for the previous three or four years, rendered memorable in the history of British India. But of this large number of homeward-bound passengers, only three (one having two ladies in his family), quitted the _Oriental_ at Malta. Those who _wished_ to prosecute the rest of their journey by land had either failed to make the necessary provision,[11] or shuddered at the prospect of twenty days' imprisonment in the lazaretto. Moreover, they flattered themselves with the belief, that they would be enabled to make the tour of the Continent when they had exhausted the various pleasures of glorious England. And so they steamed away to Southampton, leaving the few above alluded to--the writer of this among them--in the lazaretto, under suspicion of the crime of being afflicted with the plague.

[Footnote 11: Eighty pounds will carry a man through Italy, Switzerland, and France, with comfort, allowing for several days' stay at each place of interest.]

"Meanwhile, let me assure the traveller from India, that even a three weeks' incarceration in the Malta lazaretto is not intolerable, if, which is generally the case with the imprisoned, he is lucky enough to have one or two pleasant and intelligent companions. I have before me, at this moment, a memorandum, written after twelve days' of captivity, and, as it may serve to re-assure future prisoners, by conveying some idea of the scenes, impressions, and occupations which diversify existence in the durance they are compelled to support, I here transcribe it:--

"'Let me survey my prison, and its _agrémens_. I am lodged in two commodious apartments, overlooking the quarantine bay. I look out of the southern window of my verandah, and have the waters of the Mediterranean forty feet only below me. Opposite, at the distance of about 300 yards, and divided from me by these waters and the quarantine harbour, are the ramparts of the fortifications, surmounted by windmills, flag-staves, and a small Roman Catholic chapel. To the right is the termination of the bay, where a dozen of Greek, Austrian, and English brigs and barques lie in quarantine, sufficiently near to allow me to observe the operations on board. Behind all these, a little more to the south-eastward, is part of the suburbs of La Valetta, the evening promenade, gardens, hills, &c. To my left, is the entrance to the bay, overlooked on one side by part of the city of La Valetta, and on the other side by Fort Manvel, now used as a part of the lazaretto. This view greets me whenever I stand in the verandah, a recreation to which one is often tempted by the clearness, coolness, and crispness of the air, the beauty of the sky, and the rich blue of the water. Well, this of itself is something. Then, for moving sights, we have occasionally the arrival or departure of a steamer from Alexandria, or Greece, or the coast of Spain; of vessels from Tripoli, and Smyrna, and Syra; of speronaros from Sicily or the Italian coast; or we see a vessel released from quarantine, working her way out of the harbour. Early in the morning, four times in the week, the bell of the little chapel, on the summit of a rock opposite the lazaretto, tolls to prayers. The chapel is not more than twenty feet in breadth, and the same in depth. The altar occupies the back or southern side, and exactly faces us. The bell ceases, the priest dons his canonicals, and the matin mass commences, the responses being audibly chanted or muttered by the crews of Maltese and Italian vessels, who are either quartered in apartments beneath us, or employed on board the vessels. The door of the chapel closes, and the work or pastime of the day commences.

"'Ha! there's a splash!--a sailor in quarantine has stripped himself, and plunged into the water beneath his prison-door. Another and another follow him! How admirably they swim! the ease of the water-fowl, and the rapidity of the fish. See! one of them dives! How long he remains under water! Will he drown?--will he not be suffocated? not a bit of it; he rises to the surface, bearing in his hands some of the black, starry, thorny members of the crustaceous tribe. He has a knife in his right hand, which I did not observe before, and which he evidently took with him to dislodge the fish from their location in the rocky depths. Splash! and the strong swimmer is again twenty feet below the surface. Again, he rises--and again descends--and behold! he has accumulated a perfect breakfast of shell-fish! Meanwhile, the others breast the waves, diving, floating, playing, and rejoicing in all the muscular strength which the noble, healthful, and refreshing science calls into action. Well, a walk will do no harm--the verandah is sixty paces long, and forty or fifty turns will give one an appetite for breakfast. A. and B. have abundance of conversation for the promenade, and when we have exhausted the pleasures of memory, we can turn to the pleasures of hope, and debate the possibility of an abatement of the quarantine or, at any rate, discuss the respective advantages and pleasures of going to Syra, to Naples, or Marseilles. We are tired now, and it is time to dress. Breakfast is ready--can anything be more satisfactory, or anything more tempting and wholesome? There are coffee and tea, and three times as many rolls as we can eat! The eggs are as large as the finest production of the English barn-door hen, and boiled to the _exact_ point--half a minute less, and the albumen would not have coagulated; half a minute more, and they would have been as hard as a stone. And _there's_ a delicious dish of strawberries, brought only yesterday from the coast of Sicily, and plucked but an hour before their embarkation! And flowers too:--

'The captive soothers of a captive's hours.

"'Carlo, best of servitors, knows my _penchant_, and decks the table with the rose, the pink, the carnation, and the fragrant thyme.

"'Breakfast over, Mr. Cassolani is announced. He is the captain of the lazaretto; a courteous, intelligent old gentleman, of very correct notions and kind disposition. He is come to give us a list of the passengers who have just arrived at Marseilles, and to ask us to subscribe a trifle for a poor widow, whose husband, a guardiano of the lazaretto, died of apoplexy the day of our arrival. We have dropped our mites for the widow's benefit, and Cassolani condescends to pick them up, though he will not receive them from our hands. This painfully reminds us that we are prisoners on the suspicion of the crime of plague--_gens suspects_. People 'in _pratique_,' as freedom from the lazaretto is called, will 'walk with us, talk with us, buy with us, sell with us--but they will not eat with us, drink with us,' nor pollute themselves by touching our persons or our clothes. Cassolani carries a stick, to keep us at a respectful distance, and there is a soldier of the 42nd Highlanders on the opposite ramparts, prepared to send a bullet through us, if we attempt to go abroad until we are fairly cleansed of the foul imputation.

"'Cassolani departs, and S. and I go to chess. From chess we fly to books. It is three o'clock, and dinner is announced. For economy and society's sake, we have made a _table d'hôte_, and the whole party dine together. It is true that B. looks suspiciously at one dish, and C. distrusts another; but, nevertheless, the whole style of the thing is good and clean, comprising the English and French _modes de cuisine_ as well as could be desired. There is, for example, soup _à la Julienne_, and a dish of mackerel; roast beef _à l'Anglais_ (the beef comes to Malta from Tunis, and, after serving quarantine, is fattened for the table); a _fricandeau_ of sweetbread in a well-flavoured sauce; a stewed breast of mutton, mashed potatoes, a maccaroni, peas or French beans, or artichokes, an apricot tart, cheese, and a salad. Oranges, cherries, and strawberries compose our dessert, and we drink a pint of Marsala. What more would a man have?

"'The sun declines, and the Maltese world emerges from its confinement. The telescopes now come into play, and we direct our views to the part of the town where the sempstresses congregate, and gaze out of the balcony windows, to catch the evening breeze, or anything else that may be passing. The fall of night brings with it tea and candles, and then books, draughts, chess, and--to bed!'

"Of the other _agrémens_ of the lazaretto there remains nothing to notice, if I except the numerous boats which are continually coming and going across the harbour, often laden with females, who, in their black mantillas, with sparkling black eyes, and hair _à la Madonna_, resemble Spanish women.

"The expense of living in the Malta lazaretto is about eleven shillings _per diem_, as thus:--

s. d.
Breakfast 1 8
Dinner 3 0
A bottle of Marsala 1 3
Hire of Furniture 0 8
Servants' Wages (including diet) 2 3
The Guardian (ditto) 1 10
--------
10 8

"This can be increased, if necessary, by a more abundant dinner, tea, or coffee in the evening, spirituous liquors, and a greater quantity of furniture; but it cannot be diminished. Washing costs about one shilling per dozen pieces, and sevenpence _per diem_ for the diet of the _blanchisseuse_, who must come into the lazaretto to perform her functions. A capital circulating library keeps the incarcerated well supplied with books (at one penny per volume per day), and _Galignani's Messenger_, and the Maltese papers can also be had on application to Mr. Mure's establishment."

Emerging from the lazaretto, the traveller is recommended to pass a few days in inspecting the town and the surrounding country (_vide_ page 11), and then to repack his luggage, dispatching such as he may not require on his homeward trip direct from Malta, consigned to the care of his agent in London, with instructions as to the disposal of the same.

Those travellers who prefer visiting France _viâ_ Marseilles, will find the lazaretto there, comparatively speaking, a sort of purgatory. We subjoin the regulations as published by the French authorities:--

WITH UNCLEAN BILL OF HEALTH.

ART. 1. French Post-office Packets.--19 days after debarking effects and passengers.

Passengers by these boats and their baggage.--17 days after landing at the lazaret; 14 days only when the baggage shall have been _plombé_ at the consulate of France at the port of embarking, and that this operation be legally certified.

ART. 2. French or foreign men-of-war.--17 days after the landing of passengers and their baggage.

Passengers on board these vessels.--17 days without _spoglio_, 14 days with _spoglio_.

ART. 3. Vessels with pilgrims.--25 days.

Pilgrims.--25 days after landing.

ART. 4. Every other description of sailing-vessel or steam-boat.--21 days after landing suspected articles.

Passengers by these vessels.--17 days without _spoglio_, 14 days with _spoglio_. Merchandise.--21 days after landing at the lazaret.

WITH DOUBTFUL BILLS OF HEALTH.

ART. 1. French post-office packets.--15 days after debarking effects and passengers.

Passengers by these boats and their baggage.--14 days after landing; 12 days only when the baggage shall have been _plombé_ at the consulate of France at the point of embarking, and that this operation be legally certified.

ART. 2.--French or foreign men-of-war.--14 days after the landing of passengers and their baggage. Without passengers, 12 days.

Passengers on board these vessels.--14 days after landing without _spoglio_, and 12 days with _spoglio_.

ART. 3. Vessels with pilgrims.--20 days.

Pilgrims.--20 days after landing at the lazaret.

ART. 4. Every other description of sailing vessel or steam-boat.--15 days after landing suspected articles.

Passengers by these vessels.--14 days without _spoglio_, after landing at the lazaret; 12 days with _spoglio_.

Suspected goods.--15 days after landing at the lazaret.

WITH CLEAN BILLS OF HEALTH.

ART. 1. French post-office packets.--12 days after debarking effects at the lazaret.

Passengers by these boats and their baggage.--9 days after landing, and their baggage exposed to the air.

ART. 2. French or foreign men-of-war.--9 days, with or without passengers.

Passengers on board these vessels.--9 days after landing, and their baggage exposed to the air.

ART. 3. Every other description of vessel or steam-boat.--12 days after landing suspected goods.

Passengers by these vessels.--9 days.

Suspected merchandise.--12 days after landing at the lazaret.

Of the Syra (Athens) quarantine, it is enough to say that it is more commodious and agreeable than the same establishment at Marseilles, and not so convenient as the one at Malta.

The Syra lazaretto is, according to the report of the latest visitors, exceedingly commodious and clean, and facing, as it does, the sea, where there are continual breezes, it is infinitely cooler than the city of Athens. The charges of the Trattoria are not greater than those at Malta (about eleven shillings per diem), and the detention in quarantine never exceeds seventeen days, and when a clean bill of health is brought by the French steamer from Alexandria, the duration of the imprisonment is very much less.

THE VOYAGE TO SOUTHAMPTON.

Quarantine, on arrival in England, being done away with (unless some special cause arise on the voyage home to render precaution necessary), the direct route is greatly to be preferred; and the ease and comfort which it offers as contrasted with the annoyances of continental travelling needs no comment.

On reaching Southampton, the steamer goes into dock; the whole of the luggage is forthwith conveyed to the dock warehouse, and the examination commences with that of the first person on the list.

Passengers are not required to attend in person when their luggage is examined. Those who desire to leave Southampton _by train immediately upon arrival_, or who do not wish to subject themselves to the annoyance of being kept in the docks waiting their turn, are recommended to deposit their keys (including name and address) with Mr. Hill's clerk,[12] giving him, at the same time, a list of the packages, distinguishing such as contain articles subject to duty. For want of proper arrangement on the part of the passenger, we have known three hours pass in the examination of one gentleman's baggage, with upwards of eighty of his fellow-travellers anxiously waiting for their turn. This arises, in the first place, from the large quantity of luggage which many bring; and, in the second, from the want of system in packing, distinguishing that which is immediately requisite from that which is unnecessary.

[Footnote 12: Mr. Hill is the Southampton Custom-house agent of the "Peninsular and Oriental Company."]

As passengers will be required to keep pace with the mails in either route, unless they arrange for a fortnight's stay in Egypt, the system of having a larger quantity of luggage than is actually necessary cannot be too much deprecated.

The traveller is also apt to mix "duty goods" with personal luggage, in anticipation of their escaping notice. This is a "forlorn hope," and leads invariably to the most rigid scrutiny of every package, thereby causing great delay. If the goods be such as trinkets, Bombay work-boxes, Dacca or Cuttack silver, China or India filligree packed in cotton, a still greater commotion arises at the custom-house, and we are not quite sure whether the circumstance does not render the articles liable to seizure and confiscation, under the quarantine laws.

The better plan by far, whether the traveller attend the examination of his luggage or not, is to separate all goods liable to duty, and put them in a case or trunk, with an inventory of its contents, and the value of each article separately stated,[13] and then leave them in charge of Mr. Hill, with instructions to forward them without delay. They can, of course, be examined at once; but we think it unfair to subject others to the inconvenience and loss of time that must consequently ensue. If the plan here recommended be followed, we venture to submit that it would be satisfactory to all parties.

[Footnote 13: Government have the option of accepting your valuation. If they disapprove the estimate of the proprietor, they are empowered to seize the goods, but, in that case, must pay ten per cent. advance on your valuation.]

A general tariff of East India fabrics will be found in the Appendix but it is not generally known that all British manufactures that have been exported, and purchased out of Great Britain, are subject to a duty if re-imported. Being private property, however, they are generally released on petition to the Board of Customs, the petition being accompanied by a solemn declaration made by the owner before a magistrate, that the claim set forth in the petition is true. The reason assigned for this law is, that it protects and promotes English manufacture, by preventing a return of goods to the country that have once been exported for sale.

Parties who, from necessity or choice, bring servants from India, have too frequently so indefinite an agreement, that disputes and unpleasantnesses in settling with them frequently arise. We, therefore, earnestly recommend passengers to endeavour to do without personal servants, if possible; but if it be impracticable to dispense with them, we would suggest that the engagement should specify whether services cease on arrival,--if the servants are to be returned to India at the expense of the employer and--whether it shall be _viâ_ the Cape or Overland. The agreement should likewise state the allowance that will be made for board-wages. Sixteen shillings per week is the sum charged at the lodging-houses for this class.

Persons arriving from India, particularly families, incur great expense by proceeding, on their arrival, direct to hotels or to furnished lodgings. In most cases they would do better by resorting to a boarding-house. There are many suitable establishments of this nature throughout England, where comfortable accommodation is afforded at a moderate charge. A letter of inquiry, written on the passage from Alexandria to Malta, and dispatched _viâ_ Marseilles, would be answered, and wait the writer's arrival at Southampton.

EXPENSE.

We must not omit to advert to the total expense of an Overland journey, for it is an important question to all who _must_ go to India. We think it will be found, on a fair calculation, that this is, by no means, so much in excess of the cost round the Cape of Good Hope as people are led to imagine.

Independently of the cost, there are other important points worthy of consideration, which are frequently forgotten by those who suffer themselves to be engrossed by the mere pecuniary view of the question. For example, there is an amazing difference in the _time_ consumed in the two routes. Proceeding Overland, there will be two months gained which may be either passed at home, or, if the attractions of England have ceased, can be employed in anticipating the stipulated period of a return to, or arrival in India. In the latter case--for we presume the traveller to be in the East India Company's service--the Indian pay will be received two months sooner, and what is of greater moment, by far, two months' time is gained in "actual service," a consideration which, at some future day, may be of the last importance to the civil or military officer.

If to these advantages we add the difference in the cost of the equipment for a six weeks' and a four months' trip; the knowledge acquired by witnessing variety of scenery and diversity of manners; the effect on the health and spirits of perpetual change; the slight risk of delays from accidental want of water and provisions, damage in gales of wind, and other casualties which often drive sailing vessels into intermediate ports and prolong their voyage, there can, we should think, be no difference of opinion as to the superior claims of the Overland Route.

As the nature of the currency with which the traveller should supply himself is a question of great importance, we consider it within our province to remark, that sovereigns are, by far, the best coin that can be carried, for purposes of general supply. Letters of credit may be obtained, however, to be used in the event of accident rendering additional funds necessary; but it is prudent to endeavour to avoid a resort to them, for the exchange and commission on advances made upon such letters of credit, subject the drawer to considerable loss, an observation that applies particularly to Egypt. At Ceylon the sovereign is at a premium, frequently fetching twenty-one shillings.

* * * * *

MISCELLANEOUS.

For the information of such travellers as purpose varying their journey, by visiting the various places which occur _en route_, we subjoin the following particulars:--

_England to Gibraltar, by the Peninsular Steamers, calling at Vigo, Oporto, Lisbon and Cadiz._--These steamers start from Southampton on the 7th, 17th, and 27th of every month, at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. They proceed, in the first instance, to Vigo, to land the mails for that part of Spain, affording to the traveller a view of the magnificent scenery of Vigo Bay and the Bayona Islands. Thence the steamer proceeds close along the coast, which presents a splendid panoramic view of "mount and dale," with numerous towns and villages interspersed, until she arrives off Oporto, where she stops to land mails and passengers, but does not enter the port. The passengers, however, will have a good view of the Fortress of San Joa da Foz, the Convent of the Sierra at Villa Nova, &c., so celebrated in the war between Don Pedro and Don Miguel; also the city of Oporto, which looks very picturesque from the sea. Leaving Oporto, she holds her course on for Lisbon, and, passing the Burlings Rocks, and Rock of Lisbon, will enter the Tagus generally on the fourth day from leaving Southampton.

_Lisbon, &c._--The view of Lisbon, on entering the Tagus, is beautiful beyond description. The steamer usually remains here a day, before starting again on her passage southward for Cadiz and Gibraltar, and this will enable travellers to take a cursory view of the Lusitanian capital; but it is recommended that they should, if time permits, stop ten days here, proceeding to Cadiz or Gibraltar by the following steamer.

There are very good hotels now at Lisbon, and the town is greatly improved in cleanliness, no longer deserving the character for filth, &c., bestowed upon it by Lord Byron and others. Among the various interesting excursions which may be made in the neighbourhood of Lisbon, of course the spot where

"Cintra's glorious Eden intervenes,
In variegated maze of mount and glen,"

will not be forgotten, and will amply repay the trouble of a visit.

From Lisbon to Cadiz the passage is made, in ordinary circumstances, in about twenty-six to thirty hours, and from Cadiz to Gibraltar in about eight hours.

_Cadiz, Seville, &c._--The steamer remains at Cadiz only from three to four hours; but even this will enable the passenger to see the principal part of the town, which is exceedingly clean and handsome; and its appearance in approaching the bay of Cadiz singularly beautiful and striking. If the traveller can afford to stop for the next steamer, he may make an excursion to Seville, between which and Cadiz steamers run almost daily. Xerez de la Frontera, and Puerto de Santa Maria, with the extensive _Bodejas_ of the wine merchants, are also well worthy of a visit.

At Gibraltar, the steamer on the Indian line will receive the traveller and convey him to Malta. In forming a calculation, it will be prudent to reckon on having not less than seven or more than nine days' stay at each place, provided it be intended to go forward by the next steamer. Again, should a party desire to remain a fortnight in Egypt, previous to joining the steamer at Suez, he can be accommodated by the Peninsular and Oriental Company, who will convey him to Alexandria, and cause him to be taken up by the vessel on the Indian side at any later period.

The additional cost of a stoppage at any of the intermediate places would depend upon the tastes, habits and means of the traveller; it need not be much, and, to a party of friends proceeding thus, the journey, at the proper season, would be instructive and delightful.

From Malta the traveller can diverge to Constantinople; or a few hours will take him to any of the chief points of interest, either in Italy or Greece. It would far exceed our limits to give details of all the various trips that _might_ be made from so central a point as Malta; luckily, however, there is no want of guide-books to classic ground--indeed, from the nature of the subject, any such guide, to be really useful, must in itself be much larger than the present volume.

Correct information as to the means of locomotion will be furnished by Mr. Holton, the Peninsular Company's Agent at Malta, who can advise the traveller how to save much valuable time, and also how to avoid trouble and expense.

* * * * *

A FORTNIGHT IN EGYPT.

In a previous page we have pointed out the principal objects of interest in the vicinity of Cairo and Alexandria, which are accessible in the ordinary transit through Egypt. In the event, however, of a prolonged residence in that country, either from necessity or choice, the list of _videnda_ may manifestly be much extended.

Supposing the traveller, then, to start from Cairo, after inspecting the pyramids and other sights near that city, he can, by application to an agent on the spot, procure a boat, well supplied with provisions, &c., and proceed a considerable distance up the Nile. We have stated elsewhere that there is little besides the Pacha's palace, Pompey's pillar, and Cleopatra's needle, to be seen at and in the neighbourhood of Alexandria, and therefore call the attention of the sojourner in Egypt to the interesting antiquities he will have an opportunity of examining on the borders of the Nile. Should he purpose limiting his trip to a fortnight, in order to be in time for the packet from Suez or Alexandria, it must be borne in mind that he can only visit a few of the places mentioned below, and must make arrangements accordingly; but, in case he should desire to extend his travels, we subjoin some notes from the best authorities, of the manifold wonders to be seen on the banks of the mighty Nile, and, if the reader require even further information, we commend to his perusal the admirable work on Egypt by Sir Gardiner Wilkinson.

The great pyramid of Sacarah contains a small chamber with a few hieroglyphics, differing in this respect from all others. The arched tombs (now nearly destroyed) proving the pre-Augustan existence of the masonic arch, is of the time of Psammeticus II., about B.C. 604.

Mit Raheny, a large colossus of Rameses II., the supposed Sesostris. Mounds and indistinct remains of Memphis. On the right bank are the quarries from which a portion of the stones for the pyramids were drawn. In one part, oxen are represented drawing a block placed on a sledge. A little to the south of the modern village is an inclined plane, leading from the quarries to the river.

Thirty miles farther to the south, at Atfeh, mounds of Aphroditopolis, but without ruins.

Left bank, false pyramid (Meidoum), difficult of access, on account of the canal.

Three miles beyond Feohm, and on the opposite side (right bank), remains of crude brick walls, with hieroglyphics on the bricks.

Right bank, eight miles N. of Meneijeh, is Fehnah, the ancient Acoris. Greek Ptolemaic inscription. Tombs cut in the rock with inscriptions. Roman figures in high relief. Quarries on top of mountain, with a tank for water.

Right bank, seven miles beyond Meneijeh, is Rohn Ahman, some grottoes and ruins of an old town.

Nine miles farther (right bank) Beni Hassan; remarkably interesting grottoes of the time of Osortixen (about B.C. 1740), in whose reign it is calculated that Joseph arrived in Egypt. The plans, explanatory of the trades, amusements, domestic arrangements, &c., of the ancient Egyptians, merit particular attention. In the columns of the best grotto we recognise the _Doric Order_. In the entablature over the doorway, observe that the ends of rafters are sculptured, instead of mutules and tryglyphs.

About a mile and a half S. is another grotto, a temple of Pasht, Bubastis, or Diana, the _Speos Artemidos_ (date Thotmeh III., 15th century B.C.) The Speos is known by the name of _Stable Antar_. Near it are deposited cat mummies.

Right bank, at Shekh Abadeh, are a few remains of _Antinöe_, built by Adrian. The principal streets may be traced, as well as the hippodrome, towards the east, out of the walls. Grottoes in rock, &c.

This whole district has been famous for thieves, from the time of Bruce to the present day.

Right bank. El Rasheth, grotto in the mountain, with a statue represented on a sledge.

The ruins of Hermopolis, at Ashmonnoyn, have been destroyed.

The Pacha's sugar-factory at E'Roamoon merits a visit.

Left bank. Ibayda, at the corner of the mountain, crude brick walls, and some grottoes not very remarkable.

After Shekh Said, the mountains go off to the E., leaving the river. A little beyond is Til el Amama, to the S. of which are the ruins of an ancient town, of which only the brick houses remain.

To the S. are grottoes in the mountain, with curious sculpture, and upon the mountain is an alabaster quarry. The sculptures represent a king and queen offering and praying to the sun, which shoots forth rays terminating in human hands, one of which gives the emblem of life to the king.

Six miles before Maufalouat, at El Hareib, are ruins of an old town in a ravine, in which are dog and cat mummies.

Near Maabdeh, opposite Maufalouat, are crocodile mummy-pits, difficult of access and dangerous.

E'Siout, the capital of the Said, and standing on the site of Lycopolis, merits a visit. The gardens are celebrated. Visit the grottoes in the mountain, if it be only to enjoy the beautiful view, which is, perhaps, unequalled in Egypt. The mummies of the wolf are occasionally found.

The remains of the splendid temple of Antaopolis have been sapped and carried away by the stream. A few stones only serve to point out its site at Gau (right bank).

Right bank. Shekh Eredi, where a Moslem saint, transformed into the form of a serpent, still performs very wonderful cures upon those who can pay. Some small grottoes on the left bank. To the west, Loohag, near the corner of the mountain, are remains of Athribi. Inscription in stone, in a ruined temple. Grottoes in the mountain.

To the west of this is the white monastery, Deira-bow Sehwoodee. It has very much the appearance of an Egyptian temple, having a cornice and tomb, and is supposed to have been founded by the Empress Helena. Like the other Deirs, it is inhabited by Christian peasants.

Right bank. At Ekhmin, nearly opposite Loohag, are remains of Panopolis. A large mass of stone contains a Greek inscription of the temple of Pan.

Left bank. Menshie, eight miles beyond Ekhmin, remains of a stone quarry. Ptolemais Hermii.

Left bank. Abydus, three hours' ride from Girgeh, and two hours from Bellianeh. Take donkeys at Girgeh and send the boat on to Bellianeh. When last at Abydus, I was entertained for the night at the "Deir," to the north or north-west of the village. The most remarkable monument is what Strabo has described as a "Memnonium," a very singular building, consisting of several parallel arches or arcades, leading, he says, to a tank, now concealed. The arches are _not_ masonic, but cut out of large masses of stone and it is this circumstance which has, in a great measure, given rise to the error, as to the arch not having existed previous to the Augustan era. The building was begun by Osirien, the father of Sesostris, and finished by his son.

To the north of the Memnonium, is the small temple of Osiris, built, or at least finished, by Ramses II., and remarkable for having a sanctuary made of alabaster, for the reception of the famous tablet of the kings, which, next to the Rosetta stone, has been of the greatest assistance to the students of hieroglyphics. The Necropolis has been robbed to form the collections of Salt, Drouetti, and others.

Right bank. How (Diospolis parva)--few remains--vestiges of a temple of late date, and about a mile and a half to the S., of other mounds.

Left bank. Dendera (Tentyris) opposite Genneh. The principal temple was consecrated to Hathor, the Egyptian Venus, and not to Isis. The most interesting, as well as most ancient sculptures, are outside, at the western extremity, where we see Cleopatra and her son Casasion. The sculptures above are of the time of Augustus, as are those of the lateral walls of the Naos. The pronaos presents the portraits and names of Caius, Claudius, and Nero, as well as Tiberius, by whom it was constructed. The pylon, leading to the temple, is of the time of Domitian and Trajan. The Peripteral temple to the right, is the Typhonium, and immediately behind the great temple is a small one consecrated to Isis. The pylon towards the south is connected with the latter, and was raised in the reign of Augustus. The walls of the town, and a second wall for the sacred edifices, may be traced, and there are, I believe, some tombs in the mountain behind the town, that have not been properly explored.

Right bank. Quoph, the ancient Coptas--ruins of town and temple--small Roman-Egyptian temple, in the village of El Qalah, towards the N., forming once a part of Coptas, (Qoos, Apollinopolis parva). No more remains left, but a monolith converted into a tank, and to the north of the town is a well.

Thebes (_Diospolis magna_), on the eastern side, consisting of Karnak and Luxor: the _Lybian Suburb_ on the west bank, consisting of Gormah, Medinet Haboo, the tombs of the kings, queens, &c.

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KARNAK.--At least fifteen centuries combined to raise the great temple, the different ages of the various portions of the edifice being distinctly traceable, from the time of Osortiren I. (B. C. 1740) to the Ptolemies. On approaching the great western propylon, observe the holes (almost like windows, and by some described as such) for fixing the _flag-masts_, as well as the recesses below, in which they were planted. After looking at the great hall of columns, and the obelisks, &c., notice particularly the granite sanctuary, which is a restoration of one destroyed by the Persians. It was raised by Alexander, in compliance with a vow of Philip. On the _sandstone_ wall that encloses and protects this sanctuary, observe (north wall) a very curious and rich offering, in which a Pharaoh presents to the temple, obelisks, flag-masts, gold, silver, &c. The sculptures deserve particular attention. Those on the outside of the southern wall relate to the conquests of Shishah, who plundered the temple of Jerusalem. The name of the place (Joudamallah) is legible on a cartouche,--one of thirty led captives before the god of Thebes.

The whole north wall is covered with historical sculptures, all of which were originally painted, representing the conquests of Osirien, the father of Sesostris. Some little attention is required to see them well. One group is more curious than the rest: the king has caught his adversary with the bow-string, and is decapitating him. Notice the triumphal return to Thebes, and remark the Nile (distinguished by crocodiles) with a bridge thrown across it.

To the south of the great temple is a _tank_, then come several immense propyla, part of an avenue of sphinxes, and lastly some remains of a considerable temple which was surrounded by a lake.

To the north are other remains, with a handsome propylon of Ptolemaic date, and an avenue of sphinxes.

The temple, second in importance at Karnak, is of the Pharaonic period, but approached by a pylon of Ptolemaic date, at the extremity of the great avenue of sphinxes leading to Luxor. On the right of the first or hypoetheral court, notice a sculpture illustrating the manner in which the _flag masts_ were raised before the temples. Adjoining this temple, and on its west side, is a small temple of Oph, in which travellers sometimes lodge.

From Karnak to Luxor, it is easy to trace the line of sphinxes, which connected the palace of the latter with the temples of the former.

_Luxor_, with the exception of the sanctuary, is entirely Pharaonic, having been founded by Amanoph III., and finished by Rameses II., in the 15th century B.C. The granite sanctuary, like that of Karnak, is a restoration, and of the same age. In one of the halls, approachable from the river side, observe a curious set of sculptures, relative to the birth of the founder of the palace. His mother, the queen, is seated on the stool of accouchement, surrounded by midwives and genii. The latter present him the emblem of life. A little farther on, the infant is presented to and caressed by Amunre; and Thoth, the god of letters, is choosing for him his prenomen, "Sun, Lord of Justice and of Truth."

To see the interesting sculptures on the great propylon, it is necessary to visit the palace at an early hour. They relate to the conquests of Rameses II., but much attention is required to make out their details. In the midst of the fortified camp is a lion, the companion of Sesostris in war.

_Lybian Suburb._--To see the tomb of the kings, one night should be passed in the valley of Biban el Melook; but the entrance of one of the excavations affords sufficient accommodation. That of Belzoni is usually preferred.

Belzoni's tomb (that of Osirien, whose conquests are depicted on the north side of the great temple of Karnak) is the most magnificent; next to that, the tomb of Rameses III. is the most interesting. It is near an angle of the rock, and will be readily distinguished by the recesses on either side of the principal shaft. These little cabinets contain some exceedingly curious sculptures or paintings, and it is from one of them that Bruce drew his harp scene.

The tombs of the queens are in a separate valley, to the west _of Mehdenet Habor_.

At Goorneh (old Goorneh) is the palace of Osirien. In the Aposiet are some remains of a very ancient temple, of which a portion is cut in the rock,--an arch (not masonic) very similar to those of Abydus. Between the Aposiet and the Memnonium are many tombs deserving attention.

The Memnonium (now perhaps more properly called the Rameseion, _i.e._, "Rameseseion," the "house of Rameses") is the most uniform and elegant of Egyptian structures. Pay particular attention to all the battle scenes, to the immense statue of Rameses II., supposed to have weighed nearly a thousand tons, to the circumstance of the bases of the columns of the hepastyle being made seats--to a very remarkable sculpture at the western extremity of the hall--to the private apartments which follow--the Pharaoh seated in the sacred Persia--the next apartment, supposed to be the library--traces of gilding on the doorways, &c.

_The Colossi in the Plain._--Of these the northern one is the vocal statue of the ancients. It is of Amunoph III., the founder of Luxor, who reigned in the 15th century, B.C. Wilkinson discovered the means of deception; a stone, which, when struck, produces a sound similar to that described by Strabo or Pausanias, is still to be found in the lap. The other statue bears the same cartouches, and both are supposed by Wilkinson to have stood at the commencement of a dromio or avenue of the sphinxes running nearly twelve hundred feet towards an indistinct mass of buildings now called Kom el Hattan. Champollion and some architects suppose that they stood before a propylon.

_Mehdenet Habor._--A temple-palace, a private palace or harem, and a temple. The harem is very interesting, but partly destroyed. It consists principally of a pavilion in advance of the palace, and in it are some curious sculptures, among which the king is represented playing chess with his ladies. A ladder is necessary.

The great temple-palace is remarkable not only for its architecture, but for the sculptures representing the conquests of Rameses III. (about the 13th century, B.C.) These are particularly remarkable in the hypoetheral court, where there is exhibited, in the northern side, a magnificent pageant, the coronation of the Pharaoh. The whole exterior of the northern side of the building is covered with battle scenes. Among the heaps of hands poured out before the conqueror are _lions' paws_. There are also heaps of phalia.

The great lake, for the ceremonies of the dead (the hippodrome of the French _savans_), will be best distinguished from the top of the pavilion. There are several other remains, and tombs without number.

There is no trace, whatever, of a wall of circumvallation, though the crude brick enclosures of the temples still remain.

We add to the foregoing, the observations of other writers upon the subject of some of the most interesting of these wondrous antiquities.

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LUXOR.--In approaching this temple from the north, the first object is a magnificent propylon, or gateway, which is two hundred feet in length, and the top of it fifty-seven feet above the present level of the soil. In front of the entrance are the two most perfect obelisks in the world, each of a single block of red granite, from the quarries of Elephantine; they are between seven and eight feet square at the base, and above eighty feet high; many of the hieroglyphical figures with which they are covered are an inch and three quarters deep, cut with the greatest precision. Between these obelisks and the propylon are two colossal statues, also of red granite; though buried in the ground to the chest, they still measure twenty-one and twenty-two feet from thence to the top of their mitres. The attention of the traveller is soon diverted from these masses to the sculptures which cover the eastern wing of the north front of the propylon, on which is a very animated description of a remarkable event in the campaigns of Osymandrias or Sesostris. The ruined portico, which is entered from the gateway, is of very large dimensions; from this a double row of seven columns, with lotus capitals, two-and-thirty feet in circumference, conducts you into a court, one hundred and sixty feet long, and one hundred and forty wide, terminating at each side by a row of columns, beyond which is another portico of thirty-two columns, and the adytum, or interior apartments of the building.

The temple of Luxor was probably built on the banks of the Nile, for the convenience of sailors and wayfaring men; where, without much loss of time, they might stop, say their prayers, present their offerings, &c. Great and magnificent as it is, it only serves to show us the way to a much greater, to which it is hardly more in comparison than a kind of porter's lodge; I mean the splendid ruin of the temple at Karnak. The distance from Luxor to Karnak is about a mile and a half, or two miles. The whole road was formerly lined with a row of sphinxes on each side. At present these are entirely covered up for about two-thirds of the way, on the end nearest to Luxor. On the latter part of the road, near Karnak, a row of criosphinxes (that is, with a ram's head and a lion's body), still exist on each side of the way.

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KARNAK.--The name of Diospolis is sufficient to entitle us to call the grand temple at Karnak the temple of Jupiter. This temple has twelve principal entrances, each of which is composed of several propyla and colossal gateways, or _moles_, besides other buildings attached to them, in themselves larger than most other temples. One of the propyla is entirely of granite, adorned with the most finished hieroglyphics. On each side of many of them have been colossal statues of basalt, breccia and granite; some sitting, some erect, from twenty to thirty feet in height.

The body of the temple, which is preceded by a large court, at the sides of which are colonnades of thirty columns in length, and through the middle of which are two rows of columns fifty feet high, consisting, first of a prodigious hall, or portico, the roof of which is sustained by one hundred and thirty-four columns, some of which are twenty-six feet in circumference, and others thirty-four; there are four beautiful obelisks marking the entrance by the adytum, near which the monarch is represented as embraced by the arms of Isis.

The adytum itself consists of three apartments, entirely of granite. The principal room, which is in the centre, is twenty feet long, sixteen wide, and thirteen feet high. Three blocks of granite form the roof, which is painted with clusters of gilt stars on a blue ground. Beyond are other porticoes and galleries, which have been continued to another propylon, at the distance of two thousand feet from that at the western extremity of the temple.

It may not be uninteresting to add a few particulars relative to this temple, the largest, perhaps, and certainly one of the most ancient, in the world.

Two of the porticoes within it appear to have consisted of pillars in the form of human figures, in the character of Hermes, that is, the lower part of the body hidden, and unshapen, with his arms folded, and in his hand the insignia of divinity; perhaps the real origin of the Grecian Caryatides.

Exclusive of these columnar statues, which have been thirty-eight in number, and the least of them thirty feet high, there are fragments, more or less mutilated, of twenty-three other statues, in granite, breccia and basalt; seventeen of which are colossal, and have been placed in front of the several entrances. They are in general from twenty-five to thirty feet in height, and executed in the best Egyptian style.

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BIBAN-OOL-MOOLK, OR, THE TOMBS OF THE KINGS, is a most dismal-looking spot, a valley of rubbish, without a drop of water or blade of grass. The entrance to the tombs looks out from the rock like the entrance to so many mines; and, were it not for the recollections with which it is peopled, and the beautiful remains of ancient art which lie hid in the bosom of the mountain, would hardly ever be visited by man or beast. The heat is excessive, from the confined dimensions of the valley and the reflection of the sun from the rock and sand. The whole valley is filled with rubbish that has been washed down from the rock or carried out in the making of the tombs, with merely a narrow road up the centre.

Diodorus Siculus states, on the authority of the Egyptian priests, that forty-seven of these tombs were entered in their sacred registers, only seventeen of which remained in the time of Ptolemy Lagus. And in the 180th Olympiad, about 60 years B.C., when Diodorus Siculus was in Egypt, many of these were greatly defaced. Before Mr. Belzoni began his operations in Thebes, only eleven of these tombs were known to the public. From the great success that crowned his exertions, the number of them is nearly double. The general appearance of these tombs is that of a continued shaft, or corridor, cut in the rock, in some places spreading out into large chambers; in other places, small chambers pass off by a door from the shafts, &c. In some places, where the rock is low and disintegrated, a broad excavation is formed on the surface, till it reaches a sufficient depth of solid stones, when it narrows, and enters by a door of about six or eight feet wide, and about ten feet high.

The passage then proceeds with a gradual descent for about a hundred feet, widening or narrowing, according to the plan or object of the architect, sometimes with side chambers, but more frequently not. The beautiful ornament of the globe, with the serpent in its wings, is sculptured over the entrance. The ceiling is black, with silver stars, and the vulture, with outspread wings, holding a ring and a broad-feathered sceptre by each of his feet, is frequently repeated on it, with numerous hieroglyphics, which are white or variously-coloured. The walls on each side are covered with hieroglyphics, and large sculptured figures of the deities of Egypt, and of the hero for whom the tomb was excavated. Sometimes both the hieroglyphics and the figures are wrought in intaglio; at other times they are in relief; but throughout the same tomb they are generally all of one kind. The colours are green, blue, red, black and yellow, and, in many instances, are as fresh and vivid as if they had not been laid on a month. Intermixed with the figures, we frequently meet with curious devices, representing tribunals where people are upon their trials, sometimes undergoing punishment; the preparation of mummies, and people bearing them in procession on their shoulders; animals tied for sacrifice, and partly cut up; and occasionally the more agreeable pictures of entertainments, with music and dancing, and well-dressed people listening to the sound of the harp played by a priest, with his head shaved, and dressed in a loose, flowing white robe, shot with red stripes.

Two other colossal statues, called also by some the statues of Memnon, are in the plain, about half-way between the desert and the river. They are about fifty feet high, and seated each on a pedestal six feet in height, eighteen long, and fourteen broad. The stone of which they are formed is of a reddish grey.

These two statues are by the Arabs familiarly called Shamy and Damy.

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MEDINET HABOO.--One outward inclosure, or brick wall, seems to have contained three distinct, though connected, buildings, to which we may arbitrarily assign the names of the chapel, the palace and the temple. The principal entrance to the palace from the plain being blocked up, it is only to be approached now by a side doorway from the pronaos of the chapel. Of this building, which may once have been the residence of the sovereigns of Egypt, one tower only is remaining. This was divided into three stories, in each of which are two apartments. The stone pavement of the lower rooms is still perfect, but the upper floors and the wooden beams which supported them have entirely disappeared. The interior walls have not such a profusion of sculptures as those without. At each side of one of the windows is an Isis, with the hawk's wing, kneeling, and wearing the lunar crescent on her head. At another window are four projecting sphinxes; and in a corner of one of the rooms are two females, with baskets of lotuses on their heads, carrying a plate of cakes to the king, who is sitting; before him stands another female, with the same head-dress, stretching out her arm, while he puts some of the delicacies into his mouth.

Ebek, the most northern of all the Theban monuments, is only remarkable because the plan on which it is constructed is very different from that of all other temples in Egypt. It has a single row of columns in front, and the rest of the building is distributed into a variety of comparatively small apartments.

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