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 NILE BOAT.
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.