On entering the harbor of Alexandria I was surprised at the extent of the Egyptian fleet, and had a strong desire to visit some of the naval vessels, the arsenal, &c. On visiting the latter we were accompanied through every department by the commandant, a French gentleman, who was exceedingly polite; and here we found about four thousand persons, which is only a portion of those employed during the war. I was also surprised at finding shipbuilding, casting furnaces, ropemaking, in a word all that is necessary for fitting out a navy. Among the number of officers there were some young Arabs who had been sent to England to acquire knowledge in the arts. I observed among the workmen that many had lost an eye, and others had the two first fingers of the right hand cut off. I concluded that the cause of the first was ophthalmia, which is very general in Egypt, being caused by the burning rays of the sun upon the desert, but found on inquiry that during the war, when conscriptions were made for soldiers in the army, hundreds and thousands, to prevent being liable to military service, preferred destroying the pupil of the right eye with a small rod of hot iron, or by cutting off the forefingers of the right hand, thus preventing the use of it in pulling the trigger; but the Pasha was not to be thwarted in his designs, and actually formed left-handed regiments, and also employed those conscripts in the public service.
The next day, after visiting the public works, our party visited the palace of the Pasha, which is extensive and fitted up with taste, in the oriental style, with high ceilings and divans extending on three sides of the grand saloons; also the great luxury of the East, splendid marble bathing rooms. The palace is beautifully situated, with a view of the harbor in front, and picturesque and rich gardens in the rear.
On leaving the palace on the water side by arrangement with the Swedish consul, under whose patronage we were, we found the captain of an Egyptian cutter, with fourteen oarsmen, in attendance to convey us on board of one of the one hundred gun frigates, which carries seven hundred men. After having satisfied our curiosity in the examination of a beautiful frigate in fine order, we repaired to the cabin and accepted the universal civilities of the East, a pipe six feet in length, well charged with Egyptian tobacco, and a small cup of coffee, all of which must be submitted to, or you give offence.
My two travelling Companions and myself, who purpose visiting Upper Egypt in going to the cataract of the Nile, taking Grand Cairo, the Pyramids, Memphis, and the ruins of Thebes in the route, are now busily employed in procuring a suitable boat, with supplies of all provisions necessary for six weeks or two months.
We intend leaving to-morrow if our servants succeed in getting beds, furniture, provisions, and all the paraphernalia of housekeeping which are necessary for such a voyage. Therefore you may expect to hear from me next at Grand Cairo.
XXIX.
Grand Cairo, Egypt, Jan. 20, 1842.
We started off all our boat furniture, supplies of cooking utensils, provisions, &c., on camels, ourselves and Arab servants on horses and donkeys, making quite a formidable party, bringing up the rear. On arriving at the Mahmoudie Canal, which connects Alexandria with the Nile, we took our boat for Atfe, a small town at the junction of the canal with the river. We soon commenced our journey, towed by four Arab boatmen, with ropes across their breasts; and when the wind favored, made use of sails. This canal is considered one of the greatest works of the age, being sixty miles in length, ninety feet in breadth, and eighteen in depth, through a perfectly flat country. It is certainly a remarkable work, and could only be made in a country like Egypt, where the will of Mehemet Ali is law. Every village was ordered to furnish a certain quota, in proportion to its population, and thus one hundred and fifty thousand workmen were secured at once; and in one year from its commencement, the whole excavation was completed. As a grand stride in public improvement it was a great work, and does honor to the energies of the Pacha; but the wanton disregard of human life that attended it was shocking to humanity, as it proved the grave of thirty thousand of the laborers.
On arriving at Atfe, we discharged our canal boat, and went in search of a suitable river boat for the Upper Nile. Having succeeded in finding one, of the class called “canziah,” and made our contract with the reis, or captain, we were prepared to depart; but as the north wind, which usually blows the same way for eight or nine months in the year, making it easy to ascend the Nile, was contrary, we employed our time in visiting an Arab village near by.
These villages are, in most instances, mere huts, built of mud, or unburnt bricks, and so low that the inmates cannot stand erect in them, but have a hole in front to crawl in. The Delta, stretching out from the banks of the river, and inundated annually by the Nile, is remarkably rich and productive. The town called Atfe, at the junction of the canal, concentrates all the products of the upper country, and presents a lively scene, of vessels unloading cotton and various kinds of grain, with hundreds of men and women employed in discharging them.