al alabaster, and the exterior is of the same costly finish. There
is the sarcophagus of Mehemet Ali, the most enlightened of modern
Egyptian rulers, before which lamps are burning perpetually. The
interior of this mosque in its combined effect seemed to be the most
effective, architecturally, of any temple of the sort which we had
visited. There is a height, breadth, and solemn dignity in its aspect,
which earnestly impresses one. The exterior is much less striking, but
yet admirably balanced and harmonized. The lofty situation of the mosque
commands one of the most interesting views that can well be conceived
of. The city, with its countless minarets and domed mosques, its public
buildings and tree-adorned squares, its section of mud-colored houses
and terraced roofs, lies in the form of a crescent at the visitor's
feet, while the plains of Lower Egypt stretch far away in all
directions. The tombs of the Memlooks lie close at hand, full of
suggestiveness, as also does the lonely column of Heliopolis, four
thousand years old, marking the site of the famous "City of the Sun."
Beyond and towards the sea is the land of Goshen, where the sons of
Jacob fed their flocks. A little more westerly in the mysterious Nile is
seen the well-wooded island of Roda, quietly nestling in the broad bosom
of the river. The grand Aqueduct, with its high arches reaching for
miles, reminds one of the Campagna at Rome; while beyond loom up the
time-defying pyramids, the horizon ending at the borders of the great
Libyan Desert. Far away to the southwest a forest of palms dimly marks
the site of dead and buried Memphis, where Joseph interpreted a
monarch's dream. Twilight was approaching when we were there The
half-suppressed hum of a dense Eastern population came up from the busy,
low-lying city, and a strange, sensuous flavor of sandal-wood, musk, and
attar of roses floated upon the golden haze of the sunset, indelibly
fixing the Oriental scene on the memory.

A visit to the Shoobra Palace, in the environs of Cairo, took us over a
fine road and through a shady avenue of sycamores and lebbec-trees, the
latter remarkable for its umbrageous character. This is the favorite
drive of the citizens at twilight, where every known modern style of
carriage may be met, from the Khedive's equipages, four-in-hand, and
those of the ladies of his harem, to the single English gig or dog-cart.
There are also the light American trotting wagons, elegant European