an extra day? We came from Beyrout
furnished with a Teshkeret (certificate of health) by the
government, besides the voucher of our personal appearance, and yet
we were condemned to a lengthened imprisonment. But Mehemet Ali is
far more mighty and despotic in Egypt than the Sultan in
Constantinople; he commands, and what can we do but obey, and submit
to his superior power?

From the deck of our ship I obtained a view of the city and the
desert region around. The town seems tolerably spacious, and is
built quite in European style.

Of the Turkish town, which lies in the background, we can
distinguish nothing; the proper harbour, situate at the opposite
side of the city, is also invisible, and its situation can only be
discerned from the forest of masts that towers upwards. The eye is
principally caught by two high sand-hills, on one of which stands
Fort Napoleon, while the other is only surmounted by several cannon;
the foreground is occupied by rocky ridges of moderate elevation,
flanked on one side by the lighthouse, and on the other by the new
quarantine buildings. The old quarantine-house lies opposite to the
new one. In several places we notice little plantations of date-
palms, which make a very agreeable impression on the European, as
their appearance is quite new to him.

August 8th.

At seven o'clock this morning we disembarked, and were delivered
with bag and baggage at the quarantine-house. I now trod a new
quarter of the globe, Africa. When I sit calmly down to think of
the past, I frequently wonder how it was that my courage and
perseverance never once left me while I followed out my project step
by step. This only serves to convince me that, if the resolution be
firm, things can be achieved which would appear almost impossible.

I had expected to find neither comfort nor pleasure in the
quarantine-house, and unfortunately I had judged but too well. The
courtyard into which we were shewn was closely locked, and furnished
on all sides with wooden bars; the rooms displayed only four bare
walls, with windows guarded in the same manner. It is customary to
quarter several persons in the same room, and then each pays a share
of the expense. I requested a separate apartment, which one can
also have, but of course at a higher charge. Such a thing as a
chair, a table, or a piece of furniture, was quite out of the
question; whoever wishes to enjoy such a luxury must apply by letter
to an innkeepe