Alexandria--Egyptian burials--Catacombs of Alexandria--
Viceroy's palace--Departure from Alexandria--The steamer Eurotas--
Candia--Syra--Paros and Antiparos--The Morea--Fire on board--Malta--
Quarantine--St. Augustine's church--Clergymen--Beggars--Costumes--
Soldiers--Civita Vecchia.

September 5th.

At five o'clock in the evening of the 2d of September I commenced my
journey back to Alexandria. During the fortnight I remained at
Cairo the Nile had continued to rise considerably, and the interest
of the region had increased in proportion. In three days' time I
arrived safely at Alexandria, and again put up at Colombier's. Two
days had still to elapse before the departure of the French steam-
vessel, and I made use of this time to take a closer survey of the
town and its environs.

On my arrival at Alexandria I met two Egyptian funerals. The first
was that of a poor man, and not a soul followed the coffin. The
corpse lay in a wooden box without a lid, a coarse blanket had been
spread over it, and four men carried the coffin. The second funeral
had a more respectable air. The coffin, indeed, was not less rude,
but the dead man was covered with a handsome shawl, and four
"mourning women" followed the body, raising a most dolorous howl
from time to time. A motley crowd of people closed the procession.
The corpse was laid in the grave without the coffin.

The catacombs of Alexandria are very extensive, and well worth a
visit. A couple of miles from them we see the celebrated plain on
which the army of Julius Caesar was once posted. The cistern and
bath of Cleopatra were both under water. I could, therefore, only
see the place where they stood.

The viceroy's palace, a spacious building inclining to the European
style, has a pleasing effect. Its interior arrangement is also
almost wholly European.

The bazaar contains nothing worthy of remark. The arsenal looks
very magnificent when viewed from without. It is difficult to
obtain admission into this building, and you run the risk of being
insulted by the workmen. The hospital has the appearance of a
private house.

I was astonished at the high commission which is here demanded on
changing small sums of money. In changing a collonato, a coin very
much used in this country, and worth about two guilders, the
applicant must lose from half a piastre to two piastres, according
to the description of coin he requires. If beshliks {261} are
taken, the commis