onel Bathurst, and Miss Hamilton, amidst amusements and
excursions to Gozo and Marfa, Mr and Mrs Montefiore did not forget on
Thursday, the 2nd of August, the fast which was kept on the day of
the anniversary of the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem. "Thank
God," he says in his diary, "we are quite well after breaking our
fast, which we did at 9.35, several stars being then visible. The day
has been dreadfully hot and fatiguing. My poor wife suffered so much
that I endeavoured to persuade her to break her fast about four
o'clock, but she would not. I felt extremely weak, but was free from
headache."

The next day, Captain Anderson of the _Leonidas_ called and agreed to
take Mr and Mrs Montefiore and two servants to Alexandria, for a
consideration of L400, and to wait there twenty days, and then take
them to Jaffa. At this stage Mrs Montefiore was taken ill, but owing
to the kind attention of Lady Stoddart, and the assistance of Mr
Milan, the Governor's medical adviser, she soon recovered.

Mr and Mrs Montefiore now embarked on board the _Leonidas_, and sailed
under convoy of the _Garnet_, with four other vessels to Alexandria.
From here they proceeded to Cairo and the Pyramids, where, by the
courtesy of Mr Salt, the British Consul General, Mr Montefiore had the
honour of being presented to Mohhammad 'Ali Pasha in full divan. Mr
Maltass, the Vice Consul, acted as interpreter, the Pacha speaking
Turkish and his visitor French. "We were graciously received," Mr
Montefiore says, "and remained in conversation three quarters of an
hour. We had coffee with him. He spoke much of his wishes to improve
his people, enquired where I was going, if I was pleased with Egypt,
and paid me some compliments. After the interview I rode to the
Obelisk. On my return I called on Mr Salt. I found him much alarmed at
the non-arrival of a despatch which had been sent by an English sloop
of war. The Porte had refused the mediation, and the English Admiral
had orders to act. Mr Salt was to see the Pasha in the morning, and
would then set off for Alexandria. The Pasha wrote to him saying that
Mr Canning had died on the 22nd."

The party now returned to Alexandria, where they heard conflicting
news with regard to the possibility of war. Meanwhile they visited all
places of interest, especially the Synagogues, where the services
appeared somewhat strange to them. Special mention is made of the
Synagogue of Signor Fua, which they visited on Ne