CHAPTER VIII.

Alexandria.—The Frank quarter.—Pompey's Pillar.—The Obelisks.—Thothmes. —The Pharos.—Obelisk of alabaster to Mohammed All.—News from France —Celebration of Proclamation of Republic by French.—Expulsion of Pope from Rome.—America and California—President Taylor and new Cabinet.— Anxiety for home.—The row of buildings belonging to Ibrahim Pacha.— Alexandrian society. — Bankers, merchants. — English—English Church.— New Church building.—Catholic Convent, and new Catholic Church.—Chev. d'Anastasi's museum—its use to Egyptian science.—Mr. Harris's museum.— Russian Consulate—Russian vessels of war—Dockyards.—Egyptian fleet.— Saracenic ruins, walls, towers.—Ruins temple Arsinoe.—Catacombs ycleped Cleopatra's baths.—Site and ruins of Sarapeum—site and ruins of library— Site of Theatre.—Palace.—Canopus' baths—Bazaar.—Promenades.—Italian Church and Italian beauties.—The Italian Opera and Cafe's.—Italians and Levantines.—Rides.—Sayd Pacha's Palace.—Orange groves, and exquisite view.—Arab city under the Caliphs.—Mosque of a thousand and one columns. —Canopus.—Supposed tomb of Alexander.—Turkish quarter, and customs.— Mohammed All's palace and gardens—Alexandria under the Ptolomies— Cleopatra—Antony—Pompey.—Old Egypt's splendor.—Aboukir, and Nelson's field of victory.—Abercrombie—Bazaars, and Moggrebyn Arabs.—Modern Alexandria.—Two sons of Ibrahim Pacha.—Arab soldiers.—Etesian winds.— Cameo of Naples, "Tazze Farnese."—Homeward bound.—Farewell to Egypt.—Candia, or Crete.—Straits of Messina, Mount Etna, Coast of Italy, Spezzia, and quarantine.—Tuscan soldiers.—Lombardese.—Austrians.—Italian liberty. — Marseilles. — Avignon. — Lyons. — Paris.—Zodiacs.—France, and a President.—Bibliotheque.—Assyrian Museum.—London.—Chevalier Bunsen.— "Egyptologists," British Museum.—Mr. Birch.—Layard.—Nineveh.—Major Rawlinson.—Voyage home.—New-York Bay.

Next morning we were promenading this motley city, or riding about on our donkey to see the lions; which, to avoid enumeration, we have placed at the head of our chapter. In the bazaar you may see numbers of the Moggrebyn Arabs and those from the Libyan desert; and though you feel it excessively dull and unoriental after Cairo, still the Nile and desert Arabs, Turks, Syrians, Bedouins, English, French, Italians, Jews, Greeks, Russian and American officers and sailors, the large English commerce, and English captains and sailors, make it almost as variegated a city as San Francisco must be. The museum of medals, &c., belonging to that fine Egyptian scholar and antiquarian, Mr. Harris, has been frequently spoken of; and the museum of C. d'Anastasi, the Swedish Consul-general of Egypt, now in London, has furnished many Scripture illustrations and proofs.

"Nam qua Pellaei, gens fortunata Canopi."

Georgics iv. 285.

Canopus, built on the western side of the Nile, was termed Pellaean, from Pella, in Macedonia, the birth-place of Alexander. Canopus on the west, and Pelusium on the east, are described in the Georgics of Virgil. In the catacombs, on the plains, in the few old ruins, (among which are the baths of Cleopatra, and at which there is nothing to see,) are all to be seen of the once great city of Alexander. His tomb was here, but nothing else. And yet African as Alexandria looks, when you first arrive from Europe, now, returning from four months up the Nile, it seems more European than Europe. Walking with M. d'Abaddie, who was so many years in Abyssinia, I could not but be amused at his saying of it with contempt, "This European, wnoriental town!"

Near the docks is the site of the temple of Arsinoe, and while exploring this, you can glance at the fine palaces, whose latticed harems hang over the water. The pillar, called Pompey's Pillar so erroneously, was erected by Publius in honor of Diocletian. Some suppose an equestrian statue stood upon it; but to me it seemed only to be one of a number of columns of an edifice, and I supposed it belonged to the Sarapeum. Here, it is said by Adrian, in his letter to Servian, that both Christian Jews and Gentiles worshipped Jupiter Serapis.

About the time that I reached Alexandria, two sons of Ibrahim Pacha were returned; and Abbas not liking their presence, very coolly gave them orders to leave in twentyfour hours. The French steamer was forced to return with them. The Pacha, on his return from Constantinople, as well as from Mecca, just before his accession, made the engineers many splendid presents. The engineers of the steamers hold the rank of naval officers in the Egyptian fleet, and wear the insignia.

There was enough to wear out a few days at Alexandria: there was Mohammed Ali's fine palace, and there were the Arab baths; there was Mr. Harris's collection, and shooting, with a Greek, along Lake Mareotis. There was the Italian Theatre and the Italian Cafe; there was Canopus' and Cleopatra's baths; and the picturesque shore, and a gallop along the bay of Aboukir; and there was the English Church on Sunday, and a pleasant Sunday evening walk along the road to Rosetta Gate and the Cleopatra obelisk; and then there was Pompey's pillar, and the ruins of the library; the Turkish bazaar, and the Arab bazaar; and silk-dealers of robes, and embroidery from Damascus; and Greek dealers in Roman antiquities; and the French Consul, and the Fetes de Republique; and the English merchant fleet, and the English Consul; and fresh news from California, and my own dear land. Not a day was without its many scenes of interest.

Now a regiment of Arab soldiers file through the streets; now a Dervish meeting; now an overland mail from England, and you fancy you are walking down Regent Crescent in London; now from India, and you can see Calcutta afloat; now a French steamer, and a crowd of French adventurers, leaving the new republic for the republic's good. I have been more than four months in Egypt, and it is not yet a bore.

I would gladly, if time permitted, build up old Greek Alexandria as it was, out of the ruins. I amused my fancy with the picture of the past, when Cleopatra ruled, and

"The barge she sat in, like a burnished throne
Burned on the water: the poop was beaten gold,
Purple the sails, and so perfumed, that
The winds were lovesick with them; the oars were silver."

Ahtony And Cleopatra.

Alexandria, whether it be Greek, Roman, Christian or Patriarchal, Saracenic, Turkish, French, English, or that of the family ruling thee now:—It is all in history. Here in the days of the Greek Emperors a scene is described. "Along the banks of the green island in the middle of the stream, lay anchored the galleys of the principal traders, large floating bazaars, bearing each the name of its owner, emblazoned in letters of flame over its stern. Over the decks were spread out in gay profusion the products of the loom and needle of Egypt, rich carpets of Memphis, and likewise those variegated veils, for which the female embroiderers of the Nile are so celebrated, and to which the name of Cleopatra lends traditional charms. In each of the other galleys was exhibited some branch of Egyptian workmanship, vases of the fragrant porcelain of On; cups of that frail crystal, whose hues change like those of the pigeon's plumage; enamelled amulets graven with the heads of Anubis, and necklaces and bracelets of the black beans of Abyssinia." Such was the Alexandria of the Greeks!

It was after the season of Etesian winds, whose beneficent influence the Egyptians represented by angels;—I recalled the celebrated Egyptian cameo in Naples, in which Horus, Alexander and Ptolemy are represented, and the Etesian winds with their veils. The exquisite beauty of the sculpture of this vase, which is called the Tazze Farnese, I remembered with pleasure.

No such luxury is seen here now, but you may see the rich houses of the modern Greek, or of the transit agents, English merchants, consuls and Levantines; you may see the fine palace of Mohammed All; the palace and luxuriant orange groves of Seyd Pacha; you may see the English vessels of war and merchandise, and American frigates; threatening Russian consuls and Russian brigs; you may see the rich vegetation along Lake Mareotis, and thriving commerce in modern Alexandria, re-establishing her magnificence, and repaying to Egypt the lessons of science and philosophy, and art and luxury that she has taught the world.

The Greeks pride themselves upon some relics said to be of St. Catharine, who suffered martyrdom. Their church and cemetery, like that at Cairo, is well worth visiting.

I shall bid my reader farewell with an incomplete chapter, to which I give him only the headings. In the pages of guide-books and travellers, he will find these places all described, and what interest have these when Paris invites to her