Franks at Alexandria

On the morning of the 14th of April [1826], for the first time, I saw the sun rise over a garden of date-trees, in which Mr. Salt’s house was situated, and as their light feathery tops waved and danced in the morning beams, I believed myself to be actually in Africa, for hitherto I could have fancied I had been in a dream. It being Sunday, Mr. Thunberg, the Swedish Consul, Mr. Madden, (the traveller,) and many of the European Residents called, and this seems to be the principal manner in which the Christian Franks celebrate the day in Egypt. The upper part of the principal Sala was furnished in the Oriental fashion, with deep sofas and very thick cushions, at once serving for the accommodation of Europeans and Turks, and as this was our morning sitting-room, as well as where the Consul received his guests, we had an opportunity of seeing a curious mélange of nations and customs. The visitors generally walked in unannounced; sometimes appeared a stately, dignified, well-dressed Turk, with his graceful salaam, in which I was always carefully and most respectfully included. He, perhaps, was followed by an Italian resident, or a Greek adventurer; an English captain upon business, or an Arab Fellah with a complaint. We were somewhat amused with one who came up in a most intense rage; and after a long story of his grievances, he most significantly and energetically concluded by giving himself a violent box on the ear, with “Giovanni Maltese.” Mr. Salt’s head servant, a Maltese, and he had been quarrelling, and the Consul was obliged to go out and make peace; a circumstance, he observed, of no unusual occurrence.

C. accompanied Mr. Salt on a visit of ceremony to one of the Consuls, where he saw several Greek ladies, in the costume of their country, sitting cross-legged on the sofa, and a few Italian and French, but no English. Indeed, I believe it to be almost universally remarked, that however migratory our countrywomen may be in disposition, they seldom settle abroad, for all the Consuls’ wives are foreigners. They seemed enjoying the “dolce far niente” of Oriental climates, which to use an Irish expression, is perhaps the only thing that Europeans can do in these sultry countries.

In the evening, as Mr. Salt seemed to think there was no danger, C. and I took a tete-à-te’te walk to Cleopatra’s Needle. We passed some fine shafts of granite, and over numerous heaps of rubbish and excavated mounds of earth, apparently the former foundations of the houses of ancient Alexandria. No traces of cultivation were to be seen, but desolation reigned around; and in an out of the way, neglected spot, close to the sea-shore, where once the great ones of the earth held their fantastic revels, stood the obelisk which bears the name of that cunning gipsy, who queened it so bravely over the lords of the world, and for the sake of whose beaux yeux an empire was lost by the love-stricken Antony.

A few yards distant, prone on the ground, and deeply embedded in the sand, lies the fellow obelisk; two sides of which are very perfect, but the others are much injured, and covered with lichen and moss. We walked over this fallen monument of greatness, which, it is said, was at one time to have been taken to England; but the ancient Romans surpassed us in this respect, for whilst we cannot contrive to carry away an obelisk which is on the sea-shore, they were wont to convey them from Thebes to the city of Rome. Some Turks in the vicinity stared to see two Frank strangers wandering unprotected among their ruins: the dogs, half canine, half jackal in their nature, each from his strong hold on his own hillock of sand, barked and yelped at us most furiously. A stone was flung, whether meant for them or us, in offence or defence, we knew not, therefore as it was growing dusk we prudently wended our way homewards, passing many an Arab party in our way. At the doors of their low and miserable huts, sat the Fellahs, with their wives by their sides, dandling and fondling their babes with paternal exultation: happiness illuminated their dingy countenances, and affection dwelt in the smile with which they proudly exhibited them to us, as we walked by.

The costume of the Egyptian women consists of a coarse blue shift, descending to their feet, with fashionably large sleeves; a piece of cloth tied over their faces, leaving the eyes visible, and another, in the style of the mantilla, over their heads; and this, when they meet any one, they draw over their faces. I imitated them in this particular, by always holding my shawl up to my face, and keeping my veil down; but though my English attire excited the utmost attention, and in particular my black jean half boots, a white face and black feet being what they could not comprehend, yet I was constantly treated wherever I went with the utmost deference and respect, and though they furtively watched me, whenever the men saw it was observed, they immediately turned away. A good lesson for Bond-street and Regent-street loungers, who think it gentlemanly to stare a woman out of countenance.

It is not easy to describe what a terrible torment the flies were, particularly at meals; and though I was at first surprised, and indeed almost annoyed, to find our servant constantly taking his station behind me, and waving a chowree, or Indian fan, over my head, I soon found it was by no means a useless ceremony, or one of mere show. This being the fast of Ramazan, during which period the faithful Mussulmans never eat whilst the sun is above the horizon, they feast and amuse themselves for hours after it is set, and in consequence we every night heard native music; there was something wild and by no means unmelodious in the sound, wafted from, and softened by the distance.

On the 17th, the morning was lovely, but soon afterwards a dense and heavy fog came on, which lasted for an hour or two, and then the Camseen, or Hamseen, began to blow: the terrible wind which prevails more or less for fifty days in Egypt during the spring, and whose effects are so dreadful, that were it to continue for more than two or three days consecutively, all animated nature would be destroyed. It has the enervating and dispiriting effects of the Sirocco, and sweeping across the deserts of Africa, it brings with it dense and moving clouds of sand. Though every window and door was closed, all parts of the house were filled with it, and it penetrated into our hair, our food, and our dress. Fancy to yourself the most dense and gloomy November London fog you ever saw, with a dark and lurid atmosphere, impregnated with dust, and accompanied by a hollow mournful sound, and you will have a faint idea of the Camseen; but the blast heats instead of cooling; the skin is parched, and a violent thirst ensues, which it is almost impossible to assuage. It blew incessantly for three days, with but one short interval, when a shower of rain fell for twenty minutes, and Mr. Salt observed he had never seen it more violent. This wind is most unhealthy, and is generally the precursor of that dreadful scourge the plague. Several accidents had already occurred in Alexandria, which is the delicate way of announcing its commencement, and we were consequently anxious to set off before it had more generally spread. During the plague season, almost as much a thing of course in Egypt, as the return of the spring, the Europeans entirely confine themselves to their houses, holding no communication but what is absolutely necessary with the exterior world; their houses are barricadoed with as many precautions as if the city were besieged.

” The sullen door,
Yet uninfected, on its cautious hinge
Fearing to turn, abhors society;”

and the months of seclusion, when “the pestilence walketh in darkness, and the sickness destroyeth in the noonday,” appear to be of the most awful and appalling nature. We could not be sufficiently thankful to Divine Providence, for guarding and protecting us from this terrible danger.

C. paid a visit to the public baths, and was rubbed, pinched, steamified, shampooed, and purified in the most approved Turkish fashion. He described the sensation as most delightful; but though they thrice in the week are appropriated to the use of females, and the Consul told me, I could go, if so disposed, I could not resolve to venture all alone, and I was consequently obliged to rest satisfied with Lady Mary Wortley Montague’s account. In his walks, C. met with a German, a former fellow-voyager of ours from Messina to Malta, whom we had denominated Pharaoh’s baker, as he was going to Egypt to serve Mahomet Au in that capacity. His fine hopes had been disappointed, as is frequently the case with Europeans who go to Egypt in hopes of employment, and, though at liberty, he was wandering about in a very disconsolate state, and was most happy to accept C.’s offer of recommending him to his countrymen, the German Missionaries, who gladly engaged him as a servant.

One evening, as the Consul and we were sitting at tea, quite in the English fashion, and talking over our friends in the green Isles of the West, a considerable bustle was heard on the stairs, and to our great surprise, in walked the Aga of Alexandria and his Tahlanjee! (Aide-de-camp). The former was a good-looking, middle-aged man, with very polished, and even dignified manners, clad in a handsome, but sober suit of brown, and with a white turban on his head; the latter, a Neapolitan Renegado, was gaily dressed in a scarlet vest, covered with gold. He possessed his country’s energy and vivacity, and addressed me at once with all the airs of a petit maitre, questioning me about my travels, and talking to me in Italian of “Lady Mahree, and her nice children, Miss Bathurst, balls,” &c. The Aga only spoke Turkish, – and his conversation turned upon Tripolizza, – the Greeks, the Pasha, &c.; – both lie and the Tahlanjee taking the opportunity of abusing the French vehemently, as a sort of compliment, which they considered as acceptable and pleasing to the English. They took tea à la mode Anglaise; and at retiring, they salaamed me in the most graceful and respectful manner, and shook hands with C. with the greatest cordiality. As the Consul offered to attend them down stairs, the Aga stopped him with the utmost energy, and it was quite amusing, to see the Turk and the Englishman striving who should be the most polite. This call was a most unusual and unprecedented one, for Mr. Salt had not returned the last, and he therefore attributed it to curiosity on the part of the Aga to see his English guests. I was in my usual costume, and you can have no conception how perfectly uncomfortable I felt without my veil, for the women so invariably cover their faces in Egypt, that I was quite ashamed of showing mine at Alexandria.

We were fortunate enough to be present, when Mr. Salt opened a packet of curiosities from Thebes, which was sent to him by his agent, who was established there for the purpose of making the collection. Some of them he pronounced to be very rare and valuable, particularly the image of a Persian King in silver, which, to his great annoyance, and to its great detriment, they had been endeavouring to clean, and had removed the venerable dust of ages in a very rough manner. It was covered with the Persepolitan arrow-headed character, which has, I believe, never been decyphered. There were also several mummy necklaces, with small, and by no means un-pretty ornaments hanging to them, resembling delicate seals; also several scarabei, and other trinkets, of some of which the Consul kindly made me a present.

What a pity it was that the members of our Government should have been seized with such an unlucky fit of economy, when Mr. Salt offered his collection of curiosities to them for sale, and which, in consequence of their refusing to purchase them, have now passed into the hands of the French, who gave ten thousand pounds for the whole, for, from his knowledge, and power of procuring what was most valuable, they would doubtless have been a noble addition to any museum. Mr. Salt was rather a fine-looking man, with a considerable degree of lassitude in his manners, which gave C. an impression he was at that time suffering under a liver complaint. When engaged in conversation, however, this vanished, and from having been much with the literary and politically Great, possessing a well-informed mind, and considerable taste for literature and the beaux arts, he had great powers of entertainment, and was a very amusing companion. He showed us his paintings, his poetry – he appeared delighted to meet with some one who could enter into his pursuits and feelings – and it seemed a refreshment to him, to turn from the price of cotton, or from some trifling dispute of English Captains or Arab Fellahs, to the works of Madame de Stael and Walter Scott. I confess, I never expected to have discussed the merits of Corinne and Rob Roy at Alexandria! On the 19th, in spite of the Camseen, and his kind wishes for us to prolong our stay, we took leave of our kind host, trusting to meet in England at some future period. Alas! we little thought his end was so near, when we bade him farewell.

from Narrative of a Journey Overland from England, by the Continent of Europe, Egypt, and the Red Sea, to India; including a residence there, and voyage home, in the Years 1825, 26, 27, and 28.
by Mrs. Colonel Elwood, 1830