Visits to Monasteries in the Levant — Themes and Context

Navarino--The Wrecks of the Turkish and Egyptian Fleets--Alexandria--An Arab Pilot--Intense Heat--Scene from the Hotel Windows--The Water-Carriers--A Procession--A Bridal Party--Violent mode of clearing the Road--Submissive Behaviour of the People--Astonishing Number of Donkeys--Bedouin Arabs; their wild and savage appearance--Early Hours--Visit to the Pasha's Prime Minister, Boghos Bey; hospitable reception--Kawasses and Chaoushes; their functions and powers--The Yassakjis--The Minister's Audience Chamber--Walmas; anecdote of his saving the life of Boghos Bey 1

Rapacity of the Dragomans--The Mahmoudieh Canal--The Nile at Atfeh--The muddy Waters of the Nile--Richness of the Soil--Accident to the Boatmen--Night Sailing--A Collision--A Vessel run down--Escape of the Crew--Solemn Investigation--Final Judgment--Curious Mode of Fishing--Tameness of the Birds--Jewish Malefactors--Moving Pillar of Sand--Arrival at Cairo--Hospitable Reception by the Consul-General 14

National Topics of Conversation--The Rising of the Nile; evil effects of its rising too high; still worse consequences of a deficiency of its waters--The Nilometer--Universal Alarm in August, 1833--The Nile at length rises to the desired Height--Ceremony of cutting the Embankment--The Canal of the Khalidj--Immense Assemblage of People--The State Tent--Arrival of Habeeb Effendi--Splendid Dresses of the Officers--Exertions of the Arab Workmen--Their Scramble for Paras--Admission of the Water--Its sudden Irruption--Excitement of the Ladies--Picturesque Effect of large Assemblies in the East 27

Early Hours in the Levant--Compulsory Use of Lanterns in Cairo--Separation of the different Quarters of the City--Custom of sleeping in the open air--The Mahomedan Times of Prayer--Impressive Effect of the Morning Call to Prayer from the Minarets--The last Prayer-time, Al Assr--Bedouin Mode of ascertaining this Hour--Ancient Form of the Mosques--The Mosque of Sultan Hassan--Egyptian Mode of "raising the Supplies"--Sultan Hassan's Mosque the Scene of frequent Conflicts--The Slaughter of the Mameluke Beys in the Place of Roumayli--Escape of one Mameluke, and his subsequent Friendship with Mohammed Ali--The Talisman of Cairo--Joseph's Well and Hall--Mohammed Ali's Mosque--His Residence in the Citadel--The Harem--Degraded State of the Women in the East 35

Interview with Mohammed Ali Pasha--Mode of lighting a Room in Egypt--Personal Appearance of the Pasha--His Diamond-mounted Pipe--The lost Handkerchief--An unceremonious Attendant--View of Cairo from the Citadel--Site of Memphis; its immense extent--The Tombs of the Caliphs--The Pasha's Mausoleum--Costume of Egyptian Ladies--The Cobcob, or Wooden Clog--Mode of dressing the Hair--The Veil--Mistaken Idea that the Egyptian Ladies are Prisoners in the Harem; their power of doing as they like--The Veil a complete Disguise--Laws of the Harem--A Levantine Beauty--Eastern Manners--The Abyssinian Slaves--Arab Girls--Ugliness of the Arab Women when old--Venerable Appearance of the old Men--An Arab Sheick 47

Mohammed Bey, Defterdar--His Expedition to Senaar--His Barbarity and Rapacity--His Defiance of the Pasha--Stories of his Cruelty and Tyranny--The Horse-shoe--The Fight of the Mamelukes--His cruel Treachery--His Mode of administering Justice--The stolen Milk--The Widow's Cow--Sale and Distribution of the Thief--The Turkish Character--Pleasures of a Journey on the Nile--The Copts--Their Patriarchs--The Patriarch of Abyssinia--Basileos Bey--His Boat--An American's choice of a Sleeping-place 64

Visit to the Coptic Monasteries near the Natron Lakes--The Desert of Nitria--Early Christian Anchorites--St. Macarius of Alexandria--His Abstinence and Penance--Order of Monks founded by him--Great increase of the Number of ascetic Monks in the Fourth Century--Their subsequent decrease, and the present ruined state of the Monasteries--Legends of the Desert--Capture of a Lizard--Its alarming escape--The Convent of Baramous--Night attacks--Invasion of Sanctuary--Ancient Glass Lamps--Monastery of Souriani--Its Library and Coptic MSS.--The Blind Abbot and his Oil-cellar--The persuasive powers of Rosoglio--Discovery of Syriac MSS.--The Abbot's supposed treasure 75

View from the Convent Wall--Appearance of the Desert--Its grandeur and freedom--Its contrast to the Convent Garden--Beauty and luxuriance of Eastern Vegetation--Picturesque Group of the Monks and their Visitors--The Abyssinian Monks--Their appearance--Their austere mode of Life--The Abyssinian College--Description of the Library--The mode of Writing in Abyssinia--Immense Labour required to write an Abyssinian book--Paintings and Illuminations--Disappointment of the Abbot at finding the supposed Treasure-box only an old Book--Purchase of the MSS. and Books--The most precious left behind--Since acquired for the British Museum 90

THE CONVENT OF THE PULLEY.

The Convent of the Pulley--Its inaccessible position--Difficult landing on the bank of the Nile--Approach to the Convent through the Rocks--Description of the Convent and its Inhabitants--Plan of the Church--Books and MSS.--Ancient excavations--Stone Quarries and ancient Tombs--Alarm of the Copts--Their ideas of a Sketch-book 105

RUINED MONASTERY AT THEBES.

Ruined Monastery in the Necropolis of Thebes--"Mr. Hay's Tomb"--The Coptic Carpenter--His acquirements and troubles--He agrees to show the MSS. belonging to the ruined Monastery, which are under his charge--Night visit to the Tomb in which they are concealed--Perils of the way--Description of the Tomb--Probably in former times a Christian Church--Examination of the Coptic MSS.--Alarming interruption--Hurried flight from the Evil Spirits--Fortunate escape--Appearance of the Evil Spirit--Observations on Ghost Stories--The Legend of the Old Woman of Berkeley considered 117