Disgrace and flight of Artim Bey — Visit to Achmed Bey — Palace of an
Egyptian noble — Arabian horses — Tombs of the Caliphs — The gardens of
Shoobra — The imprisoned lady — Grotto of the Virgin Mary — Heliopolis —
Boulac — Ishmael Bey — The boats.
As soon as we were settled in Cairo, we proceeded to deliver our letters
of introduction; one was for Artim Bey, who had for many years held a
high post in the government. To our great disappointment, however, he
was not to be found, having absconded only a few days previously, in
order to avoid an examination of his accounts, which had been called for
by Abbas Pasha. It was said that he had gone to Italy, but it afterwards
turned out that he made his way to Constantinople, where he was
favourably received by the Sultan, and is now filling a distinguished
office in his service.
Another of our letters was for Achmed Bey, a son of Ibrahim Pasha, and
third in succession to the Vice-regal throne. I may here observe that
the title of Bey, which is hereditary, is given to all the sons of
Pashas; it is also frequently bestowed on men eminent for their
scientific attainments. Pasha denotes a much higher rank, though this is
sometimes conferred on Beys. Achmed Bey is by far the richest man in
Egypt. He possesses one of the largest estates in the vicinity of Cairo;
this alone brings him in £10,000 a year. He has numerous other estates,
and many ships and manufactories, besides upwards of five hundred
slaves, and last year he shipped from Alexandria twelve thousand bales
of cotton. He is said to be worth altogether about £200,000 a year.
On calling at the town residence of the great Bey, we found he was from
home, but were most politely received by his agent, with whom we had a
long conversation. The next day, this Afendi, as he was called, brought
us a message from the Bey, apologising for not visiting us, on the
ground of illness, and requesting that, as he was unable to shew us
Cairo himself, we would make use of his carriage for our ladies, and his
horses for ourselves, and go wherever we pleased. We thankfully accepted
his offer, and on the morrow, at nine o’clock an elegant English
carriage was driven up to the door, drawn by four Arabian horses, and
attended by two outrunners, with one of the Prince’s Afendis for our
guide: in this order we set off.
Our destination was one of the Bey’s palaces, a suburban residence, then
undergoing extensive repairs. We soon arrived there, and found it a
large white structure, of two stories, the lower one spanned by arches,
which had a very stately appearance. There were two wings, one of which
was to be appropriated to the white, and the other to the black slaves.
The lower apartments were intended for offices, and are on a scale
commensurate with the Bey’s dignity. On the first floor, opening from a
spacious hall, of greater dimensions than any I ever saw in a private
house, are the receiving and withdrawing-rooms, the guard-chamber, and
the apartment of the agent. The floor above comprises another large
hall, of the same size as the first, and four lofty rooms, painted with
the most exquisite art, and hung with dazzling chandeliers; while very
high windows, (inaccessible from the floor), give abundance of light.
These are the apartments of the four wives, or chief ladies of the
hareem, and could not have been approached at another time. I ought to
add that the upper floor is reached by a fine staircase, and that all
the recesses, both above and below, are gorgeously painted, and
furnished with superb candelabras.
On leaving the house, we drove to the stables, having had our curiosity
greatly excited by the stories we had heard respecting his stud. We were
first shown the great stable, which is about one hundred and twenty
yards long, and affords stabling to thirty-six horses, eighteen on each
side, every horse being allowed a space of about seven yards. They are
not kept in stalls, as in England, but are tethered by a rope to the
manger. The large stable was devoted exclusively to first-rate Arabs;
some of these were certainly very beautiful creatures, though small,
being not more than fourteen hands high. I particularly admired their
fetlocks and cleanness of limb, yet I have seen horses in England,
which, in my judgment, presented a more striking _ensemble_, and
especially excelled them in the shape of the head. The Bey’s horses were
all estimated at very high prices, varying from £500 to £1500, and a
filly three months old was valued at two hundred bourses, or £1000; but
these sums were merely nominal, as such animals are never bought or
sold. In an adjoining stable, we saw twenty or thirty carriage horses:
fine animals, but in no way remarkable. There was one magnificent horse
in the stud. He was an iron-grey Arab, thorough bred, with his pedigree
as carefully preserved, and as much prized as that of a German prince.
That we might see him to greater advantage, he was brought out of the
stable; and stood with lamb-like gentleness till an Arab boy, an Eastern
“petit Ducrow,” sprang on his back, when he became the wild horse of
Mazeppa. But the young slave was his master, and galloped him furiously
about, making him turn on one leg, and plunge and rear and kick in a
manner truly astonishing. During this performance, he quite realized the
masterly conceptions of Horace Vernet.
From the stables we strolled round the gardens, which are laid out in
the Italian style, without beds; are traversed by covered walks, while
streams of water, running in stone channels, (form continual cascades),
imparting a delicious coolness to the air. Shaded paths lead to a
circular pavilion, rising from marble columns, and overgrown with the
most beautifully-variegated creepers, red, blue, and jasmine. In the
centre is a bath of white marble, and a large marble fountain, carved
and polished in as finished manner, as if it had come fresh from the
chisel of Canova. Several handsome chairs and sofas were ranged around.
We were presented, on leaving, with two large baskets of fruit,
containing pomegranates, pears, grapes, peaches, and walnuts, all of
immense size, and of rare excellence. With these we returned to our
hotel, gratefully impressed by the civility and kindness of the Pasha.
We desired to see as much as possible of the environs of Cairo,
particularly the antiquities, and early one morning rode out to the
Tombs of the Caliphs; a most disagreeable ride, through a perfect Sahara
of sand. The tombs lie in a hollow, between some hills, from which may
be obtained a charming view of Cairo, the Pyramids, and the Nile, which
almost compensates for the blinding glare of the sand, and the scorching
heat.
At a distance, the place has the appearance of a large town, but it is a
city of the dead, being merely a collection of tombs and mosques, among
which the Caliph’s mosque, an extensive and stately building, now
falling into decay, is pre-eminent. Here, in a stone which no chisel can
cut, or impress with the slightest indentation, we saw some of Mahomet’s
footmarks, with indelible traces of his toes, left as a memorial to
believers through all time. The tombs, fast mouldering away, were of
every kind of architecture; varying in date from as early as 400, to the
present year.
Having ended our meditations among the tombs, we once more mounted our
donkeys, and an hour’s ride brought us to the petrified forest—an area
of about a mile square, covered with pieces of petrified wood, the
largest of which is not more than two feet in length. We were shown
three or four fragments, half embedded in sand, which still retain a
resemblance to trees. Searching about, I found some helix, which I never
met with before, and some fossils, chiefly fan-shells. The whole
journey, including Caliphs-Town, and our return home, occupied us from
nine till four o’clock.
Through the good offices of a Turkish merchant, with whom we had made
acquaintance, we obtained permission to visit the gardens of Shoobra.
The road thither, unlike that to Caliphs-Town, is one of the most
pleasant imaginable, winding through a picturesque avenue of acacias and
mimosas. The gardens are very extensive, and are laid out with admirable
taste. More flowers are grown here than at any spot near Cairo; and most
of the walks, radiating from the centre to every part of the grounds,
are covered with trellis-work, overgrown with beautiful creepers. Abbas
Pacha, however, has destroyed the retirement of the place, by laying out
carriage drives, which cut through the finest walks.
The great feature of Shoobra is the fountain: it rises from an immense
basin, seventy yards square, and nearly two in depth, and is surrounded
by a balustrade, dividing it from a sort of cloister, from which kiosks
project into the water. At each corner is a handsome room, expensively
fitted up, in the European manner, with easy chairs and sofas, and
divans, each in a different style of rose-coloured satin. The fountain,
which is the work of some eminent Italian artists, is supported by
columns of marble, of the most chaste and elegant design, and is
ornamented with curiously carved fishes and quadrupeds, over which the
water falls in glittering showers. In another part of the gardens is a
pavilion, the interior formed entirely of alabaster. From the windows,
looking in every direction, the eye may range over the gardens and a
wide extent of country, including the Nile and surrounding hills.
A palace, one of the residences of the Viceroy, rises in the midst of
the gardens. It is a stately structure, commanding a varied and
extensive prospect, and is fitted up with Asiatic splendour. It derives
a higher interest from its connection with a mystery, that has excited
many conjectures and speculations, and an incalculable amount of
curiosity; but has never yet been penetrated. That palace is a prison;
and the captive who pines within its walls, amidst everything that
dazzles and enchants the eye, is a young and lovely woman. Who she is,
or what has been her offence, no one can tell; or if a few possess the
secret, fear and prudence have effectually sealed their lips. Her
captivity has already extended over several years, and will probably
last till her death.
An hour’s ride from Cairo, along the picturesque bank of the river,
brought us to Old Cairo, a walled city, about a mile in circumference.
Here there is little to admire, though there are some strange-looking
buildings; and the archæologist, versed in antiquarian lore, will find
many objects of interest. The city is chiefly inhabited by Greek and
Coptic Christians, who seem to be a very simple and credulous people. We
were shown a Greek church, erected over a grotto, in which the Virgin
Mary, on reaching Egypt, is said to have found refuge from the Herodian
massacre; the building is regarded with the greatest veneration by the
devout Greeks. We were much more impressed by the flowing white beard of
the high-priest, than we had been by his Church.
Heliopolis, another vestige of antiquity, is a ride of two hours from
Cairo. The obelisk is very fine, resembling that in the Place de la
Concorde at Paris, though it is not in such good preservation. The
English Vandals have been at their work here, covering with vulgar names
a memorial honoured by a Ptolemy and a Cleopatra. A tree pointed out to
us as having given shelter to the Virgin and Child, during the flight
into Egypt, does not appear to be of this great antiquity; judging from
some I have seen, I should conceive its age not to exceed eight
centuries.
We frequently visited Boulac, the distance being not more than a mile
and a half; the road leading through the public gardens, under an avenue
of fine trees, chiefly acacias. The grand drive is terminated by three
immense mounds, looking like enormous barrows, enclosed by walls ten
feet high. We were surprised to find that these miniature mountains were
composed of provisions, such as corn, barley, beans, and lentils, which
the Pasha, like another Joseph, had laid up for the winter.
The streets and houses of Boulac are more spacious than are generally
seen in an Arab village; though much less clean, and commodious, than
those of Cairo. There is, however, quite a European air of bustle in the
town; the population having no lack of employment, is not seen, as at
Cairo, lolling about the leading thoroughfares, and in the coffee-shops,
eternally smoking and idling. On approaching the river from the bank,
one is nearly stifled by the clouds of dust rising, where vessels are
being loaded with corn or cotton, beans or lentils, shipped for every
country of Europe; and the stir among porters and lightermen strongly
recalls to mind an English dock.
There is a fine palace at Boulac, formerly a residence of Ishmael Pasha,
one of the sons of Mehemet Ali—a monster of iniquity and vice, who came
to a terrible end. He was engaged in a war with the Ethiopians, on whom
he had practised the most refined cruelties, when they fell upon him in
an unprotected spot, called Shendy, and heaping his huts round with
reeds, set them on fire, and burnt him alive with his whole hareem.
We availed ourselves of the opportunity afforded by our excursions to
Boulac to inspect the Arab boats, hoping to procure two, with suitable
accommodations for our transit up the Nile. We found a great many in the
river, of all classes and sizes, and with some difficulty escaped the
polite attentions of the Arab owners, who, whenever we presented
ourselves, would insist on our joining them with a pipe. Not seeing any
boats that exactly met our wishes, we one day proceeded from Boulac to
an arsenal belonging to Ali Bey, some distance up the river, where we
hoped to be more successful. Two young urchins, of the respective ages
of six and seven, carried us off in a small ferryboat, the cumbrous
lateen sails of which, puffed out by a strong north wind, were almost
more than they could manage. About an hour and a half brought us to our
destination, where we had our choice of boats; and having fixed upon a
pleasure-yacht, very clean, and just ready, were brought back by our
juvenile navigators, whom we dismissed with two piastres, (_anglice_
5_d._,) as a handsome remuneration for their services.
At Boulac, we picked up another boat, for which we were asked £20 a
month; we secured it at the rate of £20 for the first month, and £17
10_s._ for every subsequent month, and the contract was signed at the
Consul’s the next day. This we named ‘The Fanny,’ and it was taken
formal possession of by my brother and myself, as joint occupants and
commanders. The pleasure-yacht, which was not secured till after some
days’ bargaining, and considerable difficulty, at the high terms of £30
a month received the designation of ‘The Eagle;’ and was appropriated to
my father and our two ladies.
We had now to make our preparations. ‘The Eagle’ was soon equipped, and
‘The Fanny,’ to get rid of all redundancies, was first sunk, and then
painted inside and out, the divans being covered with new calico, the
floors matted, and muslin curtains suspended as a protection against the
swarms of flies. The awning was repaired, and the provisions and luggage
stowed. At length, after four or five days’ incessant toiling,
everything was announced to be ready. We had then to wait a day for the
Pasha’s firman, or letter of command, and it was not till the very last
moment that we received our game-certificates, which serve as a kind of
passport. Our boats, meanwhile, had been brought together, between Rhoda
Island and Old Cairo, about half a mile from the grand city, and there
awaited our arrival.