THEIR MAJESTIES’ TOUR IN EGYPT AND THE MEDITERRANEAN
Of this tour Queen Alexandra’s Bedchamber Woman, the Hon. Mrs. Grey,
wrote a charming record, which her brother-in-law, General Grey,
persuaded her to give to the world. It should be mentioned that Mrs.
Grey was a Swedish lady, the daughter of Count Stedingk. Her first
husband, the Hon. William George Grey, eighth son of the famous Earl
Grey who was Prime Minister in the reign of William IV., had been dead
some years before this tour began. She afterwards married _en secondes
noces_ the Duke of Otranto, but it will be more convenient to speak of
her here as Mrs. Grey.
Mrs. Grey begins by giving an outline of her plans for the summer of
1868, and then goes on:--
“These plans were, however, all upset by a letter from the Princess,
in which she told me that she wished me to accompany her on the tour
she projected with the Prince of Wales to the East, and to join her
at Copenhagen in the beginning of January; and that in the meantime I
might remain quietly--which she knew would be a pleasure to me--with my
father and mother in Sweden. This was too tempting an offer not to be
eagerly embraced.”
Mrs. Grey went to Copenhagen, and there writes in her journal at the
beginning of 1869 the following sketch of the tour:--
“_January 12._--Soon after breakfast I went to see my dear Princess,
and to hear something of the proposed plans. I found her, as usual,
most kind and affectionate, but very sorry that the few weeks she had
been able to spend with her father and mother had come to an end. Her
visit seemed to have been a great happiness to her. It is now arranged
that we shall set out for our long journey on the 15th, and that while
I accompany Her Royal Highness as her lady-in-waiting, Lady Carmarthen
and Colonel Keppel, who accompanied the Prince and Princess from
England in November, shall part from us at Hamburg, and, with Sir W.
Knollys, take the Royal children home. The plan is for us to pass by
Berlin and Vienna, and embark on board the _Ariadne_ frigate, fitted as
a yacht, at Trieste; sail from thence to Alexandria; and, after going
up the Nile as far as the Second Cataract, to visit Constantinople, the
Crimea, and Greece, before returning home somewhere about the beginning
of May. Such is the plan made out for us, but it is, of course, open
to many changes, as the political state of things between Greece and
Turkey at the present moment may, after all, very possibly upset the
latter part of the journey; and in that case we shall return home
through Italy.”
King Edward and Queen Alexandra were joined at Trieste by Prince Louis
of Battenberg, the Duke of Sutherland, Dr. (afterwards Sir) W. H.
Russell, and other friends, together with their suite. There the Royal
party embarked on board H.M.S. _Ariadne_, which had been specially
fitted up for their reception. Of the accommodation in this vessel Mrs.
Grey gives an attractive account:--
“The _Ariadne_, in reality a man-of-war, but for this occasion fitted
up as a yacht, is most comfortable. The Prince and Princess have two
large sleeping cabins, besides a large cabin for a sitting-room,
and another for a dining-room. I have a charming cabin also, with a
bath-room outside, and my maid next door to me. In short, I think we
were all much pleased with the accommodation and arrangement of what is
to be our _home_, while at sea, for the next four months.”
The travellers reached Alexandria on 3rd February 1869, and were met
by the usual loyal greetings, addresses, and bouquets presented by the
British residents. The party then went on to Cairo, where they were
received by the Viceroy of Egypt and his ministers. Here the King and
Queen were assigned a palace, which Mrs. Grey thus describes:--
“The Palace of Esbekieh is beautiful, full of French luxury, but
without the real comfort of an English house. The Prince and Princess
have an immense bedroom, full of rich French furniture. The beds are
very beautiful, made of massive silver, and cost, I believe, £3000
each! My room is so large that even when the candles are lit, there
might be somebody sitting at the other end of it without your knowing
it. You could not even hear people speaking from one end to the other!
It is as high as it is long, with nine large windows. There is a
beautiful silver bed, a large divan (rather high and hard for comfort)
round half of the room, a common writing-table and washhand-stand
(put in all the rooms at the request of Sir S. Baker), a large sofa,
and quantities of very smart chairs round the walls. The curtains and
covers of the furniture are all made of the richest silk. Add to all
this, one immense looking-glass, and you have the whole furniture of
my room, which is more like a State drawing-room at Windsor than a
bedroom. All the other rooms are furnished in the same way.”
Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey had an absolutely novel experience on 5th
February, namely an invitation to dinner at the Harem of “La Grande
Princesse,” the Viceroy’s mother.
The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, and two English ladies were received
at the door of the Palace by la Grande Princesse, the second and third
wife of the Viceroy (the first and fourth were not well), his eldest
son, and two eldest daughters. La Grande Princesse took Queen Alexandra
by the hand, while one of the wives handed Mrs. Grey, another Mrs.
Stanton (wife of the British Consul), and one of the daughters Miss
M’Lean; and so the party went in procession to an immense drawing-room,
the whole way thither being lined with slaves. No stay, however, was
made in the drawing-room, and what followed reads like a page out of
the _Arabian Nights_.
The visitors were conducted straight to the dining-room, after having
a cherry given them to eat, handed to them on a beautiful gold tray,
with goblets and plates of gold and precious stones. A slave then
offered each visitor a silver basin to wash their hands in before
sitting down to dinner. In the middle of the room there was a kind of
round silver table, about one foot high from the floor, looking more
like a big tray than anything else; large square cushions were placed
all round it, and the company sat down _à la Turque_ round the table,
la Grande Princesse having Queen Alexandra on her right, next whom was
Mehemet Taafik Pasha, then the third Princess and Mrs. Grey, with the
second Princess next, on the left side of the Viceroy’s mother. Mrs.
Stanton and Miss M’Lean, with the two daughters of the Viceroy, dined
in another room.
A slave then entered very smartly dressed, half her skirt being of
black satin and embroidered in gold, and the other half of yellow
satin, also trimmed with gold, and with a sort of turban on her head.
She had a beautifully embroidered napkin, with gold fringe, hanging
on her arm, as a sort of badge of her office, which corresponded with
that of a European _maître-d’hôtel_. She placed each dish in the middle
of the table, beginning with soup--a sort of chicken broth with rice.
Each visitor was given a sort of tortoiseshell spoon, with a large
coral branch as a handle, but neither knife nor fork; and then, at a
sign from the old Princess, everybody dipped their spoons into the
tureen together. Next came an enormous piece of mutton, of which the
company had to tear off bits with their fingers and put them straight
into their mouths. About twenty dishes followed in rapid succession,
alternately savoury and sweet, and the dinner ended with _compôte_ of
cherries. No wine or water was served during the meal, and Mrs. Grey
confesses that she felt thoroughly disgusted.
Some very necessary washing of hands followed, and then there was
an entertainment in the great drawing-room, given by musicians and
dancing-girls, in the course of which a slave brought in a tray covered
with black velvet cloth embroidered with pearls and uncut emeralds, and
decorated with an enormous diamond star in the centre. This was lifted
off, and then were revealed a number of cups encrusted with diamonds,
and full of coffee. These were handed round, and a slave brought pipes
and cigarette-holders, all lavishly ornamented with precious stones,
each mouthpiece being formed of one large ruby or emerald.
After an interval the visitors were taken all through the upper rooms,
a young prince who acted as interpreter being most anxious that Queen
Alexandra should see everything. “La Princesse doit tout voir,” he kept
saying. More music and dancing followed, and more coffee, until at
four o’clock it seemed to be time to go, so Queen Alexandra rose, and
the party were handed out to the door of the garden at which they had
entered amid enthusiastic demonstrations of affection on the part of
their hospitable entertainers.
There can be no doubt of the impression which the Queen’s graciousness
and charm created. Mrs. Grey says:--
“They were all perfectly enchanted with the Princess, and about
every ten or fifteen minutes _une phrase de cérémonie_ was exchanged
through the Prince [that is, the young Egyptian prince who acted as
interpreter]. ‘La Grande Princesse est si contente de vous voir,’
or ‘La Grande Princesse regrette tant que cela soit contre l’usage
du pays, de vous rendre cette visite’; and so on.… At last they all
expressed a hope that the Princess would come and dine again on her
return to Cairo.”
The same evening Queen Alexandra had the pleasure of visiting some
beautiful Arab horses in the stables of Ali Sherif Pasha.
Before starting on their journey up the Nile the King and Queen took
the opportunity of witnessing the curious and interesting Procession
of the Holy Carpet starting from Cairo on its way to Mecca, which,
strangely enough, few of the Europeans who at that time visited Cairo
cared to see. Every year two carpets are sent, one of which goes to
Medina to serve as a covering for the tomb of the Prophet, and the
other to Mecca to be a covering for Kaabah or the central point of the
Mahomedan religion. The King and Queen also witnessed the departure
of the pilgrims for Mecca, or rather of that portion of the pilgrimage
consisting of sheikhs and holy men, escorted by irregular cavalry and
artillery, which left the city to join the other pilgrims encamped on
the plain outside.
On 6th February the voyage up the Nile began. The party was a large
one, and the number of vessels provided for them formed quite a little
fleet, of which the following was the order of sailing:--
A large and very smartly fitted-up steamer, the _Federabanee_, Captain
Achmet Bey, headed the squadron, and was occupied by Prince Louis of
Battenberg (then a midshipman on board the _Ariadne_), Major Teesdale,
Captain Ellis, equerries in waiting, Lord Carrington, Mr. O. Montagu,
Dr. Minter, Sir Samuel Baker, and Mr. Brierley. On deck there was a
large saloon, all fitted up with silk and looking-glasses and every
description of luxury, and there meals were served. Outside this there
was a small open saloon with a large looking-glass at the back, in
which the scenery could be viewed in comfort.
The _Federabanee_ towed a most beautiful dahabeah, or Nile boat, which
was named the _Alexandra_, and in which the King and Queen and Mrs.
Grey lived. It was all fitted up in blue and gold, with a great deal of
taste, and the cabins were all large and most comfortable. Mrs. Grey
mentions that the King and Queen had “a very nice sleeping cabin, with
a bath-room and dressing-room apiece.” The _Alexandra_ also contained
a large sitting-room with a piano, and outside there was a place for
sitting and reading, as well as the upper deck. The only inconvenience
of this arrangement was that the travellers in the dahabeah had to
go on board the _Federabanee_ for every meal. This necessity was
especially hard on Queen Alexandra, who resolved, however, to return
to the dahabeah after breakfast as often as she could in order to have
time for painting and reading; this, with the active co-operation of
Mrs. Grey, she contrived to do on a good many days.
After the dahabeah came a kitchen steamer, carrying four French
cooks and one Arab cook, and towing a barge full of provisions and
live stock, such as turkeys, sheep, and chickens. Following this
came another steamer, having on board Colonel Stanton, British
Consul-General at Cairo, with two Egyptian gentlemen, Mourad Pasha and
Abd El Kader Bey, and towing a barge containing horses, donkeys, and a
French washerwoman. Nor was this all. In his anxiety to do everything
possible for the comfort of the Royal party, the Viceroy had actually
provided another steamer of lighter draft than the _Federabanee_,
simply in case the latter vessel should get stuck in the mud.
The whole flotilla was completed by a steamer belonging to the Duke
of Sutherland, the father of the present Duke, who brought with him
a distinguished party, composed of his son, Lord Stafford, Colonel
Marshall, Dr. Russell, Mr. Sumner, Professor Owen, Mr. Fowler, the
distinguished engineer, Major Alison, the Duke’s brother Lord A. Gower,
and Sir Henry Pelly.
The King looked forward to having plenty of sport during the voyage.
Accordingly he had taken a large variety of guns of almost every
calibre in use, as well as a wherry to be used for approaching land
game. For the purpose of capturing crocodiles, nets were brought which
had been specially made under the superintendence of Sir Samuel Baker.
The King also specially arranged for the inclusion in his party of a
clever naturalist and taxidermist.
Both the King and Queen greatly enjoyed this novel form of yachting,
although, unfortunately, bad weather soon set in, and the _Alexandra_
was frequently enveloped in clouds of dust and sand. Notwithstanding
this, however, the King had fairly good sport and bagged some very
large birds, though the crocodiles were, on the whole, conspicuous by
their absence. Soon the Royal taxidermist could show some very fine
specimens of spoonbills, flamingoes, herons, cranes, cormorants, and
doves.
Mrs. Grey thus records an amusing adventure which happened on 9th
February:--
“The fog was so thick this morning that we could not start till nine
o’clock, the hour at which we are in future usually to begin our day’s
voyage being between five and six in the morning; and then to go on,
with occasional stoppages, till six in the evening. We now only went
on for about an hour, as the Prince wanted to try and shoot some ducks
from a small punt with a large gun, which had been lent to him for the
trip. At eleven, the Princess and myself, with Prince Battenberg, Sir
S. Baker, Mr. Brierley, and Dr. Minter, followed in another boat to
look at the shooting. We saw perfect swarms of wild ducks, and hundreds
of flamingoes and a few pelicans. However, the ducks took fright, and
only a few flamingoes were shot. We determined to land, as soon as we
saw that we could no longer spoil the sport; but the water being low,
we stuck fast in the sand about thirty or forty yards from the shore.
The four boatmen at once took off their jackets, shoes, and trousers;
but luckily some undergarments (waistcoats and trousers in one)
remained; and in they jumped, and dragged the boat a few yards, beyond
which their utmost efforts were unable to move it. The alternative was
now either to remain in the boat or to allow ourselves to be carried
through the water. Of course we chose the latter. Sir S. Baker and Mr.
Brierley carried the Princess, crossing their arms, on which she sat.”
Ultimately the whole party got off and reached Minieh. There the King
joined a shooting party on the following day, while the Queen, Prince
Louis of Battenberg, and some of the others visited the Viceroy’s
palace, and afterwards saw the process of making sugar out of the
sugar-canes. Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey were allowed to visit the
wife of one of the directors of the sugar factory, whom Mrs. Grey
describes as a very ugly woman, painted and bedizened. The room was
full of her women friends, all as ugly and as lavishly dressed as
she was. Queen Alexandra, however, was much pleased with the novelty
of such a visit, for, though the hostess and her friends were very
cheerful and talked and laughed, yet naturally everything that was
said was quite unintelligible to their English visitors. The Queen
afterwards sent some presents to the ladies in memory of the visit.
On the 11th the Queen and Mrs. Grey succeeded in staying for the whole
day in the dahabeah, where they played and wrote and painted. The same
thing happened on the afternoon of the 13th, the morning being occupied
by an interesting lecture from Mr. Fowler on the Suez Canal.
During the voyage Queen Alexandra had one very serious adventure.
One night the King, who was on board the steamer, observed a light
reflected on the side of the _Alexandra_. He at once gave an alarm,
the Queen and Mrs. Grey, who were in the dahabeah, were hurried off
to the shore, and the fire, which had been caused by a lighted candle
in Prince Louis of Battenberg’s cabin, was put out by the King and
his suite. Had not the quick eye of the King discovered the danger
a terrible disaster might have happened, for the boats were wooden
and scorched by an Egyptian sun, while there were, of course, a
considerable number of cartridges on board.
The 14th was Sunday, the first Sunday in Lent, and Mrs. Grey records
that King Edward read the service to the party and the servants very
impressively. The party frequently landed to visit the temples and the
other splendid ruins of ancient Egyptian civilisation. On one occasion
the King caught a bat in the large tomb of Rameses IV.
The party started to see the Temple of Karnak by moonlight on the
evening of the 18th. The King rode a milk-white ass caparisoned in
crimson velvet and gold, while the Queen was mounted on a gray mule.
When they approached the temple an electric light was lit between
each enormous column, and in the background there was a display of
rockets and fireworks, forming stars of different colours. This had
been arranged by the King as a surprise for the Queen, though Mrs. Grey
confesses that the secret had been accidentally revealed. However, she
describes the whole scene as one of surprising beauty. She walked alone
with the Queen amid the gigantic columns, until they were recalled to
the prosaic luxury of the nineteenth century by being offered glasses
of iced champagne.
The 20th was rendered memorable by a mishap; all the steamers stuck
fast in the ground, with the result that everybody had to turn out,
and all the luggage had to be removed in order to lighten the boats.
The King and Queen and Mrs. Grey were entertained on board the Duke of
Sutherland’s steamer at dinner, and by the next day the difficulty of
the sand-banks had been surmounted, thanks to the smaller steamer which
the Viceroy’s foresight had provided.
On the 21st the King again read Divine Service, and the party arrived
at Assouan. Here they found a large number of camels ready to carry the
baggage across from the First Cataract to Philæ, whither the party rode
to see the boats in which they were to go on to the Second Cataract. On
the 22nd the King started first in order to pay a visit to Lady Duff
Gordon, who was living in her dahabeah a little above Assouan; while
the Queen, the Duke of Sutherland, and Mrs. Grey followed in a boat to
the foot of the First Cataract, where they were to meet the King. There
seems to have been some hitch in the arrangements, but Queen Alexandra
was not at all disconcerted, and was highly amused at having to ride
a wretched donkey without a bridle, and with a cushion for a saddle,
though Mrs. Grey, who was no better mounted, regarded the incident with
less philosophy. After a time, however, they met their own donkeys, and
ultimately joined the King’s party, who had been getting very anxious.
The Duke of Sutherland and his party left on the 23rd, while the Royal
party continued their voyage in two new dahabeahs tied together, and
towed by a small steamer. The accommodation was not nearly so good as
it had been below Philæ. The Queen and Mrs. Grey landed frequently,
and the latter notes that her Royal mistress found great pleasure in
distributing the _baksheesh_ for which the natives were continually
asking, especially the little children. On one occasion the Queen and
her lady-in-waiting found a donkey running about; they caught it, and
the Queen mounted it and rode through the fields in the cleverest way
without saddle or bridle.
Meanwhile the King was very anxious for crocodile, but he had very poor
luck, though he had better sport with fishing. It was not, indeed,
until the 28th that he had a fair shot at a crocodile, which he killed
at fifty yards with his first barrel. The excitement was tremendous
among the party, for, as is well known, the shyness of these beasts is
so great that they are among the most difficult game to stalk in the
world. This specimen was 9 feet long and 4 feet round the body; and it
was at once skinned with a view to being stuffed. Inside the creature
was found a quantity of pebbles, two bottles full of which were brought
away as mementoes.
The King and Queen throughout the voyage took the greatest interest in
the antiquities along the route, visiting all that were accessible.
Mrs. Grey mentions how much Queen Alexandra enjoyed the extreme
peacefulness of the life led by the party, for there was no post nor
any papers, and, after the first inconvenience had worn off, the
feeling that no means existed of either sending or receiving letters
soon became perfectly delightful.
A touching incident occurred at Wady Halfa on 3rd March. The party were
at dinner, when the King and Queen took a fancy to a little boy whom
they saw watching the torches, which were always fixed in the ground
on shore wherever the Royal dahabeah stopped for the night. On being
questioned, the child said that his father was dead, his mother had
married again, and he had not a friend in the world. He was delighted
with the idea of going with the party, and so he was engaged as a pipe
cleaner. The only property he had was a white linen shirt and a white
cap. Mrs. Grey describes him as an intelligent ugly little boy, not
very black, but rather bronzed, and wearing a large silver ring in one
ear.
Whenever the dahabeah stopped, numbers of natives came down to the
bank, mostly children; and at first the Queen used to throw them bread
and oranges, but it was discovered that they regarded empty bottles as
much more valuable, and for these there was the greatest competition,
although in the end they generally agreed to divide the spoil equally
in the most good-humoured manner. At one place a little Nubian monkey
was presented to Queen Alexandra, and the fortunate donor was
presented in return with a double-barrelled English fowling-piece and
some money.
There were the usual groundings on sand-banks, but nothing else of
interest occurred, and the party returned to their old dahabeah on
8th March, having thoroughly enjoyed their expedition to the Second
Cataract. After lunch the King and Queen, with Mrs. Grey and Sir Samuel
Baker, paid a visit to Lady Duff Gordon in the dahabeah, which she had
made entirely her home on account of her health.
The return voyage down the Nile began on the following day, and
immediately the big steamer stuck fast on the old sand-bank which gave
so much trouble on the way up, although the Viceroy had had six hundred
people working away in the interval to deepen the channel. No amount of
exertion could get the steamer off, and consequently the little steamer
was used, and Prince Louis of Battenberg, Sir Samuel Baker, and Lord
Carrington had to sleep on deck.
On 10th March, the anniversary of the King and Queen’s wedding day,
some members of the Duke of Sutherland’s party, which had broken up,
met the Royal party at Thebes, namely, Colonel Stanton, Sir Henry
Pelly, Major Alison, and Abd El Kader Bey. Colonel Stanton entertained
the party, and Mourad Pasha proposed the health of the Royal pair.
After dinner the party went to the house of Mustapha Aga, the English
Consul, where they saw some famous Egyptian dancing-girls, including
the Taglioni of the country, and some remarkable mummy cases, which
had been excavated on purpose for the King. The following day they
visited the spot where the digging was going on. Mrs. Grey describes
it as like a coal pit, at the bottom of which was a magnificent stone
sarcophagus, said to be that of the beautiful Queen Nicotris, which the
King intended to take to England, together with a selection of mummies.
This was the last day’s picnic on the Nile, and the party were due
at Minieh in two days, going thence by rail to Cairo. On the 15th,
however, the Queen, Mrs. Grey, and some of the gentlemen of the party
paid a visit to the little town of Minieh, where an old woman was
engaged to tell fortunes. This she did with the aid of a heap of shells
and bits of coloured glass; and she told the Queen that she had many
friends and much money, with the usual “patter” traditional among
fortune-tellers. Thence the party went on to the house of the Governor
of the town, where a kind of lemonade was offered to the visitors, and
the Queen was presented with a beautiful white parrot and two live
flamingoes. The menagerie already consisted of the Nubian monkey, a
snapping turtle, and two goats. As for the little Nubian boy, who was
added to the party at Wady Halfa, he turned out much too sharp and
difficult to manage, so, instead of bringing him to England, the King
decided to start him in life with a donkey, as one of the numerous
donkey boys so common in Egypt.
On 16th March the party went by train from Minieh to Ghizeh, where
they were met by the Viceroy’s eldest son and a number of officials.
After some conversation the King and Queen took their leave, and the
Royal party, entering some carriages, drove to the Pyramids. At the
foot of the big Pyramid they found a small pavilion which had been
built on purpose for the Royal visit. The King and Queen, in spite
of the slippery, difficult, and suffocating ascent, visited the
King’s and Queen’s chambers, and the King actually went up to the top
of the Pyramid. Dinner was served in the pavilion by order of the
Viceroy, consisting of nineteen dishes, eight entrées, ice, and other
luxuries--quite a small dinner for Egypt.
On the night drive to Cairo which followed, there was very nearly a bad
accident, the carriage being driven up against a high white flag-post,
which it fortunately only just touched.
During the voyage down the Nile the King received letters to say that
as the differences between Turkey and Greece had been happily settled,
their Majesties were free to pay their proposed visit to Constantinople
and Athens.
The King and Queen spent a week in Cairo, and saw all the sights of
that wonderful city, which were then, it must be remembered, much
more novel than they are nowadays when Egypt has become a regular
winter resort. Mrs. Grey gives an amusing description of a shopping
expedition on which she attended Queen Alexandra in the Turkish bazaar.
Abd El Kader Bey, their old friend of the Nile expedition, did the
bargaining in the Oriental method. The Queen wished to buy a burnous,
but the price was too high, and so Abd El Kader Bey sent for a shopman
from another shop where they had seen a similar burnous, and employed
him to help in bargaining with the other shopman. This extraordinary
device was most successful, and the Queen ultimately obtained her
burnous for £9.
On the 19th Mrs. Grey attended the Queen in the ordeal of being
photographed on a dromedary, and then the party, having been joined by
the King, went to see the museum of Egyptian antiquities, where the
distinguished French Egyptologist, M. Mariette, explained everything.
In the evening of the same day there was a great dinner at the
Viceroy’s palace on the other side of the river, where the scene was
one of truly Oriental magnificence and luxury, finishing up with a
display of fireworks so arranged that their reflection was seen in a
large ornamental piece of water.
The Royal party had intended to leave Cairo on the 21st March, but the
King was persuaded by the Viceroy to remain over the Feast of Bairam,
which corresponds with the Christian Easter. Consequently, instead of
starting immediately, the Queen, to her great delight, was able to
pay a visit to the wife of Mourad Pasha, who had attended so ably to
the comfort of the Royal travellers during their voyage on the Nile.
Queen Alexandra was delighted with this lady, who was most kind and
good-natured, and spoke French very well, her father, indeed, having
been half a Frenchman.
On the 22nd the Queen started after breakfast for the bazaars, and met
the King there and shopped until lunch-time. In the afternoon the Queen
and Mrs. Grey visited the wife of Abd El Kader Bey, and then went on
to see Achmet Bey, the captain of their dahabeah. His wife received
the English visitors with much enthusiasm, kissing both the Queen and
Mrs. Grey violently. Mrs. Achmet was a very pretty woman with pleasant
manners, but although she could only speak Arabic, which was not
understood by her visitors, yet she never stopped talking for a minute.
The following day, the 23rd, was the first day of Bairam, and the Queen
again visited la Grande Princesse, the Viceroy’s mother, who held a
sort of Drawing-room in the Harem. In the evening the Queen went to
the Viceroy’s palace across the river to dine with His Highness’s four
wives. The Princesses were much charmed with some photographs which
the Queen gave them of herself. Shortly before leaving she expressed
a wish to see how the Egyptian ladies’ outdoor veils were fastened
on. Some were accordingly sent for, and Queen Alexandra was dressed
up in a veil, much to her amusement; her eyebrows, and those of Mrs.
Grey, were painted, and the thin veil and the burnous were put over
them. These Her Majesty and her lady-in-waiting were entreated to
keep as a _souvenir_ of their visit. They were still wearing their
Egyptian dresses when they returned to their palace, but to their
great disappointment found everybody gone to bed except their courier,
whom they succeeded in surprising, though he very frankly said that he
thought the ladies were looking far better than usual. That was the
last night in Cairo.
On the following day the Royal party had a very hot and dusty journey,
and arrived at Suez at seven o’clock in the evening. There they were
joined by Dr. Russell and Major Alison, and were met by the great de
Lesseps. Dinner was served in the large dining-room of the hotel, and
among the waiters the King observed a small black boy about fourteen
years old, who seemed intelligent above the average. After dinner His
Majesty asked the landlord of the hotel about him, and, finding that
he was an Abyssinian boy and had an excellent character, he decided to
take him home instead of the little _mauvais sujet_ whom the party had
picked up at Wady Haifa.
Then came one of the most interesting episodes of the tour, namely,
their visit to the Suez Canal, where their Majesties were received and
escorted by M. de Lesseps. The works of the Canal Company were by no
means completed, but they were being actively carried forward, a large
dock, 450 feet long, having been already finished. At Tussum the King
performed the important ceremony of opening the sluices of the dam
across the finished portion of the canal, thus letting the waters of
the Mediterranean into the empty basin of the Bitter Lakes.
The Royal party then drove about three miles beyond the town through
the desert to the Viceroy’s _châlet_, a pretty little place built on
high ground overlooking Lake Timsah. The King and Queen were lodged
here, the rest of the party having to rough it in out-houses and
tents. Dinner was served in a large tent, and, thanks to the Viceroy’s
forethought, it was a most excellent French dinner, for His Highness
was determined that his guests should not have to rough it unless it
was absolutely necessary.
The next day the Royal party went up the Canal towards the
Mediterranean, and after driving through Port Said, they embarked on
board the Viceroy’s yacht _Mahroussa_ for passage to Alexandria. M. de
Lesseps and his party also came on board the yacht. When the vessel
passed outside the breakwater she began to roll so much that dinner
became more exciting than comfortable. One swell threw everything off
the table, and the Royal party were rolled out of their chairs, and
then in an instant, before they had time to pick themselves up, another
roll threw the ship over on the other side. Fortunately, however, the
rolling did not last very long, and the resources of the yacht were so
great that dinner was not long interrupted.
The following morning the yacht arrived at Alexandria, where the
Royal party visited the various sights, including Cleopatra’s Needle
and Pompey’s Pillar. Then they were rowed off in a barge to the
_Ariadne_, their old home, which looked quite small and poor after
the gorgeous _Mahroussa_, with its silk hangings, Italian marbles,
mosaic mother-of-pearl, and so on, though in reality it was much more
comfortable in a practical way. Here they said good-bye, much to their
regret, to Mourad Pasha, Abd El Kader Bey, and old Captain Achmet, as
well as to Colonel Stanton, the British Consul.
The next day, 28th March, the _Ariadne_ left for Constantinople, but
nothing much of importance occurred during the voyage, and the vessel
anchored on 1st April some three miles from Constantinople. There the
Royal party were transferred to the Sultan’s yacht _Pertif Piati_,
in which they went past the entrance to the Golden Horn, as far as
the Saleh-Bazar Palace, which had been assigned as a residence by the
Sultan to the King and Queen during their visit. The Sultan himself
received the Royal party on landing, and took Queen Alexandra up to her
rooms, every one following.
Mrs. Grey describes the rooms in the Saleh-Bazar Palace as not quite
so gorgeous as those which they had had at Cairo, but, on the other
hand, fitted up with the most perfect taste in the French style. Every
European luxury had been provided. The lattice work, which is always
put up across the windows in Turkish houses in order to screen the fair
inmates from the rude gaze of outsiders, had been removed and replaced
with magnificent silk hangings. All the servants appointed to wait
on the King and Queen were Greek and European, except the coachmen,
who were French. The meals at the Palace were all served on gold and
silver plate studded with gems; a band of eighty-four musicians played
during dinner; every morning arrived gorgeous presents from the Sultan,
including exquisite flowers and trays laden with fruits and sweets;
while, at a clap of the hand, black-coated chibouquejees brought in
pipes with amber mouth-pieces of fabulous value, encrusted in diamonds
and rubies. There was a complete Turkish bath establishment in the
Palace, and the slightest wish expressed by the Royal guests was
considered an order.
Almost immediately after the arrival the labour of official functions
began, King Edward going to pay a visit to the Sultan at the Palace of
Dolma-Baghtche. The next day the Royal party saw the Sultan going to
the Selamlik, the brilliant uniforms and the native ladies in their
white yashmaks and brilliantly-coloured dresses producing to Mrs.
Grey’s eyes the effect of a bright flower-garden. While the pageant
was passing, little Prince Izzedin, the Heir-Apparent, visited their
Majesties. Nothing could exceed the anxiety of the Sultan to entertain
his distinguished visitors in a splendid manner, and he certainly seems
to have succeeded.
On 4th April the Royal party dined with the Sultan at the Palace of
Dolma-Baghtche. The dinner was good, and well served in the European
fashion, but it was remarkable for being the first time that the Sultan
had ever sat down to dinner with ladies; and, indeed, it was the first
time that any of his own Ministers, except the Grand Vizier, had ever
been known to sit down in his presence. Half the party were Turks,
and they looked so frightened and astonished that they acted as wet
blankets to the rest of the company, which included Mr. Elliot, the
British Ambassador, and Mrs. Elliot, and General Ignatieff, the Russian
Ambassador, and his wife. The Sultan was in high good-humour, but spoke
very little.
After dinner Queen Alexandra, attended by Mrs. Grey and accompanied by
Mrs. Elliot and Madame Ignatieff, went to visit the Sultan’s mother
and wife. The visit very much resembled that which had been paid in
Cairo to La Grande Princesse; and the most amusing part of the evening
was the sudden appearance of the Sultan’s son, aged ten, and daughter,
aged nine, who both came marching in followed by slaves. Both were
enormously over-dressed, the little girl, indeed, being hardly able to
move under all her lace and finery. They sat themselves down in large
arm-chairs, and the little Princess kept slipping down off hers, but a
slave always helped her up again.
The King and Queen, who adopted for the nonce the name of Mr. and Mrs.
Williams, spent the whole morning of 5th April in the bazaars, attended
by Mrs. Grey, and entirely escaped being recognised. Another Oriental
precedent was broken on the 7th, when the Royal party went to the
opera, and the Sultan joined the King and Queen and Mrs. Grey in the
Royal box. This was the first time that the Sultan had been seen with
ladies in his box. On the following day Queen Alexandra was delighted
to have an opportunity of seeing the Sultan’s stables, containing about
200 horses of extraordinary beauty.
It would be tedious to describe in detail the ceremonies and visits to
places of interest which the Royal party paid. In this way the days
were filled up until the 10th, when it was decided that the Queen
should accompany the King in his proposed visit to the Crimea.
After lunching with the Sultan, the Royal party again went on board
the _Ariadne_ with the usual ceremonies, and started for the Crimea.
They had a beautiful passage across the Black Sea, and arrived in the
harbour of Sevastopol on 12th April. The great struggle with Russia was
still fresh in every one’s memories, and they found not a single ship
in the harbour, and all the forts and fortifications abandoned--indeed,
the whole town on one side almost one mass of ruins. The _débris_
remained just as they were left in 1856, and the populace, which before
the war amounted to 60,000, had been reduced to 5500.
As soon as the _Ariadne_ had cast anchor a boat came off containing
General Kotzebue, Governor-General of New Russia, and General
Jukoffsky, Governor of Crim Tartary, who had come from Simferopol
to meet King Edward. They were accompanied by Admiral Kisalinsky,
the Commandant of Sevastopol, and other officials, together with
the British Consul at Odessa. The Russian authorities offered every
possible assistance to the King and Queen in order that they might see
everything that could be seen.
On that first day of their arrival they visited the Russian cemetery,
and then drove to the battlefield of the Alma, where Mrs. Grey records
the shaking which the Queen and she experienced in driving over the
rough ground still full of great holes made by the shells used in the
battle; indeed, the pony carriage broke down, and they had to get into
a larger one with four horses. They saw the broken-down bridge over the
Alma, just as it was left after the battle; the party drove through
the water, and Dr. Russell pointed out where the Duke of Cambridge
had passed with his Staff--in fact, the King and Queen examined the
battlefield most thoroughly, studying the various positions occupied by
the forces on both sides.
The Russian authorities entertained the party at luncheon in a Tartar
farm-house, which had been used during the war as a field-hospital.
Dr. Russell, Major Alison, and Captain Ellis, who had all been there
during the war, were perpetually pointing out fresh places of interest,
and in the evening the Russian officials were entertained at dinner on
board the _Ariadne_. Nothing could exceed the tact and courtesy of the
Russians, who affected to regard the war as if it had been some long
distant historical campaign, and had no hesitation even in pointing out
to their visitors the different places where the Russian forces had
been beaten.
It is needless to mention the names of all the places visited by the
Royal party. Wherever they went the beautiful old Russian custom of
offering bread and salt was never omitted, the inhabitants of the
villages always rushing out and presenting these signs of hospitality
to Queen Alexandra.
On the 14th the Royal party found the _Psyche_ in the harbour of
Balaklava, in which they embarked and steamed out of the harbour to
see the rocks at the entrance where the ship _Prince_ was lost in
1845, and where the Duke of Cambridge had such a narrow escape in the
_Retribution_. On re-landing they visited the field of Balaklava, and
listened to many amusing stories told by Dr. Russell.
That night the party slept at Livadia, and were most agreeably
entertained by Count Stenboch, who had been sent all the way from St.
Petersburg on purpose to receive the King and Queen. The _Ariadne_ and
_Psyche_ had been sent round from Sevastopol to meet the party, and
after visiting some villas in the neighbourhood, they all embarked in
the _Ariadne_ and bade farewell to their Russian friends with much
regret.
On the 16th they anchored again opposite the Sultan’s palace, and His
Majesty and King Edward exchanged farewell visits. On the 17th the
_Ariadne_ left Constantinople for Athens; she was lighted up with
red and blue lights held by sailors at the end of the yard-arm. The
Turkish ships were all illuminated, and rockets, music, and cheering
sped the parting guests.
Bad weather detained the _Ariadne_ until the 20th, when they entered
the Piræus, where the King of the Hellenes and Prince Frederick of
Glucksburg came on board. The King had arrived, on purpose to receive
the Royal visitors, from Corfu, where the Court was established, and
after two days’ sightseeing His Majesty was to conduct the Royal party
there, where he had left the Queen. King Edward and Queen Alexandra
duly arrived at Corfu on the 24th, and on the following day, which was
the Festival of St. Spiridion--the patron saint of Corfu--they had an
opportunity of seeing the town _en fête_. The body of the saint was
carried in procession amid much picturesque rejoicing of the populace.
On the 27th the King left for the Albanian coast for some wild boar
shooting, and returned on the following evening, having bagged two
boars and other game.
The visit to Corfu came to an end on 1st May. There was a great display
of fireworks, and the _Ariadne_ and the _Royal Oak_ were dressed with
red and blue lights. Unfortunately there was a sad accident which
occurred just as the illuminations were over. One of the sailors fell
overboard, and though a most careful search was made, nothing was ever
seen or heard of him again except just the splash as he fell into the
water.
On the following day the Royal party arrived at Brindisi, and returned
to London over-land, stopping a little while in Paris, where they were
treated with the most marked attention by the Emperor and Empress of
the French.
As may be easily imagined, the King is very popular all over France,
and he has had many curious and interesting adventures when going
out in the semi-_incognito_ which he affects when travelling for
pleasure. On one occasion, shortly after the end of the war, he
visited the battlefield of Sedan attended by General Teesdale. He was
naturally anxious that his identity should not become known, for French
susceptibilities were very keen at that time, and he had no desire to
appear to glory over his brother-in-law’s brilliant victories. When
the time came to pay the hotel bill General Teesdale found with great
dismay that he had no ready cash; the King was in an equally penniless
condition; while any telegram sent would have disclosed the identity of
the Royal visitor. At length, after much discussion, the equerry made
his way to the local _Mont de Piété_ and placed both his own and King
Edward’s repeater in pawn.
Among the formal acts of ceremony which King Edward performed during
this year was the unveiling of a statue of the late Mr. George Peabody.
In the speech which he delivered on this occasion he alluded in the
warmest terms to his feeling of personal friendship towards the United
States, and his enduring recollection of the reception which had been
accorded to him there.