Notes from Egypt

My dear E

Since my last was dispatched from Wady Halfeh for Cairo, through the favour of a gentleman going down the river, our little party has penetrated to this remote town, almost in the very heart of tropical Africa, and, thank God, we are all quite well in health and spirits.

In this region of dust, dirt, and barbarism, I am reduced to the necessity of using pens made of reeds, the only ones in use among eastern nations, and which are neither lasting, nor easy to write with; I hope, how: ever, to make this letter tolerably legible, and to send it off before leaving Khartoun, which we do to-morrow, in a boat we have engaged to carry us a day or two up the White Nile, and, on our return, to Berber, a voyage of eight or ten days from hence, where we have an order from the Pasha (Governor of Khartoun), for camels across the desert to Korosko, where we rejoin our little boat the Mary Victoria, which has been await: ing our arrival there for the last two months, to convey us back to Cairo, whither we trust to find ourselves safely transported about the third week in May. I can only give you a very short abstract of our journey hither from Wady Halfeh. Our caravan consisted of seven camels, three for ourselves, and four for our ser: vants and luggage, tents, and water-skins. The way lay partly along the banks of the Nile, and partly next the desert, amidst scenery of a totally different de: scription from any I had met with before; that of the river, extremely picturesque in many places; that of the desert, wild and savage in the extreme. Although between the tropics, the nights were very cold, with occasional heavy gales of wind, during one of which, about two o'clock in the morning of the 17th, our tent was blown over completely, and we were left exposed in our beds to a keen blast, and obliged to rise, clothe our: selves, and get the tent up again. At eight o'clock, a.m. on the 18th (more than an hour after sunrise), the ther: mometer suspended on a bush near the tent, stood at 51° only, and at half-past seven on the morning of the 19th at 42° ! a cold felt to be very penetrating after the great heat which often prevailed during the day; but the excessive dryness of the air in the desert prevented any injurious effects resulting from these great and often sudden changes of temperature. On the 21st our progress was delayed for some hours by an accident to our servant Ameen, who was stung in the hand by one of the great yellow African scorpions, that had been brought to me by one of the camel drivers. Ameen, foolishly relying on a supposed immunity from the venomous effects of these and other noxious animals, which he believed had been communicated to him by a serpent charmer at Cairo for a consideration of eleven piastres, actually grasped the scorpion with his bare hand, and it instantly struck him at the root of the second finger of the left hand. He suffered intense pain for a few hours, with a feeling of great coldness all over, numbness on the left side of the body, indistinct vision, sickness, and other constitutional symptoms of rather an alarming nature. I had none of the proper remedies with me for scorpion stings, such as ammonia, and ipecacuanha; but applied laudanum to the wound, and brandy internally; the next day the symptoms had, quite subsided, and Ameen felt well able to continue the journey. The scorpion was one of the largest I had ever seen, and was about five inches in length to the end of the tail.

On the 27th we encamped on the fine island of Argo, the largest of those formed by the Nile, being thirty miles in length. The mirage was very strong on the desert this day. On the 31st we arrived at Ourdi or New Dongola, a miserable collection of mud built hovels, one of which we occupied during our stay. The air we found excessively cold at night, and till eight or nine o'clock in the morning frequently making us shiver even in the sun. I forgot to mention that when in Argo island, we visited the two remarkable colossal Egyptian statues, supposed to be those of Osiris and his wife Isis, with their son Horus. They are about twenty: two feet in length, of the red granite of Syene (Assouan) in Upper Egypt, which is not found near this place. Both statues have been thrown down, and one broken asunder in its fall; and it is remarkable that not the smallest trace exists of any temple to which they might have belonged.

We left Dongola on the 3rd February for Meroweh, near the ancient Napata, the supposed capital of Ethi: opia in the time of Queen Candace, the ruins of which still exist close beneath the fine mountain of Gebel Berkel; in the craggy face of which, is a rock temple covered with hieroglyphics, and finely sculptured figures. On one side of the mountain stand a number of stone pyramids, and a few miles further are those of Neuri, of both which I shall give an account presently.

From Ourdeh, (New Dongola) to Korti, we took a boat on the Nile, a wretched craft, full of dust and dirt, happily free from vermin, but of the roughest possible ' construction, and extremely incommodious: the re: mainder of the journey was performed on camels, across the desert to the opposite bend of the river at Abou Doun El Haweshab, a very prettily situated village, nearly facing the now almost deserted town of Merowah, and which we reached on the 1 7th; taking up as usual our quarters in the place, by dispossessing some one of his house without ceremony, the rent of which was handsomely paid for at one piastre per diem, or rather more than two-pence. The same morning, my camel becoming suddenly ungovernable set oif without the slightest warning at full gallop, throwing myself off first, and then the saddle with the articles attached to it, gun, water skin, carpet bag, &c. Luckily that part of the desert was of a soft and sandy, not as in many places, of a stony rocky character, or my fall might have been as serious as it was in reality matter for jocular remark from my two companions and the Arabs. The great height of a camel's back renders a fall in such a case more dangerous than from a horse, but the generally slow staid demeanour of these most odious and disgusting of all domesticated animals, causes a similar occurrence to that which befel myself to be much rarer than on horseback. I must say however, that much as I dislike the animal for its manners and disagreeable qualities, and the negative nature of the few good ones it possesses, that I have found camel riding to be infinitely better than I expected after the first day or two; the fatigue is almost nothing of a day's journey of from eight to ten hours, the pace is very easy, enabling you to compose yourself to a reverie as you. traverse the burning track of white, yellow, or red sand, or the glowing rugged rocks under a cloudless sky, hour after hour, with little feeling of weariness; whilst from your lofty seat on the camel's hump, you constantly enjoy a good view of the country you are passing over at the ordinary pace of from two and a half to three miles an hour. At Abou Doun El Haw: eshab, we engaged donkeys early on the morning of February 18th to convey us to the Pyramids of Neuri (so called from a neighbouring village of that name), the more distant of the two groups from Meroweh, or about five miles from that deserted town. These Pyramids stand like their more renowned fellows near Cairo, on the verge of a desert, amid drift sand, and heaps of rubbish, but no tombs. They are very numer: ous, placed without the smallest attention to order or arrangement, many are still so far entire that their out: line is preserved, and like those at Memphis they appear whole at a distance, but on a nearer inspection, they will be found equally disjointed and dilapidated. These Pyramids and those of Napata or Gebel Berkel, are exactly of the same form and dimensions: I can guess that they are on an average about forty feet high, and their angles of inclination are much more acute than those of the Egyptian structures of the same kind; like them, those of Neuri, have, now at least, no casing. The stone they are built of is of two or three kinds, a white and extremely soft limestone, similar to that of the great Pyramids of Geezeh, and one or two species of red or yellow conglomerate, of the coarsest, and most crumbling description that can be conceived. As the country here is within the limits of the periodical tro: pical rains, it is surprising how these Pyramids can have so long resisted the influence of the weather, made as they are of such perishable stone. On the 19th, we set out on donkey back for the ancient supposed site of Napata and the Pyramids adjacent, usually known as those of Gebel Berkel, from the fine rock or mountain of that name, under which both are situated. The ruins of Napata are not extensive, but the remains of several buildings still exist above ground, and what is singular, some slender columns are yet erect, and tolerably per: fect, whilst every other part of the ruin is thrown down. In the face of the mountain is a rock temple, with some of the best designed and executed sculptures and hiero: glyphics I have seen in Egypt, and the capitals of the columns are very tastefully designed in a style quite different from any pattern I ever saw before. We ob: served one or two finely polished blocks of grey or blue granite with sculptured cornices, (perhaps sarcophagi), but nothing else of note amongst the ruins. The weather to-day and yesterday, was remarkably cold, with very high east wind, and clouds of sand from the desert. We observed the names of one or two English travellers on the walls of this remote and beautiful rock: temple, which faces the ruins of the ancient city, of which no doubt, it formed one of the most considerable edifices. The Pyramids stand on the desert, about three quarters of a mile from the ruins, and are thirteen in number; eight are merely crumbling masses of stone; the remaining five are generally speaking, in a wonder: ful state of preservation, almost as entire as when first erected. Their average height, as we found by measure: ment, is about forty-two feet, they are all built in steps, but the stones are not above thirten inches thick, and it was by counting the number of courses, that we were enabled to ascertain the height of the whole structure. The angles are very neatly finished with quoins of whiter stone than the rest of the building, but the apex of each Pyramid is gone. The acuteness of the angle of inclination was such, that I could not venture to mount the courses, (as I easily did those of the Pyra: mids of Cheops) without a feeling of giddiness soon coming on; but my sailor friends achieved the ascent without difficulty, and carved their names on the flat top of one of the principal and most perfect. These Pyramids, like those of Neuri, stand grouped without arrangement, contiguous to, and at all angles to each other, and each Pyramid has a stone porch, adorned with sculpture and hieroglyphics: sometimes the roof or ceiling of the porch is painted in colours, still in very tolerable preservation, but evincing a rude state of the art; some of the sculpture is extremely well executed, and very curious as to subject and design. We found very few memorials of European travellers upon these Pyramids, so we held ourselves excused in gratifying the national predilection for this way of acquiring im: mortality, by carving our names enclosed in an oval or cartouche, and each name again separately on different Pyramids. Mine, I cut at full length, and in large Eoman letters, with month and year, inside one of the porches, the roof of which was badly painted with lotus wreaths, just over the name of Prince Puckler Muskau, who has left no memorial of the date of his visit. In one Pyramid only, did we find any entrance from the porch, all the rest were closed with blocks of stone: in the exceptional case, the opening led only to an irregular cavity, as if purposely broken up in search of a sepulchral chamber; but the penetrated Pyramids, here and at Neuri, appear to shew that they were all constructed solidly from the first, the centre being filled with loose stones or rubble. On our return to our hovel at Al Dour, through beautiful fields of ripe, and ripening, as well as springing barley and wheat, we visited the now nearly deserted town of Meroweh. There is a work entitled " Hosldn's Travels in Ethiopia," ^ hich is highly spoken of by Sir Gardner Wilkinson; in tins book there is doubtless a full account of every object of interest along the route we have taken from Wady Halfeh to Khartoun, and as such, it would be worth your while enquiring for, or ordering it for the Club.

February 20th. Left Al Doun El Hawasheb on camels, across the desert for Metummeh, a large straggling place a few miles above Shendy, but on the opposite side of the river, and to which, since the de: struction of the former place by the troops of Mohammed Bey Deftender, in revenge for the murder, by the chief of the province, of the youngest son of Mehemet Ali in 1822, the trade of Shendy has been transferred. The Wadys, or little valleys between the hills in this desert, contain many trees and thickets, and there is good water at intervals, but we were forced at first to put up with that from a deep stagnant reservoir of natural formation in a rocky bason supplied by the periodical rains, and which now emitted a putrid smell, and was filled with various impurities. The next day, we gladly changed it for spring water, at a group of wells to which all the neighbouring tribes resort to water their flocks at stated intervals. The heat in crossing this desert was very considerable, but the nights were always deliciously cool, and indeed unpleasantly so at day-break, and for some time afterwards, but the air on the desert is so perfectly dry, that we slept every night under the canopy of stars, often with a cold and high wind blow: ing on our beds, and even on our persons, without the slightest ill elfect.

The following are the temperatures, as taken by my pocket thermometer:— 1851. Shade. Sun. Time. Feb. 24th, desert between Meroweh & Shendy. . 87° . . H4o on hot sand. . 11 30 a.m. „ 27th, „ „ 95o..l26o „ 120p.m. Mar. 1st, Metummeh, in the tent 98° . . 137© on dry earth. .20,, „ 2nd, „ „ .. .. 101o..l46o „ noon. „ 2nd, „ „ .... 106o..l42o „ 2 p.m. „ 4th, in a hut, at Koornar 102 noon. „ 4th, „ „ 102o.. 1520 2 0p.m.

Although these temperatures exceeded any to which I had been hitherto exposed, and on the 2nd and 5th of March the air and earth glowed like a furnace, with a stifling hot S.E. wind, I felt not the slightest incon: venience, and hardly any discomfort when seated on my camel in the full rays of the sun. My companions felt the heat a little, but thank God, we continued all well, and even at our mid-day's baitings enjoyed our dinner with the thermometer at, or above 100° in our tent under an acacia, (or when at a village), in some deserted mud hovel, which last are always extremely cool, owing to the great thickness of the walls.

On the 28th we arrived at Metummeh, having tra: versed the distance from Meroweh (160 miles) in nine days. This is a great straggling town or collection of wretched hovels of mud and crude brick, like all other towns in Soudan: we encamped near the river side at some little distance from the place. The Nile, though now so low, and consequently so contracted in its channel is still a noble stream, bearing freshness and verdure wherever it meanders, hence the temperature along its banks is always cooler than that of the adjoining country, and accustomed as we have been for weeks past to a continued high temperature, that which we enjoy on the river, or in its vicinity, feels quite moderate and agreeable; the general range of the thermometer at noon, and at 2 p.m. being from 85° to 92°, but at this moment, the air is particularly cool from the continuance of strong northerly winds, which are daily expected to cease, when very hot weather will surely succeed. We left Metummeh on the third day from our arrival for this place ( Khartoun) where we have been ever since; but shall start in a day or two by boat for Shendy, Berber, and Abou Hamel, visiting on our way the pyramids of Assuer near the site of the ancient Meroe. At Berber we again engage camels for Abou Hamel, from whence we take our way across a tree-less, herb: less, and in part water-less desert, to Korosko, where our little bark has for nearly three months been awaiting our return to Cairo.

We were most civilly and kindly received by the chief people both Franks and Turks at this place, and most courteously and affably by the governor of the vast province of Khartoun, Latif Pasha, to whom we were introduced, and from whom we received a govern: ment order for camels at Berber. The manners and customs of this strange, wild, out of the way corner of the world, are so entirely different from our own, that it would require much more time and space than I can spare to give even a sketch of our numerous and often droll adventures; besides this, the reed pens are the most unfit of all instruments for voluminous commu: nications, I must therefore reserve my account of our proceedings amongst Arabs and Turks for a verbal narrative of foreign travel.

Owing to the continuance of strong northerly winds, and to the situation of the place between two broad rivers, the temperature of Khartoun continues to be very moderate for the advancing season, it being usually about 90° — -92° in the house at mid-day; the evenings and mornings, especially the latter, extremely fresh and! cool, quite like summer mornings in England.

I quite forgot to mention in its proper place, that on i our way from Meroweh to Metummeh we visited, at a spot called Gebal ab Gazal, or the mountain of the gazelles, one of those ancient Christian temples of which in early times there were so many in Ethiopia. It is now in ruins, but a great part of the walls are standing, and the cross nave and chancel, are still perfectly dis: tinguishable as in our modern churches, whilst the frequent occurrence of the cross sculptured on the walls betokens the Christian character of the edifice.

We all look forward to getting back to Cairo, about the middle, or towards the end of May; sooner it is not probable we should arrive there, as we shall have still to visit some objects of interest at Thebes, the Memnonium, Medinet Habou, the tombs of the kings, the two Colossi in the Nile, and to take a second and parting look at Dendereh, Luxor, and Darfour, which we left till our return northwards; besides which, we propose a ride for a couple of days into the Fayoum, a singular district, being an oasis in the desert, a little to the south of Cairo, and remarkable for the manners and customs of the people who are mostly Copts.

When you write to H. tell him that he would find abundant amusement in Soudan (Ethiopia Proper) amongst the innumerable multitude of birds that inhabit this region, and the whole vallev of the Nile: the number of individuals is perfectly astonishing, and the species themselves numerous. Birds of prey abound as in Egypt, hawks, kites, eagles, vultures, are ever seen in the air; the multitude of aquatic fowl is in: credible, geese, herons, storks, cranes, spoonbills, ibises, pelicans actually swarm, and fill the air with their myriads. Every grove resounds with the cooing of doves, of which we have killed five or six different species between Cairo and Khartoun, the species chang: ing with the latitude. Many European genera are amongst the commonest of those inhabiting this country. Wag-tails, white throats, larks, plovers, and sparrows are seen everywhere; in many cases apparently identical with our English species; as for instance, the sky lark, common plover, or lap-wing, and perhaps the ordinary sparrow of the country, which comes exceedingly close to our common house sparrow, if it be not the very same bird; being equally domestic and familiar, and even more plentiful than in Europe. In the thickets and groves along the Nile, and which here and there adorn even the desert, various richly decorated tropical birds are met with, but the ornithology of this part of Africa, like its botany, has a plain, unadorned character, partaking throughout of that found to prevail in the temperate zone. I have already collected a considerable number of the plants of Soudan, Nubia, and Upper Egypt, and all the seeds I can find for the Kew Gardens, together with every interesting vegetable product for the Museum which Sir William Hooker is now forming there; but collecting in this country is attended with considerable trouble and difficulty, on account of the want of quick and ready communication between places, and the wretched means of transport on camel's backs, which spoil, and wear out everything. The few clothes we took with us from the boat at Wady Halfeh, are in a sadly dilapidated condition, and those which I put in my carpet bag are in tatters, the linen is far too fine, and delicate for such rough travelling as we are now per-; forming in barbarous Africa. Your little housewife has been in constant requisition amongst our party, and our servants, one or two of whom are tolerably expert at their needle, i.e. can darn, patch, and coarsely hem, or sew on buttons, but nothing more: my two sailor com: panions, can of course, do a little in the way of tailoring and needlework, but ironing and mangling, are processes unknown in this country, and our linen is therefore got up in the roughest possible style. And now, dear E. fare thee well — I shall write again as soon as possible, and send this by the government post or courier, to anticipate my arrival in Cairo, which I hope (Inshallah !) will be in about six weeks time, or two months at farthest. I long to reach Ernout, (the ancient Hermanthis) in Upper Egypt, that I may have tidings of you from Mr. Fox.

With my kind regards to all my friends at Ryde and elsewhere.

Always your affectionate Brother, Abou Hasheesh.