THE NILE. 251 
suffering from the smoke which inflamed their poor eyes. They 
said nothing, but crouched behind the door and up in the 
corner on my entering. 
E * E * * * 
All of us regretted leaving our kind hosts and friends on 
board the * Sidon," to most of whom we had already become 
much attached. Captain Henderson is one of the mildest and 
most gentlemanly of men: he, with six or eight of the officers, 
accompanied us to Cairo. Our route was on the Mahmoudie 
Canal, which communicates between Alexandria and the Nile, 
running east about eighty miles, and our conveyance was a little 
steamer, of the size, shape, &c., of a Woolwich boat: she is 
the property of the Transit office, for the conveyance of pas- 
sengers, but devoted to us for the present. There was no 
comfort on board, and we were much crammed with Drago- 
men of all sizes and stamps, officials, luggage, &c. This canal 
was constructed by Mehemet Ali, who forced the Egyptians to 
work, without pay, or even bread or tools: 60,000 are said to 
have been starved to death ; but we may hope this is exaggerated, 
being much above the number given in the hand-book of Egypt. 
All along, the banks are bare, or where you approach the lake 
Mareotis, rushy and reedy; except the Tamariz there are no 
bushes, and occasional Dates or Acacias are the only trees. The 
scenery reminded me of the canal through the bog of Allan, if 
you can suppose that wholly destitute of any vegetation, except 
around the very scattered Egyptian or Turkish houses, where are 
scantily furnished gardens of Acacia, Cypress, Myrtle, &e. At 
10, a.m., we reached the Nile, descending to it through a lock : 
it rained tremendously, and we got very wet during the embarka- 
tion. Here we were received on board a very pretty steamer, of 
the size of a Greenock boat, very swift, and well-built and found : 
she is the pleasure yacht of Mehemet Ali, which he placed at our 
i The after part was given up to Lord and Lady 
Dalhousie: it was gorgeously fitted with white shot satin, all 
Worked with gold and scarlet flowers, heavy gilt and silver orna- 
ments, Turkey carpets an inch thick, and everything in the most 
