LISUO?^: GENERAL VIEW. 15 



anything was liable to duty) became somewhat more than 

 annoying when, on opening F.'s large box of photograpliic 

 apparatus, wherein clieinicaln were nicely ytowed away, 

 and rows of little bottles packed in sawdust, proclaimed 

 their intention, these wise men in office desired to over- 

 haul such stores, and even examine the prepared glasses, 

 to which the admission of a single ray of daylight would 

 be fatal. Then we had to argue, storm, and bluster in ii 

 variety of languages, but our indignation generally found 

 most vent in our mother tongue ; and as we persevered in 

 our renionstrancesy t!ie enemy at length, if not convinced, 

 at all evencs gave in, as will generally be found to be the 

 case if the traveller will but stand firm with that * dojziied 

 obstinacy ' for which the Englishman is fortunately famous. 

 At length the examination was completed: the box of 

 eliemicals was relocked, ray gun-case had been subjected 

 to a severe scrutiny, — stock, lock, and barrel had been 

 separately inspected, and no smuggled goods detected 

 therein ; boxes of arsenical soap and implements ox taxi- 

 dermy had bee*}, examined with many doubtf:il end. sus- 

 picious glances at me as the culprit implicated in such 

 pursuits; above all, my india-rubber bath, my faithful 

 compaDJon in. Eastern, travels, bad been withdrawD. from 

 its canvas case and closely investigated ; and, as I ex- 

 plained its object and intention, had evidently drawn down 

 on my devoted head the character of an eccentric madman; 

 and then car goods were reles^sed, and we were free to 

 remove them to our quarters. To this end we enlisted the 

 services of four G-allegos, who crowd in swarms round the 

 custom house and quay, and these stout porters worked 

 in pairs., like beasts of burden as they are, and in a very 

 short time conveyed our formidable and really heavy 

 baggage up the steepest of streets to our hotel. Their 

 mode of carrying heavy burdens is very ingenious : each 

 man is provided with a tightly-made straw collrwT covered 



