ALEXANDRIA. 15 



I shall therefore state that I conveyed my royal 

 master to the principal hotel, and having pro- 

 vided for his personal comforts at once proceeded 

 to the Consulate, being charged with a despatch 

 for Mr Green, our then acting Consul-General, 

 to whom I feel greatly indebted for his kind 

 aid in having the Meer's baggage, regarding 

 which there was a difficulty, quickly passed 

 through the Custom House. The Consul-Ge- 

 neral moreover suj^plied me with the last news- 

 papers, and those from India were at the mo- 

 ment of intense interest, as giving the latest 

 news regarding the siege of Delhi. From Mr 

 Bethune, of the P. and 0. Steam Navigation 

 Company, I also received the kindest assistance, 

 as I was in a dilemma regarding the passage 

 of the Meer and suite, about whiicli no intima- 

 tion had been received at Alexandria, though 

 before leaving Trieste a telegram from London 

 had reached me, stating that the passage had 

 been engaged and the money paid. We only 

 remained a single night at Alexandria, which is 

 the most detestable place I ever was in ; for the 

 hotel, though in other respects comfortable, 

 swarmed with musquitoes, the heat was un- 

 bearable, and a chorus of braying asses and 



