1 64 RECOLLECTIONS OF FORTY YEARS. 



"The strains of a military band told us that the 

 Viceroy was awake, and upon going out of our 

 tent we met him coming from his. He called me in 

 and explained to me how he had got his artillery across 

 the lake, going from one battery to the other and 

 urging on the men, for everyone had assured him that 

 it was impossible for them to cross it. He was in the 

 best of humours, and we spent a couple of hours dis- 

 cussing subjects, all of which interested much, and 

 the main objective of which was that he desired to 

 illustrate his accession to power by some great and 

 useful enterprise. He listened to my remarks with 

 much attention, and spoke without the slightest 

 reserve, the time passing very quickly, and the 

 ceremony of ablutions coming to warn us that it 

 was the dinner hour. 



"After dinner a courier arrived from Alexandria, 

 with the despatches which had been sent by steamer 

 from Constantinople, and he had them read over to him 

 by Zulfikar, translating their contents to me as he read. 

 These despatches were from his agent at Constanti- 

 nople, and from Eeschid Pasha, the Grand Vizier. 

 Among them was one which he showed me, and which 

 had been written by the Sultan's favourite in the harem, 

 to thank him for a present of 150,000 piastres, which 

 he had sent her. The letter also contained a message 

 from the Sultan, complimenting him upon the appear- 

 ance of the Egyptian troops which had recently been 

 despatched to Turkey. 



