AND LOWER EGYPT. ^5$ 



scendants of those who were its inhabitants are 

 mere barbarians ; the Nile has refused to moisten 

 a depopulated soil ; the plains are barren and de- 

 sert ; not a particle of the monuments has pre- 

 served its place or its position ; all is fallen, all is 

 overthrown, all is turned upside down, and the 

 magnificent and delightful Canopus exists no lon- 

 ger but in the remembrance of a few individuals. 



The day after our arrival at Aboukir, M. For- 

 ncti and I went to pay a visit to the governor, 

 who was a barber. Apprized of our intention by 

 the Jew, he had been in haste to array himself in 

 his finest clothes, and to dress his head in a white 

 schall. We found him seated in his shop, with a 

 fan composed of feathers in his hand. He re- 

 ceived us with all the solemnity of a vizier; how- 

 ever, he offered us his services in any way which 

 might be agreeable to us. He would very will- 

 ingly have presented us with coffee, but the 

 coffee-house he told us was shut. When we 

 withdrew, he gave himself as little disturbance as 

 upon our arrival. Furthermore, he was on the 

 best terms with our host ; and not without reason, 

 for he was not only his governor but likewise his 

 barber. 



We had demanded and obtained permission to 

 enter the castle, which is of little importance. It 



a a 2 is 



