‘A JOURNEY IN THE EAST, 805 
of our effects, and where a steam-launch took us over to the 
other side. 
I was greatly pleased with this old and thoroughly Arab 
town, and some parts of it, near the bank of the canal, 
where numbers of little sailing-crafts, with their smart masts 
and flags, were moving to and fro, reminded one so much of 
a Dutch or Belgian seaport that one might even call Damietta 
an Arabian Antwerp. 
We walked from the landing-place to the house of our 
Consular Agent, a very kindly and extremely amusing old 
man. The interior of the town is pretty and quite Oriental, 
the houses being much decorated with wooden lattice-work ; 
but the streets are, if possible, narrower and dirtier than those 
of other Arab towns, and where there is no water near the 
houses the old Dutch look of the place disappears. Still 
Damietta has unquestionably a more northerly appearance (if 
one may use such an expression in speaking of Africa) than 
the Arab quarter of Cairo or the towns of Upper Egypt. 
One sees, too, that it can be quite cold here, and that the sea 
often causes moisture to fall, for the houses are much more 
solidly built, better roofed, and altogether more meant to be 
lived in. 
At our worthy representative’s all was in brilliant order— 
European rooms, Turkish carpets, and Arab servants, with 
attar of roses, that terrible Eastern perfume, pervading the 
whole house—everything showing that its owner was a true 
Levantine. 
After a hasty breakfast, during which our light baggage 
was put on pack-animals, we again set off. Some rode donkeys; 
two of the gentlemen drove in an antiquated coach, the pride 
of the town; and in a few minutes the whole caravan was 
moving on, accompanied by the customary yelling of the 
donkey-drivers. After passing through some streets, a good 
road, that ran along the embankment of a canal, led us by 
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