Notes of an Overland Journey Through France and Egypt to Bombay

Notes of an Overland Journey
Through France and Egypt to
Bombay

The Project Gutenberg EBook of Notes of an Overland Journey
Through France
and Egypt to Bombay, by Miss Emma Roberts This eBook is for the
use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions
whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms
of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at
www.gutenberg.net
Title: Notes of an Overland Journey Through France and Egypt to
Bombay
Author: Miss Emma Roberts
Release Date: April 16, 2004 [EBook #12064]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK AN
OVERLAND JOURNEY ***

Produced by Paul Murray, Leah Moser and the Online Distributed
Proofreading Team.

NOTES OF AN OVERLAND JOURNEY THROUGH FRANCE AND
EGYPT TO BOMBAY.

BY THE LATE MISS EMMA ROBERTS.
WITH A MEMOIR.
1841
This file was produced from images generously made available by the
Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF/Gallica) at http://gallica.bnf.fr

CONTENTS.
* * * * *
MEMOIR
* * * * *

CHAPTER I
.
LONDON TO PARIS.
Departure from London--A French Steam-vessel--Unfavourable
Weather--Arrival at Havre--Difficulties at the
Custom-house--Description of Havre--Embarkation on the Steamer for
Rouen--Appearance of the Country--Inclemency of the
Weather--Arrival at Rouen--Description of Rouen--Departure by the
Boat for Paris--Scenes and Traditions on the Banks of the
Seine--Journey by the Railroad to Paris--The
_Douaniers_--Observations on the Journey up the Seine
* * * * *

CHAPTER II
.
PARIS TO MARSEILLES.
Description of Paris--Departure by the Diligence--The Country--The
Vineyards--Hotels and fare--Arrival at Lyons--Description of the
City--Departure in the Steam-boat for Arles--Descent of the
Rhône--Beauty and Variety of the Scenery--Confusion on
disembarking at Beaucaire--A Passenger Drowned--Arrival at
Arles--Description of the Town--Embarkation in the Steamer for
Marseilles--Entrance into the Mediterranean--Picturesque Approach to

Marseilles--Arrival in the Harbour--Description of
Marseilles--Observations upon the Journey through France by Ladies
* * * * *

CHAPTER III
.
MARSEILLES TO ALEXANDRIA.
Vexations at the Custom-house--Embarkation on the Malta
Steamer--Difficulties of exit from the Harbour--Storm--Disagreeable
Motion of the Steam-vessel--Passengers--Arrival at Malta--Description
of the City--Vehicles--Dress of the Maltese Women--State of
Society--Church of St. John--The Palace--The Cemetery of the
Capuchin Convent--Intolerance of the Roman Catholic
Priesthood--Shops, Cafés, and Hotels--Manufactures and Products of
Malta--Heat of the Island--Embarkation on board an English
Government Steamer--Passengers--A young Egyptian--Arrival at
Alexandria--Turkish and Egyptian Fleets--Aspect of the City from the
Sea--Landing
* * * * *

CHAPTER IV
.
ALEXANDRIA TO BOULAK.
Description of Alexandria--Hotels--Houses--Streets--Frank
Shops--Cafés--Equipages--Arrangements for the Journey to
Suez--Pompey's Pillar--Turkish and Arab Burial-grounds--Preparations
for the Journey to Cairo--Embarkation on the Canal--Bad
accommodation in the Boat--Banks of the Canal--Varieties of Costume
in Egypt--Collision during the night--Atfee--Its wretched
appearance--The Pasha--Exchange of Boats--Disappointment at the
Nile--Scarcity of Trees--Manners of the Boatmen--Aspect of the
Villages--The Marquess of Waterford--The Mughreebee
Magician--First sight of the Pyramids--Arrival at Boulak, the Port of
Cairo
* * * * *

CHAPTER V
.
CAIRO.
Arrival at Boulak--Description of the place--Moolid, or Religious
Fair--Surprise of the People--The Hotel at Cairo--Description of the
City--The Citadel--View from thence--The City--The Shops--The
Streets--The interior of the Pasha's
Palace--Pictures--Furniture--Military Band--Affray between a Man and
Woman--Indifference of the Police to Street Broils--Natives beaten by
Englishmen--Visit to an English Antiquary--By-ways of the
City--Interior of the Houses--Nubian
Slave-market--Gypsies--Preparation for Departure to Suez--Mode of
driving in the Streets of Cairo--Leave the City--The Changes in
travelling in Egypt--Attractions of Cairo
* * * * *

CHAPTER VI
.
THE DESERT.
Equipage for crossing the Desert--Donkey-chairs--Sense of calmness
and tranquillity on entering the Desert--Nothing dismal in its
aspect--The Travellers' Bungalow--Inconvenient construction of these
buildings--Kafila of the Governor of Jiddah and his Lady--Their
Equipage--Bedouins--Impositions practised on Travellers--Desert
Travelling not disagreeable--Report of the sailing of the
Steamer--Frequency of false reports--Ease with which an infant of the
party bore the journey--A wheeled carriage crossing the Desert--Parties
of Passengers from Suez encountered--One of Mr. Hill's tilted
Caravans--Difficulty of procuring water at the Travellers' Bungalow--A
night in the Desert--Magnificent sunrise--First sight of the Red Sea and
the Town of Suez--Miserable appearance of the latter--Engagement of a
Passage to Bombay
* * * * *

CHAPTER VII
.
SUEZ TO ADEN.
Travellers assembling at Suez--Remarks on the Pasha's
Government--Embarkation on the Steamer--Miserable accommodation
in the _Berenice_, and awkwardness of the attendants--Government
Ships not adapted to carry Passengers--Cause of the miserable state of
the Red Sea Steamers--Shores of the Red Sea--Arrival at Mocha--Its
appearance from the Sea--Arrival at Aden--Its wild and rocky
appearance on landing--Cape Aden--The Town--Singular appearance
of the Houses--The Garrison expecting an attack by the
Arabs--Discontent of the Servants of Europeans at Aden--Complaints
by Anglo-Indians against Servants--Causes--Little to interest
Europeans in Aden
* * * * *

CHAPTER VIII
.
ADEN.
Commanding situation of Aden--Its importance in former times--But
few remains of its grandeur--Its facilities as a retreat for the piratical
hordes of the Desert--The loss of