hrough the grating at the House of Commons, but which are at least as
impermeable to the mortal eye from without. The streets are very
empty, as it is the Ramadan, during which devout Turks fast and sleep
throughout the day, and indemnify themselves by eating, drinking, and
amusing themselves all night.

_Cairo.--May 7th._--Most of yesterday afternoon was spent in drinking
coffee and smoking long pipes, two ladies partaking of the latter
enjoyment after dinner at Mr. Green's. One of them told me that she
had dined with the Princess (the Pacha's wife) a few days ago. She
went at seven and left at half-past twelve, and with the exception of
a half hour of dinner, all the rest of the time was spent in smoking
and drinking coffee. After dinner, the mother of the Pacha's only
child came in and joined the party. She was treated with a certain
consideration as being the mother of this child, although she was not
given a pipe. The Princess seemed on very good terms with her. This
child (a boy three years old) has an English nurse, and this nurse has
persuaded the Pacha to allow her to take the child to England on a
visit. The mother, who has picked up a little English from the nurse,
said to Mrs. Green, 'I am very unhappy; _young Pacha_' (her boy) 'is
going away.' The mother is no more thought of in this arrangement than
I am. What a strange system it is!... We passed through the wonderful
Delta to-day, and certainly the people looked more comfortable than
those of Alexandria. The beasts too, camels, oxen, donkeys, showed
signs of the fertility of the soil in their sleekness. What might not
be made of this country if it were wisely guided!

[Sidenote: Crossing the Desert.]

_Steamer 'Bentinck.'--Sunday, May 10th._--I write to you from the
neighbourhood of Mount Sinai, which we passed at an early hour this
morning, gliding through a sea of most transparent glass, with so
little motion that there is hardly an excuse for bad writing.... I
must, however, take you back to Cairo. We began to move at a very
early hour, about three, on Saturday (yesterday) morning. We were
actually in the railway carriages at half-past four. I was placed in a
_coupe_ before the engine, in order that I might see the road; and in
this somewhat formidable position ran over about forty miles of the
Desert in about an hour