e pacha usually
resides during the summer. In half an hour's time we reached this
park. The garden is rather handsome, but does not display many
plants except lemon, orange, pomegranate, and cypress trees. The
display of flowers was not very remarkable; for not only could we
discover no rare or foreign plants, but we also missed many flowers
which grow plentifully in our gardens at home. A few kiosks are
here to be seen, but every thing seemed miserably out of repair.

The residence of the pacha, situated outside the gardens, has a more
inviting appearance. We paid our respects to his highness, who
received us very graciously, and caused us to be regaled with the
usual beverages. No sooner had the high ladies in the harem learnt
that a Frankish woman was in their territory, than they sent to
invite me to visit them. I gladly accepted this invitation, the
more so as it offered an opportunity of gratifying my curiosity. I
was conducted to another part of the house, where I stepped into a
chamber of middle size, the floor of which was covered with mats and
carpets, while on cushions ranged round the walls reclined beauties
of various complexions, who seemed to have been collected from every
quarter of the globe. One of these women, who was rather elderly,
appeared to be the pacha's chief wife, for all the rest pointed to
her. The youngest lady seemed about eighteen or nineteen years of
age, and was the mother of a child eight months old, with which they
were all playing as with a doll; the poor little thing was handed
about from hand to hand. These ladies were dressed exactly like the
daughters of the consul at Joppa, whose costume I have described. I
did not see any signs of particular beauty, unless the stoutness of
figure so prevalent here is considered in that light. I saw,
however, a woman with one eye, a defect frequently observed in the
East. Female slaves were there of all shades of colour. One wore a
ring through her nose, and another had tastefully painted her lips
blue. Both mistresses and slaves had their eyebrows and eyelashes
painted black, and their nails and the palm of the hand stained a
light-brown with the juice of the henna.

The Oriental women are ignorant and inquisitive in the highest
degree; they can neither read nor write, and the knowledge of a
foreign language is quite out of the question. It is very rarely
that one of them understands embroidering in gold. Whenever I
happene