disenthralled mind of man? The wonderful basin of the Egyptian Moeris, and the splendid canal of the Israelitish Joseph, although mighty demonstrations of mere physical power and patient endurance, were pigmy efforts compared to the present gigantic grasp of ambitious intellect in a barbarian chief. But if it be true, as we have since been credibly informed, that engineers were sent to make a trigonometrical survey of the cubic volume of materials in one of the great pyramids of Egypt, and to ascertain the proba ble expense of converting them to the use of his agricultural speculations, then I say the "great regenerator" of Egypt, as he is called, deserves to rank with the greatest desolators who ever disgraced the name of man, by destroying temples, columns, paintings, and sculpture, no matter whether from motives of revenge, religious bigotry, or cupidity. He would deserve any name, from that of the arch-destroyer Cambyses to that of the Gothic Alaric, or Attila the Hun.

Let the barbarian but touch a stone of the Pyramids (those monuments which belong to the world at large), and if the sword of the Gaul or the bayonet of the Briton cannot reach him, I hope the cannon of the young West will thunder such anathemas in his ears as never echoed through the valley of the Nile, or made his mountains of Arabia tremble to their base.

But it is whispered here among the knowing satellites of the great Eastern luminary, that these pyramids, dry docks, and millponds are but syllabubs and sugarplums wherewith to amuse him who keeps the gates of the Euxine. Mohammed Ali, under pretext of wanting piles for his dams, and wood for his floodgates, smuggles timber for his navy under the very eyes of the Porte; thus hoodwinking the grand seignor and putting a beam in his eye, Ali profits by his ruse.

Another example of his vaunted cunning and Machiavelian policy is, that while he tickles the Frenchmen by a sudden

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taste for the fine arts, and virtuoso zeal for a National Museum, he amuses Johnny Bull with his great desire for public improvement.

Iron for shot may as well come in the shape of railroad bars, as the coals for smelting them in the name of fuel for

steamers.

Cajoling his own subjects and partisans by not naming his successor, but leaving each clique in his cabinet to boast the fortunes of its separate favourite, first Ibrahim, and then some other rises in the scale of his pretended favour; anon he looks on another, and at last finishes by selecting none, yet giving hopes to all. But when the victorious conqueror of Syria and threatener of Stamboul shall find it his interest, and the appointed time for action is at hand, then he will come to the rescue of his own fortunes at home, and, in the significant phrase of the day, it will be "Turk eat Turk."

Our arrival at Grand Cairo was as amusing as it was troublesome. About four miles below the shipping port of Cairo we came to a reach in the river, where the wind blew so strong ahead that it was impossible to get another inch up stream: so we came to alongside the bank, and prepared to disembark our effects; but a tide-waiter stopped us, saying we must have a permit to land anything coming from Alexandria, and the custom-house was four miles off. We, however, set our dragoman Giovanni to bribe the fellow to let us load up the luggage, and send it with him to the dogana. They both lighted their pipes, and sat down on the river-bank in a good shady place, ordered coffee, and went to work en regle to negotiate the preliminaries of the important matter. Knowing, however, what would be the result of their deliberations after a decent length of time and at least three pipes had been bestowed upon them, we sent immediately for a brace of camels for the cargo, horses for ourselves, and donkeys ad libitum for our various followers. A respectable number of pipes now being

disposed of, Signor Giovanni and the protector of the pacha's revenues rose from their divan and assisted in making up our caravan.

We accompanied the effects towards the port, skirting the river-bank, and riding through the finest avenue of trees that I have seen since I left Europe. After consid. erable ceremony and several attempts to go to piping it over the business, Giovanni tickled their itching palms with quantum sufficit of plated piastres, in order to hasten their deliberations. All things passed muster except sundry boxes of wine and hampers of porter, drums of figs and raisins, and other stores, on which the farmer of the customs claimed an enormous duty. We made a note of the delinquent articles, left Giovanni to look after them, and then took up our line of march for the capital, distant one and a half miles from Boulac, its shipping port. Admiring the beauty of the scene, the domes and Saracenic minarets of the mosques, &c., &c., we forgot that we had left our interpreter behind until we had arrived at the gates of Cairo. Now we knew where we wanted to go; but how to construe into Arabic, without the aid of our automaton lexicon, the words "Mrs. Hill's boarding-house in the Frank Quarter," we were in somewhat of a quandary, and had as much as we could do to keep the camels, horses, donkeys, &c., from straying among the crowd that was pouring out of the vomitory near which we stood, while waiting the return of the express sent after that august personage, an Eastern dragoman, in this case our own Don Giovanni.

However, we espied walking leisurely through the gate the first Frank we had seen near Cairo, in the shape of a very genteel, remarkably well-dressed Frenchman or Italian, as we thought. One of the gentlemen addressed him in French, and he replied in the same tongue, that he knew well where we desired to alight, and politely offered to accompany us. Very soon we came to a better understanding

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as to who we all were. He asked us, in good king's English, if we were not the American party expected for some time at Cairo. We replied that we were Americans, and desired to know if he might be a countryman. He replied that Americans and English were all countrymen at this distance from home, leaving us to infer to what nation he belonged. We afterward found that we were indebted for so much politeness to Dr. Walne of London, now residing here, to study the monuments and inscriptions of the country.

We first rode through a great square, next squeezed through a narrow and crowded street, then plunged under an archway into an alley so narrow as to admit only one horse at a time. Again crossing another apology for a street, we rode directly into a house, where we groped about for ten minutes, threading dark passages, without being able to see each other, under the vaulted basements of a square of houses, and guided by the voice of the donkey boys, who piloted us through these nether regions. We emerged again into open day, and passing a huge wooden gate, we found ourselves in the Frank Quarter, and were set down opposite a low-arched doorway, into which we were desired to walk. As we had to spend some time at Cairo, my heart failed me when I saw we were to be ushered into a stable for our abode.

Frequently, "ce n'est que le premier pas qui coute;" so in this instance, after clearing the barrier of low-arched pas. sages and double gates, we came to a spacious court, surrounded by a fine four-story house, with beautiful and sin. gular arabesque carvings in stone and wood. Here we found the best apartments-those that had been used for the hareem of the former possessor-allotted to our use.

Mr. George Gliddon, our consul here, called on us next morning, and a single line from him to the director of the customs had the effect to release, without toll or duty, our sequestered stores. We are now pleasantly installed here

with the kind Mrs. Hill, who exerts herself to make us as comfortable as good English housekeeping can.

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I find that I have now again given you a long story about a short journey; ergo, " Much ado about nothing." May my next letter produce something more likely to amuse you than the present. In the mean time, rest assured of my ev er-increasing esteem and friendship. Once more adieu!

LETTER X.

First View of the Pyramids.-A Turkish Official.-The Slave Market.The Citadel. Visit to the Governor.-The Mint.-Joseph's Well.Remains of Saladin's Palace.-View from the Terrace.-The Pacha's Lions. The last of the Mamelukes.-A Bachelor's Hall.-The highest Place in the Synagogue.-How to make Coffee.-Saracenic Ceilings. Grand Cairo,

It is so many days since my last letter was sent off, that I do not now recollect what it contained; but I do remember that such was the confusion attendant upon our entry into the city of the califs, that I had neither time to observe nor disposition to consult my first impressions. As they were principally of a disagreeable nature, however, you may congratulate yourself that I have it not in my power to inflict them on you.

The next morning, after a most delightful night of sweet repose on a good and clean English hair mattress (a luxury unknown to me this side of Moscow), I was awakened by such an extraordinary glare of light, that I at first fancied myself in the open air, on some terrace or portico. Taking a rapid survey of the premises, I found that there was scarcely any wall around the apartment. Casting an inquiring look upward, I saw that there was indeed a roof of some sort over my head, but so far off that I could not dis. cover of what it was composed. That and the floor gave me the assurance that I was really within doors. All the