It was on a fine sunny morning in the beginning of November, as I leant over the bows of the good ship "Sesostris," that my anxious eyes were blessed with the first view of Egypt; indeed it was not through fault on my part I had not caught a glimpse of the land of the Pharaohs long before. I had been up, and on the look-out some hours before daybreak, without once reflecting, that to tumble out of one's quiet berth, any hour after midnight, could in nowise expedite our arrival at the destined port.-Expedite! no powers of man could expedite the gallant "Sesostris"-cloud or sunshine-calm or storm-fair wind or foul-" she held the even tenor of her way," some four knots and a-half an hour, and "no mistake" -on our start from Malta her deliberation was exemplary.

The French war-steamer having publicly notified her fixed determination of leaving port by six o'clock, A.M., the morning following, on the preceding evening my friend and I had been hurried incontinently on board, to be ready for a start by "cock shout" the next day. The morning dawned, and with it I appeared on deck to take a last farewell of the "little military hot-bed," as well as to inspect the Frenchmen getting under weigh; but though within an hour or so of sailing, Morpheus still reigned over the bold "Sesostris"-the very "watch" themselves somnambulized, bobbed against the rigging, sacrèed, and bobbed on. At last a stir was heard alongside, the restaurateur boat had arrived -first from "the vasty deep" uprose a consumptive Mouton, evidently sent by his physicians to try change of air and scene; then, by some mysterious process, followed a heteroge neous mass of fish, fowl, and vegetables -then, last not least, the important personage who provided these undoubted "sinews of war"-the restau

rateur himself. Phoebus in real earnest had touched our deck, and Morpheus fled at his approach. Forth sails, from his pavilion in the poop, Monsieur le capitain, a weasel-visaged gentleman in epaulets and listen slippers-then, from "the regions below," emerge the officers, cigar in jaw, puffing their matin incense to the god of day-seamen bustled to and fro with praiseworthy alacrity-in fact, the "Sesostris" was wide awake at last.

Gallant "Sesostris !" truly thou wert a man-of-war from the stockslittle didst thou need the proud appellative of war-steamer (as translated from the placards) to prove thy gallant title-no, nor the lacquered guns, on which each ill-starred passenger that paced thy deck, was wont diurnally to smash his shins-nor yet, those hirsute heroes who proclaimed thy glory-far from it. Within thyself thou hadst a virtue that must shut the mouth of gainsaying-handle her in any way, the "Sesostris" would rather die than run.

Now, really, without presumption, I consider this neat little episode of mine quite as flippant, and ten times more veracious, than any rhapsody of Eugene Sue about his favourite "Salamander," which was in the habit, he tells us, of "sparing her bullets, as a prodigal would spare his last half-crown, to blow the English to the d-l."

But all this while, despite of fate, we are nearing the shores of Egyptthat long, low, dusky streak before us, is real, veritable Egypt, the land of mystery, mythology, and miracle, above all of miracle-for there Jehovah manifested "his own right hand and wondrous power"-and the wisdom, potency, and pride of Egypt were bowed before the arm of the living God. As we near the land, Pharos comes in view, and then that ancient landmark, Pompey's Pillar,

is discerned in the distance--some of our wise heads on board stoutly maintained the column to be Cleopatra's Needle, though why, or wherefore, was best known to themselves.

As we were beating up the dangerous channel, our pilot came on board, a mahogany-visaged navigator, in a red turboosh, crimson sash, and unlimited inexpressibles-greeted, instanter, by some compatriots of his own, who had invaded us at Scyrahe was kissed most affectionately, first on one cheek, then on the other (a salutation he repaid with interest), and finally dismissed to his official duties, with a gentle pat on the back. The water now actually swarms with small craft, their long, sharp prow cleaving the tiny waves-whilst the tall, lateen sails sparkle in the sunbeams; gradually the harbour opens. There lie the Basha's fleet, like real Christianable men-of-war; and squat little windmills off there, throng the beach to the water's edge-now look at that long line of flat-roofed buildings right a-head! Here we come panting, puffing, paddling, and splashing, with all the consequence of a last arrival. Pull up, most noble "Sesostris"-a few convulsive throbsa smooth and noiseless glide-a coquetish back-water evolution-and,

Sesostris," thy task is done.

With what a burst of long-pent vaporous emotion does the labouring vessel vent the fulness of her joy-ber joy, at length too full for utterance, blubbers through her steam-pipe in a spout of greasy tears! Boats of all sizes beset us like musquitoes now comes the tug of war. Sailors, all moustache and marlinspike, rush to the gangway-a volley of sacrées exploding like a rocket battery on our thick-skulled assailants-naithless up rush the unscathed heathens, dense as a swarm of bees, but ten thousand times as noisy-we are boarded across the bulwarks—the day is won!

On the dark faces, tattered garments, and discordant gutturals of these children of the sun-certes, a more disreputable class of vagabonds never welcomed two Christian gentlemen to a pagan land. As for our respected selves, my companion and I were pounced on by a sleek, smoothtongued, little dragoman, a very lamb of a valet de place externally, but a

lion in heart and courage, who, as we were on the point of being dragged into three different boats at once, providentially appeared to the rescue, and deposited ourselves and goods in only one. Our boatmen needled through the throng, and landed us in safety on the dusty quay of Alexandria. Headless houses-blue-robed,

our

and disrobed females of the felaheen department-gorgeous officials-ragged idlers-sharp-nosed, prowling, famine-stricken dogs-dapper little donkeys, aud never-ending strings of laden camels-floated before wondering gaze, in inextricable confusion-when, on a sudden, almost before we had greeted mother earth, down rushed a band of fierce barbarians to the shore-unbreeched barbarians-blear-eyed Arab lads, each armed with a jackass and stick. The onslaught was tremendous each young incarnation of Satan backing his quadruped right between our legs, as a gentle intimation of how to mount; to comply was out of the question. Shade of Ducrow-fetch of illustrious Batty, could any one bestride some threescore asses all at once-selection was prohibited-escape impossible.

"Sed ingenium," says the poet-sed ingenium res adversæ nudare solent," and so it was these res adversa-the adverse or retrograded asses--nudare solent, unmask-as one might reckon -ingenium, a "reg'lar dodge." Preparatory to this ramble I had purchased a dumpy little carpet-bag, wherein I had subsequently deposited, together with my dressing case, some bullets, and a powder flask, the bulk of my available exchequer, a lot of pillar dollars in a worsted socknow mark the issue. Having found my flowers of rhetoric quite lost on the vulgarians, the more so, perhaps, as my audience did not comprehend one word of the English tongue, in which language, for fault of better, I harangued gestures most unequivocal meeting but with similar success, I fell back on the great law of nations, and proceeded, vi et armis, to an explanation. Bag in hand, I charged the enemy's cavalry, striking out right and left, with praiseworthy impartiality. Talk of Sampson and the men of Gath--Napoleon and the Mem'looks--Wellington and Waterloo!-smash went these Arab hornets -down they came, horse and foot, on all sides. Ghost of Mahòmmed! the

dollars were invincible; biped or qua druped, none could withstand the argument. As I strode victorious o'er the prostrate foe, I could not stifle the conviction, that either the Arabs

were a most mercenary nation, or I never knew the value of hard cash before. That day was Alexander out-Alexandered in Alexandria.

ORIENTALISM is rapidly retiring from the East.

The justness of this clever observation is abundantly evidenced by even the casual inspection of those few cities which still retain the fading shadow of their ancient greatness. Instance, for example, the inroads of the West on Cairo, the modern innovations on Damascus ; and as for Stamboulwhich, by the way, is not in the East at all the revolution of late years in the very city of the Sultan-ay, and in the person of the "Grand Seignor himself, a pale, milk-and-water, sicklooking young man, utterly and deplorably Europeanized-the revolution of late years (I can't lick this disjointed paragraph into anything like uniformity, if I was to be shot for it), well, these revolutions, as I was remarking (they will keep revolving, like the big stone on Sysiphus, crushing all connection between my sentences), these revolutions, I say, for the third and last time (that is, for the third and last time I shall permit them to revolve), are enough to make any lover of the thousand and one nights-and who, with the imagination of an oyster, does not delight in them-close the volume in disgust, and forswear the immortal page for ever.

In all polite society the turban is in coventry; the ample inexpressibles cashiered; the very slippers vanishing; so that each ancient Ottoman is daily puzzled to identify his nether man, in snuff-brown trousers and shoes with heels to them; swearing, as it does, an alibi beneath his very beard.

The gentler sex, it is true, are not so wholly metamorphosed, nay, I candidly admit that they retain their voluminous unmentionables in their pristine and fair proportions. But, gentle reader, let me ask you, is it in the East alone the fair sex wear the br-ches? Honestly, as an experienced

married gentleman, for myself I must answer, no; nay, farther, I have the candour to maintain that the following proposition is incontrovertible, viz.: that this contested garment, as aforesaid, if not substantially and visibly, yet metaphorically, and not the less really, flourisheth in greater vigour, and prevaileth more extensively in, on, or amongst the fair ones of the West, than amongst, or in, or on their less favoured sisters of the East. Now to proof. It is a fact admitted by all philosophers, that as the olive branch betokens peace, or the crown and sceptre royalty, so in domestic life the br-ches typify supreme authority; insomuch that it is true, even to a proverb, when a married man is snubbed, thwarted, ruled and overruled by his better half, the lady is, in common parlance, declared to wear the br-ches.

But our fair one of the East, albeit, she also is a daughter of Eve, and hath in her nature strongly that fruit of the forbidden tree, selfwill, and passion for the mastery, yet is she so conquered, curbed and cowed, by education, custom, habit, creed, and so forth, that she will even kiss her chain, and glory in her dependance.

The extent of her submission is incredible. Let me illustrate it by one veritable little tale of African conjugality. So summon your sensibility and attend.

My informant, a good friend of mine, and himself eye-witness of the facts whilst performing quarantine at Malta, was one day looking on at the debarkation of some West African pilgrims, who had arrived in a merchantman from Alexandria. Amongst the other pilgrim passengers, one stepped on shore of evidently a higher class; some attendants followed him, tottering under the weight of a huge wooden chest. This box, which was considerably longer than it was broad, had apertures, or small windows, in each side, securely latticed; in other