the forecastle is a group of young officers, and we hear sounds of laughter. The Marquis is out in full force, and is entertaining our friends with anecdotes of high life in Paris and renderings, recitative and musical, from the operas of M. Offenbach. The fringe of shining mist assumes a form-a low, white beach; and, as we look closer, tapering lines and towers. We know, then, that the coast before us is really Egypt-the land of imagination and fable—and that these tapering lines and towers are the minarets of Islam. It is not long before we come inside the port of Alexandria, and before our engines are stopped we hear the cheers from the ships and the Egyptian bands playing American national airs. These dear old strains were the last we heard at Malta and the first we hear at the Nile. You see the protecting telegraph has hovered over us, and friends knew of our coming; and before these pages reach the shore they must pass through the smoke of the cannon now about to thunder Egypt's welcome to General Grant.

E arrived in Alexandria January 5th, 1878, coming only because we wanted an anchorage, our point being Cairo and the Nile. We remained there three days. Our reception was cordial. The "Vandalia" had hardly anchored when the governor of the district, the admiral and the generals, pachas and beys, the Consul General, Mr. Farman; the Vice Consul, Mr. Salvago; Judges Barringer and Morgan, and the missionaries, all came on board. The receptions lasted an hour, and as each officer was saluted according to his rank and the salutes were returned, there was smoke enough in the air for a naval engagement, and we could almost fancy another battle of the Nile like that fought only a step or

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ALEXANDRIA.

231 two up the coast one eventful day, nearly eighty years ago. The governor, in the name of the Khedive, welcomed General Grant to Egypt, and offered him a palace in Cairo and a special steamer up the Nile. It is Oriental etiquette to return calls as soon as possible, and accordingly in the afternoon the General, accompanied by his son, Commander Robeson, Chief-Engineer Trilley, and Lieutenant Handy, of the navy, landed in the official barge. As this was an official visit, the "Vandalia " manned the yards and fired twenty-one guns. These salutes were responded to by the Egyptian vessels. A guard of honor received the General at the palace, and the reception was after the manner of the Orientals. We enter a spacious chamber and are seated on a cushioned seat or divan, according to rank. The pacha—who has a Greek face, and I presume is a Greek—offers the company cigarettes. Then compliments are exchanged, the pacha saying how proud Egypt is to see the illustrious stranger, and the General answering that he anticipates great pleasure in visiting Egypt. The pacha gives a signal, and servants enter bearing little porcelain cups about as large as an egg, in filagree cases. This is the beverage-coffee-or, as was the case with this special pacha, a hot drink spiced with cinnamon. Then the conversation continues with judicious pauses, the Orientals being slow in speech and our General not apt to diffuse his opinions. In about five minutes we arise and file down stairs in slow, solemn fashion, servants and guards saluting, and the visit is over.

The General and Mrs. Grant went to dine, and in the evening we had a ball and a dinner at the house of our Vice Consul, Mr. Salvago. This was an exceedingly brilliant entertainment, and interesting in one respect especially, because it was here that the General met my renowned friend and colleague, Henry M. Stanley, just fresh from the African wilderness. The General had heard of Stanley being in town, and had charged me to seek him out and ask him to come on board and dine. My letter missed Stanley and we met at the consul's. Stanley sat on the right of the General, and they had a long conversation upon African matters and the practical results of the work done by our intrepid friend. The consul general proposed the health

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of General Grant, and Judge Barringer proposed that of Mrs. Grant, who, by the way, was prevented by fatigue from coming. Then a toast was proposed in honor of Stanley, who made a grateful response, saying it was one of the proudest moments in his life to find himself seated by our guest. Stanley looks quite gray and somewhat thinner than when I saw him in New York, just before his departure, three years ago.

I gave him all the news I could remember about friends in New York and elsewhere. Next morning Mr. Farman, our Consul General, and myself saw him on board the Brindisi steamer, which was to carry him to Europe-to new honors and the enjoyment of a well-earned and enviable renown. The entertainment at Mr. Salvago's at an end, we returned on board. The next day was Sunday. The General, accompanied by the writer, landed, meaning to stroll about the town. Walking is one of the General's favorite occupations, and he never sees a town until he has gone ashore and lost himself. His eye for topography is remarkable; but that is a military quality after all, and in Alexandria, one of the most huddled-up and bewildering towns, he had a fine opportunity for the exercise of his skill. Then there was an informal luncheon, as became the Sabbath, with Mr. Gibbs, the director of the telegraph; Commander Robeson and Lieutenant-Commander Caldwell forming the other members of the party. The event of Monday, January 7th, was that we formed a group on the quarterdeck and had our photographs taken, the General and family in the center, and around them the wardroom, steerage, and warrant officers of the "Vandalia."

GATEWAY, CAIRO.

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This event closed our life on the "Vandalia" for a month at least. It was only au revoir and not good-by, but there was just enough of the feeling of parting to give a tinge of sadness to the mass of trunks and bundles which the sailors, under the orders of the Marquis, were arranging on deck. We were to do Cairo and the Nile, we were to be gone three weeks, and we were to return. But the only one of the party who really wanted to leave was our noble friend, the Marquis, whose spirits have been steadily rising since he came to land and heard the rumor of the Khedive's hospitality. As he takes command of the baggage and directs the sailors in their handling of it, you see in his eye the enthusiasm of one born to command when in his own element. When he pushes off in the tug, trailing the luggage in a boat behind him, there is a disposition to fire a salute, but the regulations are not elastic, and the Marquis with his important command has only a silent adieu. We are not long in following him. We have a special train at our command, and the captain and a group of the officers are going up to attend the presentation to the Khedive. The governor of the province, with his retinue, met the General, and at eleven the train, a special one, started. Judge Barringer and wife were of the company, and the run to Cairo was made in four hours. The General studied the scenery closely, and noted the resemblance in some portions to prairie land in Illinois. Mrs. Grant was more impressed with the poetry of the scene with the biblical associations that cluster about this strange land. The officers formed a merry company in their compartments, while the Marquis was in an advanced section, holding guard over a lunch basket. The Marquis is a great admirer of the Khedive, and expresses himself earnestly in favor of a government which welcomes its guests to a palace. He takes no interest in the ruins, believing Cairo to be more interesting because of the cafés, which remind him of Paris, than the Pyramids, which he regards as entirely useless. At three o'clock we come to Cairo. There is a guard, a carpet way, and a group of officers and civilians. The General, looking at the group, recognizes old friends. "Why," he says, "there's Loring, whom I