The Sun.
London, England, 1841-03-19 00:00:00

THF, SUN, LONDON, FRIDAY. MARCH 19. Isl

THE ROUTE TO INDIA THROUGH

EGYFT.

CAIRO, JAN. 28, 1841.—As the settlement of the
Eastern question, and the extension of steam communi-
cation to the eastern Presidencies by the Peninsular and
Oriental Steam Navigation Company, leave little doubt
that the high road to British India will now be perma-
nently established through Egypt, correct information
as to the mode and means of transit through that coun-
try becomes a matter of public interest.
The following brief account of the journey from
Alexandria to Suez, of the passengers by the January
trip of the Oriental, may be deemed of sufficient inte-
rest to merit a place in your columns.
The Oriental was under steam on her vogage from
Falmouth to Alexandria only 12 days, 9 hours, and 45
minutes ; but the advantage to the passengers whim
would have been gained by so short a run out, in afford-
ing them time for proceeding leisurely through Egypt,
was lost by our being detained at Malts nearly three
days, wa.tlng for the steamer from Marseilles with that
portion of the Indian mails.
We arrived, however, at Alexandria early on the
morning of the 18th instant, and were met by a report
that the arrival of the Bombay steamer at Suez had
already been telegraphed from Cairo, which, however,
turned out to be incorrect. _ _

The anxiety of the passengers as to their being able
to reach -Suez in time to sava the sailing of the steamer
for Bombay being therefore very great, Messrs. Briggs
applied to the Paella for the use of his small steam-
yacht, then at Atfeb, on the Nile, to take the pas-
sengers up to Cairo.
Tne 13,:e1a, with his usual attention to Indian tra-
vellers, readily granted his permission, providel Com-
modore Sir Charles Napier, to whom he had in the
mean time lent the steamer, offered no objection. The
Commodore wry kindly waived his priority of right to
her, and the necessary order was obtained.
We started from Alexandria for Cairo about five
o'clock in the afternoon of the day of our arrival, em-
barking with our luggage, &c., in track-boats on the
Mahmoudieh Canal, the mails being despatche I by don-
keys ri,e;land. The large track-boat, in which, with
about thirty of the party, I happened to be, was a ve-y
kommodious vessel of about 130 tons, fitted up with
two cabins, one for ladies, and another for gentlemen,
and has a large luggage-room ; has sofas all round the
cabins, with dining tables in the centre, windows in the
sides, and ie, in short, in her interior arrangements,
very similar to a Gravesend steamer, but is much too
heavily built for speed.
We fouad plenty of refreshments in the English
styl-, with good attendance, &e., on board of her.
Site was tracked by four horses, and we arrived at
Midi, on the Nile, et five o'clock in the morning of the
19th, having hem twelve hours in tracking the distance
on the canal, 48 mi'e3.
The Mahmoudieh Canal is by no means the sort of
slimy ditch which, from some representations, I was led
ta?--ertj,icture it. It is very broad, the banks in several
pl'acces adorned with villas and rows of trees, and, on the
whole, being free from ►ocks, presents more the appear-
ance of a river than a canal.

At Atfeh, a wretchei cluster of hovels, we experi-
enced a delay of eigiA hours, in consequeacc of a de-
tention which happened to Mr. Hill, who was left to
follow us from Alexafldria with a " teskera," or official
order for the thamer, and some of the party, there-
fore, yielding to their impatience, proceeded in canduos
or Arab boats.

The remainder embarked in the Pacha's steamer,
with which we started for Cairo about three o'clock, p.m.
After steaming about twenty miles one of the engines
broke down, and no bad to perform the remainder of
our journey with ore engine. The distance from
Atfeh to Cairo is variously stated at from nicety to a
hundred andfi ty miles ; it depends, however, on the state
of the N 1... At high Nil-, when there is no necessity
for following all the sinuosities of the chancel', the
distance, is much shorter than at low Nile. At present
the river is getting low, and us the steamer, with the
pt.ssengers and luggage on board, drew nearly three feet
water, much caution arid a thorough knowledge of the
river was neceisary to pre%ent our getting aground.
Fogs occasionally occur on the Nile, and in one of
those we were forced to drop the anchor, and wait five
or six hours.

The average strength of ti:e current was about three
miles an hour.

We arrived at Cairo about 7 o'clock p.m., on the
21st inst, and were glad to find thi.t we were in advance
of the mails. The party located tLemselves, therefore,
in tranquillity at Hill's and Waghorn's hotels respec-
tively, where excellent English dinners were found await-
ing them, and the saloon tables covered with Indian
newspapers of dates from Bombay down to the Ist inst.
We found also that the Victoria had only arrit ell at
Suez on the 18.. h. As the mails from Alexandria hal
not arrived, it was arranged thtt we should not start
fer Suez until Saturday morning the 220, thus giv'ng
the travellers a day clear for seeing the lions in and
abott Cairo, and which was occupied in visiting the
Pyramids, the citadel, the gardens and palace of Shoo-
bra, tho slave market, shopping in the Grand Bazaar,
&c. At 9 a.m. of the 23d we started in grand proces-
sion for the Desert.

The parties who bad proceeded from Atfch in the
Arab boats having also arrived and joined us, the pas-
sengers amounted to fifty in number, including twelve
ladies and three female servants.

The mails consisted of 62 chests and tin co bags.
For the conveyance of the whole, with luggage, provi-
sions, &e., the following means were required :-145
camels, 60 donkeys, 12 saddle horses, 12 carriage ditto,
7 carriage camels, 12 donkey chairs, 3 two. wheel car-
riages, and 1 four-wheel ditto. Camel and donkey
men, servants, &c., 130 ; escort of Arab horsemen, or-
dered by the Pacha, 17 ; travellers, as alrcaly stated,
50 ; total of bipeds, 197.
After threading our way through the narrow streets
of Cain), we fairly emerged on the Desert en rout?. for
Suez, and if Cruikahank or Alfred Crowquill could
have had a peep at us, he would have found such ample
materials for a sketch as would scarcely lave failed to
enrapture him. So mct'ey a group can only be seen in
the Desert of Suez.

After journeying amidst much fun and frolic for
about 20 mi ec, we halted at station-house No. 2 ; and
the delicious exhilar,ting air, together with the exer-
cise, having sharpened our appetites, we resolved to
make a demand on the commissariat department. Roast
fowls, turkies, and geese, hams, mutton, London porter,
pale ale, Port, Sherry, Madeira, Claret, and Cham-
rape, with all necessary accompaniments, soon made
their appearance, and wf:re disposed of, although some-
what in pie-nie style, to the apparent satisfaction of wi
present. We then proceeded forward towards t'•. e centre
station, where we were to rest for the night, our Arab
escort, for lack of any real Bedouins to encounter,
amusing us with sham fights, in which they displayed
great dexterity in the management of their horses.
At 12 at night we stopped at the centre station, a
distance of 45 miles from Cairo, where tea, coffee, and
supper were set out, and where we slept and break-
fasted, and then continued our journey towards Suez,
making another pic-nic dinner on the road at No. 6
station. We arrived at Suez about four o'clock in the
morning of the 25th, slept at the hotels, and the same
aft .rneon the mails and passengers were embarked in the
Hon. Company's steamer Victoria, which forthwith de-
parted for Bombay.