The Sun.
London, England, 1842-09-07 00:00:00

EGYPT.

ALEXANDUIA, AUG. 22.—The Great Liverpool ar-
rived here on the morning of the 18th, bringing with
her 56 passengers for India, amongst whom were the
Marquis and Marchioness of Tweeddale and suite, on
their way to Calcutta.
Mehemet Ali has taken up his abode for a' few
weeks at a country house on the banks of the canal.
His son, Said Pacha, is expected down in a day or
two from Cairo, and it appears that a fresh order has
been given for the fleet to prepare immediately to
proceed to sea, and the Pacha is not coming into town
until after its departure. It is riot known what the
intentions of the Pacha may be in sending out his
ships, and it is said here it is only to exercise the men
off the harbour.

Mr. T. Wilkie, brother of the late artist, sent to
the Pacha this month his portrait, begun by Sir
David when here in May, 1841, and which he took
with him intending to finish it in England. The
Pacha said he would take the picture if his friends
thought it was like him ; but as all who saw it
seemed to agree that the portrait did not resemble him
much, it goes back again to London by this steamer.
The price demanded was 2101. sterling, and it is
likely that Mr. Thomas Wilkie will obtain a much
higher sum for it in England, it being Sir David's
last work, and a most beautiful painting.
Hekekyan Bey is gone over to Suez, to fix upon a
plan for the hotel which the Pacha has promised to
build for the Peninsular and Oriental Company. It
is to be an immense building, to contain at least 85
bedrooms, and the cost will not be less that 2,500/.
sterling. The Pacha has an idea of bringing out a
house of sheet iron from England for this purpose,
which certainly would be a great improvement, be-
sides being less expensive. Mr. Blondel, a Belgian
traveller, who had been taken prisoner in tht upper
part of Abyssinia, has been released from the hands of
his captors, and is now at Cartoum, through the me-
dium of Mehemet Ali, who sent strict orders to
Ahmed Pacha, Governor-General of Soudan, to em-
ploy every means to liberate him. The Pacha has
lately been taking into consideration the improvement
of the transit through Egypt. At one time he talked
of having a railroad laid down between Suez and
Cairo, but the difficulties and expenses attending this
work would be so very great, that he now seems de-
termined to cut a canal through the Desert, thus
having an easy and free communication by water all
the way across the country. On the 19th inst. the
Government sold by public auction 10,000 ardebs of
wheat, which fetched an average price of 47 piastres
per ardeb, equal to 19s. per imperial quarter, free on
board ; also 10,000 ardebs of beans, and 5,000 ardebs
of lentils, which found buyers at 28 piastres per
ardeb, equal to 1 ls. per quarter, free on board.
Prices of all seeds and grain have declined from 12
to 16 per cent. since the arrival of the English
steamer. Hopes are now entertained of having a
good Nile this year, and during the last fortnight the
water in the river has been increasing rapidly, and on
the 17th the canal of Cairo was cut, which proves
that then the land began to be inundated.

SCOTCH PIUDE.—A day or two before the Queen's
arrival in Edinburgh, a poor old woman, who makes
her livelihood by selling fruit in the streets from a
basket, was complaining sadly to a lady—" Eh, Mem,
d'ye ken that we're no to be allowed to carry our bas-
kets a' the time the Queen's here." The lady explained
to her that perhaps the reason for this cruel prohibi-
tion might be, that the Magistrates wished to hide every
symptom of our Scotch poverty from the prying eyes of
our rich English visitors. " Eh, mem,' said the old
Scotch woman—her eye lighting briskly up, her sharp,
thin, primped Scotch features pursing up with Scotch
pride, and her whole tone and manner changed in the
moment—" D'ye think that's it ? Aweel, if I thocht it
was for that, I would rather live on bread and cauld
water for a week to come than put a han to my basket."
—Aberdeen Banner.