The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1868-10-21
scenes ON the Nile.

Before leaving Cairo, the English ladies
were invited to spend an evening In the royal
harem. Accordingly, at 8 o'clock, they
found themselves in beautiful garden, with
fountains, lighted by a multitude of varie-
gated lamps, and conducted by black eunuchs
through trellis-covered walks to a large mar
ble-payed hall, where about forty Circassian
slaves met them, and escorted them to a sa-
loon fitted up with divans, at the end of
which reclined the Pasha's wives. One of
them was singularly beautiful, and exqui-
sitely dressed In pink velvet and ermine,
with priceless jewels Another very fine
figure was that of the mother, a venerable
old princess, looking exactly like Rem
brandt Just come out of its frame. Great
respect was paid to her, and when she came
In every one rose. The guests being seated,
or rather squatted, on the divan, each was
supplied with long pipes, coffee in exqui-
sitely jeweled cups, and sweetmeats, the one
succeeding the other without intermission,
the whole night. The Circassian slaves,
with folded hands and downcast eyes, stood
before their mistresses, TO supply their wants.
Some of them were very pretty, and dressed
with great richness and taste. Then began
concert of Turkish Instruments, the sound
of which was unpleasing to English ears,
followed by dance, which was graceful and
pretty This was followed by a play, in
which half the female slaves were dressed as
men, and the eoarseness of which it Is i'm
possible to describe. The wife of the foreign
minister kindly acted as interpreter for the
English ladies, and through her means some
kind of conversation was kept up. But the
ignorance of the ladies in the harem is unbe-
lievable. They can neither read nor write.
Their whole day is employed in dressing,
bathing, eating, drinking and smoking.
The soiree lasted till two In the morning,
when the royalty withdrew, and the English
ladies returned home, feeling the whole time
as If they had been seeing play acted from
a scene In the |" Arabian Nights,h SO difficult
was 1t to realize that such way of existence
was possible in the present century.
The Sunday before they left, curiosity led
them after mass TO witness the gorgeous eer-
emonial of the Coptic Church. The men sat
on the ground with bare feet; the women in
galleries above the dome, behind screens.
The Patriarch-who calls himself the sue
cessor Of st. Mark, and is the leader of
sect whose opinions are almost identical
with those condemned by the Council of
Chalcedon as the Eutychian heresy was
gorgeously attired in a ehasuble Of green and
gold, with a silver crosier in one hand, (St.
George and the Dragon being carved on the
top,) and In the other beautiful crucifx,
richly jeweled, wrapped in a gold-colored
handkerchief, which everyone stopped to
kiss. After the reading Of the Gospel and
the Greed, the people Joined with great fer
vor in the Litanies, and began the eonsecra-
tion Of the Sacred Species, which lasted a
very long time. The Holy Eucharist was
given in a spoon to each commitment, the
sbread being dipped In the wine, and the Pa
triareh laying his hand on the forehead Of
each person while he gave the blessing. At
the same time, blessed bread, stamped with
q cross, and with the name of Christ, was
handed round TO the rest of the congrega-
tion, like the pain besit, In village churches
In France. The Copts boast that there has
never been the slightest alteration In their
religious rites since the fourth century; and
they are, undoubtedly. the only descendants
Of the ancient Egyptians The Month.