New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-20


The train for Cairo was to start IN nm hour. INC
station was filled with waiting VIC
others not few of our Guienne acquaintance, WIG
had got down to SueZ in one way or announcer Tiu
were not less anxious to get away rom IT 20
French Empress hear is not gone 10 oa 5 o; NV
the wells of Moses. The Khedive has sald goou-oy
to her and is deyoting himself 10 the Emperor VI
Austria with whom he set out Tor MS cap ,bo
ital this morning. or u may nc on M mat
now. There has been but two or tlree
trains this morning and as ali who did moi 90 carrier
are waiting in the station to get away now lnieI
that the number who succeeded III coming eltner 10y
canal or rail to SueZ was not large. III appcdiou
afterward that most of those at lsmallla desPa[ng
of getting through to the Red Sea, went dLect ilu
IsmaTlia to Cairo and cOnsOled themselves by taking
possession of all the hotels IN that city; persuadns
themselves also that when we came we should IIlu
no place 10 lay our heads Among the people OH .no
SueZ platforms one pointed out 10 me NHohi
had been curious to seeTheophile Gautler the hlso
of living French writers on art. or AT leass pn
pictures and whose Voyage an ESpdghe IL one vi Ie
most charming books of travel ever written. 10
came out with the party of special guests tnat leiI
early in October has been up the Nile, mas MS Dooh
on Egypt already half done dare say, IN MS port
folio lie sits under white umbrella completely
Indifferent 10 the uprOar all about him, III face ana
costume at this moment more like lurk tIan
FTenchman except that he is buslly writing. lhope
he got comfortably to Cairo. :, p.,
that in scenes where he Ought to have been yledng
TO the influence of religious or historical Impressions,
he often found lllScU nlleu Win CoUCcih "D'u'
breakfast. 1t is that confession which has encoul-
aged me to speak than once III these letIeIs on
the same topic In Suez, moreover, we seemed 10 9e
free from the obligation which weighed 80 upon MI
Kinglake for there are no tfadltlOlls, 80 iaI as
know relating to the railway station IN when we
stood at that moment. We were free to confess tiaI
were hungry. but we were not iree uma ,ppPigSt
to go IN search of breakfast since the Tram mlght
start at any moment. We were at the mercy Oh thoso
who were entreatng MS to buy those pro
ducts of Suez have before mentioned IN . our
4. lrav Lots IN ~ ElOllu
the bread and sweet-cakes, and as our VICTIM pro
nounced against them We fell back on the green
oranges OF the least green; the least Iascly hIaO
asked ms sixpence for two. We ended by paying MN
twopence for six which several times their true
price At the Ismala Junction, two hours later, we
were able to buy pale ale at two shllings the bottle
which IN London costs slXpehGe' anu ioI ano'"'i
shilling little biscuit aud dry cheese.
TIE DESERT BY RAILROAD
The train arrived little before noon lhslcau
of coming to our station, IT stopped near the quar-
and we were invited 10 seek III theTe'
In expectation of some such move we
had kent our porters with TIA, by the
smrle expedent of refusing to pay them till the lug
gage was put on board the tram. ana now we louhu
ourselves with great advantage over uaVeiels VINO
had waited thrice as long rs we ana d no DO r
The truth is we did not believe there would be room
i'm the train for ALL hence our hurry to get places
In the end everybody found seat ana III less tnan
an hour from our landing we were OH LOT Cairo ~
second-class carriage the railway company IKE
every body else supplying the Nlceroy wlth second
class wares at frstclass prices. But dare say they
with royal guests had gone ahead OF us.
There were still dozen ships i'll the canal, by the
side of which the railway runs. We pitled them
inst ~ the people who arrived yesterday plted us
FORMERLY there was railway IN nearly direct line
from SueZ TO Cairo, but it has been abandoned since
the system was completed which untes caro-
Alexandria and Ismaia by the junction at Laglzig
The rails of the old road have not been taken
M. but it is not used because II does not
paw expenses. SO that, instead OF gaming
of perhaps 80 miles, we have to perform
a circuit. Ii is worse than taking the two sides
of triangle, for we have To pass over three SIDES
of a square $50 miles or more IN all. ana are eglt
hours in doing II. Inc desert Jay ABOUT Us Ils i
after we had passed lsmailia. The wind was blow
Ing strongly and just beyond Suez raised q perprn-
dcular column of dust III IN the air: familiar thing
i'm the desert but new to VS.. railway - the last
MONT of view one would choose from which TO see
and feel the desert the rattle of carriages ana scream
OF the engine dispcl the impression; yet we were NOT
far out of Suca when our eyes chahced 70 IAN oh
spot which somehow conveyed ouS WIN force the
sense of the desolateness of the desert Inc bones
of a camel lay in white heap on the tawny sand.
CAIRO HACKMKN And HOTELS.
IL was half-past eight when We reached Caro-
No one of Ms knew what were to do or where We
were To 20 IN that city. The hotels. had been TOLD
were ali taken up by the Khcdiyc for hi, guests.
We look ed to find at the railway station some agent
OF officer To govern our movements. ds thcy had Dtch
governed IN a way completely mysterious TO US Wheh
we were transferred from the Oucnnc to the refuse
There may have been such person. but ms guiding
hand did not reach 10 u.s. When We had found our
luggage we drifted out on the platform next the
street. II ~ boatuen at Alexandria were eager
and the TOrtcrs at SucI "a pest, lhcN were
patient and polite by the side Of the donkey1oys OF
Cairo. Al ir,t there were no carriages and wan-
dercd OFF "a little Way in search Of one. In moment
n fellow all in white came swOopng and whooplng
down upon me. crying " Carragc. shepherds Hotel
-Four Tupee-a four Tupec-a" The NGN-loTk hack
men ACCOMPLISHED swiudcrs a. they are. must come
to Cairo to learn their trade. lie asked four times
his fare but might have TO drive all over the city
for "A hotel. though Shepherds was only hall mIe
and seized on the carriage. The driver demanded
his four rupees-tha Is ~ piastres or 81 5O-ln adj
vance. told him 10 put the baggage on lie refused
with his frantic scream Of " four rupee-a, four
rupee-ap There was no time 10 waste words !
put my trunk the box in place OF the driver, took
the rens and whip, and started. III was Just as u
was nj Suez and Isnaila. The moment he found
was resOlute 10 20, he yielded, scrambled mp again.
none the worse for his tumble aud drove at tire
mcndous pace to Shepherds; Shepherd was full, but
civil How many hotels have you IN New-lOrk
whose manager would come out on the sidewalk
with you to direct your driver to another inn We
found the driver trying to get H. and the
immoyabe, tho trunks went up again. and
We drove TO the Hotel Auric, a new
house. and had the luck to get the last
vacant room. In five minutes more came dozen of
our fellow travellers, only To be turned away and two
hours later an acquaintance OF mine arrived who
had been to twelve hotels in vain Once more my
driver wanted his four rupeea" mad with haste TO
get back TO the station and rob somebody else. lie
had to wait till our room was ready, and then he MAD
10 take up the luggage Then at last he got the Tour
rupees failing altogether In an attempt to persuade
mo that four rupees were twenty francs instead OF
ten.
IL was half past nine We had 10 dine, dress and go
TO the ball. They were just serving their third
or fourth dinner for that evening, and for the first
time as it seemed TO US, We found IN the Hotel Aurc
man who not plundering the khediye and starry
ING his guests Pardon man who has bTcakf tasted on
three green oranges if lie stops TO observe that his
dinner at ton in the evening good and well served.
Even the wine was good, though It may not have been
Chateau Latte as the label affirmed, and there was
Chouot champagne for anybody who liked IT, well
there might be at sixty-fve frances day.
When we had dressed and started for the ba--on
donkeys this time for there was no longer carriage
we found time to observe that Cairo brilliantly
illuminated. We passed under an arch Of flame
erected by the French TO their Empress, tho palace
Of Nubar Pasha on the right was covered with col
Ored lamps, and late as It was our long road To the
Kh6diye,s nalace WING lined with hanging lanterns.