The New York herald., 1878-03-02
The EX-President and Suite
on the Nile.
DRIFTING THROUGH LOTUS LAND.
Scenes and Adventures Dur
ing the Journey.
NIGHT AND MORNING.


Our life on this boat IL worthy of letter, and yet
what can writer say in telling this old, old story OF
Atourney through these lands Of romance and ablei
The Khedve has placed at the disposal or the Gen.
sral one Of hts steam vessels and she swings out into
the stream with the American haR at the tore. We
have all been In hustle and . hurry to get away.
There the leaving palace the massng bundles,
The command of the impedmenta. We were alert for
the trip, and we had been feeding our imagnations
with visions OF Eastern le with visions OF the faded
but glorious remnants OF the ancient civilization
Cairo was French. The inddel had gilded and WALL
papered the city OF the faithful ami 1t was hard to
realize were In Oriental land where everybody
spoke Italian and French and Vienna beer was among
The principal articles of merchandise. But now we
really to throw behind US tho tawdry French
manners and customs which invaded US even in our
palace, and 60 for days and days upon the waters
Of the Nile We read about II In guide books al ex
cept the writer Of these lines. who resolved that
whatever his Impressions might \be he would print
them without incurring the modification OF seeing
how we'll the work had been done before him.
We bought each Turkish fez, ana some
Of us venturcd upon the luxury of an Indian
hat. Oners went into colored spectacles, and the
Marquis, far-seeing man, who had been the Mic
and who was not In the best Of spirits at leaving a
palace TO float for weeks between Arab villages. ap-
friends to Off General Stone, Judge Bachelor
and Judge Baningor with their wives, General Loring
and others. There radiant mounds Of flowers as
remcmbrances 10 Mrs Grant and much leave
taking as though we were bound from New York 10
Liverpool. Some makes this suggestion when
the observation Is made that we are about to under
take ajourney as long from New York TO Liverpool
and return The General sits in q with Stone
and Loripg, talking about OLD days the army and
making comments upon famed and illustrious names
that the historian would welcome II could only
dare to gather up the crumbs Of this interesting con-
versation. Al noon the signal for journey is
given and farewes are spoken, and we head under
!ull steam for the Equator.
GENERAL GRANTS PARTY
Or party is thus composed-we have the General.
his wife and hts son Jesse. About Jesse there has
been 30 much said in satiricai way some OF the
journals that am almost tempted to do him justice
by telling you how manly, original and clever he Ia
But the young man is only boy after all, and nope
he has many years In which to learn that praise
dispraise are 70 be needed as the idle wind. The
khcdivc has assigned us an officer OF his household
lSami Bey) Circassan gentleman educated in Eng
land. Sam Bey is Of the heroes OF trip, and
we soon came to like him. Moslem he is, tor his
quaint, cordial, kindly ways. suppose should
call Saml Bey the officer Of the expedition
ss TO him all responsibility is given We have also
with ~, thanks the kindness of the Khedve Emile
Brugsch. one of the directors Of the Egyptian Mu-
scum. Mr Brugsch is a German, brother to the chief
director, who has made the antiquities OF Egypt
study. Mr.. Brugsch knows every tomb
ana column in the land he has lived
tor weeks In the temples and ruins superintend-
Ing excavations copying inscriptions, deciphering
nieroRyphics, and his presence with Us Is advan.
tags that cannot be overestimated for 1t is given 10
him to point with hts cane and unravel mystery after
mystery OF the marvels engraved on the stones and
rocks, while we stand by in humble and listening
wonder '.What blank our trip would be without
Brugschi" said the General one: day COM
Ing back from ruiu-a ruin absolute and Gaming.
less as the Aztec mounds In New Mexico, but which
our fine young friend had made US luminous page
in Herodotus. The Consul General, Z. E. Farman,
formerly editor OF The Wsstern Nsw Yorker also Of
our party, and have already spoken OF the pleasant
Impression he made upon General Grant in Cairo. The
General had agreeable time with the good boys Of
the vandalia that he asked Commander Robson to
come and bring with him us many of his officers as
could be spared. He was anxious to have Robeson.
and all kinds OF schemes and persuasions were in
vented to secure him. When the gracious commands
Of the lady OF our expedition put upon him The
Commander paused and think for whole even
lug be had resolved to 60 the Nile. But the
Ing came, and II brought the cold fact that the Com
mander had ship TO command, ana that It his
duty TO command IT, and the Mile was In no sense
navigabe water. So Robson gave up the Nile and
sent three OF his officers accept the Generals invi-
Ia on-the Chief Surgeon, George Ii. Cooke; Lieuten
ant w. A. Hadden and Ensign +. A. w.lner-who
with the writer I'm all ten), form the party who make
This Nile excursion That to say, form that frag
ment of the party who live In the main cabin. The
f,ono N.nar
Ssncho Panza named Hassan. l am afraid II is be-.
cause the Consul General Is tall and thin aud Hassan
Is short and brown and stout that call the latter
Sancho Panza. However, the comparison comes from
.ilusrious lips, and was made evening when our
Consul General aud Hassan were coming over the
plains OF Dandoreh, mounted donkeys. Hassan
has been eighteen years In the legation. lie
speaks a ready, expressive, but limited, English,
wears an Arabian costume, including q scimeter
and s proud Of two thngs-arst, that ne
wears gold American eagle mounted on
. pin, with which he was decorated by
Consul General Butler, and second that he captured
John II. Surratt. Hassan is a Moslem, tho husband
of two wives, and believes In Dr. Lansing the mission
ary, who educates his children. No one ever heard
Hassau speak i'll OF q consul general For eighteen
years he has seen dynastes rise and fall, from De
Leon to Hale, from Butler to Farman, and he has only
boo~ "oA~e AoA snen oii, uVin8 anu ueau dassan IL
proud OF mis- mission member OF the Generals
purity, and walks the dock sabred aud iurbaned like
oshello. The Marquis makes NO secret Of the fact
that his heart In palace OF Kasr oi Noussa He
would gadly have waited thoro unti our return but
suppose It never occurred TO the General and 30 he
PAGES the deck with colored glasses and an umbrella
Under bis arm, wondering how people 20 Tor weeks
on boat, and rido donkeys, aud wander among dust
heaped ruins when palace IS In readiness and you
have only to clap your hands for slaves to answer
your call.
LIFE ON TnE
Our boat IS called Znet el Bohren, or as my omnIs.
Gent friend translates It, the Light of Two Rivers
II is long, narrow steamer, with two cabins draw
ing only few ieet OF water, with a FIAT bottomed
Keel The Nile river oil sand and mud, and as the
bottom Is always changing you must expect to run
aground every little while aud to run of again. This
In TACT We do, and the announcement that are
aground makes about as much impression upon
n A N m l,ua haar rd tha