it looks like it from the simplicity of the hieroglyphics; it stands alone in the midst of the ruins of Heliopolis, now nothing but heaps of rubbish. Heliopolis is " On " of the Scriptures, in former days an establishment of priests upon a very large scale. This pyramid [? obelisk^, of red granite, brought all the way from Assouan (Syene), the southern boundary of Upper Egypt, is about 60 feet high, a monolith, of course, some 5^ feet of which are, I believe, buried in the sand, is as erect as when first placed there, and its angles are as sharp (except where mischievously chipped away low down) and its surfaces as smooth as possible; the same may be said of the hieroglyphics which in many instances are rendered more visible still by the wild bees, which have nested in the incisions, neatly filling them up, and from their colour making the characters, which they have adopted as their home, very conspicuous.
I have no doubt that long before you have got as far as this you will have been wishing General Dryasdust at the bottom of the Red Sea, so conveniently situated for the purpose; I won't therefore bore you any more with what looks very like quotations from Murray. It is Mr. Pownall who has set me going in consequence of a remark he made about digging out the Sphinx, and so from one subject to another my thoughts have been wandering about in this reckless manner.
And now I will finish by relating a curious fact which you will not believe, showing a wonderful contrast between the slowness of Egyptian officialism in this country, and the wonderful rapidity of electric communication. On Sunday last it was known to us that five deaths from cholera had occurred at Gizeh, a village about two miles off, on the previous night. On the Monday following, that is the next day, recollect. Sir E. Malet ^ receives a message from the Queen, through Ponsonby, about eight o'clock in the morning, expressing her regret at the appearance of cholera so near Cairo, and her hope that her troops, as well as other persons,
were being well looked after. This was the first intimation which Malet had received that cholera had broken out at Gizeh, two miles from Cairo, within the last thirty-six hours. I must tell you another story which has just come into my head, and which was told me with great naivete the other evening by a young officer of a Highland regiment, whose expressions of horror at what he was relating amused me more than the incident itself. Some months back the officers of this regiment wished to give their men a day's amusement, and marched them to the Gizeh Pyramids; when there the men naturally wished to scramble up to the top, so away they went, some 500 or 600 of them in their kilts, to see who could get to the top first. There is an hotel close to the foot of the chief pyramid, and when the officers went there, after the return of the men, they found three French ladies ensconced in one of the windows, who had been watching the whole proceedings with the liveliest interest. A good subject for a cartoon.... With love to Frank and kind remembrances to Mr. Pownall. — Ever yours affectionately,
Fredk. Stephenson.
People here are asking if Rivers ^ is coming out to replace Sir A. Colvin;' my reply is, " Certainly not." I believe I am right.
I hope my mutilated victims will reach you safely.
To his Sister
Cairo, August 17, 1883.
My dear Minnie, —... Our troubles here, though not quite over, are drawing to a close; we still have a few isolated cases [of cholera], and I shall not feel quite happy until they have ceased entirely. In the meantime men and horses are exposed, especially the latter, who have no protection whatever except rugs over their backs and loins, to the heat of the
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