From Suez io Khartoiini. 9

account, even under full steam, we never made more than five knots an hour, but fortunately the sea was calm and the wind in our favour.

After five days we arrived at Jeddah. We landed to see the town, and were received by the European colony with the most cordial hospitality. Jetldah is a du'ty place, and the few foreigners residing there complain much of the annoyance caused by the natives. Althouo-h France and England inflicted a severe chastisement on Jeddah for the massacre of the

Christians, the inhabitants are always the same igno-

rant fanatics, ready to renew hostilities if there were not always some foreign ship in the harbour. What most surprised me was to see an important coast like this without telegraphs ; and its harbour frequented by many ships, without a lighthouse. In the last three months several English ships visited Jeddah. The town has a rich income, every pilgrim Avho lands

there must pay ten piastres ^ before setting foot in the city;. ships pay ten piastres a ton, and yet no water has been laid on in the town, though at an hour's distance a little river exists more than suffi-

cient for its needs. A camel's load of water often costs twenty piastres.

An Indian princess travelling to Mecca, touched by the spectacle presented by the poor people of Jeddah obliged to work so hard to procure water, presented the Turkish authorities with the sum of ten thousand

rupees that they might construct fountains, but no one knows what became of this money. Some wealthy persons have built cisterns and sold the water at five

piastres the tjomba.- But these are naturally influential people, and the various governors who succeed each other at Jeddah make it their duty to leave things as they are. Alcoholic beverages are severely prohibited, but at few cities is a larger quantity consumed.

' All Egyptian piastre had the value of about 2(1. ' The goniba contains from fifteen to twenty litres.