Excerpt from Lands of the Moslem: A Narrative of Oriental Travel
On the first day of February, 1849, commenced my personal acquaintance with Egypt. Though a northwest gale was urging our steamer into all the gymnastic accomplishments of which a vessel is capable, and though our strained vision could only rest on low sandy shores, apparently scarce raised above the sea, yet there was a decided satisfaction in the moment, as proclaiming the beginning of our initiation in Oriental mysteries and the end of a tedious voyage. A few hours after, we were entering the Eunostus, or western harbor of Alexandria. Windmills innumerable, with their eight gigantic arms whirling in the gale, were stationed as sentinels along the coast; mud villages clustered about them, as timid children hanging to their mothers; clouds of sand filled the air, and a fleet of vessels, from the three-decked man-of-war to the fisherman's cockle-shell, were tossing at anchor in the exposed harbour. On our left, and forming the sea-side of the port, was the Island of Pharos, which for more than 2,000 years has been married to the mainland, Ptolemy Philadelphus having officiated at the ceremony.
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