OF A GERMAN COUNTESS; WRITTEN DURING HER TRAVELS IN TURKEY, EGYPT, THE HOLY LAND, SYRIA, NUBIA, &c. IN 1843-4. BY IDA, COUNTESS HAHN-HAHN. IN THREE VOLUMES. VOL. II. LONDON: HENRY COLBURN, PUBLISHER; GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1845. LETTERS OF A GERMAN COUNTESS. LETTER XXI. TO THE COUNTESS SCHÖNBURG-WECHSelburg. Journey across Lebanon to Baalbec, and over the Anti-Libanus to Damascus. Damascus, October 14, 1843. My much loved Emy, It seems as though I were never to write to you! Throughout the whole of this long journey I have sent you but a solitary letter; the only excuse I can offer, is that in addressing one of your dear circle I seem to address you all; to-day, however, I will direct my communication to you. And how much have I to tell you! I am in Damascus ! So far from home I have never yet been; Lebanon and Anti-Libanus lie between me and the Great Sea which separates me from Europe ;-but alas! Da VOL. II. B mascus is not the Paradise, which the enthusiatic poets of the Omiades have described, and which European travellers have re-echoed in prose. But I will commence with our departure from Beyrout, which took place at ten o'clock in the morning of the 9th instant. First of all I must, however, introduce you to a very worthy personage, whose business it will be to provide and take charge of all the arrangements and requisites throughout the journey, our factotum in short, and dragoman. He is a native of Cyprus named Giorgio, who was well recommended to us at Constantinople, and who without doubt is a most adroit and serviceable man. Though Giorgio bears the title of dragoman, you must not infer that he is one of the important and sometimes great men who act in that capacity to the European Legations, nor even one of the Interpreters to the Porte, by whom, in former times, all political business with foreign conntries was transacted, because few beside themselves, (who were generally renegados,) understood the Western languages. Giorgio is neither more nor less than what we should call in our own country a courier, a servant who has to attend to all the arrangements of the journey; but as it is indispensable that these couriers should be able to speak Turkish, Arabic, and Greek, besides French and Italian, they also are called dragomans in Constantinople. Giorgio having performed the journey several times, knows exactly what is wanted, and has furnished us accordingly. These requisites are not small: they consist of two tents, mattresses, and other bedding, a table, a couple of chairs, a cooking apparatus, coffee service, washing basin, tablelinen and towels, candlesticks, lanterns and lights; a stock of rice, maccaroni, tea, chocolate, coffee, lemons and sugar, all this besides a few carpet-bags was sufficient luggage for three horses. The wisest thing that I have done for a long time was to send back my refined lady's-maid from Constantinople, as people of this description are worse than useless in travelling in Lebanon, or across the Desert; and, what will perhaps surprise you still more, is, that while in Vienna I purchased a complete costume de gamin, very simple, consisting of a blouse and pantaloons, of grey woollen cloth, a red and white striped chemise closed at the throat, a round straw hat, and high-buttoned shoes of coutil, most convenient for a journey of this kind, where you have to sleep in your tent, consequently without changing your apparel, and frequently have to ascend and descend very steep and stony places on foot. Our long riding-habits and usual style of dress are quite unsuited to travelling here, while my costume, to which in rainy weather I add a brown burnus which completely envelopes me, is incomparable. Giorgio wears the Albanian dress of pure white cambric; and I really could not help smiling when first I saw this tall athletic man, with his brown |