Letters from an assistant-surgeon in the Honorable East India Company's service, to his father.

  • Gould, John, 1804-1881.
Date:
[1854]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Letters from an assistant-surgeon in the Honorable East India Company's service, to his father. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

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    [For Private Circulation.~\ FROM AN ASSISTANT-SURGEON ' - — It-is 'I'-'c IN THE HONOURABLE EAST INDIA COMPANY'S SERVICE, ^w:- TO HIS FATHER. £^lft^ [The object of putting these Letters into type is to answer the following ^''^-^ inquiry from many kind friends :— Have you heard fi'ora your Son lately; ■ how is he getting on, and what is he doing ?] 'MJ^ We^i*>^<^J ^ Letter No. 1. ^ ^ii^ ^j^-f-^y^^c ^ My dear Father, Red Sea, Feb. 8, 1854. ia-^i.^^^^ ■ After leaving you at Malta, we had a strong N.W. gale a\\/^ ^Jl'^^ the way to Egypt. The wind, however, was in our favour, and the Hiuialaya made the shortest run known from Malta to^7,7^^ Alexandria, in which latter harbour we anchored at 4 o'clock on ^ / /-^ the 2nd. . ' It was impossible for me to leave without regret a vessel in which I had experienced so muph kind attention, and where all the arrangements are so perfect. As you yourself know, she possesses every possible comfort for a passenger. The harbour of Alexandria is awkward to enter with so large a ship as the Himalaya, on account of its shoals and reefs, and the tremendous sea which is generally running there. After being landed in boats, a delightful scene of fighting and confusion took place. Each man was surrounded by a troop of Arab donkey-boys, and had to fight his way out. G was the very picture of helplessness: he was loaded with luggage and wedged in between four donkeys; perceiving which, I rushed to the rescue, and we manfully fought our way out. An Arab is not disturbed by a light blow,—it must be a floorer to shake him off. U was at once captured and a prisonei-, when they took him down a by-street, and demanded ten shillings to take him to the hotel, but finally took one, and were thankful. The people of Egypt are extremely dirty, but interesting to fresh comers from their novelty. The town of Alexandria is thoroughly Eastern,