rays of the sun; at night, when the dews fell so heavily, that after an hour my cloak would be quite wet through, in cold and in stormy weather.  They did not even spread a piece of sailcloth by way of awning.  This state of things continued for ten days and eleven nights, during which time I had not even an opportunity to change my clothes.  This was a double hardship; for if there is a place above all others where cleanliness becomes imperative to comfort, it is certainly on board a Greek ship, the generality of which are exceedingly dirty and disgusting.  The company I found did not make amends for the accommodation.  The only Europeans on board were two young men, who had received some unimportant situation in a quarantine office from the Turkish government.  The behaviour of both was conceited, stupid, and withal terribly vulgar.  Then there were four students from Alexandria, who boarded at Beyrout, and were going home to spend the vacation—­good-natured but much-neglected lads of fourteen or fifteen years, who seemed particularly partial to the society of the sailors, and were always talking, playing, or quarrelling with them.  The remainder of the company consisted of a rich Arab family, with several male and female negro slaves, and a few very poor people.  And in such society I was to pass a weary time.  Many will say that this was a good opportunity for obtaining an insight into the customs and behaviour of these people; but I would gladly have declined the opportunity, for it requires an almost angelic patience to bear such a complication of evils with equanimity.  Among the Arabs and the lower class of Greeks, moreover, every thing possessed by one member of the community is looked upon as public property.  A knife, a pair of scissors, a drinking-glass, or any other small article, is taken from its owner without permission, and is given back after use without being cleaned.  On the mat, the carpet, or the mattress, which you have brought on board as bedding, a negro and his master will lie down; and wherever a vacant space is left, some one is sure to stand or lie down.  Take what precautions you may, it is impossible to avoid having your person and garments infested by certain very disgusting parasitical creatures.  One day I cleaned my teeth with a toothbrush; one of the Greek sailors, noticing what I was about, came towards me, and when I laid the brush down for an instant, took it up.  I thought he only wished to examine it; but no, he did exactly as I had done, and after cleaning his teeth returned me my brush, expressing himself entirely satisfied with it.