come from God; it is enough for you if you do no injury to any man, and above all to any woman or little one.’  Of course it was much longer, but this was the substance, Omar tells me, and pretty sound morality too, methinks, and might be preached with advantage to a meeting of philanthropists in Exeter Hall.  There is no predestination in Islam, and every man will be judged upon his actions.  ‘Even unbelievers God will not defraud,’ says the Koran.  Of course, a belief in meritorious works leads to the same sort of superstition as among Catholics, the endeavour to ’make one’s soul’ by alms, fastings, endowments, etc.; therefore Yussuf’s stress upon doing no evil seems to me very remarkable, and really profound.  After the sermon, all the company assembled rushed on him to kiss his head, and his hands and his feet, and mobbed him so fearfully that he had to lay about him with the wooden sword which is carried by the officiating Alim.  He came to wish me the customary good wishes soon after, and looked very hot and tumbled, and laughed heartily about the awful kissing he had undergone.  All the men embrace on meeting on the festival of Bairam.

The kitchen is full of cakes (ring-shaped) which my friends have sent me, just such as we see offered to the gods in the temples and tombs.  I went to call on the Maohn in the evening, and found a lot of people all dressed in their best.  Half were Copts, among them a very pleasing young priest who carried on a religious discussion with Seleem Effendi, strange to say, with perfect good-humour on both sides.  A Copt came up with his farm labourer, who had been beaten and the field robbed.  The Copt stated the case in ten words, and the Maohn sent off his cavass with him to apprehend the accused persons, who were to be tried at sunrise and beaten, if found guilty, and forced to make good the damage.  General Hay called yesterday—­a fine old, blue-eyed soldier.  He found a lot of Fellaheen sitting with me, enjoying coffee and pipes hugely, and they were much gratified at our pressing them not to move or disturb themselves, when they all started up in dismay at the entrance of such a grand-looking Englishman and got off the carpet.  So we told them that in our country the business of a farmer was looked upon as very respectable, and that the General would ask his farmers to sit and drink wine with him. ‘Mashallah, taib kateer’ (It is the will of God, and most excellent), said old Omar, my fellah friend, and kissed his hand to General Hay quite affectionately.  We English are certainly liked here.  Seleem said yesterday evening that he had often had to do business with them, and found them always doghri (straight), men of one word and of no circumlocutions, ’and so unlike all the other Europeans, and especially the French!’ The fact is that few but decent English come here, I fancy our scamps go to the colonies, whereas Egypt is the sink for all the iniquity of the South of Europe.