"table" of the illustrious captive, whose
capacities in disposing of the beverage appeared
to increase daily.

The hunting-division of the army, headed
by the Commander-in-Chief, arrived at Cairo
with their prize on the 14th of November,
1849. The journey down the Nile, from the
place where he was captured, viz., the White
Nile, had occupied between five and six
months. This, therefore, with a few
additional days, may be regarded as the age of our
hippopotamus on reaching Cairo. The colour
of his skin, at that time, was for the most part
of a dull, reddish tone, very like that (to
compare great things with small) of a naked
new-bom mouse. The Commander hastened
to the palace to report his .arrival with the
prize to his royal master, into the charge of
whose officers he most gladly resigned it. His
Highness, having been informed of the little
affair of the succession of "cows," determined
to place the vivacious un-weaned "infant
prodigy" in the hands of the British Consul
without a moment's delay.

The announcement was accordingly made
with oriental formality by the chief officer of
Abbas Pasha's palace, to whom the Honorable
Mr. Murray made a suitable present in return
for the good tidings. A lieutenant of the
Nubian army, with a party of soldiers, arrived
shortly after, bringing with them the animal,
whose renown had already filled the whole
city. He excited full as much curiosity in
Cairo, as he has since done here, being quite
as great a rarity. This will be easily intelligible
when the difficulties of the capture, and
the immense distance of the journey are taken
into consideration, with all the contingencies
of men, boats, provisions, cows, and other
necessary expenses,

The overjoyed Consul had already made all
his preparations for receiving the illustrious
stranger. He had, in the first place, secured
the services of Hamet Safi Cannana, well
known for his experience and skill in the care
and management of animals, A commodious
apartment had then been fitted up in the
court-yard of the Consul's house, with one
door leading out to a bath. As the winter
would have to be passed in Cairo, proper
means were employed for making this a warm,
or tepid bath. Here then our hippopotamus
lived, "the observed of all observers," drinking
so many gallons of milk a day (never less
than twenty or thirty quarts) that he soon
produced a scarcity of that article in Cairo.
Nor will this be so much a matter of surprise,
when it is considered that they do not
understand there the excellent methods of
manufacturing enough milk to answer any demand,
which obtains with us in London, where such
an event as a scarcity of milk was never known
by the oldest inhabitant.

Meanwhile active preparations were making
for his arrival in Alexandria, to be shipped on
board the Ripon steamer. The vessel was
furnished with a house on the main-deck,
opening by steps down into a tank in the
hold, containing four hundred gallons of
water. It had been built and fitted up at
Southampton from a plan furnished by Mr.
Mitchell, Secretary of the Zoological Gardens
in the Regent's Park, to whose energies and
foresight we are indebted for the safe possession
of this grotesque, good-tempered and
unique monster. The tank, by various
arrangements, they contrived to fill with
fresh water every other day. A large quantity
was taken on board in casks; a fresh supply at
Malta; and, besides this, which was by no
means enough, they made use of the condensed
water of the engines, which amounted to
upwards of three hundred gallons per day.
As there are some hippopotami who enjoy
the sea on certain coasts of the world, it is not
improbable but our friend would soon have
got used to sea-water; but Mr. Mitchell was
determined to run no risks, prudently
considering that, in the first place, the strength
of the salt water, to one whose mother had
been accustomed, and her ancestors for
generations, to the mild streams of Nilus, might
disagree with "young pickle;" and secondly,
if he chanced to take to it amazingly, how
would he bear the change when he arrived
at his mansion in the Regent's Park. Fresh
water, therefore, was provided for his bath
every other day throughout the voyage.

The British Consul began to prepare for
the departure of his noble guest at the end of
April; and in the early part of May, the
Consul took an affectionate leave of him, and
would have embraced him, but that the
extraordinary girth of his body rendered such
a demonstration impossible.

So, our hippopotamus departed from Grand
Cairo in a large padded cart. He had refused
a very nice horse-box which the Consul had
provided for him. Some feeling about his
dignity, we suppose; though Hamet Safi
Cannana considered the objection arose from a
certain care of his skin, which might have
got a little chafe or hard rub in the horse-
box. It was a lesson to Mr. Murray for life.
No effort, of course, was made to compel the
great personage to enter this machine, because
it is one of Hamet's principles of management
never to irritate an animal—always to keep
him in good temper—never directly and
immediately to thwart his will in anything
that is not injurious, impracticable, or
particularly unreasonable. Very delightful all
this! Who would not be a hippopotamus?
Who that was not Cæsar, would not wish to
be Pompey?

On arriving at Alexandria, full ten thousand
people rushed out into the streets to see
our hippopotamus pass. If no one had ever
seen the amphibious prodigy in Cairo, it is not
to be wondered at that the mental condition
of Alexandria was in the same lamentable
degree of darkness.

The crowd was so great, that the British
Consul (whose feelings had so mastered him