Memoirs, (chiefly autobiographical), from 1798 to 1886 / edited by his son Thomas More Madden.

  • Richard Robert Madden
Date:
1891
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Memoirs, (chiefly autobiographical), from 1798 to 1886 / edited by his son Thomas More Madden. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    partially from the effects of my last journey than I bade adieu for the last time to the Holy City. I was fortunate enough to arrive in Jaffa without any impediment; but on my arrival, the vessel I expected to embark in for Damietta I found had sailed the day before. That night I set out for Tyre, where I embarked on board an English brig bound for Damietta, congratulating myself on my escape from many perils, which I fondly hoped were at an end, but the evening of our departure we observed a suspicious-looking vessel hovering about us for some hours. She stood in for Sour at nightfall, and we saw nothing of her until the following morning. She did not then long keep us in suspense—her boats were soon out, and in the course of a quarter of an hour we were the lawful prize of a Greek pirate. A strong rope was fastened to our bows, and we were towed in the wake of the Greek brig, which mounted eighteen guns, and was manned by seventy men, commanded by Captain Spiro Calfetto, probably as great a scoundrel as any in existence. * * * * * [Of the incidents of this untoward voyage, of the scenes of piracy and of violence of which he was consequently a helpless spectator, and of the manner in which his escape and that of his fellow captives was ultimately effected, a graphic description may be found in the second volume of Dr. Madden’s “ Travels in Turkey and Palestine,” published by Colburn in 1829.] At long last, however, we reached Damietta ; my friend, Mr. Muller, having borne all the unpropitious occurrences of our voyage with heroic fortitude, and after seven days’ comparatively delightful travelling from Damietta, we arrived in Alexandria. Here I found Mr. and Mrs. Montefiore on the point of setting out for Palestine. It required more than ordinary courage to undertake this journey at such a moment, when the recent news of the battle of Navarino had spread consternation and had irritated the people of the country against every Frank. They had the good fortune to accomplish their journey to the holy city with perfect safety, and Mrs. Monte- fiore was one of the few Frank ladies who had then traversed the rugged mountains of Judaea. It was settled that I should await their return, to accompany them to Europe ; and in the meantime I was called on to attend Mr. Salt (whom I was grieved to find in a wretched state of health) on an excursion up the Nile. At Dessuke, on the Nile, he became so feeble that it was impossible to proceed further; and here, after a fortnight’s suffering, he breathed his last. I had but one consolation, and that was that, being possessed of his entire confidence, I was enabled to soothe his last moments with all the attention that friendship might demand in a country where virtue can hardly command respect, and where sickness eails forth little sympathy. No one unacquainted with Egypt can form an adequate idea of the loss of Mr. Salt at such a moment. t