Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy
GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0002 (377)
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[Alexandria] 12 August 1882
My dear Constantine,
I wrote yesterday to
mother and aunt Eυβουλία, and as I have half an hour to spare, I will
while it away in the pleasant la-
bour of writing to my dear brother and
Mentor. Yesterday evening a
welcome telegram was published to the effect that H.I.M. the Sultan
had declared Araby and his followers
rebels ― and it is now presumed
that this will greatly facilitate
matters, be it only to suppress the
enthusiasm of the soldiers and allay
their fanaticism. England however
appears to be in earnest and the -
several actions of Seymour and
Allison look very much like
an annexation. The Admiral is
helping himself freely to anything
he stands in need of, and is
daily turning out merchants from
the shoonahs at Minet el Bassal
to accommodate his marines and
stores. Bien entendu he indemn-
ifies the said merchants and
pays them handsomely too.
Tell Aristides that the Bourse
at Minet el Bassal is now
the head-office of the Admiralty
and indeed it is a funny sight
to see colonels and soldiers
going about where “whilom -
peaceful Commerce reigned” (You
know the line: ’tis Cowper’s) ― I had the exalted honour of s
eeing yesterday the Duke of Connaught.
You must know that R. J. Moss and Co.
are the Alexandria agents for the
Pacific International Insurance Company ― one of the stea-
mers of this Company the Orient
was taken up lately by the Government at a very remunerative freight.
She arrived here yesterday with
2,000 souls on board, one soul of
which was encased in the worthy
body of his Grace the Duke.
I and Watson went to meet the
Orient on her arrival and had -
the supreme satisfaction of getting
a peep at His Highness calmly
eating his breakfast: “ham and eggs”.
I cannot say I was struck
with his personal appearance.
He looks a shabby individual
notwithstanding the “blue blood”
and divine “ichor” ―
Alexandria alas! is much
changed, and the decayed buildings
on each side of the streets look
deprecatingly down on the passengers.
The streets however are becoming
orderly and passable, but the
blinding clouds of lime dust
are very disagreeable. -
Another very serious annoyance
is the numerous horde of flies that
seem to have infested the place after
the bombardment. It is no exagge-
ration to say that one has to pick
them off the flesh every minute.
As I am writing now I can feel
two, pasturing on the verdant produce of my nose!
Tell mother I keep my health
and that I am very anxious
indeed to hear from you ―
I trust you are all well and
that you my dear Costi are slowly
acclimatizing yourself to the loss
of your papers ― It is no -
use crying over spilt milk,
and you must try and make up
for lost time.
I have now got to the end of
my tether, though not exactly
to the end of my paper. Remember
me to all, to Aleko tender the
love of his friend James, and
believe me, dear Costi,
Your loving brother
John
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REFERENCE CODE:
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GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0002 (377)
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Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy
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12/8/1882
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Item
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20.5 x 13 cm
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Handwritten letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy on both sides of three letterheads of R. J. Moss & Co., Alexandria. Reference to the political situation in Egypt and Alexandria in particular, which is full of ruins after its bombardment by the British. Pages 2-5 are numbered.
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English
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Writing in ink. Indiscernible watermark. Physical item wear: oxidations caused by metal paperclips.
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The transcription and editing of the letters of John Constantine Cavafy addressed to C. P. Cavafy was first carried out by Katerina Ghika; said transcriptions were subsequently uploaded to the official website of the Cavafy Archive.
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CITATION:
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Cavafy, John Constantine. “Letter by John Cavafy to C. P. Cavafy”. Letter, 12.08.1882. GR-OF CA CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0002 (377), Onassis Foundation C. P. Cavafy Fonds. From The Digital Collection of the Cavafy Archive, edited by Onassis Foundation, Athens, last modified 01.10.2025. https://doi.org/10.26256/CA-SF02-S01-SS02-F20-SF001-0002.
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DOI: 10.26256/ca-sf02-s01-ss02-f20-sf001-0002
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PERSONAL PAPERS
Correspondence of C. P. Cavafy
Family correspondence
Incoming correspondence of C. P. Cavafy
Incoming correspondence by John Cavafy