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

FORMER REFERENCE CODE:

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F49_Φ1-37

CONTEXT AREA

NAME OF CREATOR(S):

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Cavafy, John

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SCOPE AND CONTENT:

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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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CC BY-SA 4.0 Cavafy Archive Onassis Foundation

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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.