“The _Ariadne_, in reality a man-of-war, but for this occasion fitted up as a yacht, is most comfortable. The Prince and Princess have two large sleeping cabins, besides a large cabin for a sitting-room, and another for a dining-room. I have a charming cabin also, with a bath-room outside, and my maid next door to me. In short, I think we were all much pleased with the accommodation and arrangement of what is to be our _home_, while at sea, for the next four months.” The travellers reached Alexandria on 3rd February 1869, and were met by the usual loyal greetings, addresses, and bouquets presented by the British residents. The party then went on to Cairo, where they were received by the Viceroy of Egypt and his ministers. Here the King and Queen were assigned a palace, which Mrs. Grey thus describes:-- “The Palace of Esbekieh is beautiful, full of French luxury, but without the real comfort of an English house. The Prince and Princess have an immense bedroom, full of rich French furniture. The beds are very beautiful, made of massive silver, and cost, I believe, £3000 each! My room is so large that even when the candles are lit, there might be somebody sitting at the other end of it without your knowing it. You could not even hear people speaking from one end to the other! It is as high as it is long, with nine large windows. There is a beautiful silver bed, a large divan (rather high and hard for comfort) round half of the room, a common writing-table and washhand-stand (put in all the rooms at the request of Sir S. Baker), a large sofa, and quantities of very smart chairs round the walls. The curtains and covers of the furniture are all made of the richest silk. Add to all this, one immense looking-glass, and you have the whole furniture of my room, which is more like a State drawing-room at Windsor than a bedroom. All the other rooms are furnished in the same way.” Queen Alexandra and Mrs. Grey had an absolutely novel experience on 5th February, namely an invitation to dinner at the Harem of “La Grande Princesse,” the Viceroy’s mother. The Queen, her lady-in-waiting, and two English ladies were received at the door of the Palace by la Grande Princesse, the second and third wife of the Viceroy (the first and fourth were not well), his eldest son, and two eldest daughters. La Grande Princesse took Queen Alexandra by the hand, while one of the wives handed Mrs. Grey, another Mrs. Stanton (wife of the British Consul), and one of the daughters Miss M’Lean; and so the party went in procession to an immense drawing-room, the whole way thither being lined with slaves. No stay, however, was made in the drawing-room, and what followed reads like a page out of the _Arabian Nights_.