I descended more than two hundred and seventy steps, and had got half-way to the bottom of the gigantic structure.

On looking downward into its depths a feeling of giddiness came over me.
The new palace of Mehemet Ali is rather a handsome building, arranged chiefly in the European style.

The rooms, or rather the halls, are very lofty, and are either tastefully painted or hung with silk, tapestry, etc.

Large pier-glasses multiply the objects around, rich divans are attached to the walls, and costly tables, some of marble, others of inlaid work, enriched with beautiful paintings, stand in the rooms, in one of which I even noticed a billiard-table.

The dining-hall is quite European in its character.
In the centre stands a large table; two sideboards are placed against one side of the wall, and handsome chairs stand opposite.
In one of the rooms hangs an oil-painting representing Ibrahim Pasha, {236} Mehemet Ali's son.
This palace stands in the midst of a little garden, neither remarkable for the rarity of the plants it contains, nor for the beauty of their arrangement.