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Charles Philip Yorke, Fourth Earl of Hardwicke, Vice-Admiral R.N. — a Memoir by Lady Biddulph of Ledbury
page 96 of 274 (35%)

'In the evening she sent for me; she smoked the chiboque, her mind was
wrought to a high pitch of enthusiasm, she talked wildly and was much
distressed in mind, in short her intellects were much disordered and it
was very distressing.

'However, she arranged that I should next morning start for Deir-el-
Kamr, the capital of the Druses, with a letter to the Emir Bashire, the
prince of that nation. I perceive that, were I to begin a description, I
should waste much good paper without stating any thing that is new. The
Druses are a most extraordinary people; the Palace of the Emir superb,
the country richly cultivated by the greatest labour being all in ridges
on the sides of the mountains, but I shall refer you to Mr. Hope's
"Anastasius" for a good description and for all that is supposed, for
nothing is known of their religion. The Emir treated us with much
kindness and I stayed two days in his palace where we had apartments,
visited him in the forenoon after which he did not interfere with our
pleasure; excellent living, about fifty dishes served to about four
people for dinner.

'On a visit to the Emir was a son of the Pacha of Damascus, who offered
me to accompany him back to that city where, he said, I should reside in
the palace of his father and see all that was to be seen. Such an offer
almost tempted me to cut the _Alacrity_. I suppose a Christian
hardly ever had such an opportunity which he was obliged to lose. Lady
Hester said it was my djinn or star which got me into such favour. On
the third morning we breakfasted at Deir-el-Kamr, the town about one
mile distant from Petedeen the palace, and returned to Djoun arriving
late that night. She made me several presents, the most valuable of
which I sent home to your charge by _Euryalus_. She has written to
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