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18 Dec 57 Julius on board 'Indus' Mother ______________________________________________________________________________________________

Indus, 18th Decbr. /57. –

My dear Mother

I sent you a letter from Malta which we left on the 14th. We got there about 7 in the evening & got on shore about 10. We went straight to the Opera, where I think, we must have created a sensation. About 20 of the male passengers, in all manner of costumes, chiefly wideawakes* & old shooting coats arrived in the middle of one of the most exciting scenes & of course walked straight to the swell place, the stalls, & seated themselves amongst all manner of uniforms.

I found several old friends at Malta, chiefly from Sandhurst & Hythe. It is not much of a Military station according to all accounts. We slept at a Hotel that night & in the morning proceeded to see the church of St John’s & all the lions. I had seen most of them before, but there is nothing that I like so much as looking up old friends – both men & places.

We get to Alexandria tonight but as there is a large bar or reef outside the harbour, shall not be able to land until tomorrow when we go direct to the train which takes us all the way except 27 miles of Desert & across the Nile. The most uncomfortable part of the whole journey is the caravan part.

There are 6 in our omnibus. We have a very good party. 3 of the 44th, 1 of the 34th, 1 of the 79th & Howell, who is a remarkably nice fellow, very well informed. We have got a very bad character on board, because we have a quiet rubber in our cabin on deck, generally of an evening & the ladies think all sorts of things go on. I expect it is chiefly because they are not included.

I have been rather seedy the last two days having caught a nasty cold, sore throat &c. Drafts [sic] always abound on board ship, however am much better today. I do not feel any perceptible enlargement of the liver at present, although am gradually taking a liking to wine.

I got a letter of introduction at Malta sent me from England by a Mr Lyal, describing me as a nephew of Mr P. N. Laurie.*

Love to all from

Yr. affect. Son

J D Laurie. –

* Wideawakes – A style of low, broad rimmed hat

* Mr P N Laurie – Peter Northall-Laurie was his half first cousin, once removed. PN-L's grandfather was Julius' great-grandfather, from his first and second marriages respectively