Book Description

Captain Sir Frederick Arrow was Deputy Master of Trinity House, an historic mariners' guild responsible for the provision and maintenance of navigational aids in the British Isles and Gibraltar. In 1869, Sir Frederick received an official invitation from Ismail Pasha, hereditary Khedive and Viceroy of Egypt, to attend the lavish opening and special ceremonies of the Suez Canal, November, 1869. One of the events was the presentation of Verdi's "Rigoletto" at Cairo's glittering Opera House, a substitute for "Aida" which the composer had failed to complete on time. The Khedive was disappointed, but not nearly as much as Sir Frederick was on learning that there were two classes of invitations for the opening: one for Royalty and one for the likes of Sir Frederick. He became an informal chronicler of these events and in this work, relates his reactions to one of the great events of the 19th century.