The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1852-04-17
A Pilgrimage to Egypt.
By ]. Y. c. SMIu, Editor ojfLs Bosioa "
aud SrrcicaI jo,J,y,I

Htr present ne IS aniy typ'hed IN the mummy
presersa,ods with Hheh her catacombs abound
The traveller is drawn thithtr MT so much To- .os
what Egypt isas to lcars what shc .as R,Ls
of civilization as far above that which nav PIE.
walls there ns her pyrnmis tower htovc he SUI.
roGndng plains lie scattered over her fields and
along the valley of the eternal liver" Among
tle-e ruins wander the desc, ntents IF Hose
whose gtnns aud wealth created thein hut they
draw no inspiration from lie past 40 lefty ann
bilion sweils their hearts nerves their arm 10
emulate greatness that passed with their pro-
seniors. Languid. 'hey icpose in the shadows
OF tie pyramids, beside crgnibled fsnes and bro
Ken columns, and beneath the piercing eye os tho
same Sphynx which had looked upon the achieve
menia oi the wonderful men whose genius it as.
sists to commemorate. Those stop uduous piles
winch break the monotoay oi her uri1 plans
those scattered ruins which still mark the centres
oihsr mighty cummcrre aud the magnGceacs Of
her earlier alchuecture, instead OF lifting up tie
minds Of her people seem, 10y contrast, 10 dNau
them into a more dminutive stature, and to sink
them deeper INTO mental and ply steal imbs.
ciHty. Strange ycissi.udes of human desli-
ny Interesting yet sad page Of the wo,lds
history
Coming as they do from stock who l,it tc.
hind them these remains OF their geniu. and civil.
izat'on, it is but natural that deep interest
should be felt in the present inhabitants Of Egypt
! Travellers, however. who have. writtes Of that
country, have been drawn thiiier by II passion
/ for antiquarian resear,h. pnd thew have ,olJ ia
{ much more of the Greatness Of M. o,od Fty,,t
than of the Deculiar,lies of HE Il, inn uuc N j..
/ book before US is n deligbtGil exc,ptirp The an.
I thor d'd not pass the former unnO,eJ, but he has
/ reserved the details for another place, while the
present effort is to let the reader at o,ce into
( Egyptian life Of the 10th century. There is no
mold OF the past-no oder from the catacoub4
upon it. 1t !. filled with as much freshness. as
! 1t was possible to clean from n subject of 50
! little comparative vitality. Tie writer La, a
happy VEN Of humor in him and A iacile utter.
Guce which imparta lively piouaucy TO bia nara.
l ton. Here is an extract from what he has tn
! say ou--lh TrHmc
u,pr,,,r .>,, ro,v,,.,,
- roy b""y runs ROY any %utte' IS III
hs!P" 'r seems 70 oe 'he amoihon 81 every
'""', "I III iuiNey' 10 nave gran" n"mest'
e9,nT',s'n'l'''' "'s'"sg Is ',e "pleha'se q
"''', "a" ''''N"'ior " Po'''~" anu i''
SPTI''"V'"'!'. ~ e,''y c"'u","n' among poor or
l'.'' q PlTi'''',e' Te'"e Is W nave very hume
."r' i i''.'"t - t,'''u'r"' SA l''Hpn'h"h' ma
,'o.'"i .I'', .'H".n''''S' 'S' "'lNg oo,' srN'S' 40
Uhe eyer nau 100 many, or r'hhq+Ehed 'he de-
'gni'u. lHc,P"''on oi ha'inS more
e. Nv "'S Wv" l''1le' ~ lIe' hS!P'' 'an'o'
w '" Ie" "''s 'n1 eAe7't u '"'r
. y, rhaps old dOorStcps-o over which they step
or stand, tutoring inIucations probably, 20 tl.
prophet; and, such IS their reputation, that wo.
men make long Journeys 10 them DIR. Abbott, of
Cairo, informed me that he had some mummie,
slowed III an out Of the way bnildjng enclosed ty
yald, into which he one day entered, where, ~
Ia. surprise. Y ere large number Of No4nen and
gn1S, some quite JtNehes WLo, being alarmed.
iiew away 10 last a. lEey could scamler, but fl
nally Icturn'd to explain themselves They bad
heard that, hy jumping over mummy twelve
times they should be fruitful and thus tie rstble,
young aud old had been running fof luck over those
dIled lcmans Of humanity.
This whm seems to have been universally dit4.
sed through the east and even the hrtomolcs Of Ah-
ems, IN the glory Of Glooce, used 10 slice down u
certain rotk, near The Argolagus, to abstain the
same iayor OF the gods.
Inv lady Of tie house IN which Te resided, in
Alexandra, told me that her cook young man,
had three wives, IN reply to the question how
ne coul" possibly support them with their ncres-
sing s'oCG d ehl'o'en, she sa" he did nothing for
item lie expended his wages to SUIT himself;
ana they 'on'rVei to suosist IN small
nuts, at remote paIt oi the town, as they
could
"h"e II 'he Desert IN The course Of IN even
ing chat over The eXFlr'nS ernbers lnder which
af-PN Ia r Ihn at,. tI,,