Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1865-03-15


would be to extract from all the approved
doctrines of these sects those which are
most convenient, and to propose them for
general adoption But this could only
be done by the Sultan, and the Ulema of
Constantinople." "
"Said Pashas edict," I said, "was an
act of self sacrifice; he can no longer re-
plenish his harem."
He does not care much for women,
answered Stephan Bey. "The neglect
with which he treats his charming wife,
Indgeh Hanem, is a proof of it"
"I was struck" said Mrs. Senior, 4" by
the melancholy expression other cOunten-
ance, and I attributed it to her regret at
having no children"
"The information, he replied, (which
1 receive from my female friends who
visit her, leads me to attribute her mel
ancholy to her consciousness of her hus-
bands indifference"
"She was imposed on him." he contin-
ued, "by Nazleh Haned and Mehemet
Ali Nazleh was Mehemet's favorite
child, born when he was contending with
adversity and danger, and shared many
of his perils. She had great influence
over him and, indeed, over the whole
family. She bought Indgeh at five or
six years old, educated her as her daugh-
ter, and when she became manageable
proposed to Mehemet Ali to marry her
to Said. Mehemet consented, Said was
probably scarcely consulted, and the mar
riase was celebrated with great pomp.-'
But he had never cared for her.
"How many" asked, "of the two
hundred and eighty children of your
friend Achmed Pasha Tahir survived
him ?''
six" he answered. "Forty died of
the plague in 1885, twenty-eight died of
plague in another year The loss of in
fant life among our upper classes used to
be horrible. When the Mamelooks. who
50 long ruled the country, were driven
out by the French, there were only two
Mamelook families subsisting Mehemet
Ais improvements, his DRAWINGS and his
paintings, have had a marked effect on
the climate of Cairo, and of the Delta
We now can rear our children. As for
Upper Egypt, that was always healthy"
Du reste. " he added, perhaps OUT
infant mortality depends on other causes
than those of climate or soil. I have
known a girl married at nine, and to a
man of twenty-five"
I remember" said Mrs. Senior, "see-
ing in the island of EIephantina a girl Of
eleven years old with child astride on
her shoulder; one of our party asked her
whose child it was; she answered, Mine"
"Giving the children in charge to their
grandmothers," said Stephan Bey, Sis
palliative; but nothing can fully replace
the care of mother, and how can we
expect one child to take care of anoth-
er?"
On leaving us he put on fur cloak.
"This cool temperature, he said, " is, l
dare say, agreeable to you. To our feel
ings it is chilly and unpleasant. Itgives
US all colds, coughs, or rheumatism
The heats of summer, though painful, are
healthy. Cairo is never 50 free from dis
ease as in the hottest weather Winter
is our unhenlthy season, as it is in Eu
rope"
*
I asked NJ. Bonsort if he could give
me any precise Information as to the OBJ
scure questions-the revenue and the
population of Egypt.
L think" he answered, that I can.
The revenue is at present sixty millions
of francs. thus made up: The land tax is
thirty five millions, TO which must be ad-
ded six millions more, which is annually
received as payment by installments of
past arrears, a payment which will con-
tinue, as arrears are always accumnlating.
The duty on date trees, the excise on
bread. vegetables, fish, meat, and other
provisions, and the custom house Of Alex
andria, produce altogether nineteen mil |
lions more, making, as l said before, six
ty millions in all. As for the popula-
ton, the official statement made on Me-
hemet Ais enumeration of four millions
and half was under the real number.
1 was employed to verify it. I surround
ed in the night several villages with
troops, made all the heinhabitants come out, |
counted them, compared their names with
those on the return, and invariably found
them more numerous.
al am told" said " that that return
was swelled by vague estimates of the in
habitants of the inhabitants of SEMINAR
and Cordofan."
"That is not true, Unanswered. "The
return was confined to Egypt, that is to
say, to the country north Of Phil@. Vac
cinatiOn and the absence of plague have
since so much diminished the mortality