Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1867-03-01
From the Plattsburgh Sentinel
Notes of Foreign Travelled Rail-
road Ride in Egypt.
BY REV. sELAH W. BROWN.

From Alexandria to Cairo, py the
railroad, it is $50 miles. The road
was built by the celebrated English
engineer, Robert Stephenson, and is
laid upon iron, instead OF wooden
sleepers. Egyptians in oriental cos
tune have charge of the trains tho
the engineers are mostly English. A
railroad in Egypt seem out of place.
To cross the desert on camels, with
Arab guides, or to take a sail mp the
Nile with Egyptian boatmen, would
have been more in harmony with our
ideas of this old land of the Pharaohs.
The inhabitants of Egypt do not
number over 100000. These may
be divided into Turks, Copts, Arabs
and Fellahs. The Turks govern the
country,the Copts are the clerks and
accountants, and the Fellahs are the
Ausbandmen. The latter are poor,
degraded, and oppressed. They do
most Of the hard work, and often cry
out against their tas&masters, as did
the children Of Israel when in bond
aye in this same land, thirty-Gve cen
turtles ago, The diet OF the poor ma
tiycs is very simple. A handful of
beans, little coarse meal cake, and
cucumber or melon, will feed one
for a whole day. The government
Of Egypt is in the hands OF the Vice
roy, who is absolute monarch. He
owns the railroads, canals, palaces
and one half of all the lands.
As we travelled over this strange
old land, we saw many novel sights.
The land stretches away like Illinois
praires. No fences or barns were to
be seen anywhere. Here was brick
yard, the bricks being made as they
were in the time of Moses; and there
company of Bedouin Arabs in their
camel-hair tents, their hand against
every man, and every mans hand
against them, and yet dwelling in the
presence Of their brethren. (Gen
XVIII-12.) 10 the streets and 10y
theroadisde were people clad in scanty
loose garments, while in the field
were men at work without a particle
of clothing. The houses of the poore
class are miserable mud huts, like phi
stys, with q hole for door, and bar
or grating for windows. We say
whole villages built of mud brick:
which were mixed with straw an
dried in the sun.
Of domestic animals, there was til
ungainly buffalo drawing the awl
ward plow; the little donkeys, carry
ing loads three times as large as then
selves; but strangest and most inte
esting of all, the tall, awkward, p;
tient and useful camel, with the halle
round his nose, and several hundre
weight Of merchandise on his bacI
There is no animal more useful
Egypt. 1t isthe "ship of the desert
travelling at the rate of so miles
day, for twenty-five days at tim
The milk is said to be pleasant al
nourishing, while the flesh is conside
ed royal dish by the Arabs. III
hair is woven into coarse cloth, al
the skin furnishes leather for shoe
1t costs but little to feed them, al
they serve their master till 20 yea
of age. The camel has been emplo
ed in the cast from an early perio
Ages ago they came into Egypt, bes
ing spicery, balm and myrrh. (Ge
XXXVII-25.) job had three thor
aud OF them, JOB, l-3') Isaac'S st
yaut brought Rcbccca to Canaan on
camel. Gen. XXlV--64.) The Que
OF Shcba brought them to JerusalC
laden with spices, gold, and precio
stones, Il Kings, X-2.) John t
Baptist was clothed with n garme
Of camei's hair, and so probably W
Elijah, Matt. i'll, 2 Kings, Is
Part Of our way to Cairo lay alo
the banks of the historic Nile; t
old river on which Cleopatra float
with silken sail, and i'll which Mos
was hid in his little ark of bulrushe
the river whose waters were on
turned iuto blood. In size, and
the color of its water, it reminded l
of the Mississippi. The current
swift, and the water is generally tt
bid, yet when settled, it is excelle
for drinking. This river is a wond
full fertilizer. Without it, Egg
would be but waste desert, for
never rains in that country. PraC
cally, the Nile is Egypt, and Egypt
the Nile. For thousands of years
has poured down a stream Of bour
less fertility. The annual overfc
has made its valley the garden a
granary of surrounding nations, ey
since the sons of Jacob went do
there to buy corn. 1t is no wonder t
ancient Egyptians once Worship
it as a Divinity. The foundations a
caused by the rains, which fall arou
its source. The river begins to RI
about the middle OF June, and reach
its height about the first of Septe
Der. Towards the last of Octoh
the stream returns within its banl
leaving a vast quantity of water
lakes, ponds, and great reservoirs
When we were there in Octob,
many parts of the land resembled
sea in which the towns and villag
appeared as if built on islands. Aft
the Nile falls back in its channel. t
great work of irrigation commence
The water is lifted from one level
another by buckets, well sweeps, a
water wheels and conveyed in gre
and small canals and bitches all ov
the fields.
The source of the Nile, has been
mystery for ages. Travellers ha
ascepded the river to the confines