New-York tribune., 1867-04-30
Mgncn., and other European capitals.
NtC, March ], 1867.
EGYPT.


CAIRO. TIE OBIRNTAI-ITs STREETS AID HOUsEs-THE
CITADEL AND VIEW THEBEFRoI-TnE PYRAMIDS
sPHIEX-RACES-BALL
Prom Our Special CousfpoBdeht
OK THE Nile. EGYPT, Feb %, 1861
Passing from Alexandria TO Cairo you see something
OF the civilizatiOn-nOt III the mud villages along the
route but in the railroad Oh which you ride and the
telegraph wires which run beside the track. III this,
as il the fields Of cotton plant along the way you
see the hand of the VieerOy and you think to your
self that if he could but infuse into his people
hundreth part of the enterprise and energy which he
possesses himself, what country this would be!
The soil now, as III times past ls capable OF produc
ing immense crops; the climate is genial, and II only
needs the hand OF industry, wisely directed, TO make
1T the garden OF the world.
On reaching Cairo you step into new world, or,
rather into q very old In point OF time you go
backward 1900 years. In manners and customs, IN
look and language, in the shape OF the honses and
laying out of the streets. III manner OF dealing and
ncrsona salutaton in camel and donkey, and i'll the
featheTy palm-tTee which waves It's branches ABOVE
your head, you see things Just as you would nave
seen them 2,0O0 years ago III any city OF the East
Cairo, though upon African SOIL is purely Aslatc-
purely Oriental; and it is this. more than anything
else, which makesxt attractive TO travellers There err.
some EuTopeafE doing business III CAIRO, but the
proportion small not 10 interfere with its gen
eral Oriental character In this differs entirely from
Alexandria. The city covers large extent Of terri
tory and contains large number of inhabitants, but
eXactYh how many no one seems TO know as no correct
has Most Of its streets are very
narrow and very iIregular-built narrow, they say
" TO keep ont the sunshine" but why irregular de-
pOnent saith not SO narrow are many OF the streets
that il would be quite impossible 10 drive ordi-
nary carriage through them. On foot or on donkey
is the only way by which you get through all the
streets of Cairo and this applies TO of the
bazaars where large amount OF business is done
daily though other Of the bazaars are sufficiently
wide for the passage of carriage The largest bank
ng-house in Cairo found upon street so narrow
that two donkeys could scarcely pass each other in
it; and the American Consulate is upon one but very
little, if any, wider. ..
The houses too, are as quaint and as Oriental as
the streets upon which they stand. They project
over from the first story upward, that persons
siding in third Stories upon opposite sides of the
street, can often shake hands with each other. The
peculiarties are as marked internally as externally.
The rooms are generally square, Or as nearly so as
circumstances will admit; the floor if of brick OF
some kind Of earth-work; the ceilings usually high
aud often arched; wallpaper of very fanciful or
brilliant pattern gotesque painted figures usually
cover the side walls heavy silk OF damask curtains
hang at the windows; while divan, gorgeously
covered with silk bTOeatelle is placed at one end
Of the room on which to sit tcross-legged If you
please instead of chairs If the floor is covered at
all. it is usually with mating or velvet carpet.
There is gorgeOusress about the whole arrange
ment of trst-cass Oriental house which constantly
reminds one Of the impressions he received in read
ing the Arabian NightsD
One Of the iIst pomts we visited ~ CaIo was tho