Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-06-19
Special Correspondents of the Nashville Union and

Special Correspondence of the Nashville Union ant
American.
CBmo, Egypt -, 1S70.-Cairo is {
great city; great In the sense of number
of inhabitants, filth, laziness, oppression,
Pashalic extravaganza and lust Here
the bazars are more extensive and cleaner,
the houses finer, palaces more numerous
and extensive, and more natural beauty in
the city. The mosques are more numer.
Gus also, and much grander than in Alex.
andria; the people about the same. There
are great many mosques, but the finest
is that of Mahomet Ali, and q splendid
building it is. The material is, for a great
part, alabaster, brought down the Nile.
saw no church in London or Paris SO
grand and beautiful. The combination of
the two qualities is the wonderful feature.
The palaces are very handsome especially
the one near the mosque just mentioned.
1t is large building furnished in a man
ner quite in keeping with a prince, sup
piled with every luxury and yet unin-
habited. The Pasha comes here to take
tea or carouse once or twice in twelve
months. This is the style of some
princes only, l am glad to say. Near
by is the place down which the Mameluke
leaped TO save his life, quite choice of
evils would say. 1t is said that the
place is not so steep now as when the
daring fellow escaped over it, but it is
quite high enough still to give one a
pretty good idea what the Mameluke
thought of certain death. a very deep
well, said to be that dug by Joseph, is
near the palace. The water is pumped
up by oxen at the bettom of it. The
granaries of tho same Patriarch,
about which there is more certainty,
are near Cairo. The Government is hav-
ing parks made in the city, which will
take away some of its oriental appear
ance. If the Pasha takes to himself
many more wives, he will have need
for several parks for them to take exer-
else, if they are allowed to enjoy such q
thing. Ismail Pasha must be a gallant
Enthusiastically the fair sex cannot say
that he is not partial to them. Like an
old Georgia planter in ante-bellum days
was with his servants-so is the present
Prince of Egypt with his better-halves,
of whom he has so many that
he does not know half of
them Many of them are Europeans.
1t is wonder that some of the Misses Of
America who are so eager to be Prin-
cesses, do not aspire to be Madame Pa
shas. They ought to advertise in the
New York Heratd'S special notice col
umn.
OF course the great feature of Cairo is
the Pyramids, few miles away. The
morning selected for seeing these wonders
of what ancient kings could do, was fair
but warm, as is the case nearly all the
year round at Cairo. Quite large party
went out the same day. The road from
Cairo is, part OF the way, lined with large
shady trees and veins through ground
overlooked by the Nile. This has made
it necessary for road to be thrown up
higher then the general land-a good
road is the result. Thousands of natives
of all sizes and sexes were at work
on this road where it had been broken by
the last rise of the Nile. From looking
at the soil in which they worked / could
see what is meant when it is said in the
Bible that the Israelites were allowed no
straw in making brick. The soil is of the
peculiar kind which like dry powder will
not cohere, hence the toll must have been
great. The drive to the Pyramids turned
out to be pleasant.
Upon arriving no time was to be lost,
for hard days work was before me. at
once / engaged two huge Arabs to act as
Scotchers, prizers, elevators, propellors, etc.
The work began, ard before knew what
l was doing, the breath was all snatched
out of me. The scamps had started off
as though the ascent was q jolly good
thing, and one to which l had been &C
customed from my cradle. pulled back
till enough breath was recovered, to tell
the fellows they we've mistaken if they
thought intended going up in that style.
No. The ascent of Cheops was only once
in a lifetime, and should be done with
more solemnity and leisure, for l wanted
to think as l went along. But the
wrctches seemed to think it took three in
this case to make a bargain, and
and the quicker they put me
through, the sooner they would
get another victim. l knew would be
put through sure enough at that rate and
so l told them it was no go, and, besides,
a bird in the hand was worth two some
where else, for if they did the right thing
for me / would tickle them in return.
This answered for short while, not long.
Here away up twixt heaven and earth l
had impressed upon my mind a word
which will be as deep in my memory as
my own name when my hair is gray. Had
l have known how many times in future
i was to hear that word, how it was to
worry my patience, how young and old,
even babies who seem to be born saying
it, were to hurl it at me-had known all
this at the time, l would not quite have
turned back without seeing the top, but
think l would have shot in about two feet
of one of the Arabs heads to get pay for
future misery. You ask what is that
word. Reader, if you have tray
eled in the East know how
nervous you are for fear l repeat
it; but if you have not, l inflict it upon
you. Here it is, and is spelled Backsheesh
and may it DO you as much good as it has
done me harm. By much effort after
scrambling over stones nearly as high as
my head, / found myself on the top of
the great Cheops. And great it is. To
one looking up from below it seems a
monster, but one looking down from
above, it is monster. How unfortunate
ii is that we measure the corn of others
in our own half bushel-so l found it
here, for no sooner was l on top, worn
out, and longing for a shady place in
which to lay down and rest, when the
Arabs, supposing that like themselves
was not tired, had hold of me and were
pushing me around to show me the diff
ferent wonders. Here l rebelled emphat-
ically, and told them that thing had to
come TO an end, or some of.us would 60
down quicker than we come. They saw
fire il my eye and feared it would burn
them. When l was rested began to see
what was before me. As is generally the
case when any high point is assembled, it
appears at first 10 be poor investment;
but soon one is repaid for all the TOLL
found it so here. In front plainly in
view lay the great desert, bleak, barren
and desolate, with its burning sands re-
flecting the rays of the sun, and seeming
in their thirst to lick up the very light of
heaven. On the right arc high noun
tains rs barren as the desert. On the left
the ruins of Memphis, the pyramids of
Sakl1ara, with here and there green spot.
Behind me was the Nile, vending its way
to the sea, quite unconscious of how
much of father it is to all the thousands
who live on its banks; Cairo, with her
~, he 1iorhf