The New York herald., 1872-07-05

taxes every year, while Dongola pays i4OOO' max
land The taxes are imposed in most curious
manner Every farmer has 'sikeeh" "a water
wheel, which revolves by some modification OF
each ''skeeh' irrigates eight acres SO Of land. The
'slkeeh and not the land Is the unit of taxation.
soudan, and IL is very productive yielding, proba-
bly,, the largest crops OF any soil in Africa On the
TIM MOUTH OF THE ArBoRu RIVER
and saw the stream that Baker declares is the
source OF all Egypt's fertility. The shygeas who
live about this country are primitive and immoral
In their habits. more accurate observer OF their
habits anu customs than myself has put them in
coventry on account OF their duplicity and indo-
lence. The application OF this same test through
out the Orient would outlaw ntne-tenths Of the
Consul, became sick on the s1st and NV com,r1,es
attempted his life with 'Cockle's pills" and quinine
Poor Azar, unaccustomed to the use OF medicines
was weakened so that seven days were necessary
to restore mis- energies. On the lst Of February
laid up at shendy for the night-the place where
The next morning we lay OF Metamma, with the
wicker huts OF this African SOd0m standing back
with miserable captlyes. passed us the a following
day, and were commanded by Greeks II l did not
mistake their brutal physognomes
THE PASSAGE OF THE SIXTH CATARACT.
on February . we passed the sixth cataract,
which Is but an irregular, rocky obstruction in the
Nile, extending along distance OF five miles. The
mountain scenery, the pigeons slain by the Consul
General and the shooting TIN Ough the accacia cact
tIon under i0O degrees oFahrenheit Xt four in the
afternoon we passed stranded Greek. who, by
frantic appeals through the medium 0f gunpowder,
hau Induced us - haul up and rescue him. "An-
other Robinson Crusoe !" was the talk; but he as
sured us that he fired salute for the purpose alone
OF welcoming us to the Soudan. Generous Greek
We lett the stranded gum trader, and that night
moored among squadron OF about thirty boats
lying on the left bank taking In cargoesf 1t was
here that
MIDNIGHT HIPPopoTAMUs
poughed up the waters about the telegram and
drew our furious but unsuccessful fire. The next
morning we were induced to put IN shore for our
domestic's comfort and this lost twcntyiour hours
on the run. The mosquitoes became very annoy
Ing My face was Jumped with poisonous bites,
and suffered from the attentions Of the entire in
in besae ub but t. ON the % morning OF t
9Th inst. gale blew from the northward, and we
stood southward through glowing fields and with
happy hearts for the city OF khartoum.
THE WOMEN OF CENTRAL. AFRICA.
To travel through this district OF Africa and not
native women s to ignore maternity in its most
promscuons but fruitful forms. The Soudan infant
| Is an atomic creature, anu, being thus minute,
| comes very often to bless the matron's pride.
THE MOTHER,
however so pro1c OF human life possesses
| physique and temperament which belong to her
| particular tribe OF negroes. She may be very small
and very pretty beauty can glisten over the dark
features OF Abyssinian maid; OF she may be very
gross, very thicky barKed, very denscly dyed and
very coavsely cut In nose, lip aud chin, like the
With prot and cleanliness So among the nuts and
| hovels in order to have close view OF the rising
| and setting generation. The children that you see
|
would be impossible TO- distinguish the sexes
were not al the children uncovered: The n.
offspring; and II he did there are no childrcns fur
nishng store to supply them with even the garb OF
toddle about the naked barren hut. the only iar-
niture therein being an auge'e0 (oed), a few odds
and ends, such as Soudan sword, water pouch
and two or three crude dishes wherewith to COOK
A YOUNG BERBER NEGRO.
| say at four years Of age, has the most perfect
| symmetry have ever seen in unclad nature. The
infant seems to develop from the germ into hard,
unpable gutta percha blackness and rlgidIty Of
| be moulded upon block Of wood. His skin is as
tight as that OF baked drumhead, his
wood. His feet are quite tiny, and his
reproduces the Hon. William NJ. Tweed in minia-
ture. The developments OF the child ut four years
%eoe @
| Among some tribes 1t amounts to deformity.
The obesity must, believe, be the result OF dates
and camel's milk and the exceeding quantities of
grain which stur the infant crops. Curiousy
enough corpulency arrives in the Soudan during
the period OF childhood, and diminishes with ad-
vancing age. There are some exceptions, but not
many The tender African Cupid is early utilized.
The The lad lad is appointed to nurse his next younger Of
suhdns around II r. lis ,s5 arms with sSs PElSs @
the huts and Is promoted to the field
or II his family would be aristocratlc
in our white nation, we are better men If we fol-
low the sea- There are no trades In the Soudan,
a Snd an IN Thy
males from ten years Of age to sixty, do not aver
age one hours work day. The Copts, Greeks,
Italians and lower Egyptians perform more labor
in the Soudan; even they bestow seven-eights Of
their eXertons their lusts OF body Infants thus
are not Graded on the sweat of their brows except
as far sharing the maternal burdens. At thirty
| the native begins to grow old-and when say ma
tive mean the thousand and one classes of black
/
almost obliterated southward OF Khertoum,
and the different tribes are no longer gregarious:
Walk through the Bazaar OF Berber. You will find
that most every face presents different type,
different shade, diiierent intellectuality. This
salmagundi has resulted from an tntermingling OF
the races which have come In contact with each
other in the relation Of master and servant or by
| promscuous cohabitatiOn which Is constrained by
| no moral obligation Yet may add touching
! THE MORALITY OF BERBER
and the other Ethiopian towns, 1t IS much higher
than that OF the city of New York. For instance
there dancing girls In Berber, yet they can not
be seen without the permission Of the authorities,
while Water street Is an unsightly spectacle OF
revel in the proudest OF American cities You can
not here as you can In Europe demand, "you are
acn ana be Say to re aaS
In the form OF .'drect interrOgatiOn.n have been
greatly puzzled to tell how far man has clatns to
be called an Arab. In some cases the Sheyks have
the features and marks OF Ethiopian birth, coupled
with the authority and wealth OF princes. The
Arabs, OF course rule to the fartheres reaches OF
the Nile and It's tributaries The women,
. THE VILLAGERS OF BERBER,
are Arab, negro ana AbysSnian. The Arabs came
mostly from the lower Nile or belong to the dusky
Fellahne OF the Soudan, while the negroes and
Abyssinians the product OF slave trading in the
Soudan. Being anxious to see Berber dOmestically,
just IL is caused 1t to be reported that wished
to buy female slave. There were no public mar
kets, SO became acquainted with Syrian mer-
chant, who had been one month resident Of
| Berber
.Oi course
CAN SELL YOU sLAvE,n
said he In French.
''Where aye theyS'
The merchant was seated In his store, the most
| elegant In town, drinking sherbet and smoking a
| chibOok. He rose TO accompany me- The counter
loafers had in the meantime gathered from all the
other shops in the bazar and had, roce, opened
fire OF complaints against the government. l
listened patiently to the story OF their
woes-oppressive taxation, police restraints,