The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1874-04-02
RR. BIKE ON EGYPr
Eodern Improvement, In the land Of
The PharaOhs.

the Phar3Ohs.
DR. Beke, when on mis- way To Sinai
recently. passed through Egvpt H.
wrote from Carlo to a Ir.end Al G-ue-
va an account of his experience i'm the
land Of the PharaOns, which is pub-
lished in the Swiss Times. The Doc
tor says:
when | came 10 Cairo from Alex
Andria nothing was more striking to
me, who have visited Egypt several
times, than the many great changes
Tor the better that have taken place
throughout Egypt. When once Lake
Msreotis and the dreary waste on the
western side Of the Rosetta branch of
the Nile are passed. the country, far
aud wide, exhibits uneQuivOcal signs
OF improvement and extended eultiva-
ton. L am told that whereas in. 1850
there were only l, SCI, 900 acres under
culture, there are now at least 5000. =
Wy. The peasants are busily employ
ed 10 clearing and plOwing the land.
In one instance | saw what do not
remember to have remarked before
camel drawing the pillow. Green
crops OF various kinds are growing
luxuriantly, and it is pleasing tn see
the animals-biack cattle, asses, sheep
and goats-grazing in the rich pasture
wlthO6t stint. Trees not only line the
road on both sides. but have been
planted so extensively that many
parts of the country have the appear
anee of being well wooded. Altogeth-
er the run across the Delta on a love
~, cool, but sunny day, was most de-
I tlightful; and ann not IN the least ex-
Eaggerating when say that was Of
ten inclined tn doubt whether / could
really be in Egypt The sight here
and there of tall factory ehimneys ris-
ing out of the midst of the villages, or
from among the trees, tended tO in
crease the illusion. The fact ia, that
Egypt, though geographically forming
part OF Africa, Is rapidly assimila-
ting herself to Europe, of which she
desires to be regarded rs a member.
IL the changes in the agricultural
districts and In the climate Of E9ypt
have been great, those in and about
the capital OF the country are not less
go. The Khedive seems determined
to make Cairo the Paris of the Levant.
The western portion Of the city il be-
ing almost entirely rebuilt and exten-
sively enlarged in the direction of the
Nile, while new streets are being
opened though the other quarters.
But on this subject / need not dilate.
1t is rniy to be hoped that in his zeal
to mOdernlzs and Europeanlze Cairo,
the Viceroy will not deprive it OF its
/ Oriental character, which constitutes
its great charm and attraction.
''Sir Samuel B4ker's expedition, il
| is reported here, cOst half a million
sterling. ! ave sines been informed
on good authority that the sum the
/ Vieeroy is out of pocket somewhat
exceeds go 900, and, according to all
accounts, the results are anything
but commensurate with the immense
outlay. However, after he had reeoy-
cred from his first disappointment
the khesiive Is said To have felt moi
dissatisfied
From Monsieur Mariette learned
that the French government are seri
ously contemplating the flooding o
the Sahara behind Algiers by letting
/ in the waters Of the Mediterranean
from the Lesser Syrtis. do not know
whether their acquisition of the is.
land of Tunis, Of which have alsG
heard, has anything to do with thi:
project Several years ago there wai
talk of scheme of NJ. DeLesseps Il
lay the Libyan Desert under watel
from the Red Sea. But this would b,
impraetieable; whereas, on the as
sumption that the desert is below tb'
level of the Mediterranean, L pointed
out that its inundatiOn from thI
Greater Syrtis, or Gulf OfSidra, nigh
be a work Of comparatively little dif
ficulty.u