, 1874-11-08
EGYPT AND ICELAND.

EGYPT AND ICELAND.
EGYPT AND ICELAND IN THE YEAR 1&y
BA1Aho T411oa. limo, pp- 2s2- New Yort. g
T. Putnam's Sons. ~' u
The intelligent reader Nho ia intere,tad :.
toreign lands has followed the tzaYeZer ~.
and again, in his stereotyped route frop, 41.1
andfia to the Island Of Phil@, and il IA f,n,,,..
as one eau bo from the written page, with ~.
physical features Of Egypt, and With the ch,r.
acter and condition Of it's inhabitants, Pujl,
conscious Of the amount Aod tho extsn, a, Il.
knowledge OF this country in possession of II.
public. hr- Taylor has wisely avoided, in th+..
letters, such information as may ba supposed :,
be generally familiar Twenty-Five ysars ,po !.
made the tour Of Egypt, thoroughly inspec.;nr
itschiet objects oflnterest, and publishing p,,n
andlucid account OF hs experiences for ths benps,
of these Who must be content to explore dist,n.
regions while sitting by their OWL dresids, Rot
in the universal progress OF the age, slow md
ph1eg1natic Egypt has moved onward. and h.,
present position is considerably in advance Il
that which abe occupied couple Of dsc.da,
gone BY It Was to noie the staps which ahs b,,
taken, to gauge tho rate Of her march fo1,,m.
and to judge it her activity really meant in.
provement, that Mr. Taylor has made thi, .ao.
ond tour Of investigation through her terutor,.
The answers to his inquiries could not faiI To b.
important, for cur inter1ogator knew Just nov
and what to seek. and, from his previous ,o.
quAintanes with the subject. wa qualified to II.
rive At ah1ewd and just conclusona.
Twenty years ago shs population at EgTrt
proper was 5.251, ,757. The increase duv.
ing the last ten yes1a hss probably been
about 100000; while Nubia, Eth;opia.
and soudan add about 2,000,0oo. One.
tenth Of this population are Copts, aud not les1
than $50, 900 are Franks or of European birth.
The number OF visitors in Egypt has immensely
increased during the Lat two decades, and thu
expenses OF travel have been greatly augmented.
The cost Of comfortable trip up the Nila has
more than doubled The steamboat journey Of
three weeks requires IN outlay, al e1panses in.
cluded, Of $3.50; xhlle clean and convenient
dahAhiyeh, accommodating from three to ira
persons, cannot be hired for Less than e500 per
month 4 good dragoman will dsmand, for
party OF three or four from ESQ to 80 FER dsy for
au expenses; and, - the trip to Wadi Hslfa occu-
pies three months, this method Of travel il now
limited to the luxurious. The charges It tbs
hotels vary from y to 16 English shilinga pr
day for board and lodging.
Since Ismail Pasbs succeeded his grandfather,
Mohammed Ali, as EnGdiyo Of EgyPt,-elsvea
years. a2o,-the 8uez Canal has been built md
opened to the commerce Of the world; the cities
Of Ismilia and Port Said have grovn up with t1s
rapi1ity OF the mushroom towns OF America;
the Delta has been covered with network ot
railroads, aud line completed to Upper Egypt;
tho regions Of Soudan hsvs become safe and IT,
cesaible; and Ae1andria and Cairo, already fur
njahed with statues and theatres. paved, sprln-
kled, and gas~lghted streets, arc being rapidly
into moderu European cities. tbs
area Of cultivated land throughout Egypt ha5
been enlarged from 20 to 80 per cont; and tbs
extension OF canals and tho growth Of trees hars
produced marked influence On the rainfall. acd
hence upon the climate. In. Cairo Ia
annual average OF rainy days usa1
to be four or five, whereas it il uoa
tventy-one; aud in the Delta, wAefe it used 70
be eight, it is now forty. This increase IN sAs
rainfall diminishes the temperature in tts VII
Ter, and fires, although not yot psoV'ded, 70
needed for comfort The spring Of this Jsas
MAS not moro forward in Egypt than in saesh-
e1n Italy, and It Was April instead Of Februsr!'-
formerly the spring month, when the nea
burst their buds Tho Insertion Of the Nell
cans, that the Anglo-Saxon race changes To
climate whe1ever it settles, holds good IN tbs
history OF Egypt.
In regard to religion. much greater 'ot-
erauce than In former ycsrs now prevails IA
Cairo aud along the Nile,-ths llberaAtY OF INC
knedive having mado = sensibla impression N
abating tho prejndices Of Is1amlsEn. Ihe NUM-
ber OF children in the elementary schools na.
swelted, during the Khedive's reign, from s9"
10 10000, Of whom s,018 are girls. h.a3
daughters OF the big gher classes no A"s
10 speak and read French, and are alo"aA
70 associate familiarly With European nns'
The new residences Of rhs wealthy sdop!
certain features OF the Italian plan, ano mAo1 -
hem substitute In iron railing around mo s1
len in place Of the old, high brick wall. sno ~.
light Venetian blind in their many "lnao"s .e'
.he former curiously-latticed balcon1ee' 1as
Toung and handsome woman OF the na1e1a
oneer ah1oud themselves in the folda OF '"',1
rail when riding through the streets, bu' eas!
,bscure the flash Of their bright eyes Ana ~.
int OF their rosy cheeks bahind clona oi w.
shite gauze. These changes in the har1a -
he Egyptian women arc considerable IN taea
elves, but are still moro important Il aut' 'D"'
:es Of the greater changes they foretoken
On reaching the Orient, the traveller o.
lay Is struck with tho wonderful spreso o. ~