The daily gazette., 1876-02-07
The Modern Egypt.

A book of some three hundred page,
entitled "La Statisque de lEgypte, y
has been published at Cairo by the
minister of the interior, which reviews
the condition of that country during
the past ten years. The facts which il
gives concerning the material develop.
meAt in that period Of land whose his
tory commences with the history Of
civilized man and organized govern
ment are OF NO ordinary interest,"
Egypt has been regarded by macy as
poverty stricken and behind the times,
having a population too iudolent and
unenterprising TO develop its rich re-
sources. Since Us present ruler, whs
has the title of Khedive, or King, as
sumed power new impetus has been
country. Within the decade he has
sand acres of desert land under culti-
vation, and by improved methods Of
irrigation he has vastly increased the
general productivenese Of the SOIL
Not less enterprise has been shown in
providing artificial means of trans.
portation. There are now in working
order 118 nayigabls canals, which feed
75e smaller canals, which again are
sub-divided ints innumerable little
channels by which fertility is spread
over the land. Thirty thousand sakias
or water wheels are at constant work.
Steam pumps for raising tho water to
a higher level with as little waste as
possible of manuel laber are establish
ed ever the county to the number of
five or six thousand. r-. l4.I..
| The value of the reclamations is
quite imposing. To quote az exam
pie: e:Asiugle canal has recently brought
into cultivation 30, 900 acres, and that
means at least an addition of balf a
million sterling to the value of the
yearly exports of the country. The
report gives as the amount of unre-
claimed land capable of reclamation,
500, ,000 acres, The waste of manuel
labor in Egypt bel etofore, We are told,
has come from its abundant popula.
ton, which is set down at 8, ,250, ,000.-
According to this the country is more
thichly populated taan Belgium, the
most crowded county in Europe,
which contains 173 Inhabitants to the
square kilometre, while Egypt has 17S.
The Statjsque mentions as a matter of
congratulatiou that emigration is a
thing unknown in Egypt, but the re-
cent acquisition of territory by the
Khedive in equatorial Africa may
change this condition. If the native
Egyptian has no desire to wander into
ether lands, it certainly is not because
of the high price which his labor CON
mands at home, for the average wages
for q common day labor Is but about
sd. sterling per day. The workmer
in the Delta however, where European
enterprise has penetrated, make muct
better terms. The native Egyptian il
seldom q skilled artisan. That clasi
is composed almost entirely of Greeks
done in the towns by Egyptians,
The rapid increase Of commerce ii
another example of the material pro-
gress OF Egypt. Thus, 1t appears from
the report, that the annual number OF
: vessels which visit the ports of Egypt
has doubled in the last decade, and
now amounts to ever 6,00e. Ten
lyears ago the yearly average experts
of Egypt-that is, from 1888 to 1863
only amounted to two millions and Q
half sterling. The average for the
last ten years has reached the SUM et
twelve millions. The imports have
doubled in the same time, and are
nearly six millions sterling. The trade
of Egypt, the report adds with pride
equals that of Spain, and exceeds thai
of Portugal, Denmark, Sweden, Greece
and Switzerland. England, as might
be expected, figures largely in the list
of contributors to Egyptian prosperi
ty, She absolbs four-ffths of the ex,
ports, and two-fifths of the imports
come from her manufactures. Not
only this: Egypt has now 1,100 miles
of railway and 4, 900 miles of telegraph
together with an excellent postal sys.
tenn. Cairo and Alexandria are new
liphted with gas, and their streets are
SAID to be as we'll paved as any in Lon
don. There is every reason to antlci'
pate even more tlattering results in
the next decade. No country can be
better situated for commerce than
| Egypt. She forms the link that con-
meets the Eastern and Western worlds
The recent opening of the famou:
canal which now unites the waters OF
the Red sea and Mediterranean may
restore Egypt TO its ancient state OF
prosperity and civilization. The con.
trolling influence which Great Britain
has just acquired over the Suez canal
must tend strongly to this result.