The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1876-12-09
A Royal Funeral in Egypt.

led his favorite daughter, Princess
Hanem Zeinub, who was but 10 years
old, and the wife of Ibrahim Pasha.
She died of typhus fever-a likely
cause considering the character of the
Nile regions in the warmer seasons of
the year. The ceremonies attending the
funeral were certainly imposing, if Il
large concourse of Moslem priests and
people, the scattering of money from
treasury which few months since was
declared bankrupt and deeply in debt,
and the butchery of oxen, followed by
big exhibition of gormandizing suffice
for the creation of an impression. The
Cologne GazeHe thus describes the de-
monstration:
1.-The Khedive and his family as well
as his guest, the Sultan of Zanzibar,
and the whole city of Alexandria, were
much disturbed by the sad event, and
the theater was closed for three days.
The body was taken to Cairo the same
day, and placed in the Kasrel-Nile pal
ace An immense concourse followed
the body to the depot in Alexandria,
and hundreds of thousands of lire were
distributed among the poor people
The interment took place in the Rilah
mosque on the following morning.
Twenty-four bullocks, 30 camels, and
90 wagons were in the funeral process
sion. These animals were laden with
bread, dates, cooked meats and vegeta-
bles; the wagons carried casks of water
and syrup, and all along the route dis
tribution of the provisions was made to
the poor. Eunuchs, meantime, threw
45O, 600 pieces of silver coin to the peo-
pie who thronged the street. Three
thousand priests, some clad in rich
vestments of gold and silk, others half
naked. followed the wagons repeating
prayers as they marched, and clapping
their hands. After them came the fam
lily of the poor young Princess, and the
high officials of State, aud then the cot
fin, borne by officers of rank. Behind
this walked three eunuchs, bearing on
golden shovels copies of the Koran. to
be buried with the deceased. The cot
fin was of simple rough hewn wood,
and the corpse WIS sewn up in linen
cloth. Upon the coffin were placed the
Jewels of the Princess, worth 81 .JOO.-
600. After the burial the priests
slaughtered the n bullocks before the
mosque, roasted them, and ate them up.
The priests remained in the neighbor-
hood of the grave to pray for the soul
of the departed. The Khedive was so
overcome with grief that he could not
receive any visits of coincidence.
Contrast this with funeral of Chris
tian civilization, and even the expen-
siveness of it's furnishing by the fash
ionable undertaken seems chaste and far
more appropriate.
MINUTE MEcHANIsM.-Th following
are from list of g miracles Of art en-
hibited in London in the year 1904 :
1.-The little furniture of dining-room,
consisting of q dining table, with two
figures seated as if at dinner a footman
waiting; a card-table which opens with
drawer in it; frame and casters look
ing glass two dozen of dishes twenty
dozen of plates thirty dozen of spoons,
and twelve skeleton-back chairs with
crow feet. All the above particulars are
contained in cherry-stone. A landau
which opens and shuts by springs,
hanging on braces, with four persons
sitting therein. A crane-neck carriage,
the wheels turning on their axles Il
coachman's box. etc, of ivory; together
with six horses and their furniture !; a
cOachman on the box, dog between his
legs, the reins in one hand, and whip in
the other; the f0otman behind, and Il
postillion on the leading horses, in their
proper liveries-all so minute as to be
draw by flea. The curious little four
wheel open chaise, with the figure Of IL
man in it all made of ivory, drawn by a
flea, which performs all the offices of IL
large chaise, as running of the wheels,
locking, ETC., weighing but one grain.
A flea chained by chain of two hun
bred links, with paddock and key,
curiously wrought, the chain and tlea
paddock and key weighing but one
third of a grain. And Il pair of steel
scissors so minute that six pair may be
wrapped up in the wing of fly; the
said scissors cut large horse hair.
The SALT IN OcEAN-Superficial OBJ
servers formerly assumed that the salt
ness of the ocean was due to the beds
of rock-salt washed by its waters; but
a little examination will prove that this
is putting the effect for the cause, since
the beds of salt themselves, wherever
found, give sufficient evidence that they
are but the deposits of ancient oceans
or isolated bodies of sea water that have
dried up. The modern scientific theory
refers the salt in the ocean to the chem
ical changes which have taken place be-
tween the elements that constitute the
earth's crust in former geological per-
iods. The sea water also contains gold