, 1877-06-19
Egyptian Blnvcys

ltH1fTt 4NQMfHA
Blaves in Egypt may bo DI',Ally divided into
vhite aud black. although the stiAlca ol color
hetvcen thesc Two ~1trcncs arc very nu.nafosla.
To thu ot1 class belong tho falF-sktnnel Cttcas-
s!u!en; and to tla tl1r, tbs darker, but .s{tll
NusAa, kostl.!an, u uastoaf. This extinction
Ut tho Manlost!is, aml the tndiscrlmtnnte ad-
Ssryice, have practically put an end to the ln-
potta,ttn Vt white InAlu slaVea, who aIo now
rarely or never met with ~ adults, eotne few
boys aru occasionally purchased ~ playicllows
foT shs sons Of the wealthrr l'eya or fashas,
but, In almost every h'ssance, a soon -
they reach full ase they aro liberated, married
oil frequently to their nlastoss' aaughtcgs,-
aud tu sotns wAy estab'tahed III He In taee,
thu rclltIun Ut lh!s very limited clasB L. their
owners just falls st,oft Of adoption, which waa
formerly very coIDaon but II loss 10 now. The
relatively E1rat mortality x,nong the children
II white mothers who (lhVu themselves not tEen
bornin the country contributes TO maintain tue
.lcuAnd for cirea.sia1, girls. the vast majority
uf whpu,, however, hnl not merely purchasers
hHt husbands 4nong the SONS Ut tho wcallhicr
elashx*. IL now, indeed, rars tlat = full
gsoxu white grl Is kept in mers concubnaxs,
giyu hcr = value that spcedily-ysry often
& naee-ra!ses her y, tbs hlaaer DO
,nestic rank. Hut the importation Of these
Caucasian iuxufies hsa Kreatl5 fallen
irat,e between Constant!nop1s and lis coast OF
1y rsissa tnu prize 81 the smueg!ed article.
blost uf the fuw who HOW rcacl Egypt siil9ly
or In couples where thirty yrars as.i they catn9
III scorrs, belong to the Eircassan colonies In
IouMrli1 Or Asia Minor, aud the difficulties u
eycn their Import un1er thc eyes OF Jealous. for
eign CoHsuls are such that tue tr4de l44 yir-
tuRily cea4r4. at any rats, It u only III Thu
very wcaltticst LarCulk that these cxotlc bexu-
ties aru nov 10 be fuuhu. TheY arc mostly
bought At from 10 to u years VI age, and, after
being well uurtured for three or four years,
aud taught the ,lsu4 Easte1n accomplishments,
are, as ruie, either uarr!ed ny the master of
the house or given As wives to his sons.
iu strut Law marriage uacs not c0nler
freedom, Out thu kttl 10 nearly always 6rat
liberated. and thc Offspring are, in aay case,
born tes- Ona especial reason why these white
yirls arc thus altnust always married. Us that
(hty wear much longer than either nat.ye
Egyptian ladies Or Abyaslnians, setaIupg thell
6ps physque to IS or even 20 years Of ase, while
tho latter arc generally witbered aad passeea
lclore Is. Thlx " ~ Important consideration,
III viex Ut thx now 1evaiiiug fashion atnong The
upper elasacs Ut having only uus vile, but tue
much higher Gust Of theae white beautics places
them beyond the reach Ut all but The weslthiest
Aad except Tor these tho ba1em market
u uoM chiefly supplied With Abyss!nians, who
st d}th. Or even eighth or tenth ot tho price
Are 10 sll but culor aud wear physically equal u
tAe be1t OF their white rlyal4. Sont Ut these
tuppusstiIus1 houris are ludeel very models d
Southern autJ--eonbintux VI llh pFuflslun 0
loux, aaVy h2ir, lu4tsuus cyes, regular and dali
sat<!y cut features. perfectly cured buats, A1d
ssLIktls iuoldsd illnbs, generally grace aAI