The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1879-01-24
Progress in Egypt.

Naturally enough, the travellers who visit
Egypt think to find themselves surrounded by
the evidences of ancient rather than of mod
ern times. Down to quite recent period
the ancient was predominant, and Egypt
was behind many other countries in matters
ofprogress and improvement. The traveller
who lands to-day at Alexandria can ride to
Cairo in comfortable carriage on we'll
built railway, at speed equal to that of
our best express trains. He can ascend the
Nile upon well-appointed steamboat, and
if he looks around him before starting he
will see whole feet of boats employed in
the navigation of this wonderful river of the
East. On the banks of the Nile he will see
large mills, with the best machinery, for the
manufacture of sugar, and farther down in
the Delta he will see large establishments for
the manufacture of cotton after it has been
picked in the field. Through large part
of Egypt he can travel by railway, and in
few years the steam horse will carry him
southwark into the country which, within
the memory of men not yet old, was almost
an unknown and unexplored region. Even
the method of visiting the Pyramids-once
a latiguing task-is by no means unpleas-
ant; for you can be taken in Il comfortable
carriage-and plenty of carriages can be
hired in Caro-to the foot of the wonderful
mass of stone which Cheops intended for
his monument. A handsome bridge of iron
spans the Nile, and an elegant road crosses
the valley to the Pyramids. A new quarter
has been added to Cairo, and it has broad
streets and well-built houses, so that you
can hardly realize that you are in the East,
famed for its narrow, crooked and ill-paved
ways There are free schools through all
parts OF the city, not alone for the common
branches of education, but for those branch
es which are taught in what we call the
high schools. There is free press. there
are theatres, there is an opera house, there
is an army and a navy, and there is mari
time canal through the Isthmus of Suez, so
that in few hours ships of deep draft and
heavy burden may pass between the Red and
Mediterranean seas There are hotels, and
there is post-oi1ice and police system,
and there are a hundred other things of
modern character. Egypt has made won
derful progress in the last two decades. She
began her career Of improvement under the
present viceroy, Ismail Pasha. There were
few steamboats, on the Lower Nile before
his time, and the construction of the Saez
Canal had been begun, bat the railway was
practically unknown, and the cities and vii
lagos were in much the same condition that
they had been for long time. Nearly all
the great public works owe their origin to
lsmail PaSha, and he can point with pride !
to Egypt as she stands to-day. In manner,
lsmail Pasha is very simple. lie is very alb
stemious in matters Of food and drink, and |
by regular habits lie preserves his health. !
His dress is entirely European, with the ex-
ception of the "lez," OF "tarboosh," :" which I
covers his head. and he wears little iewery.
The figure of the khedWe is not of the lean |
and hungry kind; he appears to be about
five feet nine in height, and is decidedly in
clined to stoutness without heing ill-propor-
toned. Physically, he appears to have lived |
well without any over-feeding. His face is
full and broad, and he wears a closely trim
med beard and moustache of a brownish |.
hue. When in repose his face is quite
thoughtful. but as soon as he begins to talk
it lightens up, and there is constant play |
of animation over all his features His |
brown eyes sparkle, and he accompanies his
facial expression with frequent gestures of
his hands, quite in contrast with the solemn
and stately manner which we associate with !
Oriental rulers.
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