, 1882-09-09
The Annual Nile Flood.
Tnndcu Daily New.

Ipndcn Daily New.
Perhans the most striking idea OF the
effect Of tho Nile water Is obtained from
standing on the summit OF the Great
Pyramid Of Geezeh. The pyramid stanos
ON the desert, bot close 70 the cultivated
soil: the cultivated soil in this case
means the land which mas been covered
bv the irundaticn Of The great rIrer. To
the height which It's waters have reached
the color is green from vegetation where
il has not touched is desert. SO distinct
Is the line OF green with the buit-colored
sand. that looking down from the pTEa,,
mid IL seems il you could put one foot on
the cultivated and another On the nnirc-
eated ground. The sharp, defined edge
OF 2 weiI-kept lawn aud gravel path VIII
picture the state Of the case 70 the 'nind
If any one. Gaz,rg on this from the
pvramid-and it can be seen IS tar as the
eye can reach to north and sonth-tEe
importance OF the Nile water Is realized
As ki.h as the inundatioa rises there Is
.rowth and cul,ivatin; food Tor man and
beast is produced where the water has
not moved on the surface there Is the
desert sterile and bare. The essential
cause Of Egypi's greatness IN the past Is
realized, as well as the continued pOhtlca:
Importance "i tue 'o'''''' - '1- "
hihes- s vi
In other Gays Tue o'eIttc" =. -
was i"ohe" ut'" d '-' - - 80 -.-.,,,,I
oaiflS, ana "heh 'iie mas 49, - -
-. ";.ol'"t - " ~ ~ Ia ~ bsra hen
me hi-u' sicrihce' arc e'''u ~ no. rolil
"atfeu: y cefet.lonf - 81. = -, -,
Wh;c" Is supposed 10 nav ''eoOo.Ius = ~ -,
those llteS- ~ Is 10" hiio"h "''uot 60 VI
Aran uis OF na.ooS' t Nest' - A-'
bs'ae "t the ME-
The young. devoted briIe
pf tie fierce Nile, when deciiei IN al. :he lrids
Il ri'ntiai PomP, she sinks into the noe -
0''" -'''''
4 pillar Of mud now represents the bride;
Il IS made, at the opening of one OF the
canals N Old Cairo, and 1t is swept away
by the waters OF the dam. Tie Moham-
medan tradition Is that one "t their
rulers substituted tire mud pillar for a
virgin which the Christians SACRIFICED
ev.ry year. Sir Gardner Wilkinson
doubts and believes that in y. u. 66o the
Arabs continued the custom Iron the
Christians, who received 1t from the
Ely. tianS. He does not think 1t Likely
that the Christians would sacrifice hu-
man being, aud that It IS quite possible
tha: the Bride Of the Nile Was only
mud figure even in the older Egyptian
period
The Ceremony IS row gone through
a5or:- the 10th OF August, when the mum
aation is supposed 10 be approaching rs
highest The first indication ot the r.se
appesTs il lower Egypt about the middle
ot June and continues til Septemoer,
when the ta.l overflow Is reached IN
November or December agaln the waters
have disappeared ana me Nhe Is ;C.'e'"'IS e!
reduced To I;s ordinary level tne an
eient Egyptians were IN the hahit oi Clos
ing up the dams alter the lHi flse- SO Is
10 retain me water on tLe Heios' III" tii"S
secure inller deposit OF mud, as Wen aS
= longer c9n.,nnalice o. inc ief'i,']lis .iS-
ment. Ihe hilte Alie seh15 GOWN tile
largest amount % water Tor the nuhda-
tion, tnt IT IL The Blue Me which sup
plies the lrost important material lof the
ailurial deposit, and which Is OF such
value 10 the crops. lt is this deposit
whic!. has been slowly raIsns the IeTe %
tha surface Of Egypt rise which has
heeu very exactly Determined IN late
Years. Il Tas hfst observed in the case
Of the MemnoA statues and IN the onhsS
which Sill stand at Hehopo.;s-the base
uf the nonumenis, remaining rs hxel
points, were clear eTIdences or the Use OF
the soil. S,c Gardner Wilkinson puts i;
that at EiePhAntine the rise has been
nne feet, and al Thebes Seven ieet IN
LOO years, or about four inches IN
century. There have been many learned
efforts 10 show that this increased eie-
vation has led to decrease in the height
OF the foundations. but the authority
above referred to gives It as his opn!on
thai the rise Of the Nile Ii nos the same
as in former times.
The heIght Of the lnundation was or
the greatest Importance to the people ot
Egypt at all times, because an extra high
fise was equally disastrous w!:h deli
cent one Play sta'es taaV a pa"psf
inundat'on Is sixteen cuoltF,
IN twelve cudiis the country suffers iT'm
famine anu ieeis cehclehcy even IL
thirteen, fourteen causes Joy, hlteen Sc
curIty aud sixteen deiight. Inc rise Is
not the same at all parts. In the con
fiaed space Of the Nile valley above Caro-
the hi ghe:t must be grrGter than in the
delta, where the surface Widers cut AID
the cannels are numerous. According to
Herodotus rise Of eight cub:ts Was con
sjdered a sufficient height for the irrIga-
rion Of Egypt in the time of Ma-is, and
this forms one of the grounds on which it
has been urged that the elevation CT the
+. land has changed the conditions OF the