Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1882-07-27
Alexandria.

esque mongrel cities in Egypt, and FOR
| that matter, in the world. Cairo is
more thoroughly Oriental in character,
but Alexandria is unique in its cosmo-
politan appearance. 1t is an odd mix
ture of Europe, Asia, and Africa. The
Greek jostles in the streets against the
lineal descendant Of the people who
lived in the land away back in the time
of the Pharaohs; the Armenian and
the Arab move along shoulder to
shoulder with the Partisan, Londoner
or New Yorker: sunburned Maltese
sit at their shop doors smoking their
cigars and bidding for the custom of
the iucongrous crowd that slowly
sweeps along, and the Egyptian or
Turkish drag CONAN is everywhere volu
| biy attempting to get the unwary
stranger to enlist his services. Alex
andria, indeed, is Mosaic of the old
world east and west, which fate has
placed together and whimsically set
down by the side of the Lake Mareotis
and the western arm of the delta of the
Nile.
When approached from the Mediter-
renean the city wears an insignificant
enough appearance. The land lies so
low that Alexandra Dumas, speaking
contemptuously of the Fort Bonaparte,
affirmed that all the French engineers
had to do was to throw together
few spadcslul of earth, surmount
the small heap with q battery, and
presto! the city had to surrender ut
discretion. AT first the traveller des-
cribes Pompey's Pillar, thin black line
drawn across. the warm saffron sky,
then as he rounds the long arm which
terminates in the break-water which
stretches from Point Eunos:us, and finds
himself well inside the western or old
harbor. he sees the khedive's palaces
cleaning white on the waters edge on
his left, and on his right II row OF
tiat.roofed, dingy houses, relieved here
and there by clump of lofty palms.
The arsenal, which lies between the
khedive's palace and the principal por-
ton of Alexandria, is large but not
imposing building, and attached to il
there is a comm odious wet dock for the
convenience of ships needing repairs
Following the eastern curve of the
harbor the eye catches, beyond thin
strip of sand, the lazaretto, the custom
house, and here and there a lefty for
the landing of goods that are taken
from vessels in the stream. The PENN
sular and Oriental company possess
excellent private jetties for the conven-
fence of their own passengers.
Up to few weeks ago the buildings
here enumerated were the only prom
inent objects on the harbor line. The
palace at a distance looks pretty, to-
gether with tie adjoining building
called the harem, which stands among
terraced gardens that command
an enchanting view of Alexan-
dria and the blue water of the
Mediterranean; but closer inspec-
ton destroys much of the enchant-
ment, and, 10 a certain extent, justifies
Dumas ill-natured criticism to the
effect that it is a miserable white
editice, erected by Italian builders. y
Within the last few weeks, however.
the outline of Alexandria harbor has
undergone marked alteration. The
palace, the harem, and the arsenal
buildings are no longer the only prom.
hiSht PoihVo eIiae tdtSh thC eye. Nu-
merous forts and earthworks have
come into prominence, and now the
harbor is almost completely encirclcd
by grim buildings, the embrasures in
which make 1t impossible to mistake
their purpose. There are eight of these
forts which are formidable, and all are
placed in such position that men-of-
war fairly inside the harbor would be
exposed to a cross fire at short range.
From a position beyond the new break
water, which guards the northwestern
side of the harbor, hostile squadron
could shell Alexandria and be exposed
to the direct returning fire only of the
batteries on the south and east of the
harbor, and it is to avoid the dangers
of the cross. fire that the English squsd-
ron has moved out to positions beyond
the breakwater. AT the lighthouse,
near Eunostus point, there IS a strong
fort which, a short time ago, was
known to contain twenty-one smooth
bore and three rihed guns, but which
at the present moment is believed to