Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1882-04-13
EGYPT AND ITS PEOPLE.

| ANU
Gen. R. E. Colston, late of the general staff
of the Egyptian army, delivered an interesting
lecture before recent meeting of the American
Geographical Society, in New York, upon
''Modern Egypt and it's People," in the course
Of which he said:
In consequence of successive conquests and
the introduction of female slaves from all
countries, there is no nation where blood is so
mixed as in Egypt. Of the five and half
millions of people in Egypt proper, four and
half are Fellaheen Nlussulmans, and another
half million Of Copts, (Christians) but the
two are the same stock, being descendants of
the Pharaonic Egyptians, and are the authoc-
| thonal race Of the land. But ascending the
| Nile the population becomes darker. Above
the first cataract are the Nubians, and in the
Soudan, negro blood begins to predominate, to
which elements must be added 10000 Circas-
slams, Jews, Syrians, Armenians, 40, ,0OO Turks,
about loo, 600 Europeans, and in the deserts
300, 900 Bedouins of nearly pure Arab blood.
Mohammed Ali, who exercised so powerful an
influence upon Egypt, organized his army with
French officers and began many civil as well
as military reforms. Ismael Pacha, the de-
posed Khedive despite the abuse lavished upon
him. was superior as ruler and man to three
fourths Of the European rulers. His son, the
present Khedive, has less ability, and is a mere
figurehead, the Consols and Commissioners
having virtual control. Tie ex-Khediye and
his sons are well educated for Orientals, speak
ing French fuently, and are quite European
in their habits and modes of living, except as
regards the harem.
The Egyptian army Of late years has varied
from IL, 900 to 1000 men. 1t is recruited by
totally arbitrary and irregular system of con-
scription But the soldiers are the most qniet
and orderly in the world. They possess all the
best qualities Of soldiers save one-the fight
ing quality, During six years. service III the
Egyptian army, never knew case Of insub-
ordination or insolence from soldier towards
the Americans or Europeans in the service.
The only jealousy toward foreign officers was
on the part of the Turkish or Circasian ele-
ment, which monopoliZed most Of the highest
grades.
When the financial difficulties eliminated in
1878, the English and French controllers Or
dered great reduction of the army and the
discharge of all the foreign officers, which left
two elements native, or fellah, and the
Turco-C -Circassian. Now a new rallying cry
has been raised-"Egypt for the Egyptians,
out with the Turks and Circassians; out with
the foreign controllers.'' Arabi-Bey, the lead
or Of the movement is only a colonel, but all
the native regiments are under his influence.
He surrounded the Assembly of NOtables with
his troops, and dictated their course, and in
the Cabinet formed February he is Minister
of War England and France, eager to force
the payment of the coupons Of an iniquitous
debt to their bondholders, announce their pur-
pose to support the KhediVe their puppet)
against all internal opposition, while Arabi-
+ Bey declares that if driven to extremities, he
will inaugurate the ''Holy War;" unfurl the
standard Of the Prophet and summon the Be-
douins of the deserts to drive the Christians
out of Egypt. Such is the present 'Egyptlan
crisis" From 1868 to 1878 there was about
fifty American officers in the Khedive's army,
of whom eleven died in service or soon after
leaving it, American officers were preferred
by the Khedive, because European officers were
likely to be recalled by their governments in
the event of political complications, and our
four years. war has given US great prestige.
Those who had worn the blue and gray were
about equal in number. The most prominent
were Generals Mott, Sibley, Loring and Stone,
who held the rank of Pachas (generals), and
Reynolds, Dye, Field, Long, Prout, Lachett,
Ward, Purdy and Mason, who ranked as Beys
or colonels. Some were assigned to duty as
engineer ordnance and bureau officers, and
others, among whom 1 was, were engaged in
distant explorations in the interior Of Africa.
Marriages are always arranged by the fami-
lies of the parties, and the bridegroom, except
among the lowest classes, never beholds the
face of his bride until after marriage. He
gives the bride stipulated dover, retaining
one-third to be paid in the contingency of
divorce, which is always considered probable.
Her marriage portion is absolutely hers, and
she takes it back in case of separation. A
week or even two or three is often spent in
the complicated marriage proceedings, which
include long professions through the streets.
Women occupy an inferior position, and there
is no such thing as social intercourse of the
two sexes. The Koran is complete code OF
laws The testimony of an unbeliever avails
nothing in court of law against that of
Mussulman. Hence, the murderer of Colonel
Comeraoff, a Russian, has never been hung,
and it will be the same thing with the M urder-
ers of Dr. Parsons, the American missionary,
unless the government sends a squadron to
prove that the life of Christian is as sacred
as that of Mussulman.