Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-11

! R6PublfcRR Candidate for President
 were those of the grand acqueduct running of to the Citadel 1-4 miles distant where
 could discern the two graceful ninars and the huge dome of the famous Alabaster | Mosque.
 l .s0Yer there," said my guide, sis where l they keep the English die" At first was | puzzled to know what was meant, but look l ing over to the left where he pointed, saw .
 Christian cemetery, and the light broke in i upon me.
 | Passing old mosques, . military school, palaces of the Khedive, his mother a son, f and @ son-in-law, and the straw-market, I came to the Fum-el-Khalig, or influx of the | city canal into an arm of the Nile. Here the | festivities in connection with the cutting of | the Nile embankments take place in August | On the right flows the Nile. that most myste- rious of all rivers, the same from age to age, l it's muddy, greasy waters the source of fruit | fafness in land that otherwise would be a l continuation of the Sahara desert. Un- changed this mighty stream has moved on since the touching story of Joseph and his l brethren was enacted sn it's banks, since PhRraoh's daughter bathed in it's turbid l waters (and thereby displayed her bad judg- ment), since the Israslites toilsd at the thank less task of making bricks without straw | along the shores, and since it's bosom. many centuries later, bore the gorgeous gslleys of
 
 l Nile, what an influence it has wieldsd upon
 the worlds civilization! It is accredited with having stimulated she art of ofriver-engineering and the kindred science of land surveying by ! the exlgencies arising out of it's capricious behavior. Its annual overflow, which for l over twenty centuries puzzled European ! scientists, taught the people to observe the l heare >s in order to anticipate the inundation, | and &A az the science of astronomy arose.
 The sscroaohments made upon the land called legal and political rules into being. ! It made Egypt. in short, the worlds store house of knowledge, and we of to-day are only beginning to learn for ourselves some of | the principles which were known and taught here centuries ago. Mesmerism, magic and clairvoyance must indeed have been far ad.
 vancsd here if we accept literally the story of the wonders wrought by Pharaohs maeicians when brought into competition with Moses, who we read, was 'skilled in all the knowledge of the Egyptians" With out inclining to pessim1sm we must accredit many lost arts to this land of the Nile.
 But was about to speak of this ceremony of cutting the Nile banks At present the river is at it's lowest, and will remain SO until the first or middle of June, when it will com mence to rise very slowly. The night of the 17th of June is called the 'tNight of the Drop" because on that night, SO say these superstitious Egyptians, 8 tear from Isis falls into the Nile, and causes it to rise. This ex- plan8t1On IS &DOub on par WlGn some or those at first given by European philosophe rs to account for the inundation. The astrolo- gers here profess to calculate exactly the hour when the tear falls Thousands Of Cairenes spend this night on the banks of the river engaged in all sorts of religious rites. Each member of family usually puts piece of dough on the roof of his house. and according as this rises or fails to rise during the night, good or bad fortune is in store for the person depositing the dough on the roof. I should think of your American baking powder men might strike bonanza here in Egypt about that time. In July the riser swells in volumes rapidly. The Nile crier may then be heard shouting the height of the water ssas he passes through the streets, accompanied by a boy, with whom he carries on 8 religious dialogue Toward the end of September the river ceases to rise, remaining at the same height for fortnight. During the first half of Oc- tober it again rises, and attains it's highest level. It then gradually subsidies, but fre- quently takes slight spurt during the process of subsistence The cutting of the dam takes place along from the 9th to the 18th of August, according to our calendar. The Nile-crier announces that the 'plenitude" of the Nile has been reached, and people repair to the place have mentioned, amidst general rejoicing. The cutting through of the dam takes place about as 1t did l. 400 years before Christ, accompanied by noisy demonstrations. During the overflow Egypt is no longer vast fake, but the water isss conducted into net work of canals, basins and tanks In Janus- ", February and March the fields from which the water has receded gradually dry up.
 From the Fum-eEKhalig proceeded to the Island of Roda, crossing an arm of the Nile on foot, so completely was the bed dried. I passed through series of intricate lanes and entered 8 garden, miserably kept but fragrant with orange blossoms. Here I was met by an obese Arabian female, who ut tered 8 convulsive shriek, and came forward waving her hands excitedly. My guide smiled and remarked: 'She is the nurse, and has come towarn us, not to approach the house, as the governors wife is resting on the porch. We will wait here 8 minute, while she gets the i-Jy into the house. II thought there was no call for such excite ment, as had seen so much of the average Egyptian that the satisfaction of failure to meet this oyermodest specimen would be mutual We neared the Nilometer (Miky as) which was the object of my vist. This Nilometer, constructed in the year 716 A. D is slender stone pillar in the midst Of well sixteen feet square. It is octagenal In shape, and graduated with ancient Arabian measures and Cufic inscriptions The whole is finely preserved. but is only interesting by reason of the ofica which 1t performed The bottom of the well was connected with the Nile, and, as the name implies, this in strument was used for measuring the depth of the water. Not only this, but Herod0tus mentions it as part of the priestcraft of the Pharaohs to estimate the probable extent of the harvest by measuring the rise and fail of the Nile centuries before the day of the pres eut Nilonaeter; and even the rate of taxation was determined in accordance with the extent of the inundation thus treated. The mean diff ference between the low and high tides here is about twenty-five feet.
 It was on this island of Roda, according to an infallible CD tradition, that the infant ! Moses was launched for his first nautical ex- perience. looked around for buirush to carry away as 8 souvenir, but could find none. I
 Passing around to the other side of the island, gazed pensively at the Pyramids for a few moments, recalling the hideous details of my recent ascent of them. There is just one thing that has not been said about climbing the pyramids, and served for me to proclaim that one thing. The pyramids are death on brooches. AL though was equipped with 8 very respecta- ble pair of pants when began l found my self almost bereft of them when reached terra frma again and had to slide along on ths honneward trip. This wrinkle is thrown out Uratuitously I believe no writer has hitherto been practical enough or philsn- 1 throoic enough to announce this fact. Get your pants lined with leather before you start.
 On the way back we met our obese female l friend again, who stood with outstretched 1 hand oomplaesntly surveying me. bestowed 1 Q piastre-the customary ucksheesh-where- upon the inapudent creature demanded anr other. informed her that in bestowing the l single piastre had rewarded her for doing | nothing, and that unless she could produce | deed showing that the property we had been examining was hers, should refrain from l further bestowmenfs. -es-.
 Leaving the island of Rada I proceeded to | the Uoptic quarter of the city, passing au- cient Roman castle on ths way. A short l ride brought me to Abu SerReh, or the Cop tic church Of St. Mary. These ruins are ex- | ceedingIy ancient-the priests say that they 1 date back to the sixth century I wes grave ly informed that the Virgin and Child, after | their flight to Egypt, spent month in the crypt of this church. I galped the story down and asked for more. The priests were quite respectable looking old fellows (if they will overlook the fsmiliarit5). but from what have seen and learned, I am compelled to believe that the Ooptic worship is 2 barren series of external formalities. It is very CD. rious, however. The Eorshippers stand with