Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-21

through the 48k96 AQQ EHCoH bOLHoy1u16o LAX place, although discountenanced by the au 1 thorities. From Ismailia to Port Said is distance of forty-five miles, the first thret through Lake Timsah, the next nineteen across the desert, and the last twenty si1 through the deep mud of the marsh knowr as Lake Mengsleh. A double dyke had to be constructed through this muddy tract at 6 great outlay of time, labor and money. Through this dyke passes the ''Pompe- -a-fea'' pipe, which conveys water from the Nile Sweet Water canal at Ismailia all the way to Port Said. The steam pump works are loca- ted at the little city of Ismailia.
 Port Said is 8 sort of reservoir for the na- tions that surround the Mediterranean. It has gasWorks and scores of hotels cafes and casinos, with vide sandy streets. It certain ly is lively place, and some of the sanguine are wont to speak of it ss the ''Silver Gate between the Orient and the Occident,'' g a 'tFuture Venice," etc. The town Is especial ly sa' 'lors' headquarters, however, and &C., cordingly does not enjoy very ssvory repu- tation among respectable people. It's harbor is perhaps the best on the Mediterranean. It is purely artificial, being formed by two piers extending out into the sea mile and 8 half-as long as any in the world I believe. These piers are built of blocks of stone weighing twenty tons each, and constructed of desert sand and hydraulic cement special ly for this purpose. They have been exposed SO LAo hoGCS6b kd16b OI CdpE1O1OuS H16Ql. terranean without any perceptible effect. Even the harbor of Alexandria, one hundred and fifty miles to the west, is inferior to the Port Said harbor.
 But the question of paramount interest to- day is: "Does the canal meet the require- ments of modern commerce?" Not fully. The detentions in the busy seasons of the year by reason of some accident to boat in transit are too frequent to escape attention. People have differed, however, as to wherein lies the proper remedy. have talked with quite number of ship captains, and they seem to be uniformly of the opinion that a new canal is not necessary. At present men sre engaged in putting in additional passing stations, which will be a great improvement. It is more important still that something be done to widen the bottom of the canal and thus give more leeway to the keels of the ships. Most of the delays are brought about by ships getting aground at critical points, owing to the narrowness of the causeway near its bottom. Let one ship get hard aground in this way, as frequently happens, and the whole traffic of the canal is inter- rupted. It is 8 rule that when any such &C., cldent occurs no one can make any effort to get the boat of, however simple the task, except the employees of the canal company. Of course the utmost system is necessary in regulating the canal traffic, but it would seem that some of the requirements are arbi- trary.
 Every Friday afternoon occur the zikrs of the various orders of dervishes in Cairo. count as one of my most fascinating though hardly agreeable experiences while in Egypt the witnessing of an entertainment given by these derviShes, who are analogous to the fa- kirs and 'silent saints" of India. There are several classes, of which the whirling and bowling dsrvishes are the most prominent Of couEse the performances are duly reli eious, and therefore occur in mosques. I found my way into one of the appointed places one Friday afternoon. Before the grotesque worship CD came off we foreign spectators were offered seats on 8 divan ex- tending around the room and supplied with cups of the black, syrupy Mocha coffee, which is so universally drunk in Egypt. Af forwards came chibouks for the gentlemen and cigarettes for the ladies-quite a novel prelude to a religious service. The French ladies present accepted and naively puffed away at the cigarettes. Then an orchestra consisting of about a dozen doleful-sonnding instruments began to tune up. A space about forty feet in diameter wasG r+-1, and twelve dervishes, wearing tGi sjseple. shaped, brimless felt hats, steppes >;h into this arena. One of them was attirvd differ entIy from the rest. He wore a turban in- stead of steeple hat, and was arrayed in 8 green robe, intended to signify that he had performed the journey to Mecca. The faces of the men were pale and emaciated from fasting. First the men bowed to each other and then to their superior. very much as professional pugilists shake hands before measuring strength. Then one of them went into the musicians gallery, and read from the Koran for about twenty min utes in drawlingt one of voice, while his confreres knelt below, and reverently bumped their foreheads upon the floor at certain points, At length the scripture reading ooQSn6 fha plarInnafg sounded oOQin tho small drums began to beat and the holy men started in circle around the arene, salaam- ing to their chief every time they passed him. The latter sat on a mat by himself in the center. After each salaam, the salaam- ing dervish would turn and repeat the cour- tesy to the one behind him. Then the music began to grow loud and brisk. As if ssized by an infection, one after another threw up their arms, and began to revolve. The palm of one hand was turned upward, I noticed, and that of the other down AS the rotary motion became accelerated, the long gowns of the dervishes flew out, under cen trifugal influence, and assumed the appearance of enormous crinoline. Round and round they spun like tops, their eyes closed in sort of dreamy ecstacy, their arms always at right angles and their speed increasing as the tempo of the music became more rapid. I noticed that they stood on the left foot, and propelled themselves around WILL IA0 I1RuG- N0VcE OIu GQ0y CQaQG0 pOSl- ton or show any signs of fatigue. Fifteen, twenty minutes, nearly half an hour they kept at is moving faster and faster. Would they not faint or drop dead? Suppose one of them was apoplectic, or subject to heart disease! Now they were whirling around fifty times per minute. Faster grow the beating of the drums, louder the flare of the reed instruments. Now the rate as I timed it with my watch was sixty timss minute. Still madd5r grew the music, and more furi- ous were the revolutions of the almost statuesque figures. At last when the rate of revolution had reached maximum of seventy times per minute, the music came to climax, and suddenly ceased. Most of the dervishes still continued to revolve for some time, how- ever, some evidently from a desire to ''show of, ,' some because they appeared to be under a spell, but the majority as if to gradually emancipate themselves from the delirium into which they seemed to be plunged. Then fol- lowed an interval of rest, and To! the same performance was begun again. and repeated aftae essentially the same fashion. Another interval, and the wearisome exercise was for the third time performed Determined to see what human nature could endure, I remained through to the end During the intervals of rest the dervishes would fold their arms across their breasts and walk slowly around the arena, apparently made no more dizzy by their remarkable gyrations than you are when you LF1p tue 1Sn6 1anbhsGlC lOo III your OWu parlor at home. There were various other exercises, all of highly gymnastic order. Sometimes one of the men would seem to lose consciousness and continue the motions even when the music had ceased for a con- siderable time, until his fellow-priests would stop him and gradually restore him. On the occasion of great festivals I am told that the whirling and dancing are often carried so far that man will froth to the mouth; but little attention is paid to such state of things, and the man always recovers. When the seance was over, the dervishes donned their outside robes and passed out of the room. As they did so, the non-performing true believers who were present bowed very low to each of them. The Moslems evidently consider these very holy men, who will whirl themselves into the highest of all the seats in paradise.
 But even this entertainment, semi-offensive as it is, is exceeding mild when compared with some that are given by the dervishes. Some eat broken pieces of glass, and burning charcoal. Some pull out their eye balls and let them hang by the nerves! Some lie down in the streets and break huge stones over their chests. All these things are accom- plished in the name. of Islam, and without serious injury to the ascetic performers. Foreigners may witness them by paying well.
 EMILE.
 DnnFOVAT