The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-07-26
LIFE IN EGYPT AND THE ORIENT.
The Delta of the Nile, It's Cities and the PEG
pie Who Reside There

Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal.
CAIRO Egypt, June 24.--It is a four days
voyage from Naples to Alexandria After leav-
ing Naples, we pass the island OF Capri, with its
beautiful Blue Grotto, and in ten hours are off
the coast of Sicily. Mt HGtna, snow covered
and wreathed in smoke, is to be seen for almost
one hundred miles of our journey. We sight
Crete, with its snow-capped mountains, on the
morning Of the third day.
The first thing to greet our sight, on steaming
into the hafbor Of Alexandra, is a depot of the
Standard Oh Company. We soon know, however,
that we are in a strange land Egyptian Gus
tom-house officials are soon alongside our
steamer, but they move of quickly at the ap-
proach of boat manned by British seamen, and
we understand that while this is Egypt and the
Egyptians are at home, England IS doing the
honors of the establishment
Alexandria is a city Of about 200,0 600 inhabit-
ants Much of the best Of it is yet in ruins, a
result Of the bombardment Of year ago,
though a great deal of building is going on.
The indemnity question has not yet
been settled, else would there be
little visible evidence of the ruin caused by the
English guns and the torch and sword of Arab
Bey and his bleedthirsty followers There are
large commercial interests here, and from its
very situation. Alexandria must always be, as it
ever has been, an important city. Cleo
patras Needle and Pompey's Pillar are pretty
much all of the relics of the oldest civilization to
be found here now.
The delta of the Nile is the strength of Egypt,
while the Nile is its life. It is tri-
angular in form, the coast Line form
ing the base, and being about two hundred miles
long, while the other sides are about IT'S miles
Cairo is at the upper point of this triangle. The
river divides from this point into three great
channels. These are subdiyided into numerous
smaller channels and canals. Almost every
foot of this district is under cultivation. At
least half of it, to my surprise / found to be in
cotton. Half of the remaining portion is de-
voted to raising wheat, the rest to corn and
vegetables Much of the irrigation is secured by
hard work The old water wheel of 1000 years
ago, turned by buffalo cows the means in
commonest use, though much Of it is done by
hand. Camels and donkeys are the burden
bearers, for the most part The houses are
clustered in villages and towns and mostly of
unburnt briek-Aooking very much like the
adobe houses of Mexico. Though the people are
nearly all peasants they are yet persons Of
rank, without exception. You could know this
If you were blind and deaf--that is il you should
get within ten feet of them. They are the dir
test lot particularly the Bedenin Arabs,
have ever seen OF course am now speaking
of common people. Above Cairo, for a thou
sand miles, the valley Of the Nile which has an
average width of about eight miles, is the only
other tillable land in Egypt. The Iibyan desert
is to the west and the Arabian to the east. But
for the Nile. all Egypt would be desert
Cairo is 100 miles from Alexandria. 1t is the
largest city in Africa and second largest in the
Turkish Empine-C onstautinop leading it. Its
present population numbers about half a
million. The old town rs oriental through
and through. The average Yankee is more in
terested in the street scenes in the old town than
the many wonderful monuments to the greatness
Of the dynasties with which the city is sur
rounded. The streets are narrow, crooked and
dirty, filed with cameRs, donkeys, dogs that
never get out of your way. noisy boys and swear
ing men, and ,1ined with Shops or baEaars as
they called, where all SORTS Of odd things are
sold by the lazy Tark who sits cross legged
IN the midst of blaem. i can easily
imagine that the Cairo of to-day is
not that of fifty years ago. The present
KhediHe has been a progressive man. Many
western ideas and inventions have been intro
duced into the country by him. The common
mode Of threshing wheat is by treading it out
with cattle, as in Scripture times; but saw a
steam threshing machine at work ON my way
here from Alexandria that was evidently built by
theEagle Machine works. Indianapolis; numerous
steam engines at work pumping water, that must
have been built by Eaar, Scott IL Co, Rach-
mond; and several wheat drills that evidently
were made by JnD WeSeott, of the the Richmond
Hoosier Drill Works. The railway trains leok very
odd but they have the Westinghouse air-brake
on them. Telephones are in use In this city
The bridge over the Nile here is massive mod
ern iron structure. New Cairo, the work of the
KhediEe, is well laid off with broad Streets we'll
paved lined with well4built houses, and orna-
mented with shadefrees and numerous foun-
fains, aud better lighbed by gas than the streets
of indianapolis
year ago. Said an American, who has lived
here more than quarter of a century I'VE
live hero because England rules, practically.
Should she let go her hold on Egypt we should
are we'll enough satisfied with the present rule,
because it is more stable than any they could
have; but, in the cities, the French people. and
they are quite numerous, are diligently foment-
ing dissatisfaction with British rude. The result
is that the English are very much hated by the
native political leaders, but not by the masses
The insufrectieH in the Soudaa has been mag
niied by the French. dont believe itamounts to
much The Mahdi would find somewhat of
following here should be succeed in reaching
this point for nothing succeeds like success;
hut he will never come much nearer than he is
ct che present time. He las made little or no
headway during the past Eve months. He is q
fraud and the rebellion failure If England
should call upon me TO rescue Gordon, and ]
could have the old Sevensy-ninth Indiana vol
unteeF infantry, as it was ip 1864, at my com.
mand, would have no fear about doing it. But
as my fighting days are over, that is,
inasmuch as am now messenger Of
peace, ] would probably do as many
brave followers did ia 1862 and 1863, send q
hapd-Knehers Parker, Ritter, Charlie Maury
any OF them would DO
Yesterday saw squadron of Egyptian cav
airy 500 strong start for the seat of war They
were splendid looking fellows, well equipped,
but poorly dlilled They would fght-certainly
were not wanting in personal e0Hreg e-but could
be easily stampeded. The band Of an English
Highland regiment played as they rode byon fhelI
way to the front It carried me back twenty three
years; and though, as have said, am man oi
peace now, my pulse, which does not quicken
easily, rose to eighty,
Egypt is bound 10 have good government
The Suez canal makes this q necessity. What
ever troubles the SpRz canal Affects the com.