Morning journal and courier., 1884-06-11

Wonderful Egypt-A Donkey Ride i'm
 Catro-The Plague of Fiies-The Nile
 The Rtlemeter-A Point for PyFamtd
 Climbers-Tne Coptic Worship-HelIoP-
 oils Is-AntiquiGies - Memphis Fine
 Drive.
 CAIRO, Egypt, May 12. To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND CouRIRR:
 I remember reading some lines from Herodotus, written about four and half centuries before Christ, which ran something like this: 1T shall now speak at greater length of Egypt, as it contains more wonders than any other land, and is pre-eminent above all the countries in the world for works that one can hardly describe" What was true in the day of HerOdotus is almost if not quite as true to-day; and the longer stay and inspect these Egyptian antiquities, the more am persuaded that this sentence of Rerodotus was not extravagant. Yesterday morning hailed one of the Cairo donkey boys, and mounted his miniature steed. the ears of which protruded so high as almost to lie prone over my shoulders. The start was made from the place E zbekiaeh, the public square of Cairo. These grounds are oc- tagonal in shape and embrace some POI acres of land beautifully laid out, and lighted by gasposts which are surmounted with the gilt crescent. moved leisurely along in front of the immense European cafes, noticing that the street signs were principally in Greek, French, Italian and Arabic. English is, alas, a subordinate language in Cairo. Here saw huge bulletin board completely covered with gaudy chromos, which with enterprise characteristic of this race young Italian was trying to palm of upon the wondering Egyptians. One represented Christ being taken down from the cross, with distorted features and that general sanguinary realism that satisfies g prurient,curiosity, but hardly meets the requirements of idealized art In the distance was view of the pyramidsl Another daub, representation of the Last Supper, hardly reflected credit upon that sunny land where the old masters lived and painted. It showed Judas at one end of ths table clutching at 8 handful of coins with . miserly gesture and villainous counteaance that would have proclaimed him brigand to all the world.
 At one place funeral procession was en- countered- In the tumult of ths moment I could not find any English speaking person to question regarding 1t, but from the crosses and aotherinsignia, I know that it was Greek cortege. At the head of the procession was a man who carried the broad, fat, but re- markably light lid of the caskst.e Behind him came SIX more Greeks, carrying stretchsa out in their midst the black siik pali ornamented with white embroidery. The chanting black-robed priests followed. and aftae them the coffin itself, with the corpse entirely ex- posed to the burning sun, save that it was covered by lace drapery, and . profusion of floral offerings. A man walked at one side with white feather fan, and kept the flies from settling down upon the precious contents of the casket. Last of all came the mourners. Speaking of these Egyptian flies they are audacious and pestiferous in the ex- treme. When was gailoping at full speed they would light upon my face and stick there lke4so many lesches. believe they would fly for miles across the plains here. if they saw 8 man on horseback, in order to overtake him.
 Passing the Theater Francais, the Opera House, and some British barracks, filled principally with Scottish troops. left the Ismaihya quarter of the city, occupied mainly by Europeans, and plunged into the native city, the devious, crooked streets of which beggar description. Overhead the balconies of the harems projected so thaE often you could only see a ribbon of sky between them. a Think of having the second story of your neighbours house approach within six inches of your oWni But the lattices through which the inmates peep are so close together that aperson on donkey back can see nothing that is within. Soon l was in old Cairo, surrounded by gigantic ruins of great an- tiquitS. The most conspicuous Eemainsa
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