The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-06-10
For the Farmer and Mechanic.
A RaieIghite in the Bullrush Re-
gion--More About Moses

can see the StraUncatlOn OF the limestone
in It's head, the softer strata wasting away
the harder remaining, the lower body
: covered with shifting sands. The pyra.
mids can be seen twenty miles OFT, anC
are situated on plateau 100 feet above
the l0wlapds, all have chambers in them
and We're intended and used for the in.
tcrment Of the kings who built them
and their wives The stone OF which
they were built vas brought from the
: Mokattam hills near Cairo, 6 miles off.
across the Nile, and the remains OF the
road running to the river is to be seen
: yet.
The Oldest obelisk in the world is al
Heliopolis Getty of the SUM.
, The best authority says twas old when
A braham went down into Egypt, is 6t
feet IN height only, and looks as bright as
q new pin, except where the bees have
covered it with mud, making honey cells.
Savans cannot agree as to the age OF
these wonders. According to Mariette
Bey, most skilled and learned French h
SaVan, the first dynasty was 5,004 years
old before Christ, the oldest era given
According to Lespins the oldest dnasty
was ,, 700 years Be, the youngest period
named. Now we see from commenta-
ries on the Bible, Abraham went down
into Egypt in the year 1898 B. c.; SO
that placing the figures at the lowest
estimate, Abraham was eight hundred
and two years after the first dynasty
According to Mariette, he went down
into Egypt 2,304 years after the first dy
nasty. In either case Egypt was quite
old. How many years elapsed before the
adoption OF dynasty, we cannot tell,
perhaps 1000 years, perhaps 10000
years. As the first dynasty rep
resents not barbcrous nation Just
beginning to merge from savagery,
but highly civilized empire. Herodo-
tus says circumcision was very old.
that it was question whether the
Egyptians Or the Nubians originated it.
Now the question is, did \ braham Dor
row this rite from the Egyptians: We
are inclined to think that he did. Here
at Ileliopolis was the Oxford of Egypt
here E5trabo and Ierodotus studied, here
! Dyonesins the Areopagite observed the
darkness that yelled the great sacrifice
on Calvary, and here Joseph was mar
red to the fair Asenath
OF the Temples | cannot speak except
in 4 general way, as there are so many
Of them, and nearly all built after the
same p4ttern-to see two or three, is
to see them all. OF the Labyrinth, the
most renowned, more so than the The ban
temples, nothing remains, in fact they
do not know The exact legation of it.
Herodotus wrote Of its amazing gran
dcur. Memphis is complete ruin with
nothing remaining. Aydos, Esneh.
EdfOu, karnak, Luxor and many others
show much grandeur, the @randest per
maps the world ever saw. Some OF the
columns are Il feet IL diameter and GO
feet high, most OF them of Mublan sand
stone. They did not know how to FASH
ion the arch. In some Of these temples
we see 10 columns, each with ii different
capital beautifully painted, yet all look
alike. 4 distinction without a difference.
They have yet, some ofthem to be eXca-
waited from the sand and earth that en-
closetheir lower POI tions. They are COW
cred with intaglio and raised figures of
kings, queens. priests mowers, animals,
birds, beasts, fishes, and even the starry
heavens and with hieroglyphics explain
ing the history Of the times. ETC.. etc.
In their excavations they are daily
making new discoveries.
are carved the exploits Of Ramses the
the Great faesostris Of the Biblel the
| Pharaoh who oppressed The Isfaelltes,
and who reigned some fourteen hundred
years before Christ, and of Meneptah
/ his successor the Pharaoh Of the Exc
dus. . VINO was drowned in the Red sea.
! The statue Of this latter Pharaoh has a
most pleasing appearance, as seen in
the museum of Boulak.
On the wall ola smaller temple hear by
are also to be seen the name and deeds
of Sheshonq, (Shishak of the Bible. who
reigned 1000 years before Christ, who
subdued judah and several places in the
dominion of RehOboam and Jeroboam,
and who besieged and captured Jerusa
lem > This Pharaoh and Meneptah are
also carved on a temple at Ianis,
Their canals are large and numerous
and cover the lowlands like net work,
used principally for irrigation, but also
for navigation. We saw several squads
of men raising the levees, and cleaning
out these canals as the river was low !;
they used no carts, hand or wheel-bar-
row, shovels or shades, simply digging
up the earth with mattocks, and with
their hands scooping it into basket,
which they carried off on their heads ,and
this near Cairo, where they can get all
kinds of agricultural implements.
The levees are numerous and high
enough to keep of a high Nile which in-
lures the crops, rise of eighteen feet is
lust right for the purpose Of irrigation
over % feet hurttul; the lateen sail only
is used, and in tacklng they do not shift
the sail in any manner, only using the
rudder. We see men astride the one long
ward furling and unlurling the sail, and
as some OF these Yards are 100 feet in
length sometimes. we see four men on
them at a time, a very slow and danger.
Gus business Anywhere else in the
world they would do this by simple
; process of block and tackle the lands
are the richest we ever saw. and ar
acriculturalist feels as if this must be
the most favored spot OH the globe fol
| his pursuit, notwithsta tanding the want o
rain. The people live almost entirel,
on radishes, onions, cucumbers, and othe
vegetables, and are very fond Of lettuce
: which they frequently carry about Will
j them. stripping Off the the leaf and eat
ing only the white stems without an,
!. condment 8he little girls gather al
the manure they can find and make
}, into thin cakes, dry it on the embank
ments, frequently sticking it on the side
of their houses to dry, and carry
Il around when dried in baskets on thei
+; heads, and sell it for fuel. This seem
|, to be their principal occupation.
l. Hawks are very tame and nest on th
| houses, very similar in size to our gos;