The Bennington banner. [volume] (Bennington, Vt.) 1858-1894, 1889-03-14
NUMBER 8.
IN TIE LAND OF EGYPT.
Approach TO Alexandria.-Her Defense
Glimpse of the City OF the Sum- Donkey
BOys.-Cairo and the Region Of Q Nile.

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt.
When the Juniata, on her recent cruise
around the world OF which l have al
ready begun telling you, reached Alex
andria, she found an array of war YES
sells that was really startling. There
were the great iron-clads of England,
France and Germany, and of other Eu-
ropean nations, with their guns all
trained and in readiness. watching
down-trOdden Egypt as she lay strug
Cling in the sand, or at least eyeing the
movements of each other pretty sharply.
1t was royal welcome that we had
from the mouths of their cannon, when
we dropped anchor in the harbor and
sent our salute booming over the water.
with the stars and stripes telling the
story of our nationality. We had no
poor Egyptian bones to pick, no battles
to fight, no cities to lombard. and no
desire to see anything but fair play and
good fellowship.
The approach to Alexandria is dreary
enough. A few forts, lighthouses and
buildings on the shore mark the entrance
to the harbor. There is nothing I'M
pressive in the first view of the city.
After sighting land, an interminable
space of time seems to be required for
the vessel to reach port, She keeps
sailing and sailing, and still the low
stretches of shore skirt the horizon.
The entrance to the harbor is narrow
and difficult, requiring considerable
skill and tact, on the part of the pilot. to
direct the ships course with safety. The
great obstacle encountered by naviga-
tors is an immense sand bar, which it is
impossible to pass with adverse winds,
| aOmntipnuc 1alav ,,f ,uaoly
while they wait casting about for an op-
portunity to enter. Within the bar two
breakwaters of artificial stone have been
constructed, forming an inner and an
outer harbor of great security.
The outer breakwater is a mile in
length, at the head of which stands fort
Rag-el-Tin and a palace bearing the
same name, both of which suffered Sc
verely during the British bombardment
a few years since. At that time the de-
tenders stood by their guns heroically,
un il the last one was disabled and dis
mounted. In front of the city, and in a
position for admirable defense, is the
island of Pharos with its lighthouse
tower and fort, which, however, with
the assistance of another fort on the op-
posite side of the entrance, failed in the
siege to keep the hostile fleet at bay,
and was terribly battered.
Alexandria is city of decidedly mod
ern appearance, despite its antiquity,
most of whose buildings are OF stone.
Mosques and temples, bazaars and some
, fine residences give character to its i'm
/ pressive architecture. The better por-
tion occupied by the foreign residents,
which was mobbed and burned by the
, natives in the summer of 1882 and which
during our visit was in state of ruin,
. is bui around large square that is
called Pace ne Mahamet Ali, formerly
beautiful park, Alexandria will be
, remembered as the place from which
Cleopatra's famous obelisks were taken,
not without opposition on the part of the
Egyptians, one to England and the other
to New York. Among the monuments
of interest is Pompey's Pillar, a granite
, shaft of grace and beauty standing on a
slight eminence near the city, which
furnishes many fee to the Obtrusive
, donkey boys who infest the city.
Immediately upon landing you art
I surrounded by these street Arabs, who
compare not unfavorably with an old
' time Niagara hackman. and are given nc
r peace of mind, unless it be piece oil
e their own mental product, until you
| consent to take donkey, no matter how
r small he may be. The length Of Iht
: riders legs is Of no account. He is tur
e nished with stirrnps. to be sure, bu
I they are fastened to the ends of a straE
I hat passes over the animals back. i
( you bear more heavily on one side thar
On the other. as in turning a corner sud
{ denly, you are apt to experience a change
| in ha nF nra u a i0ly lv
/, The donkey boy can run along by the
| side of his charge all day without appar.
ent fatigue. He is not wanting in the
r various devices and arts that are sup
, posed to belong to the gammin of Amer.
, ica. His genius is inexhaustible, Know.
ing that an American vessel is in port, he
r will give to his donkey a name that will
, appeal tJ patriotic sentiment. Here il
n an ugly looking beast, but the boy says
, "he very fast, name George Washing
! ton :" this one good donkey, name
q Yankee Doodle :" and this one ''strong
emphasizes with string of oaths thai
n would make professional blush.
h If you desire less plebeian turnout
0 than that which an Egyptian donkey
I affords, the aristOcratic camel with al
= It's JIdppluko 10 db 1OuI stENlCt. lUt
!. awkward beast and the endless joltint
' gait soon weary The rider, who gladly
exchanges for the more even.going anC
/. hardy donkey, which subserves SO many
purposes in the East.
From Alexandria a ride of one hun
: dred and thirty miles, which may b.
!. made over a modern railroad, takes ont
to the city of Cairo. The country be
:. tween the two cities is perfectly flat, ,anC
4 at the time of our visit was under irri
/, cation by very curious and primativI
devices for carrying the water from
q field 10 field. All the land. running bacl
4 sumo distance from the Nile which il
q June oveIflOws its banks and mandates
' the whole country, is under cultivation
> The work in the fields is done with buf
y faloes, which are large COW shaped ami
\ mails with straight horns extending
IL backward and with hide, although
e brown, resembling that of the elephant
. For overland transportation donkey
Il and camels are used.
; The city contains much that IS inter
, esting in the eyes of stranger. Her,
II are several palaces for the use of tn,
u Khedive, the elegance of which may &C
u count for some of the money borrowed
y abroad. There are numerous mosques
n many of them beautiful, on entering
4 which the visitor removes his shoes OF
draws over them pair of canvas slip
/. pers provided for that purpose, that b,
2 may not profane the holy place. Her,
!, are large stone building for the bura
: of various notables, the most importan
n being the Tombs of the Mamelukes thu
y Caliphs, and the Khedives. The buria
j places of the individuals in the Tombi
!; are built of rough stone or brick upor
\ the floor, which are invested with al
0 the sacred offices. In that of the Khe
!, dives an hundred priests are engaged il
= constant prayer for the departed rulers
y As Cairo is situated on the banks o.
the Nile, which is here a wide and slug
gish stream. the waters of the river fur
nish delightful opportunities for sailing
Elegant pleasure boats, carrying i'm
mense sails and provided with all tn,
comforts, glide about at your service
Many travellers avail themselves of tn,
pleasures of sail up the river in tn,
dahabeyas, as these barges are called
and while away a few hours in tn,
dreams Of the by-gone splendors o.
Egypt
Here, as well as in Alexandria, yol
! may easily obtain the services of guides
known as dragomen, who show all sort
of recommendation from those whom
, they have served. Thcy will take entir,
charge of party for a stated sum, ,whict
. covers all expenses, including the eter
E nal of bsckshish with which the for
y eigner is tormented. Backshish is no
only tip, but persistent appeal for
fee made by anyone at whom you may
b look twice.