Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1890-02-14
LETTER FROM EGYPT.
The City OF Alexandria, Its History
and Objects of Interest.

ALEXANDRIA, January 10th, 1890
Special correspondence Of the DIS
ERET NEws.l-On the narrow striI
Of land that separates the Mediter
ranean from the two meters lowe
lake NIareois is situated Alexan
dria, the chief seaport, and the mex
greatest city Of the land Of the an
Gent fharaohs. In its present as
Poets none Of the PharaOhs would
lie able to recognize it were they
te-leave their mummies and visit II
with other tourists, so completely
changed is it from what it formerly
was, bat, contrary to many Of the
renowned cities Of the Orient,
changed FOR the better.
The inhabitants Of Alexandria
are estimated AT 10000, Of whom
not less than $4,000 are foreigners,
FRENCH Italians and Greeks. The
trade Is almost exclusively in the
hands Of the Greeks, and / have
heard it said that even where n
Jew would be at a less to make a
Ewing, a Greek is sure to grow rich.
That the trade OF this place is CON
siderable can be concluded from the
number Of v.-evls that constantly
nll the harbOr and uaiiy pass out
and in- In 1854 the imports
amounted to the value OF 7lS mill
lions Of piastsrs against an export
Of 1888 millions. The articles OF ex-
Port are chiefly cotton, cotton seed,
cereals and sugar.
Monumental buildings Of excellent
tnternationaD architecture, statues.
eohee, houses French style), gas
lights, waterpipes, and theatres-
these give 10 Alexandria an air of
the Oeeident strong and pleasant
enough, after all, TO make one for
get that one is still in the Orient.
Ice foundation Of Alexandra |
Is due 10 Alexander the Great. from
whom the city has its name. Ac-
cordlDg to tradition, this monarch /
hal \ dream. An old man appeared |
and cited TO him the following verse
rom Homer: some of the Islands
lies in the far-reaebing current.
Before the river fsgyptos. and Pha-
us, so is 1t named" (Od. ~: 54-55.
Acting on the inspiration Of this
!ream, he founded opposite the
slanc, cicse by the Egyptian village
takoti. Il new fortified city. This
vas in the year 3Sl &c. Into the
lands Of oneDinocrates the work was
.lyen. The situation is excellent.
The currents Of the sea, which carry
way vast quantities of the evacua-
ions OF the Nile, filing the bays of
'yria and destroying the harbors.
ave Alexandria untouched. and
he has, therefore, great advantage
5 Z maritime point. Ptnlemeus
otter, or perhaps his son, Ptolemeus
conceived the idea Of
the island OF Pharos
nth the main land by n KIM Of
ridge, 1.-THE so-called Hrptastadium
he harbor was thereby divided in
no. asrit Is ioday-Port Neuf and
ort Sieux. But where was origi-
ally only anarrUw connecting link
etween the island and the main
nd there Is now 1900 metres wide
rip OF land, made up from ruins Of
ie ancient city, IN the top Of which =
le Turkish portion Of the present !
ty has been built. On the eastern :
'tremity Of the island once stood =
at great lighthouse, $50 metr-s 4
On, which was counted among the =
Ven wonders Of the ancient world. n
I'd from which the name "Pharus,, n
Is been transferred to modern <
'uctures erected for similar pur- .
ses. i.e p
Alexandria, like the whole Orient q
5 history, some pages of which IL
E yeryi stormy, indeed. 20 When oil
Ie2alhier was dead, his general,
olemeus Lagi, became the ruler oil
Egypt aud made the young CITY o
capital. During his reign, and in
o during his immediate success tu
IS, Alexandria fiourished and he cl
ne the most important city in the er
rid, the centrum Of commerce and of
eek learning. But con.entions ID
tut the throne followed. The ia
mans found cause 10 interfer,. eli
nus caesar took the city, but the CO
pie hesieged him, and sanguine m
lgglss ensued, during which the ce
rary OF the museum was DESTROYED to-
lire. An.onius, who had won tn
heart Of Cleopatra latter C;esorl ab
who led a voluptuous life In IN. no
.utliul ely for years, tried to th,
lnp the wounds Of the wars ana Or
aght ANEW collection Of books hi:
? the destroyed libraIy. Alex, tn,
ria, however, became from this cit
c the scene Of repeated insurrec- sta
Is There were many Jews re- brl
ng there, and theses ifanxi-
TO hasten their own destruction tax
instantly caused some Disturb thi
e or other. The Emperor Ua-
N, some TO years A. u. com
ms About them in a letter 10
Wan, that the Alexandrines were
nterprisiDg, but disIoyal. re- Fol
lous, good-for nothing set. Cara
q, I'll A. d., took a rearful re-
sc for some attempted rebellion.
Killed a great number Of the in =
lslnts and destroyed their public
dings., rf5r
lristianity had quite early taken
> IN Alexander, probably Es s
ugh the lnbors Of the evangelist We.
K. In the second century the san
had bishop and soon became 70
entrai point of the Christian osd
rches.- IL must be noticed, how ogd
that Christianity itself did not Dor eeII
anything from being planted Pan
his soil-s The school OF AIexan- Son,
soon gave way TO the error OF s1 ~,
ying the doctrines Of Plato 10 be
iospel, and, later, to the expert Bins
I Of fittiug Scripture into the ro W
'ot Aristotle, claiming for their Ala