Morning journal and courier., 1893-05-01
A soJoURN IN RGYPr.

Annie Sperry, returned TO this city last
Wednesday from travel in Europe and
sojourn in Egypt, has some very interest
ing things to relate, Mr.. Sperry comes
back to the city after nearly five months in
foreign countries in the best Of health and
does not appear as though contrast with
the antiquity and mysticism of the re-
mains of the old Egyptian civilization had
at all dampsned the quality of his nature.
In speaking of his journey he said: "We
sailed from New York on Thursday, jan
uary 5, on the steamer Columbia of the
Hamburg packet line, bound for Gibraltar.
After short stop at this great military
stronghold we proceeded to Naples, where
we spent about ten days. Naples is the
metropolis of Italy and contains no less
than zoo, GOO souls. 1t appears to be grow
ing rapidly and It's prosperity Is said to be
much increased under new regime in Italy.
We visited several of the palaces, among
the most interesting of which is the Palazzo
Reale or Palace Royal. 1t is fine speci
men of old Italian architecture and is
built entirely Of marble. The Prince
Royal, son of King Humbsrt, lives In the
palace He Is in command of the troops
stationed at Naples. The great museum
of Naples, which is filled with a vast
number Of curiosities and objects of inter
est was also visited by Us. There is, how
ever, great deal or poverty at Naples,
and the streets are filled with beggars, for
made an excursion from here to the buried
city of Pompeii on the other side of the
beautiful bay of Naples and under the
shadow of Vesuviua. While here we
visited the house of Claucas, which lie
spoken of in Bulwer Lytton's famous novel
''The Last Days of Pompeii."
Everything here is In a most excellent
state of preservation, and as one walks
through the once busy streets where
now is heard only the sound of the
excavator's shovel, he is carried back
nearly eighteen and quarter centuries to
the time when Pompeii was busy mart Of
traffic and the second city in Italy.
"Lsaving behind us the silent streets oil
Pompeii and the beautiful Bay of Naples
we now proceeded by steamer to Alexan
andria, which is today the chief seaport
of Egypt and the center of an active trade
in the Mediterranean. We did not stay
here long, but soon went to Cairo, where
we spent some time. We were somewhat
disappointed In Cairo. We had expected
to fnd thoroughly oriental city, but IL
reality the city has become to large ex
tent English. 1t is very lively city
however, and great many different racer
are found here, among them Copts, Greeks
Nubians, Arabs, Bedouins and Egyptians
The merchants of the city are principally
Greeks, who are very shrewd at driving
bargain. You hear the English Language
oil 80
are particularly quick to pick it up. On.
little Arab boy kept lodging our step
everywhere we went. He bothered MS q
much that we told him to go away, but h,
still persisted. At last We asked him VIVA
he wanted and he said that he wanted tt
hear US speak English.
"We visited the mosque of Mohammet
Allah, which Is said to be the finest one il
Cairo. 1t is built of the marble which wa
| taken from the pyramids, and the beaut,
| of its interior is almost beyond description
| The beauty of the rich oriental architecture
is shown at It's best. The walls and floor
| are of the finest Syene marble and the rug
| on the floor are of richest Persian texture
"From Cairo We jeurneyed up the Nil
as far as the frat cataract at Philas. W,
at Gizeh, and were much impressed will
the stupendous and massive architecture
of these wonders of ancient Egypt. On
is rather disap pointed at first sight, and i
is some time before you can really take il
and comprehend their immense size.
"Continuing up the Nile we were mucl
impressed with the verdure and beauty O
the country. All there is of Egypt is wha
the Nile makes. A long green strip O
verdure varying in breadth from eight t.
| fifteen miles, with vast extents of deser
on both sides, is practically all there is O
that country, which bsen one of tn
greatest theaters of action in the world
| The line of demarcstion between vegetation
and the desert is plain and clearly define,
| as the line which marks off the ploughet
from the unplowed ground Beyond thi
| line of demarcation there is nothing bu
sand for hundreds and hundreds O
miles. But the valley Of the Nil
| itself is exceedingly fruitful, producing
! three crops per year. While we were tn
wheat Wa. just In the head. There is NJ
better wheat in the world than that o
Egypt. Ever since the time Of Joseph
has bsen called the gransry of the world
and 1t is worthy of the title. The othe
productions of the country are beans ant
the sugar cane.
"We made the journey as far as the frs
cataract in the steamer Rameses the Great
1t Is large twc-decker, with good SERVES
and excellent cuisine, and We made tn,
trip with all the comfort one could obtai1
many part of the world.
"The vicinity of Luxor, about 400 mile
above Cairo, Is rich in historic remains
Near here is the great temple of Karnsk
This is perhaps the largest temple in al
Egypt. An avenue of sphinxes leads III
| to the temple from the rivers edge TIL,
hall Of columns is BAT feet long and 20,
feet wide. There are twenty four columns
sixtyeight feet high, which seven men car
barely span around. There are 1876 othel
columns of fifty-six feet high. They ar.
covered with many of the mystic religious
symbols and signs of the old Egyptians
and the capitals are fine examples of thu
ancient art of Egypt. A ride of eleven o,
twelves from Luxor, through a country
where there is not the least particle Of
vegetation, brings you to the tomb o,
Thotmes cut out of the solid rock It il
walls are covered with paintings of great
beauty. The colors of the paints appear
to be preserved as well to-day as when
they were put on by the artists thousands
of years ago.
"The openings to the tombs are very spacious
horse to enter. The tomb of Rsmeses III is also
very interesting place to visit. Ancient Thebes
was formerly the metropolis of this region and
was considered at one time the most powerful
Just above the first cataract is the island Of
Phiiae, on which one of the most interesting
another interesting temple at Nineveh, which is
almost entirely covered with the nest of kind
of mud bee, which infests the region.
81 think the idea Of the incubator must have
originated in Egypt, as we noticed that all the
chickens were Matched by artificial methods.
The natives live in huts built out of mud bricks.
You can make brick out of any of the soil by
simply using straw and water. The straw is
their sorrow at the hands of Pharoah.
ION our return trip we sailed from Alexandria
to Brindisi in Italy, thence by rail to Naples
fr nePe ave we spen snort time then to Rome
Monte Carlo, then to Paris via Marseilles, from
there to London, then to Liverpool, whence we
sailed for New York.
''The Impressions given one by sojourn in
Egypt are deep enough to last one lifetime.
The beauty of the country itself with its green
fields watered by many primitive systems of IT.
rigation, the canals threading their way through
the land like silver cords, the grandeur and
magnif1cence Of the ancient ruins-remains of
civilization how ancient no man knows-and
above all the Nile, the giver, in ancient times
Worshlpped as deity and for countless genera;
blessing, all makes a country the like of which
there is no where in the world.
much more viii be s Written. Ths wort 81 eSca
waiting and discovery is going on all the time.
Egyptology Is to-day one Of the most interesting
fields for research for the hist orian In the world "
Mr.. Sperry has large number OF views OF the
places he visited, and he also showed several
scaracbi which are found in the tombs. They
are models of the beetle, which was considered
sacred by the Egyptians, and was regarded as
the emblem of Immortality. Many limitations
cult to distinguish them from the real.
There were three other members of the party