The Norfolk Virginian. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 186?-189?, 1895-03-27
A GREAT CONTRAST NOTED
The Cape Voyage, Which Thackeray
Took, and the So-called Overland
Route and the Suez Canal Way.
Interesting Features of
the Latter.

ray, himself an East Indian by birth
was sent to England. as q child, but he
came by'way Of tho capu of Good Hope
md st. Helena and caught "a glimpse
offthe exiled Napoleon. There ,lnust be
yetaa iow'perSons living who recall the
time when Thaclleray 'ssvoyage was tho
one everybody made.in going from. In
dia to England, and there are, of course
thousands thatYhayeAmade tho caravan
journey, % 1t is only n quarter of cen
fury eince'tho opening Of tho SueH ca
nal. That last oven Inns done moro than
any other ono thing to make life in
British India enClnrable, for the cutting
OF the canal has reduced the journey
!homo to'a fortnight loss and brought
thesround triprticket down to $50. Tho
,pricesone waysby the caravan route WAS
.,sl2a. just about the cost of trip
around tho'Morldfin our'day. Thacko.
rays jouincy-was 4 2natter of months,
Colonel Newcomers a,mntter of weeks,
shat.of.the East Indian now matter of
days
'Atautenant Waghorn was the man
TO lay down and establish tho caravan
route. 1t soon became regular freight
andpnssenger line. twas from Suoa To
CaiEo,Aa distance of 30 miles, usually
1nadein about thrco days. Tho freight
was'carried on the backs Of camels, and
thespesseil2ers rodo in Il rude diligence
drawn by mules Thoretworo caravan
,saries every five miles, whore the mules
were changed, and ut some Of those
there WAS food TO be had. The great
atandhywas 'spatohcock. When the ma
uvesaii2chargo OF u caravnnsary spiod
;aniapptoaching caravan, sthoy instantly
rushed out, caught. some fowls, wrung
their necks, and All hour later served
them, scarce dead to tho travellers;
hence thenamo spatchcooll. That jour
ney across tho desert was most trying
10 women and children, and the railroad
from Suo2 to Cairo in 1859 was hailed
as a,vast Improvement over tho caravan
method Of travel.
Zen years later camu tho canal. The
digging of tho canal practically de-
stroyeq Suez, for tho port is some dis
fance from tho city, aud'a busy town
with a large hotel and many small ones
has baon transformed into.a dust heap
in the desert The.c.nal, in DESTROYING
one town, built up tho others, for Port
iSald and Ismailia arc creatures of the
canal. The former used tobo one Of tho
worst places Oh earth. and. at ordinary
times one of tho dullest. Tho vicious
Levantinos, Of all eastern races. and
tho equally vicious Europeans from ov-
cry part of the continent seemed to
wake into activity only at tho approach
OF ship. Then dancehouscs, gambling
hells and every sort of evil resort opened
wide their doors to tho delayed traveller.
iPerhaps 1t Is better now, or POSSIBLY
worse, for IN these daysSa single COM
pany paysimoro than 81, 600, 600 n year
IN tolls, and there is an almost contin-
nous procession of: ships through tho
canal.
The Suez canal,is in some respects
she most. wonderful waterway i'll tho
world. As soon as tho traveller enters it
tha realizes'that ha is IL tho hands of tho
French. AFrench speaking pilot takes
possessionsof the ship, and all. officers of
the canai.aro Fronchnen. The cares. or
Jturnouts, where q ship waits TO let an
other pass i'll tho charge of old
tTench soldiers, and il is charming to
see how, they beautify their arid sur
iroundlnSs. When the sand Of the desert
is Tatered, it almost bursts with bow
ers. and at every gare are neatly paint
ed little htnse and u blooming garden,
while grass edges the canal, and tho
Sreariest region on earth is transformed
by French thrift. Ono of the most in
teresting sights to the canal in early
days was; to see one ship meet another.
GIhe passengers on. each crowded for
ward with greetings and the waving Of
handkerchiefs. and there woro tears
from tho outward bound at the thought
iof whatthe :honeward bound were soon
10 see The meeting of ships is now no
longer novelty. ! once encountered
the KhediTe Tewifk's yacht, with his
lharem on board, rs we passed through
the canal. OF course we caught no
glimpse of the ladies, but Tewdl, and
DE Lesseps, who was his guest, came
out on the SPONSOR beam to greet us.
and we manned the yards with native
sailors in honor of the two.
Tho canal passage is made in from
~ to "a hours. and since the use of
powerful electric lights has made llipht
navigation i'll the canal possible tho
Journey from England to India is made
with few serious delays. 1t used to be
that all the coal for ships traversin.
the Red sea was carried across the 18TH
mus on the backs of camels Ships now
only D. d.