New Britain herald., 1923-08-29
Local Sailor Tells Herald Of His
Trip Into Two Egyptian Ports

thousand years. the Pharaohs fell
before the invading Hyksos Kings
who in their turn were driven out by
the Prince of Thebes from further
upthe Nile, This happened about
500 years before the Christian era.
A lexanders Appearance
The Persians swept over the coun-
try and Egypt passed under the rule
of succession of master nations,
more than three centuries before the
Christian Era. Alexander, the Great,
who was little more than twenty years
old, came to Egypt on his campaign of
conquest, and the city which he found
ed, Alexandria, became the most
famous Greek city of later civilization.
Here was built the great Pharos, or
Alexandria lighthouse, rated as one Of
the seven wonders of the world, and
here too was founded the magnificent
Alexandrian Library the foremost
treasure house of knowledge in the
ancient times, which boosted of 900,-
900 manuscript scrolls in julius Gaze
sar's time. Alexandria was captured
by the Arabs in the seventh century,
Their rule was marked principally by
the decline of the city and the de-
struction of the great library. the
Arabs declared that the library was
not needed as the Koran contained
all that human beings should know.
Pompey's Pillar-the sailors land
mark-was presumed to have been
erected by one of the Roman COVER
nors of Egypt twenty three centuries
ago. Unlike Cairo and vicinity Alex
andria has only this one intact land
mark handed down from her historic
past. The chief sights of Alexandria
include Pompey's Pillar, the cata-
combs of Kom- esh -shukafa. and the
of Greco-R oman Antiques.
Two small Sphinex have recently
been excavated and are now on ex-
hibition, one male and the other a
female The male wears his hair in
the form of Dutch cut and the fe-
males hair Is long and extends down
over her shoulders. We took a thirty
minute ride out to the British avia-
ton field where the famous naval
engagement known in history as the
Battle of the Nile in which Admiral
Nelson defeated Napoleon's fleet on
August /, 1898 was fought. The in
spiration for the poem THE boy stood
on the burning deck" came from an
incident which occurred in the Bay of
Aboukir.
Alexandria has some 100000 in
habitants and is divided into Moham-
medan and European quarters. Upon
landing there one is Immediately en-
quilted in a swarm of humanity com
posed of various types of orientals
clad in clothes of many colors, the |
of many nationalities most
of whom come from the countries
touching upon the Mediterrean. In
teresting among the races in this port |
are the Fallakeen - peasants and |
farmers of lower Egypt swarthy, i
sinewy, and with their thick black |
fringes of eyelashes. The Fellah is a
type worthy of more attention and
study, Turkey succeeded to the. ruler |
ship of Egypt shortly after the Napo- |
comic wars and the country remained
4 tributary state of the Turkish EN-
pire until 1914. ,.Et.,...
British Behind Khedive
The British Minister Plenipotenti- !
ary however was the Power behind |
he Khedive" during much of the time.
On December IS, 1914, a British Pro-
ectorate was declared over Egypt, /
and has remained so until very re-
emily when the Egyptians were given
control but still under the watchful |
eye of the British government which