CAIRO.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 6688, 23 September 1882, Page 3

CAIRO.

Mr J. Kingston, in bis recently-published work, “ The Australian Abroad,” has given a most lively and interesting account of what he saw in Egypt. He has, in the second volume of his work, six chapters on Egypt, and from the chapter entitled the “ Khedive’s City ” our extracts are taken.

The title of “ Grand ” ia not inappropriately affixed to Cairo, which city of the Khedive, and in which he is everything, is a most confusing one altogether in its mixture of things ancient and modern. I had read about Egypt much as most folks had, and forgotten it also. Of its modern history I knew it was a dependency of Turkey, and once governed by a Viceroy, whose descendant now strangely called himself “ Khedive ” —a indicating a position next only to King or Queen, like that of a knave. Also that its capital had pyramids near to it from which forty centuries looked down, and a river about one end of which there had always been much mystery. All that I knew about it was, however, as nothing, of which I felt rather glad. This Cairo has, I now find, 500,000 of folks in it—males, females, and eunuchs—French, Germans, Turks, Arabs, English, Copts, Egyptians, proper and improper—with estrays from all countries. It has no general newspaper and no police to speak of—offering in that way facilities not often met with for the commission of crime, and for escaping the consequences. In aspect it is something like Edinburgh, in having a tall high-planted citadel at hand, from which the city can bo overlooked and views impressive in their strangeness be seen on all sides of it. Like Edinburgh, too, it has an old and a new town, and they show a great difference in characteristics, especially in width of streets. Those of the old town are fire feet, or two donkeys, wide only, but those of the new one are never less than 100 feet, and often much more. About the new part of Cairo there is much that is French-like, and indeed the French themselves have a good footing amongst the 500,000 of its folks. The great square Esbeekeeyeb, which is more than half a mile in length and breadth, bas]'several rotundas in it, in which bands play afternoon and evening. Its public garden is tastefully laid out. From a rustic tower there, built with galleries to its second and third stories, a good look around can be obtained at the place and the people—the men with the fez, or red-covered beads, and the women with yashmak-covered faces, pinkstained nails, and blackened eyelids. The grand hotel initiated by the Khedive for crushing those conducted by the subjects stands opposite the square. Around it are the fashionable drive and best buildings in the city. In front of .the new hotel rnns the road to Shoobra—a suburb seme few miles distant. Driving to Shoobra is the fashionable thing to do at about the hour at which folks turn out for similar purposes in Rotten Row, London, the Maidahn of Calcutta, and Posillipo-road at Naples, Adown this drive the acacia, sycamore, and mulberry trees form pleasant shelter on either, side. Between them are to be seen every description of vehicle and people. The example set by the Khedive affects the whole community. The carriages of the occupants of his many palaces half fill this drive of an evening, and it being the correct thing to do, all the fast people of the place, and they are mostly that way given, follow suit. The *' bazaars ” are the streets of the old town. These narrow avenues are some of them devoted to special trades—the jewellers having one or two all to themselves. They are interesting places in spite of the crowded state to which their narrow limits always subject them. In these bazaars the keepers of the little shops sit cross-legged behind their wares, and mostly beguile their time by smok ing. The best of their goods are not exhibited, but kept on the shelves withiu boxes and wrappings.

Cairo is all mosques, and their pretty minarets help greatly to make picturesque the city. The call to prayer comes sometimes from the priest at the door, and at others from one higher, situated iu the balcony of the minaret. The latter is usually found to be a blind man. In the early morning this “ Come to prayer—prayer is better than sleep! ” sounds strikingly on the ear in the then quietude of the city. At night it is much drowned by other noises, amongst which the barking of dogs is not the least. In one of the oldest of these buildings lam shown the footprint of Mahomet,- which is here carefully preserved among the surrounding tombs. It has got widened and deepened with the kisses of countless believers, and is now out of all foot-shape and size. At the foot of the eitadei standsjthe mosque of all mosques of Cairo—a splendid alabaster building,' requiring 100 carpets to jover its floor. Taking off one’s shoes to enter was a matter of respect- nothing out of the way. From the roof hapg, an endless number of chains, to which b'n occasions lamps are sispended. Seen without ;the. lamps to them, these chains look strange things in the place, and nowise ornamental. One has to move about very carefully not to fall over the many devotees here to be seen about in prostrate positions. After visiting this Mosque of Hassen and that of -Mahomet’s footprint, curiosity about mosques is quite satisfied, and the other 200 or 300 scattered about the city can be left to other visitors. A shilling is slippers to .infidel feet these places. - Here from the citadel, all of Cairo, and far around, is to be seen as by a bird—all its minarets and domes, as also the tombs of the Sultans, Caliphs, and the endless unnamed of Egypt, whose graves are here strewn about. On one eide is seen the green land of Goshen in all its beauty, and on the other the fay stretching sands of the desert, with the everlasting Pyramids -that are now so plainly visible. Away over there the dragoman points to an pillar as the one remaining obelisk of Heliopolis—the “On”-of the Scriptures, which was visited by Abraham. Cleopatra’s Needles, he tells me, were at the time companions of that now solitary pillar. There are only one or two views finer of the kind than that to be so had from this citadel. On the way back I am shown the bouse, in which the Holy Family dwelt for two years, when they fled hither, to avoid the slaughter of the first-born. The family which are now here consist only of fleas, that are more alarmingly aggressive than elsewhere. The Coptic Church makes nothing of these holy places. The Church of Rome would have taken care that a fine chapel was erected over such a shrine. Twice I went to visit the museum at Cairo, and would have, gone again .and again had time served, I, came away from it each day with increased respect for the earlier people of this wonderful Egypt. They knew much more, very much more, than we credit them with, and had a higher civilisation and more of the benefits of it than we imagine. Half the instruments we have invented, and specially the surgical ones, were common to , the old Egyptians. . They knew- all about navigation, and discovered the Cape route and the land that it lead to, some three thousand years before the Portugese took honors for doing likewise. They had scriptures, sacred books, written before Confucius, Buddha, Moses, or Mahomet ever penned a line—of which books there are copies extant to this day. They kept the seventh day as sacred as we do, and named. In our fashion, the other six from the heavenly bodies. They had convents and lady superiors. Their priests were ordained by those who acted as do onr bishops, and were something similarly dressed. These were the people who made the neighboring Heliopolis a combined Cambridge and Oxford for learning, and Egypt a laud to which even Greece came to learn its letters. Of all which, and a quire-full more, there is evidence in this Cairo museum, as there is in the museums of other lands. Egypt has done largely, indeed, in the way of museum-furnishing.