EGYPT AN& PALESTINE

New Zealand Times, Volume LII, Issue 12151, 30 May 1925, Page 14

EGYPT AN& PALESTINE

KING TUT-ANKH-AMEN’S TOMB

.VISITED BY DR. CIOWLES. In New Zealand at “present is Dr. George Hilford Cowles, LL.D., who for the past 25 years has been doing evangelistic work on the five continents, and who for nearly 20 years was in the New South Wales Conference. _ Dr. Cowles has on three occasions visited Egypt, and possibly is one of the first visitors to the tomb of King Tut-ankh-amen, to subsequently come to New Zealand In an interview Dr. Cowles stilted that on the first occasion he visited Egypt, in 1879, he met General Gordon, Who was then on hie way to the Sudan, sent by the British Government for the purpose of straightening out the finances of that country. On hiS second- visit Dr. Cowles found that during the period of the British occupancy Egypt hod been wondetfillly transformed. The fellaheen, or farm-: ere, were happy and prosperous, and attributed their prosperity wholly to the administration dr the pro-consul, Lord Cromer, than whom there has never been a wiser organiser in Egypt. The last visit of Dr. Cowles wag 18 months ago, when the Egyptian Government gave him permission to visifc all the ancient tombs and monuments in. Egypt. He spent some considerable time in Luxor, Karnak, and Thebes. He also visited, the tomb of Tut-ankh-amen, at the time when Lojd Carnarvon and Mr Howard Carter were engaged in the work of excavating. The doctor has seen most, if not all, of the valuables taken out of the tomb. These valuables approximate in value about 17 million pounds. Touching upon the political situation/ Dr. Cowles said that the whi'e acknowledging the splendid rule of the British, were of opinion that the time had come when they should have the authority to govern, promising that the interests of the Suez Canal should he protected. While in Egypt, Dr. Cowles saw the Nationalist leader, Zaghlul Pasha, who hud 'just been released from banishment. He was accorded a -reat welcome by over 200,000 people, who paraded the streets of Cairo acclaiming him as their deliverer and saviour. The remainder of Dr. Cowles’s journey through Palestine was very inter/, esting. He found that the Arabs and Jews were greatly hostile, the Arabs numbering 740,000, out of a total population of HO,OOO. There was very great dissatisfaction abouf, the Balfour Declaration and the appointment of Sir-Herbert. Samuel, the High Commissioner, who is not only a Jew, bat a Zionist, ,and the doctor’s contention has always been that Sir Herbert Samuel should resign, and a Gentile be placed in hia stead. This has since happened, and the only point of contention now is the Balfour Declaration, and if the British Government will withdraw this it will give the greatest satsfaction to the Arab population, and will be in the interests of universal peaoe.