w 
 
 
V 
 
 
 ( • 
 
 I 
 
 5 - 
 
 I 
 
 > 
 
 4 
 
 J 
 
 y 
 
 i 
 
 - 
 
 V ’’• 
 
THE SHADOW. 
 
LETTERS EROM EGYPT 
 
 TO 
 
 Plain Polks at Home. 
 
 7 
 
 MARY l/wHATELY, 
 
 Author of "Ragged Life in Egypt,” “ Among the Huts,” etc. 
 
 WITH FOUR ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 SEELEY, JACKSON, HALLWAY, FLEET STREET, 
 LONDON. MDCCCLXXIX. 
 
 — mn 
 
 \_All Rights Reserved. \ 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 LETTEE PAGE 
 
 I. Introductory . . . .1 
 
 II. A Little about Old Egyptians . 10 
 
 III. The River . . . .21 
 
 IV. The Gardens of Egypt . . 34 
 
 V. The People . . . .56 
 
 VI. The People — continued . . 70 
 
 VII. What they Eat . . .79 
 
 VIII. Superstitions . . . .89 
 
 IX. Slavery as it is in Egypt . .107 
 
 X. The Village . . . .134 
 
 XL Town Life . . . .156 
 
 XII. The House of Mirth . . . 180 
 
 XIII. The House of Mourning . . 205 
 
 XIV. Nile Trips .... 222 
 
 XV. About the School . . . 240 
 
 XVI. Conclusion .... 258 
 

 
 
 
 I 
 
 
 
 
 >': -.‘. 
 
 
 .aT 7 v;’r>: (..■ 
 
 ,_j.._. - r I 
 
 I 
 
 . : ''<■ 
 
 
 .; : .-aCi \ '"uv; 
 
 ■ ' :•?« 
 
 t % 
 
 >,-v^ I'lHi 
 
 
 
 '. f/%' '"■ •' ’■{■ •• W" .■*• ■ 
 
 ■ , '■>\^»< 
 
 ' , i^:,..,, ' ‘ ■■ ' ‘ 
 
 ; all ';A;- '■- ‘ •^*^; ■' - 
 
 . . « ^.■;. Au i vi' a 
 
 ; , . . ., ^ • 
 
 / ! . M A) ' 
 
 T'lr/U'll '- • 
 
 •. , ■■ • . :7i ' c'-i'VT .-/I 4 :- 
 
 .. , ■ ..,;7 ; ■' '> • r/ 
 
 ■ IM.V: ' 
 
 
 v<^ 
 


 \ 
 
 I 
 
 V' 
 
 * 
 
 
 V ■ 
 
 « 
 
 
 . V- 
 
 i 
 
 
LETTERS FROM EGYPT 
 
 TO PLAIN FOLKS AT HOME. 
 
 LETTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 My good Friends, — 
 
 By God’s providence I have been led to settle 
 in this distant land, and can hut seldom visit Eng- 
 land ; however, I do not forget friends there, and 
 often think, not only of those I know personally, 
 but also of the poor, for whom I always have felt 
 great interest, particularly the old people and the 
 children. One day it came to my mind that I might 
 do some little good to old folks at home — and per- 
 haps to the young, too — in spite of being so far off, 
 and having a large school to look after, and several 
 other things ; and this was my idea: — that I would 
 write some simple familiar accounts of the land 
 
 1 
 
9 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 of Egypt where I dwell, w^hicli might he useful 
 and pleasant to some whose pleasures are hut few, 
 and which might lead such as are praying Chris- 
 tians (and I believe there are many such to be 
 found in humble abodes) to join with me in ask- 
 ing the Lord to let the Gospel light shine into 
 this land where there is so much of ignorance 
 and darkness and false belief. These letters would 
 then be like the links of a chain between the dark 
 Egyptian labouring among the sugar canes on the 
 banks of the river Nile, and the praying English 
 cottager over the sea ! 
 
 There are indeed so many books about Egypt 
 already, that some may think another was not 
 wanted, but most of the learned and historical 
 books would not suit any one who had not received 
 an advanced education, and many are very diffi- 
 cult to understand even for those who have had 
 this ; the others are chiefly written by travellers, 
 and are in language too flne for simple persons, 
 besides which, being written in general by those 
 who were ignorant of the language of the country, 
 and who had only stayed a short time there, 
 they are apt to be full of mistakes and incorrect 
 notions. 
 
 I have lived a great many years here, and my 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 business has been among the people, especially the 
 poor, and the children. I began to study the 
 language as soon as I arrived, and am accustomed 
 to converse in it with different classes of the peo- 
 ple, and also to visit them and receive them in 
 my turn, so that I can tell you a good deal about 
 their ways and habits. 
 
 But before we begin to speak about the Egyp- 
 tians of the present day we must first understand 
 something about the country itself, and its former 
 inhabitants. 
 
 All who study their Bibles know that Egypt is 
 there spoken of very frequently ; indeed, except 
 Canaan, the promised land, no other place is so 
 frequently alluded to in Scripture. The first time 
 we hear of it is in the twelfth chapter of Genesis, 
 where we find Abraham going to sojourn in Egypt 
 on account of the famine in Canaan, and afterwards 
 we have the history of Joseph’s captivity, leading 
 to the settling of his family there and the sufferings 
 of the children of Israel under Pharaoh. There are 
 very ancient histories and records of the Egyptians, 
 many of which are of peculiar interest as confirming 
 the Scripture accounts ; not that the word of God 
 needs the histories of uninspired man to prove its 
 truth, but that it is very curious and beautiful to 
 
4 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 see that the more learned men search into the re- 
 cords of the past, the more clearly do the accounts 
 given in the Bible stand out. To give one instance out 
 of many, some very old writings on stone were dis- 
 covered in the ancient Egyptian characters (or pic- 
 ture letters), and when the meaning was after much 
 trouble made out, they found it alluded to the great 
 famine, when people from all countries came to buy 
 corn in Egypt.* The old Egyptians were idolaters, 
 and though in many things they were a very clever 
 people, they were foolish as well as wicked in this, 
 and made idols of every possible material ; some of 
 stone so large that they seemed to represent giants 
 of the most enormous size; others so small that 
 they could be carried in the pocket or round the 
 neck, and these were often carved out of agates or 
 cornelians and other rare polished stones ; others 
 again .were made of a curious sort of blue pottery, 
 others of copper; they are still found in the sand 
 in the places where the ancient people of the land 
 used to bring their dead and have their idolatrous 
 temples. They also worshipped many animals ; 
 monkeys, cats, beetles, were all revered, but the 
 hull was considered especially sacred, because they 
 fancied one of their chief gods had taken the form of 
 
 * See Genesis xlii. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 5 
 
 a bull, and they kept many of these creatures in 
 sacred enclosures, gave them divine honours, and 
 actually buried them in coffins of polished marble, 
 having first embalmed their bodies, — which means 
 to wrap them up in linen with quantities of 
 spices, and then bake by very slow heat in 
 ovens. I have seen these marble coffins, and 
 have often picked up the whitened bones of the 
 sacred bulls in the sand in a place where once 
 a great city and splendid temples are believed to 
 have stood. 
 
 The golden calf made by Aaron to please the 
 children of Israel was no doubt made in imitation 
 of the Egyptians among whom the people had 
 lived so long, and of their sacred bulls : the in- 
 spired Psalmist, in holy anger at the profane and 
 wicked action, says, So they turned their glory 
 into the similitude of an ox which eateth hay.” 
 
 It is sad to think of a people so learned and 
 clever in many respects, being so darkened in 
 mind as to religion ; for in the arts of life they 
 were far more advanced than the nations of Europe, 
 who at that early time were mostly quite barbarous 
 and savage in their customs, and ignorant of much 
 that was quite familiar to the Egyptians. While 
 our own ancestors were living in wretched huts 
 
6 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 built of reeds, with neither books nor public 
 buildings, and scantily clad in the skins of beasts, 
 the Egyptians had built long before stately palaces 
 for their kings, and temples for their idols, of solid 
 stone, so strong that, after so many hundreds of 
 years, a great part still remain ; and though in 
 ruins, some of the great pillars are quite perfect. 
 They carved inscriptions on the walls of these 
 buildings, and on pillars of granite or marble, and 
 on the images of their gods. Their writing was 
 very curious, consisting not of letters as with us, 
 but of signs like small pictures, each sign express- 
 ing a word. Some of these signs were remarkably 
 ingenious, and showed much thought and wisdom. 
 For instance, an eye was used as a sign of 'the 
 all-seeing power of God ; for it seems they had 
 some little idea of a Supreme Power, although a 
 very indistinct and imperfect idea. But as I have 
 already said, they worshipped various living crea- 
 tures, as well as the idols they made with their 
 own hands. Their priests and learned men are 
 believed to have first taught that the Divine Spirit 
 entered into certain animals, and that others were 
 emblems or signs of the Divine Power ; and by 
 degrees the emblems came to be looked on as 
 real deities of an inferior order, and thus received 
 
INTRODUCTOKY. 
 
 worship. Those Christian Churches that teach men 
 to pay worship and honour to angels and saints, 
 and to bow before images of them, or of our Lord 
 Himself, are falling into the same kind of sin as 
 the ancient Egyptians ; it is true that a holy man 
 or woman who lived long ago is very different 
 from a calf or a beetle, but the difference is in 
 the degree^ not in the kind of sin. God has told 
 ns in plain words not to bow down before anything 
 or any person in heaven above or earth beneath, 
 so that if we disobey in this matter we are breaking 
 the commands of onr Creator as truly as the old 
 Egyptian. 
 
 But the bull was not the only animal which 
 was honoured by tombs and special burying-places, 
 though none was so highly thought of and re- 
 vered. I once visited an ancient burial-place for 
 sacred cats, and actually saw in the pit many 
 bundles of linen brown with age, which contained 
 the bones of the dead pussies ! These when ex- 
 posed to the open air were apt to crumble and 
 turn into dust, but when first found were in 
 good preservation, the pit or cave being in dry 
 sand, and the air of the country very dry and pure. 
 
 Human beings were buried in the same way, 
 rolled up in linen with spices, and then exposed 
 
8 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 to heat, after which they were packed in cases of 
 Avood and stone. 
 
 The people seem to have tried in this w^ay to 
 keep their dead from the decay which is the lot 
 of all flesh, not knowing that One alone who tasted 
 of death yet saw no corruption, because that holy 
 One alone was without sin. 
 
 Thousands of yards of the linen for which Egypt 
 was famous, were wasted in thus wrapping dead 
 men and dead animals. I saw an ancient tomb 
 which had been recently opened more than twenty 
 years ago ; and lying among the sand and rubbish 
 that had been thrown out, I found a small earthen 
 jar without any opening to it.* On breaking this 
 it was found to contain one of the sacred birds 
 of the Egyptians called an Ibis (as I was told 
 by a learned man who was of the party Ausitiug 
 the tomb). I unfolded at least two yards of half- 
 burnt linen (for it had been baked according to 
 their custom), and found wdthin, the crumbling 
 bones of the bird, his long beak being quite 
 perfect, — a memorial of the folly of man in thus 
 
 * It seems the custom was to make the jar after the 
 embalmed creature was ready, and then to bake all, other- 
 wise it would not have got in, as no sort of o]5ening was 
 to be found. 
 
INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 9 
 
 wasting time and labour, and yet more their 
 siuj in worshipping the creature more than the 
 Creator. 
 
 In my next letter you will have a little more 
 on the early history of Egypt, and some account 
 of its climate and productions. 
 
10 
 
 LETTER II. 
 
 A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 In the Book of Exodus we read that after Joseph’s 
 death, and that of the generation following, there 
 arose a new king, who knew not Joseph.” Now 
 it is plain that this must have been a king from a 
 distance, and not a son or nephew of the Pharaoh 
 who was Joseph’s friend, as such would not have 
 been ignorant of the history of that remarkable 
 person who was second only to the monarch himself, 
 and who had saved Egypt in the great famine. The 
 early histories of Egypt show that there were several 
 changes of what is called the dynasties ” or royal 
 families of Egypt, one king being overcome and 
 driven out by another from a distant province, or 
 from even a different country, and sometimes the old 
 race or dynasty returning again. 
 
 But it is not easy even for the most learned men 
 who have searched carefully into the records of those 
 ancient times to be sure of the dates or exact periods 
 
A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 11 
 
 at which the events spoken of took place. We 
 must recollect that there was no printing and no 
 paper then, so that the records and histories were 
 written either on stone or on skins carefully pre- 
 pared, or upon the leaves of a certain reed which 
 was used in Egypt for writing on. Only portions 
 of their ancient writings have come down to us, a 
 great deal having been lost or destroyed in the 
 course of time : so it is only by putting a bit from 
 one and a bit from another together, that learned 
 men can find out what happened and was recorded. 
 However, one thing is quite clear, even to unlearned 
 people, and that is, that the Pharaoh spoken of in 
 Exodus was of a difierent family and race from the 
 Pharaoh whose dream Joseph interpreted ; the name 
 of Pharaoh was given to all the kings of the country 
 just as afterwards Caesar was to all the emperors 
 of Pome. But though Pharaoh himself knew not 
 Joseph, it is impossible that the people should not 
 have known something of the true God from the 
 descendants of Joseph and his brethren ; and there- 
 fore they were as sinful as he was in oppressing the 
 Israelites, and shared in the punishments sent by 
 God in the time of Moses. 
 
 After the chosen people had left Egypt, and the 
 wicked king and his army had been destroyed in 
 
12 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 the Red Sea, the nation still remained idolaters, 
 though they had seen the power of the Creator and 
 the uselessness of their own false gods, — yet so 
 perverse is man’s heart. For the customs of the 
 j)eople are vain,” saitli the prophet (Jer. x. 3). We 
 may hope, indeed, that some at least did learn to 
 forsake their idols ; hut, as a nation, we know they 
 remained the same. Different foreign powers came 
 one after another to fight in Egypt, and to obtain 
 that fertile land for their own rulers ; the Assyrians, 
 as foretold in Scripture, for a time ruled over the 
 jjeople : you will see this invasion alluded to in 
 Jeremiah xlvi., as well as in other places. Later, 
 the Greeks, under the famous Alexander the Great, 
 took Egypt ; Alexandria, on the sea coast, was 
 founded by this monarch ; and he left the country 
 to Ptolemy, one of his four successors. The family 
 of Ptolemy reigned for a considerable period over 
 Egypt ; and such numbers of Greeks settled in the 
 chief towns that the Greek language seems to have 
 been learned by many of the educated among the 
 people, and the language of the country was written 
 in letters imitated from the old Greek characters, so 
 that the hieroglyphic or picture characters went out 
 of use. 
 
 After the rule of the Greek came the Lwn power 
 
A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 13 
 
 — tlie Roman, which had nearly all the known parts 
 of the world at one time under its strong hand. 
 The Jews and Egyptians were alike under Roman 
 rule when our blessed Lord was born and when the 
 cruelty of the tributary King Herod (who governed 
 subject to the Romans) caused the young Child and 
 His mother to be sent by Divine command into 
 Egypt for a season. They still show a tree — a 
 great sycamore fig, under which I have sat many 
 a time — which the tradition says Jesus and His 
 mother and Joseph rested under on their first 
 arrival. 
 
 We cannot tell whether it be true or not, but it 
 is possible. However, the people have learned to 
 think so much more of the mother of Jesus than 
 of Himself, that it is always called the Virgin’s tree, 
 and they seem to have no idea that the interest 
 belonging to it, if the tradition be true, ought to 
 be that the Saviour of mankind rested there in His 
 infancy ; whereas I never heard His name in connec- 
 tion with it, and even the Mahometan gardeners will 
 often tell strangers, as they have heard from so-called 
 Christians, that this is Mary’s tree ” ! After the 
 death and resurrection of our Lord, the Gospel was 
 brought into Egypt, it is said, by the Evangelist 
 Mark, but of this there is no actual proof, although 
 
14 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 it appears to be probable. Apollos, whose name is 
 mentioned in the Epistles and Acts of the Apostles, 
 was, as you know, a Jew of Alexandria : there was 
 quite a Jewish colony in that city, and they had 
 adopted the Greek language (not the Egyptian, 
 which seems strange, but Alexandria was then, as 
 it is now indeed, full of a mixed multitude, and 
 having been long the capital under the Greek rule, 
 that tongue had greatly prevailed), the Old Testa- 
 ment had been translated by learned Jews into 
 Greek from the original Hebrew; and at the 
 time when Christianity began to spread in Egypt, 
 Alexandria was a sort of centre for education, as 
 there were many learned men there of different 
 nations, but especially Jews and Greeks ; and many 
 books were found there both in Greek and in the 
 Egyptian written language, which was called the 
 Coptic. Many copies of the Scripture were written 
 in this. When I say ^^many,” however, you must 
 remember it is only compared with the utter poverty 
 of nations who had no books, or hardly any ; but 
 when printing and paper do not exist, books must 
 of necessity always be expensive and few. As time 
 passed, the Egyptian Church became corrupted, just 
 as was the case with the Greek and Roman Church, 
 and as always will be the case when the study of 
 
A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 15 
 
 the Scripture is neglected^ and when ceremonies 
 and outward forms are made of too much con- 
 sequence. The ceremony — the procession, the 
 chanting, the dress of the minister, and the way 
 in which the service of God is arranged outwardly^ 
 
 ■ — being more thought of than prayer for the Holy 
 Spirit and constant dependence on Christ and 
 close attention to the Word of God, gradually 
 takes the highest place in men’s hearts, instead 
 of being considered as comparatively of very little 
 consequence. Besides this, in all the Christian 
 Churches of the time I speak of, which is called 
 by historians the Middle Ages,” there was a great 
 inclination to adopt many old heathen festivals and 
 customs, with a certain alteration, which was sup- 
 posed to make them Christian; from these causes 
 and from others which I do not wish to talk of 
 here, the Egyptian Christians had lost much of 
 their simple faith, and though there were no doubt 
 some believers among them, I fear there were but 
 few, and that very many had almost lost sight of 
 Christ in the multitude of saints they revered and 
 the vain ceremonies in which their religion con- 
 sisted. 
 
 Their clergy had become fonder of disputing 
 about words than of teaching the ignorant, and 
 
16 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 often too much given to luxury and grandeur. 
 At this period (about 600 years after Christ) new 
 religion had begun to make a stir in the world. 
 In Arabia, which you know is divided from Africa 
 by the Eed Sea, the famous Mohammed had arisen, 
 and his followers were fast spreading in the East, 
 and getting more and more powerful. 
 
 This man was originally only a camel-driver, but 
 was very clever ; and having, when on a journey 
 into Syria (as Palestine had now got to be called), 
 learned something of the Christian religion, and 
 something also of the Jewish, from Jews resident 
 in Arabia, he made a book, with the help of some 
 friends, which was compounded of passages taken 
 from the Old Testament, and some little from the 
 Kew also — rather in the form of allusions than 
 of actual quotations ; and to these were added a 
 great many maxims and directions of his own. 
 He began with a great truth — that God is one 
 God; for he wished to overthrow the idolatry of 
 Arabia, and so far was right; but the addition 
 that he was himself the prophet and apostle of 
 God was an assertion without grounds, as you of 
 course know. The only proof that God has sent 
 a man to make himself inspired head and leader 
 must be miracles ; mere teachers and preachers of 
 
A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 17 
 
 the already-written and revealed word do not need 
 miraculous aid, for they appeal to God’s word, 
 which is thoroughly authenticated and proved by 
 thousands of evidences to any one who fairly 
 examines it. But any one who claims to he the 
 medium of a new revelation is in a different posi- 
 tion from a teacher of revealed truth, and should 
 have miraculous powers to prove what he asserts. 
 The Arabian prophet spoke of visions and wonders 
 he had seen, but no witness was ever brought to 
 prove that he had any divinely miraculous power 
 at all. But the Scripture says, If one shall come 
 in his own name, him ye will receive ; ” and so 
 it was. 
 
 We need not wonder at the great success that 
 after a time followed, for not only were the maxims 
 and regulations arranged so as to suit specially the 
 nations of the East, and clothed in language pecu- 
 liarly acceptable to them, but there was real good 
 mixed with it sufficient to satisfy the moral craving 
 of some who had conscience and morality to a certain 
 degree. Besides this, it had the help of the arm 
 of flesh which Christians are forbidden to use in 
 spreading their religion. I do not mean that some 
 bearing the name have not done so : but by their 
 disobedience to the Saviour’s plain command, and 
 
 2 
 
18 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 assurance that His kingdom is not of this world, 
 they show that they are not in reality His disciples, 
 or at the best are very weak and mistaken ones. 
 
 But the faith of Mohammed was aided by the 
 sword from the first. Arabia was peopled in great 
 part by wandering tribes, as is still the case, many 
 of them having no houses but the Bedouin’s moving 
 home ” — the tent, their wealth consisting in camels 
 and goats. Numbers of the children of Midian 
 and Esau, as well as the Ishmaelites— from whom 
 the Arabs of Arabia proper are said to have de- 
 scended, — lead this travelling life. Other tribes 
 were more settled, and had cities and villages under 
 chiefs, who were generally at war with one another, 
 more or less. By degrees these tribes began to join 
 themselves to the new leader, and to offer their 
 swords in assisting to spread the new doctrines ; at 
 first only a very few joined, and those either relatives 
 or personal friends; but after meeting much opposi- 
 tion, iie gained a firm footing, and was regarded as 
 the chosen of God by all his followers. 
 
 At last, after his death, his successors went on 
 fighting their way with bravery worthy of a better 
 cause. With their book, the Koran,* in one hand 
 
 * This is properly pronounced Korann, with the emphasis on 
 the last syllable and the a soft guttural. 
 
A LITTLE ABOUT OLD EGYPTIANS. 
 
 19 
 
 and a sword in the other, as one may say, they went 
 on their conquering way till they had all Arabia and 
 Palestine and many other countries under their 
 sway and rule, and then at length they invaded 
 Egypt also. The poor Egyptians were crushed 
 under the fierce wild Arab soldiers, who gave no 
 quarter : conformity or death was proclaimed ; 
 multitudes gave in and conformed ; others, more 
 courageous, or at least more true to their religion, 
 fled and hid where they could. After a time, the 
 Arab Caleefs^ as they were called, — that being the 
 name of their kings or chiefs, — ruled entirely over 
 Egypt. The remnant of the Christians, though much 
 persecuted and trampled on, were allowed to live ; but 
 the Arabic language was taught in all the schools, 
 and soon became the only spoken tongue in the 
 whole country, and the customs and ways of the 
 conquerors prevailed in many respects. After a 
 long period the poor country fell into the hands of 
 yet another foreign power. The Turks, also Moham- 
 medans, who had come from Asia into Europe, and 
 taken from the Greeks the great city of Constanti- 
 nople, had increased as rapidly as the Arabs had 
 done in power, and had become masters of Palestine 
 and then of Egypt also. But though their power 
 as rulers was great, they never seem to have spread 
 
20 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 their language nor mixed with the j^eople of the 
 land as the Arabs did. One reason for this is that 
 the Koran (the sacred book of all the followers of 
 Mohammed of whatever nation) is not allowed by 
 their religious law to be translated into any other 
 tongue, and is therefore read and studied in the 
 original Arabic by Turks as well as Arabs, and 
 taught in all their schools. This would alone 
 ensure the preservation of the Arabic language 
 among the people. Although the Turks still rule 
 over Egypt, and the great part of the wealth of the 
 land is in the hands of their descendants, and many 
 of these Turkish families use their own tongue 
 exclusively among themselves, still the Arabic is 
 the language of the country, the Arab customs are 
 those that prevail, and in many respects the Turk 
 is still a foreigner, while the Arab is become an 
 Egyptian. 
 
 This sketch, very short and very imperfect as it 
 is, may just give you such an idea of old Egypt as 
 will enable you to understand better what I wish to 
 tell you about present Egypt, as I now see it, and 
 as I have watched and observed its climate and 
 people for many years. 
 
21 
 
 LETTER III. 
 
 THE RIVER. 
 
 The river of Egypt ! that is the most important 
 thing' in respect of cultivation, and indeed the most 
 important feature altogether in the country we are 
 now considering. How often it is alluded to in the 
 Bible I Pharaoh, in his wonderful dream, saw the 
 lean and fat cows coming up out of the river, — not 
 a river, hut the river, observe ; and into the river 
 were the infants of the children of Israel thrown, 
 and the young Moses saved in his little ark of bul- 
 rushes ^Hn the flags by the river’s brink.” Then 
 later, we read how Moses and Aaron, at Grod’s com- 
 mand, smote the waters of the river and turned 
 them into blood, and in the Prophets we And again 
 and again mention of the river ” of Egypt. It is 
 not named, it is spoken of as the river of Egypt 
 because it is the onhj river in that strange country. 
 Just think how many rivers there are in our small 
 island of England — how many in Ireland, which is 
 
22 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 still smaller; tlie children in schools are often quite 
 tired with the number of names they have to learn 
 of all our rivers — Thames, Severn, Trent, and many 
 more. Now Egypt has but one ; that one, however, 
 is a large and very long river, and is very remarkable 
 in the effect it has on the country. Egypt is, as 
 you know, in the north of Africa, which of course 
 is very much further south than Europe, and much 
 hotter; the south part of Egypt, indeed, is very near 
 the tropics, and there falls scarcely any rain except 
 near the sea coast. At Cairo, where I live, which is 
 near the middle, there are sometimes four or five 
 showers in the year, sometimes more, but rarely ; 
 in the upper provinces only one or two; nothing 
 would grow therefore if the vegetation depended on 
 rain, and though there are heavy dews, these would 
 be quite insufficient; the sun is so powerful that 
 the whole land would be one vast sandy desert, dry 
 and barren, were it not for the wonderful river Nile. 
 At a certain season every year this river begins to 
 rise gradually; it is supplied from the mountains 
 where it has its source very far off in the middle 
 of Africa, where rain falls copiously at a regular 
 time of year. When it has reached the greatest 
 height (which is ascertained by careful measure- 
 ment, persons appointed for the purpose watching 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 23 
 
 day and night as the time draws near), the dams 
 which have been artificially made are cut or broken 
 through, and the water overfiows the low lands all 
 over the country and fills the numerous canals 
 which cross it in every direction. It would cer- 
 tainly overfiow its banks naturally and without 
 this artificial help as soon as the height of those 
 banks had been reached by the water, but much 
 of the country would then be untouched, and some 
 lands get more water than they needed. From very 
 ancient times the Egyptians knew how to regulate 
 the flow and manage it so that (except on occasions 
 of sudden and excessive rise which now and then 
 make a flood in some places) the land should be 
 properly watered ; and their various conquerors had 
 the wisdom to let the natives, who were accustomed 
 to it, have the direction of their great river and its 
 canals. It is probable that the irrigation was much 
 more extended in old times, and that, instead of 
 being as now a strip of cultivated land on each 
 side of the river and sandy desert beyond — as is the 
 case in a large part of the middle and southern 
 provinces — the canals were more numerous and a 
 far wider tract under cultivation. However, the 
 canals are increasing under the present govern- 
 ment, and the famous sweet water canal ” of Suez 
 
24 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 is alone a proof of what water can do in Egypt. 
 When I first came here, the whole region where 
 the modern town of Ismaila stands was nothing 
 but a sandy waste, inhabited by gazelles and desert 
 foxes. Now the great work of the two canals — the 
 salt water one connecting the Mediterranean and 
 Red Seas, and the sweet water one which conducts 
 the Nile water — have combined to make it a delight- 
 ful spot ; gardens rose like magic, grapes and even 
 strawberries grow where twenty years ago burning 
 dry sand and pebbles lay, and thickets of feathery 
 bamboo and gay fiowering shrubs meet the eye 
 and look the more attractive from the waste all 
 around. The parched land shall become a pool, 
 and the thirsty land springs of water.” Would 
 that those who laboured in that wondrous canal 
 had known the blessed spiritual refreshing of which 
 the entrance of the water into the desert land 
 afibrds so beautiful a type ! 
 
 But to return to the river: its rise does not 
 begin till summer, and during the winter it is 
 gradually sinking and retiring. The winter of 
 Egypt is very unlike our English ideas of that 
 season ; there is comparatively very little cold ; the 
 nights are indeed sharp, and sometimes a strong 
 cold wind blows, but you would say it cannot be 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 25 
 
 very severe wlien frost is almost an unknown thing. 
 Some labourers in the country near Cairo once 
 found a very thin film of ice, at daybreak, on some 
 shallow water channels, and reported that the water 
 was bewitched as it would not flow ! So very rare 
 was the wonder that none of them had ever seen such 
 a thing before. Latterly, Europeans have introduced 
 artificial ice, and cheap ices are even sold in the 
 city ; but this anecdote may show what the climate 
 in winter is. The sun is generally warm at midday, 
 and the people seek out sunny corners to sit in, 
 especially the old ; and now and then a party of 
 labourers will light a fire of brushwood and sit 
 round it in a field. The poor have a curious way 
 of warming themselves in the short period of cold, 
 which they feel especially, being used to such heat ; 
 there are no fireplaces, and fuel is dear, but in the 
 country villages dry reeds and such light things 
 are tolerably abundant. They will then light a 
 bundle of these in the oven — a large one made of 
 mud brick is the common kind. As soon as this 
 is extinct, which is pretty soon of course, the good 
 woman of the house — or rather hut — sweeps out the 
 embers, and the family cram into the oven and 
 sleep ! I was hospitably offered the use of an oven, 
 heated on purpose for me and a friend by some 
 
26 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 kindly peasants, during one of onr little voyages 
 up the river, when stopping at a village on the 
 coast during cold, stormy weather. But, in general, 
 the winter months are delightful and healthy. 
 All the fields are luxuriantly green ; the orange 
 gardens are rich with their golden fruit, and I 
 have more than once spent a Christmas afternoon 
 in an orange grove ; while friends in England 
 were rubbing their hands over the fire after return- 
 ing from church, I and my party were picking 
 oranges off the trees, and choosing a shady spot 
 to rest in. The harvest of sugar canes is in winter ; 
 a good deal of sugar is manufactured in Egypt, 
 although not sufficient to supply all that is con- 
 sumed ; a large quantity is brought from France, 
 but being not nearly so sweet it is more expensive 
 and very inferior. The Egyptian sugar, though 
 less brilliantly white, is of a very good quality, and 
 goes far,” as the housewives say, from its extreme 
 sweetness. But the canes are not only used for 
 sugar making ; a great number are eaten — or rather 
 chewed — to extract the juice, by the people, who 
 are excessively fond of this cheap and wholesome 
 luxury ; Europeans seldom care for it, because the 
 juice, which is thin and watery, with little flavour, 
 and only moderately sweet, has to be obtained with 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 27 
 
 an amount of trouble which they seldom think 
 it worth, — the hard pith in which it is contained 
 requiring Egyptian teeth to do it justice. As the 
 natives of the country almost always have remark- 
 ably fine strong teeth, they find no difficulty in 
 masticating the canes, and no fruit can be more 
 enjoyed than they are in their season. The great 
 bundles of sugar cane on their way either to the 
 manufactory or to the markets are a beautiful 
 sight in winter, whether the larger species, of 
 a rich purple colour, with its fiag-like green leaves 
 waving about over the head of the camel who 
 bears it, or almost smothering the little donkey; 
 or the smaller kind of cane, called the native or 
 belladee, which is of a delicate yellowish green. 
 The former is more cultivated about Cairo, as being 
 much larger and coming earlier, but some say the 
 little native cane is the sweetest. 
 
 All the vegetables we have in summer in 
 England are in their prime in the winter of Egypt, 
 or in very early spring, and the green fields, in 
 January, February, and March, are more brilliantly 
 green with the rich clove of the country than 
 any fields I have seen even in dear old Ireland, 
 the emerald isle ! But there are two sides to 
 everything in this world, and spring drives away 
 
28 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 the verdure just as winter does with us, only that 
 heat and not cold is the agent; the clover dis- 
 appears, the cattle having eaten it, and having, 
 poor things, nothing hut dry food to look forward 
 to for several months ; the hot winds begin to 
 blow, the corn rapidly gets yellow, and is reaped 
 in April (I speak here of middle Egypt). By the 
 middle of May, the intense heat of summer has 
 usually set in and the fields look dry and brown, 
 — unless watered with much labour from the 
 canals ; the very weeds, except the thistles, which 
 seem to need scarcely any water, are withered up, 
 and man most literally eats bread in the sweat 
 of his brow if he has to labour in the field. For 
 the native of the soil, I do not think that great 
 heat is the cause of as much suffering among the 
 poor as great cold. The Egyptian, if a real child 
 of the country (for settled foreigners of Syrian, 
 Armenian, or even Turkish extraction are far more 
 sensitive to heat, though they may have been here 
 for two generations or more), does not mind heat, 
 and prefers summer in general to winter ; if he 
 has to labour hard, of course he must be greatly 
 fatigued in the hot weather, but at any rate his 
 family do not suffer with him. Cold falls most 
 heavily on little children and aged persons, while 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 29 
 
 these in the hot weather here sit in the shade of 
 their mud walls, and as they do not mind dust and 
 vermin, which abound, they appear happy in their 
 way, — and certainly the comforts within their reach 
 are cheap. Fuel and warm clothes, as yon know 
 too well, are costly, but the cucumbers and melons 
 of summer here are cheap luxuries ; and the pools 
 of water in which the bare-legged boys are play- 
 ing half the day cost nothing at all. Foreigners, 
 however, even to the second and third generation, 
 feel summer heat very trying, especially if obliged 
 to be exposed to the outer air in the middle of 
 the day. As far as possible they ought to avoid 
 this, and to be very early in their habits, and tem- 
 perate; with these precautions, the inconvenience 
 will be considerably diminished. 
 
 In July, the heat is at its greatest height and 
 the river at its lowest — everything seems panting 
 and parched ; the ground is so hot that one can 
 scarcely endure to lay a bare hand on its surface, 
 and it appears as if one walked into a furnace if 
 obliged to be out in any part of the day except the 
 early morning and late evening. These are very 
 lovely — the pure dry air seems to make every 
 object stand out and look as if painted in rich 
 and delicate hues, but like all earthly beauties 
 
30 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 these fair colours soon fade ; as the hours advance 
 a whitish haze of intense heat seems to settle over 
 everything, and (oh how true are the words of the 
 Book of God in even the smallest particular!) 
 then “ the hireling earnestly desireth the sha- 
 dow.” Well may the weary hired labourer long 
 for the shadow, which sets him free to throw 
 himself down and rest, and bathe his burning- 
 brow in the waters of the little channel, and 
 enjoy the comparative coolness of night. To us, 
 indeed, it is but comparative, for in July the nights 
 are only a little less hot than the days. When 
 August comes the suffocation seems increasing, a 
 sort of still breathless heat prevails : this shows 
 the river is at its height. The water is not good 
 to drink at this time, unless carefully filtered or 
 boiled ; the peasants do not, however, take this 
 trouble, and drink it as it is. At last, about 
 the fifth or sixth of August (sometimes several 
 days later), the great day comes when the 
 Nile is cut. The watchers who for a week or 
 more have relieved each other night and day, 
 measuring incessantly to ascertain the moment 
 the right height has been reached, give the 
 news, and immediately the dam is removed and 
 the water flows ; not all at once all over the 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 31 
 
 country, but at first over the lower lands, and 
 then entering the canals, by degrees waters all the 
 country. All the coasts of the river are at once 
 flooded, of course, and the effect on the landscape 
 is wonderful to see. Where you saw yesterday a 
 great brown dry field, reaching from the highroad 
 all the way to the river banks, is now a shallow 
 lake glistening in the sun, the little villages 
 with their groups of palm trees peeping out like 
 islands from the water. The pools and brim- 
 ming canals look very beautiful and refreshing 
 after the long, sultry heat ; not that it is 
 less hot, rather I think more oppressive in some 
 respects, but the moisture is something delightful 
 to look at ; and every one is so happy. The poor 
 women, who had to toil along a weary way to fill 
 their great pitchers, now laugh and sing as they 
 trip down to the watercourse close at hand ; the 
 children spend most of their day in the river or 
 the canals, — occasionally, however, getting drowned 
 therein; the great buffaloes stand up to their 
 horns in water, giving contented puffs to show 
 their enjoyment ; everywhere reeds and rushes 
 spring up with wonderful speed ; water birds sport 
 in the places lately full of dry clods and choking 
 dust ; the brilliant king-fisher darts after his prey 
 
LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 32 ' 
 
 in the deep pool that was but yesterday a pit 
 wherein was no water.” It is impossible not to 
 rejoice over the inundation, and while thanking 
 the Giver of all good for His mercies, the Christian 
 adds an earnest prayer that the water of life may 
 flow also in Egypt. 
 
 Then the water begins to subside, and the labourer 
 goes out to sow his seed. Often he is seen throwing 
 it on the surface of a shallow lake, reminding one 
 of the words, Cast thy bread on the waters, and 
 thou shalt And it after many days.” Perhaps still 
 oftener we see the seed flung on a sort of thin mud, 
 the man with difliculty flnding a spot just raised 
 enough to be sufficiently dry to support his weight 
 while he stands. Eaised pathways border all the 
 canals and most of the flelds that are liable to over- 
 flow, but the sower has sometimes to descend from 
 this causeway to reach distant parts of the fleld. 
 In that hot sun the water dries very quickly, and 
 in a wonderfully short time a beautiful green hue 
 appears sj)reading over the whole country. A little 
 later the crops are in full beauty. The flelds lately 
 so bare are now all covered with rich verdure. The 
 ancient Egyptians not unreasonably made September 
 their new year, as after the inundation the com- 
 mencement of vegetation seemed more like spring, 
 
THE RIVER. 
 
 33 
 
 and more suited to starting afresh, as it were, than 
 any other period. The chief crops in Egypt are 
 wheat, barley, beans, ’lentils, maize, cotton, sugar ; 
 the clover I have already mentioned, and a great 
 variety of vegetables, as tomatoes, black and white 
 egg-plants, cucumbers, melons and gourds, onions, 
 garlic, and some others not known in Europe, all 
 grow abundantly ; indeed, with proper attention 
 and plenty of water, almost anything will grow in 
 this fertile land. But it must be cultivated with 
 care; not a wild berry is found that could give 
 nourishment, however imperfect, to man ; all land 
 not made to pay its tribute by labour and watering 
 soon becomes a sandy desert from the power of the 
 sun. 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 LETTER IV. 
 
 THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 I HAVE told you in my last letter something about 
 the cultivation of this country, but you may like 
 some further information, and especially, I think, 
 the way in which gardens are managed here will 
 interest you. After what you have heard about the 
 river and its inundation, you will easily suppose 
 that there must be a great difference between field 
 and garden cultivation, since if the river at the time 
 of the overfiow were suffered to flood the gardens 
 much of their crops would be destroyed, and the 
 flowers and shrubs swamped and injured. Now and 
 then, by accident, this does happen in gardens near 
 the river. I recollect a pretty, though somewhat 
 rudely managed garden, chiefly planted with pome- 
 granates, on the banks of the Nile, where I once sat 
 for an hour with a beloved friend ; the year follow- 
 ing I was at the same spot, — no garden was visible. 
 I looked about in amazement, and said to a man 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 35 
 
 whom I recognized as one we had spoken with last 
 time^ Where is your garden gone? ” He replied, 
 In the great flood last autumn the water washed 
 away every tree, not one is left ; ” and then he went 
 on to ask after the sick lady who had rested under 
 his pomegranate trees. Ah, she too was gone, hut, 
 as I told him, to that place where the tree of life 
 is blooming ” by the heavenly city. 
 
 But to return to our gardens. They are watered 
 by small channels only a few inches wide, which 
 are made to intersect or cross and recross the 
 garden, the beds between them being usually square 
 in shape. When they are to be watered the gardener 
 removes with his hand or his foot the small dams 
 made of earth rudely heaped up at the corners, and 
 lets the water from the well (or canal) fill them up 
 until the level of the bed is reached. He then 
 stops the flow by pushing the heap of earth back 
 again, and damming up the water. Each bed gets 
 its share in turn, generally every second, or in cool 
 weather, every third or fourth day is sufficient, 
 so that one portion of a garden is watered every 
 day ; in very hot weather, if water is abundant and 
 the garden full of flowers, it may be daily watered. 
 Many gardens are dependent on wells which, wii5i 
 very few exceptions, are brackish and unfit to drink. 
 
36 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 but answer fairly for watering plants, tbougli sweet 
 water wells are more esteemed, of course.* 
 
 Others have water brought from canals supplied 
 by the Nile, and the garden receives its water by 
 means of machinery, without which it would not be 
 possible to fill the small channels. The simplest 
 of the machines in use is the Shadoof.” A long 
 pole is sunk close to the well, and a large stone, as 
 a weight, is hung to it by a rope ; the other end of 
 this rope is tied to a sort of dipper made of leather, 
 which a man keeps emptying into the trough that 
 supplies the channels, as fast as it gets drawn up 
 by the weight which pulls it as soon as he looses 
 his hold. He- has to keep pulling and emptying 
 incessantly, so that it is very hard work, though 
 much quicker than if he had to draw up a bucket 
 with a windlass, as we do in wells used for drinking, 
 etc. Tlie other machine most commonly used is a 
 Sakea or Sahkea ; it is much less simple, but does 
 more work in a short time. It consists of two 
 wheels of great size, one of which is deep down in 
 the well, and is turned by the other, the upper 
 wheel being turned by an ox, buffalo, or camel (the 
 former are the commonest). The lower wheel is 
 
 * Figs from certain villages that possess sweet water wells 
 fetch a higher price in the market. 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 37 
 
 furnished with a set of rude earthen pitchers fastened 
 by ropes of palm fibre all round it. As fast as one 
 half of them are filled by the turning of the wheel, 
 the other half empty their contents into a stone 
 trough which supplies the channels that water the 
 garden. The sahkea is always raised a little above 
 the garden level, so that the water easily flows into* 
 it. Very refreshing is the sight and sound on a 
 warm day, for trees are almost always planted near 
 it, so that the labourer and beasts of burden may 
 have a little shade ; and the trickling and splashing 
 of the water, the sun shining on the bright drops as 
 they fall from turning pitchers, and even the creaky 
 creaking sound of the wheels, are all pleasant in this 
 climate ; they speak of coolness and moisture, and 
 every one likes to sit beside the troughs and watch 
 the flow of the little channels. The favourite tree 
 to plant by a sahkea is the sycamore fig alluded to 
 in several places in Scripture. It afibrds excellent 
 shade from its thick foliage ; the rounded leaves of 
 rich dark green grow in such a way as to form 
 almost a roof over one’s head, and the lower branches 
 stretch out and spread downwards, often extending 
 quite across a path or road. You recollect Zaccheus, 
 whose short stature hindered him from seeing Jesus 
 in the press, and how he climbed into a sycamore 
 
38 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 tree in order to see Him. When I first saw these 
 trees in Egypt, I at once perceived how well they 
 were suited for such an object, and that of all trees 
 this was the most likely to be fixed on from being 
 planted by a road for the sake of shade very often, 
 and from its peculiar growth making it so easy to 
 climb quickly. 
 
 We also read that the prophet Amos was a 
 gatherer of sycamore fruit,” before called by the 
 Lord to warn and rebuke the people and their 
 rulers. Yon may like to know what these fruits 
 that Amos gathered were ; they are still largely 
 consumed in Egypt, and probably in Syria also, 
 but chiefly by peasants, as they do not reckon 
 among choice fruits, and strangers generally think 
 them disagreeable. You will remember that there 
 is no resemblance to our sycamore of England — 
 it is a different tree altogether ; it is allied to the 
 fig, which its fruit is very like in shape, and it 
 has the same peculiarity of the flower and fruit 
 being in one. The appearance of the sycamore fig 
 when ripe is very pretty ; it is then of a delicate 
 pink or salmon colour, and grows either on the 
 trunk or on the branches of the tree, to which they 
 are fixed by such very short foot-stalks, as to look 
 at a distance as if they actually grew on the surface 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 39 
 
 of the trank. At the season, which is from the 
 end of May to July, a man climbs the tree with 
 a basket, which he lets down to the women who 
 come in troops to purchase from him and retail 
 in the town, and when the rustic baskets they bring 
 are nicely lined with green leaves, and the pink 
 fruit piled upon them and placed on the head of 
 the peasant woman, they look very tempting and 
 pretty, but if you tasted them, you would own to 
 the truth of the proverb, ^^appearances are de- 
 ceitful,” for any fruit more insipid and worthless 
 I never met with. 
 
 The mulberry is often planted by the Sahkeas 
 also ; it grows to a great size here, and affords 
 delightful shade, but the fruit is very inferior to 
 the black mulberry of Europe and Syria ; it is 
 the white variety that is cultivated here, but very 
 little silk is made, though I believe the white 
 mulberry is generally planted with that view, as 
 its leaves are thought best for silk-worms. 
 
 The ground near the water-works is often devoted 
 to patches of onions, cucumbers, and such things as 
 need a great deal of water, and on the low lands 
 near the river, in many places, there • are large 
 fields of melons of different sorts ; the most 
 esteemed is called the ^^shamam,” and is one of 
 
40 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 the most delicious of fruits, aud coming in the 
 driest and • hottest part of the year, is specially 
 valued. What a sign of God’s goodness to man 
 is it that just when the people crave for something 
 fresh and cool, and when the water of the Nile 
 is at its lowest, and often not pleasant to drink 
 (without much filtering), the land should bring 
 forth in abundance these juicy fruits ! There are 
 many inferior kinds, which are excessively cheap, 
 and within the reach of the poorest in their season. 
 A little later come the enormous water melons. 
 But all these belong more properly to field than 
 garden cultivation ; the melons especially do not 
 answer well, except near the river, and in a wide 
 space generally. 
 
 The gardens of the wealthy are often enclosed 
 by stone walls, and latterly by iron railings in the 
 suburbs of the city, but the old Egyptian style 
 of paling is usual in the country, and with all who 
 are not able to afford expensive enclosures. It 
 consists of the tall strong reeds so plentiful here, 
 which, when cut and dried, form very good palings, 
 tied with palm fibre ropes, crossways. They need 
 renewing after a few years, indeed, but are easily 
 procured. These reeds are one of the great features 
 of a real Egyptian garden, being used whenever 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 41 
 
 small sticks are wanted, wood being scarce, and 
 the native shrubs and trees often useless for 
 sticking,” on account of the sharp thorns be- 
 longing to most of them; a reed is indispensable 
 to the gardener in many ways, and it often makes 
 a shepherd’s pipe or flute, on which they play a 
 monotonous but not unpleasing tune, as they keep 
 their goats or sheep. 
 
 But the reed is capable of proving treacherous ; 
 if leaned on too carelessly giving way suddenly 
 and inflicting a sharp wound. The prophet Isaiah 
 alludes to this when recording the words of Bab 
 Shakeh, the great general of the Assyrian king, 
 who came against Hezekiah, king of Israel, Lo, 
 thou trustest in the staff of this broken reed, on 
 Egypt ; whereon if a man lean, it will go into his 
 hand, and pierce it : so is Pharaoh, king of Egypt, 
 to all that trust in him.” I thought of this text 
 one day, when noticing my gardener’s hand bound 
 up ; I asked what ailed him, and found that he 
 had been driving a reed into the ground to support 
 a plant, and it had suddenly broken and entered 
 his palm, making a wound rather troublesome to 
 heal. 
 
 The garden here is specially fertile in suggesting 
 texts of Scripture to the mind of any one who 
 
42 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 makes that blessed book his study, as all Christians 
 ought to do. Who can see the labourer opening 
 the little channels to let the water flow over the 
 parched earth on his beds, and returning the clods 
 to their place with his bare foot, without recalling 
 the words of Moses in describing the promised land 
 to the Israelites, who had so long sojourned in 
 Egypt that they knew no other manner of culti- 
 vation : The land whither thou goest to possess 
 
 it, is not as the land of Egypt, where thou sowedst 
 thy seed and wateredst it with thy foot, as a garden 
 of herbs ”? (Dent. xi. 10.) 
 
 Who can see the gardens of the peasants, full 
 of leeks and onions and garlic, and fail to remember 
 the Israelites in the desert longing for these juicy 
 vegetables, to which they had been accustomed? 
 Truly it pleases God sometimes to let His chosen 
 ones be for a season deprived of some things which 
 are not sinful in themselves, and of which the 
 deprivation is trying ; but they may take warning 
 by the Israelites, and pray to be kept from mur- 
 muring, and if He keeps them in a desert and 
 withholds the onions and the cucumbers. He will 
 give the manna from heaven, which is better. 
 
 You must not suppose that gardens here have 
 no flowers in them ; although, except in the cases 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 43 
 
 of very rich men’s gardens, the flower cultivation is 
 not attended to as it is with us ; if it were, in so 
 fair a climate, where almost everything will grow 
 with care and water, they might have an extra- 
 ordinary abundance and variety. Still, they love 
 flowers, though lazy about cultivating them, and es- 
 pecially prize such as are fragrant, for all Orientals 
 are passionately fond of sweet-scented things, 
 In ordinary gardens the flowering shrubs and a 
 few annuals are strewn, with little order, among 
 the vegetables and fruit trees, and some trees with 
 beautiful blossoms are planted in all gardens of 
 any pretension. The luxuriant growth in so 
 fertile a soil makes this careless arrangement of 
 no consequence; in fact, it is prettier, in many 
 respects, than a more formal trim garden. The 
 creepers, of which they have several native to the 
 country as well as some of foreign race, grow in 
 a rich tangle round the reed fences, and the 
 jasmine and rose, which continue in bloom more 
 than two-thirds of the year, grow beside the egg- 
 plant and tomato, and the effect is almost as if 
 they grew of themselves. Annuals, if once sown, 
 and succeeding well, become self-sown, and grow 
 like wild flowers ever after ; and then the profusion 
 is so lovely as to make up for a little disorder. 
 
44 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 The Bahmea is a favourite vegetable here, which 
 is met with both in gardens and in fields, and 
 might well pass as a fiower, being very pretty. 
 It is a sort of mallow, the blossom of a delicate 
 straw colour with a dark brown centre. The seed 
 vessel is the part eaten ; it is full of a glutinous 
 juice, and is by most people esteemed highly. 
 But the king of plants and trees in Egypt is the 
 date palm, which is found everywhere ; by the 
 roadside, in the courts of princes’ dwellings, and 
 by the hut of the peasant, in the city, and in the 
 village, is the graceful feathery foliage of the palm 
 branch to be seen standing out against the clear 
 blue sky of noonday, or the golden and crimson 
 hues of early morning and sunset. By the river 
 side, above all, great plantations of palms are 
 quite a feature of the country. No garden is con- 
 sidered complete without a few palm trees, and at 
 least one or two are always planted when a garden 
 is laid out. 
 
 Pictures, or rather prints, in our magazines and 
 cheaper books, are very apt to make a confusion 
 between the cocoa-nut palm of India and China 
 and the date palm of Arabia, Egypt, and South 
 Syria ; I have, indeed, seen some prints repre- 
 senting a fabulous sort of palm tree between the 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 45 
 
 two ! They are, as every gardener who has seen 
 them in hot-honses well knows, very different, 
 though both are of the palm tree family, which 
 is a large one. The cocoa-nut palm, I may observe, 
 will not grow at a distance from the sea greater 
 than fifty miles, or thereabouts, I believe. So, in 
 the interior of Egypt it would not thrive if planted; 
 but it might grow by the sea coast, and may 
 some day be introduced, as many Indian trees have 
 already been. The date palm is, however, a native 
 of the country, though much cultivated, as the 
 fruit of the wild ones is not esteemed. Like all 
 the palm family, its age is noted by the rings, 
 or rather notches in the trunk, which increase 
 every year; its branches grow from the top in a 
 sort of feathery crown ; the leaves, long, narrow, 
 and pointed, are of a lightish green, changing with 
 the air and the time of day more than is the case 
 with any other tree ; sometimes it looks quite a 
 dull, dark, greyish-green, and then again almost 
 purple, and then a golden green, and many other 
 shades which charm a painter’s eye. The flower 
 is of delicate cream colour, and bursts out of a 
 green sheath about a foot and a half, or more, in 
 length; a shower of lovely little blossoms hang down 
 from slender footstalks in a great cluster, something 
 
46 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 like ivory carvings, being exactly the colour of fine 
 ivory; when these drop off, tiny green dates appear, 
 and gradually increase in size till they turn of a 
 rich golden yellow or a bright red, turning as they 
 ripen to a purplish red or a dark brown before 
 they get dry. There are many varieties, differing 
 somewhat in size and colour. Each tree bears 
 from seven to ten of these clusters, occasionally 
 even more, and each cluster, or bunch, is so large 
 and heavy that a fine one is about as much as a man 
 can lift ! The fruit is much liked by the people in 
 its fresh state, though, in general, Europeans think 
 it too dead sweet at that time. I was amazed to 
 find that the poorer people will eat the date in its 
 green state, when its astringent flavour is so intense 
 that how they can swallow it without choking is 
 strange. I was once persuaded by a poor woman 
 to taste one ; she had a basketful, and assured me 
 they were very nice ; I made the experiment, but 
 never repeated it, nor can ever forget the effect 
 upon the throat and tongue. 
 
 The date harvest is quite a feast among the 
 people, especially country people, and village 
 mothers choose that time to visit married 
 daughters in town, and take them a cluster 
 of dates as a present. The mother of one of 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 47 
 
 my scholars, who has a dozen fine palms in her 
 garden, once sent me one, and it feasted all the 
 family and the girls of onr little home, besides 
 making several jars of preserve. The leaf stalk of 
 the date palm is greatly used in Egypt for making 
 frames of all kinds, hampers, bird-cages, rustic 
 seats and bedsteads, and many other useful things 
 are composed of them ; and the leaves are twisted 
 into mats, baskets, etc., but they are not used (as 
 I actually saw it asserted in an English magazine 
 that they av^ as umbrellas^ for the good reason 
 that being slender narrow leaves, growing on a 
 ■long stem, they would be as unfit to exclude the rays 
 of the sun as anything could possibly be; indeed, 
 the shade thrown by palms is a light shade, not 
 sufficient for protection from sun even when grow- 
 ing, unless a number are quite close together. 
 Probably, the writer was confounding the date 
 palm with some other species of which the leaf 
 is wide, but this shows how careful we should be 
 in speaking of what we have not seen or accurately 
 ascertained to be true. 
 
 The banana is another plant very common in 
 Egypt, and which is wild in many parts of Africa, 
 and probably is a native of Egypt ; therefore, the 
 whole country, except the actual desert, is so under 
 
48 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 cultivation that it is difficult to know exactly wliat 
 was wild once in it. The broad leaves of the banana, 
 of a beautiful rich green, make it an ornament to a 
 garden, and wherever water is plentiful it is planted, 
 for its fruit is greatly liked. It has two distinct 
 blossoms on one stem, a large reddish-brown one, 
 somewhat of the shape of a huge tiger-lily, and 
 above that, a set of small white blossoms growing 
 from the top of the flower stem. When these drop 
 off, a bunch of green fruit, the size of almonds, 
 appears, and rapidly swell till larger than an egg 
 (unless of the small variety, which is longer and 
 thinner than the other). As they ripen they turn 
 of a delicate pale-yellow, and are very delicious in 
 flavour. One curious thing about them is that they 
 flower and fruit nearly all the year round, though 
 the chief abundance is in autumn ; but there is 
 hardly any part of the year when some are not to 
 be seen. As they need a great deal of water and 
 good earth, they’ are not much cultivated by the 
 peasants ; perhaps they dislike the extra trouble, 
 but they bring so good a price in the city, that I 
 often wonder more are not planted near the canals, 
 etc. The banana is not a tree, properly speaking ; 
 its stem is like a gigantic reed, being hollow in the 
 upper part of middle, and the bark is composed of 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 49 
 
 pitli, full of a glutinous sap. The fibres of this hark 
 are very tough, and are used as bass is with us to 
 tie up plants, etc. When cleansed they are fine as 
 well as strong, and can he made into paper of an 
 excellent quality. 
 
 The orange (which I have already mentioned as 
 common in Egypt) is not a native, hut was intro- 
 duced from other countries — some kinds from India, 
 as the shaddock, etc., and the common sweet orange 
 from Portugal ; it is therefore generally known as 
 the “ Portugal.” I have seen in some orange- 
 gardens eight or ten varieties of this delightful tree, 
 all covered with fruit in different stages of ripeness ; 
 the soil suits it so well that it grows far better than 
 in India, as I have been told by those who have 
 come from thence, and in the end of autumn and 
 winter, oranges are both abundant and cheap, and 
 far more juicy of course than those which come to 
 us by sea. In a large garden occupying no less 
 than ten acres (some miles distant from Cairo) I 
 saw lemons of extraordinary size, and citrons, 
 oranges of all kinds, and limes, all in such profusion 
 that the boughs of some trees had to be supported, 
 and the ground was strewn with fallen fruit. The 
 gardener told me it belonged to a wealthy childless 
 widow of Turkish race, who never even came to see 
 
 4 
 
50 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 it, and the golden splendour was seen by no eyes 
 save those of this poor labourer, in his ragged blue 
 shirt, and his children, and an agent who came now 
 and then to order ' the sale for his lady, and donbt- 
 1 ess to secure a goodly share for himself. It was 
 not like one of the grand gardens of noblemen’s 
 houses in England, — no hot-houses (they would be 
 needless in so warm a climate), no pattern beds 
 with varieties of choice flowers, nor even the neat 
 gravel walk and orderly modest beauty of a humble 
 though cheerful English garden ; but yet it was 
 lovely — very lovely in its own way, and that suited 
 the climate better than a more formal one, though 
 they might have had more flowers certainly, but then 
 the creepers — the luxuriant jasmine and orange-blos- 
 soms perfuming the air, and the vine and fig growing 
 as if at their ease ! Altogether the effect was very 
 pleasant. We told the gardener something about 
 the Garden of Eden, and man’s first life, that in- 
 terested him, and read him some texts out. of a 
 pocket Gospel, and he said how much he wished 
 the school we talked of was nearer, that his little 
 girl might attend it. 
 
 In this, as in every Egyptian garden, the pome- 
 granate bore a place; its brilliant scarlet flowers 
 were not then in blossom, but the curious and pretty 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 51 
 
 fruit ’vvas still hanging on many of the houghs. 
 The quince, plum, and apple are also cultivated in 
 Egypt, but the two latter seem to require a cooler 
 climate to reach perfection, as they are inferior to 
 ours. This may, however, he merely want of know- 
 ledge in the gardeners. 
 
 It may he supposed that in a climate so dry, the 
 people are very fond of sitting out of doors, and few 
 gardens are without a shady trellis or arhour, covered 
 with vines or with some of the numerous creepers 
 of the country. One of the prettiest of these is 
 called in their tongue, The Lady of Beauty.” It 
 has a luxuriant dark-green foliage and a pretty lilac 
 blossom, not unlike a large bindweed in shape. It 
 is suited for arbours, as being of rapid growth, and 
 insects seem not to like it, which is a great ad- 
 vantage. A species of perennial bean, with a pretty 
 purple flower, is also frequently used as a shady 
 creeper ; another with a very elegant seed-vessel, 
 like a small green bag or purse, is called the 
 judge’s mouthful,” or “bit” — a sly allusion to 
 hrihery, or stopping the mouth of justice with a 
 purse, being apparently intended. There is a sort 
 of gourd, which is a pretty creeper, sometimes called 
 the washplant, because its fruit consists of a kind 
 of pith, which, when freed from seeds and dried, is 
 
52 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 very useful in washing, better than any washing 
 glove, flannel, or other invention of man’s making. 
 
 But it would take too long to enumerate all the 
 interesting and curious plants I have seen here. 
 Before I leave the subject, however, I must tell you 
 of a singular festival connected with gardens. On 
 a certain day in spring, called by the name of 
 
 Smell the breeze,” * every one goes to a garden if 
 possible, if not, to a green fleld, as early as can be. 
 The proper thing is for an onion to be taken and 
 smelt the first thing in the morning, and then 
 thrown out of the window. Many have abandoned 
 this old custom, but they all retain that which fol- 
 lowed it, of spending great part of the day in a 
 garden, carrying about flowers, or branches of trees 
 even if no bouquet is to be had. This festival 
 seems evidently to be the remains of the ancient 
 Eg}q)tian worship of the vegetable kingdom, for 
 they considered the onion to be the king or chief 
 of vegetables. The feast as now kept is common to 
 both Moslem and Christian, and they do not know 
 that their ancestors worshipped plants, most pro- 
 bably, but keep it up as we do some old customs, 
 merely by tradition. The roads and fields on this 
 
 * Poetically translated, the words would mean “ Inhale the 
 Zephyr 1 ” 
 
MEETING IN A GARDEN. 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 53 
 
 day look very pretty and cheerful, with the crowds 
 of people all in their best clothes, the women and 
 children generally as gay as tulips in lively-coloured 
 prints, or silks if they are wealthy ; by six o’clock, 
 and even earlier, all are out of doors, and few of 
 their festivals seem more enjoyed or are so pretty 
 as this. 
 
 Some of the great men have lately been improving 
 their gardens by introducing some European seeds 
 to add to what was already known, and they succeed 
 beautifully with proper care. I saw not long ago in 
 a princess’s garden what might be called a rcilcler- 
 ness of sweet peas, for instance, and so with many 
 others ; and some modern arrangements in the 
 way of tools are also beginning to be used. But 
 when foreign gardeners are brought over they must 
 have an Egyptian to look after the watering, for if 
 ignorant in some things, they fully understand this, 
 which after all is the most essential business of all 
 in so dry a climate. No scientific wisdom, no care- 
 ful weeding or pruning, no watching against hurtful 
 insects, or bringing seeds from afar, would avail to 
 make the garden bring forth and bud,” unless 
 plentifully supplied with water, and unless the 
 gardener knew how to arrange the little channels 
 so that every spot should have its due share ; other- 
 
54 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 wise fairest blossom would soon wither and the most 
 fruitful trees perish in the burning sun. 
 
 Now does not this make a beautiful comparison 
 to the necessity for the Holy Spirit in our hearts ? 
 Whatever of learning, or wisdom we may possess, 
 however amiable in natural disposition, however 
 we may reason, and even heartily try to do good 
 and put away evil from ourselves or others, we 
 never can really prosper in our souls, — there can 
 be no fruits of holiness enduj'ing and real, without 
 God’s Spirit flowing into our souls. Tlie ‘Giving 
 Tvater^'’ that Spirit is called by Jesus Himself, and 
 we can no more do without that living water than 
 the garden can do without earthly water. And the 
 emblem is perhaps more striking here than else- 
 where, because we see the water flowing in, and the 
 vegetation so rapidly increasing wherever it comes, 
 and the burning sun destroying with equal rapidity 
 where- it does not. The seed is the w^ord of God, 
 and the Holy Spirit the water which causes that 
 seed to bring forth good thoughts, good words, and 
 good deeds. “Th}" soul shall be as a watered 
 garden,” says the prophet, “and thou shalt not 
 sorrow any more.” The second part of this blessed 
 promise is not yet fulfllled (as we all too well know I), 
 not while we live in a world which is so full of 
 
THE GARDENS OF EGYPT. 
 
 55 
 
 trouble and grief, but it will be fulfilled one day 
 for all the Lord’s people ; the time is coming when 
 they will not sorrow any more, and meantime, even 
 among the many trials of life here below, if they 
 trust Jesus and ask Him constantly to send the 
 Holy Spirit, the Comforter^ according to His own 
 promise, their soul shall be like a watered 
 garden ! ” 
 
56 
 
 LETTEE y. 
 
 THE PEOPLE. 
 
 We now come to the people of Egypt. I will 
 not at present speak of the foreigners, of whom 
 many are settled in the largest cities (as Cairo, 
 Alexandria, and Suez); a mixed multitude indeed 
 they are, and we must speak of them in due 
 course, but the natives of the land claim our first 
 and chief attention. They consist of two great 
 divisions, the largest by far being the Moslem 
 Egyptians, who are the descendants of those who 
 conformed to the faith of their Arab conquerors, 
 mixed with those conquerors, and became one 
 race. The smaller division is that of the Coptic 
 Egyptians, who are the remnant of the old Chris- 
 tians who did not conform, and who formerly were 
 much persecuted and crushed down in many ways, 
 their language forbidden in the schools, so that it 
 became a “dead language” (which means one not 
 spoken but only found in books), and were forced 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 57 
 
 to wear a peculiar dress, and harassed in many 
 ways. But since the days of the famous Moham- 
 med Alee (that great Pasha who made Egypt so 
 nearly independent of Turkey), these severe laws 
 were repealed, and in the present time they enjoy 
 quite as many advantages as their fellow subjects 
 of the State religion. Mohammed Alee had great 
 talent, and had the rarer quality of good sense, 
 at least in this matter, and gave religious liberty 
 to both Jews and Christians, and was repaid by 
 the increased prosperity of his kingdom. 
 
 There is not the liberty enjoyed by British sub- 
 jects in Egypt, nor is education in anything but 
 its infancy, as one may say, as yet ; still there 
 is of late years a great movement in favour of 
 the spread of instruction in various ways. The 
 Khedive has been always extremely liberal towards 
 foreigners who endeavoured to establish schools, 
 and also opened several on a large scale for giving 
 gratuitous instruction to a number of the young 
 of both sexes, as well as military and medical 
 colleges. But you will like to have a little idea 
 of the people, rather than to enter much into 
 these things ; and to know something about their 
 appearance and habits, and daily life. For these 
 letters are written especially for you who stay at 
 
58 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 home, or whose longest journey is a trip to some 
 large town in your own country. Many of the 
 wealthy can visit Egypt by steamer and railroad, 
 and, from the windows of a great hotel, see more 
 than I can describe, in less than half an hour. 
 However, it is only a picture after all, whether to 
 the real eye or to the “ mind’s eye,” that any one 
 can get who has not tarried long enough in a 
 place to know the language and habits of the in- 
 habitants, and it takes a good while for one of our 
 northern race to do this. How strange the crowd 
 of African faces look to one first landing on the 
 African shore ! and yet stranger sound the words 
 of the unknown tongue, with its gutturals and 
 curious blending of syllables together ! It seemed 
 to me like a beautiful and curious but confused 
 dream, when I first stood on that sunny shore ; 
 wearied and sea-sick with a stormy voyage, and 
 bewildered with the noise and shouting of so many 
 voices all unintelligible, and so many dark faces, 
 and having to step aside to avoid being knocked 
 down by a string of huge camels, heavily laden 
 with sugar-canes (neither of which had I ever 
 before seen) — yet in the midst of confusion, and 
 dust, and ragged children, and wretched huts, and 
 other things far from beautiful in themselves, there 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 59 
 
 was such a light over everything, such a clear 
 brilliant sunshine, and an air so balmy and soft, 
 everything white looked so dazzling and every 
 colour so bright, that I admired all I saw, in spite 
 of the confusion. 
 
 It used to puzzle me very much at first to hear 
 the people of Egypt commonly spoken of as Arabs, 
 when I knew they were not from Arabia, unless a 
 certain portion who, as I said before, are mixed 
 more or less with their Arab conquerors. Of course 
 the mass of the people are an African race, but the 
 Arab language has so completely driven out the 
 other that the word is now commonly, though 
 not very correctly, applied to all speakers of Arabic. 
 
 But some persons in England have a vague sort 
 of idea that every real African must be black or 
 nearly so, and this is a great mistake. There are 
 plenty of negroes in Egypt, whom you shall hear 
 about in another letter, but they are not Egyptians. 
 The Egyptians are much darker than English 
 people indeed, and, in the southern provinces, the 
 peasants and all who are exposed to the sun are 
 almost mahogany coloured; but the town people 
 (especially ladies, who are never in the sun) are 
 much lighter in complexion, and in the northern 
 parts of Egypt the citizens in general are not much 
 
60 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 darker than the natives of the sonth of Italy and 
 Spain, and many not at all so, indeed. All the 
 Egyptians, if of pure race, have black hair and eyes, 
 or so very deep a brown as to appear black at a 
 little distance. When not affected by the malady, 
 so frequent here, of ophthalmia (I mean when their 
 eyes have not been permanently injured by attacks 
 of it, as is often the case), the Egyptians have 
 generally fine eyes; some of the peasants, who are 
 more strong and vigorous than townspeople, are 
 remarkable for the brightness of their eyes and the 
 long black eyelashes that shade them. But the 
 number who have lost one or both eyes is consider- 
 able ; the poor, as they are apt to neglect the care 
 and medical aid which are absolutely necessary, are 
 of course the worst sufferers, and many infants lose 
 their eyes or have them injured for life merely 
 through the dirty habits of the mothers : but the 
 disease is peculiar to the country, and foreigners 
 are by no means exempt. Pure air and sanitary 
 regulations, however, diminish the evil, and careful 
 attention to cleanliness also does much to lighten it. 
 
 In point of teeth, Egyptians are better off than 
 most Europeans, having white, even, and strong 
 teeth, with rare exceptions, and I have often seen 
 quite aged persons able to eat a plateful of nuts 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 61 
 
 without the least difficulty and without using any 
 nutcrackers but those in their heads ! The women 
 of the working classes, who are a great deal in the 
 air and carry burdens on their heads, have very 
 good figures, straight and upright, and walk well ; 
 they have usually rounded arms and well turned 
 wrists, and the feet and hands small and neat in 
 shape. But the women who, from being more 
 wealthy, do not need to work out of doors, etc., are 
 generally shut up very much in their houses, and 
 from an inactive life become fat and shapeless while 
 still in their prime. 
 
 The peasant farmers are generally fine-looking 
 men, active and well knit, and frequently of a good 
 height ; but the townsmen are less healthy and 
 much oftener undersized. The artizans, who are 
 active enough indeed, are sometimes sturdy fellows ; 
 but the shopkeeper is much less on the move than 
 an English shopman, generally serving his customers 
 without rising, and having all his goods in a little 
 den close round him and heaped up by his side; it is 
 not strange, therefore, that he should be sallow and 
 unhealthy in comparison to those who take exercise. 
 
 From the outward appearance of feature and 
 complexion we naturally come to dress. I am sure 
 my female readers will open their ears at this, and 
 
62 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 one may whisper to another : Do let us hear what 
 
 they put on in those distant parts ! ” The climate of 
 Egypt is for so great a part of the year very warm, 
 that the tight cloth garments of European men 
 are certainly very unsuitable, and when I first came 
 here, no one hut Europeans ever wore them. I 
 really cannot find out why they have latterly come 
 to he worn by most of the highest class of men 
 and by the Government officials and servants : their 
 dark skins make them look very ill in black or 
 dark-coloured clothing, and the weather makes it 
 a punishment to support them ; yet, except for 
 wearing a small red cloth cap instead of a hat, 
 the European garments are the fashion in that 
 rank of life. The mass of the people, however, 
 still adnere to their old dress ; the merchants, 
 tradesmen, and many others of the townspeople, 
 wear a very becoming garb, well fitted to the 
 climate ; of course it varies according to the means 
 of the party, but the poorer tradesman has much 
 the same shape and style, only substituting cotton 
 for silk, etc. Properly, then, it consists of an outer 
 coat of fine cloth, fitting easily to the shoulders and 
 back and descending in graceful folds to a little 
 above the heels or ankles; being cut in what the 
 dressmakers know as gores, it is not so full as to be 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 63 
 
 cumbersome and heavy ; this is open in front, and 
 displays an inner garment of striped silk, also 
 long, and girt round the waist with a wide sash of 
 strong silk or embroidered cotton. In the house, 
 unless the weather be cold, the outer coat or 
 ^^gibbeh,” as they name it, is laid aside. This 
 inner dress is, like the outer one, worn of a variety 
 of colours, but generally two shades of the same 
 are chosen with remarkable taste ; a dark purple 
 outer coat, for instance, would be worn with an 
 inner one, or ^‘kaftan” as it is called, of light 
 purple with a white or black stripe ; a dark red, 
 again, will have a “ kaftan ” of delicate crimson 
 and white stripes ; and a dark brown, a cinnamon- 
 coloured one with a stripe of cream or pale yellow, 
 and so on. Slippers of red or yellow leather, made 
 extremely wide and comfortable instead of pinching 
 the toes as European shoes so often do; and a 
 turban of white muslin or thin calico wound round 
 a red cloth cap, which it almost conceals, completes 
 the real old Egyptian gentleman’s dress. You must 
 observe that a turban is in the East a special mark 
 of a man; when he dies his turban is placed on 
 the bier, and a turban is carved on the entrance 
 to many tombs. The idea that dressmakers used 
 to have — and I am afraid some ignorant painters 
 
64 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 also — that a turban was part of an Eastern lady'^s 
 dress is so very absurd that it would make an 
 Oriental laugh, as you might if he were to 
 describe Dame Smith as going to church in a 
 smock frock and corduroys instead of her bonnet 
 and cloak. But to return to our Egyptians. The 
 peasant and the working man, who cannot afford 
 such rich garments as I have described, nor would 
 be able to do their active work in them, wear much 
 simpler ones ; a blue or white cotton kaftan,” not 
 unlike our old-fashioned English smock frocks, only 
 much longer and fitting better to the figure, with a 
 waistcoat of coloured print fastened with a great 
 many white cotton buttons and loops, worn inside 
 but showing in front, is the dress of the labouring 
 men ; short cotton trousers and a shirt are worn 
 inside by all except young children or the very 
 poor ; and a rough garment” of goats’ or camels’ 
 hair, or rough twisted woollen, often spun by his 
 own hands, is always worn in winter by the 
 countryman, to whom it serves as a blanket by 
 night and a covering by day if the wind be cold, 
 or if he is heated by work and wishes to rest. 
 You may recollect the passage in Exodus xxii. 
 26, 27, 28, ^^If thou at all take thy neighbour’s 
 raiment to pledge, thou shalt deliver it unto him by 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 65 
 
 that the sun goeth down : for that is his covering 
 only^ it is his raiment for his skin : wherein shall 
 he sleep ? and it shall come to pass when he crieth 
 unto me, that I will hear ; for I am gracious.” 
 How beautifully is here shown God’s care for the 
 poor, whose rough mantle was his only blanket ! 
 
 The women are always veiled when out of doors, 
 unless those of the poorest class, who are less 
 particular and merely draw the end of their dark 
 muslin mantle over the lower part of the face if 
 a man is present ; I have frequently seen a woman 
 whose hands were occupied, hold down the covering 
 with her teeth till the man or men had passed 
 by ; which has a very droll effect in European eyes. 
 But the proper dress for native Egyptian women 
 is a long strip of black silk, or rather a species 
 of crape, which is light and yet not transparent; 
 it is woven on purpose from the outer coating 
 of the silk cocoons, or inferior part of the 
 silk ; this is fastened on by a curious little 
 tube of either gold or brass which supports it, 
 a sort of fillet being tied round the head with 
 the tube and veil attached, so that when put 
 on the whole face is hidden excepting the eyes, 
 which peer out above the black veil in a mysterious 
 way, as it seems to strangers. One of white muslin 
 
 5 
 
66 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 is worn by ladies latterly, in preference ; but all 
 alike bide the face from the age of twelve, and 
 in wealthy families much earlier. The peasant 
 girls in the country are not so early hidden, and 
 usually remain with their faces free until they 
 marry (which, however, is generally at a very early 
 age), and they are much less careful about veiling 
 than in towns. Tlie poorer women, and all, whe- 
 ther rich or poor, who live in the country and are 
 the wives “of labourers or farmers there, wear a 
 loose dress of dark blue or black cotton or linen 
 (occasionally cotton and silk, if it be the wife of a 
 well-to-do farmer). A large mantle of either very 
 dark purple, black, or blue aod white in a very small 
 check, with broad stripes of dark blue, and some- 
 times of crimson, at the edge, and with a fringe all 
 round it, is the out-door garment ; this answers in- 
 stead of shawl, hat, cap, pelisse, or cloak ; a flowing 
 veil of thin black muslin being worn inside, and the 
 outer mantle laid off in the house, or while they are 
 at work. No belt or sash is worn by the peasant 
 women, who, on account of having often to work in 
 great heat, are accustomed to have their clothes all 
 loose, as a night-dress with us. Even in winter 
 they have no change except a small waistcoat, or 
 sleeveless jacket, of red or yellow cotton print. 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 67 
 
 Full trousers tied just below the knee and falling 
 over to the ankles, are worn instead of petticoats 
 by all the respectable classes ; * but the poor are 
 frequently able only to afford a single garment. 
 In the great heat of summer they require less 
 clothing, of course, but the veil and mantle seem, 
 though often ragged, to be quite essential for 
 every woman. Little girls are often seen with 
 only a little blue or white shirt on, and occasion- 
 ally, in hot weather, with nothing ; and boys very 
 often. If they possess two suits of clothes they will 
 put on one over the other for warmth in winter ; 
 I have seen a woman who had, she told me, three 
 entire suits one a-top of the other,” as you would 
 say, and this accounted for her looking so remark^ 
 ably stout. 
 
 The citizen’s wife is differently attired ; she 
 always wears a large mantle of thin black silk 
 for her out-door dress, which entirely hides her 
 figure; and within it she has another silk gar- 
 ment, a sort of gown, without sleeves, tied round 
 her waist with a sash ; this dress is yellow, pink, 
 or any bright plain colour she likes. As this is 
 rather an expensive dress, it is only the rich who 
 
 * These are often in prints and pictures represented as fastened 
 round the ankle, which is quite incorrect. 
 
68 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 can often renew it ; tlie rest wear the same for 
 years, till the silk is rusty and threadbare, but on 
 no account will they substitute any other material, 
 unless in the case of very young' girls, who wear 
 a mantle of plain white calico. The indoor dress 
 of the women of the middle and upper classes is 
 very pretty, and suitable to their climate. It usually 
 consists of a print or coloured muslin dress, or one 
 of white, in hot weather ; very simply made, with- 
 out flounce or ornament, the neck and sleeves only 
 being trimmed if the wearer likes. When going- 
 out visiting, and on festivals (especially weddings), 
 dresses of brocaded silk, etc., are worn by all 
 women who can afford them, but the style I 
 describe is that usually seen even among wealthy 
 persons. In winter, a coat or jacket of warm 
 material is worn, and ladies often have these of 
 cloth, either lined with fur or embroidered with 
 gold thread. A muslin handkerchief of delicate 
 colours, with a little silk border made by the 
 needle, is worn on the head by all who keep the 
 real Egyptian costume, — the hair in long plaits 
 hanging from under it ; but some ladies have now 
 adopted the less pretty and more fantastic head- 
 dress brought from Constantinople, made of gauze, 
 fastened over a stiffening of some kind, and orna- 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 69 
 
 mented with artificial flowers. The tight high- 
 heeled hoots brought from France are also be- 
 ginning to drive out the simple and convenient 
 shoes of the country, which, being very easy, were 
 more suitable for a hot dusty climate. They are, 
 however, still worn by thousands, and those who 
 have given them up, are repaid by suffering with 
 tender feet, etc. 
 
 The Egyptian ladies live a very retired life, not 
 being allowed to go out of doors freely as we do 
 in England, and many never get beyond the walls 
 of their house at all (which is, therefore, an actual 
 prison) unless to go to the public female bath? 
 and on rare occasions to visit near relatives ; 
 some have not even this degree of liberty, and 
 have only the change of air to be had in going 
 from one room to another. But before taking 
 a peep into these secluded abodes, we will first 
 see what is the life of the humbler classes, who, 
 as in every country, are by far the majority of 
 the people. 
 
70 
 
 LETTER VI. 
 
 THE PEOPLE (continued). 
 
 The difference of the dwellings of those who earn 
 their daily bread in our country and in Egypt is 
 very great. I do not of course mean that we have 
 not, unhappily, in great cities miserable abodes 
 enough — garrets, cellars, and plenty of wretched 
 buildings. But the greater part of the inhabitants 
 of those comfortless homes are such as have been 
 reduced by some special cause, and in a very large 
 number of cases, the cause is vice, idleness, or 
 intemperance ; in others, wasting sickness or acci- 
 dent, to the head of the family, etc. These garrets 
 and cellars are not the national dwellings of the 
 country, even for the very poor. The white cottage, 
 with its thatched or tiled roof, is the proper 
 countryman’s ” dwelling in England, and how- 
 ever poor many of such cottages are, they are 
 very, very far superior to the village homes of 
 Egypt. 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 71 
 
 The mud hut is the national abode of the work- 
 ing classes of Egypt, and the great mass of the 
 people inhabit huts : the villagers, of whom we 
 shall hear more particularly afterwards, are not the 
 only ones who live in little huts ; many are found 
 in certain quarters of the towns, and always in their 
 suburbs. A cow accustomed to a tolerable stable, 
 would decline living in one of these ; yet they are 
 the habitation, not of the vicious, but of the respect- 
 able poor man, and probably are just such as his 
 forefathers dwelt in, from the days of Pharaoh 
 down to this time. Mud, roughly tempered, is 
 the only material, and the roof often consists of 
 a bundle or two of reeds ; sometimes a beam or 
 two, with a little dab of mud on the top ; no 
 window, a door so low that the owner can lean 
 on it as he stands, and neither whitewash nor 
 furniture within; — generally so small that the 
 wonder is how the family get in, not that they 
 have no furniture, for there would not be room 
 for it. 
 
 A few stones outside the door answers for a 
 kitchen ; a cooking pot or two, a mat, and generally 
 a box for those who have anything worth keeping, 
 is the whole of the contents, and too many have 
 not even these. Press, shelves, clock, and such 
 
72 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 comforts are not heard of ; a wadded quilt rolled 
 np in a corner is often found in those who have 
 some little means, hut not with day-labourers in 
 general. It is not the poor over-taxed peasant’s 
 fault that he has little to make a house pleasant, 
 nor does he feel the need of comfort, not being used 
 to it ; the hardship is very much less than in a 
 cold climate, since by choice the natives of the 
 country of the working-class sleep out of doors 
 great part of the year, and live outside nearly 
 always. Still they are within at times, the women 
 more than the men, and if they were not so neg- 
 lected and ignorant, would know that however 
 humble, a place may always he made clean ; the 
 dirt, dust, vermin, and disorder in the dwellings 
 is what makes their great misery, much more than 
 small size and poverty. They might take example 
 by the numerous bees which find their living from 
 the fields of clover all around the cities in the 
 springtime. What is more fragrant than the fresh 
 honeycomb, or more perfect in cleanliness and neat- 
 ness than the little cells made by that wonderful 
 insect ? Not Egyptians only might go to the bee 
 for a lesson, as you will, I daresay, agree with me. 
 The town houses of the poorer people, which yet 
 are not but are two storied or more, and 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 73 
 
 built of mud hvick^ and not mere sun-dried mud 
 worked in a mass^ are not as superior as might 
 be supposed, from this same want of order and 
 cleanliness, and as they contain a little more, I 
 think they are almost worse. The women are 
 married as mere children generally, and have 
 never been taught clean and orderly ways. 
 
 Many decayed and ruined houses in Cairo and 
 also in Alexandria have been lately removed ; this 
 was by the order of Government, and a very wise 
 order it certainly was, but unless the new houses 
 be kept clean, they will soon fall out of repair, 
 and be as bad as the old. 
 
 The discomfort and dirt in the poor peasants’ 
 dwellings is not, you must observe, the consequence 
 of drink, as is sometimes, alas ! the case in English 
 homes, where people ought to know better; it is 
 sheer ignorance, added to the laziness which in hot 
 countries is more natural perhaps than in colder 
 ones (though I think we all know a few lazy folks 
 even in cold places) ! Our poor young Egyptian 
 mother has not the least idea that dirt brings 
 disease to young children, for instance ; her mother, 
 and her grandmother, and her mother-in-law, and 
 old aunts and cousins without number, all tell her 
 that nothing is so unlucky as to wash baby. So she 
 
74 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 never does wash him; he rolls on the mud floor 
 half naked, and, when he can toddle, often entirely 
 so ; or, if still very young, is wrapped in her veil and 
 popped in a corner while she picks the corn and 
 kneads the bread. A cradle is met with in all the 
 better class of houses, but the labourer’s child is 
 cradled in mud either indoors or out, as the season 
 suits. With the abundant space they have — for 
 their villages generally occupy a great deal of land 
 — they might build better abodes, and might make 
 shelves, etc., in what they have, but it never seems 
 to enter their heads. 
 
 I once gave a poor Coptic peasant who could read, 
 a copy of a Gospel, which he was very glad to receive ; 
 but a year afterwards, on asking him about it, he 
 told me (with evident regret, at the accident) that 
 the sheep had eaten it ! A great fat coffee-coloured 
 sheep shared his small hut with himself, his wife, 
 and five children, and having neither shelf nor 
 drawer nor closet, he could not keep even a book 
 from the creature’s rapacious appetite ! I gave 
 him another, which he put in the bosom of his 
 blue kaftan, declaring neither child nor sheep 
 should ever get at it ! 
 
 Countrymen know the absolute necessity of regu- 
 larity in tilling the ground, and labourers are very 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 75 
 
 * 
 
 steady in watering and sowing at the right times ; 
 and the women, more disorderly in their ways, yet 
 generally keep to the right time for fetching water 
 from the canal or river (with so clear a sky they 
 need no watch to tell how near is sunset) ; hut 
 in everything except cultivating the soil and milk- 
 ing cattle, their life is very irregular : women will 
 be up before dawn one day and very late the next, 
 especially in town, where they have not rural busi- 
 ness to force them to rise with the light ; they 
 sleep in their day clothes, and rise without brushing 
 hair and washing, — at least, far the greater number 
 evidently do so. On festivals, indeed, they go to the 
 bath and have a grand cleaning up,” but mean- 
 time, even decent peasant women will leave their 
 hair, in its many little plaits, untouched from week 
 to week, aye, and month to month ! 
 
 The meals are as irregular as the sleeping, except 
 the last ; the family assemble for supper about sun- 
 set in summer, and a little later in winter, when the 
 days are shorter, because the chief meal for most 
 Egyptians is the supper, and it must, of course, 
 always be so for any who have to work in the fields 
 at a distance from home. But the rest of the day 
 they seem to take some bread when hungry, and eat 
 it, squatting down in a shady corner in summer, and 
 
76 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 a sunny one in the cold weather, with a hit of water 
 melon or some dates, or by itself, as may happen to 
 be convenient. The children scramble about with 
 whatever they can get, in dustheaps, or on the wall, 
 or in the hut, as they like, dirt and liberty being 
 supreme. Those of a more respectable class, though 
 not taking their meals as you would, or in what you 
 would call a comfortable way, are a good deal above 
 this half-savage style of living. They assemble, 
 such of the family as are at home, at some hour 
 in the forenoon ; and if the father of the house be 
 absent, his dinner is sent to him, or he has a dish 
 from a cook-shop, if convenient. 
 
 I remember once visiting the wife of a Coptic 
 priest in a small country town; of course, they did 
 not live in a hut, but a good house. I cannot say 
 it was clean^ but it only needed cleanliness and 
 neat order to have made it a cheerful though mo- 
 dest dwelling. The good woman spread a wadded 
 quilt over the mat, with one or two hard stuffed 
 pillows, and we sat down and had a pleasant and 
 friendly talk together, her sister and herself being 
 intelligent persons, although without any education, 
 neither being able to read, or even knowing the 
 alphabet. This was nothing unusual, however, as 
 no woman in the whole town knew a single letter. 
 
THE PEOPLE. 
 
 i t 
 
 Presently, the eldest girl brought a small round 
 table, only a few inches from the ground, and set 
 on it a tray with the family dinner, or breakfast 
 (the first regular meal of the day it was, but being 
 ten o’clock, the children at least must have eaten 
 before, I fancy). It consisted of some eggs slightly 
 fried in a great deal of butter, in a metal dish, and 
 a saucer of coarse earthenware, containing a piece 
 of native cheese, which we should call cheese begun 
 and not finished, being in fact only curd drained 
 and slightly salted (it is good when freshly made, 
 but does not keep very long) ; the bread was in dark, 
 thin, round Jiaps^ and was laid in a heap on the 
 tray and then distributed round ; no plates, forks, 
 or knives were used, each taking with the fingers 
 and a bit of bread, portions of the eggs, etc. A 
 pitcher of water, with a narrow neck for drinking, 
 stood beside them, and all sat round the table on 
 the floor. They cordially invited me to share, and, 
 of course, I took a morsel not to be impolite, 
 although I had breakfasted some time before, in a 
 way more suited to my habits. After the meal, 
 which was quickly over (for people do not care to 
 linger over cold water as they would over a cup of 
 tea), we fell to talking again, and I could not help 
 reflecting while turning over the leaves of the 
 
78 
 
 LETTEKS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 Testament I had with me, what a delightful thing 
 it is, that however ditferent we may he in our cus- 
 toms — in the bread we eat and our way of partaking 
 of it — the bread of life is the same for all, and 
 suits all alike ! We may share that bread joyfully 
 with every fellow believer, or even every one who 
 shows the least wish or intention of becoming such ; 
 the differences are hut trifles of earth that are to 
 pass away, hut the “ one Lord, one faith,” are for 
 ever. Why will not the hungry in soul come to 
 Jesus to he fed when they have heard of Him, and 
 listen to the blessed words He spoke — am the 
 bread of life ” ? 
 
79 
 
 LETTER YIL 
 
 WHAT THEY EAT. 
 
 In the last letter I told you about bread, but you 
 will like some more particulars, I think, and also 
 something about the other articles chiefly used 
 as food. Bread is the staff of life as with us ; 
 it is not here as in many parts of India and China, 
 where rice takes the place of bread ; they are fond 
 of rice, and eat more of it than we do, it is part of 
 the diet of every tolerably comfortable family, hut it 
 is not so cheap as to he within the reach of the poor 
 except on occasions. When, for instance, I have a 
 house-cleaning, or any business giving extra fatigue 
 to the out-door servants who are called in for the 
 time to help, they expect a dinner or supper after- 
 wards, consisting of boiled rice with some melted 
 butter mixed with it and a little pepper and 
 salt, and think this a capital meal. But bread is 
 their daily food, with some relish or other, according 
 to the season and means. Every family makes its 
 
80 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 own bread ; there is a good deal, indeed, sold in 
 the streets, chiefly on palm frames carried on a 
 boy’s or woman’s head, and cried” abont, especially 
 in the morning and at sunset ; but this is chiefly 
 used by travellers, or workmen without a regular 
 home, or on occasion when the home supply is short, 
 etc. No family above a beggar’s will use it con- 
 stantly and daily. To' eat street bread ” is to be 
 at the last point of discomfort with an Egyptian. 
 They do not buy the flour but the wheat, and as this 
 has been threshed by the oxen treading it out upon 
 the ground, it is always full of bits of earth and 
 dust (it is said, indeed, that some is put in by fraud 
 on purpose to increase its weight). The cleaning 
 of the corn takes up a good deal of the woman’s 
 time, and then it has to be carried, usually on 
 the head of the housewife, unless she is able to 
 keep a servant or slave, to the mill; and when 
 ground, has to be sifted, for the chaff, not being 
 separated in the grinding, that and the bran are 
 sifted out together, which is not a good plan, as 
 no one can make what we call whole meal bread. 
 When sifted, the women bring leaven, or sour 
 dough, which they use instead of barm, or yeast ; 
 and when it is risen sufficiently, work up their 
 dough, making it very moist, slack as bakers say. 
 
WHAT THEY EAT. 
 
 81 
 
 and beating it up much more than we think neces- 
 sary ; often they are at it in the middle of the night, 
 if it is risen so as to be ready, and will spend two 
 hours in beating and slapping the mass, producing 
 quite a loud sound with their hands. When finished, 
 it is made into very small round cakes, or flaps, each 
 of the size of a small plate ; these are stuck against 
 the sides of the oven, and baked in less than a 
 minute each, but so many are needed that the 
 process takes some time. A hundred loaves of this 
 size is not too much for a family of two grown 
 persons and two children in a week, so it may be 
 supposed what a business it is to prepare bread 
 for a large family ; however, the fuel needed for 
 this sort of bread is not much, as the thin loaves 
 so soon get done. This kind of bread, or something 
 resembling it, is used in Syria also. It is more 
 easily broken than cut^ and as other food is all 
 partaken of with the fingers (soup only excepted), 
 it would not occur to Oriental servants, in laying a 
 table, to provide a knife for cutting bread. I make 
 this remark because some persons have a fanciful 
 idea that there is some special meaning or sign 
 in our Lord’s breaking instead of cutting bread at 
 the Last Supper, when He gave it to His disciples as 
 an emblem of His body to be soon broken for them 
 
 6 
 
82 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and for ns. We know that, literally and accurately 
 speaking, His body was not broken, but rather cut, 
 pierced and wounded, and that it is expressly said, 
 A bone of Him shall not be broken.” The word 
 evidently means only that He was wounded, and 
 suffered in the flesh for our transgressions’ sake, so 
 that whether we break or cut a piece of bread in 
 our celebration of the Lord’s Supper is a point of 
 no importance, any more than is the kind of bread ; 
 the real essential is that we should remember 
 our Lord in that holy and comforting service, and 
 think of all He suffered for us, and that He is 
 the true Bread that came down from heaven. I 
 daresay you recollect the Gospel parable where 
 the man asked his friend to lend him three 
 loaves of bread, because a traveller was come 
 to see him and he had no bread in the house 
 to set before him (Luke xi. 5). Now in many 
 parts of the East, three loaves is, to this day, 
 the portion usually placed before a single visitor 
 when his host wishes to be sure he has enough. 
 Unless extremely hungry, he would hardly need 
 more than two of the ordinary loaves, but it 
 would be thought mean to set less than three 
 before him, and in a wealthy family they send in 
 a whole heap of loaves; but our Lord’s illustra- 
 
WHAT THEY EAT. 
 
 83 
 
 tions are, for the most part, relating rather to the 
 humble classes than to the rich and great ; and 
 I remember being struck, formerly, with hearing 
 a lady say to her servant, when another person’s 
 servant had come on some business, Carry the 
 man a plate of dinner and three loaves,” and I was 
 often afterwards reminded of the parable. 
 
 The Egyptian bread is seldom relished by Euro- 
 peans, who generally make their own, and in the 
 cities Greek and French bakers are numerous. 
 But when cleanly made and quite fresh it is not 
 to be at all despised ; the disadvantage is that it 
 is very bad to our taste when stale^ and very 
 quickly gets hard and dry, especially in summer. 
 
 The diet of the people is usually frugal as regards 
 the middle and poorer classes, but they manage 
 to have a greater variety than people of similar 
 means in England, and, I think, in this they are 
 right, as a change of diet is more wholesome than 
 to eat almost always the same things. All the 
 cheaper vegetables are taken, as they come in season, 
 by all except the very poorest, and very few there 
 are who cannot obtain cucumbers and melons in 
 their most plentiful time ; the latter are often sold 
 in slices, which are to be had for the smallest 
 coin extant, and are, no doubt, very refreshing to 
 
84 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 weary labourers or ragged boys in the beat. The 
 lentils so often named in Scripture are a great 
 article of food in Egypt, and are very superior to 
 the vegetable of that kind in France, which seems 
 an inferior species. The Nile boatmen chiefly live 
 on a thick soup made of lentils, with onions and 
 hard bread broken up in it. Probably this was 
 Esau’s famous pottage, the lentils being, when 
 shelled and uncooked, of a bright reddish orange 
 colour (the text says that red pottage,” meaning 
 made of red lentils. Jacob was in the act of prepar- 
 ing it, no doubt). It is very savoury and good, and 
 a highly nourishing diet. Tomatoes, egg-plants, 
 black and white, and various gourds are abundant, 
 as well as many vegetables more familiar to you. 
 Some of them are made into stew or soup for supper 
 (with a little meat for those who can afford it), 
 others are eaten raw ; and fruit is often eaten with 
 bread as a meal. At other times, salted curd, or 
 pickled turnips, etc., are taken as a relish, and the 
 Egyptian beans are a favourite breakfast with all ; 
 rich and poor alike enjoy this simple and wholesome 
 dish. The beans require to be slowly cooked in a 
 great earthen jar, which is usually done by the 
 seller, who puts it in hot ashes for several hours ; 
 they are sold in the early morning by plates-full, 
 
WHAT THEY EAT. 
 
 85 
 
 and seasoned with a little lemon juice and salt and 
 pepper, and the addition of a morsel of butter 
 makes them an excellent article of diet. 
 
 In winter and early spring, when milk is tolerably 
 abundant, even in towns, a preparation of milk, 
 made sour and thick, is very popular, and is sold 
 in small earthen saucers, making a favourite supper. 
 
 The Nile produces a good deal of fish, which the 
 people living near the river can procure cheaply 
 enough ; but in the warm season it ought to be 
 cooked almost as soon as caught. It is inferior, 
 however, to sea fish. 
 
 The allusions to parched corn in Scripture are 
 frequent, and this is still a favourite dainty in 
 Egypt as well as in Syria ; but in the present day 
 maize is oftener used than wheat, for although I 
 have often seen the reapers eating parched wheat, 
 which they made by roasting the ears in the 
 field, I never recollect seeing it sold in the markets, 
 whereas maize is one of the chief street cries at its 
 season under the name of Durra.” Probably it 
 took the place of parched barley or wheat after 
 its introduction (as is generally supposed, from 
 America),* the larger grains making it more suitable 
 
 * Some still think, however, that it was a native also of the 
 East. I leave antiquarians to decide. 
 
LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 for parcliing than any other ; hut that alluded to 
 in Scripture must have been either barley or wheat. 
 We see there that parched corn was looked on 
 as a sort of rustic treat, which country folks sent 
 to their friends ; David’s father sends “ parched 
 corn” as well as cheeses to his sons in Saul’s 
 army, and the friend of the prophet Elisha sends 
 him full ears of corn in the husk,” evidently for 
 parching; and just so do friends in the East now 
 send, or bring, a basket full of corn in the husk 
 for their town relatives to enjoy. In harvest time we 
 often see the reapers lighting a little fire of chips 
 or sticks in a field and roasting the ears over it 
 to prepare this simple but much relished luxury, 
 and such scenes bring to mind the sweet story 
 of Ruth and the parched corn that she brought 
 home from the field to regale her mother-in-law, 
 
 when she had eaten and was sufficed.” For 
 though that history took place in Syria, the ways 
 and habits are in a great many things the same 
 in Egypt. 
 
 As we might suppose, from the many allusions to 
 it in Scripture, butter is very much used in the East. 
 Some learned men indeed have thought that sour 
 milk or curds was meant by the word translated 
 butter ; but I can bear witness to the fact that it is 
 
WHAT THEY EAT. 
 
 87 
 
 mucli more used in cookery both in Egypt and Syria 
 than in England, — I mean in larger quantities, and 
 that many of their dishes, otherwise very good, are 
 made too greasy to suit most English palates. But 
 they rarely use it as we do on bread ; it is generally 
 boiled down and clarified, and thus kept in jars. 
 In the country villages here, they eat it sometimes 
 on bread in winter, but little is eaten fresh, com- 
 paratively. 
 
 The way they make butter in Egypt would strike 
 you as curious. A prepared goat skin is half filled 
 with milk, slightly sour, and then hung to a peg 
 driven into the wall, or to a post, and a woman, 
 taking hold of a long string tied to it, pulls it to 
 and fro with a jerking motion till the butter comes. 
 She then drains the lumps, but neither washes nor 
 salts them in general. So, except in quite cold 
 weather, it soon gets rancid ; but very little is made 
 in the hot season. In early spring, when the cattle 
 are fed on clover, is the butter time, and quantities 
 are then made and clarified for summer use. The 
 favourite dish, without which no feast would be 
 complete, and which is the staple in most families 
 above the poorer class, is rice cooked with this pre- 
 pared butter, as I observed before. At their festivals, 
 both Copts and Moslems make cakes, which are 
 
88 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 often SO rich with clarified butter as to crumble in 
 lifting them unless taken with great care. The 
 peasants cannot afibrd to make theirs so very rich, 
 nor (luckily) to make themselves bilious with such 
 diet very often ; hut they do not think it a real 
 feast in Egypt (or Syria either) unless it he ‘‘a. 
 feast of fat things.” Here, again, the Bible allu- 
 sions are fully carried out. 
 
 But while eating articles literally soaking with 
 butter, I have heard an Oriental in a very dignified 
 position, who had visited England, speak with al- 
 most a shudder, of slices of bread and butter which 
 had been offered him ! An Egyptian would not 
 have been so much surprised, it would only appear 
 to him a sort of homely, rustic thing, to eat fresh 
 butter with bread ” as peasants do in spring in his 
 country ; he came not from Egypt, but Syria. 
 
 The quantity consumed is, however, as before 
 observed, greater than with us, no vegetables being 
 ever cooked merely with water. Meat is used in 
 smaller quantities, and generally mixed with vege- 
 tables, unless on occasions of a feast, when a roasted 
 lamb is sometimes served up, or a large joint. At 
 weddings a great deal is spent in feasting, as we 
 shall see when speaking on that subject. 
 
89 
 
 LETTER YIIL 
 
 SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 You will not be surprised to bear that tbe Egyp- 
 tians are full of superstitions. Most, if not all 
 nations, tbe mass of whom are ignorant, are super- 
 stitious. In England, when there was less education 
 than in tbe present day, numbers of silly superstitions 
 prevailed, particularly among country people; and 
 even some wbo should have known better, were yet 
 so foolish as to hold fast to the nonsense they had 
 been told in their childhood by ignorant persons, 
 and were afraid to sit down to dinner if thirteen 
 were present, or of spilling a pinch of salt, meeting 
 a magpie, and other equally ridiculous things. I 
 knew a lady who was afraid to change a dress, 
 accidentally put on the wrong side out, because 
 it was ^411 luck,” as she pretended. A wise friend 
 asked her, Who is luck ? Is he a god that you 
 worship him ? ” She was much vexed, but still 
 clung to her folly. If such things are found in a 
 
90 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 professedly Christian country, we cannot wonder 
 that they should abound here, and they do to a sad 
 extent. Not that all alike are under the dominion 
 of fear that superstition brings. Some are naturally 
 cheerful, and do not think about the future much ; 
 others are sensible, and see how foolish these fancies 
 are ; but the greater number, particularly of women, 
 are complete slaves to superstition, and though they 
 declare they believe in one God, yet 'practically they 
 believe in a great many. The chief of all their 
 objects of fear, however, is what they call the evil 
 eye ; more frequently they speak of this unseen 
 but dreaded power, simply as the eye.” It appears 
 to mean a sort of envious and grudging feeling on 
 the part of some person or persons who look at 
 their child, or property, or anything of value. But 
 there must be a deeper meaning than this, since, 
 however unkind the envious neighbour might be, 
 unless he or she did actual mischief out of spite, no 
 harm could be conceived to follow from his en^y 
 except to his own wicked heart. But a passing 
 stranger, who never again sets eyes on the child, or 
 animal, or whatever it may be, or a neighbour, who is 
 known never to have lifted a finger against them, 
 are equally supposed to be the medium of conveying 
 the injury which they attribute to this terrible power. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 91 
 
 It seems to me to be just a borrid fiction invented 
 by tbe father of lies in order to draw away people’s 
 minds and hearts from God, for, strangely enough, 
 though invoking Him frequently on other occasions, 
 I do not ever recollect hearing them pray to be pro- 
 tected from this supposed power. Ho — some odd 
 and foolish trick or charm is to be used to halk^ as 
 it were, the evil infiuence. One of the commonest 
 is a sooty mark or dah on the forehead of a child. 
 One often meets a little girl or boy with this mark, 
 usually one of the richer class ; the mother puts on 
 this disfiguring sign to divert, as she fancies, the 
 power of the eye, because of the extraordinary 
 beauty of the child. I have seen it quite as often 
 on very common and even plain-featured children as 
 on pretty ones ; but, of course, every mother thinks 
 her own something wonderful; it is just because 
 she happens to be of an anxious temper that she 
 marks it. 
 
 A Coptic mother, who was visiting at my house 
 the other day, had a little child with her who struck 
 me as being even more untidy and dirty than was 
 usual (and I am sorry to say a neat-looking child is 
 still rather an exception here) ; but the mother 
 being very well dressed and not poor, the coarse 
 peasant's frock of rough blue cotton, and the shaggy 
 
92 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 filthy hair, did look singular, and I took occasion, 
 when she made some remark about his delicacy of 
 health, to say something in favour of cleanliness, 
 especially in such hot weather.” ^^Ah! but do 
 you know I have lost several” (I think she said four) 
 children, and I keep this one coarsely dressed and 
 dirty on purpose : it is that he may live.” I felt 
 sorely inclined to say. More likely that he may die. 
 The poor foolish woman continued, pointing to her 
 boy, who was a small and by no means a very 
 pretty child, He is, as you see, so lovely^ it is best 
 to keep him thus^^^ nodding mysteriously to imply 
 that to make him as unattractive as possible was 
 the only chance of his escaping the evil eye. 
 
 Another, a very pleasant woman, and one not 
 insensible to the Gospel, dressed her baby in black 
 from head to foot, even his little cap being of black 
 calico, because she had lost two or three before, and 
 a friend assured her that to make him a little 
 monk,” as she expressed it, and dress him in black 
 for a term of years, would be a sure means of pre- 
 serving him. The dear little thing was taken, 
 however, and the poor mother was candid enough to 
 confess she had been wrong. She was a professing 
 Christian like the other, but Moslems equally believe 
 in the evil eye. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 93 
 
 A very common defence (or fancied defence) 
 against their fancied danger of the eye, is to hang 
 charms around the neck or waist of a child, or tie 
 them to its little cap. 
 
 These charms consist of leather rolls or bags, Oj- 
 else tin cases, in which are enclosed papers, with 
 verses of Scripture written by a priest on them if 
 the child is a Copt, or from the Koran if a Moslem. 
 Whether really written is doubtful, but they never 
 open them to ascertain it. 
 
 Though oftenest seen on children, they are also 
 worn by some grown people ; negroes and Nubians, 
 in particular, are very fond of them, and wear them 
 tied by a ^ thong of red leather to the arm above the 
 elbow, where it is easily seen when, for the con- 
 venience of work, the long sleeve is stripped and tied 
 back. A Coptic woman, who, having had some little 
 education and some knowledge of the Bible, should 
 have known better, was once persuaded by a priest 
 to let him prepare her a charm against certain 
 headaches from which she suffered ; whether she 
 thought they came from the evil eye, or not, I am 
 not sure ; the fact was, they were simply bilious 
 headaches, which strict diet and a few doses of 
 suitable medicine afterwards cured. However, she 
 was persuaded to try the charm first, and paid a 
 
94 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 sum she could very ill afford for it : the priest had 
 no idea of writing a few words on a strip of paper 
 for nothing. She was at last convinced by one of 
 my family that this was a very foolish thing, and 
 if the paper really was, as it professed to he, a 
 Psalm of David written out, it could do no possible 
 good by being applied to the outside of her head. 
 She agreed to open it, and lo ! it was no Psalm 
 at all ; nothing but a few letters without meaning 
 and some scrib-scrab. She was heartily ashamed, 
 and, I hope, never used charms again. Our poor 
 Koman Catholic friends in Ireland often have 
 similar charms to these, which they call gospels, 
 a verse of the Gospel being supposed to be written 
 on them. Those whose eyes have been opened so that 
 they have received the Gospel in their hearts have 
 often then opened these paper charms and always 
 found nothing but a little scrib-scrab ; but it matters 
 nothing in reality whether the verse of Scripture 
 is there or not, as when so applied the Bible itself 
 is, in the sight of the Almighty, no better than a 
 mere scribble. 
 
 I have seen young children so laden with charms 
 in tin cases that they could scarcely support them 
 without inconvenience when crawling, or toddling 
 about ; yet it is seldom one can induce a mother 
 
SUPEKSTITIONS. 
 
 95 
 
 to remove them, so deeply are these superstitions 
 rooted in the hearts of the people. For a certain 
 kind of weak eyes, a red coral or hit of cornelian 
 is hung by a thread from the head so as to dangle 
 over the eye. I asked what possible good this 
 could do, when first observing it on a scholar, and 
 the teacher told me (evidently in doubt as to the 
 thing herself, but inclined to think it worth trying) 
 that the red colour of the stone was supposed to 
 divert the redness from the eye. I think medical 
 advice is more frequently sought for bad eyes, so 
 terribly common here, than formerly, but still 
 many continue to prefer charms and to think that 
 till seven days have elapsed after being attacked 
 no one should apply any medicine for ophthalmia, 
 and in bad cases blindness, either partial or total, 
 is sometimes the result. 
 
 I once called on the mother of a scholar and found 
 her with one eye tied up, and olfered to look at it, 
 saying that if a simple case, perhaps some of the 
 eye-water we always kept might be of service. She 
 refused to lift the covering, and seemed angry 
 at my request, which was certainly not made from 
 curiosity, as I saw too many bad eyes in Egypt to 
 be curious about them, and the sight is a very un- 
 pleasant one ; but she did not understand that 
 
96 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 only sincere kindness could make the offer, and 
 the teacher who was with me explained that she 
 thought’ it was a case of evil eye on hers^ and 
 that keeping it from anyone s observation for a 
 certain period w^as her only chance. 
 
 Another still more singular case is that of cover- 
 ing a baby’s face that the eye may not strike it, as 
 they say. I have often heard of such, and one 
 occurred in the family of an old servant, who him- 
 self told me that he had not seen the face of his 
 little grandchild though it was then some months 
 old. “You see, my daughter lost several,” he 
 said, “and she fancies it is the evil eye. I tell her 
 to trust in God, hut” (shrugging his shoulders) 
 “these women, — what is one to do with them? 
 Her mother, and aunts, and all, will have it 
 that it is ^ the eye.’ ” This poor babe had its face 
 hidden from everyone except its father and mother, 
 and what was more, from the fresh air, by a thick 
 black handkerchief, till it was a year old ; and 
 then, you will say, did they at last take it off? 
 God did it for them. He took the poor infant 
 away, and I feel no doubt its happy little spirit 
 sees light in Paradise through the love of Jesus, 
 though it never saw the light on earth. For the 
 family, who were Copts, lived in the Coptic quarter 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 97 
 
 of Cairo, and at that time, before the late altera- 
 tions in some of the streets, it was a place where 
 the sun could scarcely penetrate, so dark and 
 narrow were the lanes, and when — if ever — the 
 child was taken outside the house, it was under 
 cover of its thick black veil. Still, though in a 
 miserable, bungling way, it was dedicated to Christ, 
 and prayed for by the old man; and the arms of 
 the Saviour reach far, especially to catch up the 
 little ones. 
 
 Another, and I think a worse, case was one of a 
 woman, also a professing Christian, and of the same 
 family, who, after losing two children, sent, on the 
 arrival of the third, for a sort of witch or ^^wise 
 woman” foolish woman” would be a more suit- 
 able name), who came to stay for some weeks in 
 her house, and every time a visitor called — and in 
 this country all the female neighbours, friends, and 
 relatives call on these occasions — this woman per- 
 formed incantations and burnt incense to dispel the 
 effects of the possible evil eye from some one of 
 the guests. I would not go to see her, though an 
 old acquaintance, on hearing this, because it seemed 
 to be a sort of devil worship, as when I next saw 
 her, a good while after, I plainly told her. 
 
 She tried various other charms, one of which was 
 
 7 
 
98 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 disgusting enough, namely, bathing the infant in the 
 blood of a pig I It followed its little brother and 
 sister, and for aught I know the poor silly mother 
 may be trying the same experiments on another, 
 unless the Lord has seen fit to open her eyes, and 
 teach her to trust in Him. 
 
 A very common charm is to hang a stuffed croco- 
 dile (procured from Upper Egypt, for there are no 
 crocodiles near Cairo) over the door of a newly-built 
 house. Sometimes an aloe plant is put up instead. 
 Ho doubt one is as useful as the other. 
 
 Animals are supposed to be as easily struck as 
 children ; and indeed, in old times in England, some 
 people used to fancy that if a cow suddenly ceased 
 to give milk she was bewitched, as they expressed 
 it, and poor old women were accused of this crime, 
 which they could not commit even if they wished 
 to do so. We need not then wonder that the poor 
 Egyptian peasant woman who has a fine cow will 
 frequently prevent anyone from seeing her. I re- 
 member one being quite angry when I asked leave 
 to send my servant to bring the milk she sold us. 
 ^‘Ho, no, I don’t let any person in while I am 
 milking,” she said. “ Why if anyone saw me milk- 
 ing, my cow would most probably get Hhe eye,’ and 
 give no more. My cow is a very fine one ; I let no 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 99 
 
 one see her that I can help, and always keep the 
 stable door closed at milking time.” Horses and 
 camels often have charms hung round their necks 
 to protect them, as is supposed ; hut as it is not 
 universal, I imagine all do not put trust in this 
 nonsense. 
 
 It is curious how ready people are to take trouble 
 in the wrong way and the wrong place (not in Egypt 
 alone, indeed). The worry they give themselves about 
 these charms I have mentioned, and the trouble and 
 often cost of getting them, if used in another way, 
 w^ould really rid them of much evil, or diminish it. 
 For example, I once was visiting in a respectable 
 and rather wealthy Mohammedan family : a young 
 married woman was sitting with me, sister-in-law to 
 the mistress of the house (two or three brothers often 
 live in one house when large, as was the case here). 
 While we were chatting she pulled down some article 
 to show me off a shelf, and down came a small roll 
 of papers which scattered on the sofa, and she began 
 collecting them carefully. 
 
 ^^Are you learning to write?” I asked, seeing 
 Arabic characters in rather a disjointed way mixed 
 with figures, as of sums, on the papers. 
 
 ' Oh no; this is a charm for the bugs,” she re- 
 plied. Our house (like most old ones here) is 
 
100 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 infested, and a sheikh wrote this charm for us. You 
 see these figures ? — that is because they are many ; 
 and the letters — I cannot tell what they mean, some 
 secret thing no doubt” {scrib-scrab again, probably). 
 We put this in a corner up there, and the creatures, 
 he said, would all walk away.” 
 
 Have they done so ? ” 
 
 Well, not yet, it is only three days yet. I fancy 
 there are fewer, however, already.” 
 
 Do you not see that this is because the weather 
 is become cold, and these plagues are always much 
 less in that season ? The man was tricking you, and 
 took your money for nothing. How can you fancy 
 that insects can read when you yourself cannot?” I 
 continued, laughing. 
 
 She laughed heartily herself, and said, ^^It is 
 really foolishness, I do think;” and agreed with me 
 that the trouble and expense of the charm spent on 
 white-wash, soap, and brushes, etc., would have done 
 better. 
 
 The popular superstitions do a great deal of harm 
 in keeping up uncleanly habits. The religion of 
 Mohammedans commands that they should wash 
 when they pray, which ought to be five times a day 
 (not that all keep to this if they are busy, and the 
 women very rarely pray at all). This custom is of 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 101 
 
 course better tbau nothing, and does tend to keep a 
 certain degree of cleanliness in adult males. But 
 superstition hinders it where specially needed, which 
 is with young children. Moslems think it sadly 
 unlucky to wash a baby at all until it is a year old. 
 Some of the better sort have broken through this 
 horrid custom, but as a rule it is kept to very strictly, 
 and I believe many die from diseases brought on by 
 dirt alone. Copts are recommended by the old 
 women of their faith to let baptism be the first 
 water on the child. They baptize by immersion, 
 certainly, but no soap is in the ceremony, and it 
 often has to last a long, long while. A dry wipe 
 with the mother’s hand, or a bit of her dress, is 
 thought enough, and that only on the face, by too 
 many who are by no means of the lowest class. 
 There are exceptions, however, and the spread of 
 education will, in time, I trust, make the exception 
 the other way. 
 
 The writing down passages from the Koran, then 
 washing off the writing and drinking the water, 
 is a very favourite charm for various maladies. It 
 seems as if man’s fro ward heart loved to take things 
 by contraries, for (supposing words to be ever so 
 holy) how could words affect the inside of the body? 
 
 There are superstitious observances in other coun- 
 
102 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 tries besides this, which seem to have come down 
 from old pagan times. Many of those in England 
 came from old worshippers of Odin and Thor in the 
 Saxon times, although the country wives who prac- 
 tised them had no idea of imitating pagan ancestors, 
 and had never heard of the false gods of those days. 
 So in Egypt there are people who have not the 
 least idea that they are keeping up observances 
 which began in the worship of beasts and reptiles, 
 etc. One of these is singular enough, and first came 
 under my notice a few years ago. A Coptic lady 
 sent me a message to say that her little boy was 
 ailing. (He was more than usually precious, as the 
 only son she had previously had had died years 
 before ; her daughter was married, and this little 
 one was, like most late blossoms, a peculiar treasure 
 therefore.) She wished to know if I thought it 
 would be advisable to bring a monkey and keep in 
 the house, as some neighbours suggested. The 
 expense is considerable, she said (more than a 
 guinea, I think), for monkeys come from a distant 
 part of Africa, and are not found in Egypt. Still, 
 if it would do good to the boy, she was ready to 
 spend anything. 
 
 What good could he do ? ” I asked the teacher 
 who brought me this message. Is the monkey to be 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 103 
 
 cooked and eaten in the form of broth by the 
 baby, or what is it to do ? He is too young to 
 jjlay with it.’’ 
 
 You don’t understand, — it is the said the 
 
 woman, mysteriously. The monkey kept in the 
 house is thought to draw off the evil influence from 
 the child to itself.” 
 
 It is needless to observe that I recommended in 
 preference that if her child were really ill she should 
 take him to the best doctor she could find, and pray 
 for a blessing on his directions. 
 
 Now as the monkey was one of the creatures 
 reverenced by the Egyptians, and the images of 
 their monkey god ” are extremely numerous in 
 collections of idols and such curiosities, and that 
 pictures of him are to be seen on many walls in the 
 ruined temples, etc., it seems that there is some 
 indistinct remains of this worship left in the minds 
 of those who even call themselves Christians, for we 
 must recollect that the reverence of the heathen for 
 false gods did not mean that they ever fancied their 
 deities good or benevolent beings necessarily. Many, 
 if not most, were revered with what is called de- 
 precatory ” worship ; that is, they were supposed to 
 be persuaded or coaxed by reverence and offerings, 
 incense and other things, and often, as we know, 
 
104 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 even human sacrifices, into letting people alone, and 
 not doing them mischief. Tliis is the kind of wor- 
 ship given by idolaters in India and elsewhere to 
 this day ; and the traces, — faint perhaps, hut still 
 traces ^ — of this deprecatory worship, remain here 
 among these superstitions. 
 
 I will only relate one more, — there are hundreds, 
 and many probably that I do not know of, but this 
 which I am going to tell seems to me quite as clearly 
 a remains of pagan worship as the monkey. 
 
 Persons are said, when failing in health and 
 spirits without any known cause, and sometimes 
 when it is clearly a case of illness, but which does 
 not as quickly yield to remedies as is expected, to 
 be possessed by an evil spirit. The women, who 
 seem the chief believers in this, though by no means 
 the only ones (indeed it may be merely as I see much 
 more of them that they seem to me to be more 
 full of these fancies), declare that the only cure is to 
 make what they call a zikr^ a kind of dance, either 
 sacred or magical, for they have a sort of zikr 
 which is more of a religious observance at certain 
 festivals. But the spirit dance is in order to drive 
 out the bad spirit. The friends and relatives are 
 assembled, and a grand celebration is made. I can- 
 not speak of it from having witnessed the ceremony. 
 
SUPERSTITIONS. 
 
 105 
 
 as it seemed from description to be a thing no Chris- 
 tian ought to meddle with, — invoking of spirits, and 
 a great deal of that sort of thing. 
 
 A young Mohammedan woman came one day to 
 invite me to a zikr at her house, and said it would 
 be very amusing. I was surprised, and said so, 
 asking who was supposed to be possessed. 
 
 I am,” she replied. 
 
 But you do not look ill ; what is the matter with 
 you?” 
 
 She said she had been poorly, and no one could 
 say why, and that she would like the excitement, 
 and the dance, and feast, etc. And I saw that 
 these things were her real motive, or at least went 
 a great way. Still she was prepared to obey the 
 horrible custom, which she said was to bring a sheep 
 and kill it in the court, and as soon as a bowl had 
 been filled with blood they would bring it to her, 
 and she was to drink it all off at once. 
 
 How can you do such a thing, Fatuma ? ” I 
 asked. 
 
 Oh, it is custom, I must do it, and then they 
 will all dance round me, and clap hands, and chant, 
 and then at last, by the middle of the night, the feast 
 will be ready, and we shall eat and be merry, and 
 by the next day I shall be well.” 
 
106 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 I would not go, and thought of the words of 
 the psalm : Their drink offerings of blood will I 
 
 not offer, nor take up their names into my lips ” 
 (Psalm xvi. 4). 
 
107 
 
 LETTER IX. 
 
 SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 Egypt is full of slaves. A great deal is written 
 and said now about the hope that the slave traffic 
 may be stopped, but this is a much more difficult 
 thing than people in England have generally any 
 idea of; there are besides the same difficulties 
 which took so much time and trouble in the days 
 of those good men who got the slave-trade abolished 
 in our colonies, other difficulties which I need not 
 enter on here : it is enough to say that there is 
 no Wilberforce to labour and pray for years with 
 his pious friends in the cause of the poor slaves, 
 so I fear the time is not very near for their emanci- 
 pation. Meanwhile, at all events, Egypt is full of 
 them, as I said before ; the cities, in particular, 
 are teeming with negro slaves. In America (in 
 the Southern States, that is), till the late war, and 
 long ago in our West Indian Islands, field work 
 was chiefiy done by black slaves working in gangs, 
 
108 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 because white men could not work mucli in the heat 
 of such climates. But that is not the case here ; field 
 labour is mostly done by the children of the soil,” 
 and though a negro shepherd or herdsman is some- 
 times seen, the chief employment of slaves is as 
 domestic servants. People of moderate fortune 
 keep at least two or three ; and, I am sorry to say, 
 Christians quite as much as Moslems. Many who 
 are in a position of life to do their own work keep 
 a negress (who does it very imperfectly), and do 
 nothing themselves. Of course the expense is 
 great ; really more than hiring a servant, because 
 there is a large sum paid for the woman at first, 
 and then she has to be fed and clothed, and 
 being generally very wasteful, she costs a good deal. 
 A cook or waiter in an European family will often 
 keep a slave, and let his wife sit idly smoking a 
 cigar all day, while this poor creature is dawdling 
 about over the housework, and touching a broom as 
 if it burnt her fingers. I have known of drago- 
 men (or travelling servants) who, when on the river 
 with English families, have actually persuaded 
 their employers to allow them to make use of their 
 boat to bring down a slave boy or girl whom they 
 wanted to purchase, making the pretext that it 
 was for the good of the said boy or girl rather than 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 109 
 
 for their own convenience. Very likely the child 
 would he kindly treated (a good many are so, no 
 doubt, and sometimes even petted when quite 
 young) ; but still, if slave traffic is a wrong thing, 
 we ought not to encourage it in any way, and 
 England, as a nation, has decided that it is a 
 wrong thing. 
 
 Not long ago I was on the river for a few days’ 
 excursion, with friends, and we saw several slave 
 boats on their way to Cairo. One passed quite 
 close to our boat, and w^e were painfully interested 
 to watch the crowd of black faces that peered 
 curiously at us from the cranon windows of the 
 cabin in which they were crammed. Most were 
 young lads of from twelve to fifteen or so; some 
 girls seemed to be there also, but it was not easy 
 to distinguish them. Poor things! they smiled 
 and grinned at us, and seemed quite amused to see 
 the white strangers looking at them, but we did 
 not feel in at all a smiling frame of mind ; it made 
 our blood boil to think of the amount of cruelty 
 that must have been used for this one boat-load of 
 human beings to be dragged from their homes and 
 penned up like cattle to be sold as if they had no 
 souls. Surely a day of vengeance will come for 
 these things ! 
 
no 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 But to continue my account of the negroes as 
 they are in the towns. I do not believe that in 
 general there is near so much bodily misery and 
 suffering among them as there was among the 
 American slave gangs when the planter’s object 
 was just to get as much work done as cheap and 
 as quickly as he could, so that, if not a humane 
 man, he fed and clothed them very coarsely, and 
 had them beaten severely if they failed to work as 
 steadily as he needed, and where instruction was 
 not only hindered, but even forbidden for slaves in 
 several of the States. Here, on the contrary, they 
 are oftener kindly treated than not, although 
 there is a great deal of cruelty at times, of course. 
 I say of course because man is not fit to be trusted 
 with unlimited power as a rule, and, therefore, 
 unhappily, it is a matter of course that when 
 numbers have that power it will be frequently 
 abused. One of my family once saw a neighbour 
 of ours, when we lived in a street in Cairo, actually 
 stamping upon her slave girl, whom she had first 
 thrown down on the flat roof of the house : it was a 
 wonder she did not kill the poor creature in her fury. 
 But those I see are, as a rule, very well fed and 
 dressed, often wear handsome ornaments, and appear 
 to be treated with kindness. They are not much 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGVPT. 
 
 Ill 
 
 trusted, as the mistresses if they go out visiting for 
 any length of time usually take the slave with them 
 if they have only one, and if they have several leave 
 a member of the family at home, sometimes a mere 
 child, rather than leave the slaves with the house 
 in their sole charge. There are a few who have 
 proved so honest that they are trusted entirely, 
 and beloved by the family (in which they have 
 lived usually from early childhood) like one of its 
 members, but these are very rare exceptions. So 
 are the cases when slaves have been instructed, 
 though there is no law against their learning, and 
 some masters have even sent slave boys to school, 
 if favourites, while in the establishments of the 
 great some are taught to read even in two or three 
 languages. But I never heard of a female being 
 taught, because it is merely to make them useful 
 to their masters and mistresses, and among the 
 thousands of negress slaves here none could be 
 found who were not in a state of utter ignorance. 
 
 A so-called Christian mistress once boasted to 
 m$' that she had had her slave baptized on purchas- 
 ing her, As many of us do,” she added. Oh, yes; 
 I took care of that ! ” And did you teach her 
 the meaning of the rite ? ” I asked. The lady 
 burst out laughing. Teach a thing like her ! they 
 
112 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT 
 
 are as cattle, those slaves ! ” she exclaimed. Tlie 
 poor woman was serving us with coffee, and heard 
 every word. I was much pained, but knew that 
 ignorance had as much to do with it as deliberate 
 neglect, and that the mistress only knew the name, 
 not the reality of Christianity. Did you never 
 hear the name of Jesus?” I asked the negress. 
 “ No, lady, never.” How long has she been here 
 with you ? ” I said, turning to the mistress. Ten 
 years.” Ten years, and never heard of Jesus, 
 and yet baptized ! why, dear friend, this is wrong. 
 Do let me speak a little to her?” 
 
 Willingly, but it’s no use, I tell you, they are 
 cattle.” 
 
 Yes, we are cattle,” echoed the black, meekly. 
 
 Oh no, no, you are not ! you have souls just as 
 we have,” I said, and went on to explain, much as I 
 would to a child of three years, the difference be- 
 tween man and brutes, and the soul that was made 
 to live in glory, and added that God wanted her to 
 believe this, ^^for God loves you,” said I. 
 
 This seemed greatly to amaze her. She had 
 often heard God’s name, usually when taken in 
 vain, and had no distinct knowledge of Him ; if any 
 at all, it probably was that He did not care about 
 slaves, one way or another ; and when I told her of 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 113 
 
 Jesus the Holy One loving us, whether white or 
 black, and dying for our sins, the tears came into 
 her eyes. I cannot suppose she understood all I 
 tried to tell her, for the untaught mind is very slow 
 to take new ideas, and I spoke as a foreigner ; still 
 something found its way into that poor soul which 
 made the tears come forth, and she blessed and 
 thanked me when I went away. Her mistress went 
 to live with a married daughter afterwards, and I 
 could not trace her. She fell into difficulties, I 
 think, and very likely the slave was sold, for this 
 is the first thing when money is short. But God 
 knows all about her. We must remember to whom 
 little is given from him will little he required. 
 Sometimes a slave runs away from ill-treatment, 
 and in this case, if a boy or man, he is made a 
 soldier, or a servant to the army if not able-bodied 
 enough for fighting : they do not like this, for they 
 are not accustomed to exposure and hard living, and 
 a great number of such recruits died two years ago 
 when the army was being prepared for the war in 
 Abyssinia. 
 
 Tlie women now-a-days are taken by the police^ 
 and sometimes allowed to hire themselves out as 
 servants on making declaration of ill-treatment ; 
 but a great number are taken back by their owners, 
 
 8 
 
114 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 who have various ways of bribing and persuading 
 the officials. 
 
 I daresay you, who only now and then see a negro 
 in the streets, fancy that they all look nearly alike, 
 hut in fact they belong to a great variety of tribes, 
 and are different in feature, though in the same 
 stijle. Some are as black as soot, or the blackest of 
 black ink ; others have a slight reddish-brown shade 
 on the cheek bones and forehead ; some have toler- 
 ably straight^ though flattened, noses, and large soft 
 eyes, and a mouth only thick-lipped, but not pro- 
 truding strongly. Others again (and I own they 
 are the most numerous) seem hardly to possess a 
 nose, properly speaking, but only nostrils, and have 
 the whole lower half of the face and jawbones very 
 forward and large, while the forehead is retreating 
 and small ; the eyes generally small in this type, 
 and the mouth exceedingly large and coarse. I 
 have been told that these come from Darfur, if 
 they are large and strongly built especially. I have 
 seen a negress who was six feet at least, and big in 
 proportion, and when she shouldered her mistress’s 
 baby, the effect was droll. But a larger* number 
 have the features I have described, with a rather 
 short flgure, and a tendency to grow fat very early: 
 when well-fed, negresses seem much disjDOsed to 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 115 
 
 stoutness in this country. Some are brought from 
 almost unknown tribes far away in the middle of 
 Africa, and I have seen specimens who really looked 
 complete savages, just arrived by boat from the 
 upper provinces (their own country being very much 
 beyond that again). The wild, stupefied expression 
 of face showed these poor creatures to be below 
 feeling curiosity at the new things that surrounded 
 them, as they walked after their owner, or the per- 
 son who was going to sell them — half-naked, and 
 their black skin shining with rancid grease, and 
 their woolly locks twisted into tight little plaits a few 
 inches long. It is an undoubted fact that occasion- 
 ally, though but rarely, a woman from a cannibal 
 tribe has been brought up to Cairo without the 
 knowledge of the agent or purchaser. I have heard, 
 on good authority, of one who devoured her master’s 
 baby. The mother was very foolish to put her child 
 into the hands of a complete savage. 
 
 The people here all believe^ at any rate, that 
 cannibal tribes exist in the centre of Africa, and 
 that now and then one turns up,” although it 
 may be very rare. In general negroes of all tribes 
 are kind to children, and very fond of them ; and 
 if a little one is injured, it is a thousand or ten 
 thousand to one that it was from the slave’s 
 
116 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 ignorance and stupidity, and not from a wish to 
 dine upon it. 
 
 But I think you will agree with me that it is a 
 proof of the utter badness of the whole system of 
 slavery, that in spite of the possibility of finding a 
 new purchase turn out a cannibal, and the certainty 
 that she will be a completely wild savage, mistresses 
 almost always prefer buying one of these newly im- 
 ported negresses to taking one who has been long in 
 other families, though she will have learned to cook 
 and wash, etc. This is the best answer to those 
 who tell us it is better for them to be slaves here 
 than to stay in their own country, because,” as a 
 friend once said who had been persuaded by the 
 dragoman into letting him bring down black boys 
 to rear up as slaves, ^^they learn some good, at 
 least.” It seems, however, that they learn stealing, 
 and a variety of other bad things ; so that a raw 
 savage is thought preferable by most employers. 
 Can anything be said in favour of this abominable 
 system after this fact ? 
 
 When, as sometimes happens, several ladies come 
 to one of our meetings, or even merely as a visit, 
 and bring slaves, I endeavour to say something 
 special for these poor women, but those who have 
 not been brought up in the country know Arabic 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 117 
 
 very imperfectly, and cannot follow enough to get 
 much good ; others know it well, and have nearly 
 forgotten their own tongue, indeed. 
 
 At our meeting last year (just before going for a 
 visit to England), an elderly slave woman was so 
 much affected by what she heard, that while I was 
 praying, a lady present saw the tears trickling down 
 her wrinkled black face, and she bent eagerly for- 
 ward to hear the good words,” as she said. 
 
 An instance of the love of Him who is able to 
 save to the uttermost all who come to Him, through 
 Christ, happened some years ago, when two nice 
 little boys attended my school, and, like all our 
 scholars, had the Bible to study. All do not profit 
 alike, however, and as children are naturally full of 
 play on leaving school, I was much struck with 
 what I was told of these children reading from the 
 Hew Testament to an old negress who had brought 
 them up and was much attached to them. It seems 
 this woman was in feeble health, and her great 
 delight was to listen to what her young favourites 
 read to her on their return from school, and they 
 often spent some time by her bed thus employed 
 instead of playing, which I think showed there was 
 both love and religious feeling in them. When 
 after some months the old woman became worse. 
 
118 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and was evidently near death, some Moslem slaves, 
 who were her friends, offered to fetch the Mollah, 
 who is the person somewhat answering to a minister, 
 though not exactly, and who reads from their Koran 
 to dying persons. She refused, however ; and when 
 they urged her strongly, she replied (her master, 
 who was of the Christian persuasion, overheard it), 
 Ko, no, I want no one but Him whom the boys 
 tell me about ; the boys’ Saviour is my Saviour.” 
 And in that faith the poor slave died. Surely the 
 Lord accepted the soul which was thus brought to 
 touch the hem of His garment, as it were, by a little 
 child. 
 
 • It is a great mistake to suppose that slaves do 
 more work than free persons ; it is quite ridiculous 
 to see how many of them are often kept in great 
 houses here, and how little they do compared with 
 what ought to be done, and might be easily done 
 with a third of the number. I remember once 
 counting ten women in the kitchen of a rich Coptic 
 family ; ‘all were negress slaves, and I heard there 
 were several more beside, men servants ; yet the 
 kitchen was untidy and dirty, and most of them 
 were squatting on the ground doing nothing. The 
 stairs were imperfectly swept, and though the lady 
 was in a splendidly-furnished room, and dressed in 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 119 
 
 a beautiful muslin with diamonds and other jewels, 
 I could not help seeing a padr of ragged old 
 slippers and an old man’s cap peeping from under 
 a gilded sofa, orange peel and crusts of bread in 
 a corner, and rubbish dust in little heaps, as if 
 just kicked out of the way, instead of being cleanly 
 swept ! I do not mean that all are alike, but this 
 was by no means an exception. They cannot have 
 the energy which is given by the feeling that one 
 is earning wages, and that by want of diligence 
 one may be sent away and be without a livelihood. 
 Treated like unreasoning creatures, they act like 
 such, and only try to do as little and eat as much 
 as they can, and are generally very wasteful, and 
 the exceptions only go to prove the rule. Great 
 numbers never live to see middle age, either from 
 the climate of Egypt not being hot enough for 
 those who come from a region still hotter, or else 
 because they have less power of resisting disease 
 than persons of lighter colour \ though frequently 
 having great muscular strength, they soon fall a 
 prey to epidemic maladies, especially such as small 
 pox, etc. Fresh troops of these poor people are 
 therefore constantly being brought into the country, 
 either stolen from their homes or seized in war, 
 and the infamous dealers in human flesh are always 
 
120 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 in full employment, though there are no longer 
 open slave markets to he seen. Large under- 
 ground places like vaults for merchandise are said 
 to be made use of for keeping the new arrivals in 
 till disposed of; others are sold at Khartoum, a 
 town of importance, and the capital of Nubia, 
 and thence brought down and re-sold in Cairo or 
 Alexandria. As a rule (of course not without 
 exceptions) negroes are inferior in power of mind 
 to white races, and are not nearly so quick in book 
 learning ; the girls are not so clever in needlework 
 and embroidery as Egyptians, but do well in house 
 work if proj)erly trained. Almost all are naturally 
 conceited, and therefore are very easily spoiled ; 
 some of the little negroes in great and rich families, 
 who are much indulged, are perfectly unbearable 
 from conceit. Slavery does not give a humble 
 disposition or a right estimate of oneself ; quite the 
 contrary : it brings out everything that is bad in 
 man’s heart ; but as a race I think conceit is a 
 prominent and common fault with them. We 
 must hope that the noble Christian men who are 
 braving an unhealthy climate, and many dangers 
 besides, to bring the gospel into the negro’s own 
 country, will find a reward, and that they will 
 rise rapidly^ as those nations can who have the 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 121 
 
 Bible among them. Meanwhile, the best to be 
 done for tbe individuals who can be by any means 
 Jreecl, but who dwell far from their own land, is, 
 if they are young enough to learn, to give them a 
 good but simple education, and fit them to take 
 an honourable place among the peasants or ar- 
 tisans of the land, and if girls, to be good, useful, 
 and respected servants till they marry, unless any 
 boy or girl should show capacity above the rest, 
 so as to be fit for the position of teacher,^ etc. 
 The remark made by natives here of the negroes 
 i^ this : If good they are very good, and if bad very 
 bad ; and as far as my experience goes I think it 
 is generally true. There are some slaves from 
 Abyssinia in Egypt, but they are few compared 
 to the negroes ; the Berbers and Nubians (who 
 are all brown, or coffee-coloured, but not black) are 
 very numerous in the cities ; they are, however, not 
 slaves for the most part, but free hired servants. 
 There are a good many freed negroes, also, who have 
 been set at liberty (or their fathers) by great men, 
 either at their death or on some peculiar occasion, 
 but they' are rarely met with in good positions, 
 being very idle. Besides the black races who dwell 
 in bondage in Egypt, there are a great many white 
 slaves; most of these belong to Turks residing 
 
122 
 
 LETTEKS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 here, though some belong to Egyptian Moslems. 
 These are not only purchased to fill the palaces 
 of the nobles with secondary wives (as their detest- 
 able custom permits), though this is the principal 
 object for which the traffic is carried on, but they 
 are also brought to act as upper servants, and 
 often half-servant, half-companion to the great 
 ladies. ^^You hire ladies’-maids in England, I 
 believe ; we huy ours,” said a noble lady to me 
 one day, pointing as she spoke, with a very satis- 
 fied smile, to a row of young women smartly 
 dressed, who stood with folded arms at the end of 
 the large room, doing nothing, but ready to bring 
 their mistress a light for her cigar, or a glass of 
 water, or a handkerchief, if wanted. One would 
 have performed these mild duties alone with ease, 
 but they like sliow^ and the white slaves generally 
 stand all in a row when visitors call. They at 
 other times make clothes for their lady and them- 
 selves, dust furniture, make delicate dishes of 
 cookery, and receive guests, folding their outer 
 mantles, etc. But coffee is made by the black 
 women, and all sorts of rough work also are done 
 by them, so that the white slave has usually an 
 easy life, and fares luxuriously every day. Still, it 
 is the life of a canary-bird rather than of a rational 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 123 
 
 being ; the cage is gilt, indeed, but it is a cage. 
 Some of these purchased lady’s maids are given 
 in marriage to favourites of their lady’s husband, 
 and a good-natured mistress is said to ask a slave, 
 whom she specially approves, if she would like to 
 be married, as in that case a match shall be found 
 for her. Others, who have become middle-aged 
 in one family, and have been brought up in it 
 from childhood, prefer remaining as they are, and 
 often act as a sort of matron to train new pur- 
 chases, and to superintend the negress cooks. 
 
 I do not say these women are as a rule unhappy ; 
 the crying injustice of being bought like cattle 
 does not strike them, shut up as they are, and 
 most have been taken too young to recollect and 
 regret the lost family ; still they have generally a 
 dull, vacant expression, unless excited by anything, 
 and are apt to be very selfish, as one might expect 
 indeed. There are often quarrels and jealousies, 
 as is generally the case when a number of women are 
 shut up together with little to do. And any who 
 have been old enough to remember a home, what 
 must it be to them ? Many years ago, a friend took 
 me to see the family of a wealthy Turk resident 
 here whom she was acquainted with, and as we 
 could then only speak a very little Arabic, and no 
 
124 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 Tiirkisli, the master of the house accompanied us 
 to his wife’s apartment to interpret for us, as he 
 spoke French. The lady was a very sweet-looking 
 woman, and I do not think could have been un- 
 kind to her slaves, but one of them looked very 
 unhapjDy ; the master called our attention to her, 
 observing that we ought to look at that girl, whom 
 he had bought for a present to his wife recently, 
 because she is,” said he, so very like some 
 of your country-women” (he had been both in 
 France and in England, it seemed). “ She is from 
 some mountain tribe,” he added, I do not exactly 
 know from what place, and was taken in battle.” 
 Poor girl ! she turned red when pointed at, and 
 hung down her head for a minute, and then looked 
 up and tossed it with a haughty air ; yet not really 
 haughty, rather as if she would say, I want to be 
 free, and I ought to be free ! ” She seemed about 
 fifteen, and really was extremely English-looking, 
 with her light auburn hair, and blue eyes, and tall 
 figure. I so often thought of her, and wished I 
 could have helped her in any way. Probably it 
 was only one case among many. 
 
 I cannot say much about the others — the num- 
 bers who are in the miserable plight of being in 
 a wife’s position without her rights or privileges. 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 125 
 
 I need only say that the humblest English matron 
 who ever wore a wedding-ring need not wish to 
 change places with such, though they are covered 
 with gold and jewels, and waited on like a princess, 
 which if a favourite is often the case. The hard- 
 working single woman, who belongs only to God 
 and herself, holds in reality a higher position than 
 the richest and fairest of these white slaves, dwell- 
 ing as in a cage behind the mysterious-looking 
 curtain that hangs before the entrance to the 
 female portion of all great houses in the East, 
 which apartments are called Hareem,” meaning, 
 the forbidden. This abode is guarded by black 
 slave men, similar to those alluded to in Scripture 
 (Daniel and Esther, and other Books). No other 
 man but the master can go into this part of the 
 house. Eoyal personages and wealthy pachas have 
 immense palaces, where two or three hundred white 
 slaves reside, and two or three of these expensive 
 establishments. The law of Mohammedans allows 
 them four legal wives, but few have more than 
 two or three, even among great men (the poor, 
 but one) ; each wife will have several white slaves 
 of her own, so that altogether the number is very 
 considerable. These poor young women chiefly 
 come from countries near the Caucasus Mountains 
 
126 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 — Georgia and Circassia. The Circassians, whose 
 name is familiar to every one from the savage con- 
 duct of the Circassian irregular troops in the late 
 war, are a fierce, warlike people, and must have 
 peculiar hardness about their nature, as for cen- 
 turies they have (many among them, that is) had 
 the habit of selling their little daughters to Turkish 
 slave-dealers. I cannot learn that the other mountain 
 tribes sell their children, unless driven to despera- 
 tion in times of grievous famine ; but Circassians 
 think it as good for their children as for them- 
 selves, and deliberately part with them in this way. 
 
 “We are better off here,” said a little Circassian 
 slave to an English lady I knew. “ Our mothers 
 are very poor, and could only give us hard fare 
 and bad clothing ; here we have nice food and 
 pretty dresses and jewels.” I thought, on hearing 
 this remark, “How little, my poor child, do you 
 know of a mother’s love ! ” Who that knows it would 
 think dainty food and jewels worth more, and how 
 hard must be the heart that sends away her little 
 one for gold ! However I do not suppose all Circas- 
 sian mothers do so ; many children are doubtless 
 stolen, as they always are from Georgia, it appears. 
 
 Both these races are celebrated for good looks ; 
 not that all Circassian women are beauties. I 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 127 
 
 have seen a great many who had nothing except 
 a fair skin that was particularly remarkable; hut 
 others are extremely handsome, and the type (or 
 style of face) resembles the English more than any 
 other. The Circassian women have in general fine 
 liair of an auburn or light brown, and grey or 
 brown eyes, with a white skin ; G-eorgians are 
 generally dark-eyed, with dark brown hair, but fair 
 complexion also. They are alike in being naturally 
 intelligent, but are stupefied by their false and 
 unnatural position in life, and by idleness and 
 luxuriant habits. All are brought up as Moham- 
 medans, of course, and learn Turkish and Arabic 
 so early that they forget their own languages. 
 Some few learn (if they are favourites in the family) 
 with their little mistresses, in the palaces of great 
 pachas, who latterly have adopted the custom of 
 bringing an European teacher to give some instruc- 
 tion in French and music to their daughters ; they 
 would in such cases learn to read in Turkish from 
 a master. But a mere outside teaching — where the 
 heart and soul are left out, and where the instruc- 
 tion stops altogether at the age when we think 
 girls are just beginning to profit by what they 
 learn — does not change or improve the character 
 much. It is better than nothing ; but it is sur- 
 
128 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 prising liow few seem to care to keep np tlie little 
 tliey know. The girl I told yon of who was glad 
 her parents had sold her because of the fine clothes 
 and nice things she obtained, was one of those who 
 had a little education ; but being able to play a 
 few tunes on the piano, and read tolerably in two 
 languages, or even three, does very little good if 
 the mind is still so uncultivated that there is no 
 wish for instruction. 
 
 The being from infancy deprived of all relations, 
 all family life, has a very bad efiect on the dis- 
 position. We know that in the case of poor orphans 
 in England, who are reared in schools, the want 
 of family and home often hinders their developing 
 in many ways as well as other young people, and 
 that cottage homes” for these little strays are 
 found to answer better. But the poor little white 
 slave children have not the wholesome discipline of 
 a school : and the hareem life, from what I know 
 of it, is, I should think, the worst possible training. 
 Luxurious without comfort^ irregular though profuse 
 in everything, surrounded by women accustomed to 
 look out each for herself, and with neither jDarents, 
 sister, brother, aunts, or any one belonging to them, 
 it is no wonder if they are generally selfish and 
 devoted to dress, eating, and all the lower pleasures. 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 129 
 
 The exceptions must have remarkably amiable dis- 
 positions, and such there are among them, as I can 
 testify. 
 
 I never knew what family love meant till my 
 little boy was born, because I never had any one 
 that belonged to me,” said a sweet young woman 
 to me one day, who is more fortunate than most 
 white slaves in her lot, being married to a worthy 
 man, and his sole wife, respected as well as loved. 
 But she had evidently felt the strange loneliness 
 of heart of being a solitary one among hundreds 
 brought up by royalty and petted from a child, 
 beautiful and wealthy ; still the heart had yearned 
 after something, it knew not what ; and when after 
 her little son’s arrival she tasted the joy of mother’s 
 love, she then understood what it was she had been 
 vaguely longing for. There are,” she said, so 
 many hundreds like me, who have never known 
 parents, brother, or sister, or any relative at all;” 
 and there was a look in the lovely wistful eyes, as 
 if she would say, “ There is surely something wrong 
 somewhere ; it ought not to be soV^ 
 
 I know two white slaves who were purchased 
 years ago by a rich merchant as wives for his two 
 sons, and brought here from Constantinople. They 
 reside in Cairo, and the two little girls of the two 
 
 9 
 
130 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 brothers have for some time come to my school, 
 and I often visit the mothers, who are very pleasant 
 and gentle in their manners, and so cleanly and 
 nice in dress and habits that they are a contrast 
 to sonje of their neighbours ; for Turkish families, 
 and those brought up in them, are much more 
 cleanly than Egyptians; and it is right to give 
 credit to everyone for what they deserve. 
 
 Well, I one day asked one of my friends if she 
 could recollect anything about her childhood, or if 
 she had been too young when sold, as is often the 
 case. “ Oh ! I recollect very well,” she said, “1 was 
 about so high,” holding her hand at the height of 
 a child of from five to seven years old. My father 
 had been killed in some battle, and my mother 
 had soon followed him. I was reared by an old 
 grandmother, from whom I used to hear this. She 
 was partly blind, and therefore could not, I suppose, 
 watch me carefully enough. I was at play at our 
 door one day in the street, and a strange man came 
 near and held out his hand with some sweetmeats, 
 which he ofiered me. Child-like, I accepted them, 
 and he then said, beckoning me on, that he had 
 some more and prettier ones just down the street 
 a little farther. So I went, fearing nothing ; and 
 as we turned the corner, suddenly he covered my 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 131 
 
 face and flung me on a horse and galloped off, and 
 I recollect no more — I was so frightened. It is 
 all dark till I see myself again in a great city, 
 just arriving, and afterwards knew that this was 
 Stamhoul (Stamhoul is the Turk’s name for Con- 
 stantinople, as I daresay you know). When there, 
 I was bought by an old Turkish lady, who was 
 kind enough, and had me taught to sew and 
 embroider ; but when I was still young she died, 
 and her heirs sold me with her property, and my 
 husband’s father purchased me. A great many 
 children in our countries are stolen by means of 
 sugar-plums,” she added ; it is a common trick ; 
 there are men who go about on purpose, as I have 
 heard.” She does not know whether her country 
 is Georgia or Circassia, or some province near these 
 regions; but her face is like the Georgian style, 
 being fair, with dark eyes and hair. 
 
 We often see men of the Circassian race (who 
 are Mohammedans) on their way to Mecca as 
 pilgrims ; they do not stay long in Cairo, as they 
 gp on to Suez to take ship for Arabia (Mecca 
 being the holy city of the Mohammedans, which 
 they visit as a religious act, if possible, at least 
 once in their lives). During the short stay of the 
 various pilgrims, we see many from distant iknds. 
 
132 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and, as I said, Circassians among tliem. Many of 
 these men have a cast of feature and complexion 
 strongly reminding one of Englishmen, though I 
 think in general they are shorter in stature than 
 is usual with well-grown Englishmen. But what 
 a difference in countenance and expression ! — such 
 fierce, wild, cruel-looking fellows too many are, 
 and stalk about the streets with a ferocious look, 
 which does not make one desire their acquaintance, 
 and generally a hand is resting on the great belt 
 they wear, in a suspicious manner, this belt being 
 literally stuffed with knives, daggers, and pistols 
 of various kinds. And yet, when we see the 
 complexion and features so like what we are 
 accustomed to see at home, how strongly comes 
 the thought. Who made us to differ? If it were 
 not for God’s grace and an open Bible, we might 
 be bloodthirsty ruffians like them. There are, alas ! 
 bad and ruffianly men in England as elsewhere to 
 be found ; but, thank God, we are not a nation of 
 cut-throats or child-sellers — there is ^^salt” among 
 us. But let us beware; if England ever gives up the 
 Bible, the salt will lose its savour, and then is only 
 fit to be trodden under foot, as the Scripture says. 
 
 Let us pray to be kept by God’s power and 
 mercy from letting go our title-deeds to forgive- 
 
SLAVERY AS IT IS IN EGYPT. 
 
 133 
 
 ness and eternal life ; and let us also pray for 
 those who are in bondage, of whatever kind, that 
 many among them may be gathered into the fold 
 and made free in Christ ; and let us not forget to 
 pray that the Lord may soon come again, to receive 
 the glory of a renewed world and reign Prince of 
 peace, putting down the oppressor and the tyrant — 
 when Jerusalem as the centre of the earth is puri- 
 fied and sanctified — when the streets are full of 
 boys and girls playing in the streets thereof. ’ 
 Oh ! then will be no more the cruel stealing of 
 poor innocent little ones. They may play safely 
 and fear nothing ; for then shall the crooked be 
 made straight and the rough places plain.’' 
 
 c 
 
134 
 
 LETTER X. 
 
 THE VILLAGE. 
 
 The cultivators of the ground, who, as well as 
 keepers of cattle, are usually called Fellaheen 
 (Fellah, the accent on the last syllable, being the 
 word in the singular) inhabit the villages strewn 
 over the great plain of Egypt ; a solitary hut or 
 cottage is not to be seen; all are gathered into 
 villages, and the country,” as we say in England, 
 in contrast to town, is by citizens here generally 
 spoken of as the peasants’, or farmers’ country.” 
 The dress and habits are more different from 
 those of the town than in many other places, 
 partly because the peasants cling much more to 
 old ways .The cultivator, even if quite wealthy, has 
 the same style of garment as the labourers, only 
 better in quality and more abundant ; and his wife 
 wears the same ample checked blue mantle, with 
 its fringed border, as her poorer neighbour, only 
 that it is good and strong, and bordered with 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 135 
 
 crimson silk, and conceals a gold necklace and 
 earrings within its folds. 
 
 The wealthy cultivator does not inhabit a mere 
 hut such as I described in telling you of the habi- 
 tations of the poor. In most of the larger villages 
 are found from one or two to perhaps eight or 
 ten houses of a better description, composed of two 
 courts or yards one within the other, with open 
 rooms, or rather sheds, just roofed over with rough 
 beams, or more frequently reeds; in one of these 
 cattle are housed at night, in another the people 
 carry on all the work that is not done in the open 
 court, or if it be so windy as to make a little 
 shelter desirable. 
 
 Shelling beans, husking maize, sifting wheat, 
 grinding flour, which in the country is usually by 
 a handmill, and all cooking, is carried on either in 
 the yard or the sheds, which are sometimes of a 
 considerable size, in other houses small, accord- 
 ing to the owner’s means. In all a sort of raised 
 seat is found in one of the sheds, which is called 
 the salamlik ; this is the room where men guests 
 are received, they are never taken into the inner 
 rooms, which belong to the women. On this raised 
 seat, or ledge^ for it is nothing more than a stone 
 or brick ledge, is spread a carpet or mat, when 
 
136 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 guests comp, and there they smoke and drink coffee, 
 and I have seen carpets of great beauty and value 
 from Persia or Damascus brought out on these 
 occasions, in houses of a very humble appearance, 
 and with scarcely any furniture. The inner rooms 
 are one, two, or three little dens, without windows, 
 and with low doors, dark and close therefore, used 
 for sleeping in cold weather, and for keeping any- 
 thing of value, as they have a lock. From these 
 receptacles are brought out the carpets mentioned, 
 which are rolled up carefully, the brass cooking 
 utensils used on occasion of a feast, and the hard- 
 stufPed pillows, that answer instead of chairs, being 
 placed for the guest to lean his back or arm on, 
 as he sits upon the carpet. In a farmer’s house 
 where I was visiting on the banks of the Nile, 
 the good woman remarking I must be tired, 
 having walked some way, obligingly went into her 
 inner room and fetched a pillow or cushion of a 
 peculiar shape, covered with the hide of a calf, with 
 the hair on ; it was extremely comfortable on a 
 rather cold winter day; it was only stuffed with 
 straw, and was home-made, but I thought it in- 
 genious. Most rich farmers’ wives have in this 
 same den a good-sized box painted green, and 
 ornamented with brass ; this is sometimes called 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 137 
 
 a bride’s box^ as every country woman brings one 
 to contain her clothes and little treasures when she 
 marries, and many contain handsome sets of gold 
 jewels, though in general these are worn constantly 
 by the possessor, and not kept for high days ” 
 only. I do not say I approve of women spending 
 much on gold and jewels to put on, and it looks very 
 much out of place to see, as one does in this country, 
 gold coins hung round the neck when the dress 
 is both dirty and torn. But we cannot look on it, 
 as we should in England, as a mere love of finery, 
 for the jewels are all the woman can lawfully keep 
 if she be divorced, as the wretched law of the 
 Moslems allows, for anything or nothing^ so that 
 but for some of these gold things, many a poor 
 creature would go forth to starve. The Christian 
 Egyptian cannot be treated in this way, but if 
 left a widow, the law permits her husband’s 
 brothers, and father, if living, to take most of the 
 property, to the exclusion of the children, at least 
 only allowing them a small share, and the widow 
 a still smaller. So her necklace is often her only 
 bank, for whatever is on her person they cannot 
 touch. I know more than formerly now about 
 those passages in Scripture speaking of the 
 cause ” of the widow and fatherless, since I 
 
138 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 have learned how such are pushed out of their 
 little possessions in the East, and how little the 
 law protects them. 
 
 But to return to the farmers’ dwellings. The 
 country houses, as well as huts of the poor, have 
 still in most cases the old wooden lock and key, 
 which, when I first was in Egypt, was the only 
 one ever seen, except in European houses ; the 
 hired house in which I lived, in a native quarter, 
 had a key a foot long, I remember. Now Euro- 
 pean keys are gradually coming into use, but the 
 old kind, though very clumsy, have an interest in 
 our minds, because it is evident they are the keys 
 alluded to in the Bible, when Isaiah the prophet 
 says, “ The ketj I will lay on his shoulder ; ” it 
 would be almost absurd to think of one of our 
 little keys laid as a weight on a man’s shoulder, 
 but a great heavy wooden thing might be put there, 
 as in the East everything is carried either on the 
 shoulder or head that can by any means be put 
 there. The wooden key has notches to fit the corres- 
 ponding ones in the lock, and are very fidgety and 
 troublesome to open for those not long used to them. 
 
 Village dwellings near the river are generally 
 surrounded by a palm grove, and some have two 
 or three palms planted in their yards; not unfre- 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 139 
 
 quently a palm-tree is used as one of the posts 
 of the doorway. The light shade thus given is 
 very pleasant in the fine winter weather of Egypt. 
 Now and then a house belonging to a great man, 
 and occupied by his agent (or by his family now 
 and then for a change), will be seen in a village 
 distinguished by whitewashed walls and glass 
 windows ; though these are generally very primitive 
 inside, and built only of mud brick. A curious 
 addition to most villages is the Egyptian pigeon- 
 house, which is quite original. It consists of a 
 great number of rude earthen pots, built into a 
 mud wall, in the form of a dome, or little tower ; 
 in this the birds make their nests, and it is very 
 singular to watch them all coming out of their 
 jars in a fiock, and fiying off to seek food, and again 
 returning at night, and each knowing its own place 
 They shall fly as doves to their windows,” pro- 
 bably alluded to some such kind of pigeon-house. 
 
 I have already told you about the huts of the 
 poor people, who of course are the most numerous, 
 and which resemble those in the suburbs of towns 
 and inside the towns also, in some quarters. Many 
 small hamlets consist of nothing but a cluster of 
 such miserable huts as those, but in the larger vil- 
 lages there will be usually found some people who 
 
140 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 are well olf. A large tree is very often found near 
 the middle of a village, where the men assemble to 
 chat of an evening, as is the case in European villages. 
 The favourite tree is either a sycamore-fig, or a mul- 
 berry, both of which grow to immense size. 
 
 The countryman has plenty to do during the chief 
 part of the year, and gets through a great deal on 
 very frugal fare. If taxed only in moderation, and 
 not allowed to be fleeced by under officials, acting 
 like the publicans ” or taxgatherers in our Lord’s 
 time in Judea, who robbed the people to fill their 
 own purses, the peasant would have enough for 
 his simple wants, and none need suffer, because the 
 land is so fertile, and brings either two or three 
 successive crops in a year. Ploughing is done by 
 oxen or buffaloes, as is the threshing or treading 
 out of the corn. For this business a man sits in a 
 sort of wooden chair without legs, and with some 
 simple machinery under it, which crushes the corn 
 as the oxen draw it about on a space of hard beaten 
 earth ; the feet of the animals and the machine 
 together knock out the grains. Winnowing is done 
 with a shovel, tossing up the corn on a breezy day. 
 They leave the grain out in heaps till it is sold, the 
 climate being so dry. 
 
 The cattle form a great part of the peasant’s 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 141 
 
 wealth, and are of various kinds. The Egyptian 
 cow is large, and capable of working, and both 
 cows and oxen are used in the water-works, etc. 
 But buffaloes are more numerous, being cheaper 
 to keep and very strong, besides giving a greater 
 quantity of milk, though the butter is not equal 
 to cow’s butter, nor will it keep fresh so long. 
 The Egyptian buffalo is larger than the cow, and 
 is rather an unwieldly creature to look at, of a 
 dark-grey colour, with scanty rough hair on the 
 skin, and huge horns, and projecting bones on 
 its back ; but it is generally of a very gentle dis- 
 position, and is frequently ridden by the children 
 of its owner when going to and from pasture, 
 and a buffalo calf is constantly to be seen at the 
 door of a hut with the baby playing beside it. 
 In the lower lands the buffalo does particularly 
 well, as it delights in water, and is seen in the time 
 of inundation swimming across the canals or the 
 river (often with a man on its back), or wading in 
 pools up to its great horns, giving occasional puffs 
 of satisfaction at the bath. A great many goats 
 are also kept. There are two or three varieties, but 
 the commonest is a kind with rather short hair, 
 usually brown or chesnut, marked with white, and 
 many of which are hornless, the he goats almost 
 
142 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYRT. 
 
 always so. A long-Laired goat is not uncommon 
 however, black or wliite. Sheep are very often 
 brown, or white with a black neck and head. Great 
 flocks of goats and sheep are to be seen on the 
 banks of the river or by the canals ; in warm 
 weather they come from a distance to drink, the 
 pools being then dry, and it is very pretty to see 
 them resting in the shade of a tree in the heat of 
 the day, and recalls the words of Scripture in the 
 Song of Solomon, where the Church of Christ is 
 represented under the figure of a shepherd’s bride 
 seeking the bridegroom, — “ Tell me, 0 thou whom 
 my soul loveth, where thou feedest, where thou 
 makes t thy flock to rest at noon.” 
 
 The arable land is not in Egypt divided by hedges, 
 as in England ; measurement is the only thing to 
 decide the limits of the different fields, though of 
 course trees, canals, etc., serve as landmarks to the 
 eye. The measurement is made by a reed of a 
 certain length, and in writing of deeds and leases 
 it is always said so many ^^reed lengths.” I was 
 struck years ago by first seeing a man measuring- 
 ground in this way ; he had a long smooth reed of 
 the kind before described in his hand, and laid it 
 down and lifted it up, making a running leap witli 
 great dexterity, and thus went on springing from 
 
COIJNI'RY SCENE 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 143 
 
 measure to measure quickly, yet as it seemed ac- 
 curately. Another man accompanied him, walking 
 behind, — at a much slower pace, however. Perhaps 
 you may recollect, in the measuring of Ezekiel’s 
 temple (in the fortieth chapter of Ezekiel), the reed 
 of six cubits long and the height and breadth of 
 different parts being said to be ^^one reed.” So this 
 is one among the many things that remain un- 
 changed from the old days. A yet more interesting- 
 reference is to that verse in Kevelation where John 
 says the angel that talked with him had a golden 
 reed to measure the city, and the gates thereof, and 
 the wall thereof” (Rev. xxi. 18). 
 
 Those villages which are near the desert have 
 usually a fence of these same reeds upon the side 
 exposed to the high winds and drifting sand of the 
 desert, which would injure the crops. Some Be- 
 douin families, descendants of the wandering Arab 
 tribes who had land given them to induce them to 
 settle, by Government, a good many years ago, make 
 huts of reeds, sometimes a sort of square wigwam,’' 
 sometimes a mere inclosure, without any roof, and 
 in these poor abodes they actually live, except for 
 a short time in winter, when they sleep in the little 
 round mud hovels with a hole for a door, of which 
 a few added to the reed dwellings make up their 
 
144 
 
 LETTEKS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 little hamlet, with occasionally a tent of ragged 
 goats’ hair, though these last more properly belong 
 to the wandering Bedouins. I have often visited 
 colonies of this kind; one visit which had much 
 interest connected with it was in the winter of 1877. 
 The Nile overflow had been very low that autumn, 
 and much distress was the consequence, especially 
 on some of the districts depending only on the river- 
 flow for watering. This was the case with the poor 
 little colony of Bedouins. Their land was usually 
 just sufflcient to provide corn for their bread, and 
 fodder for their few goats and camels, but not a 
 single ear of wheat would grow for want of the 
 water, and they had only existed by selling from 
 time to time a goat or a camel, and living on the 
 corn bought with its price as long as they could. 
 As to clothes, all they had were in rags, and several 
 of the children had none at all. The reed enclosures 
 with three or four tiny round mud huts, were all 
 their habitations — five or six families I think there 
 were. We bought some eggs of the poor women, 
 and paid a little extra to help them, — the more 
 willingly that they did not clamour for money as 
 so many do in the villages where Europeans are 
 often seen. I do not think these poor Bedouins 
 had ever seen a visitor in their miserable little 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 145 
 
 abode before ; they were greatly surprised evidently, 
 but very civilly asked us, not to come in ” exactly — 
 for unless we crawled on bands and knees we could 
 not have done so — but to sit down in their enclo- 
 sure of reeds, which kept off a little of the high 
 wind and the clouds of dust which it brought, and 
 one kindly offered her husband’s goats’ hair cloak 
 as a seat ; but it was not inviting, and with many 
 thanks I said I preferred the sand. The men of the 
 company were going to join some companions in an 
 expedition for selling one of their remaining goats, 
 and some of our party had gone on to a much 
 larger village a little way off, so that I was left 
 alone with the women, about six of whom, with a 
 few children, sat in a circle round me, and after a 
 little talk in order to introduce the subject and 
 make friends with them, I asked if they would 
 listen while I read something out of God’s Word. 
 
 You know how to read, then ? ” asked an old 
 woman ; but your book is, I suppose, in Frank 
 language ? ” (meaning some European tongue). 
 ^^No, it is Arabic.” “Well, that is wonderful,” 
 said she; “read and let us hear.” I was in my 
 turn surprised to find so much intelligence and 
 intellect in women whose outward appearance was 
 so low and wretched. The little that peeped above 
 
 10 
 
146 
 
 LETTERS EROBI EGYPT. 
 
 tlieir face-veils showed thin, sunburnt, wrinkled 
 faces, worn by hardship, and with ugly features, 
 yet many a smooth-skinned and jewelled lady to 
 whom I had vainly offered the gospel, might have 
 taken a lesson from their earnest attention. They 
 were scantily clad, and ragged, as I said before, their 
 wiry brown arms and legs showing through many 
 a rent ; but God looks not at the outside, but the 
 heart, and one of these in particular seemed to me 
 as if a ray of light was gradually finding its way 
 into her soul, as her little twinkling eyes sparkled 
 with inward pleasure as I read of God’s love to 
 sinners, and explained that beautiful text, Knock, 
 and it shall be opened to you,” etc. Kow suppose 
 you went just as you are to a pasha’s palace and 
 knocked,” said I, ^^what answer would you get?” 
 Why, they would drive me ofP, and most likely 
 beat, me,” replied the old woman. Then I showed 
 her how God is different from man, and explained 
 that knocking and seeking, etc., meant praying, and 
 afterwards taught her and another, who was also 
 very attentive, the short and precious prayer, God 
 be merciful to me a sinner.” They repeated it 
 over and over after me, and I tried to give them 
 some idea of Christ dying in our place, and how 
 that is God’s love to man. The hour was a very 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 147 
 
 interesting one that I spent among these poor 
 women. May God grant that some seed may take 
 root in their hearts, and he like bread cast on the 
 waters, to he found after many days ! 
 
 This has led us away somewhat from the actual 
 Egyptian peasant’s life (for the Bedouin Arab, 
 whether the wandering tribes of the desert, or these 
 poor half-starved colonists, are all of Asiatic origin, 
 and not properly Egyptians), but being inhabitants^ 
 and with the same language as the people of the 
 soil, it seemed that a little notice of them might not 
 be amiss. Besides, the mention of reeds naturally 
 brought the reed huts and the poor dwellers in 
 them to mind. 
 
 The men of the colony had gone, I told you, to 
 sell a goat, and this brings us to the village markets, 
 for it was to a market held in one of the neighbour- 
 ing villages that they took it, to bring back corn in 
 exchange. These markets are held weekly in certain 
 villages, on certain days, much as with us ; but the 
 articles sold are in some respects as different as 
 the look of the sellers and buyers. Very early in 
 the morning the countrymen may be seen on the 
 high causeway, along the river side, or canal, driving 
 cattle, or donkeys, or camels laden with produce of 
 the fields, according to the season, — in winter the 
 
148 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 beautiful green clover; in early spring tbe same, 
 with its white flowers ; in summer, chopped straw, 
 in huge panniers of netting slung over camels’ 
 backs, or in boats piled up with the same, if on the 
 river side. These men are generally fine and sturdy 
 looking; their swarthy complexions, which do not 
 suit European dress, look very well in their own 
 white turbans, with great mantles of either white 
 or brown, or of a dark blackish-purple colour, 
 hanging over their shoulders, and their feet bare. 
 Sometimes you see a man carrying a pair of nice red 
 or yellow leather shoes over his shoulder by a string, 
 to put on when he is in the market with his friends, 
 but he walks better barefoot when he has some 
 distance to come. 
 
 While he is busy with the sheep and goats, the 
 corn and maize and red lentils, the fodder and the 
 calves, etc., his wife and daughters have joined the 
 crowd of countrywomen who are chattering, as 
 women are apt to do at market in any country. 
 They have put on their best clothes, if not too poor, 
 as are very many, to possess any but the ragged 
 blue garment and veil they wear. Those who can, 
 however, appear in flowing veils of thin black 
 muslin, or sometimes, though not so often, in light 
 blue, with dark purple or blue dress, hanging loose 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 149 
 
 without belt or sash, and with long wide sleeves, 
 which, thrown back, display the massive silver 
 bracelets, and the necklace of gold coins, or curious 
 gold ornaments shaped like little fish (often very 
 old, having come down from mother to daughter), 
 or gold and coral beads. Some have, instead, a 
 circle of plain bright silver, as thick as a woman’s 
 little finger, round the neck. Some wear — what is 
 never seen in the city, unless on a countrywoman 
 passing by — a nose ring. In some villages they 
 are very much worn ; in others, only here and there 
 a woman will wear one. This ornament, which to 
 our taste is not becoming, and must be exceedingly 
 inconvenient, one would suppose, is of great antiquity, 
 and appears formerly to have been worn in Pales- 
 tine, though now not often met with there. 
 
 The dark blue of the dress is from the durableness 
 of the indigo dye, which makes it more suitable for 
 those who work in the fields than the gay prints 
 worn in the cities. Many of the peasant women 
 still wear strong native linen, instead of cotton, 
 dyed of a purplish or deep blue colour ; and most, 
 who can afford it, have a long crimson silk cord, 
 with large tassels, fastened to the plaits of their hair, 
 hanging down behind ; it does not seem of any use, 
 but they like it, and I must say it is both prettier to 
 
150 
 
 LETTERS EROM EGYPT. 
 
 look at, and mucli more cleanly, than the detestable 
 bunches of false hair which many young women wore 
 not so long ago, or than a good many articles of tawdry 
 vulgar finery on which money is wasted among us. 
 
 Almost every woman comes into market with a 
 load on her head of some kind, — either a pitcher of 
 sour milk, or a skin of the same, with lumps of 
 butter in it, or a basket of eggs or fowls, cheese or 
 dates, leeks or onions, or any vegetables in season. 
 There is little except provisions of a common kind, 
 cattle, etc., and a few coloured prints, and pieces of 
 unbleached calico, thread, etc., sold in the market; 
 scarcely anything of show or luxury, unless it be a 
 few tiny looking-glasses, and clumsy combs, and red' 
 handkerchiefs in a corner. It is only of late years 
 that a few plates and dishes are occasionally found 
 in the houses of the wealthier farmers ; the coarse 
 red pottery of the country, made in a sort of pan, 
 being the only earthen vessels in most village 
 dwellings, and even these not numerous. 
 
 I recollect being once offered some bread and milk 
 in a pan of this kind by a friendly peasant woman, 
 who was quite hurt that I should not eat with her 
 (when paying a rather early visit). It was on the 
 banks of the Mle, in a large village. She was very 
 well off for cows and goats, etc., but had not such 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 151 
 
 a thing as a cup or bowl in her house, nor pan of 
 moderate size, only the huge one which the family 
 sat round and ate from together at supper, I suppose. 
 I picked out a morsel or two to gratify her, but 
 thought it an odd way of taking bread and milk, 
 with neither spoon nor cup. 
 
 I used to wonder in those early days how they 
 drank, till I saw them lift a pitcher of considerable 
 weight (though much smaller than that carried on 
 the head to bring water) and pour the draught from 
 a height into their throats. I tried to do the same, 
 but early habit being wanting, I only succeeded in 
 watering my clothes plentifully, without getting 
 more than a drop or two in the right direction. 
 
 The countrywomen are by no means as carefully 
 veiled as the townspeople, and a great many of the 
 poorer ones have no face-covering at all ; but if 
 they have to speak to a man, most will draw the 
 muslin veil across the mouth and nose, holding it 
 with one hand, or in the teeth, if both hands are 
 busy weighing cheese or dates. Those who are in 
 what they think proper full dress, have the black 
 face-veil I described before, but you see very few of 
 these in the villages. They are freer in their ways, 
 and less afraid of mixing with men in the way of 
 business than townspeople ; but still keep much 
 
152 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 more distant than is thought necessary in Euro- 
 pean countries. 
 
 Though Egyptians are naturally good-natured, 
 and very hospitable, it is impossible for any stranger 
 to get a lodging in a village, because the habits of 
 the people do not allow the women of the family to 
 see or admit any one. If a friend comes to see a 
 villager, he is received in the room I described as 
 the salamlik, if in a rich peasant’s house ; if not, 
 under a tree, where a carpet or mat is spread. A 
 lady can, however, gain an entrance much more 
 easily, of course, and though in some villages (either 
 from the bigoted character of the people, or from 
 their sheikh^ or head man, being of a superstitious 
 nature, and disliking Christians), it would be very 
 difficult to get on friendly terms, yet these I have 
 found to be few compared with those in which I 
 was received with friendly and cordial kindness. 
 
 Many years ago I was with a little party on the 
 river in a Nile boat, and we were delayed by bad 
 winds. Being short of bread, we landed at a small 
 village, and tried to purchase some of the very un- 
 tempting flaps of dark native sour bread, for hunger 
 is glad of even the humblest fare. But not one would 
 
 * Unless in a Sheikh’s house occasionally, as that may possibly 
 contain several rooms. 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 153 
 
 sell a single loaf. ^^We bake for ourselves/’ one 
 sulky old woman said, and have none for strangers.” 
 
 But we will pay you well ; see, here is money,” said 
 one of the gentlemen, shaking a purse ; and knowing 
 that money is very scarce in these places, we expected 
 success. But no, the feeling evidently was that 
 there was some ill luck in letting Christians get 
 their bread. We have none ; we don’t sell,” was 
 the only reply, and we returned to our boat, and had 
 to defer our breakfast till late in the afternoon, 
 when we reached Cairo. 
 
 Very different was the reception we found in 
 another village (several years afterwards), when 
 visiting on the banks of the Nile, and happened 
 to find the good woman of a house at which we 
 called engaged in baking. We were quite unknown 
 to her, but she politely asked me and the lady 
 who accompanied me to come in and rest, while 
 the gentleman of the party had to go with the 
 master of the house, a respectable countryman, to 
 the outer court, where the men’s seat was prepared 
 for him by spreading a carpet. We apologized 
 for coming in where the women were so busy, but 
 said we should like to see how they did it, if not 
 troublesome. The woman begged us to stay ^^all 
 day,” as she said, and entreated us to eat as much of 
 
154 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 her hot bread as we liked. We were not in want 
 of any, but tasted it to please her, with thanks for 
 her civility. You would have been amused to see 
 the process. This was donrra, or maize bread, which 
 is often used when the store of wheat is finished. 
 It is more troublesome to make by far, because the 
 maize flour has scarcely any gluten in it, that is, 
 it will not stick together, as the children say, 
 without great difficulty and being much worked. 
 In America, I believe, they mix a portion of com- 
 mon flour with it, and thus make pretty good 
 bread, but here they were using it because they 
 had no other flour ; so the plan was to let it rise 
 with leaven (or sour dough) very high indeed, till 
 an extremely light moist sponge ; the vessel this 
 woman had was as big as a washing tub, and was 
 brimming over with the dough, which was too sour 
 for our taste, but they relish it so. One woman took 
 up a small piece and threw lightly on a well floured 
 wooden shovel or spade, with a short handle, and 
 then cleverly shook it till the soft dough became 
 a very thin flat cake ; she then quickly shoved it 
 on to another spade, held by the baker, who was 
 squatting at the oven door, and who popped it into 
 the heated place, and pulled out the cake within, 
 handing it to a third, who laid it on a heap of 
 
THE VILLAGE. 
 
 155 
 
 large thin pancake-like loaves beside her. Their rapid 
 action was very amusing to watch ; I never saw 
 anything done more nimbly and handily, but with 
 all their quickness, it was a long process. They 
 said maize would not do in any other way ; as they 
 chiefly lived on bread, and there were several growing 
 lads in the family, this huge quantity would only 
 last three or four days, the mother told me ! 
 
 The village houses never have any sort of garden 
 around them ; if a farmer has a garden at all, 
 it is a patch of vegetables at some little distance, 
 under the palm grove, or adjoining his cornfield 
 or other crops. There are beautiful gardens be- 
 longing to the great men in some parts of the 
 country, but the poor people have not yet learnt 
 to see that when they live near the water (for 
 otherwise certainly the expense would make it im- 
 possible for a poor man), a few flowers and pot- 
 herbs cost nothing but a little trouble. It is 
 merely ignorance, for they all like flowers, especially 
 sweet-scented ones, and if water, as I said, is near, 
 plants will grow very rapidly in such a climate. 
 I hope in time they may learn to improve their 
 dwellings, both within and without, and not to 
 mind a little trouble for the sake of a great deal 
 of comfort, and some innocent pleasure. 
 
156 
 
 LETTER XI. 
 
 TOWN LIFE. 
 
 The Egyptians are naturally ingenious in handi- 
 craft, but formerly seem to have carried their 
 manufactures to greater perfection, especially con- 
 sidering the want of implements in old times. 
 In some respects they have lost undoubtedly ; the 
 beautiful wood-carving, for which they were so 
 famous, is lost as an art ; no one living can do 
 it now in the old style. Formerly, wooden lattices, 
 carved in a variety of patterns, and most in- 
 geniously, were used instead of glass windows, 
 which are of course more convenient in some 
 respects, but on account of the glare of the sun, 
 wooden blinds of some sort are quite necessary, and 
 the old carvings are very imperfectly supplied by 
 modern Turkish blinds or Italian shutters. The 
 fine linen of Egypt, so famous of old, has now 
 disappeared, and only a coarse kind, worn by 
 peasants, is made, good in its way, but by no 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 157 
 
 means choice ; the handlooms cannot compete with 
 the steam of Europe, and both cotton and linen 
 from Europe are procured more cheaply than they 
 can make them. The coarse kind I allude to keeps 
 its steady sale up, however, because the peasant 
 women prefer what is lasting^ and it wears three 
 times as long as any of our manufactured goods 
 of a similar style. They also weave some silk for 
 the same reason ; those who want a good quality 
 that will wear long prefer the native kind to the 
 cheaper fabrics of France. Their silk is dear, 
 but very lasting, and of a beautiful pattern; the 
 native ladies hardly ever use it now, but the trades- 
 men, merchants, and wealthier artizans use it for 
 their haftans and waistcoats. 
 
 Though the old custom of selling every kind of 
 article, as well as making them, in special quarters, 
 each for itself, is a good deal broken in upon by 
 the introduction of European shops for mixed goods. 
 Still it keeps up for all native goods, and is the 
 general custom of the cities in Egypt, as in most 
 if not all Eastern cities. These quarters, composed 
 of one, two, or three streets, as may be, are called 
 sooks,” translated market, but they do not answer 
 at all to our market ; they use the word more widely 
 in fact. My servant will tell me, “ The market for 
 
15S 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 vegetables is over,” just as one in England might 
 say ; but be will add, Shall I go to the brass market 
 for those pans ? ” or to the shoe market for the 
 red shoes for the school girls ? ” Europeans often 
 call them bazaars, and natives, also, indeed under- 
 stand the word, but it is, I believe, an Indian one, 
 meaning the same as sook,” merely a place where 
 goods are displayed. English ladies now give the 
 name to a fancy sale for charitable purposes, but 
 the original signification was widely different. There 
 are in Cairo two or three shoe quarters, consisting 
 of narrow streets lined with small den-like shops, 
 occupying the ground-fioor of large houses (used 
 as dwelling houses). In these dens, amidst dozens 
 of red and yellow native shoes of various kinds, 
 the owner, with sometimes an assistant, sits cross- 
 legged stitching away, and receiving his occasional 
 customers. They are hut occasional, except at the 
 festival times, and then a great business is done. 
 Every artizan in town, and every peasant in the 
 village for miles round, comes to buy a new pair 
 of shoes ^^for the feast,” and every boy and girl, 
 above the position of a beggar expects this treat, 
 though they may often go barefoot, when this pair 
 is worn out, till the feast comes round again. 
 Being much cheaper than European shoes, the man 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 159 
 
 must be poor indeed who cannot afford his chil- 
 dren at least the commonest kind. They are hard 
 bargainers, however, and as the system of fixed 
 price does not yet prevail, a good deal of time is 
 often spent over a small thing. 
 
 By your eyes it is too dear,” says a sturdy, bronze- 
 faced country-man, balancing on his labour-hardened 
 hand a pretty little pair of red pointed shoes, suited 
 to the small delicate feet of a little Egyptian of 
 some two or three years. 
 
 Dear ! on the contrary, they are too cheap ; 
 only it is for the feast, I should otherwise ask 
 more,” replies the turbaned shoemaker, pulling his 
 thread out of a great pair of stout yellow slippers 
 with very thick soles (meant for peasant’s wear). 
 
 Six piastres for these little things, and not 
 strong either ! I will give three and a half.” 
 
 May God open ” (answering to God forbid I 
 should do so”), replies the man of shoes, taking the 
 pair out of the other’s hand, and hanging it on a 
 hook before him. 
 
 As I promised my little Ayusha, and they are 
 just her size,” says the poor man, looking tenderly 
 at them, and speaking half to himself, half to the 
 tradesman, ^^come, say four, and I will have 
 them.” 
 
160 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 By the Prophet it is not possible — no, it is 
 finished ; four indeed ! ’’ 
 
 The peasant jerks his mantle over his shoulder, 
 and turns away ; then looks back and says, “ Four 
 and a half — I am going away.” 
 
 ^^Well, I am giving them away, hut for your 
 sake — there ! ” and the bargain is concluded. 
 
 I give the conversation as I heard it last winter ; 
 I was buying something near, and could not help 
 listening, and the man, with the true Egyptian love 
 of sympathy, turned to me to exhibit them. I hope 
 Ayusha was pleased. 
 
 The saddlers’ quarter is at least as important as 
 the shoemakers’, donkey saddles in particular being 
 an article of constant use here. Formerly, when 
 only two or three carriages were to he found in all 
 Cairo, every one rode everywhere on donkeys. They 
 answered completely to cabs, etc., and had the 
 advantage of being very cheap, and of being able 
 to go into narrow streets impassable for carriages. 
 'Now many of these narrow streets have been 
 widened, and many more carriages are used ; still 
 the donkey is a very useful helper for the town, 
 and in the country is the usual mode of conveyance 
 along the narrow cross roads. 
 
 The native saddle is made of red leather with a 
 
THE SHOE SHOP. 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 161 
 
 curious hump^ stuffed with straw, in front, and the 
 bridles and head-fittings are adorned with tassels 
 of coloured cotton, wool, or even silk, so that they 
 are very gay affairs when new. The horse furniture 
 and saddle are still more so ; they are covered with 
 cloth or velvet, and have (when made for great 
 men) a beautiful fringe of gold or silver, and 
 cases for pistols at the side. 
 
 Then we have the sugar-market, where not only 
 sugar, but dried fruit and other groceries are sold ; 
 the scent market, in a quarter so narrow that 
 scarcely even a single donkey can pass, and where 
 the air is heavy with the rich odour of frankincense 
 and myrrh, and various Arabian scents much prized 
 in the harems ; and the gold and silver market, 
 where the native bracelets and necklaces are made, 
 and where also gold thread and wire and silver 
 spangles, etc., for embroidery are sold, by weight. 
 Silk for this purpose is found in a quarter close 
 by, and you would be amused to see the seller 
 winding the fine silk on his bare foot, holding it 
 with the toe, while he dexterously winds the needed 
 quantity, and then weighs it in his pretty little 
 brass scales. From these delicate articles we come 
 to much coarser ones — the makers of wooden combs, 
 wooden pegs, etc. ; then to the workers in palm 
 
 11 
 
162 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 frames for cages, hampers, and a great many other 
 things ; then the street of the sieve-makers, where 
 every family sifts its own flour for bread : sieves 
 are a very important household article. Then we 
 have the brass quarter, where the quantities of 
 brazen vessels in use, and for which Cairo is 
 famous — from the immense pan used by washer- 
 women, and the caldron which would easily boil 
 a lamb whole if needed, down to the pretty little 
 brass coflee-pot used by the shopman for his single 
 cup of coffee. The din in this quarter is deafening, 
 and I am sure all who live near it must early lose 
 their hearing. 
 
 It would he too tedious to go through all the 
 various trades ; but I must mention one more which 
 is peculiar to Egypt, and used to puzzle me when 
 a stranger here. A whole street was occupied by 
 men, each in his den, with a very simple machine^ 
 which assisted him in twisting long ropes of crimson 
 silk and large tassels of the same, with a little 
 black and white sometimes worked up with it. 
 At last I found these were merely an ornament^ 
 hut an indispensable one in their eyes, for the 
 countrywomen, as before described. When muffled 
 in their mantles, of course it is hidden. I suppose 
 the good woman is happy in knowing it is there. 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 163 
 
 even if little displayed ; and we must allow that 
 in civilised Europe women will persist in wearing 
 articles quite as useless and much more troublesome 
 — such as chignons, trains, high-heeled shoes, and 
 others. 
 
 A great many tobacco shops are found scattered 
 through the town, not in a special quarter, the 
 people being much given to smoke. As a rule, 
 their tobacco is less unwholesome than that used 
 in Europe by far, being milder in quality. The 
 peasants do not go about smoking all day as in 
 Germany and many other countries ; they only 
 take a smoke while resting, usually from a long 
 cherry stick pipe, handed from one to the other, 
 or a water-pipe made of a cocoa-nut (of which 
 numbers are brought from India), and a reed; the 
 smoke is passed through the water by this means, 
 and elderly men especially seem to enjoy this 
 luxury. The wealthy have the same thing, but 
 made of glass, and with a coloured tube of great 
 length, that winds round the bowl. Paper cigars 
 are also in great use, and are now seen more 
 frequently than the long pipe, or chibouk, as it 
 was called, which older ladies still however prefer. 
 In the harems the ladies smoke a great deal, 
 and I think it injures their health. Even women 
 
164 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 of a humbler class often smoke cigars a great deal, 
 hut you seldom see countrywomen smoke, and they 
 are the healthiest of the population. I cannot 
 make out that these inveterate smokers are ever 
 the better for it, and certainly they waste both 
 money and time ; but this last is not yet valued 
 as it ought to be here. 
 
 Formerly each district of the city had an arched 
 doorway to the chief of the narrow little streets of 
 the quarter, and a huge massive wooden door, which 
 was locked after a certain hour at night ; and if 
 by a rare chance I had been to see friends, and 
 was returning after ten o’clock, my servant had 
 to arouse the doorkeeper, who was asleep on a 
 bench beside this great door, and get him to un- 
 lock it ; often a quarter .of an hour was spent in 
 waking him up and waiting by persons who returned 
 late. 
 
 Many of these doors are now taken away in the 
 making of the new streets, and the largest thorough- 
 fares in the city (though only these) are lighted 
 now with gas. Formerly we had to take a lamp 
 if going out even the shortest distance after sunset ; 
 but even now it is needful if going to a wedding, 
 for instance, or any visit to a native family out of 
 the broad highway. 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 165 
 
 The little old-fashioned lamps were of prepared 
 paper or calico, made to fold up flat and go in a 
 man’s pocket, a piece of wax taper being carried 
 with them. These are still found, but glass lanterns 
 are more common with persons of the better sort, 
 who generally make a servant (or slave-boy if they 
 are natives) walk in front carrying it. In the 
 narrow lanes of a great part of the city, where 
 rubbish is always found, and where the half-wild 
 dogs are crouching about among the dust-heaps, 
 and stones encumber the path, it is necessary to 
 pick the way very carefully if walking at night, 
 and the lamp is usually held as low as possible, 
 in order to throw light on the path for a few steps 
 before the person walking. This is no doubt an 
 old custom. Formerly, when no gas was found in 
 Egypt, I used to watch from my window in the 
 city passengers returning home in the short winter 
 evenings, and each one carrying his lantern, or his 
 servant, if a rich man, holding it before his feet, 
 and think of the comparison in the Psalm, ^^Thy 
 word is a light unto my feet and a lantern to my 
 jpathP Just light for the way, step by step, is all 
 we are to expect as the little lantern throws its ray 
 on the rough footpath ! 
 
 I will try to give you a glance, as it were, at 
 
166 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 some little daily scenes of city life before ending 
 this letter, and the simplest way will be just to 
 note down the things as they passed before me in 
 a morning ride through part of the town at an 
 early hour in summer. Tlie chief dilSerence in 
 winter would be that the hour would be ten instead 
 of seven, and that the articles brought from the 
 country, vegetables and fruit, would be different, 
 and the passers-by more muffled up, and the old 
 folks sitting in sunny corners of their dusty lanes 
 instead of choosing the shade of the old crumbling 
 walls as in hot weather. But life in Egypt is 
 always out-door life, at every season of the year ; 
 it is only a storm of wind, or the dust winds occa- 
 sionally blowing, or the far rarer shower of rain, 
 that sends the people indoors. And I suppose this 
 is the proper life for health, as the children in the 
 grand harems, where they are rarely out of doors, 
 are generally pale and feeble, while those who live 
 out, especially the country ones, are generally active 
 and strong ; in spite of rags and dirt they have 
 the advantage of those who have hardly any fresh 
 air and sunshine. 
 
 My house is just outside the city wall, and the 
 larger one I built for the school is only divided by 
 the playground and my garden. As I passed through 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 167 
 
 tlie gate, a number of tbe earlier scholars (boys) 
 were already arrived, and some were playing, some 
 looking over their lessons, others buying pieces of 
 sweetmeat to eat with their bread for breakfast, 
 the seller of these sticky dainties, with his stand? 
 being just within the door, and very busy driving 
 bargains with little fellows, who wanted as much 
 as possible for their small coin. Many arrive as 
 soon as the gate is opened, which is soon after 
 sunrise, and spend a pleasant couple of hours in 
 the shade of a nice mulberry tree, and two or three 
 others, planted* on purpose for them in the play- 
 ground. Leaving this happy group I ride down 
 an open and wide road, with a few good houses, 
 chiefly belonging to Syrian and Jewish families, 
 but with a good deal of waste land waiting to be 
 built on, and occupied for the time by a few little 
 sheds for small traders in red handkerchiefs, 
 common eatables, cigars, etc. A man is pruning 
 the trees which shade this road, and ragged boys 
 and girls are eagerly seizing the boughs and leaves 
 as they fall and carrying them off as fodder for 
 their parents’ goats, several of which are already 
 enjoying the treat, their pretty spotted kids frisk- 
 ing about them. The donkey’s head is now turning. 
 We must leave the broadway and enter a narrow 
 
168 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 lane for a short cut into the city. In a moment 
 we are in a purely native quarter — mud-brick huts, 
 or half-ruined houses, occupied by the poor, a few 
 middle-class dwellings mingled with them ; a 
 negress, with a yellow handkerchief on her head, 
 peeps out from one of these ; a mistress in very 
 slight garments, evidently not of the active house- 
 wife style, and but half awake, from another ; but 
 with the chief part of the inhabitants of this 
 quarter all their life is out of doors. There sits a 
 woman winding thread under the shade of a tree 
 planted in her neighbour’s yard. She has a pretty 
 little twirligig of a machine, simply but cleverly 
 made of the ever useful reed\ she is winding for 
 the weavers ; her children are playing in the dust- 
 heaps near her. A little farther a girl is driving 
 her father’s goats into their stable, and a whole 
 row of blue-robed old cronies are squatted at the 
 edge of the narrow path (road it can hardly be 
 called) doing nothing but enjoy the air and gossip. 
 Not a man is to be seen ; they are all away at work, 
 except a stray Jew pedler, who stops to try and 
 coax the women to buy some of his flimsy gay 
 calicoes, and one or two peasants with vegetables 
 from the country, and laden asses, hurrying along 
 to the markets. Another lane out of this has 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 169 
 
 rather higher pretensions : here are shops, though 
 of a very humble kind ; the Attar,” or seller of 
 drugs and spices, sitting in his den, a thin red- 
 covered book in one hand and a string of beads 
 in the other, for it is yet early for business, and 
 he is making his devotions while at leisure, reading 
 extracts from the Koran and reciting prayers ; it 
 is conscientious as far as it goes certainly, and the 
 poor man knows no better, but he is probably ex- 
 tremely self-righteous, as Moslem devotees always 
 are (nor they alone indeed). Beside him is a dealer 
 in cheap, common haberdashery, chiefly from 
 Europe. Then a melon-seller, busy purchasing his 
 stock from a countryman ; then a Greek, who 
 sells red earthern pans, which adorn his door in 
 numbers; and various eatables, as dry fish, oil, 
 etc., within. 
 
 Now we leave all these and turn down a very 
 short, but very narrow lane, with some rather 
 curious-looking, but large, houses on each side, 
 and scarcely any windows. They are the old style, 
 and all the windows open on the inner court, as 
 if they turned their backs to the street ; it is so 
 narrow here that I have to squeeze close to the 
 wall to let a great camel pass; a young lad sits 
 on his hump merrily playing on a reed pipe as he 
 
170 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 rides slowly along ; if tlie tune is monotonous it is 
 not disagreeable, and it is pleasant to see him 
 cheerful. A little girl, with a pan of some curious 
 mess, in which oil has a share, on her head, passes 
 next, and so close that I hold my skirt for fear of 
 a droj) of the mixture reaching it ; then a dust- 
 man, with his basket of rubbish on his shoulder, 
 and his musical cry (strangely enough some of 
 the least pleasant of the street callings are often 
 announced by very good voices), and a half tune, 
 which sounds really pretty. AVe reach the open- 
 ing in safety, and get into sunshine and space 
 again. Tlie tailor who sits at the corner on his 
 •board does not seem to find the quarters as unplea- 
 sant as we should; like nearly everyone he is out 
 of doors, board and all, and a beautiful cat and 
 kitten seated on it, for company, beside him. (In 
 general, cats are both liked and kindly treated in 
 Egypt.) 
 
 We now enter a wide thoroughfare, called the 
 new street,” several nests of old huts and ruined 
 houses having some years ago been pulled down to 
 make it. Here we see carriages, some with Euro- 
 peans, others with natives of the land, driving by ; 
 asses in plenty, from the rough-coated country don- 
 key, with his load of bright red tomatoes, or black 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 171 
 
 egg-plants from the country, to the sleek white ass 
 of the true Mecca breed, with that equally sleek- 
 looking merchant on his back, clad in a beautiful 
 dark purple gibbeh, or long robe, displaying a spot- 
 less white kaftan in front, and a goodly turban, 
 which protects him well from the sun. Here are 
 shabby-looking European shops (the smallest East- 
 ern shop, poor as it may be, never has a shabby look, 
 as the second and third-rate Europeans have), with 
 slatternly women, and unwashed shopboys, sweeping- 
 out their shops or drinking their coffee at the door ; 
 then we come to an open space, where several streets 
 branch off, a plot of garden being in the centre, and 
 great houses of the wealthy, hotels, and public build- 
 ings appear. On one side is the public garden, once 
 a swamp, then reclaimed by the famous Mohammed 
 Alee, and planted with fine trees, and hedges of rose 
 and myrtle ; it was a somewhat damp and unhealthy, 
 though very pretty wild garden, half way between 
 a garden and a wilderness, in fact. Then it was 
 let to French and Greek coffee-house keepers, and 
 became for a few years a den of thieves, and almost 
 impassable ; finally, they have made it, as nearly 
 as they could, into a French public garden, well 
 guarded and kept, and planted in too formal or trim 
 a style to suit the country exactly ; but it will, as 
 
172 
 
 LETTEKS FEOM EGYPT. 
 
 the trees grow larger, and the gardeners get off 
 their guard a little, he sufficiently luxuriant by-and- 
 by, no doubt ! 
 
 But busy people in the morning have nothing to 
 do with the Ezbekeeh, as this park is called ; they 
 are hastening to the various markets, either to buy 
 or to sell, and the clerks to their offices. We pass 
 the entrance to what is called the European market, 
 and go through the numerous shops of modern 
 luxuries, and European garments (of which the 
 greater part are kept by J ews, though also some by 
 various nationalities), and enter a quarter chiefly 
 inhabited by Syrian silk merchants, whose goods 
 make a beautiful display, with their delicate colours 
 and rare embroidery. 
 
 Then, after passing a noisy row of copper and brass 
 makers, we reach the great cotton market, where, 
 besides a good many really native articles, such as 
 peasants, etc., use, there is an abundant display of 
 Manchester cottons and prints, the latter such as 
 you might live years in Manchester and never see, 
 unless you visited the warerooms of a manufacturer 
 who had dealings with Egypt. For every country 
 has its tastes, and the canary colour, which is a 
 special favourite here for girls, and suits their jet- 
 black hair and eyes, would not suit flaxen-headed 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 173 
 
 English lasses at all; nor the orange and white 
 stripe, which is another favourite, besides a variety 
 of singular patterns, such as black stags galloping 
 on a pink ground, or green herons stalking over an 
 imaginary river of buff muslin, etc. 
 
 These little details are not for gentlemen, you 
 know, but some of my old friends (and all little 
 girls), I feel sure, like to hear about dress patterns 
 and such humble matters, and I want to entertain 
 them by telling what I see^ great or little. We can 
 leave the prints and the bead necklaces, and all the 
 finery, now, for here is a little narrow, very narrow 
 lane, only just room for one donkey (if I meet 
 another one must get down and back out I) and we 
 are now in a very different quarter : paper, ink, 
 pens; those large bundles of dark glossy reeds 
 hanging from the top of the little den are reed 
 pens, the only kind with which the Arabic language 
 can be properly written ; and those little slabs of 
 wood, painted white or red, are for children to 
 learn upon, the alphabet being written on it by the 
 master. They are very pretty, but get soiled so 
 soon by dirty little fingers that we prefer cards, or 
 better still, my great favourite, the black board and 
 white chalk, used much in my school. 
 
 Opposite the paper and ink stores is the scent 
 
174 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 market, wkich tells its own tale; the passion for 
 sweet scents is so strong here, that they will some- 
 times burn a piece of fragrant incense, and pass a 
 tumbler over the smoke, and then fill with sugar 
 and water, and this sherbet is thought delicious : I 
 cannot say I enjoy drinking incense, though the 
 smell is pleasant. There are scents here from 
 Arabia which are never met with in England, 
 and some also the name of which has an interest 
 for us, such as the frankincense and myrrh, prized 
 now as they were the day when they were part of 
 the offerings brought to the infant Saviour by the 
 wise men. 
 
 But we must leave the scent market, with its 
 sweet odours, and the bustling cotton marts, and 
 hasten back before the summer sun has become 
 too powerful. These few little observations do not 
 go very far, indeed, to show you the city and 
 its inhabitants, but may give some idea, at least. 
 And what is said about Cairo applies, more or 
 less, to all the cities of Egypt, only those that 
 are seaports have more Europeans, and are less 
 characteristic than Cairo ; while the smaller towns 
 and villages again are, of course, more simply, 
 thoroughly national in their ways than any of the 
 great cities. 
 
 O 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 175 
 
 And what about the great mixed multitude ” 
 of foreigners? I said in a former letter I would 
 tell you a little about them ; it can be, however, 
 only a very little, for, living and working among 
 the children of the soil,” I do not know nearly 
 so much about the strangers. For the most part, I 
 am sorry to say, there can be no doubt that they do 
 more harm than good. I am not, of course, speaking 
 of the small number of respectable Europeans who 
 are residents for business in the great cities, and 
 who, for the most part, only spend some years here 
 and have no intention of residing always in Egypt. 
 I mean by the mixed multitude the people settled 
 here, some of them born in Egypt, others come over 
 recently, and consisting chiefly of Greeks, French, 
 Italians, Germans, and Maltese. Some are respect- 
 able and wealthy persons, and they have all their 
 own places of worship, and their Consuls to manage 
 their affairs ; but a great many are not respectable, 
 and only settled here because they could not get 
 on at home in their country, and not a few, I fear, 
 who dared not return, because they have not a 
 good character where they came from. These set a 
 sad example to natives of Egypt; drinking, and 
 all sorts of bad ways, are common among them, 
 and, alas, have been learned by those who knew 
 
176 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 little that was good, yet (especially as regards 
 strong drink) did not know these things. Theatres 
 were first brought here by French and Italians, 
 and have done much mischief ; also many kinds 
 of gambling, for the devil’s agents are more 
 numerous, if not more active, than those of Christ. 
 There are not so many of our own countrymen; 
 still there are a good many, and among them, I am 
 ashamed to say, some who do harm. 1 hear terribly 
 wicked words in broken English sometimes from 
 poor donkey boys, who think it quite clever to be able 
 to swear in English : who hut Englishmen could have 
 taught them this ? And I have seen Englishmen 
 sitting at a little table at the door of a provision 
 shop, with two or three Egyptians drinking with 
 them ; — sad sight for missionaries, who leave their 
 country, not for gain like others, but to- try and 
 spread the truth, when they see the efforts made 
 in the wrong direction, and especially if made by 
 their own people. Few English reside here more 
 than a term of years, and though each must leave 
 his mark for good or bad, he affects the country, 
 or town, less either way than if dwelling all his 
 life here, and leaving a family to live after him. 
 This is more the case with the other foreigners 
 I spoke of, many of whom have never been out 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 177 
 
 of Egypt at all. In general they have managed 
 to lose what was good in European ways and 
 habits, and to keep what signified very little (such 
 as dress, etc.), or what was actually bad ; and so 
 with Eastern ways : they adopt just what might 
 be let alone with advantage, and learn nothing 
 of the really good things belonging to the Eastern 
 nature or customs. 
 
 Their children grow up speaking the vulgar 
 Arabic in addition to their own tongue, and clever in 
 using all sorts of bad words, and in picking up gossip 
 of the worst kind. They seem to lose the European 
 horror of harem life, polygamy, etc., and that with- 
 out the childish ignorance of the poor women of the 
 country. I have had some in my school of these 
 “ Levantine ” girls, as they are called, and generally 
 found it scarcely possible to do them lasting good ; 
 the home influences were so contrary to all I wished 
 to teach. An Arab school is not the thing for such 
 children ; they need a good Christian school, where 
 only European languages were taught, under a pious 
 and very strict Christian lady. At present there is 
 nothing of the kind. I am speaking of free, or 
 nearly free, schools, as many of these families are 
 poor, and even those who gain well in their business 
 squander all their earnings in such a foolish way 
 
 12 
 
178 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 that there is nothing left to pay for proper school- 
 ing for their little ones. There are convents, 
 where some girls of various nations are received, 
 hut they do not teach the Gospel there, and in 
 many cases nothing at all except a few prayers 
 to the Virgin and Saints, and a little sewing. A 
 young woman of mixed race, whose widowed 
 mother paid sixteen shillings a month — by hard 
 work — for her schooling at a French convent, spent 
 some years there, and came the other day to entreat 
 me to write her a letter. She could not write, nor 
 even read, in any language, though speaking several. 
 Tlie good sisters,” as they were called, had taught 
 her nothing hut prayers, as I said before. 
 
 Some of the Italians settled here are very had 
 indeed. I met, once, a woman, still young and 
 handsome, at a railway station on the desert, who 
 actually used the little Arabic she knew in trying 
 to teach the poor peasant women (wives to the 
 workmen who lived there) that there was no God, 
 and that when we die we turn to dust and never rise, 
 and that man had no soul : it was all nonsense ! ” I 
 heard the wretch, myself, on one occasion, and was 
 told it was a common style of talk with her. 
 
 I just waited till she was out of the room, for I 
 saw she had been drinking enough to excite her, 
 
TOWN LIFE. 
 
 179 
 
 and I wished to avoid a noise, etc.; then I began to 
 talk to the poor woman she had addressed, and 
 told her not to listen to this child of Satan, who 
 wanted to believe there was no God because her 
 own vile life went against His holy laws, and I 
 warned her, of course, against listening to such 
 terrible falsehoods. Alas, it is by no means the 
 only time I have found foreigners deliberately 
 trying to poison the minds of ignorant people, and 
 to drag them, as it were, with themselves to 
 perdition. 
 
 Ah ! when will God’s servants be roused to a 
 sense of their great responsibility, and be as active 
 for good as Satan’s servants for evil? 
 
 Besides these Europeans, there are a large num- 
 ber of Syrians and Armenians settled here, some 
 of whom hold important situations, and are much re- 
 spected. There are also a large body of Jews, some 
 from Europe, speaking the language of the country 
 they came from, besides others, what are called 
 Arabic Jews, who, having been here for centuries, 
 speak only Arabic, and resemble in dress and some 
 other things the people of the country. There are 
 also, as I said before, many Turks resident here, 
 but they are almost all either Government officials 
 or wealthy Pashas. 
 
180 
 
 LETTEK XII. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 You will, no doubt, like to bear something of the 
 way in which the three events of such great 
 importance in every country are celebrated in 
 Egypt : marriages, births, and deaths. Every 
 Bible student is aware that the festivals and the 
 rejoicing at a marriage in the East in old times were 
 much greater than even with us, though a wedding 
 is always a stir ” in the quietest place. And 
 like most of their customs this remains much as 
 formerly, the only changes being such as change 
 of religion would of necessity bring. As I before 
 observed, in speaking about food, a father in the 
 humbler classes of life often spends on a wedding 
 feast for his son far more than he can afford, and 
 is made poorer for years in some cases. The habits 
 and ceremonies in all Eastern countries have great 
 resemblance, even where not exactly the same, 
 and we are constantly reminded in these matters 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 181 
 
 of Scriptural allusions, though the accounts given 
 of marriages there are not in Egypt. I cannot help 
 thinking that it was the Mohammedan faith which 
 brought in the custom of marrying girls while very 
 young, often mere children, although the Copts 
 do the same, but they have adopted a great many 
 ways from their Mohammedan conquerors, and this 
 may, perhaps, be one. At any rate, among the 
 Jews it is evident, from various notices in the Old 
 Testament, that the brides were young women, 
 and not little girls, as they generally are here (not 
 always, but in the greater number). For instance, 
 Rebekah is asked by her brothers what she chooses 
 to do, and her whole conduct is that of a person 
 arrived at what we call years of discretion; and 
 Moses says of the daughters of Zelophehad, “ Let 
 them marry to whom they think best,” etc. Here 
 twelve and thirteen are the usual ages, and it is 
 very common to see brides of ten, or even younger ; 
 they are a little forwarder, indeed, than children 
 in the north, but only a year or two, and are really 
 more childish in mind, from being without any 
 education, than those who have been through the 
 classes of a good infant school. Of course, it 
 follows that the poor little things are not fit to 
 guide the house,” as St. Paul says the young 
 
182 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 women ought to do. Even a peasant’s household, 
 where so little is to he done, cannot be left to a 
 mere child; so the young couple live, at least for 
 some time, with the husband’s parents, and in 
 most cases till the old people die. The mother- 
 in-law is generally disliked by her daughter-in-law, 
 and tyrannises over her ; the happiest homes seem, 
 with a few bright exceptions, those in which the 
 old lady has been removed by death, or that the 
 husband’s business was such as to oblige him to 
 live at a distance. The authority given to a 
 mother-in-law is absolute : she can prevent her 
 daughter-in-law from going out, and can, if a poor 
 woman, beat and ill-use her as she likes, without 
 interference. In the case of a powerful family 
 belonging to the girl, this would not be tolerated, 
 but life may be made very unhappy without blows. 
 The degree of submission expected may be under- 
 stood by the fact that if any lady (even one married 
 several years, and whose husband may be kind 
 and reasonable) wishes to visit me, she cannot do 
 so, if she has a mother-in-law alive, unless she 
 can obtain leave, just as if she were still a child. 
 Israelitish matrons must have had much more 
 freedom, as we see by the cases of the Shunamite and 
 of Abigail, and others ; and although the law of 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 183 
 
 Moses allowed, for the hardness of their hearts,” 
 both divorce and polygamy, we may well believe 
 neither were practised as commonly as they are 
 now in the East, or women could not have held 
 the position which they evidently did hold. 
 
 But we have not yet described the festivities 
 which usher in this life of doubtful happiness for 
 the young people. Nothing more plainly shows 
 the importance of a wedding and the rejoicings 
 on the occasion of one, than the ordinary expres- 
 sion in speaking of it here ; they do not say, in 
 common talk, a wedding^ but a rejoicing ; even a 
 baby will be saluted by, To your rejoicing,” which 
 used to puzzle me sore at first, till I discovered it 
 meant. May you be spared to have a wedding 
 festivity by-and-by! They will say, There is a 
 rejoicing at such a one’s next week,” meaning his 
 son or daughter is to be married. 
 
 When the parents have decided that they wish 
 their son to marry (which in rich families is generally 
 when he is still young, from seventeen to twenty, and 
 sometimes younger, though this is not universal), 
 they begin to look for a bride for him. The mother 
 sets her female relatives to enquire among the neigh- 
 bours, and an old woman, who lives by the business, 
 acts as agent between the parties. In many families 
 
184 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 a relative is destined for the young man from 
 childhood, hut if this is not the case the bride- 
 hunting goes on as I say. The young people have 
 no voice in the matter at all, nor are they allowed 
 to see each other till the knot is tied. The Coptic 
 Egyptians follow the Moslems in this custom, and 
 they are more to be blamed for it, because they do 
 look on marriage as a sacred tie, and a lasting 
 one, instead of letting it be broken for any trifle, 
 as the law of Mohammed permits ; and certainly 
 it seems worse to bind two persons to each other, 
 when it is an irrevocable tie, without letting them 
 see and know something, at least, of one another. 
 Much quarrelling and many very unhappy unions 
 are the consequence of this foolish plan. 
 
 As soon as the affair is fixed between the two 
 sets of parents, the marriage is generally hurried on 
 as quickly as possible ; if the family is wealthy, 
 a few weeks are spent in turning the house upside 
 down ; with the poor, a few days to make a dress 
 or too and prepare a feast is all that is needed. 
 But with the rich, not a room is left out ; white- 
 washing and cleaning, making up of beds and sofas, 
 and many such things, generally long wanted but 
 which were put off till the occasion of the grand 
 festival, are now done with as much speed as 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 185 
 
 Eastern workmen can be got to put into their 
 business. Meanwhile, women are seen running 
 about, in pattens of wood, over the newly-washed 
 floors; sewing women, seated in corners, making 
 new dresses for every member of the family, down 
 to the baby. Negress slaves, looking as if basted 
 freshly with oil, from their unwonted exertions (they 
 are apt to be very fat), are scouring pans, and popping 
 from one room to another, for anything or nothing. 
 The tinman sits in the court below with a pile of 
 brass vessels which he is whitening inside, for the 
 feast will require a great amount of cooking ; and 
 the master of the house has to order in great 
 quantities of rice, sugar, clarified butter, and other 
 articles, according to his means. All these details 
 are seen alike in Christian and Moslem houses : it 
 is chiefly when the ceremony comes that there is 
 any difference in the arrangements. In poorer 
 families the same goes on, only on a small scale, 
 and as a rule you may say that every one spends 
 more than is prudent on these occasions. 
 
 I am not going to give you every minute detail 
 of the ceremonies of weddings, which would take 
 too long and be tiresome, but the general plan is 
 this : there are three days’ feasting and rejoicing, 
 the days being given to receiving visits, men and 
 
186 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 women separately, with pipes or cigars, and coffee 
 for refreshments, and sitting on sofas if rich, on 
 mats at the door if poor, and chatting. On the 
 second day the bride is conducted to the bath by 
 her mother and aunts, etc., in a sort of triumphal 
 procession, and the women give a sort of shrill 
 cry of joy, peculiar to the East, and used as a sign 
 of great rejoicing, as they go along ; one often hears 
 it in the street, and sees a party of closely-veiled 
 figures, some with baskets on their heads, containing 
 bridal gifts, etc. The bride is, of course, decked 
 in her new attire; if she is very rich she wears 
 a new dress several times in the course of the three 
 days, but in ordinary families a rich brocaded silk 
 of gay colour is worn all the time, and she is laden 
 with jewels ; if not able to purchase all, her family 
 borrow, and even hire, diamonds, rubies, and gold 
 ornaments. Her fingers are covered with rings, 
 and bunches of gilt tinsel paper are fixed at the 
 sides of her head, the eye-brows painted in a black 
 stripe, and she is ordered to close her eyes, or, at 
 all events, to look down all the time, as she sits on 
 a divan or sofa, and receives silently the salutations 
 of the various female friends, for speaking is not 
 allowed : she looks more like an idiot than a rational 
 being. When she goes out for the processions, 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 187 
 
 one to tlie bath and the other to her new home, 
 she is covered from head to foot with a large red 
 Cashmere shawl, entirely hiding the face, not even 
 the eyes appearing. 
 
 This is absolutely essential for an Eastern bride, 
 so that the prints and pictures we see sometimes 
 representing “an Eastern wedding procession,” 
 with the bride peeping out of her canopy and 
 smiling at her friends, is totally incorrect, and 
 ridiculous to those who have seen the real thing ; 
 but we shall be very glad when they learn that it 
 is not necessary to hide their faces. A Coptic bride 
 does not wear red as constantly as a Moslem 
 one does ; I have seen one in red, and another in 
 white. 
 
 Musicians and singers form a necessary part of 
 weddings. Where they can afford it, great sums 
 are given to obtain celebrated female singers, 
 though to European taste the Arab music is very 
 monotonous indeed. The singing, in a rude simple 
 way, of peasant girls at work in the cotton fields, 
 or Nile boatmen with the plash of 'their oars, is 
 often very pleasing, as they have an ear for time^ 
 and sometimes very sweet voices, though apt to 
 sing through their noses. But the more famous 
 singers don’t seem to us much better, and have 
 
188 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 not the open air to take off the nasal tone, nor the 
 water as an accompaniment, and the being all in 
 unison with no treble and bass, tires the cultivated 
 ear very much after a while. They delight in it 
 themselves, however, and applaud with sighs 
 and exclamations of satisfaction. The singers are 
 placed upstairs, but the windows open so that the 
 men below can share the treat. Poorer people 
 have a drum and reed pipe, at least, and seem to 
 take great pleasure in them. 
 
 The whole day, or rather days, are given up to 
 receiving guests and making merry ; but the night 
 is the grand time, the second especially, called 
 the night of Henna. Henna is a certain tree, whose 
 leaves, dried and pounded, are sold in quantities 
 to dye the fingers of women, and sometimes their 
 toes also, as they are usually barefoot in summer. 
 Even if wealthy, it is only quite of late years that 
 stockings are getting to be more worn. The bride 
 is expected to have her hands dyed, both fingers 
 and palms, and a paste, made of henna leaves with 
 water, is prepared, and a great lump put in her 
 hand. This was, at least, the old custom,, every 
 guest sticking on it a bit of money, and the collec- 
 tion thus made was for the female singers, the 
 woman who dressed the bride’s hair and attended 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIKTH. 
 
 189 
 
 her at the bath, etc.; whether all was given in 
 this way I am not sure. The hands and feet of 
 the bride were, after the supper — which at a very 
 late hour followed the ceremony — tied up with paste 
 and left till morning, when they would be of a dark 
 orange hue, which remains for several weeks, and 
 only wears off by degrees. On the last day a 
 Moslem bride is conducted through the streets in 
 procession to the bridegroom’s house, a canopy 
 of red or pink being carried over her head, and 
 her mother and female relatives walking beside 
 and in front of her, while the men of her family 
 and friends follow, and little boys with incense, 
 and bridesmaids, who are generally quite little crea- 
 tures, and all dressed in red, make the train a 
 very lively one. It is always by day, and in sum- 
 mer the walk must be hot work, for they seem 
 to go the longest circuit possible on purpose, and 
 walk very slowly, often stopping to let the music 
 which accompanies them be heard, and often men 
 playing antics with sticks — pretending to fight, and 
 jumping about — go before them. This is the real 
 old Egyptian wedding procession, but quite of late 
 years it is seen only among the humbler classes, 
 as carriages having been introduced and become 
 numerous, wealthy persons always now hire several 
 
190 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 for weddings, and stretch a red shawl over the 
 top of one to show the red canopy. Of course it 
 is much less original when all the train are packed 
 up in carriages ; and the peasant wedding is there- 
 fore more curious and amusing. The ^prettiest is, 
 however, a country wedding, when, as is often the 
 case, the bride’s family come from some distance 
 riding on camels. This is quite a picture to look 
 at : two or three of these tall creatures, with a 
 rude frame of wood fixed on their humps, upon 
 which four women are seated — often a baby or 
 two beside — and the rest either walking or on 
 donkeys. The peasant bride and her mother or 
 sister will usually wear a mantle of gay striped 
 silk of a strong, soft texture, woven here, and which 
 looks striking, as the others are all in their usual 
 dark purple, or black mantles. 
 
 The bridegroom’s family, whether rich or poor, 
 Copt or Moslem, have their part of rejoicing and 
 feasting fully as much and even more ; for a son’s 
 wedding is made more of than a daughter’s, though 
 both are considered great occasions. But they 
 have their triumph separately, and only meet on 
 the third and last day of the festival, when the 
 feast is prepared at the house of the bridegroom, 
 and the bride’s father and friends partake below, 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 191 
 
 while she and the female friends have their supper 
 in an upper chamber. There is no wedding cake 
 as in England, hut all the favourite dishes are 
 prepared, according to the means of the family. 
 Many are extremely good, as the famous roast 
 (or rather baked) lamb, stuffed with rice, nuts, 
 pistachios, and other things, and which every Euro- 
 pean who has tasted it approves. Some of their 
 dishes are less to our taste, from the great amount 
 of butter and grease used in them. The poorer 
 people think more of quantity, and serve up boiled 
 mutton and fowls, rice, etc., in heaps to their 
 friends. 
 
 The sweet dishes are chiefly rice boiled with 
 milk and a great deal of sugar, starch boiled and 
 sweetened (this most Europeans think very in- 
 sipid, and like a sick person’s diet, but they enjoy 
 it much here), pastry or pancakes, with much 
 butter and some honey or sugar poured over, and a 
 sort of vermicelli, fried and eaten with sugar ; fruit, 
 such as is in season (oranges, melons, etc.), generally 
 is offered at some part of the feast, and water is 
 the only drink ; but sherbet, or sweet syrup and 
 water, is handed round on the arrival of the guests. 
 The house, and even a great part of the street, 
 is always lit up at night with chandeliers and 
 
192 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 lamps, if in town or a large village, and little red 
 and green flags ornament the walls, while a sort 
 of canopy of embroidered stufi* or cotton is spread 
 from house to house near the door of the one where 
 the festival is held. The men guests are always 
 too numerous to he accommodated within, and 
 numbers sit outside drinking coffee and smokino*. 
 chatting, and listening to the music. 
 
 The only legal part of the Moslem wedding is 
 a contract made by the fathers or guardians before 
 a judge quite privately, no guests being present, 
 only the needful witnesses. Certain chapters of 
 the Koran are read, I believe, by a Mollah, who 
 answers in some respects to a priest, though not 
 by any means in all. The bridegroom is expected 
 to go to the Mosque before his wedding, and some- 
 times has a train of friends to accompany him in 
 procession. As to the bride, religion seems not 
 to enter into her share of the wedding at all, and 
 there are no mutual vows of love before God as 
 with us. 
 
 With Copts of course it is different ; they have 
 a very long religious ceremony, sometimes at the 
 church, but sometimes, in Cairo, the whole is 
 performed by the Patriarch, and several priests 
 who assist, at the house of the bridegroom. The 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 193 
 
 prayers are in Coptic, and psalms are chanted in 
 this now dead language, none of the hearers under- 
 standing a word ; hut some portions of Scripture 
 and exhortations are read in Arabic. At one part 
 of the ceremony crowns of gold (or gilding) are 
 placed on the heads of bride and groom, and at 
 another an embroidered silk shawl is thrown over 
 both their heads as they sit on a sofa together. 
 It is a very long affair, as is the case in the Greek 
 Church, which the Coptic resembles very much. 
 The Coptic procession is at night, or late in the 
 evening, and looks very pretty when it is a walk- 
 ing procession, all lighted up with torches. There 
 are evening processions also at Moslem weddings, 
 but the bride is not with them ; hers is always at 
 mid-day or the afternoon. I have seen very pretty- 
 looking processions of a bridegroom and his friends 
 by night going through the streets, each holding a 
 bunch of flowers and green sprigs, with a lighted 
 taper flxed in the middle. They all wear their 
 richest dresses and turbans ; the bridegroom in red- 
 striped vest and crimson outer robe usually ; and 
 the effect, as they march slowly along chanting 
 with the light in their hands, is very curious and 
 picturesque. It is to be hoped that those who 
 have adopted European dress have given up pro- 
 
 13 
 
194 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 cessions ; for men in our garb certainly do not 
 show well in such sort of things, and the mixture 
 of East and West is sometimes very incongruous, 
 or as one might say in homely language, two 
 sides that do not match. 
 
 At last all is over, and the families must, I 
 think, be glad to rest, especially the mother, after 
 the din of native music, talking, saluting, attend- 
 ing to guests, cooking, and all the fatigue. For 
 three nights, mother, aunts, and sisters, have only 
 snatched a little sleep on a sofa in some corner by 
 turns ! When the wedding is in summer, it is an 
 exhausting affair, though the people of the country 
 do not feel the heat as we do ; but the rooms are 
 crammed to suffocation, and however large, have 
 too many guests for comfort, and many of the 
 middle-class houses have rooms quite too small for 
 such a climate, the modern ones especially: old 
 Egyptian houses, on the contrary, have usually two 
 or three very large rooms, and several little ones 
 only used for sleeping, or kee23ing stores, etc. 
 
 The crowd of women is increased by their almost 
 all bringing their slaves with them, as well as 
 all their children, little and big, so that, in spite 
 of open windows, the faces of most (if it be 
 a summer wedding) are trickling with moisture. 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 195 
 
 The men who sit outside are better off in this 
 respect. 
 
 Tlie grand day is at length at an end, and the 
 family resume ordinary life, though a bride’s friends 
 usually call on her after a few days, if not of the 
 labouring class, who cannot afford to sit stuck up 
 in fine clothes, doing nothing all day. 
 
 And how is your daughter ? ” I said to a Moslem 
 lady, in very good worldly circumstances, who had 
 recently been to pay a visit to a married daughter ^ 
 whose wedding took place about two months before. 
 
 Well, I thank you, she kisses your hand,” replied 
 the parent, giving a sigh, and looking far from 
 cheerful. I hope she is happy.” So-so, the 
 man is not better than most, he is obstinate ” (has 
 a hard head was the expression used). Is her 
 mother-in-law kind ?” Hum, not very ; and then 
 his sisters are also there,” shrugging her shoulders : 
 ^^she is not happy, and she does not like their 
 cookery ! ” I could not help thinking of a dinner 
 of herbs, where love is.” 
 
 There are more cheering instauces, certainly. I 
 know one young woman whose mother-in-law and 
 sister are extremely fond of her, but they seem (for 
 I know them but little) to be very amiable them- 
 selves, and the young wife is of a particularly lively 
 
196 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 temper, and easy to please. The greater number 
 that I see do not appear happy; sometimes con- 
 tent because they make the best of what is; but 
 few are happy in the real sense of the word, and I 
 know many cases of terrible misery, — not, observe, 
 from husbands of the lowest and worst of the 
 people, — such are to be found, alas ! in every coun- 
 try, — but where they are of the respectable classes, 
 and well considered : for example, a very sweet young 
 girl was lately married to a man who was very well 
 known to have beaten his first wife till she died 
 from the injuries, and to have bribed those who 
 ought to have punished him, yet he found no diffi- 
 culty in obtaining a third wife (the second he had 
 divorced), and that from a respectable family. 
 
 Then there is the long train of wretchedness 
 which polygamy brings. “ How is your hand so 
 hurt ? ” I asked a poor woman once, whose hand I 
 was binding up for her, at her request. My hus- 
 band did it with a stick ; he was beating me,” she 
 answered. “ What for ? ” She held up three 
 fingers of the other hand in reply, and then said. 
 There are three of us.” 
 
 I frequently hear sad domestic histories, which 
 show the misery produced by this custom. We 
 know, that although allowed in barbarous times of 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 197 
 
 old, it never was productive of comfort and peace, 
 but quite the contrary; and so it is now, and 
 always will be. A few there are, who, not from 
 poverty, but from their own conscience and sense, 
 will only have one wife, and surely a blessing 
 will attend them for this. But they are still quite 
 exceptions. 
 
 Among native Christians, of course, polygamy is 
 not allowed ; but the early marriage of the girls, 
 and the undue power given to the mother-in-law, 
 and the want of previous acquaintance, all combine 
 with ignorance to make happy marriages not very 
 common among them either. If they could only 
 learn (but too many neglect it, with us, who have 
 an open Bible, and can read it), The woman that 
 feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.” How 
 
 different might things be. 
 
 When the family begins there is generally much 
 joy, for children are earnestly desired and dearly 
 loved in the East ; but there is less of external re- 
 joicing than with us, as there is (among Moslems) 
 no ceremony answering to baptism with us, and we 
 must always bear in mind, in speaking of Egypt, 
 that though a very important portion of the nation, 
 the Copts, or native Christians, are a very small 
 part, numerically, of the nation : they agree with 
 
198 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 their Moslem neighbours in letting the terror of 
 that unseen evil, the eye,” about which I told you 
 in a former letter, spoil much of the young mother’s 
 Comfort, as well as of the female relatives, who, of 
 course, cluster about her on this occasion. There is 
 a sort of suppressed happiness, and a fear of showing 
 satisfaction, on every face when one goes to pay the 
 customary visit of congratulation to a neighbour 
 when a first-born is given to the household. Not 
 unfrequently, the grandmother and aunts will pre- 
 tend it is a girl when really a boy, for several days, 
 because ^Hhe eye” is more likely to strike one of 
 the nobler sex, though girls are by no means 
 supposed to be secure from its influence. They are 
 very fond, in general, of their little girls, but prize 
 boys very much more, and are quite unhappy if 
 Providence deny a son, although there may be no 
 inheritance for him but rags ! 
 
 I once knew a young woman whose husband, quite 
 early in their married life, divorced her, for no reason 
 but her baby being a girl. She told me this while 
 showing me an uncommonly pretty and vigorous- 
 looking little thing of six months old, and said she 
 had to go back to her mother, as he would not sup- 
 port her. I must add, in fairness, that her husband 
 was a bad character ; he was a stonecutter, and was 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 199 
 
 afterwards detected in stealing, and banislied ; but 
 the fact of the young wife and the baby-girl shows 
 the kind of feeling prevailing with many. 
 
 A far more respectable man, a butcher, well-to-do 
 in his line, has a nice daughter at my school, but 
 this girl has had in succession no less than four 
 stepmothers. All were divorced for the same cause, 
 that they had only daughters, and it appeared as if 
 God punished him by denying his wish — to this 
 date he has no boy. 
 
 But to return to the newly-arrived baby. When 
 going to visit the mother, which it is considered quite 
 unkind not to do — if it be a first especially — the 
 neighbours and relatives all put on an air almost 
 of mystery, and the new mother is not forward to 
 display her treasure ; on the contrary, it is very 
 often hidden away in a corner and covered up. 
 
 How is the bridegroom?” you may say, this 
 being the term applied to a baby-boy, in politeness. 
 
 God preserve him.” 
 
 ‘‘ He kisses your hand, we thank God,” replies 
 the mother, or rather, in the case of a very young 
 person, the grandmother, for the poor little creature 
 hardly knows what to make of her new honours, 
 and is so tutored and commanded by the old woman 
 that she seems like a puppet. The female guests 
 
200 
 
 LETTERS FR03I EGYPT. 
 
 are always curious, of course, and slyly peep to see 
 the little one in his nook, and at last one summons 
 courage to lift the handkerchief from his face, hut 
 she must not say, “ What a fine boy ! ” or “ What 
 pretty eyes ! ” or How like he is to his mother ! ” 
 etc. She turns to another friend, and observes, “An 
 ugly little thing ! ” “He is very brown ” (a fair 
 skin is from its rarity admired), says the next; 
 “Hot in the least nice!” adds a third, nodding 
 sagely. The last remark is apt to be too true, as 
 he is not clean, and his eyes have been daubed with 
 a mixture of oil, salt, and onion juice, with a view 
 to strengthen them (by trying what they can en- 
 dure, I presume), so that the poor lamb is not very 
 nice certainly, unless he belongs to an exceptional 
 mother. There are a few such. One I know re- 
 fused to let her baby’s eyes be meddled with, and 
 persisted in washing them and its body with pure 
 water, and is rewarded by the healthy appearance 
 of her dear pretty little girl ; but then she was not 
 a young mother — she had a great tall girl at my 
 school for years, and her little Zanuba was a late 
 blossom. The youthful mother is so completely 
 ruled by the mother-in-law that she cannot free 
 herself from these absurd customs. 
 
 While these polite little observations are being 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 201 
 
 made, the slave, if they have one, and if not, a 
 female relative, presents, instead of the usual little 
 cups of coffee, a drink, made for the occasion, of hot 
 water with spice and sugar, and chopped nuts float- 
 ing in it. The friends generally bring some small 
 present, especially a muslin handkerchief, to throw 
 over the baby’s head, or a piece of coloured print or 
 silk, etc., according to means. 
 
 The Moslem babe is named without any special 
 ceremony. They have a great variety of names, the 
 meaning of which is thought more of than with 
 us, who merely choose a name as sounding well 
 or belonging to a friend or relation. The prime 
 favourites with boys are names which have some 
 reference to their Prophet, either to his supposed 
 titles and attributes, or those of his relations, Mo- 
 hammed himself being of course the commonest 
 of all. Some names have a pretty and poetical 
 meaning, as, “ Servant of the Light ” (Abdel Noor), 
 
 Servant of the Lofty One,” etc. Hassan, Hosseen, 
 Alee, and Ahmed, are the most frequent, however, 
 being names of the Prophets’ friends and relations, 
 and answer to our John, Tom, and William, etc. 
 Girls are very often called after the prophet’s 
 daughter and wives, Zeynab, Aysha (or in Egypt 
 Ay^^sha, the u being diminutive), and Fatmeh or 
 
202 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 Fat^^ma. Tliese are the commonest, but they have 
 a great variety of names, some of which are very 
 pretty both in sound and meaning. A girl is always 
 supposed to have a name implying something 
 pleasant, ^^the sweet,” >Hhe pretty,” ^^the gentle,” 
 the clever,” the gazelle ” (this animal being 
 celebrated for its beauty and gentleness), the 
 flower,” the jasmine,” the tuberose,” etc., or 
 again, the princess,” the queen.” 
 
 I must here tell you of a curious superstition 
 about names, especially, I think, girls’ names. We 
 sometimes get a little scholar, or meet a girl among 
 acquaintances, who has a very uncouth and clumsy 
 name, such as Mother of Mohammed,” Mother 
 of Goodness,” Mother of the Lofty One.” They 
 do not admire this sort of name at all, but give it 
 in the hope that God will be induced by this to 
 spare the child, the mother having lost several 
 before her ! 
 
 Why did you choose so ugly a name ? ” I asked 
 a Bedouin woman at the Pyramids ; not one of the 
 poor little colonist Bedouins in wigwams, but a fine? 
 strong, handsome woman, living in a stone hut, and 
 well off in her way. She had a very pretty little 
 girl of a year old on her lap, and told me she 
 was called Um el Kheyr, ^‘ Mother of Goodness.” 
 
THE HOUSE OF MIRTH. 
 
 203 
 
 “ I know it is ugly,” said she, ^^but I want her to 
 live.” 
 
 How will an ugly name make her live ? ” 
 
 Why, you see, I had two sweet girls before her, 
 and called them Fatmeh and Zanuba, and they both 
 died, so I called this one by the name of Mother 
 of Goodness, so that God perhaps will spare her;” 
 and the poor dear thing looked at me so piteously 
 that I felt tears come in my eyes. I tried to show 
 her that it was not a name that God cared for, but 
 that she must pray to Him to keep her darling if 
 He saw fit, and spent some time talking with her, 
 and reading some passages of the Gospel to show 
 how God is love. I have not been able to find her 
 since, but she declared that she saw things dif- 
 ferently, and would trust only in God in future. 
 May the seed cast on the waters be blessed for 
 His name’s sake ! 
 
 The Copts have a curious superstition about 
 names, different from this. They light three wax 
 candles, or tapers, and give each a name, a saint’s 
 name being always at least one of the three, and 
 the one that is last in going out is the child’s name. 
 The patron saint of Copts is ' St. George. This 
 name, which they call Gergas, is therefore the com- 
 monest among them. Many names, however, arc 
 
204 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 common both to Copts and Moslems, as some of 
 the patriarchs’ names, Abraham, etc., but Ishmael 
 is only used by Moslems, because they think the 
 son of Hagar was Abraham’s promised seed, thus 
 strangely perverting the Scripture narrative. Many 
 foreign {i.e., Greek) names are in use among Copts, 
 from the saints they venerate being Greeks ; others 
 will choose Italian names if they belong to the 
 small division of Copts who have joined the Roman 
 Catholic Church. But the Arab names suit better 
 in general with the language. They baptize their 
 children in infancy generally at the church, and by 
 immersion ; the ceremony is very nearly the same 
 as in the Greek Church. 
 
205 
 
 LETTER XIII. 
 
 THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 Man is as a flower of the fleld, which to-day is, 
 and to-morrow is cast into the oven.” While one 
 house is full of joy and merriment, the next is 
 plunged in woe, because man goeth to his long 
 home, and the mourners go about the streets ” 
 (Eccles. xii. 5). 
 
 This is true, literally, in the East, where mourning 
 is so public and so local. If one is walking or 
 riding, and meets a funeral procession, it is not a 
 silent black troop as in Europe, but a long train 
 of Mollahs chanting, and numbers of women utter- 
 ing at intervals the most piercing shrieks and 
 cries, so that all down the street the sounds of woe 
 are heard. When I lived in a narrow street of the 
 city, I used to realize the awful woe that fell on 
 this very land on the death of the flrst-born — And 
 there was a great cry in Egypt,” — for sometimes 
 
206 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 in the silence of night a sudden cry in one of the 
 houses near would rouse me from sleep, and the 
 cry would he followed by others, shrieks and wild 
 lamentations, and sounds as of women beating on 
 their breasts and nearly beside themselves, and 
 many a prayer has gone up for those poor sorrow- 
 laden creatures, who could not say of those they 
 wept for, We know they are with Jesus.” Of 
 course there are families where there is not very 
 deep affection, as in the not rare case of an un- 
 kind husband, but the crying and screaming, if 
 not so heartfelt, would go on just the same, because 
 it is a custom^ and the household are assisted in 
 its performance by hired women, who are always 
 sent for on such occasions. This was evidently 
 the custom also among the Jews: ^^Call hither the 
 mourning women that they may come — let them 
 make haste and take up a wailing for us, that our 
 eyes may run down with tears, and our eyelids 
 gush out with waters” (Jeremiah ix. 17, 18). 
 These professed mourners, by their doleful chants, 
 in which they praise the departed, and bring 
 forward everything likely to affect the friends, 
 excite them to more violent grief, and when they 
 are for a moment calmer from actual exhaustion, 
 and are sitting quiet, they set them off again, till 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 207 
 
 it is a wonder tlie poor wives and motliers are not 
 completely worn out. 
 
 There is no word like that of a Christian friend 
 or minister, who points the afflicted upwards, to 
 where Jesus the Captain of our Salvation is making- 
 ready the many mansions, where His servants hope 
 one day to rest from sorrow with Him and with 
 those who have departed this life in His faith 
 and fear ; ” no one to say darkness may endure for 
 a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” Nothing 
 more convinces me of the very small degree of 
 comfort which the Moslem faith affords than the 
 absence of any consolation to the bereaved. Their 
 book tells of future state, indeed, but at the time 
 of a funeral the females of a family especially 
 are left utterly without a word of comfort ; the 
 chanting women lament the past^ but I never heard 
 that they had a word to say about the future. 
 Many Moslems die in great peace and calmness, 
 but some may have a ray of light sent in some 
 way we do not know ; others, numbers.^ I fear, are 
 in a state of false peace, and resting on sand, 
 though they know it not. A man may die in a com- 
 fortable security that he leaves his children a good 
 farm, not knowing that there is a flaw in the title 
 deeds ; such is the case of all, in whatever country 
 
208 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and whatever religion they profess, whose hope of 
 future happiness is not resting on the promise of 
 God as given in His revealed Word. 
 
 Jesus said, ^‘1 am the resurrection and the life,” 
 I am the way,” and again, I am the door.^'' If 
 there were any other resurrection, any other way, 
 any other door, would He who is truth and love 
 have said these words so plain that none can 
 mistake them? 
 
 My little one is gone, and where?''’’ cried a 
 weeping mother one day to me, stretching out her 
 arms with a gesture that said a great deal more 
 than words could do. How I thanked God that 
 I could say (as I dared not have said in most 
 cases) that I felt sure her little daughter was with 
 the Lord Jesus, for that she loved and believed 
 in Him truly, and that He had doubtless received 
 her in His arms above. She had been a little 
 scholar in my school from four years old up to near 
 eleven, and I had taught her to repeat the first 
 text when she could but lisp the holy words. Yery 
 early she had shown that interest in Scripture, and 
 by actions proved, that she really believed the 
 gospel. This is years ago ; I have often visited 
 the mother, but though she knows what her child 
 believed, she as yet remains stubborn in unbelief. 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 209 
 
 and tries to put away the thought of the future. 
 However, I do not despair, and still hope she may 
 one day follow where the dear child is gone 
 before. 
 
 Another scholar, who died at the age of sixteen^ 
 as nearly as we can tell, was a firm believer in 
 the gospel ; I used daily to read to her in her 
 illness, which was not very long, and always found 
 her trusting fully in the merits and blood of Christ, 
 in the midst of great weakness and suffering. Do 
 ask that He may take me soon!'"’ she said one 
 day, with childlike confidence of going to the Lord 
 straight, and she gave me repeated assurances that 
 she had no fear in death, and knew she was for- 
 given. 
 
 I was reminded strongly of Jairus’s daughter 
 when I saw this dear girl surrounded by the women 
 wailing and weeping and making a noise,” exciting 
 the poor mother’s grief by piteous laments. 
 thought to have decked thee for a marriage feast 
 one day, my daughter,” cried one, ^^and now must 
 I deck thee for the grave — so young, and so 
 good ? Ah ! my daughter, — ah black day ! my woe, 
 my sorrow ! ” then a chorus of shrieks interrupted 
 her. In the midst of this tumult, robed as for a 
 bridal, in red, and adorned with jewels, lay the 
 
 14 
 
210 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 calnij peaceful wasted face of her whose happy 
 spirit had fled where she would never again hear 
 sounds of woe ! The last words she had heard on 
 earth had been the words of the twenty-third Psalm, 
 which I repeated to her : “ And I shall dwell in the 
 house of the Lord for ever.” I repeated them twice, 
 adding, For ever^ my daughter, — for ever with the 
 Lord.” I had seen her eye follow me, though no 
 longer able to speak ; hut the women thought she 
 would linger some hours yet, and had not therefore 
 brought a Mollah to read or recite prayers, as they 
 do very frequently, if not always, with departing 
 persons of respectable families. I had, however, 
 scarcely reached the end of the street, when a girl 
 ran after me saying, She is gone ! ” I returned, 
 ^and found the scene I have just described, and 
 could not but say in my heart, “ The damsel is 
 not dead, but sleepeth.” We have reason to hope 
 that the effect produced by her life and death — 
 but the former especially — has not been lost in 
 her family. 
 
 You will naturally ask what the men are about 
 during these noisy lamentations. They leave the 
 outcries mostly to the women, and walk silently in 
 the funeral procession. This takes place within 
 twelve hours after decease, which is only right in 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 2U 
 
 such a climate.* Moslems use a bier covered with 
 a red cloth, and a raised piece of wood at the head, 
 also covered with a red shawl, has the turban (if 
 a man) of the dead fixed to it ; if a woman, the 
 female head-dress of little gold coins, fastened to 
 black silk cords hanging from a small red cap, 
 takes the place of the manly turban. This cap and 
 coin ornament is now going out of use a good deal, 
 but is generally displayed at a funeral ; probably 
 one is hired for the occasion in many cases. They, 
 i.e, the Moslems, bury without a coffin, and dressed 
 in their best clothes ; in very rich families, a per- 
 son is sometimes buried with silk garments and 
 jewels of value — a very bad custom, as robberies 
 of tombs, in spite of the superstitious dread of 
 evil spirits, etc., do sometimes take place. 
 
 The family and friends, more or less, according 
 to circumstances, accompany the funeral ; in the 
 case of a Sheikh, or any great man, flags are 
 carried, and incense borne by boys from the Moslem 
 school, and an immense number of men follow the 
 train, but in ordinary burials, flags, etc., are dis- 
 pensed with. Men are taken to the Mosque, how- 
 
 * Sometimes, however, they do not wait half the allotted 
 time, and risk burying people alive. A carpenter told me lately 
 an old Copt was just going to be fixed in his colfin, when he 
 spoke, and proved, of course, to be ahve. 
 
212 • 
 
 LETTEES FROM EGYPT. 
 
 ever, and certain prayers and passages of the Koran 
 recited, after which they proceed to the cemetery 
 (children, and even women, unless of distinguished 
 family, are taken straight to the burial place, and 
 no special religious ceremony performed). The 
 Mollahs and some boys with the men friends go 
 first, chanting, and the women follow with hand- 
 kerchiefs, generally blue ones, in their hands, which 
 they twist into a kind of rope, and pull as they 
 walk, sometimes brandishing them over their heads ; 
 it seems to me to be a sort of imitation of the old 
 custom of rending the garments ; Egj'ptians some- 
 times tear their clothes still (not only in grief, but 
 in anger), but it is not a regular part of funeral 
 observance, and I fancy the neighbours have no 
 idea of sacrificing their clothes as well as their 
 time. They are called on so often, being expected 
 to attend the funeral of the most distant relation 
 or friend, if within reach of a walk, as well as of 
 neighbours, that it loses a great deal of the poorer 
 women’s time, and if they really tore then’ clothes, 
 they would always be in rags ! 
 
 The chanting is chiefly about Mohammed, the 
 apostle of Grod, as they say, and the men’s voices 
 are often fine-sounding and pleasing, though we 
 should like difierent words. It is interrupted by 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 213 
 
 the cries of the hired women from behind, and 
 occasionally by bursts of genuine grief from the 
 relations, as Oh my brother,” Oh my son,” Oh 
 sister, sister !” reminding one forcibly of the words 
 of Jeremiah in denouncing the wicked king Jehoia- 
 kim, ^^They shall not lament for him, saying, ah 
 my brother, or ah sister, ah Lord, or ah his glory!’ 
 
 On their return, the friends sit for some time 
 with the bereaved family, only men and women 
 apart as usual, and the women meet to cry every 
 week on a certain day till forty days are past. 
 
 It is odd to hear the women crying periodically 
 in this way till these days are ended, and not un- 
 frequently to be told as soon as they are finished 
 that the husband (if it be the case of a wife who 
 is taken) is already looking for a bride, and will 
 soon prepare for the wedding. 
 
 A mother does not forget so soon, but she tries 
 to banish what she has so little comfort under. I' 
 knew one (doubtless she was one among many) who 
 went the long and fatiguing pilgrimage to Mecca, 
 a journey partly by sea and partly riding on a camel 
 through burning deserts, — no light affair for a 
 woman of at least sixty years old ; yet she did it, 
 
 * Mecca is the holy city of the Moslems, and it is thought a 
 pious act to visit it. 
 
214 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and as slie confessed to me, more for the sake of 
 the entire change than for religious motives : pro- 
 bably both had some share in her mind. Yet she 
 might have taken some better comfort, for her son, 
 whose death was so heavy a trial to her, had not 
 died without leaving some cause to hope that he 
 found peace. They had sent to me in the idea that 
 I could give some bodily remedy, and when I found 
 the poor lad (he was about eighteen) was already 
 past this, and that to urge them to call a doctor 
 would be useless, as already mortification in his 
 back had begun, — I asked leave to read to him, and 
 for several days tried to bring before him a few 
 simple texts, especially this, Behold the Lamb of 
 God which taketh away the sins of the world.” I 
 tried to explain it as clearly as I could, and we 
 prayed for him at home. He listened earnestly, 
 and used to say, Read, read ! ” when the women 
 neighbours, bigoted and ignorant, tried to hinder 
 me, and rudely told me no one wanted books there. 
 
 After a few days, in which the suffering lessened, 
 so that he had but little pain, he suddenly had a 
 fit of internal spasms of some sort. The neighbour 
 who told me said he had just been telling her that 
 “ the lady had been reading him such sweet words, 
 such good words ; ” the pain there stopped him. 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 215 
 
 and he went on groaning for awhile, then looked 
 up, exclaimed, Lord, make me to follow Thee ! ” 
 and expired. 
 
 Tlie mother and sister, etc., had just returned 
 from the funeral when I went. I found all the 
 women — at least fifty in number — seated on mats 
 in the narrow lane where they lived, which was 
 not a thoroughfare. I sat down beside the poor 
 woman, and after expressions of sympathy offered 
 to read her a few words of God’s own comfort, as 
 I told her, out of the Book. 
 
 “Yes, yes, read me the book my son loved,” 
 said she, and listened with quieter tears while I 
 read in a low voice, close to her ear, some verses 
 suited for the case, and easy to understand. But 
 presently a great rough-looking woman near us 
 got sight of the book, and said, rudely, “ Go away, 
 you and your Christian book ; we want no books, 
 we want to cry ! ” I tried to pacify her with the 
 soft answer that turneth away wrath, but with no 
 great success. She gave a nudge, as I thought, 
 to the hired mourners, who set up a louder chant 
 than before, and echoes of howling and shrill crying 
 nearly deafened me. Then suddenly pausing, the 
 wailing woman said, in her usual voice, “ I am not 
 going to cry any more unless you give me some- 
 
216 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 thing,” and a brown wrinkled hand was held out, 
 and several put small coins into it — not much, for 
 it was a poor district. 
 
 I did not approve of paid laments ; nevertheless, 
 not to offend them, as it was not a sinful though 
 a silly custom, I put in a trifle of about the value 
 of threepence, and then rose to take leave. Cer- 
 tainly it was the first time I had ever been actually 
 sitting on the ground in a street before, but as I 
 remarked, it was not a thoroughfare, and there 
 were neither vehicles nor passers-by. The scene 
 was singular, the women rocking to and fro with 
 their blue handkerchiefs, wailing and sobbing ; and 
 then those who came only for kindness, getting 
 tired, would turn to one another and begin to 
 whisper gossip. 
 
 It was not unlike an Irish wake, only the worst 
 parts of those wakes (which I hope will soon be 
 entirely things of the past) are wanting in an 
 Egyptian funeral celebration ; no strong drink is 
 produced, and no mixing of young people for games 
 and amusements : it is a wailing time and nothing 
 else with them. 
 
 A very singular custom is observed in some 
 families, both Moslems and Copts, at the decease 
 of a chief person, as the master of the house, or a 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOUENING. 
 
 217 
 
 grown-up son, etc.; this is a kind of dance held 
 by the women and their friends, who all assemble 
 in the best room of the house, and dance in a circle, 
 with a curious little jumping motion, slapping their 
 own faces at the same time. They carry on this 
 till they become perfectly exhausted, and return 
 home with cheeks swelled, and painful and violent 
 headaches for the remainder of the day; the slapping 
 is sometimes observed without the dance, and in 
 that case they merely sit on the floor rocking 
 themselves, and beating their faces, alternating this 
 exercise, with groans and tears. The dance is said 
 to be more frequent in Upper Egypt, but it is per- 
 formed here very often, and in highly-respectable 
 families. 
 
 The Coptic burial ceremonies are, of course, 
 different from the Moslems, and resemble those of 
 the Greek Church, but what we may call the 
 domestic ceremonies are very nearly the same. 
 
 The great Moslem cemetery of Cairo is on the 
 borders of the desert, where is abundance of space 
 for the purpose. Every Friday women may be seen 
 going to visit the tombs of some dead relative, not 
 that they go every week, but Friday is the visiting 
 day ” for the tombs. A little girl came to ask 
 leave to be absent from school one Friday, because 
 
218 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 her mother was going to take her to visit her 
 grandmother. I happened to ask where she lived, 
 and was amazed to hear the grandmother was dead 
 years ago ; We are going to her tomb,” the child 
 at last explained. At the Great” and Lesser ” 
 festivals, as the two principal Mohammedan feasts 
 are called, the visiting the tombs of their rela- 
 tives is a necessary part of the proceedings. The 
 Lesser feast, which comes first, has most of this 
 visiting ; it is customary then for the people to go 
 very early, often at daybreak, carrying branches of 
 palm and myrtle trees, and sometimes* hehbuk,” or 
 sweet basil; these green boughs are laid on the 
 tombs, and certain prayers recited by the sheikhs^ 
 or the men themselves if they are able. Every 
 one is in his best and gayest clothes, and the 
 scene is extremely pretty, — the road crowded with 
 men, women, and children, all clean, and in lively- 
 coloured garments, carrying their boughs, and some- 
 times fiowers, and hastening along in the early 
 sunshine. It seems anything but a sorrowful day, 
 — sweetmeat and fruit-sellers are in numbers, every 
 one brings bread, etc., and they eat and drink 
 and are merry. The solemnity of a cemetery does 
 not hinder the great swings, which are always 
 erected in the neighbourhood, and where not only 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 219 
 
 children but grown men delight in swinging. It is 
 queer to us, but it is only Christians (I mean by 
 that real believers in Christ, as the Author and 
 Finisher ” of our faith, the A and the Z, the begin- 
 ning and the end) — it is only such who can under- 
 stand solemnity joined to cheerfulness (I think so 
 at least), and who can feel the link between sorrow 
 and joy — the tear and smile meeting as they hold 
 sweet converse about the blessed ones who are gone 
 before. With the people here (as alas ! with many 
 others), if they think at all of those they have lost, 
 until time has, as it must^ deadened the feeling — it 
 is with bitter, often with angry grief. Then they 
 try to forget, as soon as the violence of sorrow has 
 worn itself out, because their views of the future 
 cannot satisfy the higher part of our nature. Many 
 of the women have so vague and dim a notion 
 about the soul, that they have been said to believe 
 women have no souls. This is not part of the 
 Moslem religion however, though many among 
 peasant females will say, Keally I don’t know if 
 we have any souls, or what they are ; ” but a 
 woman who has any claim to being religious,” 
 and has learnt some prayers out of their book by 
 heart, will always tell you she believes the faithful 
 go to Paradise. This is not the Paradise spoken 
 
220 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 of in the Bible ; we hear Eden, where our first 
 parents lived before the fall, spoken of as Paradise, 
 although not in the Scriptures, where the only 
 mention of Paradise is in the Gospel of Luke, 
 when our Saviour tells the repentant thief that he 
 should be with Him to-day in Paradise,” and 
 again in the Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, 
 and in the book of Eevelation, where it is said 
 that the tree of life is in the midst of the Paradise 
 of God.” It is doubtless this mention of the tree 
 of life that made people give the name of Paradise 
 to Eden, where we first hear of the tree of life. 
 But there sin and Satan entered, and in the Paradise 
 where the Lord Jesus is with His redeemed neither 
 of these can come ; little as we are told, we may 
 be sure it is a glorious place, where souls, released 
 from the burden of these infirm bodies, will rest 
 with their Saviour, awaiting a yet more entire and 
 perfect glory, when, after the resurrection, their 
 sanctified bodies will clothe the souls, and so shall 
 they be, as the Apostle says, for ever with the Lord. 
 Very difierent is the Paradise which is invented 
 by man ; the descriptions of the Mohammedan place 
 of happiness are of the earth, earthy indeed, — coarse 
 sensual enjoyments, eating and drinking constantly, 
 without becoming ill from excess, having a multi- 
 
THE HOUSE OF MOURNING. 
 
 221 
 
 tude of wives, and many other details, some quite 
 absurd, as the gigantic size they expect to attain, etc., 
 all show a childish and unspiritual idea of happi- 
 ness. When we compare these descriptions with the 
 few hut glorious words granted to us by God of the 
 true abode of the blessed, the difference is — ;just 
 what we might expect between God’s words and 
 man’s. God Himself shall be with them ; ” there 
 shall be no more sorrow nor pain, — God Himself 
 wiping away tears from their eyes ; then the voices 
 of harpers, harping with their golden harps — the 
 white robes clean and pure (showing that all sin 
 is washed away), — why, every word is weighted with 
 glory, if one may dare to use such an expression ! 
 Then those few but precious words in Thessalonians, 
 about being caught up to meet the Lord in the 
 air together — all who loved and were one in Him 
 on earth, to be together with Him in happiness 
 — for ever with the Lord ” — what can equal that ? 
 Ah ! my friends, let us thank God for His gospel, 
 and accept it for ourselves, and then let all who 
 have accepted it help me to pray for the poor 
 Egyptians, who have only a false peace to delude 
 their souls, and who sorrow over their dear ones 
 as they that have no hope ! 
 
222 
 
 LETTER XIV. 
 
 NILE TRIPS. 
 
 No doubt you have often heard of travellers who 
 visit Egypt ‘Agoing on the Nile,” hut as it is not 
 very likely you will go yourselves, you may like to 
 have a better idea of what it means than you can 
 get by that rather indistinct description of the jour- 
 ney ! In one of my earlier letters, I told you that 
 many remains of the old Egyptian pagan temples, 
 and of the buildings raised by their kings in old 
 times for memorials of their greatness, were still 
 to be seen. The finest of these are at a distance 
 from Cairo, but near the river ; many persons who 
 are interested in ancient things go to visit these 
 curious ruins, and what makes their attraction 
 much greater, is the mild winter climate, which 
 suits many delicate people. So, some for pleasure, 
 and some for health, a great many travellers go 
 every winter up the river. There are small-sized 
 steamers where parties can be taken up at less 
 
NILE TKIPS. 
 
 223 
 
 expense than separate boats, but wealthy families 
 usually prefer the comfort of these last. The 
 private boats are sailing boats, and are called 
 generally by the Arab name Bahabeeyeh (mispro- 
 nounced in various ways by the new arrivals). 
 They are large enough to contain a cabin for eating 
 and sitting in, and some little sleeping berths, 
 more or less, as may be. A native captain (often 
 a Nubian) and seven or eight men, manage the 
 boat, which has a large sail, of the shape of a bird’s 
 wing, and they are very clever in taking this sail 
 down quickly in change of weather, which is need- 
 ful on the Nile, where are many dangerous currents, 
 but, with a steady captain, it is extremely rare to 
 meet with accident. 
 
 The travellers take provisions and everything 
 they want, but can buy fowls, eggs, milk, and 
 sometimes a lamb, as they go along. The voyage 
 to Luxor, where some of the chief ruins are found, 
 takes three or four weeks, and those who go as far 
 as into Nubia must be absent, going and coming, for 
 more than two months. My personal experience 
 of Nile voyages is nothing like this, being only 
 short trips on one of the smaller boats, hired for a 
 fortnight, or even less, and only going a short dis- 
 tance. But as I and my friends go for the sake of 
 
224 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 bringing tbe gospel to some of the villages on the 
 river, our employment is so deeply interesting that 
 no ruined temples could delight us so much, for 
 man is a ruin himself, ruined by sin and Satan, 
 and only the knowledge of a Saviour can raise him 
 out of that ruined condition. It is only scattered 
 seed, of course, that can be spread in short visits 
 like these, but we have cause to hope that some is 
 not lost. 
 
 I have a number of old journals, letters, and 
 rough notes, made at different times of these 
 voyages, and I will make a few short extracts from 
 some of them, to give you some idea of the places 
 and the work. 
 
 One fine, bright, breezy winter day, more like 
 May in England, or something between May and 
 October, Mr. Shakoor and his brother were seated 
 on the deck of our boat, a well-filled bag of books 
 and tracts beside them, which they were sorting, 
 pausing now and then to look at the fair scenes 
 through which we passed, as our white-winged 
 boat skimmed cheerily along the river ; and the 
 ladies of the party, having settled their tiny 
 cabins, sat also on deck, noting all they saw. The 
 banks are not green in general, nor flowery, — the 
 inundation prevents that, making a fresh bank 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 225 
 
 every year, — and yet there is a great deal of beauty ; 
 the clear air and brilliant sun make everything 
 beautiful, in fact, and the groups of palms are a 
 delight to the eye. Fields of bright green clover 
 and young corn reach as far as eye can see on 
 one side, on the other a range of cliffs, sometimes 
 high, sometimes low, barren, and dry; but their 
 yellow and white rocks take wonderful colours, in 
 the sunset especially. Little villages dot the coast, 
 some all among palm-trees, others with only a few 
 standing up like sentinels among the low mud 
 dwellings; here and there a little grove of gum- 
 arabic trees grow near the river on a raised pathway, 
 and as the sky grows red with the evening light, and 
 the sun sinks behind golden clouds, troops of peasants 
 are seen on this same high pathway, driving their 
 buffaloes and cows from the pasture, and shep- 
 herds with large flocks of goats. It is customary 
 (and is safest) to moor the boats at night, so we 
 draw up to shore, and are soon made fast to a peg 
 driven into the earth. A number of men, wrapped 
 in mantles of brown goats’ hair, or wool, are seated 
 on the bank ; one or two are still at their evening 
 prayers, kneeling and touching the ground with 
 their heads, then standing, then kneeling again, 
 and all the while repeating the Moslem form of 
 
 15 
 
226 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 prayer. They mean well, poor men, and we re- 
 spect their honest wish to do what they fancy 
 pleases God, but that is not prayer in the right 
 sense of the word. One of the missionaries is now 
 seated on the bank beside some of them, and after 
 friendly salutations and kind remarks, begins to 
 enquire if any can read, and, by degrees, gets into 
 a very interesting conversation. Meantime, I am 
 watching the women who come to draw water. 
 Sunset is not a leisure time for them, as it is with 
 the cultivators of the soil ; they have to draw water 
 for supper, and are in great haste. It is pretty to 
 see how nimbly their bare feet descend the steep 
 bank, and how rapidly they lower the immense jars 
 from their heads, tuck the loose dress round their 
 legs, wade into the stream, wash the jar or pitcher, 
 then fill, and haul it to shore, and then help each 
 other to hoist it on the head again, and walk up 
 the bank with firm, quick steps : no time to listen 
 to strangers now, but my turn will come to-morrow. 
 
 It gets dark quickly in Egypt, and when the 
 moon is up it is apt to be cold at this time of year? 
 so we retreat to our cabin for tea, and then have 
 family worship, in which earnest prayer is made 
 that the Ijord’s word may be blessed to some of 
 these poor souls. 
 
NILE TKIPS. 
 
 227 
 
 Well wrapped in my cloak, I am on deck as 
 soon as the sun is np, indeed, have been trying 
 to paint its gorgeous colours in my sketch-book 
 from the cabin window, before the dazzling flood 
 of light burst from the long line of gold-edged 
 clouds, and made the calm waters shine and 
 shimmer, so that I could no longer gaze steadily 
 at them. We call to the servant to give us break- 
 fast quickly, as we want to go on land, and soon 
 we are speeding up the bank and entering a grove of 
 palm-trees, which surround the large mud village, 
 which has, we are told, a thousand inhabitants. 
 The green corn looks lovely, growing under the light 
 shade of the palms, but the heaps of dust and 
 rubbish which are in and around the village are 
 neither pretty nor savoury. A good many of the 
 peasants have already come from their early morn- 
 ing work, and are taking a rest, some eating a piece 
 of dry bread as they sit in the sun, with their backs 
 against a low mud wall, some smoking from a long 
 pipe handed round among them ; one or two are 
 spinning the brown wool of their sheep with a 
 simple distaff, made of two little sticks, and a 
 spindle which dances about as they twist the 
 thread. The missionaries exchange a look, as if 
 to say, “Here is our work,” and soon are in con- 
 
228 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 versation with a group of peasants ; then they are 
 invited to the house of one of the chief men, and 
 before long are seated in a large sort of shed, with 
 about thirty or more men in white turbans and 
 goats’ hair mantles squatted around, listening with 
 faces of wonder and attention to the words of Him 
 who spoke as never yet man spake. Like the seed 
 scattered by the sower, much may fall on the way- 
 side, or among thorns, but not all^ though till the 
 last day we may not perhaps know which fell on 
 good ground. 
 
 Meanwhile Mrs. Shakoor and I are seeking for 
 the women; they are dawdling about at the doors 
 of their huts, doing nothing for the most part. The 
 water was fetched at sunrise, and it is now nearly 
 ten o’clock, they have nothing therefore to do. 
 Breakfast was a piece of bread and perhaps some 
 milk or curds, taken whenever they felt hungry; 
 the children had crawled off the mats where they 
 slept when they chose, and no dressing and washing 
 was performed except that each peasant woman 
 washed hands and feet in the Nile when drawing 
 water (for in this point they are cleaner than 
 townspeople of the same class). Their heads look 
 as if it were months since they had seen a comb, 
 and the children are mostly in rags, but look 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 229 
 
 healthier than those in Cairo, for the air of the 
 Nile is very fine. 
 
 After a little chat ahont their hahies, and other 
 matters likely to interest them, we get a little 
 opening for the Book,” which of course is with ns. 
 
 Circumstances after a time prevented onr going 
 on these Nile trips for several years, hut in the 
 month of February, 1878, my sister accompanied me, 
 with Mrs. Shako or ’s brother * and sister on a short, 
 hut as it proved deeply-interesting voyage. To my 
 great delight time had not taken away all recollec- 
 tion of former visits ; on the contrary, I was recog- 
 nized by several persons in different villages, and 
 most affectionate inquiries made as to why for so 
 long a time we had not come. We had, at one 
 village especially, little meetings nearly all day, 
 and our tracts and gospels were eagerly asked for 
 by those who could read. These were chiefly young 
 men or hoys ; to the women we read and talked, and 
 tried to make them understand a little at least of 
 the love of God in Christ. 
 
 A great deal depends, humanly speaking, on the 
 sheikh of a village, as respects the treatment of 
 strangers ; the sheikhs here have a great degree of 
 
 * Mr. Naseef, the present director of the boys’ school, and lay 
 missionary. 
 
230 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 power, which seems to he partly religious and partly 
 legal. If men are to he taken as a conscript for the 
 army, it is to the sheikh of his village that the Gov" 
 ernment officers apply, and if anything goes wrong 
 in a place, it is the sheikh who is to a great degree 
 considered responsible. When religious festivals 
 take place, the sheikhs meet and take the chief part 
 in them, and if they are, as is very often the case, 
 bigoted and ill-disposed to Christians, the feeling 
 of all the village is had, and surly replies and cold 
 looks are apt to meet our efforts to get a friendly 
 reception. If, however, the sheikh he kind-hearted 
 and easy, and still more if he be an intelligent, well- 
 disposed man, we can quickly get listeners to our 
 Master’s message. Of course I do not mean that 
 everything turns on one man, hut he may be a great 
 hindrance or a great help from his position. At 
 one very large village, or rather a cluster of villages 
 very near each other, we have several times met 
 with kind and cheering receptions, and on my last 
 visit, when I introduced my younger companions, 
 who had not been on the river before, to some of 
 my former village friends, the way in which all 
 were welcomed was very pleasant. The sheikh, 
 man of considerable intelligence, urged us to come 
 to his house, and sat in the ^^salamlik,” or outer 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 231 
 
 room reserved for men, with Mr. Naseef and a few 
 friends, conversing on the subject of religion, and 
 bringing forward his objections and difficulties in 
 a friendly spirit, while I went to the court, with 
 two or three little dens opening into it ; this 
 answered to a harem, and here Miss Naseef and 
 I were received by his wife and mother ; the wife 
 was busy churning butter in a skin, but came for- 
 ward very cordially to salute us, and then continued 
 her occupation, while we conversed with the old 
 mother, a bright, intelligent-looking person, who, in 
 spite of her advanced years, had the year before 
 made the long and fatiguing journey to Mecca. The 
 pilgrimage is made partly on the Eed Sea, which is 
 said to be generally very rough, and partly on camel- 
 back, over burning plains of sand, and to a native 
 Egyptian, used to a quiet life among the palm-trees 
 and clover-fields near the river, it must have been 
 a most trying expedition. But the poor old dame 
 was in earnest, and really thought it would please 
 God and cleanse her from sin to visit what they 
 think such a holy place. It would not have been 
 wise to say anything to hurt her feelings about 
 pilgrimages in a first visit (for though I had 
 formerly seen the sheikh, I had not known his 
 mother), but we read and talked with her, and tried 
 
232 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 to show something of the plan of salvation through 
 the atonement of the Saviour. When we took leave, 
 the sheikh accompanied us great part of the way, 
 and when we were returned to our boat, after several 
 more visits in other parts of the village, he sent his 
 little son to ask for the copy of St. John’s Gospel 
 which he had been promised, and the child evidently 
 had been told to take the greatest care of the book, 
 for he trotted off holding it tightly to his breast 
 with both his little hands. 
 
 Nearly all our store of books and tracts were 
 taken at this place, and we did not leave without a 
 promise, if the Lord should permit, to come again 
 next year. 
 
 But we are not always so well received. At 
 another village we found great hindrances. While 
 Mr. Naseef was gone to find the master of the little 
 native school (a young man who gave instructions 
 in reading and writing, their Koran being the only 
 book used), his sister and I, in spite of an incon- 
 veniently high wind, tried to get up an acquaintance 
 with some of the troop of women and girls who 
 were loitering about; except one or two, who, from 
 the noise like dapping which proceeded from their 
 dwellings, were engaged, we knew, in bread making, 
 none seemed to be at all busy, and though many 
 
NILE TKIPS. 
 
 233 
 
 were very dirty and untidy, we saw many intelligent 
 faces, as well as some very pretty ones, although 
 that was of no consequence, as our business was with 
 the inside. Some answered civilly, others stared 
 and laughed rather rudely, others were silent, and 
 looked sullen. At last one invited us to sit in an 
 open court, where there was a raised seat or ledge 
 of stone and mud against a wall, which somewhat 
 sheltered us from the wind. A good number now 
 assembled to hear what these strange ladies had to 
 say, and what they wanted, which we were very 
 glad to explain. I observed that they seemed to 
 have fine corn land and beautiful date-trees in their 
 place. Oh, yes,” said one woman, and fine 
 goats — look ! ” pointing to a flock just going to the 
 pasture. You have then most of you bread 
 enough, but if you had none, and were nearl}^ 
 starving, and I had a basketful of loaves in my 
 hand, would not you think me very hard-hearted 
 if I did not give you some ? and do not you think 
 I would give it ? ” Yes, certainly,” said one, 
 clapping me on the shoulder. Well, I could only 
 offer it, — if you refused I could not make you eat 
 it, but hungry people are always glad of bread. 
 But there is another kind of hunger, which we some- 
 times do not know when we have it. If we know 
 
234 
 
 LETTERS EROM EGYPT. 
 
 scarcely anything of God, and do not know how 
 to please Him, nor where our souls can go when 
 we die, then we are like starving people, only that 
 it is the soul and not the body that wants food.” 
 
 Then, after a few more simple words of explana- 
 tion, I asked Miss Haseef, the lady who was with 
 me, and who used to teach in my school in Cairo? 
 to read a simple story from the gospel, which she 
 did, but it was hardly finished when we began to 
 be annoyed by some boys, who had joined the women, 
 and, getting on the seat behind us, began leaning 
 on our shoulders, which was disagreeable, as they 
 were in “ filthy garments,” but what was worse they 
 quarrelled and pushed each other, and talked loud, so 
 that we could scarcely get a hearing any longer, and 
 one of the men seemed inclined to speak very rudely. 
 
 Some of them were scholars in the little Moham- 
 medan school, but manners were not taught there ; 
 indeed, a couple of hours early in the day was all 
 the time they spent in school, we were told. More 
 women pressed into the court now to see what was 
 going on, and, to our dismay, some men with them. 
 The men and women mix more freely and are more 
 simple in their ways in the country villages than 
 in town, but to teach a mixed party is hardly pos- 
 sible — the women will never answer any question 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 235 
 
 if men are present, and the men ask hard questions, 
 or such as are evidently only put to try and puzzle 
 or annoy the lady ; so at least it was in this place, 
 where the sheikh was doubtless a very stiff and 
 bigoted man. One of the men brought a great 
 book, old and yellow, and written all by hand, 
 and said, ^^If you want to read, read that — there 
 is a really good book.” I replied I was not ac- 
 customed to that character (which is very unlike 
 the printed books, and requires special study), and 
 besides that, I only came to speak to the women, 
 for whom the plain simple words of God’s own 
 Book, of which I had with me a portion, called 
 the gospel, was more suitable. 
 
 Ah ha,” said one of them, rudely, ^^your book ! 
 — does it say if it is a sin or not to eat pig’s flesh ? ” 
 I told him as shortly as possible that Moses’ 
 law forbad this food to the Jews, who were to be 
 separate not in that only, but many things, from 
 all other people, but that the Gospel left people 
 free about their food, and spoke of the spiritual 
 matters, which are of more importance, adding that 
 we begged they would permit us to read about the 
 love of God, His mercy, and His truth, rather than 
 to engage in talk which our friends here cannot 
 enter into.” Yes, yes,” said the man who had 
 
236 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 brought the book, in a very rough manner, and 
 with a contemptuous smile, read to the women, 
 they are donkeys,” and he turned away. A great 
 many of the women, afraid of offending him (he 
 was, I afterwards found, one of the chief men of 
 the village), rose and went away. 
 
 We decided it was best to break up the assembly, 
 and said we would go, as they did not care for God’s 
 word, but if any did we would read to them in the 
 fields quietly ; then pushing our way through the 
 crowd, we got into an open cornfield not far off, 
 and sat down under a beautiful palm-tree. Several 
 young girls had followed us, and a few children, 
 and one of the women. We made a circle here, 
 and all promised to be quiet if we would read to 
 them, and we had a very pleasant time with the 
 young people. One girl especially interested us, 
 her extreme intelligence was shown by the expres- 
 sion of her face. She was a sweet-looking girl, 
 and seemed really glad to hear the new things we 
 told of the Great and All-wise God condescending 
 to love poor sinners, and sending His holy One to 
 die for them. One of the boys also showed a good 
 deal of intelligence in his answers to the questions 
 we put to him. What surprised us a good deal 
 was to perceive that two or three of the men who 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 237 
 
 had so troubled us had followed at a distance, and 
 remained within earshot, but behind the group we 
 were reading to, without uttering a word or in any 
 way troubling us. Perhaps some day we may find 
 that a little seed has fallen on good ground even 
 in that village, which is marked in my journal 
 as, People bigoted and inclined to he rude.” 
 Sometimes it is disappointing not to be able to 
 find again some person who appeared to have been 
 really touched and anxious to know more about 
 Jesus. There was one such case, a widow woman, 
 who had shown a remarkable sense of sm (I say 
 remarkable, because, hard as it is everywhere to get 
 the heart of man to acknowledge its sinfulness, it 
 is hardest of all among Mohammedans). I sought 
 for that woman vainly three years running, and 
 never could trace where she had gone. There was 
 also a very interesting Bedouin woman, who once 
 had a long talk with me, and was deeply moved. 
 She said — I well remember her words and the tear 
 glistening in her bright black eye as she spoke, — 
 I am going away — we Bedouins move from place 
 to place, and it may be years perhaps before I come 
 to this spot again. How shall I recollect what you 
 tell me ? ” adding, Why did no one ever tell me 
 this before ? ” 
 
238 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 I need hardly say I promised to pray for her, and 
 begged her to ask of Grod light for her soul and 
 pardon for her sins. Still it was a difficult case, 
 never to be in the way of hearing anything of that 
 gospel which in one hour could only be put very im- 
 perfectly before her. These, and many, many more 
 such, are cases for very earnest prayer and much faith . 
 
 I will now tell you one blessed instance in which 
 the seed was found again, not by the sower indeed, 
 but by his companion in the work. Many years 
 ago, the elder Mr. Shakoor was on the banks of 
 the Nile engaged in distributing books among the 
 Copts (or native Christians), for the higher up the 
 Nile the more numerous are the Copts, to a certain 
 distance. He was asked for books by a young man 
 who told him he liked reading very much, and 
 found but few books in his village, and had come 
 some considerable way to get books, hearing a 
 strange gentleman was selling books at the river.” 
 He had seen, and perhaps partly read, a New Testa- 
 ment, but knew little about it, and cared less. He 
 would have liked worldly books better, and though 
 he bought a New Testament and listened to the 
 earnest words spoken to him by that dear servant 
 of the Lord, he paid little attention ; at least they 
 soon passed out of his mind, because spiritual things 
 
NILE TRIPS. 
 
 239 
 
 had no interest for him. He examined his purchase 
 at home, but found it was printed differently from 
 the old Copt Bible he had seen, which had no para- 
 graphs or spaces between the printed portions, as 
 our books and modern Arabic ones have. So he 
 foolishly fancied it was an imperfect copy, and 
 actually threw it in the bottom of an old box, and 
 soon forgot all about it. Years passed away, and 
 at length the Copt heard some friends speaking of 
 the Bible, and how they had procured it at the 
 mission of the Americans at Luxor, and some one 
 spoke of it as a different but better-printed edition 
 than the old Coptic one. Then his forgotten Testa- 
 ment came into the man’s mind, and with that 
 remembrance the unknown friend who had so af- 
 fectionately urged him to read it. He hastened 
 to seek in his old chest, and found it safe. The 
 words despised at the time came back to him, and 
 he now began the study of God’s word in earnest ; 
 it was blessed to his soul, and one day, when 
 visiting Cairo, he came to our book-shop and learned 
 how the sower of the seed had been called to go 
 up higher,” where no doubt they will one day meet. 
 Meantime he told the surviving brother that this 
 precious book was his constant companion and the 
 guide of his life ! 
 
240 
 
 LETTER XV. 
 
 ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 It is now time I should tell you something in 
 order about the school which has been alluded to 
 so often in my letters. I kept it for the end be- 
 cause I wished you first to know a little about 
 the sort of people for whose children it was set 
 up, as, without this, details of schools are very dry 
 reading, and however glad we may he that the 
 poor children are taught well, yet if we know 
 nothing about the nation from which they come, 
 and their ways and habits, etc., we can feel very 
 little interest. Some of you may possibly have 
 read one or both of two little hooks I wrote some 
 years back, to give accounts of what I saw of the 
 people, as well as of my endeavour to help them 
 with education ; but as many, no doubt, have not 
 met with these, I will, at the risk of repeating 
 some things already known, give you just a slight 
 sketch of the begfinnino:. I came for change of 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 241 
 
 air when in poor health (but not by any means an 
 actual invalid) many years ago, meaning to spend 
 five or six months ; and I thought I might start a 
 school for poor girls in Cairo ; a beloved relative 
 had kindly accompanied me, and a valued maid- 
 servant made up the party. We took a small 
 house in a native quarter in order to try and get 
 scholars among the poor, and especially Moslems ; 
 although warned by all friends that Moslem girls 
 never would come to a Christian, I resolved at 
 least to try, asking the Lord for a blessing. A 
 worthy Syrian woman was found, whose daughter, 
 only thirteen, could read fairly ; she herself could 
 read pretty well in the Gospels, and both could 
 sew. The whole of their rather large family was 
 squeezed into the house to save them house-rent. 
 
 We then began to make our arrangements, and 
 look for pupils ; first we tried through the 
 native servants, but I was ignorant of the ways of 
 Egypt, or should never have supposed that a man 
 could have any power to bring girls. Many, many 
 difficulties were in the path indeed, among which 
 was my small knowledge of Arabic, and my good 
 matron knew about as much of English, and her little 
 daughter the same. We got on very well however ; 
 she and I went out to look for our scholars in the 
 
 16 
 
242 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 lanes near tlie lionse. The poor women we spoke 
 to had never, many of them, seen an European, for 
 Cairo was not so full of strangers as now, and they 
 (if foreigners) kept more to particular quarters- 
 In the lanes just around my new dwelling were 
 numbers of poor houses, and a little further a 
 collection of actual huts, built against the old wall 
 of the city, and with narrow paths between them ; 
 the only thoroughfare was the street, which went 
 lengthways, and into which these little paths 
 opened. The occupants of these places seldom left 
 home except on a visit to the tombs, or on a 
 wedding procession, etc., and if they ever saw 
 a frangee,” as they called Europeans, it was at 
 a distance, riding a donkey, or in a carriage ; as to 
 one talking to them, and going among them to ask 
 if they would send their little girls to school, it 
 was quite a new idea. Several ran away, and the 
 children were terrified, and cried, and hid them- 
 selves, and at the good matron’s advice I left the 
 European straw hat at the house, and put a scarf 
 over the head, so as to resemble more nearly what 
 they were used to in dress. Now, such a pro- 
 ceeding would be absurd, they are used enough to 
 hats of all kinds, and many Syrian and Greek 
 girls have taken to wear then, and even some few 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 243 
 
 Copts ; but I am writing of things fully eighteen 
 years ago. Some of the women were friendly, 
 others sullen, being bigoted Moslems, and disliking 
 Christians ; others laughed, and said, Teach girls 
 indeed ! let them make bread : what more need they 
 know ? ” A few said, Teach sewing if you will, this 
 is very good ; let hooks alone.” A few at last 
 agreed to try, and after two or three days all was 
 prepared in a very simple way at the house, and 
 a few scholars came. My cousin was ill with a 
 low fever, and could not help me, but my excellent 
 maid brought the needles and thread, and though 
 only possessing a few Arabic words, made the most 
 of these, and was a great assistance those first 
 days, with her bright face and cheerful manners, 
 ramming thimbles on fingers quite new to them, 
 and cutting bits of calico to be stitched, etc. I 
 opened school with the Lord’s prayer, and then 
 I and my little teacher taught texts, and the 
 matron kept order, or tried to do so, for she had 
 never kept school, and the wild hut children were 
 very hard to keep quiet. By little and little a few 
 more respectable ones came, and helped the others, 
 as they knew what sitting still and doing as they 
 were told meant, at least ; after a month’s labours, 
 my cousin was well again, and often gave us a 
 
244 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 helping hand, and the number of scholars gradually 
 rose to twenty, more sometimes, seldom less. 
 
 I will not repeat all the ups and downs of that 
 four months’ work ; when the middle of May came, 
 my cousin and I left, and the school was placed 
 under another lady, as I did not then see that God 
 intended me to live and work here, and family affairs 
 made it hard to he at such a distance. But the 
 poor matron’s health failed, and she had to go, 
 the lady was inexperienced in the East, and 
 ignorant of the language, and moreover had no 
 one near who took a real interest in the work, so 
 she closed the school and returned to England, 
 and then I decided to go out and stick to it,” as 
 the boys say ; so that autumn found me (this time 
 al6ne, except for my faithful maid) in my old 
 quarters ; luckily the lease was not out, and I 
 opened the house, and the children were soon found 
 again, and were wild with joy at my return. 
 
 I found a teacher who was half Italian, half 
 Syrian, and as I spoke Italian I could easily explain 
 things to her. She was much cleverer than my 
 good matron and her little girl, but then they were 
 Protestants, and she was of the Greek Church, and 
 knew next to nothing of the Bible ; so I had to 
 teach the Scripture daily myself, and to study 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 245 
 
 Arabic very bard to keep ahead of my scholars. 
 The excellent Christian missionary, Mr. Mansoor 
 Shakoor * (from Syria, bnt working in Egypt, under 
 an English Society), had made my acquaintance 
 that winter, and kindly gave me Arabic lessons, 
 and besides this, he came whenever he could to 
 examine the children and keep the teacher up to 
 her business. So we got on nicely, and even when 
 I was obliged to go to Europe for the summer, 
 the school kept up tolerably under the teachers, 
 though I found much to reform on my return next 
 autumn. By Mr. Shakoor’ s advice I engaged his 
 brother, also a missionary teacher, to leave Syria 
 and come as my agent to Cairo, to manage the 
 business of the house with the landlord, and many 
 other matters, and also to teach the Gospel to any 
 among men or boys who could be persuaded to 
 hear. 
 
 By degrees the work enlarged from this time, 
 and after a while the elder Mr. Shakoor gave 
 up his other situation and joined me, and the two 
 Christian brothers, with one spirit and one heart, 
 laboured for the Lord, — opened meetings for young 
 men, distributed Bibles, visited the sick, and at 
 
 * The same alluded to as a fellow-worker in the last chapter, 
 whose wife was my adopted daughter. 
 
246 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 last arranged a boys’ school. This was not easy, 
 because we had scarcely funds to pay its expenses. 
 I had carried on the work at my own expense 
 with only a very small amount of assistance from 
 friends who were interested in it, and the yearly 
 sum I could dispose of did not allow of such an 
 addition. We tried, however, beginning by having 
 the boys in a lower room in the house I occupied, 
 the girls being already in an upper room, and God 
 sent help, so that by-and-by we moved the boys to 
 a larger house, and then again to another, till at 
 last I was enabled to build a large school-house 
 (with some assistance from Christian friends) on a 
 plot of land presented to me by the Khedive, on 
 which I also built a dwelling-house. 
 
 Many years of struggles and work had passed by 
 this time, and we had had reason to praise the Lord 
 for letting the little blade of corn grow and bring 
 fruit and increase. Instead of twenty or thirty 
 children, they came in fifties, and then in hundreds, 
 and our rooms were full. 
 
 A younger brother, and afterwards other rela- 
 tives, had come to join the Shakoors in their work, 
 and by teaching in school left them more free for 
 mission work with adults. The circle of labourers 
 had one interest and one desire among them, and I 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL 
 
 247 
 
 was no longer alone in a strange land. A young re- 
 lative of my first friend and helper, Mansoor Shakoor, 
 had been spared by her parents at his earnest re- 
 quest to be an adopted daughter to me, and share 
 ihj home and labours, and from an early age she 
 gave herself to serve the Lord by trying to do good 
 among the girls and women of Egypt. 
 
 Before the new school-house was built, this young 
 lady and Mr. Shakoor were married, and the cares 
 of a family prevented her going among the women 
 as formerly, but much can be done at home, both 
 by example and a word in season, and we had now 
 quite an establishment of teachers and pupils, and 
 old pupils and their relations coming to see us. 
 In the evening the two missionaries took turns in 
 holding meetings, and in winter (our best season, 
 as I told you before) we made little voyages on the 
 river, to bring the gospel to some of the many vil- 
 lages on the coast, as related in the last letter. 
 
 Our work was prospering in many respects, though 
 the bigotry of the people was the cause of frequent 
 disappointment and much hindrance. Still God’s 
 word was preached as a testimony to many, and 
 some listened gladly. The year that the building 
 which with so much trouble we had at length 
 finished was opened, was the year of sorrow to the 
 
248 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 Cairo mission ; the elder Mr. Shakoor was called 
 above, after a severe illness of more than two 
 months. Faith can sometimes hear the Lord’s 
 welcome to the good and faithful servant,” but 
 alas ! too often faith even seems dimmed by tears. 
 Yet God mercifully continued to uphold the work, 
 as well as to suj)port the bereaved. 
 
 A few years later, and the second brother, Mr. 
 Joseph, was called away, like the first, having 
 scarcely reached middle age, and leaving also a 
 widow and little ones, who returned to Syria after 
 his death. 
 
 Two years previous to this second blow, we had 
 opened a branch school for boys in the ancient 
 though decayed city of Damietta, on the coast of 
 the Mediterranean, where one of the mouths of the 
 Nile pours its waters into that sea. Mr. Joseph 
 Shakoor had gone there to make the arrangements, 
 as it was from an earnest request made to him from 
 a few respectable inhabitants that the idea of open- 
 ing a school there arose. 
 
 He started the work and took much interest in 
 it, and his cousin, who had joined our little band 
 some time before, was deputed to superintend the 
 work in this untrodden field (for no missionary had 
 ever taught God’s Word there before). The school 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 249 
 
 is still doing well there, but the preaching, etc.? 
 was suspended for a time, except during the occa- 
 sional short visits of the missionary, as on the death 
 of Mr. J. Shakoor he was obliged to come to Cairo. 
 But a missionary will, by God’s Jielp, soon be placed 
 there. 
 
 You must not sujDpose that all who come to learn 
 profit as fully as we wish, or that the children are 
 open professors of Christianity. It would not he 
 wise to make them, or even urge them, to come 
 out while things are as they are in this country ; 
 the persecution any Mohammedan is sure to undergo 
 if he is baptized a Christian would very likely 
 frighten children into recanting, and they would 
 he removed entirely from Gospel influence, while 
 too weak to stand unassisted and alone. But their 
 belief in the Gospel is not interfered with in 
 general ; they are left to do and think much as 
 they like, and the degree of freedom often surprises 
 me, and is cause of thanksgiving. In early days I 
 had often dust thrown at me when visiting in the 
 lanes, and many had words and curses. These are 
 now very, very rare, and though there is much intense 
 bigotry still, there are yet small loopholes for light 
 here and there, and the best and largest of these 
 (indeed it is not a small loophole !) is the softening 
 
250 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 of the prejudice against education, and what is 
 most wonderful, education by a Christian is still 
 prized, and much more than formerly. Far from 
 having to go and hunt for scholars, I am obliged 
 to refuse taking more till there is space, large as 
 our rooms are. 
 
 You would he pleased if you coidd see the gate 
 of the school-house at twelve o’clock, when the bell 
 rings, and out come the boys pouring in streams, 
 all full of glee, some with books under their arms, 
 others running to the fruit or sweetmeat seller at 
 the door, others in little groups sitting under a 
 beautiful mulberry tree (planted the second year 
 of the building of the great school-house), and 
 others under a vine trellis, where a bench is pro- 
 vided, all enjoying the dinners they have brought, 
 or which their mothers have sent. The greater 
 number are ] 30 or boys still, but several are rich, 
 and these have their meal brought by a black 
 slave or a hired servant, in a covered dish. A few 
 who live near go home to eat. About three hun- 
 dred may usually be seen, this being the average 
 attendance. The girls number two hundred ; many 
 more are on the books, but they are oftener kept 
 away in cases of illness in the house — new babies’ 
 arrivals, and other causes. 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 251 
 
 The girls have their playground quite separate, 
 and on the other side of the house ; their school- 
 room is upstairs, and the staircase is separate also. 
 They have a number of teachers, the younger ones 
 being all trained girls brought up by ourselves. 
 One of the very best of these is sister to the dear 
 girl whose blessed death I told you about, and I 
 trust she has the same blessed hope. Though past 
 the ridiculously early age at which girls are usually 
 married, she is still a happy young teacher with 
 us, and her mother says she will not let her Zeynab 
 marry unless to a really good and respectable man, 
 if she can find such. 
 
 The young lady who is over the school, and directs 
 these young teachers, has been in England herself 
 (though a native of Syria), and has seen English 
 schools, and many of the good works going on in 
 London, and tells the women here about them. 
 You would like to see her seated in the school-room, 
 with the whole school assembled in the morning, 
 sitting quite still and in perfect order, listening 
 while she reads a short portion of Scripture, and 
 tries by questions to ascertain that all know what 
 it is about, and to make the elder ones explain by 
 their answers to the younger. 
 
 All ages, from fourteen to four or five, are there. 
 
252 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and every sort of garment, from the muslin dress 
 and handsome necklace of the wealthy child to the 
 coarse calico loose frock, the only article of the 
 poorest. But we discourage finery in school, and 
 much less in the way of jewels, etc., are seen than 
 was the case some time ago, even rich mothers 
 being now persuaded that plain coloured prints, or 
 clean white in summer, are more suitable for the 
 place and occupation, and the cleanliness enforced 
 in all is now so thoroughly established that only a 
 new comer now appears with face or hair or frock 
 in an unpleasant state. Formerly I had the utmost 
 trouble to get clean faces, and many mothers re- 
 fused to give clean dresses, from fear of the evil 
 eye ; but this, among scholars at least, is now dis- 
 appearing, and the fresh clean look of the young 
 assembly never fails to strike our visitors with 
 pleasure. 
 
 Some of the very poorest receive a calico frock 
 in winter, and need it very much, for several are 
 orphans, and others children of widows, or worse — 
 of poor women divorced, and obliged to labour for 
 themselves and little ones. If the child is a boy, 
 the father always keeps it, but a girl, unless he is 
 particularly fond of her, or wants her to wait on 
 the new wife, is generally on the poor mother’s 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 253 
 
 hands. We 'think a few yards of calico well be- 
 stowed on such, and only wish we had more to give. 
 
 They are taught, after the Scripture (which is 
 made the first object of all), some hymns, and 
 the simplest part of arithmetic and geography, 
 and some knowledge of English to the head class. 
 
 After school is dismissed, the pupil teachers 
 generally stay half-an-hour later in the summer 
 evenings to enjoy strolling in my garden, or sitting 
 under a tree with their work. Sometimes a young 
 married scholar (from the Syrians, who are not 
 so closely shut up as Egyptians) joins them, and 
 they always come on Sunday for our Arabic service 
 in the school-house. All these are sweet, promising 
 girls, and their mothers, most of whom are widows, 
 are very proud of them. 
 
 But even among much younger ones we have 
 scholars whose answers in Scripture are very 
 good for their age, and down to the least every 
 child who has been here for a month knows that 
 Jesus Christ is the Saviour of sinners, and by Him 
 alone we can hope for an entrance to heaven. 
 
 Many of the mothers of the children come to 
 see the school and the teachers, and hear what is 
 taught ; some come to my little weekly women’s 
 meetings, though Eastern women dislike regularity 
 
254 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYPT. 
 
 and order so much that it is hard to get any of 
 them to come steadily every week; yet more or 
 less are there, and by degrees we hope to induce 
 them to be steady attendants. Some days eighteen, 
 or twenty, and even as many as forty, will appear, 
 at others only three or four ; but usually at least 
 seven or eight women will come, some Christians 
 and some Moslems, and I read and pray with them, 
 and try to explain the reading in a simple, cheerful 
 manner, and to show how blessed a thing it is to 
 believe in Jesus. 
 
 I visit many of them at their homes, and Mrs. 
 Shakoor still more, for that is the part of the work 
 she especially undertakes, and many of the Moham- 
 medan women, whose children or relations' children 
 attend school, have heard the gospel from her, and 
 welcome her when she goes to see them, and Copts 
 and Syrians as well. 
 
 Thus the school has opened doors which might 
 never have been opened for the gospel without it, 
 for Egyptians are shy of receiving total strangers 
 without some reason, and having their girls under 
 our care was of course the best of reasons. That 
 curtain which in Mohammedan families of the 
 better class hangs before the entrances to the 
 women’s apartments is not so easily raised for 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 255 
 
 foreign visitors as might he supposed ; even ladies 
 do not gain admission into many of them. We are 
 let in, however, at once, as soon as known. 
 
 Not long ago I went to a house where the mistress 
 is a bigoted woman, whom I often hear muttering 
 sentences she has learnt by heart (for she cannot 
 read) of the Koran, and telling beads, which is not 
 common among women, few of whom know much of 
 their own religion, or perform the stated Moslem 
 prayers as men do ; yet this lady sends her little girl 
 to the school (though they live at some distance), 
 and not only receives us affectionately, but when I 
 visited her lately she asked me if I had that book ” 
 in my pocket, as if so she wished I would read a 
 bit ! I had the book, and very gladly complied with 
 her request ; she said, turning to a lady older than 
 herself, who was a cousin, I believe, who was staying 
 with her, My girl reads quite nicely in that book 
 now — yes, she is clever indeed.” 
 
 I should make my letter too long were I to tell of 
 the various openings made in different families by 
 scholars, some very hopeful, others like a tiny chink 
 in a closed door, j ust enough to let in a single ray 
 of light; but we have cause to thank God and 
 persevere, and say, as His people so often can 
 say, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us.” 
 
256 
 
 LETTERS FROM EGYLT. 
 
 I must before leaving this subject give you a 
 little picture^ which I think will please you : it is 
 our Sunday-school in holiday time. In tlie latter 
 part of summer the teachers require a little rest ; 
 the parents of the scholars by no means like it, 
 as the children are on their hands, and boys get 
 into mischief ; however, it cannot be helped for a 
 little while. But I assembled as many as I could 
 of the girls during the holidays on Sunday for a 
 little meeting, something between a Sunday-school 
 and regular service. Only a few out of the number 
 came, but we knew those came from their own free 
 will — from thirty to forty girls and the pupil 
 teachers, and a few women ; on the occasion I am 
 describing here, in all thirty-two, made quite a 
 group in the vine-covered arbour where I assembled 
 them. After all the salutations were over, I opened 
 with a short prayer, and then read the 16th of Acts, 
 pausing for a question now and then, and at the 
 end making a few remarks ; some of the girls 
 answered very intelligently, and all appeared in- 
 terested. Then we had a hymn, and another 
 prayer, and I then dismissed the assembly to refresh 
 themselves in the garden, while I heard the verses 
 learnt by the home-girls. It was a pretty sight to 
 
 * Some orphans I am bringing up in the house. 
 
ABOUT THE SCHOOL. 
 
 257 
 
 observe the pnpil teachers, tall girls of fifteen, with 
 their modest quiet manners and bright faces, and to 
 hear their replies to questions about the chapter, 
 and to remember how they used to come to my 
 school when quite little toddlers ; the women too 
 seemed so calmly happy as they sat under the willow 
 tree, and talked with the matron while enjoying the 
 fresh air, for they all lived in narrow lanes, which 
 are in August quite suffocating, and the sun being 
 nearly set, my shady garden was delightful to them. 
 I thought how I wished they could know by blessed 
 experience what it is to be able to say of the 
 Lord Jesus, I sat down under His shadow with 
 great delight.” f May that time come for them, 
 and for you too, if you do not yet know it. 
 
 t Solomon’s Song, Chapter xi. 3. 
 
 17 
 
258 
 
 LETTER XVI. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 And now, my dear friends, I must bid you farewell. 
 I shall not think my trouble wasted if some of you 
 have learned in reading these pages to feel a greater 
 interest in Egypt than you ever did before, and, I 
 hope, to feel also some interest in the people, and to 
 ask the Lord to gather out of them a band of true 
 believers, and to hasten that blessed time when 
 Egypt shall be a third with Israel and Assyria (see 
 Isaiah xix.). We cannot understand fully the con- 
 nection between our poor imperfect prayers and the 
 plans of our Heavenly Father, but He has told us 
 to pray not only for ourselves, but for others, and 
 not only for individuals, but also for nations, and 
 therefore I may boldly ask for your prayers both for 
 the people of Egypt and for my little mission 
 among them in particular. You know God’s 
 telegraph "wire never breaks : no fear that the 
 humblest petition sent up from an honest believing 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 259 
 
 heart will fail to reach the Lord, and to he in some 
 way answered, not perhaps for long, not in the 
 expected way very likely, hut not lost. Let us then 
 join in praying that the bread cast upon the waters 
 may be found after many days, that the little ones 
 whom I am trying to train up to know the Saviour 
 may become His true disciples, and that He who is 
 the Hayspring from on high ” may give light to 
 them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, 
 to guide their feet into the way of peace. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
 Hazell, Watson, and Viney, Printers, London and Aylesbury. 
 
RECENTLY PUBLISHED. 
 
 AMONG THE HUTS IN EGYPT, Scenes from Eeai 
 
 Life. By M. L. Whately, Author of “ Ragged Life in Egypt,” 
 etc. Third Edition, Crown 8vo, with Illustrations, 5s., 
 cloth. 
 
 THE DAUGHTEES OF SYEIA. A Narrative of 
 
 efforts made by Mrs. Bowen Thompson for the Evangelization 
 of Syrian Females. Edited by the Rev. H. B. Tristram, 
 LL.D. Third Edition. In crown 8vo, with Illustrations, 
 5s., cloth. 
 
 THE ASIATIC IN ENGLAND ; Sketches of Sixteen 
 
 Years’ Work among the Orientals in London. By Joseph 
 Salter. With a Preface by the Rev. Henry Venn, B.D. ; 
 and an Introductory Chapter by Lieut. -Colonel R. Hughes. 
 With Illustrations, price 5s., cloth. 
 
 STOEIES OF ENTEEPEISE AND ADYENTUEE. 
 
 A Selection of Authentic Narratives. With Eight Engravings. 
 Crown 8vo, price 3s. 6d., cloth. 
 
 AMONG THE AEABS : Narratives of Life and Adven- 
 ture in the East. With numerous Illustrations. In crown 
 8 VO. price 3s. 6d., cloth. 
 
 ISLAM UNDEE THE KHALIFS OF BAGHDAD. 
 
 By R. D. Osborn, Major in the Bengal Staff Corps. In 8vo, 
 price 12s., cloth. 
 
 CODNTEY LIFE IN SYEIA. Passages of Letters 
 
 written from Anti-Lebanon. By Harriet Rattray. With 
 Twelve Illustrations, price 3s. 6d., cloth. 
 
 Very interesting notes by a lady who has spent twelve 
 years among the peasantry of Syria. Sketches of life, cha- 
 racter, and adventure, etc. 
 
RECENTLY PUBLISHED. 
 
 HAEET LAWTOTv^’S ADYEXTIJEES. Xew Edition. 
 
 Small 8vo, Thirty-five Illustrations, 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 STOEIES EEOM CHEYA. Crown 8vo, Twentj-fiye 
 
 Illustrations, 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 STOEIES EEOM THE SOUTH SEAS. Crot\Ti 8vo, 
 
 Twenty Illustrations, 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 ITALIAjN- scenes and STOEIES. With Twenty 
 
 Illustrations, price 3s. 6c?. 
 
 SEA BEEEZES. By the Author of “Knights of the 
 
 Frozen Sea.” \Hth numerous Illustrations. In crown 8vo, 
 price 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 “ A capital school-prize or gift for the young.” — Itecord. 
 
 “ A pleasant story about boys, full of adventures by sea, especially in the 
 Arctic regions.” — Standard. 
 
 TEAYELLEES’ TALES. By the Author of “Busy 
 
 Bee.” In crown 8vO, with forty-five Illustrations, price 
 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 “ A good and cheap book for a present.” — Nonconformist. 
 
 THE ANCIENT NATION ; a Sign and a Wonder. By 
 
 the Author of “The Kingdom and the People,” etc. In 
 crown 8vo, with twenty-one Illustrations, price 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ A series of conversations on Jewish history, drawn up with much spirit 
 and good sense.” — Guardian. 
 
 “ A weU-told story of the Jewish people. The book is full of information.” 
 —Itecord. 
 
 SWITZEELANH AND THE SYHSS. Sketches of 
 
 the Country and its' Famous Men. By the Author of “The 
 Knights of the Frozen Sea,” etc., etc. With twenty -four 
 Illustrations, crown 8vo, 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ It is pleasantly written, and will be found entertaining reading .” — John 
 Bull. 
 
 “A readable little volume, pleasantly put together.”— /Speefafor. 
 
RECENTLY PUBLISHED. 
 
 A CENTURY OF DISCOVERT; An Account of the 
 
 Spanish and Portuguese Navigators, from Prince Henry to 
 Pizarro. From the German of Theodore Vogel. With 
 twelve Illustrations, 5s., cloth. 
 
 THE SYLVAN YEAR: Leaves from the Note-Book of 
 Kaoul Dubois. By P. G. Hamerton. With twenty Etchings 
 by the Author and other Artists. In 8vo, cloth, price 
 12s. U. 
 
 CHAPTERS ON ANIMALS. By P. O. Hameeton. 
 
 With twenty Etchings. In post 8vo, price 12s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 THE UNKNOWN RIVER. By P. O. Hameeton. In 
 
 8 VO, with thirty-six Etchings, price 15s., cloth. A Cheaper 
 Edition, with eight Etchings, 5s. 
 
 A QUIET CORNER IN ENOLAND. Studies in Rye, 
 
 Winchelsea, and Romney Marsh. By Basil Champneys. 
 With Illustrations by Alfred Dawson. 12s. 6c?. 
 
 THE OREATEST OF THE PROPHETS : a Life of 
 
 Moses. By the Author of ‘‘ Essays on the Church.” Post 
 8vo, with eight Illustrations, price 6s., cloth. 
 
 “We commend it for the information it contains; hut we commend it 
 rather as a striking hook, full of shrewd sense, clear statement, and 
 intelligent interpretation of the sacred records .” — Christian Observer. 
 
 HISTORY OF FRANCE. Adapted from the French. 
 For the use of English Children. By Emma Marshall, 
 Author of “ Life’s Aftermath,” etc. With twenty-six Illustra- 
 tions. Price 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ It is pleasent reading, and gives a vivid idea of French history with- 
 out overloading the youthful memory with needless details .” — Saturday 
 Reoievs. 
 
 I MUST KEEP THE CHIMES GOING : A Tale of 
 
 Real Life. By the Author of “Copsley Annals.” Tenth 
 Thousand, in large 16mo, Engravings, 2s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
BECENTLY PUBLISHED. 
 
 PEEILS AMONG THE HEATHEN; Narratives of 
 
 Adventure and Endurance for Christ’s sake. With a Preface 
 by the Kev. Joseph Kidgwat, M.A. Third Edition. In 
 small 8vo, eighteen Illustrations, price 2s. 6d., cloth. 
 
 DATSPEING IN THE EAE WEST: Sketches of 
 
 Mission Work in North-West America. By M. E. I. With 
 twenty-four Engravings and a Map. Post 8vo, price 4s. 6d., 
 cloth. 
 
 JESSIE’S WOEK ; or, Faithfulness in Little Things. A 
 Story for Girls. By Mary E. Shipley. Second Edition. 
 In crown 8vo, Frontispiece, price 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 GABEIELLE VAHGHAN: a Tale. By Makt E. 
 
 Shipley. Crown 8vo, 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ A thoroughly well-principled and interesting story, such as we should 
 like to see in young people’s hands. It is the history of a great and quiet act 
 of submission, and of the full triumph of obedience, greatly tried, through a 
 long course of patience.” — Ouardian, 
 
 “A very charming and ably-written story. It indicates no common talent 
 on the part of its author.” — Record. 
 
 LIFE’S AFTEEMATH : a Story of a Quiet People. By 
 Emma Marshall, Author of “The Old Gateway,” “Mrs. 
 Mainwaring’s Journal,” etc. Crown 8vo, price 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ The story is admirably told, and the interest well sustained throughout. 
 The descriptions of Enghsh scenery are in many instances beautiful.” — 
 Christian Observer. 
 
 PEAYEE AJSTD THANKSGIVING: Forms of Family 
 
 Devotion, for Six Weeks. Chiefly from Cotterill and Jowett 
 In crown 8vo, 3s. 6c?., cloth. 
 
 THE TABEENACLE, PEIESTHOOD, AND OFFEE- 
 
 INGS OF ISRAEL. By the Rev. Frederick Whitfield, 
 M.A., Vicar of St. Mary’s, Hastings. With Engravings, price 
 5s., cloth. 
 
 “ The result of much research. It is exhaustive and well-written, and per- 
 vaded by an excellent spirit.” — Nonconformist. 
 
 SEELEY, JACKSON, AND HALLIDAY, 54, FLEET STREET. 
 
4 
 
DATE DUE 1 
 
 lit M .. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 CAYCORO 
 
 
 
 ARINTKO IN U.S.A. 
 
DT54 .W55 
 
 Letters from Egypt to plain folks at 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 
 
 1 1012 00043 1488