288 



EGYPT. 



ivory-nuts, against 197,808 in 1886, 169,000 

 in 1885, and 107,759 in 1884. 



Earthquakes. On September 25 a sharp shock 

 of earthquake was felt at Elena at eight o'clock 

 in the evening, and simultaneously at Guaya- 

 quil, lasting about two minutes. The shocks 

 were followed by flashes of lightning. At that 

 time of year lightning has been unknown here- 

 tofore in the localities named. Another very 

 heavy shock was experienced at Guayaquil on 

 November 16, at twenty-five minutes to three 

 p. M. ; the people fled from their houses thor- 

 oughly panic-stricken. 



Benedictine Monks for Ecuador. On July 20 

 seven Benedictines from St. Mary's Abbey, 

 Newark, N. J., left New York for Ecuador, 

 to establish a church in the republic. Three of 

 them were Americans and four Germans, the 

 latter, however, being citizens of the United 

 States. They took with them a large quan- 

 tity of the most improved farm and garden 

 implements, the whole forming three wagon- 

 loads of cases, more machinery and tools to be 

 sent for as the occasion may demand. They 

 emigrated to Ecuador at the solicitation of the 

 bishop of that country. 



EGYPT, a principality in Northern Africa, 

 tributary to Turkey. The reigning sovereign, 

 called the Khedive, is Mohammed Tewfik, born 

 Nov. 19, 1852, who succeeded to the throne on 

 the abdication of his father, the Khedive Ismail, 

 June 26, 1879. He is the sixth ruler of the 

 dynasty of Mehemet Ali, who was appointed 

 Governor of Egypt in 1806. The administra- 

 tion of Egypt is carried on by native ministers, 

 subject to the rulings of the Khedive, and un- 

 der the supervision of England. There is a 

 legislative council of thirty members, of whom 

 sixteen are elected and fourteen appointed by 

 the Khedive, but it has only advisory powers. 



Area and Population. The area of Egypt prop- 

 er, tiie southern boundary of which was pro- 

 visionally fixed at "Wady Haifa, about 800 miles 

 south of Cairo, in January, 1887, is estimated 

 at 11,000 square miles. The country is divided 

 into El Said or Upper Egypt and Masr-el-Bahri 

 or Lower Egypt. The population in 1882 was 

 6,806,381, composed of 6,715,495 Egyptians 

 and 90,886 foreigners. Of the Egyptians, 6,469,- 

 716 had fixed abodes and 245,779 were nomads. 

 The bulk of the foreigners are Greeks, Ital- 

 ians, French, Austrians, English, and Germans. 

 Ninety per cent, of the foreign population re- 

 side in Lower Egypt. The average annual in- 

 crease in the population since 1846 has been 

 1-25 per cent. Hie inhabitable land in Egypt 

 comprises 6,216,530 acres, of which 3,745,971 

 acres are in Lower and 2,470,559 acres in Up- 

 per Egypt. 



Commerce. The total exterior commerce of 

 Egypt for 1886 amounted to 17,977,851 Egyp- 

 tian pounds, in which sum the imports are rep- 

 resented by 7,848,231 pounds, and the exports 

 by 10,1 29, 620 pounds. The imports of specie 

 lor the same year were 1,838,797 pounds, and 

 the exports, 2,972,520 pounds. The commer- 



cial intercourse with different foreign countries 

 for 1886 was as follows, the value being given 

 in Egyptian pounds (E1=$5) : 



The values of the principal articles of com- 

 merce for the year 1886 were, in Egyptian 

 pounds, as follow : 



The increase in the tobacco receipts for the 

 year 1886 was 80,000, due to the introduc- 

 tion of Greek tobacco under the new commer- 

 cial treaty. 



The decrease in the value of the imports for 

 1886 from those of 1885, was 1,140,811 Egyp- 

 tian pounds, and the decrease in the value of 

 the exports was 1,295,350 pounds. 



Agriculture. The report of the statistical bu- 

 reau in Cairo for 1887 makes the cultivated 

 area 4,961,462 feddans, showing an increase of 

 247,056 feddans in three years. The area plant- 

 ed to cotton was 874,645 feddans in 1886, 865,- 

 526 in 1887, and 1,057,513 in 1888. The cot- 

 ton product in 1887 was 3,025,965 cantars, or 

 378,245,000 pounds. The cultivation of cotton 

 is extending rapidly in Upper Egypt, where the 

 fellahs find it a more profitable crop, and one 

 requiring less care and outlay, than sugar-cane. 

 The cultivation of bersim, a kind of clover, oc- 

 cupied 941,222 feddans in 1888, and there were 

 617,605 feddans in Lower and 623,495 in Up- 

 per Egypt under wheat. Although sugar cult- 

 ure is declining, the product in 1887 was 1,090,- 

 424 cantars, worth 573,859 Egyptian pounds, 

 inclusive of the rum and molasses products. 

 The chief crops of lesser importance are beans, 

 lentils, Indian corn, oats, rice, and durra. 

 The farm animals have greatly decreased, ow- 

 ing to contagious diseases and the impoverish- 

 ment of the people. There are at present, to 

 every 100 feddans or acres, 9 buffaloes, 5 ani- 

 mals of other kinds, including camels, horses, 

 asses, mules, and cattle, and 20 sheep. 



Railways, Telegraphs, and Posts. In 1 886 there 

 were 900 miles of railway in operation. The 



