278 



EGYPT. 



cording to a census of 1862, when the country 

 was divided as follows: 1. Lower Egypt (with- 

 out the cities of Cairo, Alexandria, Kosetta, 

 Yanta, and Suez), consisting of the provinces 

 of Behereh, Eodat-el-Barein, Dakaliyyeh, Kal- 

 joobiyyeh, Gizeh, had, in 3,205 villages, 2,117-, 

 954 inhabitants. 2. Middle Egypt, divided into 

 the provinces of Minyeh (and Beni-Mazar), Fa- 

 yoom, and Beni-Suef, had, in 554 villages, 519,- 

 582 inhabitants. 3. Upper Egypt, embracing 

 the provinces of Sioot, Girge, and Kenne (and 

 Esne), had, in 620 villages, 417,876 inhabitants. 

 4. The large cities and towns had the following 

 population: Cairo, 256,700; Alexandria, 164,- 

 400 ; Damietta, 37,100 ; Eosetta, 18,900 ; Suez, 

 4,160; Yanta, 19,500. Among the inhabitants 

 are about 150,000 Copts, 5,000 Syrians, 5,000 

 Greeks, 2,000 Armenians, 5,000 Jews. The 

 yearly revenue of the Government is estimated 

 at 8,000,000. The yearly tribute of the Turk- 

 ish Government was formerly about 360,000, 

 but was largely increased in 1866, when the 

 porte granted to the viceroy the right of chan- 

 ging the law of succession. The army consisted, 

 in 1863, of 21,000 men. The number of vessels 

 was, in 1862, 7 ships of the line, 6 frigates, 9 

 corvettes, 25 smaller vessels, and 27 transports. 

 The imports of Alexandria amounted, in 1864, 

 to 492,937,258 Turkish piastres (20 Turkish 

 piastres are equal to one dollar) ; and the ex- 

 ports to 1,146,905,253 piastres. The value of 

 the exported cotton alone was $74,213,500, 

 against $7,154,400 in 1860. The number of 

 vessels entering, in 1864, the four Egyptian 

 ports of Alexandria, Port-Said, Damietta, and 

 Suez, amounted to 6,009 (of which 1,124 were 

 steamers). The number of passengers was 68,- 

 678. 



In November the Council of Ministers, under 

 presidency of the viceroy, determined the basis 

 and organization of a council of representatives, 

 the creation of which had been for some time 

 decided by the viceroy. The statute determin- 

 ing the electoral regulations is a follows : 



ART. 1. The duty of the Assembly will be to de- 

 liberate upon the internal interests of the country, 

 and to pronounce upon the matters which the Gov- 

 ernment may consider as coming within its functions. 

 On such matters the opinion of the Assembly will be 

 submitted to the approbation of the viceroy. 



ART. 2. Every individual, not under twenty-five 

 years of age, will be eligible for election, on condition 

 of being honest, loyal, and capable, and certified as a 

 native of the country. 



ART. 3. No person can be elected whose property 

 may be under sequestration by decree in conse- 

 quence of bankruptcy, unless the insolvent has ob- 

 tained a regular and complete discharge ; also, no 

 person having no means of existence, or who, during 

 the year preceding his election, may have received 

 public charity, nor any who may have undergone a 

 criminal penalty, or been dismissed from the public 

 service in consequence of a legal sentence. 



ART. 4. The electors will be chosen among the in- 

 habitants whose property shall not have been seques- 

 trated in bankruptcy, those who having been insolvent 

 may have obtained a regular discharge, those who 

 shall never have undergone a criminal penalty, who 

 shall not have been dismissed the public service, and 

 finally those who are not in active military service. 



ART. 5. No person can be elected who may be in tho 

 Government service, and this regulation applies 

 equally to the notables and heads of the villages as tc 

 those who may be in the service of any of them. All 

 persons in the military service, either on the active 

 or reserve list, fall under the same disqualification. 

 On the other hand, every official having quitted the 

 Government service without reprehensible motive, 

 and every soldier whose term of service fixed in the 

 reserve list shall have expired, may be elected if they 

 satisfy the preceding conditions. 



ART. 6. The election of the members of this Assem- 

 bly having to take place in the provinces in propor- 

 tion to the population, one or two persons will be 

 elected in each district, according to the number of 

 inhabitants ; but at Cairo three representatives will 

 be nominated, at Alexandria two, and at Damietta 

 one only. 



ART. 7. The inhabitants of every village assem- 

 bling and choosing their Sheiks, the latter will natu- 

 rally have the right to elect in the name of the popu- 

 lation, provided they fulfil the required conditions. 

 These Sheiks will meet at the Prefecture, each will 

 write upon a balloting paper, which is to be kept 

 secret and closed, the name of the person for whom 

 he votes, and will deposit the paper in the electoral 

 urn of his district. 



ART. 8. . The examination of the ballot, after the 

 voting of the Sheiks, will take place in the presence 

 of the Mudir, his officer, the chief of the police office, 

 and the Cadi of the prefecture. The candidate who 

 may obtain a majority of votes will be nominated 

 representative of his district. In those cases where 

 the votes may be equally divided between two can- 

 didates, they will decide the matter by drawing lots, 

 and he who is successful will become the representa- 

 tive. In both cases the Sheiks present will sign a 

 statement of the result of the election. At Cairo, 

 Damietta, and Alexandria, the election of representa- 

 tives will be determined by a majority of votes among 

 the notables of the three cities. 



ART. 9. The deputies are elected for a period of 

 three years, at the expiration of which time new mem- 

 bers will be elected according to regulations of Arts. 

 7 and 8. 



ART. 10. The members of the Assembly will not ex- 

 ceed seventy-five in number. 



ART. 11. The presence of two-thirds of the mem- 

 bers is necessary to constitute a quorum. In the 

 event of any member being unable to attend the As- 

 sembly from some important motive, he will notify 

 the president to that effect one month before the 

 opening of the session. If the Assembly do not con- 

 sider the cause assigned a valid reason for non-at- 

 tendance, the member will be notified to that effect. 

 Should the member persist in not taking his seat in 

 the Assembly a fresh election will be held to replace 

 him in the mode prescribed. 



ART. 12. The members will sit in person, and can- 

 not in any way be represented in the Assembly. 



ART. 13. As soon as the Assembly meets a commit- 

 tee will be appointed among the members which will 

 proceed to verify the elections and ascertain that all 

 the legal conditions have been duly fulfilled in the 

 case of each deputy returned. Those elections found 

 to be in order will be definitely confirmed. Those 

 deputies whose elections may not fulfil all the condi- 

 tions prescribed by law will be replaced by other per- 

 sons chosen. and duly elected in the same localities. 



ART. 14. After this verification the committee will 

 pronounce upon the validity of each election, and 

 will make its report to the president, who will submit 

 it to the viceroy, in order that each member may 

 afterward receive a personal decree confirming him 

 in his quality of representative for three years. 



ART. 15. A regulation fixing the extent of the func- 

 tions of the Assembly, as well as the rules to be ob- 

 served in the debates, will be delivered to the Assem- 

 bly, according to the customary usage in similar cir 

 cumstances. 



