172 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan. 



is clear fat. This fat is soft, and is used as butter by the 

 lovers of pure, soft mutton tallow. 



The o-allinaceous fowls are abundant ; what we call barn- 

 yard fowls are of a very ancient race, small, hardy, great 

 layers of small eggs. The American turkey is domesticated, 

 and as fine as those raised in Rhode Island. Ducks and 

 geese are plenty. 



We bought milk and cream on shore every morning, but 

 did not indulge in the native butter. And here let me say, 

 in digression, that our cabin was supplied with excellent 

 butter, made in Lombardy and sent out from Milan ; it was 

 put up in one-pound tin cans. This Italian butter was of 

 admirable quality, and perfectly uniform. 



One of the important industries of Egypt is the artificial 

 hatchins: of egsrs. Over ten millions of chickens are thus 

 produced. This industry is of great antiquity, and is 

 described in many old publications. I had no opportunity 

 to observe the process, so I will not attempt to describe it. 



There are no roads and no wagons 'in Egypt, except 

 in the large towns like Alexandria and Cairo, where the 

 wealthy and the strangers ride in carriages. The Nile is the 

 highway of Egypt ; it is the thoroughfare of the country, 

 the main street of every town. People swim across to go 

 visiting on the other bank ; ferries of small and large boats, 

 crowded with people, goods, produce, asses and camels, are 

 always running. There is no loneliness on the banks ; the 

 six or seven million children of the river live within sight 

 and daily touch of its life-giving waters. Often I listened 

 to the mighty noise of bawling, hallooing, talking, laugh- 

 ing, the growling of camels, braying of asses, crowing of 

 cocks, the wailing of the ungreased wooden wheels of the 

 endless sakias raising water, and felt, with the ancient 

 observer, that " Nilus heareth strange voices." Our boat- 

 men were eternally singing ; they had rude instruments of 

 music, such as are used in upper Nubia ; and at night they 

 sat in a circle and sang strange Arabic songs in the minor 

 key to the throb of a drum beaten with the hand, and a 

 tinkle of brass rods struck together. 



The taxes of Egypt are excessive, owing to the extrava- 

 gance of the rulers in living, in building palaces and public 



