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in the world. I have also, during my visits, talked familiarly 

 with the cultivators of the soil, — those fellahm, as they are 

 called in their native tongue, who are doubtless the descendants 

 of the aboriginal Copts. I have talked with the village Sheikhs, 

 and district Mudirs, the hard task-masters of the fellahin. I 

 have talked also with the Beys and Pashas, men of an alien 

 race and foreign language, who have long usurped authority, 

 and who continue to oppress the people and spoil the country. 

 I thus claim to know something of Egypt ; and my wish now 

 is to give, in the shortest possible space, a sketch of its general 

 geography, history, condition, and prospects. It must only 

 be a sketch, for to treat any of those topics fully would take a 

 volume. 



Physical Geoijrai^hy . 



In many respects Egypt is the most interesting and remark- 

 able country in the world. Its physical geography is unique. 

 Its historic records are the oldest extant, not even excepting 

 those of the Hebrews or Chaldeans. And those records have 

 this peculiarity, that they touch, and to some considerable 

 extent illustrate, the history of nearly every great nation of 

 ancient and modern times. The primeval Hittites, the Jews, 

 the pastoral Arabs, the commercial Phoenicians, the warlike 

 Assyrians and Persians, the Greeks and Romans, are all 

 figured on the Egyptian monuments, and described in their 

 hieroglyphic inscriptions, or in their voluminous hieratic 

 papyri. Egypt is thus a grand storehouse of antiquarian lore 

 — a museum of primeval art, revealing the origin and develop- 

 ment of letters, science, and useful inventions. 



Then, again, in later ages, Egypt^s new capital, Cairo, was 

 enriched with some of the most elegant and gorgeous mosques 

 and tombs of the Califs. The valley of the Nile became in 

 succession the battle-field of Tartar and Crusader, Turk and 

 Frank ; and now, in our own day, the eyes of the civilised 

 world are concentrated upon that strange conflict between the 

 fierce tribes of the Soudan and the armies of Enerland. 



The history and antiquities of Egypt have had for me, 

 during many years, a singular fascination, which, I need 

 scarcely say, has not been diminished by recent events. I 

 venture to express a hope that I may be so fortunate as to 

 succeed in inspiring at least some of those who hear my words 

 with a little of my own enthusiasm in the study of a subject 

 which I have found to be, not only of absorbing interest, but 

 of vast — even national — importance. 



Egypt is the child of the Nile. The Nile deposits originally 



