1874.] 



235 



[Delmar. 



17 millimetres ; 1838, 11 ; 1839, 3 ; in 1871, not recorded, but the rain fell 

 altogether only 9 hours during the year. Same climate throughout all 

 Lower Egypt ; while in Upper Egypt it is nearly the same. 



There is no wood for fuel or building purposes, neither is there any 

 coal. In day-time it is often bleak ; at night-time chilly ; though, for 

 the most time the temperature is warm and sometimes uncomfortably 

 hot. 



Moneys, Weights and Measures. 



(ffl). The U. S. Treas. Reg. 1874, p. 486, fix tLe ralue of the Egyptian silver piece <>'" 

 20 piastres at §1.0039. U. S. Consul Thayer (C. R. 1862, p. 582) says, 21 1^ piastres equal 

 one dollar. The Treas. Monthly Stat. Mar. 1872, say that the Egyptian copper coinage 

 has been recently much debased, but this does not necessarily affect the value of the sil- 

 ver or legal tender or " custom-house" piastre of Egypt. There was debasement of the 

 inferior coins in 1837, also.— MacGreggor. 



(6). The Aim. de Paris, 1869, says a feddan equals about 4200 metres carr^s. As a 

 metre carr6 equals 10.7064 square feet (Craig), 1 feddan equals 44,967 square feet ; and as 

 43,560 square feet equal 1 acre, therefore 1 feddan equals 1.0323 acres. The U. S. Com. 

 Eel. 1873, p. 1083, says a feddan is less than an acre. The M. S. 1872, say " about i;^ 

 acres." Buckle, Hist. Civ. (ed. Harper) v. 1, p. 61, says 1% acres, and Sirrmond's Com. 

 Die. says "about 13^ acres." 



(c). The U. S. Com. Rel. 1859, p. 358, and 1873, p. 1083, and the general weight of au- 

 thority. On the other hand, Buckle 1, 62, says it is less than l-15th of a bushel ; Kelly's 

 Cambist says %toY^; Simmonds says }/^ to 7% to 9)4 . while the U. S. Com. Rel. 1871, 

 p. 1107, say an ardeb is 18 bushels ! The truth is it varies in all parts of Egypt. There 

 are the Alexandria (used in the text on account of its greater universality), the Cairo, 

 the Damietta, the Rosetta and many other ardebs. The Cairo ardeb is 1.821 hectoli- 

 tres.— MacGreggor. 



{d). U. S. Com. Rel. 1859, p. 358. But the C. R. of 1871, p. 1107, say 2.75 lbs., and Mar- 

 tin's Year Book and Kelly's Cambist say 2.832 lbs. It has not been used to obtain any 

 of the numbers in the text. 



(e). 1 cantar or cantal equals 44 okes or 100 " rottolis " or "rolls." Kelly's Cambist 

 and the generahweight of authority. But the Com. Rel. 1859, says 100 lbs. ; Kelly says 

 95 lbs., which contradicts his previous statement, while other authorities say, variously, 

 97, 98^, 112 lbs., and other equivalents. 



