Delmar.] 



238 



[Oct. 2, 



been considered an unprofitable undertaking to attempt to improve tliese 

 barren lands, raised, as they frequently are, by the deposits left by 

 former growths of thia pestilent grass above the level of inundation, and 

 from this cause one- half of the Delta is said to be uncultivated.'''' — Ibid. 



This alone would dispose of some two millions of acres. 



"Part of the (barren) territory (now being reclaimed by the Suez 

 Canal Company) was known in ancient times as the fruitful land of 

 Goshen. ' ' — Ibid. 



"A large part of the land formerly cultivated in Egypt is to-day 

 sterile." — Ibid. 



" In the present cotton region the land has become so poor that now 

 only two cantars a feddan are produced where five used to be gathei'ed. 

 * * * There is plenty of land ; it only wants moisture to make it fertile ; 

 and we would like to see a number of irrigating canals," etc. — C. R., 

 1866, p. 435. 



The accounts are the same to the present day. 



The following table shows the cultivated area at several dates, from 

 1812 to 1874 inclusive : 



Comparative Statistics op Cultivated Area in Egypt. 



YEAR. 



1812 

 1833 

 1835 

 1843 



1868 

 1873 

 1874 



8,218,736 

 1,856,000 

 2,000,000 

 3,826,340 

 4,296,736 

 4,624,221 

 4,625,000 



3,322,701 

 1,915,950 

 2,064,600 

 3,949,931 

 4.435,521 

 4,773,583 

 4,774,388 



This table shows, that from the time of the accession of Mehemet Ali, 

 to the close of the war in Syria, the cultivated area in Egypt rapidly de- 

 clined. It then suddenly increased until, in 1843, it attained its former 

 extent again. From that time to this it has slowly increased. The 

 causes of this extraorinary movement will appear when the progress of 

 the population has been examined. 



Population of all Egypt. 

 (Excluding the Soudan.) 



1863. 

 1871. 



YEAR. 



estimated 

 population. 



7,465,000 

 8,442,000 



AUTHORITY. 



Dr. Schnepp. 

 Dr. Wagner. 



