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You can search through the full text of this book on the webat http://books.google.com/1.ITAJIFORD LIBIWIEI . .., . ~ ~t .. ... : ..t .'.: .. .Ii. ... Td-IEGOLD-MINES AND .-OFM I D I A ~ THERUINEDMIDIANITECITIES. .. I t II .- . , .. , . , ,. f '. ------_._--- -THEINNERLIFEOFSYRIA, PALESTINE,-ANDTHEHOLYLAND. ByMas.RICHAIlDBeRToN. WitltJ'MIIJgrajJlticPurtrails~Cajlai"BllrtMaluJIN A 1II1wr,aNi _It CoIOIIm mllslralWIUaNi AIap. SecondEdition,:I voIs.demy 8,-0.Price 244 .. Vi"lidpicturesof theoulerasweU...theIDDerLifeof Syria. ,.-PALLMALLG.u:.TTB. .. Her accountof haremlife is ODe of thebat aud moat truth1Ul that baa yet appeued.-Ac:.wIUlV .. Vivid,clever,aDdbrilliantsketchesof DamascuaaDdtheMahom-mccIaD aDdCbristiaa ncea of Syria."-EDIN811I1GHRa....w. C.KEGANPAULa:Co.,I,PATERNOSTERSQUARE,LoNDON. I I Ifa . THEGOLD-MINESOFMIDIAN AND THERUINEDMIDIANITECITIES. J AFORTNIGHT'STOUR INNORTH-WESTERNARABIA. BY RICHARDF.BURTON, Ij MIlMan DaL'IIIITITUT':;YPTla LONDON: C.~ A NPAUL&CO.,I,PATERNOSTERSQUARE. . ... " ." ...... ~ e, ]520t'-( B II.:J .1at) 1 ('r: , oJ>.JJ "" .;'",,r.; /y ...-.I..J'WL -.....I ... '/-.... II We have the authority ofthat thepreciousmetals are not foundor knownto exi't inArabia,which hasnomineseitherof gold or silver. "-Crichton's His/pry Df ii.403 .. Namentlich sindesdieArabir,wclcheden grosstcn Theil des inAlterthumvorhandenenGoldesunterdiemenschengcschlendert haben."-Sprenger, Gtograp";"etc.,p.299 .. Peregrinatio notitiam dabit gentium, novas tibi montium fonnas ostendit,inusitata spatia camporum et irriguu perennibus aquis valles, etalicujusfluminissubobservationenaturam. "-L. A""tZ; Epi.,t.civ . . ... '. ........ :- :-:i-::-: ...... ". .-... ... .... ......... .. ee TO HISHIGHNESS ISM AILI .. JeHEDlVOFEGYPT. :\.RULERWHOSELOVEOFPROGRESS AS'DWHOSEPRINCELYHOSPITAI.ITY HAVE!'oIADF.THENIl.E-VAI.LEY,ONe ..:MORE, THERESORTOFSCIENCE AND THEDEI.IGHTOFTRAVt:U.ERS, I!:br.r ttla!!'ts ARERESPEl."TFULLYANDGRATEFULLYINSCRIBEII. ; .. .. .. TOTHEREADER. 101 THEpresentpublicationshouldbeconsidereda sequelandacontinuationofmy..Pilgrimageto EI-MedinahandMeccah,"fromwhichtheadven-ture formingits subject may be saidto date.Ihave, therefore,dweltatsomelengthuponthemighty changes,thegrowths,andthedevelopmentsofthe lastquartercentury,whichhasproducedthe. "GreaterEgypt"ofthepresentday:contenting myself,however,withcontrastingtheactualAlex-andria, ,Cairo,andSuez withmydescriptionsofthe same places in1853-54. ,ThetaleoftheMining-CitiesofMidianreads, theysay,likealeaffromthe"ArabianNights." Yet itissober truth.My objecthas beentoavoid, asmuchaspossible,allplay of fancyandthe exag-gerationsof an explorer's enthusiasm.Itishardly necessary tostatethatmy assertionsareborneout .. viiiTOTHEREADER. bytheofthC?Mineralogistsofficially.ap-J>iutedbyH. M.theViceroyofEgypt:andthe lat)oursofH.E.Gastinel-BeyandofM.George Mariehavebeencarefully consultedbeforesending thisvolumetoprint. Howlittleisknownofthecountrymaybe learnedfromthewordsofmyfriendProfessor AloysSprenger,themostscientifictopographer of Arabia:"Es(dieStationinoderbei ist. reichanPalmen,triebeinstF eldbau,undesgibt Stellen,woman(z"nRz"nnen 11)Goldfand."The mineralwealthofthelandisequallyignoredbythe savantHerrAlbrechtZehme,tthemostmodern geographicaland historical"Sketcher" of thePenin- .sula.Finally,theheartofMidianwas traversedbyDr.EdwardRtippellin1826,:and byDr.GeorgeAug.Wallinin1847;notto mentionsuchnamesasBurckhardt,Wellsted, /Iand Lieutenant(LN.)Carless,whoalsosurveyedthe coastunderCaptainMoresby(LN.),andmyoId Page22, Die aileGcogralltie AraiJims.Bern.Huber,1875. tAra6ien und dieAraiJer sei! Itundtrl Jaltrm.Halle,1875. ReisminNuIJimKertlofan,etc.1vol.Wilmans,Frank. furt,A.M.1829. "NotestakenduringaJourneythroughpartofNorthern Arabia:" Journal R.G.S.,vol.xx.of1850. IILieutenantJ.R,"Travelsin Arabia."2vols.I..ondon: Murray,1838 . .. t-TOTHEREADER.ix andlamentedfriendDr.Beke,whoselas!writings arequotedinanoteto chap.xii.Y et,a p p a r e n ~ noneofthem ever fannedapound ofsand,broke ~ stone,or noticed an atom ofmetal. I tisnoteasytoexplainhowanaturalistlike Rlippellcouldoverlookthestructureoftherocks, andpassthroughtheoldOphirwithoutsuspecting theexistenceofthemassesofmetalaroundand belowhim.But at that timehe wasafresharrival, and the completelynovelaspectsof orientalscenery andlifepossiblybewilderedhim.Thosewho remembertheirsensationsduringtheirfirstmonth inIndia willunderstandwhatImean.Asregards theRuinedCities,hewasevidentlynotallowedto. visitthembyhisescort,theH uwaytit-inthose daysasomewhatturbulentanddangeroustribe, fondofdomineeringoverstrangevisitors.With respectto the goldinquartz and porphyry, Sprenger suggests,withmuchprobability,thatRlippell,like themenofhisday,sometwentyyearsbeforethe discoveriesinCaliforniaandAustraliaawokethe attentionoftheworld,neverdreamtofsuchtrea-suresandpaidnoattentiontothegeological featureswhichdenotethepresenceoftheprecious metal.Theothertravellersseemtohavebeen whollyinnocent of naturalhistory. xTOTHEREADER. Gold 4lasbeenconnectedwithour earliestideas o{.theArabianpeninsula,since\ViIliam,thebio-grapherofThomasBecket,said,"Araby sendsus gold. "Allhave readinyouthof the plenas A ,'abum tIomos,andIedbeatisntmeAra6umllvidesgazs. We,themembers oftheKhedivialExpedition,feel not alittleproudof ournew workinanoldland ; andwemayrejoiceinhavingaddedanameto thelonglistofminesandplacesgivenbythe exhaustiveProfessor Sprenger. TheReconnaissance,tocallitbyitstruetitle, washurriedlyorganized,whiletheadvancinghot seasonleftuslittletimeformakingcollections. The choicest samples of metals weresubmitted, after return,toH. H.theKhediv;andtherestofthe samples weresentforanalysisto theLaboratoryin the CaireneCitadel.My bottlefullofreptilesand insectswasforwardedtoDr.SmithoftheBritish Museum;theland-sheIlsof Wady AynunahtoMr. J.GwynJeffreysofWarePriory,Herts,whohas sooftenlentmehisvaluableassistance;and afew sheetsofdriedplants,afterbeinginspectedbymy friendand fellow-traveIler,Dr. Carlo deMarchesetti of Trieste,weretransmittedtoProfessorBalfourof Edinburgh.Thephotographedinscriptionfound onthemarchtothe" WhiteMountain"wassub-TOTHEREADER.xi mittedtoProfessor Sprenger,toDr.Socihof andtoMr.C.Knight Watson, of BurlingtonFinally,Mr.ReginaldStuartPoole,Keeperofthe Coins at theBritishMuseum,obliginglytranscribed formetheK uticinscriptionupontheglasspiece boughtatBurjZibci.Mymanyotherobligations havebeenacknowledgedinthefollowingpages; and,ifany havebeenneglected,Iwouldhereoffer anapology. Thematterofthevolumemaybeconsidered virtually new.After the return of theExpeditionto Egyptafewbriefandscatterednoticesappeared inthePressofEnglandandtheContinent.The informationhadbeengatheredby"interviewing," andnothingappearedundermyownname.For this mystery there werereasons whichnow nolonger exist.Itherefore placethe wholerecitalbeforethe Public,withoutreserveorafter-thought,merely warningitthatmyvolumebeginswiththebegin-ning of asubject whichwillprobably go far. When thesepages shallbeinthe reader's hands, Ishalloncemorebeexaminingthe"Landof Midian;"attempting,undertheauspicesofHis HighnesstheV iceroyofEgypt,toinvestigatethe particularsof whichthe generals are here described; xiiTOTHEREADER. totracethestreamsofwealthtotheirhidden sources;andtobeginthescrutinytowhichall suchexploringfeatsshouldlead.Ihavetherefore lefttheMS.inthehandsofmywife,whohas undertakentoseeitthroughthePress. ...... .'. PREFACE . ... DEARREADER,,. CaptainBurtonisinArabia,intheLand ofMidian,oncemore,andIamleftbehind-much againstthegrain-inordertobringthisbook throughthePress,thatyoumayknowwhatwas donelastyear;andbesidesthehopesofpleasing you,thethoughtthatIamcontributingtheonly serviceinmy powertowardshisgreatundertaking makesmebearmydisappointmentquietly.My taskwillbefinishedinafewdays,andIshallthen takethefirststeamerfromTriestetoSuez,where Ihopetobe allowedto join theExpedition. Thevolumeyouareabouttoreadrequires butlittleexplanation.CaptainBurton.inhisold Arabdays.wanderingaboutwithhisKoran,came uponthis"GoldLand,"thoughIremarkthatin hisrecitalhemodestlygivesthecredittoothers. -XI\'PREFACE. Hewasaromanticyouth,withachivalrouscon-temptfor"filthylucre,"andonlythoughtof .. winninghisspurs."So,settingamarkuponthe spot, turnedawayandpassedon.Aforeigner willexclaim,"HowEnglish!" whenhereadsthat hekepthissecretfortwenty-fiveyears,andthat whenhesawEgyptindistressforgold,thesame chivalrywhichmadehimdisdainitbefore,made himaskleavetogotoEgypt,seekH.H.the Khediv,andimpartthesecrettohim,andthusact likeasecondJosephtothelandofPharaoh.His Highnessequipped anExpeditionforthwithtosend himinsearchofthespot;andthisyearhehas againobtainedleave,andhasgonetofinishwhat hebeganlastyear.Ipray younowtoreadthe accountofhislaboursin1877;andyoumaypro-bablyhearmoreofthem,ashetellsmethatthe discoveries ofmetalshavethoroughly satisfiedhim. ISABELBURTON. 1878. CONTENTS. CHAPTERI. PAlOS ATALEXANDRIA CHAPTERII. THECHANGESATCAIRO28 CHAPTERIII. ToSUEZASDHERSANITARIUll CHAPTERIV. DEPARTUREI'ROMSUEZ,ANDARRIVALATELMuWAYLAH94 CHAPTERV. FROMEL-MUWAVLAHTOWADVAYNUNAH122 CHAPTERVI. FROMWADY AVNUNAHTOTHEWADYMORAKINTHE JEBEL EL-ZAHD148 CHAPTERVII. :\llDI.\NANDTilEMIDlANITES 174 CHAPTERVIII. FROMAVNEL-MoRAKTOTHEWHITEMOUNTAIN:THE INSCRIPTIONANDl'HENABATH..ANS ... CHAPTERIX. HowTHEGOLDWAS.'OUNl>INMlDIAN:THEGOLD-1\lIsES OFARABIA... 206 .... .'... " 4 , ~ ~ .. I xviCONTENTS. CHAPTERX. THERETURNFltOMTHEWHITEMOUNTAINTOEL-MUWAY-LAH,1);4WADYSHARMAANDWADYTIRYAM:NOTES PAGIt ONBOTANY265 CHAPTERXI. THECRUISEDOWNSOUTH:SULPHURANDTURQUOISES: NOTESONFISHESANDSHELLS299 CHAPTERXI I. THECRUISENORTHWARDSTOMARNA, CAPITAL OFMADYAN317 CHAPTERXIII. RETURNTOCAIRO,ETC.:THE"PROcG-VERBAL"ADDRESSED TOHISHIGHNESS370 CHAPTERXIV. DEPARTUJlEFROMEGYPT CONCLUSION APPENDIXI. A.-LISTOFSUPPLIESFORADESERTEXCURSION,OFSIX TOTENPERSONS,LASTINGSIXTEENDAYS,ANDA CRUISEOFFIVE(TOTAL,TwENTY-ONEDAYS) 393 B.-LISTOFEXPENDITURESMADEDURINGTHEEXPEDITION395 APPENDIXII. LISTOFCAPTAINBURTON'S" LANDOFMIDIAN"PLANTS 396 APPENDIXIII. LISTOFINSECTS 397 APPENDIXIV. SPECIMENSOFREPTILESPRESENTEDBYCAPTAINBURTON TOTHEBRITISHMUSEUM398 .. 'i/.:, . . ~.)t' THEGOLD-MINESOFMIDIAN. II CHAPTERI. A TAL EXAND RIA. ATlast!Oncemoreitismyfatetoescapethe prison-lifeof civilisedEurope,andtorefreshbody andmindbystudyingNatureinhernoblestand mostadmirableform-theNude.AgainIamto enjoy aglimpseof the" gloriousDesert;" toinhale the sweet purebreathof translucentskiesthat show thered stars burninguponthe very edge andverge ofthehorizon;andtostrengthenmyself by ashort visitto the WildMan and his oldhome. Andthisvisitwasbroughtaboutasfollows: HisHighnesstheViceroyofEgypthavingheard, fromacommonfriend,thatmanyandmany ayear agothesiteofagold-fieldhadcometomyknow-ledge,honouredmewithaninvitationtoreportthis matter inperson.Iappliedforamonth'sleaveof . c 2THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. absence,whichwasobliginglygrantedtomeby H.B.M.'sForeignOffice,inconsiderationofa ferociouswinter,allBoraandScirocco,spent inthe .. trailofthe slow-worm,"at Trieste.OnMarch3, 1877,Ifoundmyself,despitetheawfulpredictions of the lateMathieudelaDrome,and thewordsof wisdompouredbywifely'lipsintotheobedient maritaiear,boardingtheAustro-HungarianLloyd's A urora,CaptainMarkovich. The trip of twelvehundredmileswasmore than usuallypleasant, alongthosepicturesquecoastsof Istria and thoseHighlands andIslands of Dalmatia, whichWar,theRegiusProfessor of Geography,has nowintroducedtotheWandering \Vorld.Beyond theromanticBocchediCattaro,Bosphorusofthe \Vest, wehadnothing to fearfromfoulweather; and wecouldgazewithoutapprehensionattheice-revettedpeaks, and the snow-powdered slopesof the grand Cunariotrange: the far-famedAcroceraunians, of late yearsknownonly forflint-knapping.It was, asusual,blacknightwhenweanchoredoffthe citadelandfortsofCorfu;oncethemost charming ofsoldierstations,andruined,sincethesadyear 1864, inthe "Cause of Independence-unwillingly, too, aswasshownbytherisingin1873,theobject ofwhichwasto hoist once moretheBritishflag. PastthebreakersthatswarmupLeucasor Sappho'sLeap,stillpurple withher blood;through AT ALEXANDRIA. 3 thefar-famedCanalewithruggedTheaki(Ithaca) toport,andloftyCephaloniatostarboard;hard byZante,whoselovelyslopesandcastledwhite townhavemadeherthefloweroftheLevant;.. acrossthegulfofPatras,andthetownofKata-kolo,witholdPoudikoKastro,theVenetianfort, toweringhighoverthecurrant-grownlowlands; pasttheGerman-hauntedAlpheusofJupiter Olympius;alongthatrudeandrockyandwind-wrungArkadla,whichsostrangelygavebirth tosoftArcadiantaleandsong;underthesavage wallsof strongPeloponnesus,afairspecimenof the landinwhichEuropehasimprisonedtheGreek, expectinghim,withal,tobegetHomersandHero-dotuses,Aristides,andThemistocles;acrosshistoric NavarinoBayanditsruin-crownedbreakwater,to SphagiaIsland i-past allthesememorious siteswe steamed,andweawoke,onthemorningofthe fourthday,whencoastingalongthesouthern shoresofCrete,whichmenneednolongercall Candia. Thelongthinisland,whoselinesandblocks ofsilver-tippedpeakandpinnacle,somerising upwardsof8000feet,andactingascondensersto the rain-windsthatrushthroughthefrequentgaps, wasthelastlandvisibleuponourcourse;and, althoughCandiamostly exposesherbeautiestothe NorthPole,stillnothingcanexceedherAlpine 4THEGOLD-AUNESOF AUDIAA'. charms of brightsunandsparklingsnow,gold-dust raineduponthe purestermine,andthe wholeset off by thetrueMediterraneanblue,theseadancingto themusicof the winds.Withaheartfelt wishthat Crete-annexedinA.D.1680,byMohammedIV., thelastSultan whotookthefieldinperson-may findherself,intheevening ofher days,madehappy byre-unionwithChristendomandtheflagofSt. George,webade her afondfarewell,andmarvelling toseethewayofseasodesertofships,wecast anchoronMarch8th,inoldEunostos,thenew harbourofAlexandria, *-a noblework,worthyof Egypt'sgreatestdays.Wetravellersnowlook forwardonlytoabaggage-landingcompany,which The harbour improvements are estimated to cost 2,000,000 ; and blasting the Bugzaz, or pass between the shoals into the harbour, willadd 70,000.ItisnowproposedtofilluptheEastern,or BackBay-calledthe" NewPort,"probably becauseutterlyunfit to harbour a ship-between Forts Farrilon and Caffarelli.The latter isundoubtedlybuiltuponthesite,andpartlywiththematerials, variegatedmarbles,of ancientPharos.The engineering operation wouldbemadeeasybyrunningatramway fromtheoldNecro-polisand quarriesofMaks(Mex)beyondtheobsolete Tabias, or batteries,andthebulbousruin-PalaceofSaid-Pasha;butthe financialpart,whichalsodemands70,000,isaverydifferent matter.Thefortshavesensiblybeenallowedtofalltopieces. What istheuseof attemptingtodefendoneendof acity?The worksonthelandsidearenowriddledandlevelledforrailway lines and stations.In fact,the dayswhenAlexandriawantedsuch defencesaregoneby:shecanrenewthemwhenthesetimes return.In my" Pilgrimage"I mistranslated Ra.c;-el-Tin "Headland of F i ~ s "insteadof "Headland of Clay,"the latter being stillused tomake" guJlchs,"or grzrgplilelles. AT ALEXAN.DRIA. 5 shallsaveusfromthemortificationofthejarring boatmanand the rapaciousdragoman. The"Lybiansuburb,"thecityofP r o p ~ e t Daniel,ofAlexandertheGreat,andofMarkthe Apostle, is no longer, as in1853, "a city of misnomers, whosedrydocksareeverwet,andwhosemarble fountainiseternally dry; whose'Cleopatra'sNeedle' (whynotcallittheObeliskofThothmes?)is neither connectedwith Cleopatra,nor isitaneedle; whose'Pompey'sPillar'(whynotboldlysaythe ColumnofDiocletian?)neverhadanyearthly connectionwithPompey;andwhoseCleopatra's , Baths'are,accordingtoveracioustravellers,no baths at all." Yetitisherunluckyfatetobeabusedby everytraveller.N everatouristofafewhours spentatAbbat'sorattheHOteldel'Europe,but throwshislittlestone,hiscrt"titjuemalveillanteat her.Ihaveevenheardherchargedwiththe "vulgarityoftheWest."Viewedfromthesea, thegreatemporiumcommandsarespect whichwe indignantlyrefusetoKarachi;andyettheessen-tialsandeventheaccidentsofOldEgyptand YoungEgypt bear afamily,nayasisterly, likeness. Thefailures,called"improvements"inotherMe-diterraneanports,notablyatTrieste,turntothe benefit of Alexandria.Thedifficultanddangerous ..The curiousreader willconsultUSindRevisited "-pass;m. 6TIfEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. entranceofyoreissafely buoyed;theanchorage-ground,formerlyexposed,isnowland-locked;the noblebreakwater,guarding the sea-front,wants only abetterlighthouseatthePoint:theinteriorof the oldPortisprovided withmolesand docks;the landing-placeisbeingdeepenedbyfillingup,per-hapstoomuch,theinshoreshallows;and,finally, broad,slab-pavedquaysalong -theMarina willpre-sentlyfacilitatetransitandtraffic."Semper Libya novialiquidparit,"saidthehistorian;andLibya hasneverbroughtforthanythingbetterthanthe newHarbour. The "improvements" which,at Alexandria, really deservethat much-abusedterm,culminate about the PlacedeConsuls,nownamedPlaceMehemet Aali. In1853thisbig oblong squareor Place,the base of theTstemrepresentingtheshapeofthemodern city,wasabald,wind-wrung,andbarren wilderness, alternatelylight dust and dark mud.SinceEurope tookthe matter inhand,ithasbecomeahighlyre-spectable square,surroundedbypavements and 11"01-lot"rs of stone.The inner space reserved forpromena-ders,wheretheturbanedNapoleonsits hisArab steed,inthepresenceofgrowingtreesandflowing waters,isgirt byposts andby chains whichsin only inprofusionofmetal:they are massive enoughfor TheSaturdayReviewerroneouslyplacesM & ~ m e tAali's statue, instead of Ibrahim Pasha's,at Cairo (April20,1877). AT ALEXANDRIA. 7 thesheet-anchor ofaniron-clad,andthe tallspikes remindyoucreepinglyoftheMamhlkBeys,andof theirpetpunishment which, paceM usurusPasha,is notwhollyobsolete.Theroundwhitebasinsno longerlackwater:thereareKioskband-stands whencemusicenlivensthelovelysummernights: theEnglishChurchislesshomely-hideousthan she is wont tobe;and the light-blue Palazzo Tositza, attheeastend,makesasatisfactoryMunicipality andCourt-house.ThoughitistheBritishfashion toliveoutoftown,theoldnorth-frontingpalazzi arel a r g ~andcomfortable,catchingthesea-breeze and escaping the sun. ButAlexandria,likeDamascusandallsuch places,ismoreappreciatedbytheland-traveller comingtheotherway;bythehomeward-bound whoenteritfromthesouth.TheCairorailway-lineisfarsuperior toallothers:eventheomnibus trainsarepunctual;andthemail-trainscover their 131milesinfourhoursandahalf.I nthewarm seasonthefirstwhiffofthesea-breezeisenjoyable asthefirstglassofNilewater.Theaspectof On thisvexed subject of "manversusbean-log,"see p.259, "ThroughSyriaandHerzegovinaonFoot,"-anexcellently written account of abold adventurebyMr.Arthur T.Evans,etc. -2ndedit.London:Longmans,1871.Theargumentof the Greco-Turkishdiplomatist,opposedtoeye-witnesses,wascon-vincing:.. Turkeyhasabolishedthestakebylaw,consequently menarenever impaled."Yemen, inSouthernArabia,couldtell another tale.. . f 8THEGOLD-JflNESOF AIIDIAN. l\Iareotis,EasternandWestern,coolstheeyethat has sufferedfromtheglare of Cairo and theDesert. Thegare.withitsshedofcorrugatedmetal,is moreroomyandless.. ramshackle"thananything of thekindinEgypt.Themainstreetsarealso paved, afterthefashionoftheItaliantowns,with thelargeslabsofthateocenesandstoneinwhich Triestestilldrivesaroaringtrade.Thehouses arenumbered,althoughthethoroughfaresarenot named. TheEuropeanshopsaresomethinglikeshops, notthemiserableFrankishboothsofthecapital, where for third-rate articles youare charged first-rate Parisianprices."Shopping," indeed,isthroughout Egyptanexpensiveand unsatisfactorypastime:at Ebner'sLibrary,Cairo,Iwasrelievedoftenfrancs forBrugschBey's last pamphlet,whichLeipzig sells foronethalerandahalf(5fro50')jwhilethe PharmacieCentralechargedmefourfrancsforan eye-wash,halfapinchofboraxinawine-glassof rose-water. The" Canal of the Two Seas" wasthe firstblow toAlexandria,oncesoconfidentinherprideof place as theport-capitalof theLevant,thesuccess-fulrivalofAlgiersandSmyrna,andthelastand bestofthenewbirthswhichAfricaeverbears. This wassucceeded by another shock onApril19th, whenthesweet-waterline,uElIsmaeliyyeh,"that AT ALEXANDRIA. connectstheNileatCairowithLakeTimsah, reducedthe area ofherimportsandexportstothe very smallest radius.Sheispoor,andher poverty isof the ever-increasing order. Nothingremainsforherbuttomakefeverish LakeMciryut(Mareotis) exchangethefishforcorn, wine,andoil;asmorethanoneEnglishcompany hasproposedtodo.Buttheinjurytothe passenger-trafficrendersthehotelsfarmoreplea-santandcomfortablethanofyore.Yeck'sold ccOrient"hasgonedowninthestruggleoflife, andAbbat's,inthetriangularPlacedel'Eglise, datingfrom1868,ismostlypreferredbysummer VIsItors.TheHoteldel'Europe,towhichthe Khediv - sendshisguests,hasnowtakenthe lead;andthetermsaremoderate,fourteenfrancs per day,whenyoupay sixteenshillings at theSuez Caravanserai. Thisprospectofbankruptcyhasnottended,I need hardlysay,to keepupthespirits oftheAlex-andrians.The" Arabs,"astheEgyptiansare Icannotunderstandwhywehavenaturalizedthedebased corruptionKhedive,orKhediveof theFrench,whoever loveto pepperthelastsyllablesofOrientalwordswiththeirbarbarous accents;andworsestill,Kedive,asanEnglishauthorfurther degradesthe title.The goodoldPersian word, Khadiv (Khediv), Khudiv,orKhidiv,meansaprince, aking,a great sovereign,as Khediv-i-Hind,theMonarchof India.It isetymologicallycon-nectedwithKhC&d(self),andwithKhuda (theSelf-existent,,:t., Allah). 10THEGOLDMINESOF M1DIAN. called,probablybecausetheyhavesolittleArab bloodintheirveins,aresurly;andtheturbulent tribe ofLevantines isstillsurlier.Here,incase of aJehcidorreligiouswar,andthethreateningun-furlingoftheKhirkahSherif,thatHoly and Apos-tolicflag,theMoslemswillrequireprotection againsttheChristians.Cairohaseverbeenin-different;andSuezcontinuestobefanatically " Faithful." ThenewPoliceatAlexandriahasdonesome-thingtowardsabatingthenuisanceofwhichevery strangercomplainedinthe"mournfulandheart-oppressingcity"of1825.Whencommercein cottonandcerealsenrichedtheport,itbecamea den ofthieves,thecommonsewerforallthescum andoffscouringsoftheMediterranean.Energetic measureswerefitfullyappliedtothoseGreekand Italianproll/aireswiththeirreadyknives:they wereoftendeported,buttheyalwayssucceededin Onthispoint, withfullknowledgeofthedanger,Imust differfromLane,ourgreatestmodemauthority.The Egyptians are not one race,butmany:evendescendantsof theHyksos are suspected to existin the easternparts of theDeltaby thelearned andeXperiencedProfessor Owen (Ethno.I.ofEgypt.J01Irn.of AniMop. Inst., April-July, 1874).My conviction isthat thetradi-tionrelatedtoHerodotussometwentythreecenturiesagowas true jandthatthesubstratumof populationis Mrican,Negroid. leoSemite-African,but not negro.The mostsuperficial glance at theEgyptianFellah, andatanygivenArabfromEI.Hejazwill supplythe measure of theethnic difference. AT ALEXANDRIA.II . findingtheir way back.Duringmylasttwovisits Inoticedanevidentimprovement;anddoubtless Time willdo hisworkwell. The influxof foreignersmayhave its drawback; but wemustnotcloseoureyesto the other side of thepicture.ContrastEgypt's improved capitaland splendidport,hermaritimeandsweet-watercanals, andher fifteenlinesofrailway,*withthatunhappy Syria,whoseBayrut isstill amerecountry-port,and whosecapital,Damascus,theUEyeoftheEast," hasbecomearuinousheap.Sincethedayswhen IbrahimPasha's civilizing career of conquest, reform, andprogress,whichLordPalmerston,unwittingly thecat's.-pawoRussia,thoughtpropertoarrest whilethreateningtoUchuckMohammedAliinto theNile,"theHolyLandcannotshowasingleim-portant publicwork, except what wasbequeathed to herbytheEgyptians.Hadthelatterenthroned themselves at Stambul, Turkey wouldnotnowhave been ahopeless bankrupt. The one carriage-road of Syria, connecting capital and coast,wasbuiltandisheldby French specula. Before1863there wereonlytwolines,withatotalofISS Englishmiles.Betweenthatyearand1872,ninelinesandsix brancheshavebeenadded,bringingupthefigurestoS8Ii, not including thedoublingof therails,ortoI,II2milescomprising the wholeof the works.Moreover, the latter arestill in progress; and,undertheexperiencedeyeofMr.U.P.LeMesurier, fonnerlyof Bombay,they haveevery prospect of success. I2THEGOL.D-lIIINESOFtors,ontermshighlyinjurioustothecountry-a concession of ninety-nineyears.The route between JaffaandJerusalem,withitsstiffgradientsand itsdeepholes,isoneof themostdangerousbits ofridingfromDantoBeersheba.Railwayshave beentalkedofforyears,butnotayardofiron hasbeenlaiddown;and,whentheKhedivof Egypt proposedtoconnectPortSaid withthe har-bouroftheHolyCity,theworkswereabruptly stoppedby ordersfromStambt11under AaliPasha, the last and the worst ofthe "Grand Viziers." TheprincipalexcitementatAlexandria,even when the Russians crossed thePruth (April 24th) was the GreatNeedleQuestion.MohammedAliPasha, inJ 801,hadpresentedtoEnglandthecompanion Obelisk to "Cleopatra's Needle," that once adorned the Temple of Tum, the setting sun, at On (Heliopolis);* but England, afflicted withLiberalideas of economy. aridtoopoortopay I 0,000,hadrefusedthegift, whichconsequentlybecamenullandvoid.The offer wasrepeatedthroughSherifPasha,underthe presentviceroy, tandhasbeenaccepted;although Both wereremovedtoadornthewater-gateof theAlexan-drianCresareum,inthe timeof theEgyptianCirce(011.B.c.30) it wasimagined, andhencethepopularerror.As willappear,the obelisk dates fromthe reign of Augustus(B.C.22);not of Tiberius, nor"oneof theCzsara,"asWilkinsonsaid(U Hand-bookfor Egypt "). tSirJames Alexander,thetraveller,againbroughttheaffair forward;Dr.Erasmus Wilsonoffered,10,000 forexpenseijMr. AT ALEXANDRIA. theupperfacehasbeenquiteeffacedbythewear andtearof3500years,and,onthesideexposed totheNorth,onlythecartoucheoftheKing (ThothmesII I.)iswellpreserved *Of the under-surfaceincontactwiththeground,alocallegend declaresthattheearth wasscrapedaway,andthat aRoyalHighness,creepingunderthe"uglyold boulder,"asanEnglishpaperprofanelycallsit, ascertained that it hadnotbeenseriously injured by dampburial;besideswhich,isnotDr.Richard Lepsiusreadytorestoreanyamountofobeliskal defacement?Inearly1877thepeculiarphaseof theGreatNeedleQuestion was the right of property. M. Giovanni de Demetrio, the antiquary, had asserted aclaimtoit,andhadbeennonsuitedinthelocal court.Hebehaved,however,veryliberally,andin deferencetotheEnglishGovernment,heceased furtherobstruction.This wouldnothavebeenthe caseafewyearsago,whenEgyptwasthehappy hunting-groundoftheWesternbarbarian.Itis WaynmanDixon,C.E.,tookthecontract,andMr.Carter,C.E., came out to Alexandria as his representative. Inthestandingobelisk,whichshouldalsobecalledafter Thothmes(III.),thesouthernandeasternfacesaremuch damagedbythe sand-laden winds,they say.It is now toolateto protestagainstthemodernabsurdityofsingleandbare-headed obelisks,whichshouldbedoubleandmetaI-capped.Butwhat anachronismsthey appearinamodernEuropean city-grandpa's oldturnipofahunting-watchdanglingatthechdltlaillfofa. modernsquire! 14THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. relatedof SaidPasha-awittyPrince,fondofhis joke-thatwhenacertainwell-known" claimant" madedzapeau6asinthepresence,heexclaimed, "Molzsieur,couvrez-vous!SivousattrapezItIZ r/zume,VOtesmede11zandreztineiluie1nm"tc." ShortlyaftermydeparturefromEgypt,Mr. Dixon(June20,1877),urgedbyalaudablecuri-osity,obtainedleavetouncoverthebaseofthe standingobelisk,"Cleopatra'sNeedle." *Hehad remarkedcertain"peculiarnotches"inthebaseof itsfallensister,andmysteriousbronzesinthe antiquemodelpreservedbytheMadridMuseum. He foundthat the fourangles of thebasehadbeen chippedoff,exposingabarofmetalletintothe shaft,andconnectingitwiththegranitesocleby means ofbronzefeetrepresenting crabs,remarkably well-worked.Originallytheanimalsonlywere visible,andfortunatelythesouthernoneremained, showingtwoimportantinscriptions.Thatonthe outside bears, in legible letters, five-eighths of an inch high-HKAI:$APOS BAPBAPOSANEeHKE APXlTEKTONOYNTOS nONTIOY. Mr.WaynmanDixongaveanaccountofhisfindinthe AlllmtZum of July 7,1877, and an illustration fromthe photograph in the Graph" of the same date.The Phare t/'Alaandrie aune 21, 1877)alsocontainedanablenoticefromthepenof the learned Greek scholar,Dr.N eroutsos-Bey. AT ALEXANDRIA. IS Andontherightsideorsouth-south-westernIn-sideclaw,weread-ANNOVIII AVGVSTICAESARIS BARBARVSPRAEF AEGYPTIPOSVIT ARCHITECTANTE PONTIO. F orthisinformation,andfortheaccompanying sketches,Ihave to thankMessrs. W.E.Hayns and WilloughbyFaulkner.Theyaddthatallthefeet of theremaining crabhavebeenmutilated,andthat the placeof at least twoofthesesupportshasbeen supplied byrubbishof roughstone,setinmudand bad lime.As the obeliskisraisedsome eight inches clearofthesocu,thewholeweightrestsuponthe masonry and themetalsupport;thencetheneedle hasa" cant" seawards,ortothenorthandwest; thestonepropsarecracked,andthe venerable relic willpresentlyfallunlessstepsaretakentoarrest andrepairdamages.Letushopethatitwillnot sharethefateoftheoldOrotavaDragon-tree,in Teneriffe,whoseproprietor,worriedbyperpetual andconflicting advice,didnothing to save it. In SouthEuropeaninscriptionstheseenlargedT'swould representadate.Mr.Haynsholdsthemtoresultfrommere clumsinesson thepart of the workman. tNeither mycorrespondentsnorMr.W.Dixonmake it clear whethertwocrabs OJonly onecrabremain. J6THEGOLD-MINESOF ..YIDIAN. AccordingtoMr.Hayns,thewalladjacentto theobeliskyielded,whendestroyed,acippusor sectionof acolumncontainingafragmentaryLatin inscriptioninaframe.I tseemsalsotodatefrom AT ALEXANDRIA.17 thedays of AugustusCresar,andthusconfirmsthe writing on the crab.WereaduponthetopEIA followedby someundecipherableletters,and atthe base A VGLIB. Oneofthefirstwantswhichthetraveller remarksatAlexandriaandCairoareHumane Societies.The people generally areneither savage norbrutal,asarecertainoftheirnorthernneigh-bours,but they arethoughtlessly cruel,likechildren, whoinflictpainwithoutknowingit.Thehack-carriagesandcattleareherenotablysuperiorto thoseofCairo;andwhereverEuropeans arenume-rous,eventheHammar(donkey-boy)haslearned thattheI nfidelgenerallyprefersanasswiththe leastpossibleamountof..raw,"andafour-legged c 18THEGOLD-1j.fINESOF .MIDIAN. to atripedcarriage-horse iyet,evenhere,weoften seeneedlessthrustsandblows,whichdisgustthe leasthumane iandtheuseofthewhip,especially whenthedriverappearsinthesemi-bestialnegro shape,isuniversallyexcessive.Manyamateurs, especially ladies,haveproposedtochecktheabuse bylegalmeans.HisHighnesshasexpressed approvaloftheundertaking,andhisofficialsare universallyinfavourofestablishingcivilised societies.Yetnothinghasbeendone.Thesteps evidently requiredaretosendround asubscription list itoapplyforadelegatefromLondon-apro-fessionalmanofwhowouldresidein Egyptforatime;andtoobtainordersthatthe policeshouldarrest,andsummarilyvisitwithcor-poralpunishment,allscandalouscasesofcrueltyto animals,broughttotheirnoticebyresidentswho areknowntobeofgoodrepute.Afterashort courseof suchtraining,weshouldseeevidentim- amongst apeople whoare docileasthey areintelligent. TheEuropeans,andespeciallytheEnglish,Alexandria are fortunateinhavingtheir ownstation ..Ramleh"(the Sand-heap).This wasold Juliopolis andNicopolis, theRomanCamp, and it isnow sepa-rated only byfour short milesofunoccupiedground fromthecity,whichformerlyextendedsomefour leagueseastwardto the CapeZephyrion of AbuKir AT ALEXANDRIA. (Aboukir),andwhich,wecanreadilybelieve, lodged threemillions of souls.Arailway,working between earlymorningandmidnight,t u n ~parallelwiththe Romanchariot-road,passingoveraheapofruins whichnowserveasstonequarries;andwinding through pottery mounds, monies testaccz: theKeramia of theGreeks.Few finds havebeenmade, probably becausethere hasbeennoregular search;and what isfoundisnotpreserved.F orinstance,thelittle DoricHeroon,anr.edicuta-n-antisupontheRamleh shore,cutout ofthesandstonerockandcemented withthe hardest shell-mortar, hasbeenreducedfrom elevento threecolumns;whilstthefuneraryChris-tianchapelofthC?fourthcentury,sunkinthe southernflankoftheKarmus-plateau,attheother side of Alexandria,has beenhopelessly despoiled. * TheFrenchoccupiedthehighestlevelsofthe RamlehRailroad, "on thememorablefirstof March, 1801," andmadethefatalmistakeof abandoning a positionofcommand,strengthenedwithbatteries, whilsttheEnglishweredisadvantageouslyposted upon"Cresar's Camp,"betweenCasa Grace and the Station.Thebattlewasfoughtuponthestripof loosesandparting the seaand the pretty lakeletEl-Editors of new guide-books-especially the coming" English Badecker "-willconsultthetwoadmirablepapersbyDr. Neroutsos-Bey, in the .Bulldinde l'Inslilut EKJplien,1874'5, No.13, Alexandrie, Moures,1875.Inp.20there isa ground-planof the funerarychapel 20THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. Khazra,aneasterncontinuationofMareotis.The Rev.Mr.Davis,chaplain atAlexandria,deniesthat theEnglishhereletinthesea andruinedthe land. Hecontendsthatallthattheydidwastocutthe sweet-watercanalconnectingthetwoneighbouring Nile-arms;moreove r,thatthedeepestpartsof Mareotis,beingbelowtheleveloftheMediterra-nean,werealwaysfloodedbypercolation..The blunders on bothsides weremoreconspicuousthan inmostbattles:wemighthaveavoidedsevere losses by marchingalong the lakelet,andby turning theenemy'sflank.It isnotgenerally knownthat AbercroJ1)bie,afterreceivinghisdeath-wound,was carriedtothelittleMosqueofRamleh.Wecan hardly expecttofindthe monumentsof our gallantcountrymen,wherethe"Soma"ofAlex-anderandtheSanctuaryofSaintMarkarefor-gotte.:theEvangelist,asiswellknown,was removedtoVenice, neatlypacked inabale or barrel of pork. Thetrainspassingtheabattoirs,wherethe Pariah arenotsafe,especiallyatnightand earlymorning,haltsatolleofthePalaceswhich nowstudthelengthandbreadthofLowerEgypt. TheCourtnevervisitsitonaccountofitsbeing thesceneof domesticbereavement.Itwasburnt down,and,betweenbuildingandrebuilding,itcost, theysay,amillionsterling.In1853visitorsto AT ALEXANDRIA.21 Ramlehstillpitchedtentsonthesand-ridgeover-lookingthecool,softbluesea;andpresently theybegantobuildthebrokenlineofbunga-lowsonthecliffs,whicharenowthreatenedwith destructionbythewaves.Thelandbelongedto noone,butsomefourteentribesof wretchedtent-dwellers, one-partBedawinand, three-parts F ellcihln, smeltpiastresand,asistheuniversalcustomof thesepeople,managedtomakeoutatitle.They arestillemployedtoactasII Ghaflrs,"orgt:lards; whilsttheRamosi,thePaggiand'otherclerksof SaintNicholas,formerlypaidtorefrainfromrob-bery,havediedoutofBombay.Ramlehhasher littlewoodenstatian,apparentlyofJapanesestyle, herhauntedhouse,her " Folly,"andherhotel,the Beausejour,whichhasthrivensincepoorBulkeley's death;and she stillmaintainsthetraditionalhospi-talityforwhichAlexandria,unlikeCairo,hasever beenfamous. ThelessonwhichwelearnatAlexandriaand repeatatCairois,thatthemoreforeignersare employedinEgyptthebetter forher interests.In 1840,therewere6150;in1871,79,696;andin 1877wemaysafelylaydownthetotalasover 80,000.TheRev.F.BarhamZincke,inhis sensiblevolumewithacorruptedtitle,pointedly observesthattheNile-Valley,betweenthedays ofthePharaohsandtheKhedivs,hasnever 22TIfEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIA1V: flourishedexceptwhereautonomous;suchbeing thelogicaleffectofherpeculiaritiesinposition, her formationandpopulation.I will go stillfurther, andassertthattocompleteEgypt,Syriashould berestoredtoher.Letmehope.thatshewill soonachieveherindependence,. andexpressmy convictionthatwhensheregainsherbirthright-Liberty, her progress and development, nowarrested onlybysubjectiontoStambul,willsurprisethe world.Shehas outlets forher population,notonly intherichlandsoftheIsthmus,whosetypewas and stillis "Goshen," andintheUpper N Heregion; but alsowestwardthroughoutDar-For,Waday,and the Somali Coast about Zayla' andBerbera;andshe hasoccupiedHarar,whichwillspeedily becomean importantstationontheMain-trunk-roadbetween the Red Sea andthe Lake Regions of Central Africa. Alandwhosewinterclimateisdelicious,and whose air bringsout latentgout,shouldappealstrongly to theBritishheart. TherunbetweenAlexandriaandCairoshows acountrymarvellously like the Surrey plains.Both townsandvillagesretainsignsoftheprosperity whichwasforceduponthemin1820,by thegreat MohammedAli,aPrincewhosememorywillgrow brighterwitheverygeneration.AtBirketel-Sa'ab,thestationbetweenTantahnorth,and Benhasouth,IinquiredabouttheKutnel-Bar-AT ALEX4ND.R1A. 23 niyeh(hibiscuscotton),therediscoveredbyaCopt about1873;brought forwardin1877;and likelyto affectthe marketin1878.The Arabnamedenotes theirtheorythatitisahybridbetweenthecotton shruband the hibiscus.This is evidently impossible, andyettheexperimentofplantingthemtogether isbeingseriouslytried.Sometimesthe.. mallows cotton"isastraight single stemtwelve to seventeen feethigh,bearingfromthirtytosixty,andevento ninetypods.I tisplantedinMarch,anduprooted inSeptember,andyieldingperftdddn, - orsmall Egyptianacre,eighteentotwenty-eightkantcir (cwts.),insteadoffourtofiyeofEI-Ashmunl, hithertoheldtobethehighestquality.Thedry specimen,showntomebyMr.Vetter,ofZagazig, hadfourstems;andintheflowerandthepodI at oncerecognizedthecommonarboreous gossypium rclligiosul1l,withthelooseblackseed,andthefine long-stapledlintofU nyamwezi.Thevarietyhas, doubtless,founditswayfromCentralAfricaby accident,andpossiblybeforethe acuteCopt thought of collecting itAt Trieste it wascarefully examined bymylearnedfriend,Cav.deTommasini,who agreedwithDr.deMarchesetCtinidentifyingitas above. Hitherto thenewdiscoveryhasprovedafailure. The Feddan,anagrarianand superficial measure,represents 4,200'8333 square metres.The Kantir or Quintal (100RatIs or 36 Okes)is= 44'5458Kilogs. 24THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. Inthespecimens~ n ttomebyMr.Clarke,the cottonin seed fromthe lower stem was good;and it becameworseandworseasitapproachedthe sum-mit,whereitwasquite spoilt.Growershavetried toprove mistakeinseasonofplanting,badmanage-ment,unfavourableweather,andsoforth;butthe excuses arenot valid.Thetallshrubthrivesunder the humidskies of U nyamwezi;but inaridEgypt it yieldsapoorstaple,hardlyequaltothecoloured nativegrowth,althoughthecontrarywasasserted. Moreover, the luxuriant growth exhausts the ground, anddemandsmoremanure thantheFellah,whois compelledtousecow-dung forfuel,canwellafford. Theexperimentremainsofplantingitearlierin theseasonupontherichestsoilsfertilizedbythe greatFather. TheLowerNileremarkably confirmsthe lawof rivers, first detected,Ibelieve, by the Russians.The streamisdeflectedwestwardbytheearth's rotation, modifiedbyitsdifferenceateverystagealonga meridianallinetrendingnorth-southor south-north. TheobservationsmadebymeupontheIndus-areconfirmedbytheengineersoftheoldFrench expedition.They predictedashrinkingofvolume intheDelta'seasternarm,andnowwenotethat In"SindRevisited."Butthedeflectionwasmadeeast-wardsinsteadof westwards.For thiscarelessnessIwasduly and deservedlyratedbythereviewers,whowere,however,unduly scepticaluponthe subject of the law. A TALEXANDRiA. thewaterisgraduallydiminishingandthatthe Damietta branchbids fairto be siltedup. STATISTICALNOTE. TheoldideathatAlexandria,thesecondcityintheNile-Valley,withherdampheat,andherfever-breathingneighbour, Mareotis,hasanessentially unwholesomeclimate,andan annual death-rate of 40 per1000, wasnot founded on error.The copious statistical tables,published by the Minister of theInterior, would prove, however, that whilstupon aregisteredtotal of 212,034 souls at 0111death occursannuallyin24'40, about equal to that of St.Petersburg andMadrid;Cairo,with449,883, hasIin 21 '40.This isaveryhighfigure,farexceedingthatofTrieste (varying from30 to 42per1000), whichranks second inEurope, infact after Rotterdam.The whole country, with5,250,000 souls, basIin37'88;somewhatlessthanthatoftheNetherlands. The proportion of male deAths,formerlyso abnormal,tends,how-ever,to diminish;whilethat of male birthsmaintains itself,show-ing an improvedcondition ofthelabouringpopulation,whilethe reducednumber ofinfants born dead comparessatisfactorily with that of other countries.It isespecially difficultto account forthe mortalityofCairo,favoured,assheis,withanexceptional climate,withapuresky,withconstantventilation,and anatmo-sphere whose dryness and salubrity attract visitorsfromevery part ofEurope.Itmustbereferredtolocalconsiderations;the roughtreatment of infants;the diseases of the Sudan negroes, who sufferfromthecomparativelysharpwinter;andthedeathsof Egyptianswho,likethe Romans,flocktotheircapitaltobreathe their last. Meanwhileitisbelievedthat,between1872and1877,the sanitary improvements, such asthe a.bolition ofrookeries,and the openingof wideboulevards, both at Alexandria and in Cairo, have changed mattersforthebetter.Thedeath-rateofEuropeansis SIaIislitJwtierEgyptl;Annee1873-1290deI'HegiraLeCaire 1873 :thefiguresaretheworkofH.E. Ede. Chef du BureauCentraldeStatistique.TheNnu FrtiePressI,whichgivesaheb-domidaltable of mortality,and sums up atthe end of every halfyear,assigns forJune30,1&17,toLondon,19'2;Vienna,27'4;Trieste,30'6;andto Alexandria,40'9- It neglects Cairo,probably because there are DO statistics. 26THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. certainly low at the great Port;and it isgenerally held that about one-third of theenormoustotal shown in the tables isrepresented by babesandchildrenoftender years.On theother hand,this Spartan treatment of the young accounts forthe vigorousmanhood of thosewhoattainpuberty;and it isaseriousquestionhow far thescientificpreservationofweaklingswill,incourseoftime, injure the peoples of civilisedlands. Anideademandingcorrectionisthepopularfancythatthe frequency and quantity of rainin Egypt have increased of late years by the planting of trees.Clot-Bey and M.Jomard declared that, despitethe vigorousmeasures of Mohammed AliPasha, who alone laid down three millions of mulberries, the fall measured what it did forty yearsbefore,andhadprobably remainedthe same formany centuries.TheMeteorologicalTables,forthethreeyearsof French occupation,drawnupbyM.Coutelle,compared withthe recent observations of Mr. Destoviches, showno sensiblevariation. BetweenA.D.1798and1800,therainy daysaveragedfifteento sixteen;while,duringthefiveyearsbetween1835and1839,it diminishedtotwelve-thirteen.TheAbbasfyyehObservatory registered(1871)ninerainy daysatCairo,withatotalof9'08 hours;andthusitgavearainfallinferiortothatwitnessedby the beginning of the century. Finally,afewfiguresuponthematerialprogressof the Nile-Valley.The passing stranger,whocastsanincuriouslookupon theland,andwhoisapttocompareit withhisowntypeand modelof perfection,undulyunderratestheamountofdevelop-ment.NotsoweMedirevalEgyptians,whodate,wewillsay, from1850,andwhocanplaceactualEgyptbythesideofher former self.Our conviction isthat the amount of general improve-. ment ishighlysatisfactory.For instance:the total of cultivation in1870 amountedto3,218,715feddans;in1872ithad risento 4,624,221;andin1877wemayreadilyrateitat5,000,000 (=21,000 squarekilometres)out of atotalof 7,000,000(=29,400 sq.kit)Thelatterfigure,theamountoflandcultivatedin the palmiestdaysof Egypt,isaboutequaltothatofBelgium,the smallestStateinEurope(=29,455).Applyingtothe29,400 square kilometresofEgypttheusualfigurewhichthepopUlation claims,5,250,000 souls, wehavethus178per square kilometre; Mr.J.C.M'Coan,inhisvaluable work,"EgyptAsItIs"(London: Cas.'lell,1877).assumesthe population at 5.500,000. AT ALEXANDRIA. to173inBelgium;101in' England;58inAustria,and33in Spain. Asthecountryisentirelyself-supporting,andas,insteadof favouringemigration,it attracts immigrants,thepopUlationofthe Nile-Valley doublesitself inseventy-four years,andmay presently do soinsixty.During the decennialperiod between1862-1871, thebirths wereJ,8II,627to1,342,655deaths,thusshowingan annualaverageincrease of 46,902,despiteanabnormalattack of typhus,andthecholeraicepidemicof1865, whichcost61,189 VlCtunS.Thisisasufficientanswertothe many wholookupon theEgyptiansasadecrepitpeople.In1800theynumbered onlytwomillions;in1830abouttwomillionsandahalf;and beforethemiddleof thenextcentury,thecensusmayshowthe total of thePharaohnic days-seven toeight millions. -The principalproductions,cotton,sugar,and cereals,willever findamarket.Theminingindustry,hithertoconfinedtothe natronof the BuhayraIprovince,to the nitre and nitrate of potash intheFayydm andUpper Egypt,and tothe Salinas of theMedi-terraneanandtheRedSea,willpresently,Iamconvinced, assume gigantic proportions,or thesepages willhave beenwritten in vain.In fact,Egypt, despitethe"croakings " of philanthropists andtheof"humanitarians,"whoinjustice should place herside by side withour wretched pauper province,Sind or the" Unhappy Valley,"mustbe considered, asthe regular increase ofherpopUlationfullyproves,one' ofthemostsuccessfulof modemkingdoms.Shehasextendedherfrontiersbeyondthe limitsknowntothePharaohsandthePtolemies,and,asthe "Greater Egypt," sheisdestinedto spreadcom{llerceandcivili-sationthroughout the heartof Africa.It ishald,indeed,tosee anytohercareerwhen,numberingtenmillions,sheshall extendto theEquator,embracing the Northern Congo Valley and watersof the(Victoria)NyanzaLake,andcontrollingthecom-merceof that African AmazonsRiver andCaspian Sea. This figurewill of course not cover the population of the new conquests: the so\lthernbasin of theNile,andthe widewesternregionsaboutDar-For (the landof the For tribe),both unknown to thePharaohsandthePtolemies. DiodprusSiculus(1.31)tellsusthat,in.thedays ofthelatter,Egyptnum-bered seven millionsofsouls,whichJosephusincreasestosevenandahalf millions,ChampollioncalculatedthattheNile-Valleyofhistimecould supPOrtsixtosevenmillions.Lane proposeseight,andIconfidently look CHAPTERII. 'tHECHANGESATCAIRO. Myshortstay atthecapitalbeganinthesaddest way.Visitingitwiththeintentionofreadinga Paper beforetheSociete Khedivialede Geographie, Iordered'acarriageandbadethedragomandrive tothequartersoftheMarquis Alphonse-Victorde Compiegne,whoselastletter layunansweredinmy pocket."Afais,vousnesavezp a ~(ju'':/estmort f.. wasthe reply, followedby an account of theneedless untimelydeathinaduelonFebruary28th.I tis vainnowto dwelluponthesingular combinationof malignchance,the fatalmismanagement of "friends" whoshouldnever have allowedtheaffairto become serious,the declining healthwhichmade ashoulder-woundmortal,andthefailureoftherightman to findhimselfintherightplace.I tisonlyfairto noticethattheywereinerrorwhoattemptedto applyapoliticalcomplexiontot h ~event,simply becauseithappenedbetweenaFrenchmananda German.Thosebestinformedcanfindnofault THECHANGESAT CAIRO. withtheconductofHerrMeyer,whowassubse-quentlycondemnedtothreemonths'imprisonment inPrussia,andwhomanfullyreturnedhomewith usintheAustrianLloyd'sS.S.Flora,toexpiate hisoffence.Yet theperfectloyalty of thetwocon-cernedoffersscantyconsolationfortheunhappy closeofthatyoungandpromising life,whichbegan sogloriouslywithexploration,andwhich,at theage ofthirty,endedasitwerebymistake,theexit being the only act whichdidnot becomeit. Mr.FrederickSmart,oneofthe"Ancient Egyptians," whoseranksarenowsosadlyshrunk, kindlyannouncedmyarrivaltoHisHighness,and IwashonouredwithaninvitationtotheAbadin Palacenext day.My receptionby the Viceroy was peculiarly gracious;and the first audience taught me thatthisPrinceisamaster of detail,whilstinpro-motingtheprosperityof thecountryhehasbeen taughtbyexperiencetoexercisetheutmostvigil-anceanddiscretion.TheKhediv,indeed,has hardlyreceivedfromEuropetheamplerecognition whichhishighmoralcourage deserves.It requires nolittlestrengthofmindsuddenlytogiveupall thetraditions of absolute rule, or rather to exchange themforthetrammelsofconstitutionalism,and, ..AmostableNoliaNkroloK'iue{)fM. deCompiegnehas beenpublishedbyMr.C.Guillemine,Biblioth&:aire-Archiviste de la S o c i ~ t ~KMdiviale.Le Caire:Dalbos-Demouret,1877. 30THEGOLD-lIfINESOF MIllIAN. whenthetime-honouredpolicyandadministration of acountry proveinefficient or incapable,toinvoke theaidandservicesofthestrangerinraceand creed.Upon thissubject much morecouldbesaid: itisenoughtopointoutthe directionwhichpublic opinionshouldhavetaken,andwhich,someday,it willundoubtedlytake. - - - - Thisdear oldCairo!OncemoreIillustratethe saying of her sons anent drinking of theNile.And whatwateritis!Sweet,light,andflavoured; differinginkind,notonlyindegree,fromthatof any otherriver.Nowonderthat"theHebrews grumbledwhentheylostitThefirstdraughtof ..Nile,"whichwillpresently findits waytoLondon, withcaravan-teaanddesert-mutton,isanewsen-sation;areturntoitisarealpleasure.And now itisearlyMarchbeforetheKhamsin - orFifty-Inpopularparlancethenameof thewindisconfounded withitsperiod.Copticastronomersdividetheyearintofour "Khamsfn"(fifties)andfour" ArMin" (forties),atotalof360 days:the firstof theformerbeginsontheSundayfollowingthe fullmoonaftertheEquinox,thus havingamaximumvariationof twenty-ninedays.OntheMondayistheirShamnel-Nasim,or .. breathingthezephyr,"whichhasbecomeageneral je/e.The Khamsin thereforeopensinlaterMarch,andclosesaboutmid-May.It iscalledMeris,becauseitblowsfromthatcountry, better knownasDongola;andSluzra,fromitsrajfales,or violent gusts.Lane(Introduction,andvol.iii.chap_xxvi.)is,Ibelieve, in errorwhenhe writestheword"Khamaseen "(intheplural), and explains it onlyaslasting "during aperiod of somewhatmore or lessthanfifty Oays."Moreover, it isnot a"southerly wind j" it THECHANGES AT CAIRO. days'periodoflocalScirocco,whichtheArabs, especiallyinEI-Hejaz,callSam1em(Simoon),has setin;andthewater,likethemorningsand evenings,isbrightandcool.DuringApril,the spring-end,andMay,theharvest-homeofEgypt, weshallhardlyfindCairosopleasant,thoughthe climaterecoversitselfinJune,andthe"Ancient Egyptians"enjoyedthesummer.Onedraught more,and wewillset outto gatherfirstimpressions oftheCityoftheKhediv,andtoprospectthe changeswithwhichthe last quarter of acenturyhas visitedthe capitalof MohammedAli.New Vienna as opposedtothedulllittleold" Hof,"whichstill lingersthroughdecrepit age, dates her birth, wemay say,from1857;andaboutthesametimeNew Cairobeganto be. When,at the closeof thegreatNapoleonicwars andthedreadfulbattlesofthedragomanhosts, headedbySalttheBritisher,andRosettithe Frenchman,amodus v'ivcntii wastacitlyestablished; andwhenFrance,contentedwithsupplyingthe personnel,kindlyleftthematerieltoEngland,the boldestofforecasterswouldhavehesitatedtopre-dictthatabitofParis,abran-newspick-and-span Gallicancity,withitsPlaces,itsBoulevards,and itsRondPoints;itsOpera,TheatreF r a n ~ a i sand mostlybeginsinthemorningfromtheeast,andwaxesstronger as it veerstosouth-east;aboutnoonitisasouther,anditends theday asa south-wester. 32THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. twoHippodromes,itsRuesCastiglionis,andits GrandH6tel,wouldhavearisenuponthenorth ofthesquatandsolidparallelogramwhichhere terminatedtheCity ofMars. - Andneverdidthe soberMoslemsdream,whentheypermitteda Frankishquarterintheircapital,thatitwouldso soonthreatentoswallowupthewhole.Aglimpse attheembellishmentsbetweenthewest-endof the oldMuski,orsemi-Europeanbazaar-street,andthe beginningoftheShubraRoad,willsuggestwhat ourdescendantsmayexpecttoseewithinthe coming fiftyyears. Thecore andfocusofmodernimprovementsis theEzbikfyyeh,theoldmarshycamping-ground oftheU zbegs,whichthepresentSuleymanPasha, betterknownasLinant-Bey,converted,byorder of Thecritical Saturday RevilW(April20,1877) txanslatesthe veryvulgar"Masr-(for'Misr ')-el-Kahireh,"orthe"Victonous City."Thewordmeans"City of Mars,"in ArabicEI-Kllhir,or theConqueror;andthenamecommemoratesthefactthatthe capitalwasfoundedbyJanhar-el-Kaid,generaltoEI-Moezz,the firstFatimiteKhaHfeh,inA.D.968,whenthatplanetwasin the ascendant(Richardson, subfJOCt"Kahirat ").Mr.Edward T. Rogers,the Arabist,hasascertained,fromEI-Makriziand others, thatJanharbinAbdillah(aconvert'spatronymic)El-Rumi(the Greek,or of the Greek faith)wasabought slave(not a eunuch) of EI-Mansin,fatherof EI-Mu'izz-li-din-illah.He foundedCairo, and onJamadiel-Awwal6,A.H.359,hefoundedEI-Azhar,thefirst Jami'orCathedralMosqueinCairo,whichwasfinishedthree yearsafterwards(Ramazan 9,A. H.361). Theworksof theNewHasanayuMosquearechanningin detail;and, considered asawhole,mean. THECHANGES AT CAIRO. 33 MohammedAlitheGreat,intoapublicgarden, usedformiscellaneousandpromiscuouspurposes. Twenty-five years agoit wasanunenclosedjardt"n Anglat"s;wild,picturesque,andessentiallyLevan-tineinallits accessories.Here fairswereheld,and theworshippers'backswereriddenover.*Here Kara-gyuz,anaughtyPunch,soscandalizedthe Consularcorps,thatcomplaintspouredinpolice-wardsonce a month;here" HowlingDervishes,"as they are politely called,gruntedAtlah-hu,andhere theeveningairrang with"shoutings"forsdroppo digomma-thecough-loosingmixturebeingthe fashionableeuphuismforadramofforbiddenRakt". UnderGrand-Bey,ithaslostthisfamilycachet: werecognizenothingbuttheoldmansionofthe lateKyamilPasha,andthefleasthathauntthe benches.It hasbecomeultra-civilised;theveriest lJadauddePariswouldherefindhimself"inhis plate." ThegloriousLebek-trees(Acact"aLebbekh), whosewhite-yellowblossom-bunchesandlarge goldenpodswonforthemthenameofDaknel-Basha(MohammedAli),"Pashasbeard,"and whoseperfumedextractwasnotunjustlycalled, fromitsCytherceaneffects,"fitneh"or"trouble," Thewell-knownceremony"EI-Dosch,"whichshouldbe written"EI-Daaseh."ItisnotconfinedtoEgypt,andmay be seen on asmall scale in the SyrianBuka'a. D 34THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. havemadewayforaH yksosinvasionofouter barbarians,especiallytheuglyandshadeless"blue-gums"ofKangaroo-land.TheBirket(tank)is nowshrunkhalfsize,convertedintoapear-shaped pool,and surrounded by arailedoctagonof garden. The latter,alsosadlyreducedtoserve forbuild-ingpurposes,isapproachedby gate-keepers' lodges ofthecMlet-type;thepleasure-waterisprovided withboatsandwithwheel-canoespaddledbythe feet;theturfisirrigatedbymetalpipes,and thegroundsarediversifiedbyacanalanda cataract,bycoffee-housesand"Kahwehs,"the latterintendedforthe"native,"bykiosksand band-stands,byahippodromeandamerry-go-round,woodenhorses,boatsandall.Moreover,a mountain,sometwentyfeethigh,iscrownedwitha rusticdouble-storiedsummer-housewhich,entered byaruralbridge,isbasedona grotto whereinyou eat icesandplay dominoes. Lastly,thereisaFrenchrestaurant,of whichI wouldspeakrespectfully,onaccountofitswines andits lamb-cutlets,so appreciableafteracourseof thatmelancholyandmonotonousinstitution,which ourfatherscalledan"ordinary,"weatable-d'!zote. Therestaurantisatanyratemoreappropriately placedherethanattheHierosykosninow,theHoly SycamoreofIsis,theVirgin'sTreeatMatarfyyeh (Heliopolis).Shortlybeforesunsettheturnstiles THECHANGESAT CAIRO. 3S aremannedby white-coatedpolicemen-who should wearbrownholland-demanding,bywayofen-trance-money,apiastre,ortwopence-halfpenny. Theobjectisnotmunicipaleconomy:thetaxis intended,and fondlysupposed,to prevent theblack-blousedFellahandthehog-facedeunuchfrom affecting thenerves ofyoungCairo.H erewesee bothsexespromenading,oneinFrenchmillinery, andtheotherinthatcollarless" Constantinople coat"whoseonemeritappearsinthat it isat once dress and undress. NewCairo,lyingaroundtheEzbekfyyeh,is, likeallsuchmodernadjuncts orexcrescences,acity ofmagnificentinahighstateofun-finish; . afresh -from -the -band -boxF ran co- Italo-Greco - Hebraico-Armeno -Yankee - Doodle - niggery sort of suburb.The modernthoroughfares,ofvast lengthandhugebreadth,beartreesplantedatthe sides,whereastheyshouldhavebeenlaidoutin centralavenuesandtrottoirsforpedestrians,and outer exterior pavements forcarriages,as intheVia dell'A quedottoofTrieste.The growthisstillina state of babyhood;andthe onlybit of shadywalkis represented by two hundred yards, or so, at the south-easterncorner of theNewHotel.Thegrumbling stranger,afflictedbythedustoftheNile,whichis as fineasitswater, dwellsupontheunwisdomof the Egyptiansandcomparestheirwayswiththoseby 36THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. whichNerowasaccusedofspoilingRome.Cer-tainlythedamp-darkalleyseemsbestsuitedto these suns:onthe otherhand the broadand breezy boulevardhasalreadydonesomethingtowards abatingtheinordinatemortalityofCairo.Gasis still alocalluxury.ThenewthoroOughfaresarenot named.Thedetachedandsemi-detached villasare notnumbered,makingitasdifficulttofindouta friend,as onMalabarHill,Bombay. * ThenewBoulevards,Abidin,Abd-el-Aziz,and Fawwcilah(thebean-seller),with. theirneatslips ofgarden,mostlyaffectthenerth-westernandthe westernpartsoftheparallelogram.One,however, the"BoulevarddeMehemetAali,"hasbeenrun throughthe vitals of theoldcity,disturbing many a rookery.It debouchesupontheMosque ofSultan Hasan,by farthe grandest oftheCaireneMosques, since those ofTaylun,fashionedafter theHaram of Meccah,andofEI-Hcikim,theDruze-God,stillso picturesqueundermoonlight,havebeenleftun-repaired.ThenobleEgyptianarchitectureof SultanHasan,withthehugecornicecappingthose immenseunbrokenwalls,gainsdignitybycon-frontationwiththenewRufci'lmosque,thebig This isthe case alsowiththe intricate labyrinthine"native-town"ofBombay,whereasmallhouse-taxmightprofitablybe devotedtothediffusionof moralliterature,asisthefashionin Damascus. THECHANGES AT CAIRO.37 pilestillbuilding,andshowinginevery linetraces oftheEuropeanhand:thebestwecansayof thelatteristhatitwillbearenaissanceofart comparedwiththealabasterGreco-Turkishhorror intheCitadel.TheboulevardendsattheKara-Mayd:in(blackplain),theclassicalRumaylehof the MamlUks,wherethe7erldwasplayed,andwhere criminals,broughtoutoftheGateofPunishment, weredecapitatedoveratankusedforpeculiar pur-poses..WhatwouldAbyssinianBrucesaytothe baldparallelogramofmodern days whichalso,after atrulyParisianfashion,haschangeditsnameto IIPlace deMehemet Aali" ? In the nativetown,themainthoroughfareshave beenwidenedby pullingdownthehouses,andre-placingthemwith"dickeys."They areROWpro-videdwithsquaresofhighlyirregularshapes,and havebeenprolongedtotheenceinte-wall:the Muski,whichcutsthecityfromeasttowest, becomesintheformerdirectiontheRueN euve. TheEzbeklyyehstillpreserves- tracesofoldrus-ticity:the dingy claret-case of a Zabdyyeh, or Police-office,contrasts withtheneatredbuildingsthat now representthe" Karakol"(Guard-house);andthe Diw:inel-Mururlyyeh,orTransit-officeofthefor-gottenSuez-vans,has beenturnedinto aFrankish-orientalmarket. The"greenthreshold"(Atabatel-Khazr:i), 38TBEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. whereIbrahimPasha,thegallantfatherofthe present Viceroy,withright handpointing to victory, rideshisbronzecharger,isstillaplaceofpunish-menttopedestrians.Thedonkey-boys,oncethe onlycabbiesoftheland,areurgentasthesedan-chairmenofBathbeforethedaysofBeauNash; andthecharioteersofEgyptarefondofdriving furiouslyinplaceswhere thetrottoirisastrip,and wherethestreet,somefiveyardsofmaximum breadth,iscrowdedwithhumanity,jostlingand hurryingtoandfro.Therunningfootmen,who precedethegrandeesat alongtrot,cryingO-IiIin the loudest voices,donotusetheir longcanes freely asofyore;theyaremeresurvivals,especiallyin thebroad-streetednewcity,andthesoonerthese victimstoRakiandheart-diseasedisappearfrom theworldthebetter.Allordersarekeptintoler-abledisciplinebythenewpolice,butcrueltyto animalsisstillthe rule.Abenevolent personof my acquaintanceproposed,afterafewdaysatCairo, the establishmentof:-(I)Asocietyforabolishing donkey'sraws; (2)Ditto formoderating coachmen's whips; (3)Ahomefordissolutedogs;and (4)An anti-bullock-tail-twisting association.-In the Book of " Teukehisha of Babylon," supposed to have been writtenabout our firstcentury,weread:"Hurt not adumb beast,nor doaught to damage it,nor loaditbeyonditsstrength. Ifthoudootherwisethouartaccursedbeforethe(planet)-god THECHANGESAT CAIRO. 39 The Muski, type of the improvedinner thorough-fare,hasstillmanyawant.Thepavingoffoul blackearth,thedecayofvegetableandanimal matter,ismade,bywatering,muddyandslippery eveninmidsummer:it formsheaps whichmustbe levelledwiththehoe,anditiseverrankwiththe rushandreekofmanandbeast.Whatthepave-mentshouldbe,Ihardlyknow.Eitherwoodor someformofconcrete;likethepozzolanausedat Alexandria,wouldsufficefortheverylighttraffic. In the branches of themaintrunk,thesteamisless piquant.Dust,thedebrisofloosesandstone,sup-plantsmire,andthemoundsarehigher,tiltingup wheelsatanangleofthirtydegrees.Againwe wonder to see Automedon canter his leannagsdown acrowdedlanehardlysixfeetbroad,anddouble, withoutdrawingrein,thesharpestcorners,whence the oldwomenmusthurryawaywiththeirbaskets of dzow-dtowor risk absoluteruin. Evidently-" Le superflu,chose t r ~ snecessaire," astheepicureanheld,haswonthedayatCairo. The building-plagUerageshere,asinVienna;but it Jupiter,andbeforethegod(gods?)oftheSun;andwhosois accursedheisrejected;andwhosoisrejectedisremoved;and whosoisremovedbecomeslikeabrick;whoseearthisfirst drownedin water tomakeclay,thendriedinthe sun,then burnt in fire,and lastly set in the wallwhereitisoppressedfromabove and below"(p.160,Prof:Chevolson,quoted below). 40THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. expends itself onmansionsof lath andplaster with-out,and gingerbreadwithin.Happilythe frontages arenotverysolidlybuilt,andadozenyearsor sowillgivefrequentopportunitiesfor.. c:edile" improvements.Thecity-planshows279principal mosques,andatotalofsome400 ~stillmore mosquesarewastingmoneyinstoneandlime,and the" Churchimprovements" are notable as amongst ourselves.ThefablJ6b "f' ) ,j l-.,')'{ ., 't IiJ I " , IIIS III" II , JJ oJ: JO \r" "'" .:7 ., .,,, , , II I.

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THEreadersofmy"Pilgrimage"may,perhaps. remembercertainpleasantreminiscencesofabluff andgenialoldfriend.oneHaji\VaHAlioghhi Arslcinoghlu,myneighbourinthe\Vakcilah(Cara-vanserai)Silcihdcir,andthecompanion ofmyleisure hourswhilstpreparingfortraveltoEI-Hejaz.A genuineTartaroftheKipchaktribeofKirghiz, whichpitchesitstentsnearAkmasjia.eastofthe Caspian,andwhichlivesonmutton,milk.K unit t andKimmiz-theKoumiss,nowafashionable remedyinEurope.-hehaswanderedfarand wide Yol ichaps.iii.and iv. tKurut,inArabia"Afik,"afavouritearticleofdietwith wanderingp a s ~ o r a ltribes,ismadeasfollows:Aquantityof " laban"(artificiallysoured milk)isplacedinthesunfortwoor threedays;the serumwhichremains after e\'aporation is strained off,andtheremainderismadeintoballsanddried.Ishould hardlyrecommend this rudeconserveof milktotheepicuresof Europe,but in the Desert, whendissolvedin 1Io-ater,Afik makes a cooling and thirst-quenching drink. HOW THEGOLDWASFOUND.243 overTashkand,the..StoneTown," - Bukhara, Khiva,andSamarkand. WhenIpartedwithhimin1854,hewasa PersiansubjecttradinginCairo.Hethenbecame aRussianSimsar(broker)at Zagazig;andhere he waslivingwithhiswivesandchildren.ascomfort-ablyasamannumberingeighty-twosummerscan expecttodo,whenIswoopeddownuponhim,and carried himbodilyintotheArabian wilderness. I tsohappenedthatduringthecoldseasonof 1849,asHajiWali,anitemintheCairocaravan, wasreturning fromhissecond pilgrimage, he wasled bythewillofAllahtohituponthegold.Onthe secondorthirdofMarch-forhismemory,though admirable,cannotretaineverytrifle-heandhis companion,AkilEffendiofAlexandria,exchanged theircamelsforasses,andprecededtheKafilah. Bywayofresthedismounted,andgoingofftothe rightoftheroad,whereasingletreegrew,hesat downunder it. Hedescribestheplaceasshowingtotheleft (west)aroundedmountainorhilldrainedbytwo Wadiestothesea(GulfofEI-Akabah);whilst ontherightwasa"bab"(gate),somewhatlike thatofWadyAynunah,adrywatercourserun-ningbetweentwotallbluffcliffs.Intherude Sprenger(p.4)translatesTashkand"turrislapidea,",:e., Lithino-pyrgo:Haji Waliexplains it by Bilad-hajar (Stone-town). 244THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. sketchwhichhe drewfrommemory, he places tothe north"Ishmah,"meaningaspotwherewateris easilydug;butthereisnosuchwordinArabic, anditisanevidentconfusionwiththe JebelTay-yibatIsmofthemaps.Seeingthetorrent-bed sparkle-doubtless withthemica,whichhasproved fataltosomanyfortunesinBrazil,inCalifornia, and in Australia,-he scoopedupadouble handfulof thesand,probablythegraniticgravelwhichstrews these fiumaras,tiedit inhiskerchief,stowedit away inhisSahharah, or pilgrim's chest,and,rejoining his companions, wenthiswaysinthenameofAllahto EI-Akabah. Arrivedat Alexandria,Haji Wali,whodoesnot belong tothefutiletribesoftheSouth,showed his trouvaille to a Shfshnaji (essayer), oneZayniEffendi. Thelatterpoundedthesandinamortar,mixedit withwater,and,bymeansofquicksilver,produced inhispresence abit of goldabout halfthesizeof a grain ofwheat,andweighing aKamh,orthe fourth ofaDirham. TheHaji,nowpersuadedthathisfortunewas made,representedthematter to afriend,HafizBey, whoactedastheheadoftheAlexandrianCustom-house;andthisoldnavy-captainreportedthefact toHasanPashaMonastirli,theKahiya, or Steward, ofAbbasPasha,thenreigning.Thishighofficer sentfortheShfshnaji,andinspectedthecrumbof ROW THEGOLDWASFOUND.245 precIousmetal.Afterminuteinquirieshecurtly remarked,"ThisisnotwhatEgyptwants;her goldisherownground:hercropsarehergold." Hewas,infact,quotinganoldLawamongstthe Turks, that agricultureisthe" redsulphur IIandthe .. philosopher'sstone IIoftheworld.Theremark, slowandsensible,wasrepeatedbytheGumrukji (Custom-houseofficial)toHajiWaH,whodeclares thatheceasedtothinkaboutthediscovery.Not sotheShlshnaji;theunfortunateatonceset out in search.oftheplaceand,afteratime,hisfamily heardofhisdeath-probablyhismurderbythe Bedawin. This was toldtoHaji WaHby hisoldcompanion 'AkilEffendi,whodiedatAlexandriaabouttwo years ago.On theotherhand,theHajioncecon-fessedthattherewasanunderstandingbetween theShshnajiandhimself;anditismyprofound convictionthathehastriedin:alldirections,and ever since1849,tomakemoneyoutofhisfind. Ihavereasontothinkthatgold-washinghas neverbeenforgottenatEI-MuwayIah;thatithas been'doneinsecret,andthatithasbroughtlarge fortunestomenwhoostensiblydealtincharcoal. Some ofthe oldfolksatSuezstilldeclarethat the workswereabandonedyeatsagobecausethepro-ducedidnotcoverexpenses-exactlywhatwould bebruitedabroadofarichplacer.Moreover. 246THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. ShaykhEI-NabioftheHuwaytatopenlytoldme, whenIwasaskingaboutcopperandothermetals, that wemust applytotheElders,thegreybeardsof thetribe,addingthattheywere" tamma'{n ..(men ofgreed),whowerenotlikelytopartwiththe secretgratis.Therewereotherindications;but thesuspicionsare vague,anditwouldbeunfairto mentionnames. In1853,whenHajiWaHandIbecamefast friendsatthe Wakalah,he strolled one dayintomy room,andwithmuchshowofmysteryshowedme alittleofthesand,probablythatunderlyingthe gravel.True toOrientalpracticehehadprudently withheldapart,evenfromhisfriendandconfidant the greedy Shishnaji.IexamineditwithaStanley lens,anddistinctlysawminutedotsof gold,whilst mycompleteconfidenceinthehonour and honesty ofthemanforbadethesuspicionthathehad " peppered"thestuffbymixingupgoldfilings withit. Healsoshowedhisconfidenceinthe discovery by proposing that weshouldbothdressinragslike pauper pilgrims,travelonfoottothespot,and wash the metal-theshow of povertybeingnecessaryto baffletheBedawin,whogowildwhentheyhear thewordUDahab"(gold).Irememberasking himwhywecouldnotgoasEffendis,heasa merchantandhiscompanionasadoctor,andhis HOW THEGOLDWASFOUND.247 answeringmethat wecouldnot withoutaregiment of foot.Finally,Iobservedthathisprojectwas no good :that wemight collecttwoor threepounds of metal,butthattheaffairwouldprobablyendin our throats being cut by the WildMan. The idea,however,hadtakenrootfirmlyinhis mind.IcalledupontheEnglishConsulat Cairo-hisnameisnotworthmentioning,-and askedhim torepresent thematter toH.H. AbbasPasha.The "obstructive,"am o d ~ lofhisunkindlyclass,con-tentedhimselfwithdeclaringthatinhissapient opinionccgold wasbecomingtoo common."Inthis hewasnot singular.Marvellous to'relate,the same answerwasmadetomebyaSecretaryofState whenIofferedtoopenupsomemostvaluable diggingsontheWest CoastofAfrica,ifhewould appointmeGovernor,assistmewithhalfaWest Indiaregiment,andnotinquiretoocuriouslyinto localmatters.It isimpossibletounderstandsuch men:theygobacktothechildhoodofourrace, wheneven the wisecouldutter intolerablebosh like aurumirrepertumetsicmeliussitum.I twould Pliny(vi.31), speaking of Babytace city on the Tigris,says, "Here, forthe only place in the world, isgoldheld in abhorrence; the people collect it together andburyitintheearththat it may beofusetonoone "-asillywi/BRopjcommentatoradding, ccthe buryerexcepted,perhaps."Icanproduceanotheranda modern instance of misochrysy.Throughout the Eastern Coast of Guinea the preciousmetal was"put in Fetish"(excommunicated) bythemedicine-man(1860-65);andin1865,ifyouoffereda 248THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. bequiteaslogicaltodeprecatethepluckingof cotton,or the cutting of sugar-cane. HajiWaIi,disgustedwiththissecondfailure, used,hetoldme,thesandtopowderaletter;and IsetoutforArabia:hencemywanderingsex-tendedtoEastAfrica,totheCrimea,toEast Africaagain,toCentralAfrica,toSouthAmerica, to West Africa,toBrazil,andtoSyria.Fornearly aquarterofacenturymysecretwaskeptto myself.During the reign of AbbasPasha, and under theadministrationofthe retrogradeDoctor-Consul, nothingwastobedone.Thesuccessor,Said Pasha,waswhollyoccupiedwiththegrandidea oftheCanaldesdeuxmers,andwastoooftenthe preyofadominantwill:Ihadalsolearnedthe fullmeaningofthe phrase,trabalhar para osoutros _co to 'Workforothers." Atlength,in1863,H.H.IsmailPashabecame ViceroyofEgypt,andthelong-wished-foroppor-tunity presented itself.MyoId friend,Hugh Thur-burn.whoselamented death tookplace onFebruary 17.1877. by diligentlyinquiring at theKhanKhaHI, andattheotherbazaarsofCairo,at lengthtraced Haji Wali,andwrote to methatavery oldmanof that name,weighingsomesixteenstone,andnowa Russiansubject.wasliving inNewBubastis. sovereignto anegroneartheVolta,he spat uponit,andthrewit onthe ground HOW THEGOLDWAS FOllND.249 PresentlyEngland,despiteherself,orrather despitethegovernmentswhicharesupposedto representher,begantoplaytheforemostpartin thereform andthedevelopmentofEgyptandthe Egyptians.Thiswasevidently themomentto act, andbeingnodespiserof"opportunism,"soun-gratefultotheGallicmind,Iactedaccordingly. ReturningwithmywifefromawinterinWestern India(1875-76),IpassedthroughZagazig,where, afterafewminutes'conversationwithMr.J..C.J. Clarke,TelegraphicEngineerandDirecteurdes T eIegraphes,Iplacedhimuponthescentwhich hecleverlyandpatientlyfollowed.Alongcorres-pondenceensued. TheHaji,despitehisyearsand allegedinfirmi-ties,showedhimselfmoreanxiousabouttheaffair than wasto beexpected:he has fouryoung children and afifthcoming.Withpeculiartenacityhehad probably ,donehisbestformanyyearstosellhis discovery,andfailurehadonlysharpenedhisappe-tite.HetoldmyWakil(agent),Mr.Clarke,that hewouldfetchfromAlexandria aplan ofthe place, withthetreemarkeduponit;buthedelayedso longthathissharp-wittedcompanionsuspected himofconcertingwithtwostrangeTurks,who wereabouttosetowtwiththeHajjCaravanin November1876. Asregards the localgovernment oursecretwas 250THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. safe.Hefeared,asanEasternalwaysdoes,that pressurewouldbeputupon,himandthathis personalattendance attheplacewouldberequired; andherehewasright.Hewasterribly"bullied .. andbadgeredafter hisreturnforhaving trustedhis secrettoFranks;hewasuniversallycalledanold fool,andhisfriendslaughedaloudathisreverend beard-hadhebeenanEgyptianhewouldnot perhapshaveescapedsoeasily. Buttoreturntopreliminaries.Afterfive monthsof pourparlers,itappearedatlastthatno planexisted,butthataletterwritteninTurkish containedcertainjottingsoftheroad.After com-mittinghimselfbyshowingthisdocument,Haji Walibecameveryfidgety;hehadprobablyin-tendedtosellhisdiscoverytomeupontheold principleof abirdinthehand.Ai last,onMarch 20th,Ipassed,ashasbeenseen,throughZagazig, andcarriedoffmyoIdfriendnothingloath.His subsequent adventureswillbefoundinthefollowing pages. MidianisnotincludedbyHebrewHoly Writ inauriferousArabia: - yetithasevidently supplied The chief gold countriesare Sheba (SaM?El-Yemen?) and Ophir.ThoseofminorimportanceareHazeroth(Deuti.I), UphazOer.x.9,andDan.x.5),andParvaim(2Chron.iii.6). Gesenius believes" Uphaz" tobeacorruptionof Ophir,the two wordsbeingthesamewithandwithoutthemasoreticpoints. Parvaim,weshallsee,iseasilyidentified;weneednotgoto HOW THEGOLDWASFOUND.251 the preciousmetalinabundance, andit stilldeserves aplaceamongstthemining-regionswhichinolden timemadethePeninsula" Eudremon."The follow-ing note contains the scholarly and exhaustive notice by Sprenger (pp.52-59)oftheplacesand diggings mentionedinArab literature.I ts length willhardly beobjectedtowhenwefindinpopular works(e.g., Smith'sDic.t.oftheBible,S.'O.Ophir),"thesup-positionthat,notwithstandingalltheancient authoritiesonthesubject,goldreallyneverexisted either inArabia,or in any islandalong its coasts." Ihaveincluded amongst the auriferoussitesthe disputedpassageinDeuteronomy(i.I.).II These be thewordswhichMosesspakeuntoallIsrael,on thissideJordaninthe Wilderness,intheplainover S.America withAriusMontanus(Bochart, GMg.Sat:ra,senPIza/eg ttCanaan,cape.ix.)whomadethe dualword tosignifythe"two Perus,"t:e.,Peru Proper and New Spain. The sameexcellent worktells us(s.v.Ophir)-" Asto gold, fartoogreat stressseemstohavebeenlaidonthenegativefact thatnogold,nortraceoj gold-mines,hasbeendiscoveredin Arabia.Negativeevidenceofthiskind,onwhichRitterhas placedsomuchreliance,isbynomeansconclusive.SirR.J. MurchisonandSirC.Lyellconcurinstatingthat,altlllJughno rockis /mfJWntouist in Arabia, fromwhich gold is06taintd at tlte presentday,yetthepeninSUlahasnotundergoneasufficient geologicalexaminationtowarranttheconclusionthatgolddid notexistthereformerly,orthatitmaynotyetbediscovered there."Theclassicalauthorswhominutelydescribethegold produce of Arabia,areAgatharkides(beforequoted), Artemidorus (adopted,like the former,by StIabo,Diodorus, Siculus, andPliny). Eupolemus,wholivedbeforetheChristianEra (Fragments,etc. C.G.A.Kulmey,Berlin,1840). 252THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. against the Yamm Suph (Sea of Weeds, Red Sea? or SirbonitisLake ?),betweenParanandT ophel,and LabanandHazeroth,andDizahab."Thelatter wordintheLXX.isrenderedxaTaxpVt1Ea;bythe V ulg.ubi auriest plurimum "and Hazeroth,dovesi t",ovamoltissimooro,withtheglosspaesemeo per minered'orointheAbbateA.Martini'stransla-tion(Venice:D.Fracasso,1835).TheA.V.,in translating"HazerothandDizahab,"insteadof ..Hazerothwherethereisgold"(orwhichowns gold),thusturninganepithetintoapropername, hastakenanunwarrantablelibertywiththetext. Hazeroth,the""fencedenclosures"ofapastoral people,isidentifiedwith" AynHadhirah,"theold monkishcolony,north-westoftheJebelel-Samghi, near the eastern shore of the SinaiticPeninsula,and Professor.Palmer(" Desert oftheExodus,"i.26 I) gives anillustrationofitscharming scenery. NOTE. Sprmgers"AileGeograPltie,"53-56.-Par.53.Arewetobelieveall these reports,themerefancies of poets,especiallythosetreatingofthehavenDzahuban(Da-hahan,theplaceof gold)t.distant only500milesfromBerenike, Iretain the spellingof mylearnedfriend,at timesexplainingitby the II Jonesian," more familiar toEnglishmen. tTheTht6t1!oJJilium,orTallis,socalledfromtheArabtn'be Debai ; both wordsevidently connectedwithDahab,gold.Theportlies inN.Jat. 21,and about1 south of Meccah,andnearly3 (= 180m.) south of Berenike on the opposite Mrican shore.It washeldthebestforshipping the produce of the'Aqyq,the Bysch,and the Hogayra workings. HOW THEGOLDWASFOUND.253 wheremerchantsbarteredforthepreciousmetal?Hamdany (JtziratdAraIJ,pp.260-67)headsone of his chapters,"Mines of Yamima and Diyar-Kuby'a,where at present the Oqayl (Ukayl) binKab dwell."Amongthesediggingsheincludes one of silver, andanotherofcopper,bothnearScha.mam(Hd.p.260), togetherwiththefollowingfiveofgold.I.AI-Hasan,arich placer, apparently the same asAhsan, alsocallM fromits industry Madin-al-Ahsan (Mineof EI-Ahsan):it isavillageonthe north-westerlyroadof theYemQma,betweenthisplaceandDharayya(the"State-domainsofDharyya");andit isheldby theAbU-Bakr,atribederivingfromtheBeniKilib.2.AI-Hofayr(thelittledigging)inthe'AmAyaregion.3.Thanyya (Byna?)oftheBilUliticIbn (Hd.260).4- Thegold-mine of Tiyas ; and,5, that of Aqyq(' Akik) inthe Oqayl country, notfarfromByscha-YaqtWl.tThelatter(accordingtoYm.ii. 826)isthebestyielderinallArabia,andtheApostleof Allah said of it,"The land of the Oqayl rainethgold." BesidesthesefivesitesHamd6.nynotices,withoutspecifying whatorestheyyield,sixothers,viz.-I.AI-Dhobayb.2.AI Ausaga.3.ThemineontheBaghdad-Mekka(Meccah)road, which,however, maybethesame as No.6;lyingbetween Omaq andOfayya.4.Byscha tinYamama,themid-lengthofthe great Baitius Valley.5.AI-Hogayra(Hujayra);and6,Thatof theBanuSolaym,fromlongmarchesnorth-eastofMedina. Theabbreviationsare.. Hd."(Hamdant);.. Ym."(Yikut'swell-knownwork,theII Mu'janel-Buldan," or .. Whatisknown of Countries "-7fUuI's Cleogr'.WiirterlJw/l, Von. F.WiJslmft1ti; 6,sande, Leipzig. 1866-73- Yikut, in full,Abu Abdillabi Yikut ibn AbdillahiEI-Hamawi,sur-namedSbihab el-Din or .. Shooting-star of the Faith," was born in the Bitad el-Rum,orAsia Minor,A.D_1178-80;livedat Baghdad,anddiedthere,A.D. .. Yd." the Marisid el-IttiU'a,often alluded to in tliese pages. tAs Sprenger remarks(p.So),thissecondPilgrim-stationnorthof the Benit-Harb is the only Arabic word which preserves the memory of" Joctan:" in p.264he identifies Byscha with the Biblical Mesha(Oen.x.30). lThis valley,famedforitslions,must notbe confounded with the Wad, .Bishahin EI-Yemen,which heads near the town of Kaukaban,and which ends in a considerablestream,theSardud {p.8," Notes ofaJoumeyin Yemen," by CharlesMillingen,M.D.intheTurkishArmy,readbeforetheRoO.S.Feb. 23,1874.andreprinted by Clowes,187.5>-fTheProfessor writesto me:.. Ihl1vetaken great painsto ascertainthe exactsitesoftheCentralArabianmines,butwithoutmuchsuccess:this much,however,iscleartomethat,withtheexceptionoftheMa'dinBani Solaym,they are in WahhAbiterritory." 254THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. Somemaintainthatthelatteryieldssilver,otherssayiron;but the restof the fivewere certainly gold.The placers of AI-Hasan, AI-'Atlsaga and others(in theirneighbourhood) lie onornear the highway connecting thePersianGulfwithSyria,andthusinthe trade-zoneof theRamah(Rremitre) * merchantswho,according toEzekiel(xxvi.22),occupied the fairs of Tyre"with chief ofall spices,andwithpreciousstones(pearls?)andgold. "Wemay believethattheybarteredgoodsforthenoblemetalwhile marching throughNagd(EI-Nejd). 54- Hamdanyconfineshimselftomentioningafewmining-sites in Nagd,and evenin thesehisamountsareincomplete.At Thachb(Sakhb)intheKlIabcountry,goldandwhite'Aqyq (agates) tare found(Yol.i920)- There wasalsoa gold-mineat Hima-Dharyya(Yol.ii 324),andanotheratChuba (K"azM), possibly thesame asthe 'Aqyq digging(Ym.ii 436).Adoubtful placerappearsto havebeen atal-'Yn(Ym.iii 753)andafifth at (Nast')betweeny:amamaandMakka(Yd.iii.190). Moqaddasy(EI-Mukaddasi)expresslysays(i101) tthatthere isagold-minebetweenYanb'o(Yanou'a)andMarwa; and Ya'quby p.103)mentionsanotheratQaschm (Kashm),near Tathlyth(Taslis).Theselistscouldbegreatly extended. My object,however,istoprovefromArabwritersthatgold has beendug,not inArabiagenerally,butespecially intheLitus Hammaeum,1IandinChauIan UnfortunatelyHam-Boehart,on the authority of the LXX., has identified the Biblical Raamah (Re'amah)\liththeRhegmapolis of Ptolemy(vi.7,14),inN. lat.230 10'. ThecitylaynearRasel-Khaymah,aplacemadeknowntoIndiabythe expedition againstthe Jawasimah (Kawasim)pirates. tFor the onyx and the carnelian,see chap.Lof this volume. lTheMS.ofthegeographerwasbroughttolightbyProfessor Sprenger,andhaslately beenpublished by Professor Goeje,ofLeyden,who is nowtranslating it. More generally called Zu'lMarwah,theclassicalMochura,atractstill occupied by the Juhaynah tribe,inN.lat. 240 10';fourmarchesnortheast of YambU'a,and about the same distance north-west of EIMedinah. n Pliny,vi.32.IIfind 1MClar;(var.Glari), of Ham-mlZWll(var.MammreumandMamreum,nowthecoastof Hamidha orEI-H:unidah),i"wkickIMegpld-",ines;1M ofCanauna(aWady KanUnahenters theseainN.lat.190 8',near themodem.. Goonfoodah '') ; llunationsof 1MApi/ami(theAlitreiof Agatharkides?),anti 1MCassa"i (var.Gasani;theGassanitre,thecelebratedBeniGhassan).Ithasbeen suggested that thesemines may have beenthe objective of .lElius Gallus. ,KhauJan(Wallin's II Alkhawl& ") is generally assumedto be the Bavilah .I10W THEGOLDWASFOUND.255 dAnygivesnochapteronthegold-mines ofYaman(el-Yemen), thoughthewholeobjectof hisbookistodescribethatregion: perhaps Iklyl(IkUl)suppliesthedetails.Hesays(p.211),how-ever,.. inDhankan(Zank3.n)isawell-yieldingmine;andits Tibr (unmeltedgold)isnotbad "-meaninguncommonlygood. Thesite,well-knowntoArabiangeographers,liessometwo hours'marchsouthofPortDzahabAnandthreenorthofHa.-midha.Thus it iscertainly upon the Hammrean shore;and must not be confoundedwiththe"Sancan" ofNiebuhr.At DhankAn mayhavebeenthegold-bearingstreammentionedbyAgathar-kides.Ya"kubyp.103)includessixplacesunder theprovincesdependentupontheMakkagovernment,ending with.. thisis the sea-eoast."Thefirstmaybe read cAsuf,which isqualifiedas"gold-mine";thesecondisBaysch,andtheone before the last is 'Athr. t Wehavenowtravelledsouthwardstothebordersof the ChaulAndistrict,where,however,wehavenotyetfoundgold diggings."WadyBayscht(accordingto Ym.i720)isoneof of theBookof Genesis;andthecountry ofthe XauAoTQ;oI;thelaterGreeks knewit asEblA.Thecommonopinionof theArabsisthatKhau18.nwas a descendant ofKahtanaoctan 1);othergenealogists say ofKah1anbrother to Himyar ; and he named a district inNorth Western Yemen between San'aa and EI.Hejaz.Sprenger places it inN.lat.17,amongst the Arabanita: (Arhab); and westwitha little southing fromMarib of the Dyke. Geog.Gr.Min.,cap.xcv.p.184:Dm,pam","omllus,jartim (astheMidianitetribesarenow);'I"on""frr ",tdill",r,gi_ a",,,izlal1i/llr,nat"nttrijlarlilus;fJfIidrammtll(spangles)Ill1rid'im tam COftspic,,4NtI;",,,slid oshaCOIISn'7JatllSpnxul intienltild(mica,or micaschist ?). tOrAththar(Asr,Assllr).thenameofadistrictaboutWadyBaysh; containingatownofthesamename(Athr,etc.,orBaysh),thelattera favouritetrading place.According toHamdany (211),"Aththar is a glorious of coast;it contains the capitalcityBaysh;thefertileandcultivated lands of Abriq (AI1rdkor AlJrd" 1), and the Wadies known as AlAmi.n,Baysh, Itwad(intheAdm.Chart"Ewid," N.lat.If 34').Baydb,Raym,'Aram ram,Onayf(or Zonayj),and 'Amud (Sprenger, 48),For" Wadi Blscba," see Zehme etc.,pp.45-47). l"Bayshun "=PMOn.It isthe BllitiiOsi4(Ptol.vi.7, 6) inN.lat. ZOO40"and25miles southofit (20IS') lay the" DadeoDasileion .. (Baysh. townorEIAsr).Baitius,thecelebratedJlllmmlI"rij""m, andrepresented to be 400long,was certainly made by the ancientsto"encompassthe whole land ofasfar as the latter is synonymous\lith the KhauIandistrict. It is,however,an imaginary stream, composed of at least three senral Wadies. the latterseparatedby greatdeserts andhighwaterpartings.It dividedthe 256THEGOLD-MINESOF MIDIAN. thecountships(MikhlM)of Yaman,andcontainsanumberof mines."ThetruthisthatitisaWady,the Pison,or Pishon,of Scripture,anditschiefsettlementiscalled,fromthefrequent stormswhichafflictit,AM Torab,"father of dust" (dust-hole). Gold ishere not named,butitisgenerallyunderstoodbyArabs under the generic word "Ma'din" (mine) used without qualification. And evenifthegeographeralludetoabandoned works,wemay hold that boringsand shaftshadbeensunk there forthe precious metal.Inordertoplacethisregioncorrectly,wemustseek Niebuhr'sAttuie inN.lat.170 36';it corresponds with the Wady 'Itwad beforementioned. MahallAbyTorab,properlycalledal-RAha,ortheresting-place,liessomefourhours'marchtothenorthof 'Itwad,and consequentlywhereNiebuhr(mapoftheRedSea)showsthe DsjabbelNaIclb(fibtl tI-Nukkdb),theKnappenberg,orMiners' HilLAnallusiontosuchworksmayalsobecontainedinthe name" AI-Qayn"(metal-workers),which(inYm.iv_219)is atownsituatednorthof,andbelongingto,Aththar(orBayeh) City;it liesat the entrancetoYaman.Althoughthisindication does not preciselyfixitsposition,AI-QaynmustbeclosetoAM Torab.Strictly speaking, thesediggingshardly belong to ChaulAn. Yetthe divisionisnot somarked astopreventHamdany himself (p.202)includingthecoastinthatprovince.TheTilWnat (lowlands)oftheChauIanitespenetrateintothesea-boardof AbrannearBaysch(Hd.125),andintotheshoreofUmm-Gahdam. InChaulinproperistheplacewhereChron.(ii3.6), speakingofSolomon'sTemple,says,"thegoldwasthegold of Parvaim."TheArabscallitFarwa,andwefind(Ym.iv.147) amine, one hour'smarch fromit,thusnoticed," Al-Qofl'a"isin theya'daRegion, tor,moreexactlyspeaking,intheChaulAn ProvinceofYaman:itisinhabitedbytheBano.Ma'marb. land of the Khaulataioi (Khaulan,Havilah) fromGaubitis,which Aristocmm. inAgatharkides,calls.. Chabinus ;" andnowitformsthedemarking.line betweenEl.Hejaz andEl-Yemen. Hence theDeniEl-Kayn(Qayn),the.. sons of themetal-workers,"are themixedraceof autochthonsandKuda'a(Qodhi'ites),whoexploitedthe mine of the Beny Soiaym (Salma)lying nearly duenorth of Makka(Sprenger. p.287) tSa'adah is thecapital of Mara,north of Sana", capital of EI-Y emen. HOWTHEGOLDWASFOUND.257 Zorarab.ChaulAn,antiontllaJ spotis a gold mine."Hamd!ny's textiscorruptwhereitsays(201)AI-FOf6'a(sie!)isamarket town(there is)tilemineof IAnra;or,asthesentencemay also read,AI-FOftJ'a is a market town,anti amine of tile Horra. The site of theseFarwadiggingscanapparently be laid down withsufficientcorrectness.Hamd!ny(82)remarksthatAI-Cha andCa'dalieuponthesameparallel(N.lat.1635', or rather16 and theformer, being upon the Golb Golb)River, wasthereforenamedbyNiebuhraftertheGholOb.Wenow ascendfromthevalley,andharduponthehighestpartof the water-shedwefindAI-Qoffi.'aandAI-BAr,thelatteraheathen sanctuaryatwhichthepeople"of Yamanworshipped.Another forkof theGolbcomesfromtheRasGolb,nearAI-KaddinAI-Qarfi'ortheHighlandsofChauIAn(Hd130).Crossingthe water-shed,anddescendingtheeasternslope,wefallintothe hydrographicbasinofthe WadyNagrantThisfeature (accordingtoHd 148-49)"receivestheFiumara that drains the countrylyingwestof