Egypt as it is / by J. C. McCoan.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

CHAPTER I. TERRITORY : Sir Bartle Frero's Testimony to Recent Egyptian Progress - Territory has Shared in the General Development - Boundaries of Egypt Proper - Extension South of these - Present Divisions The Delta - The Northern Lakes - Middle Egypt - The Fayoum - The Said – Philae - The Eastern Desert - The Oases - Red Sea Coast - Geological Divisions - Nile Soil - Nubia to the Soudan - Total Extent of Present Territory -- CHAPTER II. POPULATION : Diversity of Races - Conflicting Estimates of Total - Census of 1859 - Rate of Increase - Present Estimated Totals – Fellaheen – Bedoween - Copts -Abyssinians – Nubians – Jews - Rayah Greeks – Syrians - Armenians – Foreigners - Industrial Distributions of the Whole -- CHAPTER III. CITIES AND TOWNS : Cities and "Mohafzas" – Towns and Villages – Alexandria - First View of Egypt - Napoleon's Estimate of Alexandria - The Old Civilisation and the New - Topography of the Modern City - Its Commercial Revival - Ramleh - To Cairo - The Queen of Eastern Cities – Hausmannisation - The Esbekieh - Cairene Mosques - The Citadel - Social Attractions - Heliopolis - The Pyramids and Sphinx -"Eothen's" Prophetic Rhapsody - The Nile Voyage - Cairene Trade – Helwan - Rosetta - Damietta -Port Saïd - El-Arish and Ismallia – Suez - Souakim and Massowah - The other Provincial Chief Towns -- CHAPTER IV. EGYPT AND THE PORTE : The Problem of their Relation - The Conquest never Established Full Sovereignty of the Porte - Continued Power of the Mamlouk Beys - The French Invasion - MEHEMET ALI - Elected Viceroy – War with the Porte - The Treaty of 1840 - His Subsequent Administration and Death - Ibrahim, Abbas, and Saïd Pashas - Accession of ISMAIL, a New Epoch -Change of the Succession - "Khedive" – International Recognition of these Changes - Conflict of Juristic Opinion as to their Effect - De facto Establishment of an Arab Kingdom - "Egypt for the Egyptians" - Probable Outcome of the War - Independence or British Protection -- CHAPTER V. ADMINISTRATION : L'État, c'est le Khédive - Council and Ministers merely Executants of his Will - His Early Life - After his Accession – Abdeen - Routine of his Highness's Daily Life - His Personal Character - The Ministries - The late Moufettish - His Inordinate Power - The Present Ministry of Finance - Of Foreign Affairs - Of the Interior - Of War and Marine - Of Commerce - Of Public Works and Agriculture - Of Public Instruction and the Wakfs - The Custom House and Post Office Provincial Administration - Mudirs, Mamours, Nazirs, and Sheikhs-el-beled - The Chamber of Delegates - Character of Egyptian Officials -- CHAPTER VI. FINANCES : Revenue and Expenditure Forty Years ago - Situation at Commencement of the Present Reign - Present Main Elements of Egyptian Finance - What the Revenue now consists of - The Expenditure - Explanation of its Increase - History of the State Debt - The Crisis of Last Year - Mr. Cave's Mission, and his Report - The French Unification Scheme – Its Failure - The Göshen-Joubert Scheme - Its Merits and Defects – Its Acceptance by the Khedive - The New Financial Administration – Its Guarantees The Essential Solvency of the Country -- CHAPTER VII. THE DAIRAS : In all, Seven of these Administrations - Only Two Responsible for the Daïra Debt - The Daïra-Sanich - Its Great Estates and Factories – Their Defective Management - Its Income and Expenditure - The Daïra - Khassa - History of the Debt - Inter-relations of both with the State Treasury - Crisis of Last Year - Exclusive of Daïra Debt from the Göschen-Joubert Scheme - Investigation of Assets and Liabilities - Recent Arrangement for Redemption of the Debt -- CHAPTER VIII. COMMERCE: Steady Growth of Egyptian Trade - Great Increase during Present Reign - Review of Ten Years ending 1875 – Exports - Their Chief Details - Ninety per cent. of the whole shipped from Alexandria – Principal Foreign Markets - Diminution of the Transit Traffic compensated by Growth of General Trade – Imports - Whence chiefly received – Their Increase an Evidence of Augmented National Wealth - Re-adjustment of the Customs Tariff -- CHAPTER IX. AGRICULTURE : This has always been the Staple Industry of Egypt - Its Present Principal Conditions - Land Tenure - Its Varieties and Chief incidents – Extent of Land held under each - Their respective Rent Charges - Large Taxable Reserve in the Tithe Lands - Labour Supply - Sufficient with certain Reforms – Wages - Water-supply wholly dependent on the Nile - "Good" and "Bad" Niles - How the Inundation is controlled - Sakkias, Shadoofs, and Taboots - Their Antiquity Great Economy of Labour if they were replaced by Cheap Machinery - Methods of Cultivation still Rude - Cotton Culture - Capability of its Expansion – Cereals - Their Varieties and Yield - Non-Cereal Crops - Average Gross Value of Produce - With Improved Irrigation, Area of Cultivation may be Largely Increased -- CHAPTER X. PUBLIC INSTRUCTION : Foundations of Present System laid by the Caliphs - Decadence under the Mamlouks - Revival under Mehemet Ali - His Military Schools - His Neglect of Education after the Peace - Further Decline under Abbas Pasha - Greater Liberality of Said - Revival under the Khedive - Three Systems now at Work - The State Schools - Girls' Schools, their Great Success - The Blind and Normal Schools - Municipal Civil Schools - Mosque Colleges - The Azhar - Arab Primary Schools – Native Non-Moslem Schools-Foreign Missionary Schools - Aggregate of the whole - Educational Level of Egypt relatively to Europe -- CHAPTER XI. PUBLIC WORKS : The Great Aggregate of these-Railways-Principal Lines of the System - Nearly all Constructed during the Present Reign - Their Average Cost - Low Working Cost - Former Abusive Management The New Administration - The Sondan Line – Canals - Their Two Classes – How they Control and Distribute the Irrigation - Great Additions made to the System during the Present Reign - The Barrage - Its Proposed Completion - Harbour Works - At Alexandria - At Suez – Lighthouses - Details of the Present Service - Its Efficiency – Telegraphs – Existing Lines - External Communication – Bridges - Kasr-en-Nil - Ghizeh - Others Built during Present Reign -- CHAPTER XII. THE SUEZ CANAL : This Work a Source of Permanent Loss to Egypt - Its Political Compensations - Ancient History and Variations of the Scheme Contemplated by Bonaparte - Conflicting Surveys - Opposed by Stephenson - Cairo-Suez Railway Constructed as Substitute - M. de Lesseps – First Concession from Saïd Pasha - English Opposition - Formation of Company - Commencement of Work - Fresh-Water Canal – Withdrawal of Corvée Labour - Reference to Emperor Napoleon - His Excessive Award - Further Financial Incidents - Description of the Canal - Economy of Distance - Seven Years' Traffic - Proportion of Flags - Dispute as to Dues - Its Settlement - Capital Account - Cost to Egypt – Compensations - Report of Directors for 1876 -- CHAPTER XIII. JUDICIAL REFORMS : The Capitulations - Their Abuse in Egypt - Resultant Scandals - First Action of the Government for their Reform - Memorandum of Nubar Pasha - Negotiations with the English and French Governments – Appointment of an International Commission - Its favourable Report – Opposition of the Porte - French Resistance - Assent of the Other Powers - Inauguration of the New Courts Their Organisation and Jurisdiction - Great Success of the Reform - Its Effect on the Future of Justice in Egypt -- CHAPTER XIV. MANUFACTURING AND OTHER INDUSTRIES : Skilled Industries not Improved Proportionately to Agriculture and Commerce - Misdirected Efforts of Mehemet Ali to Promote them – Official List of Trades, Incomplete - Esnofs, or Trade Guilds – Weavers – Metal Workers - Workers in Wood - Masons and Bricklayers - Tanners and Curriers – Potters – Paper-making - The Boulak Mill - Bakers and Millers – Embroiderers – Goldsmiths – Turners - The Old Mushrabeeyahs - Modern Skilled Labour chiefly done by Europeans - Artificial Egg hatching – Cotton-factory Workers - Poverty of Mineral Resources - Saltpits - Natron Lakes – Petroleum – Fisheries - Nile Boatmen - General Inferiority of Native Skilled Work - No Chance of Competing with Europe - True Policy of Government to Encourage Agriculture -- CHAPTER XV. SLAVERY: Popular Misconception on this Subject- Difference between Eastern and Western Slavery - Property in the Person almost the only Common Feature - Status of Slave better in Egypt than in Turkey - Universality of the Institution - Different Classes of Slaves – Circassians now Rare - Abyssinians and Soudanis - Egyptian Slaves protected by Religion and Public Sentiment - Additional Safeguards decreed by the Khedive -Their Abuse by the Consuls - Consequent Limitation of Consular Interference - Existing Facilities of Emancipation – The Slave Trade legally Abolished, but still surreptitiously carried on - How it is fed – Prices - The Institution now merely a mild Domestic Servitude - Acknowledged Cruelties of Slave-hunting - The Khedive honestly bent on its Abolition - Colonel Gordon's Commission -- CHAPTER XVI. FAUNA AND FLORA : The Camel - The Ass - The Horse - The Ox - The Buffalo - Sheep and Goats - The Pig, "Unclean" to Christian, Moslem, and Jew - Dogs and Cats - Indigenous Wild Animals- Crocodiles and Hippopotami - Abundant Ornithology - Tame Fowl - Wild Fowl - Ophidians - Fish - Native Trees less numerous than Animals – Palms – Sycamores - Acacias – Tamarisks – Poplars – Cypresses - Mulberries – Olives - Exotics, very numerous - Their Varieties -- CHAPTER XVII. CLIMATE : Generally, Dry and Hot - Considerable Difference between Coast and Interior - No Real Winter in Egypt - The Khamsin - Mean Summer Temperature at Cairo - Scarcity of Rain - Climate of the Isthmus - Mean Annual Rates of Temperature - Regularity of the Wind - Egyptian and European Death-rates - The Nile Valley anciently Famous as a Sanatarium - Testimony of Rev. A. C. Smith - Corroborated by Drs. Dalrymple, Patterson, Walker, Zagiel, and Pruner - Endemic Diseases - Improving Sanitary Administration - Consensus of Medical Opinion in favour of Egypt as a Health-resort -- CHAPTER XVIII. THE SOUDAN : Its Geographical Area – Dongola – Berbera – Taka - Shendy and Halfé – Sennaar – Khartoum – Kordofan – Darfour - The Shillook Country - Darfertit and Donga - Sir S. Baker's Expedition - Colonel Gordon - Successful Results of his First Expedition - His new Commission as Governor – General - Expressed Determination to Extinguish the Slave Trade - The Opposing Difficulties - Antiquity and Wide-spread Sources of the Traffic - Trade of the Soudan - Its Export Routes – Development that may be Expected with Improved Communications - Results already Achieved - The Khedive's Claim on European Confidence -- APPENDIX A. THE VICEREGAL FAMILY - APPENDIX В. EGYPTIAN CURRENCY, WEIGHTS, AND MEASURES - APPENDIX C. EGYPTIAN CALENDARSAPPENDIX D. MILITARY GRADES AND RATES OF PAY - PPENDIX E. COST OF LIVING IN EGYPT - APPENDIX F. EGYPTIAN TRADE WITH GREAT BRITAIN - APPENDIX G. MR. CAVE'S REPORT ON THE FINANCIAL CONDITION OF EGYPT - APPENDIX Η. THE FINANCIAL DECREES.