Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 1.djvu/533

Rh greatness. The general appearance of Alexandria is by no means striking; and from its situation its environs are sandy, flat, and sterile. It was formerly surrounded by strong turreted walls, with extensive outworks, but in various parts the walls have lately been destroyed to make wuy for improvements. In the Turkish quarter the streets are narrow, irregular, and filthy, and the houses mean and ill-built. The Frank quarter, on the other hand, presents the appearance of a European town, having handsome streets and squares, and excellent shops. The streets have been much improved lately by being nearly all paved. The principal hotels, shops, and offices are situated in the Great Square, the centre of which forms a very agreeable promenade, being planted with trees, and well provided with seats. It has also a fountain at each end. In the suburbs are numerous handsome villas, with pleasant gardens. Among the principal public buildings are the palace of the pasha, the naval arsenal, the naval and military hospitals, custom-house, bourse, two theatres, several mosques, churches, convents, &c. There is an im portant naval school, and a number of other educational , NEW PORT institutions. Among the charities worthy of mention is the hospital of the Deaconesses of Kaisersworth. Formerly the town was supplied with water by means of the ancient reservoirs formed under the old city, which are in many cases as perfect now as when first made, 2000 years ago. These were annually filled with water by means of the canal from the Nile, at the time of inundation; but a system of water-works has been formed by a public com pany, and a constant supply of water is now obtained from the canal at some distance from the town. The principal streets, squares, and railway stations, are lighted with gas. Few of the remains of the ancient city are now visible. Most of those that were to be seen a few years ago have since disappeared, but frequently in making excavations portions of ancient masonry, broken columns, and frag ments of states are discovered. Among the best known of the ancient relics are the two obelisks commonly called &quot;Cleopatra s Needles.&quot; They were originally brought from Heliopolis to Alexandria in the reign of Tiberius, and were set up in front of the temple of Caesar. They are of red granite, and covered with hieroglyphics. One is still standing, and is 71 feet high and 7 feet 7 inches in diameter at the base. The other, which is fallen 495 and covered with debris, is in a less perfect state, and not quite so long as the former. It was offered to the English government by Mehemet Ali, but after some consideration was declined. Near the obelisks are the niins of an old round tower, commonly called the &quot; Roman Tower.&quot; Exit the most striking of the ancient monuments is the column styled &quot; Pompey s Pillar.&quot; It stands on a mound of earth about 40 feet high, and has a height of 98 feet 9 inches. The shaft consists of a single piece of red granite, and is 73 feet long and 29 feet 8 inches in circumference. The capital is Corinthian, 9 feet high, and the base is a square of about 15 feet on each side. From an inscription it appears to have been erected in honour of the emperor Diocletian, and it was formerly surmounted by a statue of that monarch. To the S.W. of the city are the catacombs, which served for the burial of the dead, and are formed by excavations in the calcareous rock of which the shore is composed. They are of great extent, and one of the chambers is remarkable for its elegance. The climate of Alexandria is mild and salubrious. The heats of summer are modified by the N.W. winds from the sea, which prevail during nine months of the year, the thermometer seldom rising above 85 Fahr. In winter a good deal of rain falls, and throughout the year the atmosphere is generally moist, being saturated with a saline vapour from the sea. Alexandria has been mainly indebted for its prosperity to the advantages of its position for trade. It was this that first attracted the attention of its far-seeing founder to the site, and its subsequent history in no way belied his penetration. It soon rose to be the most important com mercial city in the world, and the great emporium of trade between Europe and the East. Subsequently its fortunes fluctuated with those of its possessors, but the great blow to its prosperity was the discovery of the route to India by the Cape of Good Hope, and under the Turks it sank into insignificance, numbering only about 6000 inhabitants. Soon after Mehemet Ali became ruler of Egypt he turned his attention to the restoration of Alexandria. One of the most important works that he effected with this view was the opening of the Mahmoudieh Canal in 1820. This was accomplished at a cost of about 300,000, and, for want of proper management, at a melancholy loss of human Life. It is about 50 miles in length, with an average width of about 100 feet, and communicates with the Rosetta branch of the Nile at the village of Atfeh. Since Alexandria became the centre of the steam communication between Europe and India, and the principal station on the Over land Route, its progress has been rapid. It has now regular communication with England, Marseilles, Brindisi, Con stantinople, &c. In 1851 Mr Stephenson was instructed to form a railway between Alexandria and Cairo, which was accomplished, and the line opened for traffic, in 1856. This was shortly afterwards extended to Suez, and several extensions have since been made to the cotton districts of the Delta. A short line of railway (not belonging to the government) connects the town with Ramleh, a sea-bathing village about 7 miles distant. Alexandria has two ports, an eastern and a western. The latter, called also the Old Port, is by far the larger and better of the two. It extends from the town west ward to Marabout, nearly 6 miles, and is about a mile and a-half in width. It has three principal entrances. The first, or that nearest the city, has about 1 7 feet of water, but is narrow and difficiilt of access, and only used by small vessels and boats. The second or middle, which is also the principal entrance, is about a quarter of a mile wide, and has, where shallowest, 27 feet of water. The eastern side of this entrance is marked by buoys, and there are landmarks for guiding to the channel. The third or western entrance has its western boundary about three-