GYPT has come to the front in public interest of late, owing to the rebellions that have arisen there, and which it has fallen to the lot of the English Government to suppress. In 1882, Lord Wolseley, with his brave army, crushed the rebellion of Arabi and his followers. Several battles were fought, and the one which gave the final blow, and terminated the rebellion, with the capture of its leader, was the memorable battle of Tel-el-Kebir, fought on September 13th, 1882. The present rebellion, under the Mahdi, or False Prophet, as he is called (because he claims to be the Mahdi foretold by Mahommed, and that he has been sent on a divine mission), has already occasioned several battles. General Graham and his force, after severe fighting, succeeded in dispersing the rebels, after slaying, we regret to say, several thousands. They were a resolute and brave foe to deal with, for, when our soldiers charged them, they did not move an inch, but fought with admirable determination and courage, seeming to think nothing of death. This was the cause of so many of them being killed. They evidently did not expect to meet with so stout a resistance as they got from the English, probably thinking they were no better soldiers than the armies of Hicks and Baker Pashas, which were composed of native Egyptians, who, at the first onset of the rebels, were seized with a panic, threw down their arms and ran, the consequence being that the largest portion of them were massacred.

The Scriptural associations of Egypt are manifold, so that it would be useless to more than hint at a few here. There is the journeying of Abram from Canaan into Egypt on account of the famine in the land. Then there is the selling of Joseph (which is the first incident recorded of any note in connection with Egypt) to a party of Ishmaelites, who took him down into Egypt and sold him

to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh's guard. This was truly a circumstance worthy of notice, because it was the beginning of many important events which were to happen in after years. When his brethren sold him, they were ensuring their own preservation, though they did not know it, for the Lord permitted them to sell Joseph, and He took care of him, because he was to be the preserver of many thousands of people, and also of his brethren, who thought that, now they had sold him, they were well rid of one they hated. But they felt in after years their sin found them out, and they appeared to be truly sorry for what they had done to Joseph.

The children of Israel sojourned 430 years in Egypt, the beginning of their sojourn being reckoned from when Abram went down in a time of famine; and after Jacob and his sons went down to see Joseph, they multiplied and increased exceedingly, so that Pharaoh | began to fear that, if there should be war, they would turn against them and take Egypt; so they appointed taskmasters to afflict them; and Pharaoh also ordered that all male children should be slain. But, in spite of this, they still rapidly increased, and became in so many ways a source of trouble to Egypt (the plagues, for instance), that Pharaoh eventually let them go, and God led them to the Promised Land.

But, without going into any other Scripture incidents respecting Egypt, we will just mention that Jesus Christ was taken into Egypt because Herod sought to destroy Him, and there He remained until the death of Herod. This was the fulfilment of the prophecy, "Out of Egypt have I called My Son."

Egypt is situated on the south-east side of the Mediterranean, and is divided into three parts, namely, Lower, Middle, and Upper Egypt. Alexandria is in Lower Egypt, Cairo in Middle Egypt.

Its

earlier existence is involved in mystery, no historian having been able to fix upon any accurate date.

Some of the manners and customs of the Egyptians are very peculiar, and a knowledge of them is somewhat interesting and also useful; useful in this respect-the study of the Bible-which is an Oriental, or Eastern Book. All the figures there used are Eastern, and, without a knowledge of them, it is very often difficult to understand what they are meant to convey.

The Egyptians are a well-formed race, not stout, but generally taller than an Englishman. They are very superstitious -in fact, the most superstitious people in existence. If any small event, no matter how unimportant, were to happen, or if they have a dream, it is always ascribed to the influence of an efreet (evil spirit). They hold their beards to be sacred, and would sooner suffer anything than lose their beards, as it is considered a disgrace to a man to appear in public without his beard. For this reason David told his servants to remain at Jericho until their beards were grown, after they had been cut off by Hanun (2 Sam. x. 4). They are mostly bald, with the exception of a small tuft of hair at the top of the head. This is left because, if they were killed in war, they suppose that their heads would be piled in heaps (2 Kings x. 8), and they cannot bear the thought of being lifted up by their beards.

We said the men were tall, but the women are just the opposite, being short, but very upright in walking. They are looked upon as being very inferior to man, and wives are treated like so many servants, never being allowed to take their meals with their husbands. They are not only looked upon as being inferior, but also foolish. We read that Job said to his wife, "Thou speakest as one of the foolish women," which really means, Thou speakest as a woman. About the age of eight or nine, they begin to look womanly, and when they are out of their teens, they become wrinkled and

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shrivelled, and look quite old, probably owing to the climate or hard fare.

The Egyptians have certainly no great love for cleanliness. Indeed, they like to see the dirt on their children, to keep off, as they say, the envious eye, to be envied being considered a dire evil, and a sure omen of some catastrophe. They are also allowed to run about either in rags or else naked, for the same reason. This brings about what is very common in Egypt, namely, ophthalmia. The cause of this has been disputed, some supposing it to be caused by the dust which flies about; others that, in consequence of people sleeping on the housetops, the dews take effect on them; but what seems the most likely cause is this, that hundreds of little flies settle on every part of the eye. When satisfied, they depart and alight on others, thus carrying the disease from one to another; and all this is left unchecked. The people become stubbornly resigned to it, and say that it is the will of God that it should be so, and never take any steps to remedy it.

One thing about the Egyptians is, that they know how to conduct themselves in the presence of their superiors. They speak when spoken to, and not before. Young men never think of speaking in the presence of an aged person. Thus it was with Job (see Job xxix. 8).

Their manner of eating would, in England, be looked upon as disgusting, as they use nothing but fingers and thumbs, only the upper classes using knives and forks, and these are rare exceptions. They seat themselves round a low table, some on stools, others on the floor; their food, in all cases, being stewed or chopped up. They are waited upon by hired servants (a distinction must be made between hired servants and servants. A hired servant is one that is paid by the day. A servant really means a slave. When we read that Zebedee had hired servants, it means those already mentioned, not slaves). These hired servants bring in water, bowl, soap, and napkin. They pour the water on the hands of those