sion was made to Old Cairo, and from there by ferry to the island of Rhoda. On the latter is the famous Nilometer, or instrument for measuring the depth of water in the Nile; it is a square well, connected with the river, so that the water can freely rise and fall within it. In the centre of the well is a stone column, marked like a scale, with the old Arabic measures: the dra, or ell, was the unit of measurement, and was 213 inches in length, divided into 24 kirat. The height of the column is 17 ells, or about 30 feet, and the Nile at its lowest point covers about 7 ells of this length. When the water mounts to 15% ells the river is considered full, and the whole valley of the Lower Nile can be inun

dated. The embankments that restrain the water are then cut with a great many ceremonies, and the prospect of an abundant harvest causes general rejoicing.

Doctor Bronson explained to the youths that the taxation each year was based on the height of the water at the inundation, and the Nilometer was the official evidence of the condition of the river. Inscriptions on some of the monuments show that the ceremonies of cutting the banks were established as early as the fourteenth century before the Christian

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era, and the taxation was based on the height of water in ancient times as at present. The Nilometer was exclusively in charge of the priests, and the people were not allowed to see it. It was the object of the authorities to tax the people as heavily as possible, and there is good reason to believe that the priests made false statements concerning the height of the water, and no one could contradict them. The Arab and Turkish rulers did the same thing, and the practice is continued to the present time; at the period of the inundation the Nilometer is closed to the public, and every one must depend upon the figures of the officer in charge. As he owes his position to the government, it is pretty certain that he does what the government desires, and reports the river at the highest figure whether it is so or not.

The guide pointed out the spot at the end of the island where the infant Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh. The boys thought the place was pretty enough for the historical event to have occurred there, but were in some doubt as to the correctness of the guide's information.

Before the construction of the bridge over the Nile the principal crossing of the river was by the ferry at Old Cairo. At present it is not so much in use; but there is yet a considerable business transacted there, and the stranger will generally find a crowd of men and camels waiting. to be taken to the other side.

The evening previous to the visit to the museum at Boulak was devoted to a study of the history of ancient Egypt, so that the youths would have an understanding of the interesting collection of antiquities. in that establishment. At the Doctor's suggestion Frank and Fred wrote a brief account of what they had learned, and placed it on the pages of their journal. Here is what they prepared:

"The history of ancient Egypt is full of interest, and has been a subject of a great deal of study by many learned writers. Herodotus, who has been called 'the father of history,' and flourished in the fifth century before the Christian era, was the first of these writers, and some of the discoveries of the present time have been based on his records. Another Greek writer, Manetho, lived two centuries later than Herodotus, but, unfortunately, the greater part of his works have not come down to us.. A large part of the history of ancient Egypt has been obtained from the inscriptions on the walls of the temples and tombs, and from the writings upon papyrus scrolls, and the linen in which mummies were rolled.. In modern times there have been many explorers and writers who have devoted years of study to the subject, and consequently we know more of ancient Egypt than of any other country of antiquity. If you wish

to know more than we can tell you now about the people that lived here four thousand years ago, we refer you to the works of Wilkinson, Poole, Mariette, Lepsius, Belzoni, Bunsen, Brugsch, and many others. There are books enough on Egypt to keep you busy a whole year, and perhaps two

years, just to read them through. We are reading 'The Ancient Egyptians,' by Sir Gardner Wilkinson, and find it very interesting.

"The first King of Egypt that we know about was Menes, who founded the City of Memphis. There is a difference of opinion among the writers as to the date when he existed; Wilkinson, Poole, and others say he lived about 2700 B.C., Bunsen says it was 3623 B.C., and Mariette thinks it was 5004 B.C. The reason why they make this difference is because some of them believe the dynasties, or families of kings, of ancient Egypt succeeded one another, while others believe some of them ruled at the same time in different parts of the country. The difference between the successive' and the 'contemporaneous' theories, when you add up the periods of all the dynasties, is more than two thousand years. Down to the seventeenth dynasty the figures are uncertain; from the seventeenth to the twenty-first it is agreed that the dynasties were successive, but there is some difference about their dates; while from the twentyfirst dynasty to the Christian era there is no dispute.

THE DYNASTIES OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

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"Perhaps this is dry reading; if so, you had better go over it carefully, and then skip.

To

"Whether King Menes lived seven or five thousand years ago makes very little difference to us, and probably to him, as he is dead now. avoid confusion we will take the theory of Wilkinson, and suppose it was only five thousand years ago that the first dynasty began. That will seem more neighborly, and bring us so near to Menes that we can almost imagine we knew him personally. Just think of it-only five thousand years ago!

MENES.

"Some of the dynasties of ancient Egypt lasted two hundred years and more, while others were much less, the shortest dynasty being seventy days. During the fourth dynasty, which lasted two hundred years, the Pyramids of Gizeh were built (about 2400 B.C.). In the twelfth dynasty many monuments and temples were erected, and many of the famous tombs were made; Abraham, and afterward Joseph, came to Egypt, and several important events of Egyptian history belong to this dynasty. The eighteenth dynasty

RAMESES II., FROM AN INSCRIPTION.

lasted nearly two hundred and fifty years (in the sixteenth, fifteenth, and fourteenth centuries B.C.), and was the most brilliant of all the periods of ancient Egypt. Thebes and other cities were in the height of their glory, the armies made great conquests, the temples at Karnak and Thebes were built, and the obelisks that are to-day the wonder of the world were brought from Syene, and erected where they could attest the power of the rulers of the land. The inscriptions on the monuments say that during the reign of Thothmes III., one of the kings of the eighteenth dynasty, Egypt placed her frontier where she pleased.'

"During the nineteenth dynasty one king, Rameses II. (or 'The Great'), reigned sixty-seven years, and left many monuments that remain to this day. One of his predecessors in the same dynasty, Sethi I., built several magnificent temples, and made

the first canal from the Nile to the Red Sea. The flight of the Israelites from bondage occurred in this dynasty during the reign of Meneptah.

He is generally known in history as the Pharaoh of the Exodus; and it is well to explain here that Pharaoh was the Egyptian word for 'king,' and is properly prefixed to the name of the ruler. The Egyptians would say 'Pharaoh Rameses,' 'Pharaoh Necho,' and the like, just as we say 'King George,' or 'King Charles.'

"In the twenty-seventh dynasty Egypt was taken by the Persians, and held by them one hundred and twenty years. Then the Egyptians made a successful rebellion, and drove out their oppressors till the thirtyfirst dynasty, when the Persians came back again. In the thirty-second dynasty (332 B.C.) Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, and founded Alexandria. The Greeks ruled the country for three hundred years, till the time of Cleopatra, at the beginning of the Christian era (thirty-fourth dynasty), when it became a Roman province, and what is called Ancient Egypt' came to an end. As

we are not concerned now with modern Egypt, we will close our historical record and take breath."

With this brief outline of the history of ancient Egypt in their minds the boys were able to make an intelligent observation of the museum at