or the Romans, was of all ancient religions the most obstinate in its resistance to Christianity. The priests of the Temple of Osiris at Phila He who sleeps at Phila '-opposed the edict of Theodosius in A.D. 379; and that so successfully that we find from the votive tablets they were in possession so late as 453 A.d. At length, however, the day came when the chants in honour of the resurrection of Osiris gave way to chants in honour of the risen Christ; and the great temple was dedicated to the martyr St. Stephen. This good work,' says a Greek inscription, was done by the God-beloved Abbot Theodore.' But the day of vengeance came, and the Christian in his turn was driven forth by the triumphant Moslem, and the Christian Church is now extinct in Nubia.

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In the claim which Egypt has upon our affections let us never forget that it welcomed as guest the patriarch to whom three great religions of the world, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, trace back their spiritual origin, our forefather Abraham;' and that it was the home in which the infant Saviour of the world, lying in His mother's arms, found a refuge, and the highest significance was given to the words: Out of Egypt have I called my

son.'

JOHN NEWENHAM HOARE.

THE CAPE: A DESCRIPTIVE SKETCH

THERE is, perhaps, hardly any part of the world of which, in spite of all that has been written, so little is generally, or at all events intimately, known in England as South Africa. The Cape Colony alone is upwards of 600 miles long by 400 miles broad, covering an area of, say, 200,000 square miles. There is certainly no colony or country which presents more objects of interest to the intelligent traveller. The fauna and flora, the geological conditions and atmospheric changes, the mountain ranges and vast karoos, the pastoral and agricultural productions, the coasts and the harbours, all present exceptional features. The inhabitants themselves, of diverse races, from many regions, of all shades of colour, and in every stage of civilisation, excite the highest interest. Even the absence of what might so easily be produced is a subject for study and reflection. Much is strange, a great deal is anomalous, all is striking. A slight sketch of the Cape Colony, therefore, from one who has recently passed through many parts of it for a special object at the request of the Cape Government, and who has had opportunities of seeing and hearing, of visiting points of interest, and of associating with some of the most capable and enterprising among its inhabitants, may be acceptable at a time when another Kaffir war has tended to direct special attention to it.

The voyage out and back has its advantages and its disadvantages. You cannot pass through the Bay of Biscay, or between Cape Finisterre and Madeira, without the risk of rough weather, if not of a full gale; nor can you cross the equator without warmth. But, deprived of these little varieties, the voyage-about 6,000 miles in distance, and three weeks in time--would be somewhat monotonous. And, after all, you are only thoroughly baked for a few days and parboiled for a few nights, whilst you have a good awning over the whole length of the deck, and a windsail sort of contrivance (if you are wise) out of your porthole, to produce a circulation of air in your cabin. Prickly heat may cover you; but it is, in moderation, a healthy symptom. You may take a salt-water bath ten times a day if you like it, for you will not exhaust the ocean; and you have only to pay once a week for the iced drinks for which you sign cards daily. On the whole, the voyage is the most equable, and the weather most to be relied on, of any of the same length that can be undertaken.

And there is very much to enjoy. There are occasional glimpses of fish life. The flying-fish, chased by bonitas in the water and by birds in the air, skim along the surface. Leaning over the bow of the ship, you may see the porpoises swimming under water in front of and across the cutwater with astounding rapidity, or gambolling around in shoals. Now and then a grampus, near the equator, rears his enormous black head and white crest out of the waves, and shows his back fin as he returns to the watery element; or, more to the south, a whale blows and flounders past. You may, however, look a long time and see very little; and it does seem extraordinary that in traversing so great a distance-a quarter of the circumference of the globe-there should be such a paucity of birds in the air or fish visible on the sea. The time passes quickly, and with more or less hilarity or conviviality, according to the tone and tempers of the passengers. Some are musical and sing; one or two play the piano; some prefer novels, cards, chess, or draughts. Consumptive patients, going or returning, generally when too late, require constant attention, and hardly expect, perhaps, to reach the end of the voyage. There are plenty of children. Some of the passengers appear to do absolutely nothing but eat, drink, sleep, and smoke. But there is, in any case, ample leisure, and excellent opportunity for an essay or article of this description, which may or may not be an infliction on the little world of readers. Well, three Sundays have gone by-or, having left Plymouth on Friday, and stopped for six hours at Madeira, you may arrive, as we did, with our excellent host and careful commander, Captain Larmer, in the Union steamship African,' on the fourth Sunday at Cape Town. There are two lines of Royal Mail steamers-those of the Union Company and those of Messrs. Donald Currie & Co. By one or other you may leave England any Friday. All call at Madeira, and some at St. Helena or Ascension. There is generally time for a trip on shore, going or returning, at these places. At Madeira you may enjoy a stroll and a meal on shore; or you may ride to the convent in half an hour and descend in a sleigh in eight minutes; or you may purchase parrots, love-birds, canaries, chains, jewellery, laces, and fruit in any quantity. For twelve shillings and sixpence you may hire at St. Helena a pony which will carry you in an hour to Longwood, and the ride so far through the island is a pleasant break to the journey, especially if you can persuade a lively young lady of the party to accompany you. In that case you must hire at the chemist's shop, as we did, the only lady's horse that appears to be available at James Town. For some unexplained reason the boys' who bring the four horses ordinarily used on such occasions to the beach, object to their being ridden by ladies. The proposition having been mooted, they became excited and alarmed, and ungallantly replied that they were not going to have their horses made fools of.'

It is 227 years since a European party, 100 in number, under

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Van Riebeck, took possession, for the Dutch East India Company, of the valley in which Cape Town now stands. Exiled Huguenots, Dutch and German farmers, Piedmontese refugees, formed valuable additions to the little colony. But from the first its progress was impeded, and industry and commerce were checked, by the arbitrary tendencies, politically and commercially, of its despotic rulers. The system of treking' was thus commenced, and, ever since, it has been the practice of dissatisfied farmers to 'trek' off to a greater distance from the Government, associated in their eyes with grasping misrule and excessive taxation, if not of tyranny and persecution. After various changes, the colony fell finally into British hands in 1806, and with British immigration in 1820, freedom and material improvements began to make real progress. The Kaffirs overran the border in 1834, doing damage to the extent of, say, 300,000l. There was an exodus in 1835 of old colonists into the country beyond the Vaal, into the territory between the Vaal and the Orange River, and into Natal. There was another Kaffir war in 1846, and a third in 1851. At the end of the latter, in 1853, British supremacy was extended over Kaffraria to the boundary of the Kei. After twentyfour years of peace another war was commenced in 1877, which is still in progress. The exactions and arbitrary conduct of the first rulers were ultimately followed by freedom of the press, trial by jury, executive and legislative councils, and local municipal councils; and finally, for the last five years, responsible government has been on its trial.' It was and is still considered by many that the colony was not ripe for such a change; and there is, no doubt, a want of independent gentlemen of high standing to undertake the chief offices of state. The ex-Premier, Mr. Molteno, is, indeed, almost the only representative man with wealth, leisure, and other requisite qualifications, commanding the confidence of a large proportion of the community. Others have shown energy and talent, and, as all things must have a beginning, it is to be hoped that a supply of able statesmen, with high aims and wise principles, will, in time, be developed for the benefit of the community. Meanwhile the population of the Cape Colony has increased to 720,000 souls, of whom probably onethird are of European extraction. The imports and exports of the country represent a value of 10,000,000l. to 12,000,000l. a year; and the public revenue has reached 1,200,000l. Railways, comprising a total length of nearly 1,000 miles, are being constructed, and are more than half completed. The telegraph is generally at work, and will soon, it is hoped, be connected with England. Passenger and post carts traverse the principal tracks or roads for 4,000 miles. Lighthouses have been erected, and large sums of money are being spent at the points where harbours are required. There are, further, in the colony 11,000,000 sheep, 3,000,000 goats, 1,200,000 cattle, 207,000 horses, 110,000 pigs, 30,000 mules and asses, and 22,000 ostriches.

Cape scenery and farming are different from anything to be seen

in England or elsewhere. All round the coast, and extending for 200 miles into the interior, are extensive mountain ranges. Being in a direction generally parallel to the coast-line, they are necessarily crossed by any roads or railways running into the interior. Α straight line from the coast will frequently pass through half-a-dozen large ranges of mountains; and they are so closely continuous that the practical means of communication with the coast are comparatively few in number. They bear different names at different parts of the same range, and vary in height up to 9,000 feet. The roads through them pass over 'neks' or through 'poorts'-a nek being an open 'pass at a lower level than two mountains which it connects, a 'poort' being an enclosed 'pass' through deep channels with high sides. Kloofs' are the ends of the valleys, wooded or not wooded, which run up into the mountains or between them. The tracts of country between or beyond these mountains are valleys, flats,' or 'karoos,' varying according to elevation, soil, and the supply of water. In some places you see a vast area of park-like country with trees at intervals, as on parts of the Kaffrarian border; in other places, as far as the eye can reach, there are trees and bushes growing closely together, and affording almost impenetrable cover for elephants and large game, as in the celebrated Knysna forest, and in the eastern province, within fifty miles of the sea. Further from the sea, and on higher ground, are the karoos' and' flats '-the former more level, and with shorter brush and scrub; the latter more uneven and more covered with trees. The karoos are of various quality, some with rich reddish-brown soil and excellent herbage, others looking like nothing but rocks and stones, as, for instance, that vast tract of country the Gouph,' towards Beaufort West. Grassland, in the English acceptation of the term, is hardly to be met with in the Cape Colony. The karoo surface, or 'veldt' (pronounced 'felt'), 'sweet' or 'sour,' is composed of bushes and scrub, wonderfully adapted by nature to the conditions under which they exist. With roots running deep into the ground, they exist through years of drought, and they are ready at all seasons to sprout forth after rain. Looking like dried sticks or bunches of heather, protruding from the hard-baked or stony soil, these Rhenoster bushes, or sheep-bushes, or others, yet continue to afford nourishment to large flocks and herds, as long as water is obtainable. Even on that great desolate tract on the left bank of the Orange River, and in the west of the colony, known as Great Bushman's Land, which is out of reach of the winter rains, and dependent on the summer streams, green food quickly appears, when rain does come, over hundreds of miles, on which cattle, sheep, and horses quickly get fat. But when prolonged drought, for two or three years, occurs, then unfortunately the farmers lose very large proportions of their animal wealth. The colony has of late been suffering from one of those severe periods of drought with which it is