The Great Egyptian Fair of Tantah.

Of late years Egypt has been so much overrun by Europeans, that many of its ancient customs will, in all probability, soon become obsolete. The generality of travellers know but little of these customs; their route lies along the beaten track by the Canal and Nile, or more frequently by rail from Alexandria to Caïro, and thence by the Nile to Upper Egypt, or by rail to Suez. So far as their journey is accomplished by rail, they stop only at places regularly provided with suitable accommodation; on their way up the Nile, beyond making short excursions to the ancient ruins, &c., they seldom penetrate into the interior.

One of the most interesting sights, and one which is rarely witnessed by Europeans, because it takes place about Midsummer, when Egypt is not visited by strangers, and is deserted by the majority of its European residents, is the Great Fair of Tantah.

Tantah, one of the "villages" of the Delta, is situated on the direct route by rail from Alexandria to Caïro, about midway between Kafr-el-Zayat and Benha, at the junction of the branch line to Mansourah and Damietta. It contains about eighty thousand inhabitants, and is the seat of one of the Moudirs orp rovincial governors of Lower Egypt. Its favourable situation, in the heart of the richest and most productive portion of the Delta, has caused Tantah to become one of the chief produce markets of the interior; and since the increase of cotton cultivation in Egypt, consequent upon the civil war in America, its commerce has been largely developed.

The town, or "village" (as all places excepting Alexandria and Caïro are habitually called), offers, in itself, no great attractions. It has but few European inhabitants, and those few are almost all Greeks.

A few stone dwellings excepted, the houses are built in the usual Arab style, of clay, one storey high, and decorated with Moorish designs, or figures of men and animals, rudely painted on the walls. The poorer classes live in mud hovels of various grades of wretchedness, where they herd together in a manner which renders the atmosphere anything but wholesome. The streets, like all streets in Arab villages, are narrow, dark, ankle-deep in dust in summer, and deeper still in mud during the winter. There are the usual groups of dirty

Arab children sprawling in the dust, and the never-failing troops of Arab curs sleeping in the shade, or picking up offal. Alas! there is no Sir Richard Mayne to provide them with a permanent and quiet home.

The Mosque, not yet completed, is of fine dimensions, and richly ornamented; and there is the tomb of Saïd-el-Bedouï, said to have been one of the companions of Mohammed, and who is regarded as a great and powerful saint, especially by the female population. Without entering particularly upon his supposed sphere of action, it may be mentioned that the Arab women are in the habit of undertaking pilgrimages to his tomb in large numbers at the time of the great fair.

A branch of the canal intersects the town with its muddy waters, and in the vast plain surrounding are seen, here and there, the tomb of some sheïkh or saint of minor importance, some distant village built upon a sort of mound, or occasional groups of date-palms, standing out against the sky with the sharp clear outline peculiar tothe atmosphere of eastern countries.

On arriving at Tantah, to witness the sight of the great fair, I found the plain on both sides of the railway, as far as the eye could reach, densely covered by many thousands of tents, and forming one vast encampment. Having, with some difficulty, found a friend who expected me, we proceeded, as best we might, to work our way through the crowds of people into the town.

He had previously secured a room at what boasted of the name of an hotel, having examined which, and found it both small and dirty, and that I was expected to share it with three others, and having, moreover, recalled to mind certain unpleasant reminiscences of a night passed at Aboukir, I determined to avail myself of the offer of hospitality of a rich old sheikh who was camping at some distance from the town, and who had offered to place one of his tents at my disposal.

It was late in the evening when I arrived in my host's camp. Sheikh Mohammed, a handsome elderly man with close-cut white beard and moustache, and a pair of penetrating dark eyes, was seated, cross-legged, upon a divan at one end of a very large square tent. He was surrounded by a number of visitors, all fellahs, occupying cushions or pieces of carpet on the floor, smoking shibouks.

Behind Sheikh Mohammed's divan a canvas screen of some eight feet in height was stretched from one side of the tent to the other, partitioning off one end, which was sacred to those ladies (five in number) of his "harim" who formed part of the Sheikh's display. The tent was lighted up by coloured lamps, the subdued light from which curiously illuminated the expressive countenances of the fellahs in their white turbans and picturesque costume, and of the black slaves

and attendants who stood around, attentive to every sign of their master or his guests.

After the customary salute, which consists of a pantomimical picking up of earth from beneath one-another's feet, kissing it, and placing it upon one's head, I seated myself in the proffered place of honour beside my host, when the usual lengthy exchange of compliments took place, couched in the most flattering and flowery language. Shibouks were then brought-one of these, with a magnificent amber mouthpiece set in diamonds, was presented to the Sheikh, who, after taking a few whiffs, presented it to me with his own hand-a high compliment. Having taken several cups of coffee (to reject which would, under any circumstances, be an insult) and finished my pipe, I retired to my tent, attended in great ceremony by my host's brother and a bevy of slaves.

Easterns are certainly exquisitely polite in their hospitality. Scarcely had I awoke on the following morning, when my host, his brother, and their sons, evidently summoned by some attendant who had been watching me, walked in attended by servants bearing cushions and pipes. They had come to do honour to their guest, by paying him an early visit and attending during his toilette. The prospect of having to perform your ablutions before a select company assembled for the purpose of witnessing that interesting ceremony is, it must be confessed, somewhat disconcerting; but there is nothing for it, after all, but to "do in Rome as Rome does." The customary salutations, accompanied by many pretty speeches, such as "Nahardak abbyất seïel-lebban!" (This day be unto thee white as milk!), being completed, the company seated themselves in a row, resumed their pipes, and waited in silence to see the "Gïaour" dress himself. Two black slaves attended with a silver basin and ewer handsomely embossed, whose duty it was to treat me as much like a little boy at school on Saturday evenings as I could be induced to permit.

Coffee and some thin sweet cakes having been brought, I seated myself opposite to my host, who, breaking one of the cakes, presented one-half to me, keeping the other for himself; after which breakfast was proceeded with. Having, in my turn, paid a visit to my host, and smoked a pipe with him in his own tent, I sallied out, mounted on one of the Sheikh's horses, richly caparisoned in velvet trappings covered with gold, and accompanied by the friend who had received me at the station, to see the great fair.

How useless it would be to attempt anything like a full description of that vast assembly will be understood when it is stated that the number of people collected was estimated to exceed one million.

In the outskirts of this prodigious camp we proceeded fairly enough. The roads were crowded, but not unpleasantly so. Along the banks of the canal were groups of women and children washing linen, or

fetching water in earthen jars; others-men, women, and children— were bathing. It must be admitted that the Arab women, even of the better class, have somewhat singular notions of propriety. They were to be seen by dozens wading about in the canal ;-most scrupulous care was invariably taken to keep their attire out of the water, but beyond keeping their faces closely veiled, no other precautions whatever were considered necessary. In the immediate precincts of the town the crowd became so dense as to render it almost impossible to move. The thoroughfares were bordered on either side by rows of tents or booths for the sale of every article imaginable. There were sweetmeats of every sort, from "lumps of delight" to melon-pips; lemonade and "araki," haberdashery, toys, cutlery, arms, clothing, shoes, various silks and textile fabrics from Syria and Persia, leather, metal and glass wares, &c. &c.,-and last, not least, coffee-shops and gambling booths.

Whilst the crowd were pushing and jostling one another in the middle of the road, those nearest the booths shouted and struggled in their endeavours to get served. In the midst of this hubbub were seen donkeys, whose riders endeavoured vainly to push on by hitting right and left, indiscriminately, with their sticks; strings of camels, laden with tent-poles and furniture, or bearing four or five women and children balanced in a row across their backs upon poles tied together. Here and there were horsemen, fixed helplessly in the crowd, unable to move a step, whilst their Laïs, in their loose white sleeves and gaudily embroidered vests, endeavoured to make room by applying their canes to the heads of those nearest.

The vast majority of the crowd consisted of the native Arabs, i.c., "Fellahs" of Egypt, from the squalid mendicant in his filthy rags, to the wealthy landowner with his snow-white turban; but there were amongst them representatives of almost every nation under the sun,Europeans with pith-helmets; Greck merchants wearing the "Tarboush" or fez; grave-looking Turks in their straight-collared black coats, the mere sight of which, under that broiling sun, was enough to cause perspiration; Levantines in their wide pantaloons and gaycoloured tight jackets; women of all grades,-the Levantine and Turkish ladies in light-coloured silk costumes covered by the "habbara" of rich black, all closely veiled, showing of the face only a mysterious pair of very large dark eyes; some followed by eunuchs of huge proportions, with velvety black skins and wearing rich dresses; "Fellahines," carrying their children astride upon one shoulder; Bedouins, distinguished by their handsome features, white "bournous," and long-barreled guns slung across their shoulders. There were Syrians wearing rich "Abbayahs;" Persians with straight flat turbans or black Astrachan hats; Albanians in the picturesque

Greck dress, with sashes stuck full of pistols and knives. It was a scene utterly defying description, and such as is rarely witnessed even in these countries.

In the midst of this chattering, yelling, and struggling crowd, a religious procession might be seen advancing, or rather charging at a sort of "double-quick"-bright silk banners waving, to the sounds of tom-toms and bells, rendering the din perfectly demoniacal. Despite the willingness of the crowd to make way, it was quite impossible to do so. Then commenced a belabouring of heads with canes such as would lead the inexperienced to believe that a general battle had commenced. The noise was deafening; men, women, and children were knocked down and trampled on; tents were overturned, and their contents scattered beneath the feet of the multitude. Shrieks, groans, execrations were poured forth in a manner utterly incomprehensible to any one unacquainted with the volubility of speech of which the Arabs, especially the women, are capable. I saw a camel lifted off its feet and upset amongst the crowd. My friend, who was mounted upon a mule, was carried off, helplessly, into a byc-street, and not seen again. until we met in camp. I could not help being impressed with the reflection that had this been an English crowd, the loss of life must have been frightful, in spite of the efforts of the police. Not so here. Such a thing as a policeman was not to be seen; but so harmless and goodnatured are the Egyptian Arabs, that order was invariably re-established, and in spite of all the vociferation and foul language, no real quarrels seemed to have occurred, few people were hurt, and, as far as I could see, none seriously.

Having at last extricated myself, half-stunned, from this "inferno," I paid a visit to the bazaars and shops of the better class, where gold and silver embroidery, Syrian, Turkish, and Arab jewellery, and the more expensive wares generally were for sale, and thence returned to camp to dinner.

A low stool of carved wood, covered with embroidered silk, being placed on the ground, it was surrounded by a large round enamelled tray, containing in the centre a huge heap of boiled rice, surrounded by a number of small dishes of stewed meat, preserves, and a quantity of Arab bread. Another tray, similarly garnished, was placed for the servants and slaves. Pieces of carpet being laid on the ground, Sheikh Mohammed seated himself, inviting his guests to do the same. He next broke a piece of bread, and having helped himself to a handful of rice, motioned to us to commence. For the uninitiated, it may be well to explain that spoons and forks are unknown luxuries, their place being supplied by the five fingers; and further, that the ancient custom of the host helping himself to a mouthful of every dish before his guests, must not be construed as a want of good manners;