OCCASIONAL NOTES.
Itis but a month or two ago that people of an archæological turn of mind were delighted with the tidings sent home by the Egypt Exploration Fund of the discovery of Pharaoh’s House in Tahpanhes. An account of the wonderful old ruin and its reliques of a past civilisation has been already given; but it may interest many to know that a number of antiquities have been collected and sent home, and have recently been on view at the Archæological Institute at Oxford Mansion. It will be remembered that the ruins were as much those of a military fortress as of a royal residence, and the objects recovered are almost entirely those which would be likely to be found in either of two such places.
The first things of interest are the foundation deposits, from under the four corners of the castle, which consist of small vessels, little tablets engraved with the name and titles of the royal founder, Psammetichus I., specimens of ore, &c. The chief articles of jewelry are earrings, rings, amulets, and engraved stones bearing traces of Greek workmanship, having been probably manufactured by Greek jewellers in the town of Tahpanhes, or Daphnæ. Numbers of small weights have been turned up while digging among the ruins, which it is thought were for weighing the gold and precious stones previous to purchase.
Rome, too, has left her mark among the charred remains of this ancient stronghold, and some rings with names inscribed upon them, and ten gems of good Roman work, prove an intercourse with that nation. There is a little silver shrine case in which is a beautiful statuette of the Egyptian war-god, Mentu. Possibly, it may have once been a talisman belonging to Pharaoh Hophra. A silver ram’s head and gold handle complete the list of the most important specimens of jewelry.
Among the domestic treasures are a long knife, fourteen inches long and quite flat; this comes from Pharaoh’s kitchen; so also do the small frying-pans, and some bowls, bottles, dishes, plates and cups, all of which date fromB.C.550, and were probably used daily by the royal household. An old brasier and some ring-stands have also been brought home. From the butler’s pantry come amphoræ stoppers, stamped with the cartouches of Psammetichus I., Necho, Psammetichus II., and Aahmes. These were claystoppers, sealed by the inspector, and then plastered over and stamped with the royal oval. Ten specimens of these Mr Petrie has sent home. Arrow-heads, a sword-handle and part of the blade, a horse’s bit of twisted pattern, some spikes from the top of a Sardinian mercenary’s helmet, knives and lances, and some fragments of scale-armour, show that the old castle had once been a military stronghold.
This is but an outline, showing the kind of specimens found among the ruins of El Kasr el Bint el Yahudî (the Castle of the Jew’s Daughter), and serve to add to the innumerable proofs—if proof were needed—of the advanced civilisation of the ancient Egyptians. It is believed that those antiquities will eventually be divided between the Museum at Boulak (Cairo), the British Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts at Boston, U.S., and several of the provincial museums of Great Britain.
It is satisfactory to know that government has at last opened an office for the dissemination of authentic information to intending emigrants. The emigration schemes before the country are legion; but those who apply here will be safe to receive information as to the British colony to which they propose to emigrate, which does not spring from any interested motive. At the same time it is always safe for intending settlers to supplement any knowledge received in this way by authoritative handbooks, books of travel, and the experiences of former settlers. Now that there is a prospect of the Indian and Colonial Exhibition becoming a permanent institution in our midst, we will be kept pretty well informed as to the position and prospects of our different colonies. The premises of the Emigrants’ Information Office are at 31 Broadway, Westminster, London, S.W. The office will be open every day from twelve noon to eightP.M., except on Wednesdays, when it will be open from tenA.M.to oneP.M.The circulars issued by the office will be sent to the secretaries of any societies or institutions who will send in their addresses to the chief clerk.
In a paper read by Mr L. J. Shand of the Ceylon Court at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition, the present position of the Indian tea-trade was reviewed. British-colonial teas, which in 1865 formed but three per cent. of the total quantity consumed in the United Kingdom, amounted to sixteen per cent. in 1875, and to thirty-three per cent. in 1885. India had two hundred and fifty thousand acres under tea-cultivation, and produced seventy million pounds of tea; the capital invested in the industry was sixteen million pounds; and a quarter of a million of Her Majesty’s subjects, who indirectly contributed to the income tax of Great Britain, were engaged in it. The tea-plant was introduced to Ceylon from China about the year 1842; but it was not till coffee was stricken by disease that attention was generally directed to the cultivation of tea in Ceylon. In 1873, a small parcel of twenty-three pounds of tea was exported from Ceylon; this year, nine million pounds would be exported, and, estimating the acreage now planted with tea, the exports in 1890 would be forty million pounds. Proceeding to consider why British people should drink British-colonial teas, Mr Shand said that these teas came into the London market pure; there was no recorded evidence of adulteration having been discovered. The adulteration of China tea, on the other hand, had been the subject of several volumes and of special legislation. The purity of Indian and Ceylon teas made them more sensitive than the ordinary China mixture. It was not necessary to put such large quantities into the teapot, but it was all the more necessary that the water should be boiling and that the tea should not be allowed to stand too long. Disappointment should not be felt because the liquor was not black; that was in consequence of the tea being quite pure and unmixed with blacklead or indigo. If Indian and Ceylon teas were fairly tried and carefully treated, they would be found more economical than China teas.