with a crater of nearly a quarter of a mile in circumference, rises
in lonely majesty from the Bay of Naples, and varies in height from
3900 to 4900 feet, according to the varied eruptions. Vesuvius
in the time of Nero manifested itself by a fearful earthquake,
damaging Herculaneum and Pompeii. An eruption occurred in 79 A.D.
by which the two cities named, were lost to the world for seventeen
centuries. Another most terrific eruption occurred in 1631, by
which a stone weighing twenty-five tons was thrown a distance of
fifteen miles, and streams of lava poured from the summit, destroying
over three thousand people.]
[Illustration: STREET OF TOMBS, POMPEII, ITALY.--This photograph
exhibits a suburb of Pompeii named Pagus Augustus Felix, in honor
of Augustus; it lay outside the city walls. It consisted chiefly
of one main street, which has been partly excavated. This is the
so-called Street of Tombs. The ancient custom of burying the dead
by the side of a high road is well known. It has been ascertained
that rows of graves, similar to those discovered here, exist beyond
other gates of Pompeii. The Street of Tombs is, in point of situation,
the most beautiful part of the town.]
[Illustration: CIVIL FORUM, POMPEII, ITALY.--The ancient market-place
in the central part of Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius in 79 A. D. The Forum has been excavated during the present
century, and found to be five hundred and fifteen feet long and one
hundred and seven feet wide; it is surrounded by granite columns
of the Doric order. From the discoveries made, it is supposed that
the Forum was far from complete when the eruption occurred. The
smoking mountain is still seen in the distance, while the ruins
of the ancient market stand prominent in the foreground of this
photograph. The Forum is a most interesting spot, and is familiar
to all readers of "The Last Days of Pompeii."]
[Illustration: ISLAND OF CAPRI, ITALY.--This is a small mountainous
island of oblong form; its picturesque outline forms one of the
most charming points in the view of the Bay of Naples. The highest
point is the Monte Solarno, nineteen hundred and twenty feet above
the level of the sea. The island, which contains five thousand
inhabitants and the two small towns of Capri and Anacapri, yields
fruit, oil and excellent red and white wines in abundance. The
inhabitants receive their support mainly from strangers who visit
the island yearly to the number of thirty thousand. The above picture
shows the principal landing-place of Capri.]
[Illustration: CASTELLO, ISLAND OF ISCHIA, ITALY.--The climate of
these charming islands is genial, the sky rarely overcast, the winters
mild, the inhabitants bounteously supplied with the necessaries of
life, and the sick with healing springs. Trees, shrubs and all
kinds of plants thrive luxuriantly in this volcanic soil. Here
and there are observed groves of young oaks and chestnuts. The
inhabitants are distinguished by a peculiar costume, dialect and
figure. Fashion is unknown; not one of the islands can boast of a
horse or carriage. Castello, in the foreground, is a most curious
volcanic formation.]
[Illustration: HARBOR, ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT.--The perfectly flat coast
of Egypt, and even Alexandria itself, are not visible to the steam-boat
passenger until very shortly before the vessel enters the harbor.
The latter consists of an outer breakwater, forming an obtuse angle
nearly two miles in length. A second pier, nearly a mile in length,
protects an inner harbor covering nearly five hundred acres of water,
twenty-seven feet deep. No fewer than thirty thousand artificial
blocks, weighing twenty tons each, and two million tons of natural
blocks of stone were used in the construction of these magnificent
harbor works.]
[Illustration: PLACE OF MEHEMET ALI, ALEXANDRIA, EGYPT.--The site
of this open square is embellished with trees and fountains. It
became a scene of destruction during 1882. In the centre rises the
equestrian statue of Mohammed' Ali, the founder of the reigning
dynasty of Egypt. The Mohammedan religion forbids the pictorial or
plastic representations of the human form. The erection of this
monument was long opposed by the Ulama, or chief professor of divine
and legal learning. The buildings on both sides are shops. That
at the further end is the English church.]
[Illustration: CITADEL, CAIRO, EGYPT.--This citadel affords a
magnificent view of the city and surrounding country. It was erected
in 1166, and built by stones taken from the small pyramids at Gizeh,
the site having been selected, according to Arabian history, owing
to the fact that meat could be kept here fresh twice as long as
in any other part of Cairo. The fortress commands the city, yet
its site is unfavorable, as a commanding height close by compelled
its surrender during the wars of 1805.]
[Illustration: MOSQUE OF MOHAMMED' ALI, CAIRO, EGYPT.--The "Alabaster
Mosque," whose lofty and graceful minarets are so conspicuous from the
distance, form one of the landmarks of Cairo. In plan, it represents the
Turkish mosques, built on the model of Hagia Sofla, at Constantinople.
The execution of the design displays but little artistic taste,
and the treatment of the material is somewhat unsatisfactory. The
alabaster used for the incrustation of the masonry consists partly
of blocks and partly of slabs. The beautiful yellow-tint stone soon
fades when exposed to the sun.]
[Illustration: STREET SCENE, CAIRO, EGYPT.--Most of the streets in
the old part of the town are unpaved, inaccessible to carriages,
and often excessively dirty. They present an inexhaustible field
of amusement and delight, admirably illustrating the whole world
of oriental fiction. The lanes separating the rows of houses in
the Arabian quarter are so narrow that the projecting balconies of
harems, with their gratings, often nearly meet. Rickety, tumbling
houses of every variety of oriental architecture strike the beholder
at every turn, as is illustrated above.]
[Illustration: PALACE OF GEZIREH, CAIRO, EGYPT.--This palace is
located on the Nile, at one end of a park by the same name. Its
external appearance is simple. All the distinguished guests who
were invited to attend the ceremony of the opening of the Suez
Canal were entertained here. The building is State property and
rarely occupied. The interior is furnished in the most sumptuous
and elaborate manner. The onyx mantel-pieces, with mirrors, cost
each $15,000. Portions of the palace are fitted up in suites of
apartments for visitors, each consisting of bed-room, dressing-room
and sitting-room.]
[Illustration: ON CAMEL-BACK, EGYPT.--To people accustomed to all
the comforts and luxuries of the world, who have never experienced
desert tent-life, nor traveled through countries where there are
no people to consult, it is hard to convey an idea of oriental
camel-back traveling. The "ship of the desert" is a most faithful
animal, and loved by his master as much as a child; but his back
affords a very uncomfortable seat. The long backward and forward
motion recalls to the rider the swells of the sea. The above picture
is a perfect specimen of hundreds of such caravans during the traveling
season.]
[Illustration: PYRAMIDS OF GIZEH, EGYPT.--Here are represented the
great Pyramids of Gizeh, occupying a plateau gradually ascending
from east to west, parts of which are very precipitous at places.
The three pyramids are so situated on this plateau as to face the
four points of the compass, although the magnet shows a deviation
toward the west. The Sphinx is situated close by. Numerous tombs,
almost all in ruins, surround these pyramids, and extend over the
plateau to the east. They are sometimes hewn in the form of grottoes
in the external rocky slope.]
[Illustration: THE SPHYNX, EGYPT.--
"Since what unnumbered year, "No faithless slumber snatching,
Hast thou kept watch and ward, Still couched in silence brave,
And o'er the buried Land of Fear, Like some fierce hound long watching,
So grimly held thy guard?" Above her master's grave."
[Illustration: LANDING ON SUEZ CANAL, EGYPT.--The Suez Canal, which
connects the Red Sea with the Mediterranean, was completed in 1863.
During the time of construction, which lasted five years, 25,000
men were employed, and 1600 camels to supply them with water. The
cost of constructing the canal was $95,000,000, part of which was
raised by shareholders, and the balance by the Khedive. This picture
represents a landing stage and one of the English trading vessels
sailing between England and India. A number of camels and Arabs
are seen on a ferry-boat, ready to be taken across the Canal, the
latter furnishing the great highway for all European vessels sailing
to or from the Orient.]
[Illustration: POST-OFFICE, SUEZ, EGYPT.--The site of this town
is naturally an absolute desert, and, until the water of the Nile
was introduced by the fresh water canal in 1863, the water-supply
of Suez was brought across the head of the gulf from the "wells
of Moses," on the Arabian coast, or else carried on camels, after
an hour's journey, from the fortified brackish of Bir Suweis. In
spite of its favorable position for commerce, the place was quite
small prior to the time of the canal, and even to-day the canal
carries traffic past Suez rather than to it. The picture shows
the post-office square.]
[Illustration: IN CENTRAL AFRICA.--No country in the world creates
more interest among the civilized nations than does Africa. In the
far interior, where African explorers have failed to find traces
of the outer world, every variety of savage humanity exists. These
uncivilized people, who know nothing of the progress of nations,
live in tribes, preying upon each other's settlements, whenever
opportunity presents itself. The above picture represents the typical
natives of the Dark Continent.]
[Illustration: YAFFA OR JAFFA, PALESTINE.--Jaffa is a small town
lying on the coast of the Mediterranean, at the foot of a rock
one hundred and sixteen feet in height. This town is very ancient,
and a road runs directly from it to Jerusalem. The houses are built
of tuff-stone, and the streets are generally very narrow and dirty,
and, after the slightest rain, exceedingly muddy. The town walls are
falling to decay, and the interior of the town is uninteresting.
Tradition points out the place as the one in which Napoleon is
said to have caused plague-patients to be poisoned, and in which
St. Peter once fished; but the authenticity of it seems to proceed
from a confusion of ideas.]
[Illustration: JERUSALEM, PALESTINE.--Here is a place of overwhelming
interest, but at first sight sadly disappointing. Little is seen
of the ancient City of Zion and Moriah, the far-famed capital of
the Jewish Empire, in the narrow, crooked and ill-paved streets of
the modern town. The combination of wild superstitions, with the
merest formalism which is everywhere observed, and the fanaticism
and jealous exclusiveness of the numerous religious communities of
Jerusalem, form the chief modern characteristics of that memorable
city which was once the fountain-head from which the knowledge of
the true God was wont to be vouchsafed to mankind, and which has
exercised the greatest influence on religious thought throughout
the world.]
[Illustration: WAILING-PLACE OF THE JEWS, JERUSALEM, PALESTINE.--Outside
of the enclosure of Mosque El Aksa, at Jerusalem, is the noted
wailing-place of the Jews. A large number of them, including old and
young, male and female, gather here on Friday, kiss the stones and
water them with their tears. They bewail the downfall of Jerusalem,
and read from their well-worn Hebrew Bibles and prayer-books the
Lamentations of Jeremiah. The following few words are an exact
copy from their litany: "For the Palace that lies desolate, we sit
in solitude and mourn." They present a curious spectacle.]
[Illustration: STREET SCENE, JERUSALEM, PALESTINE.--The above photograph
represents one of the fourteen stations of the "street of pain,"
over which Christ is said to have carried the cross on His way
to Golgotha. The place where Christ was laid upon the cross, the
house of Dives, the rich man, where Simon of Cyrene took the cross
from Christ, the house against which Christ is said to have leaned,
or near which He fell a second time, and the place where Christ
is said to have addressed the women that accompanied Him, are all
seen along this avenue.]
[Illustration: GARDEN OF GETHSEMANE, PALESTINE.--This holy place
is situated at the foot of Mount Olivet across the Kedron, and
noted as the scene of our Lord's agony. Jesus frequently came here,
as did also His disciples. It is a small irregular spot surrounded
by a high wall. This wall was built in 1847 by Franciscan monks,
who claimed it necessary to keep from the garden, pilgrims who
injured the olive trees. There are seven of these trees remaining
in the Garden, whose trunks, nineteen feet in circumference, are
cracked open with age, and claimed to date back to the time of
our Saviour.]
[Illustration: BETHLEHEM, PALESTINE.--"But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah,
though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee
shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel." In
Hebrew the word signifies the "place of bread," or, more generally,
"the place of food," and is possibly derived from the fact that the
region about Bethlehem has from very remote antiquity presented
a marked contrast to the surrounding "wilderness." We learn from
the Bible that the inhabitants of Bethlehem possessed cornfields,
vineyards and flocks of goats, and that they made cheese. The natural
products of to-day in every respect confirm this record.]
[Illustration: DEAD SEA, PALESTINE.--This sea, situated sixteen
miles from Jerusalem and visible from the Mount of Olives, occupies
that deep depression thirteen hundred feet below the Mediterranean,
which extends from the mountains of Lebanon to the Gulf of Akabah,
and is forty-six miles long and about ten miles wide. The River
Jordan and smaller streams empty their waters into it, and it has no
visible outlet. The water of the Dead Sea contains a large quantity
of mineral substances, consisting of chlorides of sodium, calcium
and magnesium, which give it a bitter taste, and render it smooth
and oily.]
[Illustration: NAZARETH, PALESTINE.--This village, situated in
Galilee about sixty-five miles from Jerusalem, is the place where
Jesus grew up from infancy. From its highest elevation the most
beautiful views of the Holy Land can be taken. The place must have
been very small in the time of Christ, as the village is not named in
the Old Testament. The population in those times was mainly Jewish,
but it now has Greek, Latin and Moslem quarters and a Protestant
mission. During the Middle Ages many Christians visited Nazareth,
but when the Turks seized Palestine in 1517, they were again driven
out.]
[Illustration: JACOB'S WELL, PALESTINE.--Jews, Christians and Muslims
agree that this is the "Well of Jacob" of Scripture. (Gen. XXXIII.,
19.) It is situated on the high road from Jerusalem to Galilee,
according perfectly with the narrative of St. John IV., 5-30. In
summer, it is often dry. It is seven and one-half feet in diameter
and lined with masonry. If, as is probable, this well was the scene
of Christ's conversation with the Samaritan woman, the tradition
had already attached to it, that this was Jacob's Well, and around
it was the field which he purchased, and where Joseph was afterwards
buried. (Joshua XXIV., 32.)]
[Illustration: BEYROUTH, SYRIA.--The above city, located on the
Mediterranean, is one of great antiquity. The city proper is an
irregular square, open towards the sea, and surrounded on the land
side by a substantial tower-flanked wall. The streets are wider
than is usual in Syrian towns, and are paved with large stones.
The houses, for the most part, are lofty and spacious. During the
hot season the wealthier inhabitants move inland. The surrounding
hills consist of reddish sand, interspersed with rock, and are
covered with a light soil.]
[Illustration: GREAT MOSQUE, DAMASCUS, SYRIA.--It is possible that
during the first century of the Christian era, a heathen temple
stood on the site of the present mosque. The building was converted
into a Christian church, and contained a casket in which the head
of John the Baptist was shown. The Christian church was destroyed,
and the present mosque erected. Antique columns were collected
in towns of Syria, and used in the decoration. The pavement and
lower walls are covered with rarest marbles. The ceiling, from
which hang six hundred golden lamps, is of wood, inlaid with gold.
The urn above the altar is said to still contain the remains of
the head of John the Baptist.]
[Illustration: BAALBEC, SYRIA.--These magnificent ruins have excited
the wonder and admiration of every beholder. In view of the fact
that the Jewish style of architecture is mingled with that of the
Doric and the Corinthian order, this building is supposed to have
been the house that Solomon built for his Egyptian wife. It may
be surpassed in classical taste by the Temple of Athens, and, in
some respects, Rome may rival it. Even in magnitude the Nile exceeds
it, but there is something about Baalbec that causes it to stand
alone, and makes it peer of all. Its origin is not known, yet it
passed through the Greek, Arab and Roman hands, and suffered assaults
by the Crusades.]
[Illustration: MECCA, SYRIA.--The pilgrimage to Mecca, which every
Muslim is bound to undertake once in his life, is a most curious
religious custom. In the neighborhood of Mecca the pilgrims undress,
laying aside even their head-gear, and put on aprons and a piece of
cloth over the left shoulder. They then perform the circuit of the
Ka'ba, kiss the black stone, hear the sermon on Mount Arafat, near
Mecca, pelt Satan with stones in the Valley of Mina, and conclude
their pilgrimage with a great sacrificial feast. The picture shows the
famous cemetery of Mecca, the bodies all buried above the ground.]
[Illustration: KALBADEVIE ROAD, BOMBAY, INDIA.--The city of Bombay,
under English rule, with a population of nearly a million inhabitants,
is one or the most flourishing cities in India, on account of its
nearness to the Suez Canal. The approach from the sea discloses
one of the finest panoramas in the world, the only European analogy
being the Bay of Naples. The town itself consists of well-built and
usually handsome native bazaars, and of spacious streets devoted
to European commerce, of which the above is one of the principal
avenues.]
[Illustration: BENARES, INDIA.--The city here represented is the
religious centre of Hindooism, and one of the oldest cities on the
globe. The bank of the Ganges is entirely lined with stone, and
there are many very fine landing-places, built by pious devotees, and
highly ornamented. The internal streets are so narrow and winding,
that there is not room for a carriage to pass; and it is difficult
to penetrate them even on horseback. The houses are built of Chanar
stone, and are lofty, none being less than two, and many five and
six, stories high.]
[Illustration: TROPICAL SCENERY, INDIA.]
[Illustration: HEATHEN TEMPLE, INDIA.]
[Illustration: ROYAL OBSERVATORY, INDIA.]
[Illustration: WONG TAI KEN, CHINA.--The people of China are a
thoroughly settled class of agriculturists and traders. They are
partially Buddhist, and have a peculiar monosyllabic, uninflected
language, with writing consisting of symbols, which represent words,
not letters. The photograph represents one of the better class,
dressed in a richly made costume after the fashion of her country.
Her feet, like all of her race, are extremely small and encased
in velvet sandals, with thick wooden shoes, which are peculiar
to these people.]
[Illustration: TYPICAL SCENE, SANDWICH ISLANDS.--The ravines and
mountain-slopes on the windward side of the larger islands contain
much forest growth, while the leeward uplands and plains are
comparatively bare. Among the most remarkable forms of vegetation
is a screw-pine and candle-nut tree, so named from the fact that
the natives string together the kernels, which are very oily, and
make candles. The natives derive their sustenance chiefly from
pork and fish, both fresh and dried, and from the banana, sweet
potato, yam, bread, fruit and cocoanut.]
[Illustration: SITKA, ALASKA.--Sitka, the capital of Alaska, is
situated on the west coast of the Baranoff Island, which is one of
the principal of the Alexander Islands. It is the second town in
size, and has a custom house, a Greco-Russian church, a hospital,
a half dozen stores, schools and several saw mills. Its principal
business is fishing, and a number of steamers ply between this
place and Portland, Oregon. The island is about seventy miles long
and fifteen miles wide, and is densely timbered.]
[Illustration: TOTEM POLES, ALASKA.--A totem is a class of material
objects which a savage regards with superstitious respect, believing
that there exists between him and every member of the class an intimate
and special relation. These poles, which rise to the height of 70
feet, are elaborately carved from top to bottom with a succession
of figures, representing the wolf, frog, bear, eagle, whale and a
variety of other animals. They are planted near Indian villages,
but it is hoped church steeples will soon tower in their places
and work a change in these strange people.]
[Illustration: PARLIAMENT BUILDINGS, OTTAWA, CANADA.--The capital
of the Dominion of Canada is situated on the Ottawa River, four
hundred and fifty miles from New York, and one hundred and twenty-six
miles from Montreal. It is one of the most flourishing cities in
Ontario, on account of the great lumber products in the surrounding
districts. The city was founded sixty-three years ago, its chief
attraction being the Government Buildings, which stand on Barrack
Hill, and are built mainly of light-colored sandstone. The style
of architecture is that of Italian Gothic. The main building is
five hundred feet long, covering nearly four acres, and involving
a cost of $4,000,000 in its construction.]
[Illustration: GOLDEN GATE, CALIFORNIA.--This forms the entrance
to San Francisco Bay, which is about seventy miles long and from
ten to fifteen wide, and is narrowed into a channel only about
one mile wide; here the waters escape in a current as the tide
ebbs and flows to and from the ocean. As one approaches from the
ocean towards the bay, the south side of the Golden Gate exhibits
a shelving point of land which terminates in a long fortification
called Fort Point. The portion of the strait between the light
house on the north and the fort on the south, is termed "The Golden
Gate," or "Chrysopylæ."]
[Illustration: SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.--The city is the commercial
metropolis of California, and is situated nearly six miles from
the ocean on the west side of the magnificent bay from which it
derives its name. It stands on a plain which inclines towards the
bay, and has numerous hills behind it. The city is regularly laid
out, the streets crossing each other at right angles. Market Street,
which has four street-car tracks, two of which are cable lines, is
the principal business street; it runs south-west from the bay,
and divides the older from the newer portion of the city. The city
was originally called Yerba Buena ("good herbs"), and was settled
by the Spaniards about 1777, but was changed to San Francisco in
1847.]
[Illustration: YOSEMITE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA.--The Yosemite Valley
is situated one hundred and fifty miles distant, in a direct line,
a little to the southeast of San Francisco. It is six miles in
length and from half a mile to a mile in width, and sunk from two
thousand to three thousand feet in perpendicular depth below the
general level of the surrounding country. The waterfalls in and
about this valley are of great beauty and variety. The Nevada and
Vernal Falls of the Merced River, which flows through the whole
length of the valley, are wonderfully grand.]