(11) Dress and Equipment. It is always desirable in travelling to dispense with unnecessary baggage; at the same time, if the traveller intends to journey for months he must be well supplied with clothing. Gentlemen should take with them an evening suit, thick and thin light-coloured tweed suits, a suit of some dark-coloured material for wearing on special occasions, a flannel suit or two, riding breeches and gaiters, thick and thin overcoats, thin and thick pairs of shoes both in black and brown leather. A pair of strong thick-soled shoes, or boots, will be found invaluable in exploring ruins. Woollen socks, flannel and linen shirts, slippers, straw and felt hats, cloth caps, white umbrella lined with green, cork sunhelmet, and an ulster, make a fairly complete outfit. kafiyyah, or turban cloth, to be tied round the hat or helmet in such a way that a good portion of it falls over the neck and sides of the face, should not be forgotten. Ladies will find very useful thick and thin brown shoes or boots, and short blue serge skirts, white and coloured cotton and linen shirts, dresses of thicker materials for cold days and evenings, wrappers and cloaks, etc. If shoes are worn in exploring ruins, gaiters will be found most useful for keeping out the sand and for protection against the bites of insects.

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Among small miscellaneous articles which will be found very useful are the following:-A good field or opera glass, a pocket filter and leather drinking-cup, leather straps, two or three small balls of twine of different thicknesses, a small strong writing case with plenty of writing materials, a good strong pocket-knife with a long blade of well-tempered steel, smoked spectacles, needles, pins, scissors, tape, thread, buttons, compass, small magnifying glass, soap, etc. Artists, geologists, entomologists, and those who wish to pursue a favourite line of study, should take all the most necessary materials with them; photographers can obtain films, etc., in Cairo, but those who wish to be quite certain about the age of their films had better buy as many as they are likely to want before they start for Egypt.

Doctors' addresses may be obtained at any of the hotels. There are resident English practitioners at Cairo (a large number), Alexandria, Helwân, Luxor, Port Sa'id, Suez, Aswân, Kharṭûm, and Port Sûdân.

(12) Medicine.-Egypt is one of the healthiest countries in the world, and if the most ordinary care be taken by the traveller he should need neither physician nor medicine. This remark does not, of course, apply to invalids, who will

follow the advice of their doctors as regards diet, dress, place of abode, etc. In winter it is usually unnecessary to make any change in the way of living, for most people may eat and drink that to which they are accustomed in Europe. In summer those who have experience of the country are careful not to drink wine or spirits in any great quantity until after sundown. Bathing in the Nile should not be rashly indulged in on account of the swift and dangerous under-currents. A Turkish bath will be found delightful after a fatiguing day of sightseeing, but the bather must be very careful of draughts, and dress with due regard to the temperature out of doors, especially in winter.

At all costs the traveller should guard against chill or cold, for the results are troublesome and annoying, and may be dangerous. It should never be forgotten that the mornings and evenings are cold in winter, and the nights very cold, and arrangements for keeping the body warm should be made accordingly.

Fever, diarrhoea, and dysentery are generally the result of cold. The old medicine, Dr. Warburg's Febrifuge, gives much relief in fever, and quinine should be taken between, not during, the attacks. Remedies for diarrhoea are a gentle aperient, followed by concentrated tincture of camphor; no fruit, meat, or fatty food of any kind should be eaten at the time, and arrowroot or rice, boiled in milk and water until the grains are well burst, is exceedingly beneficial. Warmth and rest are essentials. Diarrhoea should never be neglected, for in Egypt and the Sûdân it often leads to dysentery. Headache and sunstroke are common in Egypt. Effectual remedies are cold compresses, warm baths, and rest in a shaded room or place. Great care should be taken to protect the head and back of the neck with a good broad-brimmed hat, or cork or pith helmet, and in making long excursions a long thin pad of khâki, tied inside the coat or dress in such a way that it lies along the upper part of the spine, has been found very beneficial. The nape of the neck should always be covered when walking or riding in the sun, even comparatively early in the day, for the sun's rays are powerful, and many severe headaches have been caused by their striking the head and neck horizontally or diagonally. A sprained ankle should be treated in the usual way, i.e., the sufferer must take rest, and keep his foot in wet bandages. Shoes with stout soles, low heels, and fairly wide welts form the best footgear to wear when clambering over the ruins of ancient temples and

FEVER, OPHTHALMIA, BAGGAGE INSURANCE.

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sites; it is in such places that the ankle is often sprained. Ophthalmia has always been common in Egypt, a fact which is proved by the large numbers of natives who are deprived of the sight of one or both eyes. It is produced by many causes, and is seriously aggravated by dust and flies and dirt of every kind, and by the glare of the sun. When remedies are promptly applied this disease is not alarming in its progress. Fortunately good medical aid can now be obtained in all the large towns and cities of Egypt, and the sufferer is recommended to place himself in competent hands as soon as ophthalmia attacks him. Tinted spectacles may be often worn with great comfort and advantage. When travelling from place to place in Upper Egypt a small pocket medicine case will be found very useful. In selecting the medicines to stock it the traveller should before leaving home consult his own medical adviser, who, knowing his patient's constitution, will take care that the remedies for his individual ailments shall be included in the selection. Cases of the kind are inexpensive and most useful, especially those which have vulcanite bottles with screw caps. Each individual will, of course, have a good idea of the medicines which he most needs, but the following will be generally useful:-Warburg's tincture and quinine for fever; bicarbonate of soda, ginger, bismuth, for stomachic troubles; cascara sagrada, and some aperient salt, chlorodyne, and a small quantity of tincture of camphor or of opium, for diarrhoea, and ipecacuanha wine for dysentery; a roll of sticking plaster, a roll of heftband, vaseline, lanoline, and cold cream; boracic acid and a preparation of zinc to make lotions for the eyes; a powder made of boracic acid and zinc, or something similar, for abrasions and chafings from riding, etc.; a pair of scissors and a clinical thermometer in a metal screw case; ammonia for treating the bites of gnats, mosquitoes, and scorpions; carbolic acid soap of 5 and 10 per cent. strengths; eau de Cologne, and an emergency flask of liqueur brandy. (13) Passengers' Baggage Insurance. - Travellers using Tickets issued by Thos. Cook & Son can have their personal effects insured on payment of a small premium. This insurance covers the articles specified by sea and land in all places and situations against the risk of their being lost, theft, and pilfering, and against the risk of damage by fire or sea-water but subject to the conditions stated. Insurances can be effected for amounts of £20 and upwards. Jewellery, if not placed in the registered baggage, can be covered by the

insurance, but each article must be separately mentioned and separately valued. Full particulars can be obtained at any of the Offices of Thos. Cook & Son.

(14) The Climate and Health Resorts of Egypt.

The wonderful climate of Egypt is due entirely to the geographical situation of the country. A glance at a map of the two Egypts shows that the climate of Lower Egypt, i.e., the Delta, must, on account of its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, and the arms of the Nile and the large canals which flow from them, be different from that of Upper Egypt, i.e., the Nile Valley between Cairo and Aswân, which has the vast Libyan Desert on the one side and the Arabian or Eastern Desert on the other. The most northerly cities and towns in the Delta have the usual sea-side climate which the traveller expects to find in that latitude, with the customary warmth and humidity at night; but the cities and towns in Upper Egypt enjoy a much drier climate both by day and by night. In certain parts of the Delta, where practically whole districts are covered with growing crops which are frequently irrigated, and even in the Fayyûm, the temperature drops considerably at sunset, and continues comparatively low through the night, and the air contains much moisture. Beyond all doubt, the climate of Egypt as a whole deserves the highest praise which can be given to it: for dryness it is nearly unparalleled, and the regular and unvarying warmth and sunshine combined make the country a health resort in the truest sense of the word. It should be distinctly understood that the sick and delicate need medical advice in selecting the sites which will be the most beneficial for their ailments, and care should be taken that the advice comes from a physician who has a practical, first-hand knowledge of the country and of the climatic peculiarities which are characteristic of its most popular health resorts.

The wind in Egypt usually blows from the north or north-west, but in the winter it often comes from the southwest, and is at times extremely cold. In the late spring there blows a wind from the south-west which is commonly known as

Khamsîn,* i.e., "Fifty," because it blows at intervals during a period of 50 days. Sometimes it blows with terrific violence, and brings with it a mass of sand which it has picked up in the deserts it has crossed, and for heat its blast is like the breath of a furnace; fortunately it only blows for about a couple of days at a time. Rain falls oftener in Cairo and Alexandria than formerly, a fact which has been attributed by some to the increased area of land which is irrigated. The total rainfall at Cairo is about 2 inches, and at Alexandria it is much greater; at the latter place it was 12.81 inches in 1897; 12.31 inches in 1898; 9'67 inches in 1899; 7.87 inches in 1900; 7.62 inches in 1901; and 10'13 inches in 1902. In recent years heavy rains have fallen in Upper Egypt during the winter; but, speaking generally, very little rain falls at Aswân and Luxor. It is, however, a mistake to declare that it never rains in Upper Egypt. Dew is heavy in all places where crops grow and in Cairo, but the further south we go the less dew will be met with until we reach Aswân, where there is practically none. Temperature: The coldest time of the day is a little before sunrise, and the hottest about 3 p.m.; it is colder in fields where crops are growing than in the desert, and in Upper Egypt 2° or 3° of frost in the fields are not uncommon in the winter. In March and April the temperature at Cairo is about 80°; a little later it rises from 10° to 15°, and in winter it falls to about 65° or 60°. The mean annual temperature at Cairo is 70°; the mean summer temperature is 85°; and the mean winter temperature about 58°. The greatest heat in summer is about 125° in the shade. The greatest difference in the temperature during the day takes place at Aswân and equals about 30°.

The Tables given below were drawn up by Capt. H. G. Lyons in 1906; but if they be compared with those published in the ALMANACK issued by the Survey Department year by year since that date, it will be seen that the variations are very slight, and that for all practical purposes they are unimportant.

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* The Arabs who speak correctly do not say Khamsin, but Khamâsîn, which is really the vulgar plural of Khamsin, i.e., fifty." The proper word for the period here referred to is Khamsûn, which does not necessarily contain 50 days; there may be a few days more or a few days less in it, according to the weather of the particular year. The word Khamsin also means "Pentecost," but the period of the Jewish year which corresponds to it is called by the Arabs Khamsinât, and the last day of it is Al-Khamsin.