SIR WILLIAM FOX'S LECTUBE.

Feilding Star, Volume III, Issue 24, 6 September 1882, Page 3

SIR WILLIAM FOX'S LECTUBE.

It is seldom tli sit tlie Feilding Town Hall luis boen graced by such an appreciative audience, or that an audience h s been so mucli cli.-u-ined, as was tlie case last evening, when Sir William Fox delivered his instructive and interesting lec'ure on Egypt, past and present The lecturer was introduced by the Mayor, Mr W. E. Chamberlain, in a few brief and appropriate remarks. The lecturer began his subject ly pointing out on the map Egypt nnd the countries surrounding it, and commenting on the small area of arable land it contained, and yet was able to support such masses of population. Be explained the benefits England had derived from the opening of the Suez canal, notwithstanding the fact that Lord Palmerston had declared the scheme of Baron de Lesseps a chimera, and Stevenson the great engineer had declared it an impossibility; yet, assisted by the unfortunate N- pel eon the third, the wonderful engineering feat of cutting the canal had been accomplished. The leclurer then gave a history of • gypt during the past sixty years, sketching in a masterly manner the career of Mehemit Ali and his son, under whose reigu the system of canals and railways was introduced, and wiiich with the assistance of the exlrava- . gauce of every person connected with the expenditure of public money, led Egypt into enormous public indebtedness to English and French bondholders. He explained the. mistaken policy of the two governments who undertook to collect t!:e revenue of the country, in order tliat their 1 o idholders might be paid their dividends and see that the money was not wasted by the Egyptian authorities, in wasteful extravagance. Last year the can d paid a dividend of £300,000. Ar ■bi Bey was not a patriot, but merely the leader of a rabble, whose cry was against sending inouey Out of the country, and who desired the expulsion of all foreigners. The Sultan of Turkey sympathised with him only for the advancement of his own ends. The lecturer while deprecating war, said the only way to preserve peace was to level their forts and drive the marauders off the field. The lecturer read extracts from the London Times, in which the character of Arabi Bey was shown to be of the weakest character. Sir William believed that the ' policy ..of the Gladstone Government would solve .the difficulty and result in a satisfactory peace. Ihe lecturer now gave a history of the former grandeur of Egypt, of its religious and nios wonderful superstition . and idolatries, which were combined with ' marvellous architectural and l artistic knowledge and ability, as exemplified in the erection of the -pyramids ana the sculptures and earrings that remain to this day, the wonder.and admiration of the world. The leclurer here quoted from Herodotus, the anecdote of the Egyptian King who settled the question of the first language spoken among men, with the assistance of a female goat and two infants. The anecdote was" the source of much amusement to the audience, T lie process of mummy making was graphically described in a manner that made it plain, to/his . hearers. We regret ths*t our limited space prevents our publishing the lecture in_extenso, and we are unwillingly compelled to conclude our notice. The lecturer carried his audience with him for the whole of the period of two hours, occupied by the lecture. Water color drawings - ," by the hand of the lecturer, and photographs of interesting places nnd. buildings were exhibited, and eaeh in its turn was explained and described in a masterly manner. Sir Wm. concluded by saying that he was much pleated with the attention that had been paid him in his address^ and expressed his willingness at all tiines to contribute his share towards the information and amusment of his Feilding friends when called upon. Mr Gocdbehere proposed, ; and the revMr VI urray seconded, a vote of' tnanks to Sir William, which was passed with acclamation.; A yo.te of thanks to Mr Chamberlain brought to a close the most successful entertainment of its kind that the Feilding public has yet experienced. The> proceed s were for the benefit of the Wesleyan organ fund. .* ' jj