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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.