Part 64

The VIA DEL CORSO (Pl. C, D, 4), the main street of Trieste, running to the E. from the Piazza della Borsa, separates the new town from the streets of the old town, which ascend the castle-hill. The old _Castello_ (Pl. D, 5) now contains the barracks. Fine views are obtained from the terraces of the _Convento dei Cappuccini_ (Pl. D, 4, 5) and of the CATHEDRAL (_Basilica San Giusto_; Pl. 3, D, 5; closed 12–3), which is composed of three early-Christian churches (6th cent.), united in the 14th century.

Between the cathedral and the Piazza Grande are the open-air _Museo Lapidario_ (Pl. 9; C, 5), Via della Cattedrale 9, and the _Arco di Riccardo_ (Pl. 1a; C, 5), the remains of a Roman arch.

In the Piazza Lipsia, to the S.W. of the Piazza Grande, rises the _Commercial and Nautical Academy_ (Pl. 1; B, 5), containing the _Museo Civico_ of natural history and antiquities. Near it is the Piazza Giuseppina (Pl. B, 5), with a bronze monument by Schilling to the _Archduke Maximilian_ (d. 1867; see below).

ENVIRONS. By the _Passeggio di Sant’ Andrea_ (Pl. A-E, 6, 7), past the _Stabilimento Tecnico_ (Pl. B, 7) and _Lloyd Arsenal_ (Pl. C, D, 7), to (2½ M.) _Servola_ (tramway, p. 425).—By hill-tramway (p. 425) to *=Obelisco= (1125 ft.; Hotel), with terrace; walk thence to the N.W. along the foot of the Karst to the _Belvedere_ (1303 ft.; fine view; best in the evening).

The *Excursion to Miramar is best made in the afternoon; the traveller should ascertain whether or not the park and château are open. The highroad (4½ M.; motor-omnibus, see p. 425) skirts the coast. We may take the train also from the S. Station to (5 M.) _Miramar_ or to (5½ M.) _Grignano_ and descend thence in ¼ hr. (or ½ hr.) to Miramar, or take the tramway (p. 425) to _Barcola_ (sea-baths; Hôt. Excelsior) and walk thence to (2½ M.) Miramar (motor-omnibus 60 _h_). The pleasantest route, however, is that of the steamer (p. 425),—The imperial château of =Miramar=, on the beautiful _Punta di Grignano_, was built in 1854–6 by Archd. Maximilian. It was here that he accepted the imperial crown of Mexico (1864). The château, which has a charming park, is open to the public (10–12 and 3–5, in winter 2–4; adm. 60 _h_).

From the S. station of _Opčina_ (pronounced Óptchina; see p. 425; ordinary trains only stop here) directly in ½ hr. (or from Trieste viâ Miramar, 10½ M. Nabresina, and 18 M. Opčina in 1¼–2½ hrs.) to (10 or 28 M.) =Divača= (pronounced Divátcha; 1418 ft.; Buffet, also R. 2 _K_ 80 _h_, good; quarters also at the Restaurant Obersnel), station for (1 M.) _Kronprinz Rudolf’s Grotto_ (tickets, etc. at the buffet), for the (¾ hr.) _Stephanie-Warte_ (1428 ft.; view), and for the grand _Cataracts and Caverns of St. Canzian_ (tickets and guides at the inn of Joh. Gombač at _Matavun_, ½ hr. below the Stephanie-Warte, ¾ hr. from Divača).

See also _Baedeker’s Austria-Hungary_.

* * * * *

The ITALIAN STEAMERS from Venice to Alexandria usually leave the lagoons to the N. of the _Lido_ (p. 424), avoiding _Chioggia_ and the marshy delta of the _Po_. They then steer down the Adriatic Sea towards Ancona. In clear weather we obtain a superb view of the Alps, of the Euganean hills to the N.W., and of the _Apennines_, whose offshoots come close down to the Adriatic near _Rimini_.

=Ancona= (Hôt. Roma e Pace, etc.; Brit, vice-consul; pop. 33,300, incl. about 6000 Jews), 140 M. to the S.E. of Venice, a strongly fortified town and the busiest seaport on the E. coast of Italy, is splendidly situated between the headlands of _Monte Astagno_ and _Monte Guasco_, the N.W. spurs of Monte Conero (p. 428).

The _Harbour_, an oval basin open towards the W., is considered the best in Italy. The well-preserved _Arch of Trajan_, in marble, of 115 A.D., and a _Triumphal Arch_ of the time of Pope Clement XII. (1730–40) recall the two founders of the N. quays. The _Banchina_, on the E. side of the harbour, is a modern quay (1880).

From the Dogana we may walk to the E. in a few minutes to the church of _Santa Maria della Piazza_, with its lavishly decorated façade (1210), and to the late-Gothic _Loggia dei Mercanti_ (Exchange; 1454–9). A little to the E. is the _Prefettura_ (15–16th cent.), with its fine quadrangle and a superb Renaissance archway.

The Via del Comune, near this, leads to the N., past the _Palazzo del Comune_ (of 1493, but much modernized), to the *_Cathedral_ (San Ciriaco; closed 12 to 4.30), on Monte Guasco, a fine point of view. The church, in which Byzantine and Romanesque forms are mingled, dates from 1128–89; the fine porch is of the 13th century.

The STEAMERS round the N. pier, and beyond _Monte dei Cappuccini_ (lighthouse) pass _Monte Conero_ (1877 ft.; the ancient _Promontorium Cunerum_), crowned with a Camaldulensian monastery. This limestone mass does not form part of the Apennines, in front of which it lies, and geologically considered is perhaps, like Monte Gargano (see below), a relic of the great Dalmatian limestone tableland (p. 429).

The coast recedes. In clear weather we sight in succession the summits of the Central Apennines, snow-clad till July: _Monte Vettore_ (8130 ft.), the highest of the _Monti Sibillini_, the _Gran Sasso d’Italia_ (9561 ft.) in the _Abruzzi_, and the _Maiella_, with _Monte Amaro_ (9170 ft.).

After some time we pass the four low _Trémiti Islands_, the mythical _Insulae Diomedeae_, and then the rocky island of _Pianosa_ (ancient _Planasia_), beyond which we sight _Monte Gargáno_ (3464 ft.; _Mons Garganus_), once, as late as the tertiary age, an island separated from the mainland by a strait.

Off the lighthouse of _Vieste_, on the E. side of the peninsula, we steer away from the _Bay of Manfredonia_ and due S.E. to—

=Bari= (Hôt. Cavour, Corso Vittorio Emanuele; Caffè del Risorgimento, at the hotel; Brit. vice-cons. and U. S. cons. agent; pop. 73,400), the ancient _Barium_, a provincial capital and the largest trading town in Apulia. As in the time of Horace, this is the part of the Adriatic where fish are most abundant.

From the _Porto Nuovo_, on the N.W. side of the old town, Monte Gargano, often cloud-capped, is visible even in rainy weather. The small _Porto Vecchio_, on the E. side, admits small craft only.

The sights of the old town are the _Castle_, once that of the Hohenstaufen, dating from Emp. Frederick II. (1223; now barracks and signalling station), the _Cathedral_, a Romanesque church of the 12th cent. modernized in 1745, and the church of _San Nicóla_, dedicated to St. Nicholas of Bari. San Nicola and the small church of _San Gregorio_ near it date from the end of the 11th century.—The old town and the new (_Borgo_) are separated by the broad _Corso Vittorio Emanuele_, which ends in pleasant promenades.

Beyond Bari we skirt the coast, where in the seaports of _Mola di Bari_, _Polignano a Mare_, and _Monopoli_, with their white houses, we see the first signs of the Orient. The _Faro di Penna_, the lighthouse on _Capo Gallo_, and the lighthouses in the islands of _Sant’ Andrea_ (see below) and _Le Petagne_ mark the approach to (475 M.) _Brindisi_ (see below).

The AUSTRIAN LLOYD STEAMERS, on leaving _Trieste_ (p. 425), steer to the S.W. through the _Bay of Trieste_, avoiding the numerous bays of the N.W. coast of _Istria_; then, beyond the lighthouse of _Salvore_, the ancient _Silvium Promontorium_, they keep in sight of the hilly, olive-clad W. coast of Istria. We pass the small coast-towns of _Umago_, _Cittanuova_, and _Parenzo_ (ancient _Parentium_), then the lighthouse on the _Marmi Bank_, the _Canal di Leme_, a kind of fiord, backed by _Monte Maggiore_ (4580 ft.), and the harbour of _Rovigno_, sheltered by cliffs (scogli).

Beyond the cliff of _San Giovanni in Pélago_ (lighthouse) we pass the _Isŏle Brioni_, where the Venetians once quarried stone for their palaces and churches. Fine view of the deeply cut bay of _Pola_, the chief naval seaport of Austria, used also by the Romans of the imperial age as a naval harbour.

Beyond _Cape Promontore_ (ancient _Polaticum Promontorium_), the flat S. extremity of Istria, with a lighthouse on the _Porer Cliff_, a delightful view in clear weather is revealed of the Dalmatian islands, relics of the ancient Dalmatian limestone plateau, now submerged in the Adriatic. The most conspicuous are _Lussin_ (_Apsorus Insula_), culminating in _Monte Ossero_ (1929 ft.), and to the E., overtopped by it, _Unie_ and _Sansego_ with their lighthouses.

We pass the large islands of _Lunga_ or _Grossa_ and _Incoronata_ (_Celadussae Insulae_), lying off the coast near Zara. A good way farther on we sight the rocky islet of _Pomo_, midway between Dalmatia and the E. coast of Italy; then the islands of _Sant’ Andrea_ (1001 ft.), _Busi_ (788 ft.; containing the _Spelonca di Ballon_, resembling the blue grotto of Capri), and _Lissa_ (1920 ft.; ancient _Issa_), where the Austrian fleet defeated the Italian in 1866.

Between the islands of _Cazza_ (797 ft.) and _Lagosta_ (1368 ft.; ancient _Ladesta_) and the Italian island-group of _Pelagosa_, we may descry _Monte Gargano_ (p. 428) to the S.W. in clear weather.

We now steer straight towards the _Faro di Penna_ (p. 428).

=Brindisi.=—The QUAY is on the N.E. side of the town; the STATION, on the S.W. side, is ¾ M. from the quay. Between them runs the Corso Garibaldi, continued to the W. by Corso Umberto Primo.

HOTELS (charges should be agreed upon beforehand). _Grand-Hôt. International_, at the quay, R. 5–10, B. 1½, déj. 4, D. 6, omn. 1½ fr.; _Albergo Europa_, Corso Garibaldi 147, R. from 2 fr.; _Alb. Centrale_, Corso Garibaldi 67, near the harbour; these two, with restaurants, fairly good.—_Café Caprez._

CAB (bargaining necessary) from station to quay 60 c., 2 pers. 1 fr., 3 pers. 1 fr. 20 c.; ½ hr. 2, 1 hr. 3 fr.; at night 20 c. more; trunk 20 c.

=Post & Telegraph Office=, Corso Umberto Primo and on the quay.

BRITISH CONSUL, _S. G. Cocoto_.

STEAMBOAT OFFICES. _Società Nazionale_, Via Margherita 32; _Austrian Lloyd_, Thos. Cook & Son, Strada Marina.—The steamers are generally moored at the quay; otherwise, landing or embarkation 60 c.—LLOYD’S AGENT, _Sig. Nervegna_.—ENGLISH CHURCH SERVICE in winter.

_Brindisi_ (pop. 22,000), a quiet town, the seat of an archbishop, has been ever since ancient times an important starting-point for the East. In the middle ages its harbour was often sought by the Crusaders, and hosts of travellers now pass through it on their way to or from Egypt, India, Australia, etc. The inner harbour, sheltered from every wind, consists of two natural creeks formed by erosion; in the southmost, the Seno di Ponte Piccolo, 492 yds. long, the large steamers are easily berthed. The channel connecting the inner harbour with the outer had become choked with sand in the later middle ages, but was reopened in 1755 and lined with masonry in 1866. On the island of _Sant’ Andrea_, outside the harbour, rises a castle of the 15th cent., now a quarantine station.

The town offers few sights. On a height close to the quay stands a _Column_, 62 ft. high, with a rich capital containing figures of gods. Adjacent is the base of a second column. The unfinished inscription on the first mentions Lupus Protospatha, a Byzantine governor, who restored the town in the 10th cent. after its destruction by the Saracens. These columns are said to have marked the end of the Via Appia which led from Rome to Tarentum and Brundisium, and they perhaps bore a beacon-fire. The Gothic _Castle_, with its huge round towers, on the N. creek, to the W. of the town, built by Emp. Frederik II. about 1235 and strengthened by Charles V., now contains a bagno for galley convicts. The baptistery of _San Giovanni al Sepolcro_ (11th cent.), with its fine portals and frescoes, is now a museum of antiquities. The _Cathedral_, in its present form, is of the 18th cent.; at the corner of a street opposite is a mediæval house with an elaborate balcony. The Norman church of _San Benedetto_ (early 13th cent.) has an interesting side-portal and fine cloisters. _Santa Lucia_ has a crypt with relics of Byzantine frescoes.

Leaving Brindisi the STEAMER next passes through the _Straits of Otranto_, the entrance to the Adriatic, about 47 M. in breadth, within sight at first of the flat and marshy coast of Apulia, with the lighthouse of _San Cataldo_. To the E., on the coast of _Albania_, rise the _Acroceraunian Mts._ (p. 496).

Far away to the left appear the _Othonian Islands_ (p. 496), belonging to Greece, and the W. coast of _Corfu_ (p. 495).

Steering through the _Ionian Sea_ we near the W. coast of _Kephallenía_ (p. 500) and _Zante_ (p. 502). Off the _Strophades_ (p. 502) we sight the _Messenian Peninsula_, with _Mt. Ægaleon_ (p. 502).

Beyond the _Œnussae Islands_ (p. 493) we proceed to the E.S.E. till at length we pass the W. coast of _Crete_ (p. 415) and the island of _Gavdos_ (p. 418). We then lose sight of land until near _Alexandria_ or _Port Said_ (comp. p. 418).

[Illustration: ALEXANDRIE]

69. Alexandra.[6]

ARRIVAL. Most of the steamers are berthed at the quay in the inner harbour (otherwise the fare to or from the steamer is 2 pias., at night 3 pias., each trunk 1 pias.). After the formalities of the sanitary authorities are concluded, the care of heavier baggage is entrusted to one of the Arabian hotel porters, or to Cook’s agents (p. 432), who wear an official cap or badge. The inclusive charge to the hotel or to the railway-station is 15–20 pias., which through-passengers to Cairo may sometimes pay in advance at one of the tourist agencies before starting on their journey. The custom-house examination is usually lenient.

Footnote 6:

MONEY. The _Egyptian Pound_ (£E, ‘livre égyptienne’) contains 100 _Piastres_ (pias.) of 10 _Millièmes_ (mill.) each. The Arabic for piastre is _kirsh_, pl. _kurûsh_ (pronounced in Cairo _’irsh_ and _’urûsh_), but the European name is known everywhere. Petty traders often distinguish between the ‘great piastre’ of 10 mill, (_kirsh sâgh_) and the ‘little piastre’ of 5 mill. (_kirsh tarifa_). In the following data the ‘great’ is always understood.

The Egyptian pound is worth ca. 20_s._ 6_d._, the piastre nearly 2½_d._ Egyptian gold coins are rare, their place being taken by the sovereign (_ginê inglîsi_, 97½ pias.), the French 20 fr. piece (_bint_, 77 pias.), and the Turkish pound (_mejidîyeh_, 87½ pias.), which are all legally current.

The silver coins are _riyâl masri_ (20 pias.), _nusse riyâl_ (10 pias.), _rub’a riyâl_ (5 pias., 1_s._ ¼_d._, often called a ‘shilling’ at Cairo), _kirshen_ (2 pias.), and _kirsh_ or _kirsh sâgh_ (1 pias.). Nickel: _nusse kirsh_ or _kirsh tarifa_ (½ pias.), 2 mill. (⅕ pias.), and 1 mill. (ca. ¼_d._). Copper: ½ and ¼ mill.

Eastern European time, which is about 2 hrs. in advance of Greenwich, is observed in Egypt.

=Railway Station.= GARE DU CAIRE or BAB EL-GUEDID (Pl. G, 5; buffet), near the old Porte Moharrem Bey.

=Hotels= (English style). SAVOY PALACE (Pl. g; H, 4), Rue de la Porte de Rosette 35, R. 40–70,. B. 10, déj. 20, D. 30, pens. 80, omn. 5 pias.; METROPOLE HOTEL (Pl. k; F, G, 3), Rue Avéroff, near the E. harbour, R. 20–30, B. 6, déj. 15, D. 20, pens. 40–60, omn. 5 pias., well spoken of; EXCELSIOR HOTEL (Pl. a; H, 4), Rue de la Porte de Rosette 15; GRAND-HÔTEL (Pl. b; F, 4), Square Ste. Catherine, R. from 25, B. 6, déj. or D. 20, pens. 60–80, omn. 5 pias.; WINDSOR HOTEL (Pl. d; G, 3), Rue Avéroff 7, near the E. harbour, R. from 17, déj. 15, D. 20, pens. from 50 pias.; HÔT. BRISTOL (Pl. i; G, 4), Rue de la Gare de Ramleh; HÔT. DES VOYAGEURS (Pl. f; F, 4), Rue de l’Eglise Ecossaise 4, pens. 11 fr.; HÔT. BONNARD (Pl. e; F, 3), Rue Champollion 7, pens. from 42 pias.—=Hôtels Garnis.= HÔT. DU NIL (Pl. h: F, 3), Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse 11; HÔT. CONTINENTAL (Pl. c; F, 4), Rue de France 2.

=Cafés= (cup of Arabian coffee 1 pias.). Several in Place Méhémet Ali (Pl. F, 4), etc.—CONFECTIONERS. _Confiserie Albengo_, Rue Chérif Pacha 17; _Groppi_, same street, No. 33; _Zola_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 3; _Sault_, Rue _Chérif_ Pacha 26.

=Restaurants.= _Ristorante Firenze_, Rue de la Poste 14 (Pl. F, 3, 4); _Restaurant Universel_, Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse 9 (Pl. F, 4); same street, Nos. 3 and 6, _Old Bourse Bar_ and _Spathis_; _Castelli_, Rue Chérif Pacha 1.

=Tramways= (see Plan), all diverging from Place Méhémet Ali. Uniform fare, 1st cl. 10, 2nd cl. 5 mill., with right to one change of car.—Electric line to Ramleh (p. 436) every 5 min. till midnight (dep., see Pl. G, 3).—There are in addition several services of MOTOR OMNIBUSES plying within the town and to the suburbs.

=Cabs= (Arabic _arabîyeh_). In the town, drive of 10 min. 2 pias., with two horses 3 pias.; 20 min. 2½ or 4 pias.; ½ hr. 3 or 5 pias.; hr. 6 or 9 pias.; each addit. ¼ hr. 1½ or 2 pias.; from steamer to railway-station 3 or 5 pias. (See tariff in vehicle as to suburbs). The aid of a friend who speaks the language is desirable in bargaining for long drives.

=Post Office= (Pl. F, 3), open 7–12 and 2 to 9.30. Postage, see p. 441. France has its own post-office, Rue de la Gare de Ramleh 2.—=Telegraph Offices.= _Egyptian_, Rue Tewfik Premier 1; _British_, Rue du Télégraphe Anglais 5 (Pl. F, 4).

=Consulates.= British (Pl. 6; H, 3), Rue de l’Hôpital Egyptien: consul-general, _D. E. Cameron_; vice-consul, _E. H. Mulock_.—United States, Rue Chérif Pacha 21; consul, _D. R. Birch_; vice-consul, _F. L. Romeo_.

=Tourist Agents.= _Thos. Cook & Son_, Rue de la Porte de Rosette 2; _Clark_, Grand-Hôtel; _Hamburg-American_, Square Ste. Catherine (Pl. F, 4); _F. Th. Fotiades & Co._, Rue Chérif Pacha 22.

=Physicians.= _Dr. Morrison_, Place Méhémet Ali; _Dr. Webb Jones_, Rue de Stamboul; _Dr. Elkins_ (Government Hospital); _Dr. Forster_ (lady-doctor); _Dr. Hoddad_, Rue de la Gare de Ramleh 29.

=Steamboat Offices.= _Peninsular & Oriental_, Rue Avéroff (Haselden & Co.; ‘Box 153’); _Messageries Maritimes_ (RR. 67, 72), Ricard, Rue de l’Eglise Debbane 5; _Austrian Lloyd_ (RR. 68, 72), Rue de la Porte de Rosette; _Società Nazionale_ (RR. 67, 68, 72), Capt. Baldovino, Rue Sésostris 12; _Khedivial Mail Steamship Co._ (RR. 72, 75, 76), Rue Centrale; _North German Lloyd_ (R. 67) and _Rumanian Mail_ (R. 76), Müller & Co., Rue Sésostris 16; _German Levant Line_ (R. 72), Stross, No. 11, same street; _White Star_, Ross & Co., Rue de la Marine; _Russian Steam Navigation & Trading Co._ (RR. 72, 75, 76), Reidemeister, Rue St. Marc 1.

=Banks= (usually 9–12 and 3–5). _Ottoman_, Place Méhémet Ali 5 (Pl. F, 4); _National Bank of Egypt_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 4 (Pl. G, 4); _Anglo-Egyptian_, Rue Chérif Pacha 7; _Crédit Lyonnais_, same street, No. 4; _Bank of Egypt_, Rue Tewfik 4; _Deutsche Orientbank_ (Pl. F, 4), Rue Adib 4.

=Photographs.= _Reiser & Binder_, Rue de l’Ancienne Bourse 6 (also art-dealers); _Lassave_, Rue de l’Eglise Debbane 7; _Fettel & Bernard_, Rue Toussoun Pacha 1. Photographical requisites at _Delmar’s_, Rue Tewfik Premier.

=Theatres.= _Zizinia_ (Pl. G, 4), Rue de la Porte de Rosette, often closed; French and Italian operas, alternating after 1st Jan. with Cairo.—VARIETY THEATRES (all with gardens): _Alhambra_ (Pl. G, 4); _Nuovo Teatro Alhambra_, cor. of Rue Misalla and Rue de la Gare de Ramleh (Pl. G, 3).—_Jardin Rosette_, Rue de la Porte Rosette (Pl. H, 4).

=Churches.= _English_ (_St. Mark’s_; ‘Egl. anglicane’; Pl. F, 4), Place Méhémet Ali; chaplain, _Ven. Archdeacon Ward, M. A._; services on Sun. at 8, 11, and 6.15 o’clock.—_Presbyterian_ (_St. Andrew’s_; Pl. 1, F, 3, 4), Rue de l’Eglise Ecossaise; service on Sun. at 10.30 a.m.—_American Mission_ (‘Egl. améric.’; Pl. G, 4), Rue Sidi el-Metwalli.

ONE DAY, when time is limited. Forenoon, _Place Méhémet Ali_ (p. 434), the _Arab_ and _Turkish Quarters_ (p. 434); tramway or cab to _Pompey’s Pillar_ (p. 435); *_Catacombs of Kôm esh-Shukâfa_ (p. 435). Afternoon, _Rue Chérif Pacha_ (p. 435) and _Museum_ (p. 436). A ‘billet cumulatif’ obtained at the Museum (8 pias.) admits also to Pompey’s Pillar and the Catacombs.

_Alexandria_, called by the Arabs and Turks _Iskanderîeh_, the second town of Egypt, strongly fortified, and one of the most important trading places on the Mediterranean, lies in 31° 11′ N. lat. and 29° 53′ E. long., at the W. end of the _Nile Delta_ (p. 418), on a strip of land separating _Lake Mareotis_ from the sea. The population is about 377,000, incl. 48,000 Europeans (‘Franks’), chiefly Greeks and Italians, but many French and Austrians and a lesser number of English and Germans. The Moslems live mostly in the N. and W. quarters (comp. p. 434), the Europeans chiefly in the E. quarter or in Ramleh (p. 436).

Alexandria was founded in 331 B. C. by _Alexander the Great_, who endeavoured to blend the land of the Pharaohs with his new Greek empire. His Egyptian governor and successor, _Ptolemy I. Soter_ (323–286), made Alexandria a centre of art and science. He founded the Museum, an institute for the promotion of science and poetry, to which the famous Alexandrine library was attached. The highly advantageous position of the town, which was connected, through Lake Mareotis, with the Nile by several navigable channels, and whose harbour (unlike the other older seaports at the mouth of the Nile) was protected by marine currents from being silted up, led to the surprisingly rapid development of its trade and prosperity under the _Ptolemies_. Alexandria had attained its zenith when, in 48 B. C., the Romans intervened in the quarrels between _Cleopatra_ and her husband _Ptolemy XIV._ Both _Caesar_, who entered Alexandria in triumph after the murder of Pompey at Pelusium, and _Antony_ were ensnared by Cleopatra. After the defeat of Antony’s partisans _Augustus_ founded the large E. suburb of _Nicopolis_. When at its prime the city is said to have had a population of half-a-million inhabitants. The Greek element predominated, after which came the Egyptian, while a Jewish community had existed here ever since the time of Ptolemy I. Christianity also took root in Alexandria at an early period, having been first proclaimed here, according to tradition, by St. Mark the Evangelist.

In the time of _Trajan_ (96–117) the revolt of the Jews, who then composed one-third of the population, gave rise to terrible bloodshed and disaster. A century later the emperor _Caracalla_ (211–7) paid a fateful visit to the city, and, to punish the citizens for their contumacy, ordered many of them to be massacred and the famous academy to be closed. The city suffered even more severely from the persecution of the Christians under _Decius_ (250) and _Valerian_ (257), from the plague in the reign of _Gallienus_, and from its battles with the Palmyrenes (260–8). Having become, like Carthage, a stronghold of Christian erudition, Alexandria afterwards became the chief scene of the embittered controversies between _Arius_ (d. 336), a presbyter of the city, and the ‘orthodox’ bishops _Alexander_ and _Athanasius_ (328–78). Even after the victory of the Athanasians at the councils of Nicæa (325) and Constantinople (381) the Arian heresy, which admitted the divine nature of Christ but denied his identity with the Father, subsisted for centuries among the Germanic tribes.