POPULATION. The population of Egypt. in 1846, 1882, and 1897 was respectively 4,476,440, 6,813,919, and 9134,405, the average annual in crease being 1.25 per cent. for the period 1846 82, and 2.76 per cent. for 1882-97. Of the total population in 1897, 9,621,879 (including 573,, 974 nomads) were Egyptians (including fellahs, who constitute the great bulk of the people; Arab inhabitants of the towns, and Bedouins and Copts), 38,175 Greeks, 24,461 Italians, 19, 557 British. 14,155 French, 7117 Austro-Hunga rians, 3193 Irussiam 1277 Germans. 1301 Persians, and 3254 of other nationalities. The population in the villages and smaller is purely Egyptian, while in the larger towns Arabs and foreigners predominate.
IlEmnioN. About 9,000,000 inhabitants or 92.23 per cent. profess the Sunnite Mohammedan faith; 730,162 are Christians (including 608, 446 Copts. q.v.). and 25.200 are Jews. The Armenians have a bishop in Cairo. The Maro nites are also represented. The Roman Catholics have tore churches in Alexandria and two in Cairo. undertakings in Egypt ha not been particularly successful. The Copts are bigoted and exelusive and not well disposed to ward other Christian bodies. There is an Ameri can mission at Alexandria and Cairo, which works ehietly among the Copts and Jews. A training-school was established at Sint in 1865. Various Roman Catholic organizations, such as the Christian Brothers. 'sisters of Charity, and Poor Clairs, arc doing touch in the way of chari table and benevolent work.
Education among the natives is in a very low state. In P-197 only 5.S per cent. of the native Egyptian population were able to read and write. while the proportion among the Coptic male inhabitants was 51) per cent., and
among foreign inhabitants 74 per cent. Elemen tary education among the Mohammedans is main ly in the hands of private teachers or is provided for by schools attached to the mosques. At the head of the lllll (-dant educational system is the great theological seminary at the \losque of El-Azhar, the oldest and greatest university in the .loslein world. (See CAIRO. ) The subjects un instruction is given here are the old traditional branches of the Alohammedan creed; and the system of pedagogy is as antiquated as the studies which are pursued. An attempt to institute a system of public schools, made by Mehemet Ali, succeeded only in part. In 1898 there were about 10.000 elementary schools in the country. with 17.000 teachers and 228,000 pupils. Of these about 12,000 pupils were en rolled in the Government schools, primary, sec ondary, and professional, and 20,000 attended the mission schools supported by the various creeds—Roman Catholic, Greek Orthodox. the United Presbyterians of America, and others. Under the direct supervision of the Government there were in 1898 only 86 primary schools. 36 institutions of a higher grade, 3 secondary schools, 2 girls' academies, 9 institutions for higher or professional instruction, including the School of Law, the School of Medicine and Pharmacy, the School of Agriculture, the Poly technic, 2 seminary schools, and 2 technical schools. The vast mass of students of all grades. therefore, still receive instruction at the hands of Mohammedan religious instructors.