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Nature's operations are, however, so uniform that these calamities rarely
arise , Egypt rejoices, more than almost any other country, in an equable climate, an
equable temperature, and an equable productiveness. The summers, no doubt, are
hot, especially in the south, and an occasional sirocco produces intense
discomfort while it lasts.
But the cool Etesian wind, blowing from the north through nearly all the
summer-time, tempers the ardour of the sun's rays even in the hottest season of
the year; and during the remaining months, from October to April, the climate is
simply delightful. Egypt has been said to have but two seasons, spring and
summer. Spring reigns from October into May—crops spring up, flowers bloom, soft
zephyrs fan the cheek, when it is mid-winter in Europe; by February the
fruit-trees are in full blossom; the crops begin to ripen in March, and are
reaped by the end of April; snow and frost are wholly unknown at any time;
storm, fog, and even rain are rare. A bright, lucid atmosphere rests upon the
entire scene.
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