Severe thunderstorms broke over the coun| try yesterday afternoon, and a watery sunset did not augur well for the following day. However, the gods proved kinder than was anticipated and the good steamship "Cairo" was successfully launched a few hours ago in | fine weather, although the temperature for the time of year was somewhat below normal..

The Countess of Cromer, who had kindly consented to perform the naming ceremony, arrived at the railway station this morning accompanied by her brother-in-law and sister, Sir Hugh and Lady Octavia Shaw-Stewart, where they were met by the Chairman and Directors of the Egyptian Mail Steamship Company. Carriages were in waiting and the party at once drove to the Fairfield Ship| building and Engineering Co.'s Works, Govan, where a large and distinguished gathering had already assembled. Amongst others present were Major and Lady Victoria Villiers, Lord Armstrong, H.E. Boghos Pasha Nubar, Mr. and Mrs. G. T. Symons, Mr. and Mrs. Carton de Wiart, Mr. Alfred Curphey, Mr. Arthur Capel, Mr. George Armstrong, Monsieur Cadean, Admiral Sir Digby Morant, Colonel Paget Mosley, Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Bevis, Mr. Alexander Gracie, Mr. A W. Sampson, Mr. and Mrs. F. Formby Back, Mr. George Strachan, | Prof. Bjles, Mr. R. Whitehead, Mr. and Mrs.

H. C. Walrond, Monsieur l'Hermite, Captain Wilson-Barker, Mr. F. J. Debenham, Mr. P. C. Burton, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Donaldson, Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Donaldson, Mr. J. J. Barrie, Mr. C. C. Barrie, Mr. A. F. Donaldson, Mr. Graham Findlay, Mr. J. P. Maclay, Mr. Robert Headrick, Dr. and Mrs. C. Burland, Mr. Frank Collinson (Architect), etc., etc. Everything now being ready for the launch of the second of the new liners, the visitors repaired to the raised dais, which had been erected under the bows of the "Cairo." In the centre of the dais a table had been placed, on which was fixed an electrical arrangement enabling the hydraulic machinery to be put in, motion, and the great liner to be released from her stays. Punctually at one o'clock, the hour fixed for the launching ceremony, Lady Cromer approached the table and, with a blow from a bright steel axe, set in motion the electrical machinery, and at the same time, in a clear voice, naming the huge steel mass in front of her "Cairo", and bidding it "God Speed." Immediately the enormous hull began to glide, and slowly and gracefully took the water in a little under one minute, amid the ringing cheers from all present, the launch being accomplished without the slightest hitch.

The Company then repaired to the Model Room in the Fairfield Co's Works, where a most elegant luncheon had been provided by the Directors. The Chair was occupied by Mr. Alexander Gracie, the Managing Director of the Fairfield Company, Lady Cromer being seated on his right. After the toasts of His Majesty the King, The Queen, and the Royal Family, had been proposed by the Chairman, and loyally responded to, Mr. Gracie proposed success to the steamship "Cairo", and prosperity to the Egyptian Mail Steamship Company, to which Lord Armstrong, as Chairman of the Steamship Company, replied. He said it was | a great pleasure to him to express his great satisfaction at seeing the "Cairo", the second of their great Egyptian Liners, so successfully take the water. Everyone must regret the absence of Lord Cromer, who had played so noble a part in the building up of modern Egypt, and the thanks of the Company were due to Lady Cromer for taking part that day in helping to build up the new Egyptian line, which, he felt sure, would be second to none in the Mediterranean, and would be the most rapid and comfortable means of transit between Europe and Egypt. These magnificient steamers had been built with the greatest care, and would not only be the largest and fastest boats in the Mediterranean, but would reduce the voyage by 1. days. Lord Armstrong pointed out the remarkable increase of visitors to Egypt, the numbers having doubled in the last five years, the total in 1906 being 107,000, not including 15,000 more who had disembarked at Suez.

His Excellency Boghos Pasha Nubar also retumed thanks on behalf of the Company. Speaking in most excellent English, he said :My Lords, Ladies & Gentlemen.

I hope you will allow me to appeal to your kind indulgence as my knowledge of

I hope you will allow me to appeal to our kind indulgence, as my knowledge of our language is, unfortunately for me, so mperfect, that I would never have dared co address you in English, if I had not been asked to do so.

It is in my capacity as an Egyptian memper of the Company's board that I have he honour of speaking to day. I shall, thereore, confine my remarks to bringing out he Egyptian point of view of our underaking.

In this connection I would recall a statement made by the late Khedive, Ismail Pasha, many years ago, in a speech which has remained familiar in Egypt. Alluding to che political importance already acquired by Egypt and to the high degree of civilisation co which she had attained, His Highness Cemarked: "My country no longer forms part of Africa, it is now-a-days part of Europe."

Thirty years håve nearly past since, and Che country has made constant progress durng this interval, and has greatly developed morally, so that to day, with even greater accuracy and truth, one can say that Egypt is no longer part of Africa, but part of Europe.

But, if this statement may be considered as exact, when you take into account the progress made by our rich and fertile country, all those, who, like me, have to make the journey .yearly, must confess that the above statements must be taken figuratively, and that too prolonged crossings by sea separate is still from that Europe to which we have the legitimate ambition to belong.

It is in order to obviate this and to shorten materially the duration of the crossing, that The Egyptian Mail Steamship Coy. has been founded.

Now that our two immense steamers are afloat, it only remains to express the hope that they will answer the reasonable demands of the pnblic by giving them the rapidity of transit and the comfort.which they are justified in expecting

Under such circumstances there can be no doubt as to the success of our Company, which will bring Europe into more rapid communica|tion with such a rich and a prosperous country as Egypt.

People who are not acquainted with the real situation of Egypt may, perhaps, be astonished at hearing me allude to the prosper|ity of Egypt at the very moment when she is passing though a financial crisis, but, I think, the trne nature of the crisis is imperfectly understood in Europe, and as I have been asked to give my views on the subject, I will do it in a few words. In my opinion, it is solely due to the reckless speculation on the shares of the too numerous companies, which have been promoted lately and launched with disregard of common prudence and without | adequate necessity, and also to speculation on | the building land in the towns, the prices of which have been forced up to exaggerated values. A reaction was inevitable and took place, as might have been expected, suddenly.

But it would be a mistake to think that the crisis affects the whole country, and, I am glad to say, it has not, in any way, affected the chief source of the wealth of Egypt, which consists of the cultivable land, whose marvellous fertility is displayed in the production of all crops and especially of cotton. You find the best illustration of this in the fact that the prices of cultivable land are not only maintained, but have attained higher values than they ever reached before.

To revert to our ship and to the future for our enterprise, allow me to add, that the presence of the Countess of Cromer, as sponsor of the "Cairo" is a happy angury for success. Her name is too well known to require any eulogy on my part, save to express the hope, that her eminent and distinguished husband, whose absence I personally regret, shall shortly be restored to health and will resume the | active career, in which he has done so much | for his country and for Egypt.

In conclusion I would express the wish, that Lord and Lady Cromer will soon take a passage by the "Cairo" and pay us a long visit in Egypt.

Admiral Sir Digby Moran then proposed the health of Lady Cromer, and voiced the feelings of the Company present when sincerely regretting the absence of Lord Cromer, and the serious indisposition which had compelled him to refrain from taking part in any public | functions for the present.

Sir Hugh Stewart, Lady Cromer's brother in-law, returned thanks for her ladyship, and after the success of the Fairfield Co. had been proposed in felicitous terms by Major Villiers and replied to by Colonel Mosley, the guests separated. | Before leaving the luncheon room Admiral

Sir Digby Morant presented Lady Cromer with a beautiful silvered axe, the blade of which had been forged from a piece of the steel of which the "Cairo" had been built. This axe, with which the ceremony of launching had been performed, was inounted on a beautiful ivory handle with gold setting, and wil for ever remain as an interesting memento of the kind offices which she had undertaken to-day in naming the S.S. "Cairo.'

Several of the guests afterwards paid a visit to the "Heliopolis" which is fast approaching completion, and which it is hoped will be ready to commence running in November next.