370. 
Of the Inhabitants of Cairo, and its 
Neighbourhood. 
From Niebuhr’s Travels in Arabia, §:c. 
RABS and Turks from all the 
provinces in the Ottoman em- 
pire, form the most numerous part 
of the inhabitants of Cairo. There 
are also Magrebbins, or Arabs from 
Barbary, other Africans, Persians, 
and Tartars: all these are Maho- 
metans, and most of them attached 
to the sect of Schafei. 
After the Mahometans, the Copts 
are the next in numbers :—they 
occupy whole quarters of the city, 
and very large streets. They have 
a great many churches, both in the 
capital, and at Masr-el-atik in its 
vicinity. , Their patriarch also re- 
sides at Cairo. 
The Jews are the most numerous 
class, next after the Mahometans 
and the Copts. Some Pharisees, or 
Talmudists, reside here, as well as 
Karaites, who, though not nume- 
rous, have a synagogue of their own, 
The Talmudists are numerous and 
very powerful: they have long 
farmed all the customs: an under- 
taking which brings them both 
wealth and credit. In the repub- 
lican governmentof Egypt, they find 
it easier to gain steady protectors 
than in the other provinces of Tur- 
key, where all depends upon the 
caprice of a pacha, who knows not 
how soon he may lose his own place; 
or of the superintendant of the cus- 
toms, who resides in Constantinople. 
One proof of the consequence which 
the Jews enjoy under the aristocra- 
cy of Cairo, is, that the offices of 
the customs are shut upon their Sab- 
bath, and no goods can pass on that 
day, although belonging to Chris- 
tians or Mussulmans. 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 
1792. 
The Greeks have | only, two. 
‘churches in Cairo, in one of which 
the service is performed, by the, Pa- 
triarch of Alexandria, and in the 
other by the Bishop of Mount Si- 
nai. The Armenians, who are not, 
numerous, have only. one church ;. 
but that a handsome one. From. 
Europe here are several French and. 
Italian merchants, but no Dutch- 
men ; yet the Dutch have a consul, 
here, as well as France, Venice, 
and other European nations. 
If Cairo come ever to want Eu- 
ropean merchants, yet it is not pro- 
bable that it willbe without eccle-. 
siastics of the Roman communion. 
Here are Jesuits, capuchins, corde- 
liers, and fathers of the society for 
the propagation of the Christian 
faith. These monks are all eager 
to make proselytes, and sometimes 
succeed so far as to convert some 
schismatic Christian of the east. 
The government readily tolerates 
these modern apostles, on account 
of the profits which they derive from 
the quarrels which the conversions 
produce between the apostateand the 
members of the communion which 
he forsakes, The pacha is often not. 
content with fining the contending 
parties, but examines the affair to 
the bottom, and exacts considerable 
sums from the monks besides. 
The neighbourhood of Cairo is 
partly inhabited by Copts, but chief-. 
Jy by Arabs, wandering or settled. 
These deserve to be more particu- 
larly considered. 
Of the Copts.—From the same. 
| i an ancient origin and illustri- 
ous ancestors could confer me- 
rit, the Copts would be an highly 
estimable 
