218 



CAIRO. 



Cairo. ing the articles conveyed to them from without, and 

 carefully avoiding the contact and near approach of 

 persons exposed to the infection. It would appear, 

 that the pestilential atmosphere possesses a consider- 

 able specific gravity, as it is not found to ascend so 

 high as the tops of the houses ; where the Europeans 

 freely appear, and survey, in security, the havock of 

 death in the streets. 



In favourable seasons, provisions of most kinds are 

 here very cheap ; wine, sweet oil, and fuel, which is 

 used only for cookery, being the produce of foreign 

 countries, are rather dear. Onions still continue to 

 "be prized in this place, of which immense quantities 

 are consumed raw by the poorer sort. The well- 

 water of Egypt is for the most part brackish, as is 

 also that which has stood for some time in the canals 

 and reservoirs. On this account, the water drank at 

 Cairo, except during the inundation, is brought in 

 leathern bags from the Nile, on the backs of camels. 

 Being commonly very muddy, it is poured into large 

 earthen jars, previously coated on the inside with 

 a preparation of bitter almonds, and, in the space of 

 two hours, it becomes pure and limpid. Besides 

 sherbet, which is used chiefly by the great, a fer- 

 mented liquor, pleasant but soon spoiling, is here ob- 

 tained from maize, millet, barley, or rice. The 

 Christians distil for themselves, from dates, figs, or 

 currants, a strong liquor known by the name of ara- 

 ki. The peculiar complexion of the diseases of a 

 people, is produced, we venture so say, more by the 

 qualities of their food, and their mode of living, than 

 by climate. 



The government of Cairo is vested in the bey of 

 Masr, assisted by the mulla, or chief judge and 

 priest, who is annually appointed by the grand seig- 

 nior. The inferior judges, called cadis, amount, in 

 this great city, to 200 : their revenue consists in the 

 value of the tenth part of the thing litigated. Be- 

 sides these, there also are imams, or priests of the 

 four sects, who exercise authority over their respec- 

 tive adherents. Notwithstanding the great extent of 

 Cairo, its narrow and winding streets, and its barba- 

 rous population, fewer deeds of violence are commit- 

 ted here than in some European cities. For this se- 

 curity several causes may be assigned. Every calling 

 here has a sheik, or chief, who keeps an eye on the 

 members of his own fraternity ; by which means, a po- 

 lice is established in every craft, and criminals are ea- 

 sily detected. The streets, too, having generally no 

 thoroughfare, and being at night shut up with gates, 

 prevent the possibility of escape. These gates are 

 opened by a porter, who allows none to pass of a sus- 

 picious appearance ; and, to insure respect, a guard 

 of janissaries is within call, who, being liberally paid 

 by the town, and never changed as long as they give 

 satisfaction, have thus a powerful stimulus to dis- 

 charge with fidelity their lucrative office. But, be- 

 sides these preventive measures, the execution of 

 justice is here prompt and terrible. The judges are 

 constantly sitting. Officers, with a numerous posse 

 -of attendants, perambulate the streets by night and 

 by day. The punishment of the bastinado is applied 

 with unsparing vigour on the spot ; and sometimes, 

 when the wretched offenders are detected in the 

 'commission of great crimes, their heads are instant- 



ly struck off, and are received into a leathern bag Caif. 

 carried about for that purpose. With such a form 

 of government, it is obvious that the rulers must com- 

 mit more crimes than the people. 



Under the despotism of the Turks and M.imelukes, 

 it were vain to look for excellence in arts or manu- 

 factures. In the furniture of houses, and deco- 

 rations of silver and gold, there is much grandeur 

 and barbaric parade ; but throughout the whole, 

 there reigns a poverty of invention, and a miserably 

 bad taste. The most perfect of their manufactures 

 is that of silk stuffs, which is, however, inferior to 

 the European productions, and much higher priced. 

 Their other manufactures are sugar, of a bad quality, 

 obtained from the canes, which in some places cover 

 the banks of the Nile ; sal ammoniac, which is much 

 in request ; saltpetre, coarse gunpowder, glass lamps, 

 red and yellow leather, and linen cloth of fine Egyp- 

 tian flax. Their gun and pistol barrels, sword blades, 

 hard ware, and mercery, are the produce of foreign 

 manufacture. The carabines of the Mamelukes are 

 English, and their swords Persian or Turkish. We 

 might here mention the hatching of eggs by artificial 

 warmth, a very ancient art, and at present retained 

 principally at Cairo. The chickens are thought by 

 some not to be so good as those hatched by incuba- 

 tion. 



The commerce of Cairo with distant places, though 

 much decayed within the last three centuries, is still 

 very considerable. As the metropolis of Egypt, the 

 residence of the beys, the lawyers, and the wealthy, 

 it consumes all the commodities of that country, or 

 transmits them to the provincial districts ; as a centre 

 of circulation, it affords great facilities from its posi- 

 tion. By the Nile, it corresponds with Upper Egypt 

 and Abyssinia ; by the Mediterranean, with Europe 

 and the Turkish empire ; by the Red Sea, with A- 

 rabia and India ; and even by the deserts it commu- 

 nicates with distant countries by means of numerous 

 caravans. Damascus and Cairo are called " the two 

 gates of Mecca," from the annual muster of pilgrims 

 which take place at these two cities, though we are 

 uncertain what changes the Wachabees may have 

 produced in this respect. Of these prodigious as- 

 semblages, the greater part are merchants, who avail 

 themselves of this religious opportunity to conduct 

 their traffic. Every year a great caravan from A- 

 byssinia arrives in the neighbourhood of Cairo, on 

 the banks of the Birque, or Lake of the Pilgrims, 

 bringing from 1000 to 1200 negro slaves, great quan- 

 tities of elephants teeth, ostrich feathers, gum, gold 

 dust, parrots, and monkies ; and here it remains till 

 joined by another immense assemblage from western 

 Africa. These pilgrims and merchants, some of 

 them from the Senegal, proceeding along the coast 

 of the Mediterranean, and collecting in their way 

 those of Algiers, Tripoli, and Tunis, arrive through 

 the desert at Alexandria, and from thence proceed 

 to the general rendezvous at the Birque. This ca- 

 ravan has been known to exceed three thousand ca- 

 mels, laden with the merchandise of the West, con- 

 sisting of oils, red caps, for which Tunis is famous, 

 fine flannel, and many other commodities. This mul- 

 titude being now. incorporated with that from Ethi- 

 opia, and swelled by the crowds of Egypt, the whole 



