NATURAL HISTORY. 117 



is pcfectly tiresome. But though the women of Egypt 

 are commonly rather short, yet the men are of a good 

 height. Both are of an olive colour; and the farther we 

 remove from Cairo, the more we find the people tawny, 

 till we reach the confines of Nuhia, where they are as 

 black as the Nubians themselves. 



The most inherent defects of the Egyptians are idle- 

 ness and cowardice. They do nothing almost the 

 whole day but drink coffee, smoke, sleep, remain in- 

 dolent in one place, or chatter in the streets. They 

 are highly ignorant, and are full of the most ridiculous 

 vanity. Though they cannot deny but that they have 

 lost every thing noble they once possessed ; the scien- 

 ces, the exercise of arms, their history, and even their 

 language ; and that, from an illustrious and a valiant 

 nation, they have become a people dastardly and ensla- 

 ved ; they scruple not to despise all other nations, and 

 to take offence at the bare offer of carrying their chil- 

 dren into Europe, in order to initiate them in the arts 

 and sciences. 



" The women of Circassia," says Struys, " are ex- 

 ceedingly fair and beautiful. Their complexion is in- 

 comparably fine ; their forehead is large and smooth ; 

 and, without the assistance of art, their eye-brows are 

 so delicate, that they appear as threads of silk. Their 

 eyes are large, soft, and full of animation, their mouth 

 is small and expressive of a smile, and their chin forms 

 a perfect oval. Their neck and breasts are admirably 

 formed ; their stature is tall, and the shape of their 

 body easy ; their skin, is white as snow, and their 

 hair of the most beautiful black. They wear a little 

 cap of a black stuff, over which they fasten a roller of* 

 the same colour ; but, what is truly ridiculous, is, 

 that, instead of this roller, the widows wear the blad- 



