AND LOWER EGYPT. l73 



among whom there are a few Catholics. They have 

 manufacturers of blue or clouded cloths, which, in 

 a commercial view, are of importance to them, and 

 which diffuse a degree of comfort over the place 

 which they inhabit. A Cophtish bishop resides 

 there, but he does not improve the morals of a 

 crowd of men, who generally, although Christians, 

 are worse than the Mahometans amidst whom they 

 live*. The Catholics have also a cure, who has 

 partly studied at Rome, and two Franciscan 

 friars, sumptuously maintained ; and whose se- 

 raphic pride looks down with disdain on those 

 whom they are appointed to direct or to convert. 

 These monks, one of whom was a Cjerman and 

 the other an Italian, received me tolerably well. 



Several shocks of an earthquake were felt during 

 the night, which terrified the inhabitants of Ne- 

 guade. These shocks, as 1 afterwards learnt, were 

 equally perceptible at Tahta ; and in the latter 

 place a meteor was observed at the same time, 

 which, by the description given me of it, had some 

 resemblance to a rainbow; it was not so exten- 

 sive, but it had the same form and the same co- 

 lours. The air was darkened by thick vapours 

 and by the dust which the wind scattered abroad. 



* This bishoprick of NeguaJe is not included in the list of 

 Cophtish biihopricks given byForskal (Description of Arabia 

 by Niebuhr, page 79) : it has however now existed for some 

 time* 



I was 



