376 
CAIRO 
covered with mosaic, of which a considerable part remained, though 
the buildings themselves had fallen to ruins, and were now filled 
with rubbish, instead of being occupied by the manufacturers, who 
used here to embroider the rich covering of the Caaba at Mecca. It 
is indeed a melancholy circumstance, that the many splendid 
remains of the ancient Sultauns, which the citadel contains, should 
be so rapidly disappearing. The outer walls may continue to 
defend the garrison within, and the massive columns of Egyptian 
architecture may survive the destruction of the apartments they 
were meant to adorn ; but civil broils will destroy every other 
vestige, that could point out the citadel of Cairo as the former abode 
of monarchs. Near this is the mortar battery, whence Hurshid 
Pacha bombarded the town during the late disturbances. We 
visited a round tower, somewhat resembling the castle of Saint 
Angelo at Rome : it consists of three stories, with one chief apart- 
ment on each. The stair-case is excellent. Cannon are mounted on 
the tower. The whole is of stone with vaulted roofs, and is pro- 
bably as old as the foundation of the citadel. We rode through 
the old citadel, but returned into town by that gate of the new by 
which we entered. 
With my own party and Mr. Macardle, I visited the Greek 
Archbishop of Mount Sinai. He is a handsome young man, of 
considerable talent, an excellent scholar, and liberal in all his sen- 
timents. He was educated at St. Petersburg, and spoke French 
fluently. The convent is small but extremely neat. He informed 
me that it was founded in the third century. He had a good library 
of books, among which was Norden, and several other writers on 
Egypt. He had not got Niebuhr ; I therefore requested his acceptance 
