CAIRO. 
377 
of my copy, which I could easily replace in Europe. He informed me 
that there were forty monks of the order of St. Catharine, here and 
at Mount Sinai ; that they had convents at Jerusalem, in Asia Minor, 
and in Russia ; the whole number of fathers amounting to about 
two hundred. He said that he wished to get out of this place, but 
that the Arabs demanded one hundred thousand piastres every time 
the doors of a convent were opened to admit a new archbishop, and 
that they were not at that moment in a situation to pay such a 
sum. This is the only occasion on which the gates are ever opened. 
All visitors ascend to a window by a basket, as in the other con- 
vents among the Arabs. I observed, that he would be nearly as 
much a prisoner at Mount Sinai as here ; he replied, that there he 
should have a fine climate, and an excellent and large garden to walk 
in, which is surrounded by a high wall, and is separated from the 
convent, but communicates by a subterraneous passage. He would 
also have the consolation of being in a most holy place, for St. 
Catharine's of Mount Sinai is as much venerated in the Greek 
church, as Jerusalem is in the Catholic ; pilgrimages are made to 
it, and the good fathers dispersed over Europe and Asia, make 
large collections from the faithful, which are remitted to Mount 
Sinai, and enable the archbishop to sustain the expense of his entry, 
and of nearly feeding all the Arabs around, who, on this account, 
willingly convoy the provisions from Egypt, without which the 
reverend monks could not exist in the desert. He informed me 
that one tower exists that was built by Helena ; but that the rest 
of the convent was erected by Justinian. I enquired respecting 
manuscripts ; he said he was informed that there were some, but of 
what kind he could not yet say, as he had never been there. 
VOL. III. 3 c 
