21 
Scheik el Mehedi, 
Scheik Soli man Fayoumi, 
Seid Daouahli, 
Seid Abderrahman Djarbarte. 
The last is the most eminent astronomer in the country. 
Scheik el Aroussi, and the Scheik Saoui, enjoy a 
great reputation, in consequence of the renown of 
their fathers. 
Seid el Meherouki, chief of commerce, has great 
influence. 
Mahmud Hessen, second chief of commerce. 
These personages display the greatest luxury that 
they can afford; and it may be said, that in this instance 
they are as much in the extreme, in comparison with 
Morocco, as they are distant from that place by their 
geographical position. Not one of them stirs abroad 
withdut being accompanied by a number of servants. 
They receive their inferiors as if they were sultans^ 
They generally go out on horseback, preceded by a 
procession of sa'iz, or valets on foot, with large sticks 
in their hands, and followed by a group of armed 
servants on horseback. This gives to Egypt the ap- 
pearance of an aristocratical republic, bending under 
the weight of military despotism, but unwilling to 
abandon the idol of liberty, which it thinks it possesses 
under these forms of independence. Mehemed Ali and 
the Arnauts care but little about these forms, provided 
the people pay and obey them. 
In their worship they observe the same ceremonies 
as at Alexandria. I passed the time of Ramadan here. 
It is well known that the rich observe it by living in a 
manner completely opposite to their general mode; 
that is, by sleeping all day, and amusing themselves* 
during the night 
