17 
in preserving the costume and the manners of their 
country. When they go out the natives stare at them; 
and they walk as if they were scared. Gan the Arabs 
be reproached for this conduct, when at London the 
civilized English may be seen doing the same thing, 
and insulting the poor stranger who may present him- 
self in a coat two fingers longer or shorter than their 
own? 
It is said that the summer is very hot at Cairo; but 
the heat ought to be very temperate, on account of 
the form of the streets and houses. The roofs of the 
rooms have very large apertures, to produce a current 
of air. I found the autumn cool, and experienced even 
so sensible a cold, that I shivered as much as when I 
was at London at the same season. I had been already 
forewarned of the coolness of the nights in the desert; 
I therefore prepared myself accordingly. 
The climate of Cairo is not so wet as that of Alex- 
andria, for the hygrometer of Saussure marked 56°. 
The aspect of my house prevented me from observing 
the winds. The atmosphere was alternately serene 
and covered with clouds, as in Europe. During my 
stay some rain fell; but I never heard it thunder. 
There are some fine mosques in Cairo; but the 
greater part do not deserve to be visited. The grand 
mosque, El Azahar, is superb as to the extent of the 
edifice, but not the magnificence of its structure, or 
the luxury of its ornaments, for which it is distinguish- 
ed by Mr. Brown. Its little columns of common mar- 
ble, which are hardly a foot in diameter, with their 
very large capitals, are any thing but handsome, in a 
building of this nature. The ground, instead of being 
covered with superb Persia carpets, as the above tra- 
veller asserts, is covered with extremely miserable 
Vol. II, C 
