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to keep them clean. There are, besides, the public 
criers, or mueddens of the minarets; Imams, and private 
mueddens for the four rites; the Kadi and his people; 
the choristers; the monkis, or observer of the sun, to 
announce the hour of prayer; the administrator, and 
servants of the great black cloth, tob el Kaaba; the 
keeper of the key of the Kaaba; the moufti; the guides, 
&c. &c: so that one half the inhabitants of Mecca 
may be considered as employed about the temple, and 
have no other support than their wages, which arise 
from charity, or the casual gifts of the pilgrims. It is 
upon this account, that when a pilgrim arrives all the 
inhabitants fix their eyes upon him, strive to render 
him services and honours against his inclination, and 
take the greatest interest in his welfare, by trying to 
open the doors of heaven to him by their prayers and 
mystical ceremonies, each according to his rite. 
Formerly the numerous caravans which arrived 
from all quarters of the globe where the religion of 
Islamism was practised, provided for all the wants of 
the city, by the abundance of alms which they left; 
but now that the number is diminished, and the pil- 
grims are not in a state to contribute to the expenses, 
the number of persons employed being always the 
same, devotion and the practice of religion are become 
very dear, because those employed attach themselves 
to the pilgrim, whom they believe to be rich; so that 
he cannot quit without leaving 1,500 or 2,000 francs 
in alms and remuneration to them and the temple. 
There are not any of the pilgrims, even the poorest, 
who undertake the journey at the expense of public 
charity, or who beg their way, that are not obliged to 
leave some crowns. 
These gifts being individually given, each person 
Vol. II. O 
