GRAND CAIRO. 109 
given rise to the fabulous story of the annual chap. 
sacrifice of a virgin to the Nile\ Niehuhr ^ 
says, however, that the pillar of earth serves as 
a sort of Nilometer, for the use of the common 
people"*; and this is probably the only use for 
which it was ever intended. We entered the 
canal, in our djerm, about noon, on the fifteenth 
oi August; and after making the tour of nearly 
the whole city, by means of the canal, and a 
(3) See iVde6?/?*;'s Travels, vol. I. p. 69. See also De Tott, vol.11, 
p. 243. Jjond. 1785. De Tott says, the ancient Egyptians called the 
sacrifice Arroussee, The New Bride. This name, he observes, is still 
preserved in the more humanized ceremony. Moreri (Did. Hist. 
^om.VII. ^.1041. Paris, 1759) thus speaks of the sacrifice, as having 
really existed; " Les JEgyptiens idoldtres s'imaginoient que lenr dieu 
Serapis etoit I'auteur de ce dehordement merveilleux dii Nil : ainsi 
lorsqu'il letardoit, its lui sacrijioient une fille, S^c. Cette larhare divo- 
tion flit alolie, disent les historiens Arabes, par le Calife Omar." Nei- 
ther Moreri, however, nor any other author by whom this circum- 
stance is related, mentions his authority for the fact. Mentelle 
(Geogr. Ana. torn. II. /). 441. Paris, 1789) alludes to the same cus- 
tom. The whole story seems to be founded upon a passage in the 
writings oi Murtadi, an Arabian, who gave a legendary account of the 
'' Wonders of Egypt," which is nevertheless mentioned in terms of 
commendation by Gibbon (Chap. li. Note 128. Hist. Hfc.) This work 
was composed in the 13th century, and was afterwards translated by 
Vatier at Paris, I66G. — Murtadi affirms that the annual sacrifice of a 
virgin was abolished by the Caliph Omar, But human sacrifices were 
never tolerated by the antient Egyptians. Herodotus reproaches the 
Greeks with having entertained a contrary opinion (Euterpe, c. 45. 
p. 106. ed Gronov. L. Bat. 1715) ; and it is less probable that sudi 
sacrifices were suffered to take place at the time of Omar's conquest, 
when the Christians were in possession of Egypt. 
(4) Niebuhr, vol. I. p. 69. 
