112 GRAND CAIRO. 
had been so often guilty of plunder, that the 
booksellers, and other tradesmen, had for some 
time concealed their most valuable property. 
The best manuscripts were, therefore, only 
beginning to be exposed for sale. During our 
inquiry after a complete copy of the " Arabian 
Nights,'' a bookseller said he knew where to find 
a copy of this work; but that its owner had 
carefully concealed it, through fear of the French. 
The title of this compilation, in Arabic, is pro- 
nounced, by the dealers in Cairo, Alf Leela o 
Lila. To our great satisfaction, this manuscript, 
or rather collection of manuscripts, was brought 
to us, in four quarto cases, containing One 
hundred and seventy-two Tales, separated into 
One thousand and one portions, for recital during 
the same number of Nis-hts. Each case con- 
tained about fifty numbers, sewed up like so 
many loose manuscript sermons. The whole 
was fairly written ; and the price set upon it 
amounted only to the moderate sum of one 
hundred piastres, (about seven pounds English,) 
according to the state of exchange at that time. 
We bought it ; and its lamentable fate has 
been before related'. This maybe the more 
(l) See Preface to Vol. HI. p. x\v. Nbt« (2). Octavo edition. 
