C A 1 
nor moving (afhes, but only an open lattice-work. The 
light enters from the inner courts, from whence the fyca- 
mores reded! a verdure pleating to the eye. An opening 
to the north, or at the top of the ceiling, admits a refrefh- 
ing breeze, while, by a whimfical contradiction, they wrap 
themfelves up in warm woollen cloths and furs. Cairo 
contains near 300 mofques of different fizes. The popu¬ 
lation has by tome been eftimated at 700,000, but it is 
more likely not to exceed 500,000. 
Niebuhr, in his late travels through Egypt, fays that 
Cairo, although a very great city, is not fo populous as 
the cities in Europe of the fame extent. Within the walls 
are large ponds, which have the appearance even of lakes ; 
and the mofques occupy large areas. In feveral quarters 
there are prodigious long zvynds, or lanes, which terminate 
not in any principal ffreet; fo that thofe who live at the 
bottom of them can converfe from the back parts of their 
lioufes, yet muff walk a quarter of a league before they 
can meet. Thefe wynds are, for the moll: part, inhabited 
by artifans, who go out to work in the principal ffreets, 
leaving their wives and children only at home. From 
this circumftance, they are fo furprifed to fee a paflenger, 
that they immediately fuppofe he has loff his way, and 
inform him he cannot pal's there. All the intercourfe is 
therefore through the principal ffreets, and thefe are very 
narrow ; fo that, being continually crowded, they naturally 
imprefs a llranger with an idea that the city is much more 
populous than it really is. The infulated rock on which 
the caftle Hands, is fuppofed to have been a part of the 
Egyptian Babylon; and, though the work is ftupendous, 
it is not at all comparable to the labours of the ancient In¬ 
dians, who have cut entire pagodas in the very hardeft 
rocks. Here is a mouritan, or large hofpital, for the fick 
and infane ; who are not numerous, conffdering the extent 
of the city. It is not unpleafing to obferve, that the fick 
are provided with every thing that can tend to foothe their 
diftrefs, not excepting even mulic. Here, as well as at 
Conffantinople, are feveral elegant houfes, where frefti 
water is diffributed gratis to the paffengers. 
This city was taken by the French republican army un¬ 
der Buonaparte, on the 2zd of July, 1798, after a (mart 
engagement with the mameloucs and janizaries, between 
Cairo and the pyramids. Thefe troops of the Turkilh 
emperor were commanded by the famous general Mourad, 
who led them vigoroufly into adtion; but they were de¬ 
feated with conliderable lofs, and the French immediately 
took poffeflion of the city. They fuppofed it to contain 
from live to fix hundred thoufand inhabitants; of whole 
induffry, capacity, manners, and general polity, they give a 
mod humiliating account. Thefe wretched indolent be¬ 
ings, however, had the forecaff to carry away all their va¬ 
luables and money, and to depofit them in places of im¬ 
penetrable fecrecy, before their new vifitors could take 
pofleflion of the city. In this particular, perhaps, exiffs 
the caufe of their degradation. Lat. 30. 2. N. Ion. 47. 
7. E. Ferro. 
CAl'RO, a town of Italy, in the duchy of Montferrat, 
taken by the republican French, in April 1796 : twelve 
miles eaft of Ceva. 
CAIROAN', or Kairwan, a town of Africa, in the 
country of Tunis, and fecond to that city for trade and 
number of inhabitants, fituated in a barren fandy defert. 
It is the ancient Cyrene ; and here are to be found many 
veftiges of former magnificence. It is fifty-five miles fouth 
of Tunis, Lat. 36. 12. N. Ion. 10. 36. E. Greenwich. 
CAIS 1 MU', a town of the ifiand of Cuba: thirty miles 
eaft-fouth-eaft of Villa del Principe. 
CAIS'SON,/. in architecture, a kind of cheff, or flat- 
bottomed boat, in which the pier of a bridge is built, then 
funk to the bottom of the water, and the fides loofened 
and taken oft from the bottom, by a contrivance for that 
purpofe ; the bottom of the cailfon being left under the 
pier as a foundation to it. The caiffbn is kept afloat till 
the pier is built to above the height of low-water mark ; 
and for that purpofe, its fides are either made of more than 
Vol. HI. No. 150. 
C A I 6ox 
that height at firft, or elfe gradually raifed fo it as it finks 
by the weight of the work, fo as always to keep its top 
above water. Mr. Labelye tells us, that the caiffons in 
which he built fome of the piers of Weftminft r-bridge 
contained above 150 loads of fir timber, of forty cubic feet 
each, and that it was of more tonnage or capacity than a 
40-gun Ihip of war. 
CAIS'SON, f. in military affairs, is fometimes ufed for 
a cheff; and in particular for a bomb or fliell cheff, and 
is tiled as a fuperficial mine or fourneau. This is done 
by filling a cheff either with gunpowder and loaded lliells, 
or elfe with (hells alone, and burying it in a fpot where 
an enemy, befieging a place, is expedted to come, and 
then firing it by a train to blow the men up. 
CAITH'NESS, a county of Scotland, bounded on the 
north, eaft, and fouth-eaft, by the fea, and on the fouth, 
weft and weft, by the county of Sutherland, The form 
is an irregular triangle, its length from north to fouth 
thirty-fix miles, and its breadth about twenty. At the 
north-eaft extremity, is John a Groat’s Houle, from whence 
is the general palfage to the Orkney Klands, which is fe- 
parated by what is called Pentland Frith, about twelve 
miles diftant from the coaft of Caitlmefs. The air is (harp 
and piercing in winter, but mild and ferene in hammer. 
In the month of June, it is fo light for feveral nights to, 
gether, that the (mailed print may be read at midnight. 
The coafts have many bays and capes; the interior part 
is mountainous; but fome parts are low, and produce 
corn, &c. for exportation. There are but few woods, 
and none which yield what may be properly called tim, 
her. The mountains abound with red deer, roebucks, 
and black cattle; with eagles and various kinds of game. 
There are feveral rivers and many lochs, which afford a 
variety of excellent fifli. The (mall illands of Stroma and 
Pentland Skerries, belong to this county. The principal 
towns are Thurfo and Wick, from which laft it is fome, 
times called The County of Wick. 
CAITH'NESS (Ord of), a cape on the eaft coafi of 
Scotland, at the fouthern extremity of the county of 
Caithnefs, and north-eaft point of the county of Suther¬ 
land. Lat. 58. 12. N. Ion. 3. 13. W. Greenwich. 
CAI'TIFF,/ [ cattivo , Ital. a (lave; whence it came to 
fignify a bad man, with fome implication of meannefs ; as 
knave in Engliffi, and fur in Latin; fo certainly does flavery 
deftroy virtue : 'H/xicry th; a^Ti i; GiTroaovTsu cSttfioicv 
Homer. A (lave and a fcoundrel are fignified by the fame 
words in many languages.] A mean villain ; a delpicable 
knave : it often implies a mixture of wickednefs and 
mifery : 
Vile caitiff! vaffal of dread and defpair. 
Unworthy of the common breathed air ! 
Why lived thou, dead dog, a longer day, 
And doff not unto death thyfelf prepare > Spcnfer. 
CAI'US, or Kayes (Dr. John), a very eminent Eng- 
liftt phyfician, born at Norwich, Oct. 6, 1510 ; and, after 
he had been well inffrudted in the belles lettres at a fchool 
in that city, was Cent to Gonvil-hall in Cambridge, Sept. 
12, 1529. He took the degrees of B. and M. A. at the 
regular times ; and was cliofen fellow of his college in 
1533. To accomplifli himfelf as much as pollible, he 
formed a fcheme of travelling ; and, in 1539, let out for 
Italy, making France, Flanders, and Germany, in his road. 
He ftudied at the nniverfity of Padua, under John Baptift 
Montanus, and took a degree of M. D. there in 1541. He 
returned to England in 1544; and diftinguiffied himfelf 
fo greatly by his learning and uncommon (kill in his pro- 
feffipn, that he was made phyfician to Edward VI. and 
was afterwards continued in that place by the queens 
Mary and Elizabeth, till 1568, when he was turned out, 
-as it is laid, upon a lufpicion of being too much attached 
to the popiffi religion. He died at Gambiidge in 1573 ; 
and at his death gave his eftate to build a new College 1 to 
Gonvil-hall, and to maintain fome (Indents therein. This 
houfe fs now'called Gonvil and Kayes college, where the 
7 O founder 
