Sultan's tomb.

Nilometer.

feet across. Within it, is the sacred place of the chief priest, who here offers prayer for the congregation, on every holy day of the Moslems. Rows of beautiful glass vases bear the name of the Sultan to whom the mosque is dedicated. A tomb is in the rear of this recess, and bears the date 764 of the Hejira, which answers to 1363 of our era. A copy of the Koran lies upon the tomb, and over it are suspended colored lamps.

Once more upon our donkeys-with Achmet as our dragoman and guide—we dashed through the streets, and up the banks of the river to Old Cairo, surmounted with the ruins of the ancient city and its mosque. This was the Babylon of Egypt; and the Roman station near the mosque of Amer, is supposed to be the fortress besieged by the Moslem invader. The walls and towers that remain show its former strength. Here is a village of Coptic Christians. In a fortress over the eastern tower is an early Christian record, on wood, of the time of Diocletian, and in hieroglyphics, showing that the early Egyptian Christians used this style of writing, which was borrowed from the pagans.

We passed the island of Rhoda, opposite Old Cairo, on which is erected the Nilometer, a well or chamber, in the centre of which is placed a graduated pillar for the purpose of marking the daily height of the Nile. This is proclaimed every morning in the streets of the capital, during the inundation, by four criers; to each of whom a particular portion of the city is assigned. Great importance is attached to this information, inas

Moses in the Nile.

Crossing.

much as the price of provisions, and the toll that is paid for the transportation of produce, are measured according to the state of the river. This Nilometer is said to have borne an inscription dated 848 of our era; but it is known that one was constructed here as far back as the reign of Soolayman, who was caliph about A.D. 714.

A tradition of the Arabs has assigned to Rhoda the honor of being the spot where Moses was found by the daughter of Pharaoh, whose name, Josephus tells us, was Thermenthis.

About five miles from Cairo we crossed the Nile, and set off from Gheezeh for the Pyramids. In this miserable village large heaps of corn and barley were lying for sale. A handful of the grain, which I took, has since been planted in our country, and yielded more than a hundred fold.

Through a grove of India rubber trees, acacias, and palms, the cultivated grounds of the Pasha, and along the banks of the canals, that are cut through the plain to conduct water for irrigation, we rode to an arm of the Nile, where our journey would have been suddenly arrested but for the fortunate appearance of a number of Arabs who were ready to ford the river, and carry us across. Not without some misgivings, however, as to the safety of taking seats astride their shoulders, we submitted to the only mode of transportation that offered itself, and were borne in safety to the other side. They returned, after having set us down, and led our donkeys across, and we mounted once more. As we approached the edge of the desert,