Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1835-09-10
sIIsCELLANY.
From -daidsns 7rsrsi, in Egypt.
HORRORS or THE CAIRO LUNATIC
ASYLUM

HORRORS or TIE CAIRO LUNATIC
One of the first places l visited in
Cairo, was the Lunatic Asylum. Mr..
Sault's Janissary accompanied me,
and | believe no eye hath witnessed
elsewbcre such a melancholy specta-
Gle as this place affords. The keeper
made many objections TO my admission;
he said Frank was suffered TO 90 in;
but the name Of the hakkim Of the Eng
lish Consul, and half a dozen piastres
20 boot, removed his scruples. was
led from one passage TO another door after
door was unbarred, the keeper armed
himself with q cour5ash, whip made of
one solid thong of the hippopotamus; and
we at length got into an open court,
round which the dungeons of the luna
tics were situated. Some who were
not violent were walking unfettered,
but the poor wretches IN the cells were
chained by the neck to the bars of the
grated windows. The keeper went
round as he would do in a menagerie of
wild beasts, rafting the chain at the
window TO rouse the inmates, and drag
ging them by il when they were tardy
IN approaching. One mailman who
spat at me as passed his cell, saw
the keeper pull by the chain and knock
his head against the bars till the blood
issued from his nose. | forced him to
desist. Each Of them as we passed
called out for food. ! cnquired about
their allowance; and TO my horror
heard there was none except what chart
table people pleased to afford from day
to day.
II was now noon, and they had had
no food from the preceding morning
Two well dressed Turkish women
brought in, while was there. large
watcr-m melon and two cakes of bread;
these were broken into pieces and
thrown TO the famishcd creatures. |
never saw nature subdued to such low
Illness; they devourcd what they got
like hungry tigers, some Of them thrust
ing their tongues through the bars,
others screaming for more bread. /
sent for few piastre's worth of bread,
dates, and sour milk; its arrival was
hailed with such a yell Of ccstacy a.
pierced the very soul. / thought they
would have torn down the iron bars 70
get at the provision; and in spite Of the
courbash, their cagerness TO get their
portions rendered il difficult matter 70
get our hands out of their clutches. II
was humiliating to humanity to sec
these rayenous poor wretchcs tearing
their food y 18th their filthy fingers; some
OF their nails were so long as Ia Tescm-
bic the ialons of hawks. And can such
be the condition Of man. so noble in
reason. so infinite in faculties, in form
and motion 80 express and amiable| -
Vain boast go paint the faculties of this
paragon Of animals" in the dungeons
! have described; and when YOU have
studied The institutions Of the Turk. sit
down, II you can. with an exalted opin-
ion Of human nature,
There vas one thing which I could
not help ren.arking: the ruling passion
of the Mahonetao character was pre-
served even in insanity. One man.
y be- begged me TO give him bread spa,
upon ne when be got Il; another
with all the carcrncss of famine. ali
stained from eating it-huugry a. be
was, he preferred Ringing the portion
Of melon be had Just received a. a
christian head, rather than satisfy his
craving stomach. lie concealed his
missile for nearly a quarter Of an hour
till was opposite bis window; he thea
thrust bis naked arm through the bars.
and took deliberate aim AZ me. In
SPITE q my entreaiies. he got the cOur-
bash round his uncovered shoulders -
But there vas one old man who moved
not when the food was distributing. and
ss looked into biz cell, destitute Of
every thing, with neither straw nor rug.
! could barely Distinguish an emaciaied
form lying on the bare earth with hardly
= rag upon bic body. he could not
he down altogether. for he was chained
hy The neck to The window be was
worn io a skeleton. and whether u
was The pressure Of the chain that I'M
pcded respiration, 90 not. cannot
say bt his stentorious breathing re-
.embled that Of a person In the last
c0nvulsiong and on inquiry ] found
this Wreiched creature 90 be really
dying. The smell 81 the apartment
was horrible. had some difficulty %
prevail On tlIc keeper 20 take of his
chain. ] give ecne pias'fes ~ buy