Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-12-31
FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS.

wide avenues, which the Khediye i.
is laying out, in all directions, and
after visiting some of the new pala.
ces and the citadel, go away with
the idea that they have done Cairo,
thoroughly.
Others prefer to spend most OF
their time in riding about the dark
and marrow streets, of the Arab part
of the city, and studying the devel-
opment of Oriental civilization, in
the second Mahometan city of the
world.
In the new quarters the large gar
dens and the rich shade of the aca-
cia trees which overhang the roads,
make drive pleasant enough, but
the whitewash and stucco of the
limitations of French and Italian vii
las grow tiresome, after awhile, and
it is relief plunge into one of
these cavern-like streets, where the
turbaned natives swarm The high
bulldogs cFerhang the streets, and
q loose scaffoldiag Of boards and
mats completely shuts out the sun,
in most of them. There are no pave
ments or sidewalks, and the stands
of the sellers of fruit and vegetables,
the benches where the customers of
the cafes lounge, and the throng of
buyers and sellers standing in front
of the stores, because the inside will
only hold the goods, make the bus
lest and most interesting stands i'm
passible for carriages.
The donkeys which swarm at ev
cry sire ct corner, are excellent sub
stitutes. You are mobbed by the
drivers of these animals, whenever
you stand still in the streets, and on
mounting the one you have chosen,
your first idea is that you have got
hold of the smallest of his race, and
that he will break down under you.
By the iudicious application of a
sharp stick, the steeds are forced in
to a gallop, and you go Gathering
through throng of Arabs, With the
donkey boy running behind, scream
ing out shrill warnings to those who
stand in the way. Though the
streets are rough and crooked, the
donkeys are sure-footed, and acci-
dents are rare. The people get out
of the way meekly enough, and the
donkeys can twist their way through
very narrow spaces, when they meet
a cart or loaded camel 1t is hardly
pleasant to find the hideous head of
a camel, with its great teeth, grin
ming within foot of your ears
They are said to be spiteful beasts,
and to occasionally bite off the heads
of children who annoy them. The
ungainliness of their whole appear
ance is remarkable. To see one of
them kneel you would expect the
whole framework to fall to pieces,
but they make out to get up again,
under very heavy loads.
The streets in the bazar portion of
the city are generally each devoted
to particular branch of trade. In
one block you find fifty shops where
red and yellow slippers are the only
articles sold. The trade in provis-
ions is not very lively during the
month of October, for it is the Ma
hometan Lent, or Rhamazan.
From four o'clock in the morning
until sundown, no true Mussulman
will taste a mOrsel of food or drink
a drop of any liquid, or smoke a ci-
garette.
Hard as such a rule must be, in
this hot and dry climate, / believe
that an immense majority of the
100000 people of Cairo observe it,
strictly, for thirty days.
There seems to be no decay of faith
in these countries. The 500 mosques
of Cairo have their share of wor-
shippers, and though some of them
are allowed to go to ruin, new ones
are built to take their places. Some
of them have fine interiors, with lof-
ty domes and minarets, and many
columns of marble and Oriental ala
baster. Visitors are allowed TO en-
ter the finest ones, freely, though
they are required to put on cloth
slippers, over their shoes. Passing
some of the most frequented mosques
while they were filed with the
faithful at their prayers, we paused
to watch them for mo moFnent Many
were going % with heir q dexetions
with great energy; kneefing, facing
the East, and bowing to the floor
in great humility; but other groups,
sitting about on their mats, seemed
to be talking business or gossip.
The native costumes, seen in the
streets, are varied and striking. The
common people wear only loose
frock of blue cotton cloth, falling
below the knees. Others wear va
rious patterns of richly embroidered
jackets, baggy trousers, and flowing
robes of all colors.
The women go yelled, of course,
and generally wear some kind of
dark blue or striped garment, which
covers everything except the eyes.
They have their chins tatooed, nails
dyed red, and eyebrows darkened.
The army of clerks and minor fund
tionaries OF the Government, wear
black, European frock coats and
trousers, but all of them, from the
Khedive down, wear, at all times
and in all places, the red woolen cap,
OF fez.
The color of these people varies
as much as their dress, but there
does not seem to bea distinction