Sunday. Visited the Coptic Church in Old Cairo. As Voltaire would have said: “some wicked villains in an ugly church complete, without style, the rituals of a religion whose prayers they do not even understand”. From time to time, the first passing assistant pronounces aloud the word the priest cannot read. Crypt of the Virgin, where it is said she rested with her child when she arrived in Egypt. The crypt is upheld by Roman arches. Rubbish. We are read fragments from the Gospels.

Mosque of Amr - Old Cairo - on the same plan as the mosque of Mecca. We are shown the column that Omar expelled, with lashes, out of Mecca, ordering it to come place itself here. Which it did. One can see the mark left by the whip. We are shown a well into which lately an Algerian man found his cup, which had fallen into the Zemzem well: this well communicates with the Zemzem well. On the left at the entrance, two twin columns are shown: the man who did not lie can, however close together they are, walk between them and they close again after him.

Visit to Birr, commander, aide-de-camp to Soliman Pasha, big and nice German who offers us dinner. We decline.