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554 CAIRO which belonged to Mehemet Ali. The medical academy, established in 1827 by Mehemet Ali in the hospital of Abuzabel, was afterward transferred to Cairo, but, being unfavorably affected by the reverses of 1840, did not give many signs of vitality till 1856, when it was reestablished on a larger and improved scale in a charming locality on the shores of the Nile, within a short distance of Cairo. An academy, chiefly designed for the military profession, but embracing the general branches of European education, was opened in 1855 by Solyman Pasha, and received the sanction of the govern- ment in 1856. There are also Protestant and Catholic charitable institutions, where persons of all creeds are treated alike. The Americans have a religious mission in the city. Cairo has two suburbs. Boolak and Musr el-Aatik (old Musr, or capital, to distinguish it from Cairo, which is now the mvar). This latter suburb is also called Fostat, and by Europeans, improp- erly, Old Cairo. Both these suburbs are on the bank of the Nile, and serve as ports to the city. Fostat contains some ancient buildings, called the "granary of Joseph," still used for the storage of grain. On the island of Rodah, near the town, is the celebrated Kilometer, a rude, graduated column, many centuries old, for indicating the height of the Nile during the annual inundation. From Fostat a canal of irrigation runs through Cairo, and is continued some miles beyond. It is supposed by some to form part of an ancient canal connecting the Nile with the Red sea. From this place also an aqueduct, nearly two miles long and sup- ported by about 300 arches, built by the Arabs, conveys water to the citadel. Cairo is sur- rounded by walls, though in several parts the houses have extended considerablybeyond them. Several of the city gates are elaborately exe- cuted. Ophthalmia is very prevalent, and the plague occasionally makes terrible ravages among the population. The manufactures em- brace silk and cotton fabrics, gunpowder, glass lamps, sugar, sal ammoniac, leather, weapons, and iron ware. Cairo is a central station of the overland route to India, and its commerce is considerable. The slave traffic has been prohibited throughout the Ottoman empire, in consequence of which the slave markets are closed ; but as the slaves themselves have not been emancipated, the trade is still carried on clandestinely. One of the most lucrative trades is that in precious stones and jewelry. The remarkable resources of Cairo make it a favorite resort of Italian, Greek, French, Ar- menian, and other commercial adventurers, and of intriguers of all nations. It is connected by rail with Alexandria and Suez, and caravans annually arrive from Darfoor, Sennaar, and Moorzook. Every year an immense caravan assembles in the neighborhood of Cairo to make the pilgrimage to Mecca; and as the pilgrims generally carry some goods with them for traffic, their departure and. return are to Cairo a considerable source of wealth. CAISSON Mehemet Ali established a number of schools after the European fashion, but bis plan met with much opposition, and had but indifferent success. Cairo was founded about A. D. 970 by Johar, a general of El-Moez or Abu Tum- mirn, the chief imam of the N. V. coast of Africa, and representative of the Fatimites. He named it El-Kahireh (the victorious) in commemoration of his conquest of Egypt. This prince made Fostat his capital, but in the 12th century the capital was removed to Cairo. In 1171 the crusaders laid siege to Cairo, but accepted a sum of money and with- drew on the approach of a Syrian army. Saladin improved and enlarged the city, and fortified it with a stone wall in place of the former one of brick. In 1786 the Turks de- feated the insurgent Mameluke beys in a battle before Cairo, and took possession of the city, but lost it again in 1790. In that year the plague committed fearful ravages; especially among the lower classes. It was taken by Bonaparte in 1798. CAIRO, a city of Illinois,- capital of Alexan- der county, built on a low point of land at the junction of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, forming the southernmost point of the state, 125 m. S. S. E. of St. Louis; pop. in 1860, 2,188; in 1870, 6,267. It is the southern terminus of the Illinois Central railroad, and is connected by ferry with Columbus, Ky., the northern ter- minus of the Mobile and Ohio railroad. Steam- ers upon the Ohio and Mississippi make this one of their stopping places. The county buildings are large and handsome ; the custom house, of cut stone, cost about $200,000. One daily, one tri-weekly, and three weekly newspapers are published here. For the year ending June 30, 1871, there were enrolled and licensed at this port 17 steamboats with a tonnage of 3,507. Cairo was founded with the expectation that it would become a great commercial city, and large sums of money were expended in im- provements by the Illinois Central railroad company, who-owned a great part of the land, and had here their workshops. To protect it from inundation, levees were erected, and an embankment 80 ft. wide and 10 ft. high was commenced about 1857. In the summer of 1858 a flood destroyed almost the entire town, which was subsequently restored, and is now amply protected from floods. During the civil war Cairo was an important depot of supplies. CAISSON (Fr. came, a case or chest), in archi- tecture, a panel sunk below the surface in sof- lits or ceilings. In civil engineering, the term is applied, first, to a hollow floating box, usually of iron, which serves to close the entrances of docks and basins; and second, to a box-like structure used in constructing or sinking the foundation of piers under water. Of the latter there are at least three different varieties : the ordinary, the bottomless or open, and the in- verted, which includes the pneumatic. 1. The ordinary caisson is a large box with bottom and sides, made of timbers or planks, in which