Old Cairo or Fostat was founded in (j40 by Aniru, the conqueror of Egypt, on the site of his camp and near the old town of Habylon. It was the capital of the country till DT.'i. when (iauliar, the general of the Fatiniite Caliph Al Moez. founded to the nortli of Kostat the new town of Al Kahirali, the 'iclorious City: Saladin en- larged the boundaries of the town and surrounded it with walls. Tliroughout the -Middle Ages Cairo was one of the chief centres of Mohamme- dan culture, and the emi>ori>ini for the trade between Europe and the East. From 1798 to ISOl it was held by the French; it passed from them to the Turks, and through the Turks to ilehemet .Mi, the founder of the present rul- ing dynasty. Though nnich of its former great- ness has departed. Cairo is still one of the great capitals of Islam, and the life within its walls presents a picturesque blending of the buoyant European civilization, as represented by the English and French residents, with the dreamy mysticism of the Oriental world. Consult: Rey- nolds-Ball, The VUy of the Caliphs (Boston 18!I7 ): Penfield, Prescni-Day Ef/ypt (Jfew York, ]80!1l: and Kemeid, Cairo and Egypt (].,ondon, 1809-1000).
CAIRO, ka'ro. A city, port of entry, and
county-seat of Alexander County, HI., at llie
junction of the Mississi|)pi and Ohio rivers, 150
miles southeast of Saint l.ouis, on the Illinois
Central, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and
Saint Louis, and other railroads (Map: Illinois,
6). The Ohio River is here crossed by a rail-
road bridge 2 miles long, and 58 feet above high
water, which cost .$2,500,000. Cairo has consid-
erable manufactures, chiefly products of lum-
ber, and has an extensive river trade, being an
important market for the agricultural products
of the ilississippi valley. It has a public li-
brary (.. B. Satford Memorial), a Government
custom-house, and a Inited States marine hos-
pital. Settled about 1837, Cairo was incorpo-
rated some 30 years later. It was expected to
become a great commercial centre, and is the
place described by Dickens in Martin Chiizzleuit
as "Eden": but. until it was protected by levees,
begun in 1857. it sutVered from frequent inunda-
tions, the most disastrous of which occurred in
1858. During the Civil War large ((uantitics of
military supplies were stored here by the l-'ederal
Government. Cairo is governed under a general
act of the State Legislature, passed 1872, with
slight amendments since that time. The mayor,
who is elected biennially, and the city council,
chosen by wards, select the city marshal, tax col-
lector, corporation counsel, health oHicers. police-
men, etc. Other ollices arc tilled liv popular elec-
tion. Population, in 1890, 10,;{24: in 1900,12.500.
CAIROLI, ki'nVlf, Benedetto (1825-80).
An Italian statesman, born at Gropello. near
Pavia. He was educated at the I'niversity of
Pavia, which he left in 1S48 to volunteer in the
war against Austria, and from 1851 to 1859
lived in exile in Piedmont, when be again took
up arms for Italian liberty, serving at the siege
of Palermo, in the Trent ino, and at Montero-
tondo and Mutino. Though he favored a rc|)ul)-
lic, he was induced to accept the constitutional
monarchy, .fter the accession of Humbert 1.
Cairoli becivme president of the Chamber, and
was appointed Premier in March, 1878. This was
the beginning of the period of personal and fac-
tional ))olities which have since been the bane of
Italy. On November 17, as the King was driving
into Naples, a certain Giovanni Passanante at-
tempted to assassinate him with a poniard, but
was prevented by Cairoli, who was in the car-
riage, and who received a severe wound, while
King Humbert escaped with a mere scratch. In
December. 1S78, the Caircdi Ministry resigned.
The Depretis .linistry. which succeeded, was in
turn defeated in 1879 and the Left again came
into ])ower. under Cairoli, who was, however,
forced to reconstruct his Cabinet the same year,
and to bring in Depretis as Minister of the In-
terior. Finally, owing tw the unpopularity of the
jioliey pursued in regard to the Frencli expedition
to Tunis, the ilinistry resigned in 1881. From
that time until his deatli Signor Cairoli was con-
spicuous as a leader of the so-called "historic'
Left. Consult Lowell, (lorcrnmiiila and Partiea
in Continental Europe (Boston, 1897).
CAISSON, kas'son (Fr.. augment of caisse,
chest, Eng. case). A four wlieeb'd vehicle oi
ammunition carriage, attaclicd to batteries of
field artillery. In horse or light field batteries
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AMMUNITION CHESTS) V. 8. F1EM)-.RT1LLLRY CAISSON. there is usually one caisson to each gun, and in heavy field batteries two. The anununition is carried in three chests, two of which are mounted on the liody or caisson pro) cr, and one on the limljcr. On the caisson are also carried a spare wheel and such tools and su|iplics as would be useful in any enieigency or accident likely to cause delay. The limber of the caisson is simi- lar to that provided for gun-carriages. See Ab- Tii.LEKv: Field .ktili.eky: Limher.
CAISSON. A floating gate with both ends
alike, and resembling a short but very deep ves-
sel, which is used to close the entrance to a dry
dock. Its framing and plating resemble those
of a ship, and it frequently contains a boiler and
pumps for clearing it of water after being sub-
merged. The term is also used, in a nautical
sense, to designate a hollow tloating structure
for lifting ships. Caissons for this purpose are
now generally made of steel, and are divided
into compartments which can be separately con-
nected with a i)unip. To operate a caisson it is
first submerged to the required point, and then,
having little or no buoyancy, it is drawn under
the vessel to be raised or, with others, lashed
to her with ibains or ropes. The water is then
pumped out, and the ship rises, supported by the
caissons. Sectional floating docks, not now much
used, consist of several caissons which aie linked
together to form a bed long enough to support a
ship. In New York anil in one or two other
ports there are contrivances for lifting vessels
called scrcic-doeks. These consist of caissons
which are sunk sufficiently to permit the vessel
to pass over them. They are then emptied, and
after they have lifted the vessel as far as their
buoyancy permits, the caisson and vessel are
raised by heavy screws in a side framework.
