Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879 | Page 4

F.R.S.A., F.R.G.S.,
&c.
Author of "Ismailia," "The Albert N'Yanza," "The Nile Tributaries of
Abyssinia," "Eight Years in Ceylon," "The Rifle and Hound in
Ceylon."

CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER I.
ARRIVAL AT LARNACA
CHAPTER II.
THE GIPSY-VANS ENCOUNTER DIFFICULTIES
CHAPTER III.
ROUTE TO NICOSIA
CHAPTER IV.

THE MESSARIA
CHAPTER V.
START FOR THE CARPAS
CHAPTER VI.
CAPE ST. ANDREA
CHAPTER VII.
KYRENIA AND THE NORTH COAST
CHAPTER VIII.
ROUTE TO BAFFO
CHAPTER IX.
FROM BAFFO TO LIMASOL
CHAPTER X.
THE WINE DISTRICT OF LIMASOL
CHAPTER XI.
FROM LIMASOL TO THE MOUNTAINS
CHAPTER XII.
THE MONASTERY OF TROODITISSA
CHAPTER XIII.
WOODS AND FORESTS

CHAPTER XIV.
REMARKS ON IRRIGATION
CHAPTER XV.
LIFE AT THE MONASTERY OF TROODITISSA
CHAPTER XVI.
SOMETHING ABOUT TAXATION
CHAPTER XVII.
THE DISTRICT OF LIMASOL AND LANDOWNERS
CHAPTER XVIII.
ON POLICE, WAGES, FOOD, CLIMATE, ETC.
CHAPTER XIX.
POLITICAL REFLECTIONS
CHAPTER XX.
CONCLUSION
APPENDIX
INTRODUCTION.
I do not intend to write a history of Cyprus, as authorities already exist
that are well known, but were generally neglected until the British
occupation rescued them from secluded bookshelves. Even had I
presumed to write as a historian, the task would have been impossible,
as I am at this moment excluded from the world in the precincts of the

monastery of Trooditissa among the heights of ancient Olympus or
modern Troodos, where books of reference are unknown, and the
necessary data would be wanting. I shall recount my personal
experience of this island as an independent traveller, unprejudiced by
political considerations, and unfettered by the responsible position of
an official. Having examined Cyprus in every district, and passed not
only a few days, but winter, spring, and summer in testing the climatic
and geographical peculiarities of the country, I shall describe "Cyprus
as I saw it in 1879," expressing the opinions which I formed upon the
spot with the results of my experience.
Although I have read many works upon this island, I have no books
with me except that interesting record of the discovery of antiquities by
General di Cesnola, and the invaluable compilation for the Intelligence
Branch, Quartermaster-General's Department, Horse Guards, by
Captain Savile, 18th Royal Irish Regiment. It is impossible to praise the
latter work too highly, as every authority, whether ancient or modern,
has been studied, and the information thus carefully collected has been
classed under special headings and offered to the reader in a concise
and graphic form which renders it perfect as a book of reference. I must
express my deep appreciation of the assistance that I have derived from
Captain Savile's work, as it has directed my attention to many subjects
that might have escaped my observation, and it has furnished me with
dates, consular reports, and other statistical information that would
otherwise have been difficult to obtain. The study of M. Gaudrey's able
report to the French government upon the agricultural resources and the
geological features of Cyprus, before I commenced my journey, guided
me materially in the interesting observations of the various formations
and terrestrial phenomena. The experiences of the late British Consul,
Mr. Hamilton Lang, described in his attractive volume, together with
those of Von Loher, Doctors Unger and Kotschy, have afforded me an
advantage in following upon footsteps through a well-examined field of
discovery.
Before I enter upon a description of my personal examination of the
island, it will be advisable to trace a brief outline of the geographical
position of Cyprus, which caused its early importance in the history of

the human race, and which has been accepted by the British
government as sufficiently unchanged to warrant a military occupation
in 1878, as a strategical point that dominates the eastern portion of the
Mediterranean, and supplies the missing link in the chain of fortified
ports from England to the shores of Egypt.
In the world's infancy oceans were unknown seas upon which the
vessels of the ancients rarely ventured beyond the sight of land; without
the compass the interminable blue water was a terrible wilderness full
of awe and wonder. The Phoenicians, who first circumnavigated Africa
by passing through the then existing canal between Suez and the Nile,
coasted the whole voyage, as did in later years the famous Portuguese,
Vasco di Gama, and stations were formed along the shores at
convenient intervals. Hanno the Carthaginian coasted to an uncertain
and contested point upon the western shores of Africa, but no ocean
commercial port was known to have existed in the early days of
maritime adventure. The Mediterranean offered peculiar advantages of
physical geography; its great length and comparatively narrow width
embraced a vast area, at the same time that it afforded special facilities
for commerce in the numerous ports and islands that would form a
refuge in stress of weather.
The countries which surrounded this great inland sea were rich; the
climate throughout its course