Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879 | Page 8

represented a front of
about a mile, less than five feet above the level of the sea, bordered by
a masonry quay perpendicular to the surface, from which several
wooden jetties of inferior and very recent construction served as
landing-places.
The left flank of Larnaca was bounded by a small Turkish fort,
absolutely useless against modern artillery upon the walls the British
flag was floating. We landed upon the quay. This formed a street, the
sea upon one side, faced by a row of houses. As with all Turkish
possessions, decay had stamped the town: the masonry of the quay was
in many places broken down, the waves had undermined certain houses,
and in the holes thus washed out by the action of water were

accumulations of recent filth. Nevertheless, enormous improvements
had taken place since the English occupation. An engineer was already
employed in repairing the quay, and large blocks of carefully faced
stone (a sedimentary limestone rock of very recent formation) were
being laid upon a bed of concrete to form a permanent sea-wall. The
houses which lined the quay were for the most part stores, warehouses,
and liquor-shops. Among these the Custom House, the Club, Post
Office, and Chief Commissioner's were prominent as superior buildings.
There was a peculiar character in the interior economy of nearly all
houses in Larnaca; it appeared that heavy timber must have been scarce
before the town was built, as the upper floor was invariably supported
by stone arches of considerable magnitude, which sprang from the
ground-floor level. These arches were uniform throughout the town,
and the base of the arch was the actual ground, without any pillar or
columnar support; so that in the absence of a powerful beam of timber,
the top of the one-span arch formed a support for the joists of the floor
above. In large houses numerous arches gave an imposing appearance
to the architecture of the ground floors, which were generally used as
warehouses. Even the wooden joists were imported poles of fir, thus
proving the scarcity of natural forests. The roofs of the houses were for
the most part flat, and covered with tempered clay and chopped straw
for the thickness of about ten inches. Some buildings of greater
pretensions were gaudy in bright red tiles, but all were alike in the
general waste of rain-water, which was simply allowed to pour into the
narrow streets through innumerable wooden shoots projecting about six
feet beyond the eaves. These gutters would be a serious obstacle to
wheeled conveyances, such as lofty waggons, which would be unable
in many cases to pass beneath. The streets are paved, but being devoid
of subterranean drains, a heavy shower would convert them into pools.
Foot passengers are protected from such accidents by a stone footway
about sixteen inches high upon either side of the narrow street. Before
the English occupation these hollow lanes were merely heaps of filth,
which caused great unhealthiness; they were now tolerably clean; but in
most cases the pavement was full of holes that would have tested the
springs and wheels of modern vehicles.
I had heard, prior to leaving England, that hotels, inns, &c., were

unknown in Larnaca; I was, therefore, agreeably surprised on landing,
to find a new hotel (Craddock's) which was scrupulously clean, the
rooms neatly whitewashed, and everything simple and in accordance
with the requirements of the country.
The miserable reports in England respecting the want of
accommodation, and the unhealthiness of Cyprus, had determined me
to render myself independent; I had therefore arranged a gipsy
travelling-van while in London, which would, as a hut upon wheels,
enable us to select a desirable resting-place in any portion of the island,
where the route should be practicable for wheeled conveyances. This
van was furnished with a permanent bed; shelves or wardrobe beneath;
a chest of drawers; table to fall against the wall when not in use, lockers
for glass and crockery, stove and chimney, and in fact it resembled a
ship's cabin, nine feet six inches long, by five feet eight inches wide.
I had another excellent light four-wheeled van constructed by Messrs.
Glover Brothers, of Dean Street, Soho: both these vehicles had broad
and thick iron tires to the wheels, which projected 5/8 inch upon either
side beyond the felloes, in order to afford a wide surface to deep soil or
sandy ground without necessitating a too massive wheel.
The vans with all my effects had left London by steamer direct for
Cyprus, I therefore found them, upon my arrival from Egypt, in the
charge of Mr. Z. Z. Williamson, a most active agent and perfect
polyglot; the latter gift being an extreme advantage in this country of
Babel-like confusion of tongues.
I was now prepared to investigate Cyprus thoroughly, and to form my