Cyprus, as I Saw it in 1879 | Page 9

own opinion of its present and future value.
The day after my arrival I strolled outside the town and exercised my
three spaniels which had come out direct from England. The dogs
searched for game which they did not find, while I examined the
general features of the country. About three-quarters of a mile from the
present town or port are the remains of old Larnaca. This is a mere
village, but possesses a large Greek church. The tomb of Lazarus, who
is believed to have settled in Cyprus to avoid persecution after his

miraculous resurrection from the grave, is to be seen in the church of St.
George within the principal town.
From this point an excellent view is obtained of the adjacent country. A
plain of most fertile soil extends along the sea-coast towards the east
for six miles, and in breadth about four miles. The present town of
Larnaca stands on the sea-board of this plain, which to the west of the
port continues for about four miles, thus giving an area of some ten
miles in length, forming almost a half circle of four miles in its
semi-diameter; the whole is circumscribed by hills of low but
increasing altitudes, all utterly barren. Through the plain are two
unmistakable evidences of river-action which at some remote period
had washed down from the higher ground the fertile deposit which has
formed the alluvium of the valley. Within this apparently level plain is
a vestige of a once higher level, the borders of which have been
denuded by the continual action of running water during the rushes
from the mountains in the rainy season. This water action has long
ceased to exist. There can be little doubt that in the ancient days of
forest-covered mountains, the rainfall of Cyprus was far greater than at
present, and that important torrents swept down from the hill-sides. We
see evidences of this in the rounded blocks, all water-worn, of syenite
and gneiss, which are intermingled with the bits of broken pottery in
the vale, alike relics of the past and proving the changes both in nature
and in man since Cyprus was in the zenith of prosperity.
A level plateau about eighteen feet above the lowest level of the plain
shows the original surface. The soil of the entire valley is calcareous,
and is eminently adapted for the cultivation of the vine and cereals. As
the rain has percolated through the ground, it has become so thoroughly
impregnated with sulphate of lime that it has deposited a series of strata
some six or seven feet below the surface, which form a flaky
subterranean pavement. The ancients selected this shallow soil of a
higher level for a burial-ground, and they burrowed beneath the stratum
of stony deposit to form their tombs. One of the chief occupations of
modern Cypriotes appears to be the despoiling of the dead; thus the
entire sides of the plateau-face for a distance of about two miles are
burrowed into thousands of holes to a depth of ten and twelve feet in

search of hidden treasures. If the same amount of labour had been
expended in the tillage of the surface, the result would have been far
more profitable. A small proportion of the land upon the outskirts of
the town was cultivated, some had been recently ploughed, while in
other plots the wheat had appeared above the surface. Water is
generally found at eight or nine feet below the level, but this is of an
inferior description, and the town and environs are well supplied by an
aqueduct which conveys the water from powerful springs about seven
miles to the west of Larnaca, near Arpera. This useful work was
constructed according to the will of a former pacha, who bequeathed
the sum required, for a public benefit.
Large flocks of sheep were grazing in various portions of the
uncultivated plain. At first sight they appeared to be only searching for
food among the stones and dust, but upon close examination I found a
peculiar fleshy herb something like the stone-crop which grows upon
the old walls and rocks of England. This plant was exceedingly salt,
and the sheep devoured it with avidity, and were in fair condition. The
wool was long, but of a coarse wiry texture, and much impaired by the
adherence of thistles and other prickly plants. The musical sound of
distant bells denoted the arrival of a long string of camels, laden with
immense bales of unpressed cotton on their way to the port of Larnaca.
Each animal carried two bales, and I observed that the saddles and pads
were in excellent order, the camels well fed, and strongly contrasting
with the cruel carelessness of the camel owners of Egypt, whose beasts
are galled into terrible sores