The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1878-07-27
Cyprus.

Cyprus
The island OF Cyprus, which Lord Beacons.
field has SO cleverly acquired and welded
into the chain connecting Europe and India;
the other links whereof are Gibraltar, Malta;
the Suez Canal and Alden, is the most east
ern island of the Mediterranean, being Unly
siXty-five miles from the Syrian coast Oh
the north It approaches to within forty-four
miles of Asia Minor. It's length Il about
one hundred and forty miles, and breadth
from fifteen, at the northeastern extremity,
to forty, the total area being 3,67S square
miles. The population is estimated at 2OO,-
600 souls, of WHOM perhaps two-thirds arc
Greeks, the remainder being Ottomans, Jews;
Catholics Marohites and Armenians. Hith-
erto it has formed part of the viayet of the
islands of the Mediterranean, having as its
capital Nicosia, where resides the Archbishop;
through his title is Metropolitan of Constan-
tia. Since the council of Ephesus in 43l he
has retained his independence of any patri-
arch, and the Church ofCyprus forms one of
the independent groups into which the Greek
Church is divided.
Cyprus early belonged to the Phonicians
of the neghborng coast then it was colo
nized by the Greeks, and became the seat of
several Independent Kingdoms; then it
passed under the power successivey of the
Pharaohs, Persians, Ptolemies and Romans,
excepting a short period of independence
under Evagoras in the fourth Century B. c.
Here was one Of the chief seats on the wor-
ship OF Venus, as the name Cypria will re-
mind the reader; Paphos and Sulamis were
among its fariious cities of old time. Tho
Crusaders reft it from the Greek Emperor
and made ita kingdom for Guy of tuslgnan;
whose descendants lost it to the Nehetians,
the employers,as readers Of Shakespeare will
racall, Of Otheiio. After siege marked by
prodgies of valor and immense slaughter,
the Turks took the island SO7 years ago and
have held it ever since, except during tho
period of is32-40, when the Vicefoy Of
Egypt administered its affairs.
The island is fertile and rich, though the
frequent drought shrinks its principal stream;
the Pedia, to a mere rill and compes the in
habitants, the waters of the wells being
brackish, to have recourse to cisterns. hin
erals aboundj including copper and precious
stones, though the mines have hither-
to been sadly neglected. Among the vegs-
table productions are fruits; cotton, tobacco,
dyewood and drugs; silk is also produced;
and wine. In old times the wine Of tho
Commanderia, vineyard taking its name
from the Knights of Malta, enjoyed wido
fame. but as the population has fallen off
from l,OOO,0O0 in Venetian times to its
present low figure, so the wine production
has fallen Off from 100000 gallons to 2OO,-
900. There is some demand in Egypt, though
none in Europe, for the common red and
black wines of the country, against which
Europeans have prejudice, because of tho
taste they acquire from being kept in tarred
casks.
The island has one splendid port-Fama-
COSTA, the Arsinoe of the ancients-whch;
though so choked with filth as only to af-
ford anchorage for few small craft, might
easily be restored to its prominence under
the old Venetian rule, where hundreds OF
vessels rode within its roodstead at ease and
in safety. Despite the locusts which scourge
it ceaselessly, and the even more rapacious
Turkish tax-gatherer, Cyprus has of late
years been increasing in prosperity. Its grain
crop is small, and both its wheat and oats
are inferior, but colocynth is extensively
large exports of madder arc
made, and cotton and carob-beaus are sent
abroad to the extent of some thousands of
tons annually.
To Americans, and especially to New
Workers, the island will be familiar through
the Di Cesnolan collection of Cypriote anti
luites. According to that distinguished AS
5yriologist, the late George Smith, and other
eminent authorities, the language of their
Inscriptions is a Greek dialect approaching
-hc Arcadian, but possessing many peculiari-
lies, tine characters mot Greek, but of uu-
known origin being usually from right to
left and syllabici some of them, however,
representing different forms Of the vowels
aid other consonants only.-N. Y. World.
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