Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-07-24
CYPRUS.

Beac0nsheld 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 eastern
island Of the Mediterranean, being only
sixty-five miles from the Syrian coast
on the north it approaches to within
forty-four miles OF Asia Minor. Its
length is 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 200, ,000
souls, of whom perhaps two.thirds are
Greeks, the remainder being Ottomans,
Jews, Catholics, Maronities, and Ar.
menians. Hitherto it has formed part
of the vilayet of the islands OF the Med
iterranean, having as its capital Nico-
sia, where resides the archbishop,
though his title is Metropolitan of Con.
stanta. Since the council Of Ephesus
in 43l ho has retained his independence
of any patriarch, and the church Of
Cyprus forms one of the independent
groups into which the Greek church is
divided.
Cyprus early belonged to the Phenl.
clans of the neighboring coast then it
was eolonized by the Greeks, and be-
came the seat OF several independent
Kingdoms then it passed under the
power successfully of the Pharaohs,
Persians, Ptolemies and Romans, ex-
cepting q short period OF independence
under Evagoras in the fonrth century,
B. G. Here was one of the chief seats
of the worship of Venus, as the name,
Cypria, will remind the reader Paphos
and Salamis were among its famous
cities of the old time. The crusaders
rcit it from the Greek emperor and
made il kingdom for Guy of Lousig-
nan, whose descendants lost it to the
Venetians, the employers, as readers
of Shakespeare will recall, of Othello.
After siege marked by prodigies of
valor and immense slaughter, the Turks
took the island 307 years ago and have
held it ever since, except during the
period OF 1920, when the viceroy of
Egypt administered its affairs.
The island is fertile and rich, though
the frequent drought shrinks its prin-
cipal stream, the Pedia, to q mere rill
and compels the inhabitants, the waters
of the wells being brackish, to have re-
course to cisterns. Minerals abound,
including copper and precious stones,
though the mines have hitherto been
sadly neglected. Among the vegcta-
Bile productions are fruits, cotton, to-
bacco, dyowood and drugs silk is also
produced, and wine. In old times the
wine Of the Commanderia, a vineyard
taking its name from the knights OF
Malta, enjoyed wide vogue, but as
the population has fallen from l,000,-
900 in Venitian times TO its present low
figure 80 the wine production has fall
en- off from 1000, 900 gallons to 100000.
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 be-
cause of the taste they acquire from bo-
ing kept in tarred casks
The island has one splendid port
Famagosta, the Arsinoe of the ancients
which, though SO choked with filth
as only TO afford anchorage for few
small craft, might easily be restored to
its prominence under the old Venitian
rule, where hundreds of vessels rode
within its roadstead at case and in safe
ty. Despite the locusts which scourge
il ceasclessly, and the even more rapa-
cious Turkish tax.gatberer Cyprus has
Of late years been increasing In pros.
pcrty. Its grain crop is small and
both the wheat and oats are inferior,
but colocynth is extensively cultivated
largo exports Of madder are made, and
cotton and carob. beans are sent abroad
TO the extent Of some thousand Of tons
annually.
To Americans, and especially TO New
Workers, the island will be familiar
through tho Di Cesnolan collection of
Cypriote antiquities. According TO
that distinguished Assyriologist, the
late George Smith, and other eminent
authorities, the language Of their in
scriptions is Greek dialect approach
ing the Arcadian, but possessing many |
peculiar.ties, the characters (not Greek,
but Of unknown origin) being usually |
from right to left and syllable some
Of them, howeverrcprcsentingdi different
forms OF the vowels and others conso.
nants only,-N Y. World.
s-==-----e-.--e -
A MonrAt's ENJoympNr-An ex.