The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-07-14
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 eastern
island of the Medi terranean, being only sixty
five miles from the Syrian coast; on the north
1t approaches to within forty-four miles of
! Asia Minor. Its length is about 40 miles
and breadth from fifteen, at the northeastern
extremity, TO forty, the total area being 3678
square miles. The population Is estimated at
100000 souls, OF whom, perhaps. twO-thirds
are Greeks, the rest being Ottomans, Jews,
Catholics, Marontes and Armenians. Hther-
| to it has formed part of the vilavet of the
| islands of the Mediterranean, having as its
capital Nicosia, where resides the Archbishop,
though this title Is Metropolitan of Constan-
| tia. Since the council of EpheSus in 431, he
has retained his independence of any patri-
arch, and the Church of Cyprus forms one Of
the independent groups into which the Greek
Church is divided.
Cyprus early belonged to the Phnncians of
| the neighbOriDg coast; then it was cOlonized
| by the Greeks, and became the seat Of sew
eral independent Kingdoms; then it passed
under the power successfully of the Pha-
roahs, Persians, Ptolemies and Romans, ex-
| cepting short period of Independence under
Evagoras in the fourth century, b. C. 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 old time The Crusaders reft
~
kingdom for Guy of Lusignan, whose de-
| scendants lost 1t to the Venetians, the en-
| ployers, as readers OF Shakespeare will recall
| of OthetSo. 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 1882
40, when the Viceroy OF Egypt administered
its affairs.
The island Is fertile and rich, though the
frequent drouth shrnks its principal stream,
pnHja tn u III mol la ha in
habitants (the waters of the wells being brack-
ish) to have recourse to cisterns. Minerals
abound, including copper and precious stones,
though the mines have hitherto been sadly
neglected. Among the vegetable productions
are fruits, cotton, tobacco, dyewOod and
drugs; silk Is also produced, and wine. In old
times the wines of the COmmanderia, a vine
yard taking its name from the Knights OF
Malta Malta, enjoyed wide vogue, but as the pop
ulation has fallen from 100000 in Venetian
times to its present low figure, so the wine
production has fallen off from 100000 gallons
TO 100000. There is some demand in Egypt,
though none in Europe for the com mon red
and black wines of the country, against which
Europeans have prejudice because OF the
taste they acquire from being kept in tarred
casks.
The island has one splendid port--Fama-
COSTA, the ArsiuOe 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 ease and in safe
ty. Despite the locusts which scOurge it
ceaselessly, and the even more rapacous
Turkish tax-gatherer, Cyprus has of late
years been increasing in prosperity. It's grain
crop is small, and both the wheat and oats are
inferior, but colocynth is extensively cult
waited; large exports of madden are made,
and cotton and carob-beans are sent abroad to
the extent of some thousands of tons an
nually.
To Americans, and especially to New York
ers, the island will be familiar through the Di
According to that distinguished Assyriolo-
gist, the late George Smith, and other eminent
authorities, the language of their inscriptions
Is Greek dialect approaching the Arctdian,
tiers mot Greek, but OF unknown origin being
usually from right to left and syllable; some
OF them, however, representing different forms
Of the vowels and other cOnsonants only.