The Cheyenne daily leader. [volume] (Cheyenne, Wyo.) 1870-1884, 1878-08-17
CYPRUS.

The island of Cyprus, which Lord Rca-
consheld has so clevcrly acquired and
welded into the chain connecting Europe
and India, the other links whereof are
Gibraltar, Malta, the SuezC Canal inc Alden,
Is the most eastern island of the Mediter-
ranean, being only sixty-fve 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
northeast extremity, to forty, the total
area being 3.67S square miles The D
lation is estimated at 200. 600 souls. Of
whom perhaps two-thirds are Greeks, the
remainder being Ottomans, Jews, Catho-
lies, Maronites, and Armenians. Hitherto
it has formed part of the yilayet Of the
Islands OF the Mediterranean, having as its
capital Nicosia, where resides the Arch.
bishop, though his . title is Metropolitan
OF Constantia. Since the Council Of Ephesus
in 431 he 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 Phanicians
OF the neighboring coast then it was colo
nized by the Greeks and became the seat Of
several independent Kingdoms then it
passed under the power successfully of the
Pharaohs, Persians, Ptolemies and Romans,
excepting a short period Of independence
under Evagoras in the fourth century. B.
q. Here was one of the chief seats Of the
worship of Venus, as the name, Cypria,
will remind the reader Paphos and Sala-
mis- were among its famous cities of old
time. The Crusaders reft it from the
Greek Emperor and made it a kingdom for
Guy of Lusignan, whose descendants lost
1t to the Venetians, the employers, as
readers pf ShnEa~raora will raaon - DfJxvo
After a siege marked by prodigies of valor
and immense slaughter, the Turks took the
island BOZ years ago m have held it ever
since, except during the period Of 1929,
when the Viccroy of Egypt administered
its affairs.
TIL island is fertile and rich, though the
frequent drouth shrinks its principal stream.
the Pedia, to u mere rill n compels the
inhabitants, the waters of the wells being
brnckish, to have recourse to the cisterns.
Minerals abound. including copper and pre-
cious stones, though the mines have hitherto
been sadly neglected. Among the vegeta-
BILE productions are fruits, cotton, tobacco.
drywood and drugs silk is also produced,
wine. In old times the wine of the
n vineyard taking its name
from the Knights of Malta, enjoyed a wide
vogue, but as the population has fallen from
100, 900 in Venetian times to its present
low figure, so the wine production has fallen
from 2,U00,0G0 gallons to 200, 900.
There is some demand in Egypt, though
none in Europe. for the common red and
black wines of he country, against which
Europeans have a prejudice because of the.
taste they acquire from being kept in tarred
casks.
The island has one SPLENDID port-Fama-
costa, the Arsinoe OF the ancients-which,
though so choked with filth as only to afford
anchorage for n few small craft, might
easily be restored to its prominence under
The old Venetian rule, where hundreds of
Tessels rode within it's roadstead at ease
ind in safety. Despite the locusts which
'courge it ceaselessly, and the even more
,apacious Turkish tax-gatherer, Cyprus has
If late years been increasing in prosperity.
is grain crop is small, and both the wheat
md oats are inferior, but colocynth is extern
lively cultivated large exports of madden
ire made, and cotton and carob beans are
'ent abroad to the extent of some thousands
tons annually.-Neto York World.