The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1878-08-03
Conquest Of Cyprus.

hands of Christians since 964) Selim III.
asked Venice to cede to him the Island
of Cyprus, and upon her refusal he be-
gan to make extensive preparations to
take it by force. This news spread
CONSERVATION among all the Christian
population along the shores of the
Mediterranean. Pope Plus V. vainly
attempted another crusade by calling
Europe 10 arms; much time was lost in
conferences and negotiations, and no
energetic measures were adopted. Ven
ice, trembling, fortified herself at home,
and forgot or was unable to send troops
to garrison the fortresses repaired by
SaYorniani. The Turks lost no time in
sending from Rhodes and Negropont a
fleet of 800 vessels to conquer Cyprus.
On the 1st of July, 1870, the Turks
landed in the neighborhood of Limas-
sol, without any opposition, an army of
100, 900 men, composed OF 10000 infan-
try, $4,000 cavalry and 200 cannon, I'M
der the command of Lala Mustafa.
While the heavy artillery was being
landed, his irregular cavalry secured
the country and ravaged all the towns.
In the latter part of July Mustafa
Pasha, with his whole army, had begun
the siege of Nicosia, garrisoned onlyby
$1,000 men of different nationalities and
religion. The defense was badly con-
| Quoted, yet the Turks spent seven
weeks in capturing the city, entering it
on the 9th of September, after seveAl
desperate assaults. For a whole swe5e,
the city was given up to the ferocityi I'll
the captors, and the scenes of horDr
which followed beggar descripin.
Twenty thousand persons of both sees
were pitilessly butchered, and 900 |
youths carried away into captivity. On
the 18th of September, Mustafa Psha
started to besiege Famagosta, thtlast
stronghold which still defied thebar-
barous Osmanli.
The place was defended by Vertian
troops, who, though only 1000 iDnum-
Der, resisted for a long time, alwys in
the hope of receiving assistanc, from
their mother country. The effrts of
Venice to help Famagosta amouted to
next to nothing. On the 29th July,
after siege of nearly ten MONS du-
ration, when all the provisios and |
ammunition were exhausted, andnost of |
the troops manned or killed, tb heroic
commander, Gen. Bragadino, 6played
the white flag. and proposed h' condi-
tons of surrender.
These were eagerly accepte by the |
treacherous Mustafa; hostagewere ex-
changed; Turkish vessels, as Stipulated,
entered the port of Fama9sta, and
took on board all those who wished to
leave the island; nothing remained but |
the formality of delivering HE teys of
the city to the victor.
On the 9th of August Gen. Bagadi-
no, accompanied by his Lieutnants,
Baglioni, Martinengo and Quirin, went
to the Turkish camp, and was plitely |
received by Mustafa. After thedeliv-
cry of the keys, and when Gen. lraga-
dino had risen to take leave, tie vile |
Turk asked him for special hostages for
the safe return from Gambia # the |
Turkish vessels which were to convey |
him and his men thither; Bragadno re-
fused this, as not having been stipu
lated in the accepted conditionsDf his
surrender. Then Mustafa accused him
of bad faith, and of having put to death
fifty Turkish pilgrims after he had Ns-t
rendered, which was Indignantly oe-
MED by Bragadino. The Pasha, be-
coming enraged, ordered the four Vene-
tians to be put to death, and in few
minutes Gems. Baglioni, Martinengo
and Quirina were executed in the pres
ence of Bragadino, for whom a more
terrible death was reserved; the execu-
toner cut off his nose and ears; three
times he was made to lay his head on
the block as if to be beheaded, then,
heavily chained, was thrown into a
dark dungeon and left for nine days in
that miserable condition.
On the tenth, by order of Mustafa,
Bragadino was brought out of prison
and made to carry earth for the repair
ofthe Notifications during several hours,
after which, more dead than alive, the
heroic soldier was tied to stake, and
in the presence of the ferocious Musta-
ia was flaved alive. His skin, stuffed |
with hay, was sent with the heads of
the three other Venetians as presents
to the Sultan.
The same bloody scenes which had
occurred at Nicosia were repeated at
Famagosta, though it appears that the
rage of the Turks at this place was
more particularly directed against the
Roman Catholics; the people on board
the Turkish vessels, instead of being
brought to Gambia as it had been stip-
ulated, were landed at Constantinople
and sold as slaves.-Gen. Di Cesnolas
Book on Cyprus.