The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-02-22
THE SALT LAKE HERALD. MONDAY: FEBRUARY %. 1897.

the island of Crete was matter of con
lecture The ENTHUSIASTICALLY census oil
tne island was taken IN 1881. by order o
Governor FhotiadeS. and is regarded BY
competent authorities both Christian anC
Mohannuledan- as fairly honest. It CAV,
a. todat population of 279. 165, OF these
2u5Ol0 We're orthodox Greeks 49, 234 No
hammedans. 25S Roman Catholics. Ar.
menians. 6i7 1sraeiites and % Protestants
Nearly all the Inhabitants speak Greek
Even the Nfohanifned au. priests and tesich-
ers use the Greek language in explaining
pupils.
Besides Canea there are two other cities
Gambia. inhabited by 1900 Turks and 6,00l
creeks. and Retimo. with a population
OF 6S2l Turks and 1920 Greeks. Both
cities lie on the northern shore of the
lslanu' ana they are only short dis
taace apart.
Nor far from Retimo is a range of hills,
known as the White mountains, with ex-
tensive table land at each end. which are
places of refuge during revolutions for
| the Christian families. The mountains
are covered with pine, chestnut and cedar
water.
On the southern coast of Crete there are
Few settlements of any importance. The
only noteworthy spot is the harbor of
! Fair Ravens, mentioned in the Acts of
! the apostles, chapter q, verse s. in which
the vessel carrying St Paul to Malta
I
refuge in the same port in bad weather.
Ihere are but few small houses at Fair
Havens, and these are occupied by Turk
| ish officials stationed there 10 report
| TO the aga of Deaki. the chief village
| OF the district. the passing of vessels.
/ These officials have little to do. On the
east side Of the bay there are the. ruins
Of an old Greek chapel dedicated to st.
Paul; legend has IL that the chapel was
built on the spot on which the apostle
stood when he preached to the natives of
Crete.
CLIMATE IS PERFECT.
No island has healthier or more agree
able climate than has Crete. In the
hottest days of summer refreshing sea
breezes are seldom lacking and winter
which begins in December, ends about
the latter part of January. The rainy
season often continues until late in April
out it very seldom rains in the summer.
A chain of mountains divides the island
into what are called the northern and
southern slopes. One-third of the island
consists of rocky slopes; another third
has fairly good soil, which remains I'M
cultivated for want of farm hands. and
the other third is cultivated only rudely
for the same reason. The cultivation
of fruit remains as it was centuries ago.
The want of progress is owing to the
repeated acts of injustice committed
against Christian farmers by the Turkish
tax-gatherers. Olives and their oil are
the staple products of Crete. Valleys
from one end of the island TO the other
olive industry comes tnat of the vine
producing many varieties of grapes,
raisins and wine. Orchards of oranges
lemon. citron and almond trees abound
In the valleys, while chestnuts and fig
trees are found a the base of the noun
tains. A popularity of all Cretan pro-
ducts is their exquisite flavor. which they
retain Icing after they are gathered and
shipped. 1t is the opinion of the Oldest
and best informed Cretan merchants that
with proper facilities for transportation
tee against misrule ana arbitrary taxation
Crete could provide all Europe with oil
and fruits of several kinds.
THE SCENES OF MANY WARS
curse the beauties with which nature
has endowed her To go back as far as
one can-that is. TO the legendary period
of Grecian mythology. il was first cele
brated under the rule of King Minos. /
among the tortuous and rocky inlets of
its coast the famous labyrinth in which
the Minotaur was concealed. About 1000
B. G. the Dorians established several
small republics on the island modelled |
after the fashion Spartans. The Cretan |
archers We're renowned at that time for |
their skill as archers and were in great !
request as mercenarieS in foreign armies. |
In 81 B. G. the population had greatly |
decreased and the island fell an easy |
prey to the Romans. who added it to their !
colonial possessions. Upon the collapse /
of the Roman empire and its subsequent /
ACKNOWLEDGMENT Crete became part of /
the Byzantine empire. until A. d. s23. !
when II was taken by the Saracens, who |
held II until e6I. On the conquest of Con- /
stantinople by the crusaders the island !
was allotted TO Boniface. marquis of Mont
serrat, who sold it to the Venetians in !
1904. sjc.
In the 18th and 14th centuries it was
subjected to a constant succession of
assaults by. the Genoese and Turks. but
until the close of, the 1Itn century. when
Gambia, the capitaA,, succumbed to the
Turks after protracted siege. For the
next hundred years the island was i'm
poverished by oppression and devastated
by repeated attempts at insurrection. In
1880 it was ceded to the viceroy of Egypt,
Instruction against the Turkish rule
broke out once more in 1858, but made
slow Roadway until 1ouo, when the whole
Christian population rose up in arms
ing took place in 1867 between the in
and the Turkish troops. under
Omar Pasha. and the hostilities continued
for three years, Notwithstanding frequent
efforts on the part of the great powers
to bring about a settlement of the diff
,ulties. Finally. in February. 1869. the
Turkish government but the demands of
the Cretan government for exemption for
several years for imports, for the estab-
ishment of banks 10 develop and foster
agriculture and other measures of relief
we're granted.
FORM OF GOVERNMENT.
Since then the island. though nominaIIy
| Turkish vilayet, has had practical
autonomy. 1t is divided Into w.
provinces. which are again subdivided
nto twenty districts, each district send
ng four members to the general assembly
elected by the people, The assembly sits
0 days in each year. and is presided over
~ the governor. who is invariably a
native or Greek Christian. No tribute is
aid to the Turkish government.
In the insurrection of 1866. the Greeks
United by the ties of kinship and religion I
trongly sympathized with their Cretan
'rethren; the same spirit is strongly ex-
ressed today. and 1t is this determination
o assist the islanders in their effort to
hake off the suzerainty of Turkey that :
t the present moment is endangering the !
eace of Europe !
The island of Crete is 100 miles long and Z
verages from seven to 30 in width In :
he center a chain of mountains some 5000 I
eet in height runs the entire length ,
ending out spurs north and south To /
he south these spurs terminate in rocky :
luffs, which render the coast dangerous :
nd inhospitable. but toward the north :
he spurs gradually slope to a low coast :
orming several good harbors. of which
he principal are Canea. Retimo. Gambia
nd Suda. There are no rivers worthy of a..
he name.
CoLINETTE. S