Cyj>ru8.
- T U R K E Y IN A S I A.
h«j foment, th . ^ and .if l r f of
Cyprus which is-about 160 Britifh miles urlengfo, and. about 7Q -at
its weateft breadth'' It was long- poffeffed by the M o n ie s of «Egypt,
tm it fell under the Roman pbwer; when** remained a pornoti ot the
Byzantine empire, till it was § g g g by a Gr*ekpri*ce, Impelled
by Richard I of England. This monarchiieftowed the k ^ -
dom of Cyprus on the houfe of Lufignan, as a compenfahOnfor^lrfs
of the thrbtte ‘of Jetpfalem. In the'fifteenth century the Meirefs of the
W e of Lufignan refigned this ifle to the Venetians ; hut m 15^ it
j ;was feizedby the Turks. TheToifls M e , yet a gM tu fe in a nteg-
lefted ftate. Theoxgn are lean and of a fmall fixe: the fiieep ate-©f
a better defcription. The chief produfts. are filk. co tto nwin * , turpentine,
and timber. The wine of Cyprus
The oranges are excellent; -and the mountains are covered.wtthv hyacinths
and anemonies, and other beautiful flowers. Cyprus isfoppofed
to have derived its name from , the ^bundandfe of c o p p e ^ an|it-is
fiud to have ancientlxproduced gold, | | g and empralj. g ^ »
palled the Paphian diamond is a rock cryftal, foundnear Paphos, and
there is a quarry of amianthus, while-feveral foils ;o>nfift chiefly of taflc.
The other mineral produftions are red jafper,’agates, gr*neartfo and
umber. The Cypriots are a tall and elegant fiffi | butLthe^iefheauty
' ' of the woipen eonfifts in their fparkling e/eS. '
T u r k i f o government the population of ..this extefoHe W » ',
puted at 50,000 fouls! Cyprus is pervaded g g S ®aln of mcuttetin»,
among which is a third Qljmpu, feme primitive name, feems to
have been general for a mountain of great height. Van Egttidwfays
that there is not one river in the iflamf ftp means that^ntfoue|ns jfoatfe
in the fiimmer ; but that there are many ponds, lakes, and fens, pfo-
ducing a damp and malignant air. The chief &ies are Nicofia, the capital
and refidence of the governor, and Famagufta.
7 Van Egmont, i, z8i. Mariti, &c.
to Turopeanidm»fotty. The productions «)f Syria however, have Botai
beenfoay eftigated, t^nghsix^p^fe^lx»rb^fevprf^natUEaUfl;s of eminence,
wfolf »4 ^ ‘rnnnn.tajas^ and fiipfo yaie$„-©f. Natolia towards iftlje great
Cauc^lkn cfoilni^re'.almqft whollyjppknown.. ,^hefeH coyntries:,having
ftJen j n Vui hi ted .andgciylfized ir om -th e refo^efl: jan^ufoy, ppflefimg for
the mpit part ardry^pejey foil; withfesvpr;rjygr?s than1 any, tra£t in Eu-
-rope, ,o£ equaf jcpfoaint^ppn^-pf ,t-ho^ypws’;fwampy levels that
.form* fo 'charaa^rifof'?a feature, in ^Imoftall ffo American fc!onntrie's,
^that > c^5^pofe'therigi;eater,paj.|;of fjolla^d, andmecupy mo fmall ptoportlo n
^ Hungary and the dominicjns north, of thgjfodtip- Thpfe vegetables
therefore that inhabit fwamps, fakes^fofo jbpgs, will bq very^ipngly
found fo3the,rflpra of Afiatic Turkeys ppm will foe indigen-pus alpine
plants fo ”piQj;e numerous ; .not indeed .^Q p fo qf-foe abfence pf
high mountains, bnt from tfieir haying-been lpdpyrt|);-aimoft. entirely
nnpxamiued. Of the Xcanty catalogue p f^ Jp ^ Jh ^ h ay ^ b e en found
,^M jn foe Afiatic p#rt of the Ottoman territory, fh^fpllojying^re the
. moil, worthy of.nqtiqe ;
Among the trees may be 'chftinguifhed, olea eurppsea,' the ofae treet
abounding .throughout, the, whole Archipelago and 'the 1 J^orps the
! Levant; Infix' jvMom,
pendentbianehes^which has adorned the baffles’ offoe,Euphrates from
time immemorial ;'fel&agrHis anguftifofiui,^W^/oA^ bearing a fmall
fvieet efculent fruit; betula alnus/ alcle/^ fmfofts^£bus,‘lhe'‘r»2'!/1' i
mulberrycereal fdiquatfum, rem&rkable’rfor- it^ohg^eedpods ; ‘-^yjgb- ;
1 Ryrak foa^mnf-gittri^feflii
of the fame name |- pbhiettngfsnatii'm, 'psmegrdritote y mfd^fos^pyra-
" cintha : afoygdaluS’ « ebmm dfo^ii'i^ ^ii^ ^4'- 'an'I nfoyglMhs:
peach tree$ cerafus fativuS, cherryf A * native ^of- Poritns in tM^tolia,
whenee it was
rium,MEhe bm * 'and' antrfoyftu&nemmwfos,
myrtle^ growing1 plentifully *b^'= i
paradlfifes, 1 piUntairt y ^ iaV l# fe J a f ^ ^ 4 i n
a perfectly wild aid-'fortfii^ ^ r - |
'■}s dant gip'ttM'among its ample feftopnl1^ jplftaiohia ietstiftulj’l^itefotflus <
'VQL. II. p an^ 4