Cyprus: its history, its present resources and future prospects. With two illustrations and four maps

Preface

. In referring to my recent contributions upon Cyprus in Macmillan' s Magazine, many newspapers have stated that I was nine years British Consul at Larnaca. This is incorrect, and I desire to rectify a statement that may give umbrage to the three gentle men who very ably filled the post of Vice- Consul during my residence in the island. The facts are that I was manager of the Imperial Ottoman Bank agency at Larnaca, and that during the intervals between the nomination of a Vioe-Consul and his arrival at his post, the Foreign Office was pleased to avail itself of my services as acting Vice-Consul. Thus I discharged the consular duties from December 1861, till Jane 1862; from May 25 till November 28, 1864; from October 14, 1865, till April 23,

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. VI 1866, and from April 15, 1868, till January 6, 1869. At the time of the nomination of Mr. Sandwith to the Consulate at Crete in 1870, the Foreign Office was intent upon carrying out the economical propositions of the Consular Commission, and did not desire to nominate a Vice-Consul, de la carriere, to Cyprus. In these circumstances I was offered the position with the grade of full Consul, and was thus appointed on the 9th of September, 1871. A more honourable position, more graciously given, I certainly could not have desired, but it bad never been my ambition to enter the Consular career, nor could I afford to do so. In March of 1872, the Directors of the Imperial Ottoman Bank appointed me manager of their branch in Egypt, and, although my position in Cyprus was peculiarly agreeable to me in many respects, I felt bound to accept the call to a larger and, financially, more interesting field of action. The materials for the following pages were all collected during my residence in Cyprus. The de tails of the ancient and modern history of the

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. VII island were written before 1869, and, I may say, were even privately circulated amongst friends. In that history I pretend to no originality. It was compiled with the design of saving others the trouble which I had experienced of arranging in a consecutive form all that was known of the history of Cyprus, and thus facilitating the study of Cyprian antiquities. My position as manager of the Imperial Ottoman Bank at Larnaca, to which all the customs, salt and excise revenues were paid, and which did all the financial business of the Government, gave me especial opportunities for studying the questions of taxation and administration, and brought me into intimate relations with Turkish functionaries of all ranks. My antiquarian researches and my farming occu pation brought me into constant contact with the peasants of Cyprus, and gave me an insight, which otherwise I could never have obtained, into their condition, character, and grievances. Thus, from no particular merit of mine, but simply from the exceptionally favourable circumstances in which I

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. was placed, am I able to-day to communicate information concerning Cyprus, which I hope may prove useful as well as interesting. Should it contribute, even in the most trivial degree, to the development of the material wealth of Cyprus, I shall feel satisfied ; and the time and thought which I have devoted to this volume is only a very feeble token of the kindly sentiments which I can never cease to entertain towards the people of Cyprus. Bucharest, August 28, 1878. CONTENTS.

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