The Advantages Which Had Thus Possessed A Magnetic Influence In
Attracting Towards This Island The Leading Nations Of The World Were In
Ancient Days Undeniable.
When vessels directed their course only by
well-known landmarks, or by the position of certain stars, it was highly
necessary for a maritime power to occupy a continuous chain of stations,
where, in case of danger from a superior force, a place of refuge would
be near.
Cyprus from its peculiar geographical position commanded the
eastern portion of the Mediterranean. The harbour of Famagousta was only
a few hours' sail, with a favourable wind, to the coast of Asia Minor.
The bays of Larnaca and Limasol were roadsteads with a safe anchorage,
and Paphos (Baffo) was a convenient harbour upon the south-western
portion of the island, capable of protecting a considerable number of
the small vessels of the period. Thus Cyprus possessed two harbours upon
the south coast in addition to good roadsteads; while upon the north,
Cerinea (Kyrenia) and Soli, although never large, were serviceable ports
of refuge, exactly facing the coast of Caramania, plainly visible. The
lofty mountains of the Carpas range which overhang these harbours
command the sea view at an elevation of between three and four thousand
feet, from which the approach of an enemy could be quickly signalled,
while the unmistakable peaks of the rugged sky-line formed landmarks by
which vessels could steer direct to the desired ports. The same
advantage of descrying an enemy at a distance from the shore exists in
many parts of Cyprus, owing to the position of the heights; and the
rocky nature of the coast (with the exception of a few points such as
Limasol, Morphu Bay, &c.), rendered the landing of a large force
extremely difficult. As a strategical point, there was no more
formidable position than Cyprus; it formed a common centre within
immediate reach of Alexandria and all the coasts of Syria and Asia
Minor. It was not only a military place d'armes, such as Malta and
Gibraltar now are, dependent upon maritime superiority for the necessary
provisions, but it was a country of large area, comprising about 3500
square miles, with a soil of unbounded fertility in a high state of
cultivation, a population sufficiently numerous for all requirements of
the island, and forests of timber that was in great request for the
architect and ship-builder. In addition to these natural sources of
wealth, the mineral productions were celebrated from the earliest
history, and the copper of Cyprus was used by the Phoenicians in the
manufacture of their celebrated bronze.
The Chittim wood of Scripture, imported to Syria from Cyprus (the
ancient Chittim), was probably a species of cypress at that time
composing the forests which ornamented a considerable portion of the
surface. There are two varieties of cypress in the island: that which
would have been celebrated grows upon the high mountains, and attains a
girth of from seven to nine feet, the wood being highly aromatic,
emitting a perfume resembling a mixture of sandal-wood and cedar; the
other cypress is a dwarf variety that seldom exceeds twenty feet in
height, with a maximum circumference of two feet; this is a totally
different wood, and is intensely hard, while the former is easily
worked, but durable. The derivation of the name Cyprus has been sought
for from many sources; and the opinions of the authorities differ.
English people may reflect that they alone spell and pronounce the word
as "Cyprus." The name of the cypress-tree, which at one time clothed the
mountains of this formerly verdant island, is pronounced by the
inhabitants "Kypresses," which approximates closely to the various
appellations of Cyprus in different languages. The Greek name is Kypros,
and it is probable that as in ancient days the "chittim-wood" was so
called from the fact of its export from Chittim, the same link may
remain unbroken between Kypros and the tree Kypresses.
The geographical advantages which I have enumerated are sufficient to
explain the series of struggles for possession to which the island has
been exposed throughout its history; the tombs that have been examined,
have revealed the secrets of the dead, and in the relics of Phoenicians,
Persians, Assyrians, Egyptians, and the long list of foreign victors, we
discover proofs of the important past, until we at length tread upon
pre-historical vestiges, and become lost in a labyrinth of legends. From
the researches of undoubted authorities, we know that Cyprus possessed a
written character peculiarly original, and that it was occupied by a
people highly civilised according to the standard of the early world at
so primitive an era, that all records have disappeared, and we are left
in the darkness of conjecture.
The changes in the importance of certain geographical positions, owing
to the decline and fall of empires, which at one time governed the
destinies of the Eastern world, have been strikingly exhibited on the
shores of the Mediterranean; Tyre, Sidon, Carthage, Cyprus, had lost
their significance upon modern charts, even before the New Worlds
appeared, when America, Australia, and the Eastern Archipelago were
introduced upon the globe. The progress of Western Europe eclipsed the
Oriental Powers which hitherto represented the civilisation of mankind,
and two points alone remained, which, shorn of their ancient glory,
still maintained their original importance as geographical centres, that
will renew those struggles for their possession which fill the bloody
pages of their history--Egypt and Constantinople.
No country had been more completely excluded from the beaten paths of
British travellers than the island of Cyprus, and England was startled
by the sudden revelation of a mystery connected with the Treaty of
Berlin, that it was to become a strategical point for a British military
occupation!
On the 4th June, 1878, a "Convention of Defensive Alliance between Great
Britain and Turkey" was signed, which agreed upon the following
articles:-
ARTICLE I.
"If Batoum, Ardahan, Kars, or any of them, shall be
retained by Russia, or if any attempt shall be made at
any future time by Russia to take possession of any
further territories of His Imperial Majesty the Sultan
in Asia, as fixed by the definitive treaty of peace,
England engages to join His Imperial Majesty the Sultan
in defending them by force of Arms.
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