The site was pointed
out where the troops were encamped in the tremendous heat of July in the
close vicinity of the swampy ground, upon pestiferous soil, and the
usual tales of commissariat blunders were recounted. Close to the
borders of this unhealthy spot, but about twenty feet above the level of
the lowest morass, stands the convent belonging to the Sisters of
Charity, which includes a school, in addition to a hospital. Great
kindness was shown by these excellent ladies to many English sufferers,
and their establishment deserves a liberal support from public
contributions.
I walked through the bazaar of Larnaca; this is situated at the west end
of the town near the fort, close to which there is a public fountain
supplied by the aqueduct to which I have already alluded. Brass taps
were arranged around the covered stone reservoir, but I remarked a
distressing waste of water, as a continual flow escaped from an
uncontrolled shoot which poured in a large volume uselessly into the
street. Within a few yards of the reservoir was a solitary old banian
tree (ficus religiosa), around which a crowd of donkeys waited, laden
with panniers containing large earthen jars, which in their turn were to
be filled with the pure water of the Arpera springs.
Although the crowd was large, and all were busied in filling their jars
and loading their respective animals, there was no jostling or
quarrelling for precedence, but every individual was a pattern of
patience and good humour. Mohammedans and Cypriotes thronged together in
the same employment, and the orderly behaviour in the absence of police
supervision formed a strong contrast to the crowds in England.
The Mosque being within a few feet of them, the Mussulmans could perform
their ablutions at the threshold. Around the font, women were
intermingled with a crowd of men and boys. The girls and lads were
regular in features and good-looking, though dirt and torn clothing of
various gaudy colours gave a picturesque, but hardly an attractive,
appearance to the group. The bazaar was entered at right angles with the
quay; the streets were paved with stones of irregular size, sloping from
both sides towards the centre, which formed the gutter. Camels, mules,
bullock-carts, and the omnipresent donkeys thronged the narrow streets,
either laden with produce for the quay, or returning after having
delivered their heavy loads. The donkeys were very large and were mostly
dark brown, with considerable length of hair. In like manner with the
camels, they were carefully protected by thick and well stuffed packs,
or saddles, and were accordingly free from sores. They appeared to be
exceedingly docile and intelligent, and did not require the incessant
belabouring to which the ass of other countries is the victim. Large
droves of these animals, each laden with three heavy squared stones for
building, picked their way through the narrow streets, and seemed to
know exactly the space required for their panniers, as they never
collided with either carts or passengers.
The shops of the bazaar were all open, and contained the supplies
usually seen in Turkish markets--vegetables, meat, and a predominance of
native sweets and confectionery, in addition to stores of groceries, and
of copper and brass utensils. An absence of fish proved the general
indolence of the people; there is abundance in the sea, but there are
few fishermen.
An hour's stroll was quite sufficient for one to form an opinion of
Larnaca. A good roadstead and safe anchorage offer great advantages, but
until some protection shall be afforded that will enable boats to land
in all weathers Larnaca can never be accepted as a port. There is shoal
water for a distance of about two hundred yards from the shore, which
causes a violent surf even in a moderate breeze, and frequently prevents
all communication with the shipping. The quay was in many places
undermined by the action of the waves, and it would be necessary to
create an entirely new front by sinking a foundation for a sea-wall some
yards in advance of the present face. There would be no engineering
difficulty in the formation of a boat-harbour, to combine by extensive
pile-jetties the facility of landing in all weathers. A very cursory
view of Larnaca exhibited a true picture of its miserable financial
position. The numerous stores kept by Europeans were the result of a
spasmodic impulse. There was no wholesome trade; those who represented
the commercial element were for the most part unfortunates who had
rushed to Cyprus at the first intelligence of the British occupation,
strong in expectations of a golden harvest. The sudden withdrawal of the
large military force left Larnaca in the condition of streets full of
sellers, but denuded of buyers. The stores were supplied with the usual
amount of liquors, and tins of preserved provisions; none of the
imported articles were adapted for native requirements; an utter
stagnation of trade was the consequence, and prices fell below the cost
of home production. The preceding year had been exceptionally sickly;
many of the storekeepers were suffering from the effects of fever,
which, combined with the depression of spirits caused by ruined
prospects, produced a condition of total collapse, from which there was
only one relief--that of writing to the newspapers and abusing the
Government and the island generally.
There must always be martyrs--somebody must be sacrificed--whether burnt
at the stake for religious principles, or put in a bell-tent in the sun
with the thermometer at 110 degrees Fahr. simply because they are
British soldiers--it does not much matter--but the moment your merchants
are slain upon the altar, the boiling-point is reached.
The store-keepers sat despondingly behind their counters while the
hinges of their doors rusted from the absence of in-comers. It was
impossible to rouse them from their state of mercantile coma, except by
one word, which had a magnetic effect upon their nervous
system---"Custom House."
"I suppose you have no difficulty at the Custom House, Mr.--in this
simple island?" This was invariably the red rag to the bull.
