No Town In Cyprus Exhibited The Results Of A British Occupation To The
Same Extent As Limasol.
The chief commissioner, Colonel Warren, R.A.,
was an officer of great energy and ability, and he had grappled
vigorously with every difficulty and cleansed the Augean stables
thoroughly.
The town is about a mile and a half in length, and faces the
sea in a position somewhat similar to that of Larnaca. The quay is
washed by the waves, which in stormy weather dash against the houses, at
which times it is impossible to land from boats, and crews must remain
on board their vessels safely anchored in the roadstead. Although not so
extensive as Larnaca, Limasol is more compact, and the houses and
gardens are superior. Owing to the active authority of the chief
commissioner, the streets were scrupulously clean, and all the refuse of
the town was conveyed to a safe distance. A public market had been
recently arranged, covered with corrugated galvanised iron, in which the
departments for meat, vegetables, &c., were kept separate, and the
appearance and organisation resembled a market-place in England. The
various open places within the town, instead of being receptacles for
filth, as is usual throughout the East, had been carefully planted with
young trees, most of which were exhibiting their first spring shoots and
leaves. The quay which faced the sea, although exposed to the
undermining action of the waves, had been repaired and was in fair
condition; from this a tolerable pier projected, upon which piles of
goods were being disembarked from the steamer that had just arrived from
Larnaca. Two small tugs ran upon alternate days, thus affording
facilities for passengers and goods between Limasol and Larnaca, which
was a great convenience recently established to avoid the difficulty of
the roadless land journey. H.M.S. Torch was in the roadstead, together
with about twenty vessels of various flags and tonnage. Some of these
were loading wine for Trieste, and it was interesting to watch the
system adopted to save the difficulty of embarking the heavy casks in
lighters, in the absence of cranes or winches. The barrels when full
were slightly inferior in weight to their displacement of sea-water;
they accordingly floated almost level with the surface, and were formed
into a chain of two casks abreast and about fifty yards in length. Thus
arranged, they were towed by boats until alongside the vessel, when they
were easily hoisted up on board. As boats could not lie against the
perpendicular wall of the quay except during a perfect calm, there was
considerable trouble in carrying on the commerce of the port according
to modern requirements; but the inventions of necessity had simplified
many difficulties at the expense of increased manual labour. Boats lay a
few yards off the shore, and were loaded by men who walked shoulder-
deep with the packages upon their heads. I saw lighters discharging
planks and baulks of timber, by shooting them into the sea with
sufficient force to follow the direction given towards the shore, while
the receivers stood in the water to capture them upon arrival.
The shops and stores along the quay-face closely resemble those of
Larnaca, but there was more activity among the people. The streets of
the bazaar were thronged with mules and donkeys bringing the produce of
the interior to the shipping centre, and the crush of animals had been
carefully modified by the arrangements instituted by Colonel Warren, who
had established a large walled court, or stable-yard, into which all
empty mules and asses were driven, instead of being allowed to block the
thoroughfare; each beast paid some trifle for this accommodation, which
added to the fund for municipal improvements.
The public offices were very inferior, that of the chief commissioner
himself being a small white-washed room, which exhibited an utter
disregard of personal comfort in the interests of government economy.
There is a curious old fort within the town which has been altered and
added to until it has become an absurdity; this would be utterly useless
as a defence, and the Turkish guns having been removed, it is now
converted into a prison; beneath the ground there are dungeons which are
no longer used.
The roadstead of Limasol is formed by the projection of the Akrotiri
peninsula, which affords protection from the west and south-west, but it
is directly exposed from the east to the south. The anchorage is safe,
with good holding-ground in ten fathoms. The peculiar shaped peninsula
of Akrotiri is about seven miles wide, and the lake in its centre, when
full, has a width of about four miles; but during the exhaustive heat of
summer it evaporates to the dimensions of a mere pool, and leaves its
deserted bed encrusted with a deposit of salt. This lake has no
connection with the sea, and its maximum depth is under three feet; the
salt is formed upon the same principle as that of the Lake of Larnaca,
and certainly not by the percolation of sea-water through the sand, as
the Limasol lake is considerably above the sea-level. There is a
lighthouse at Cape Gatta, which can be seen at a distance of fifteen
miles, as from its elevated position the lamp is 190 feet above the sea.
From this point to Limasol the beach is low and sandy, and has always
been accepted as the most favourable point for a disembarkation of
troops. With historical facts before us there is small excuse for the
blunder committed in landing our army of occupation, during the extreme
heat of July, at Larnaca instead of Limasol. At the former port there is
not a tree to throw a shade, and the miserable aspect of the surrounding
country must have had a most depressing effect upon the nervous system
of officers and men, while at Limasol the country is agreeable and the
shady caroubs exist almost to the sea-shore, in numbers that would have
sheltered an army of three times the force represented.
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