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CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 370

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among the people. The suspicion rooted in the minds of the insurgents that the Governor and agha s were certainly working for their destruction made such a painful impression that the leaders of the revolt conspired to get into their hands one of the fortresses : possibly the fools thought that the clemency shown by the sovereign towards their first offences mere weakness or indifference. Accordingly on July 27, the day of the fair at the monastery of S. Panteleeinon, at Myrton in the district of Kyrenia, to which crowds flocked from all parts of Cyprus for worship and business, many of the ringleaders attended, and found there a certain Khalil, diadar or commandant of the strong castle of Kyrenia, a vain silly creature, whom they easily led astray, and made their leader, promising to secure his appointment as iniuielUm of the island, because he would work for the relief of Turks nnd rayahs alike, and gain great credit both with the people and the Porte. They swore obedience to him on the spot, aud the vain fool, eager for some kind of fame, set out for the fortress, and was soon followed by a crowd of rebel Turks. He made one his kiaya, another colonel of a regiment, and so on; distributing posts to those he thought capable, or who commended themselves to him, so as to set np a kind of government. He sent orders and threats to the villages, that if any one, Turk or Greek, refused to obey him he would burn and destroy their houses, their property, and themselves : and in many villages these threats were really carried out. He demanded a subsidy from the villagers, and bade them take heed that no one complied with the orders of the citizens about the fourteen and the seven piastres. They were not to pay a para : the disobedient were warned they would lose their heads. It is said that he collected a force of abont 5000 armed men. He sent notices to Nicosia to demand the four aghas, who were the cause of all the trouble, and the four bishops, that he might obtain reporte and petitions to be forwarded to the Porte begging that the Governorship should be conferred on himself, and much else that I must pass by. The daring of this Khalil disturbed the muselUm and the citizens of Nicosia : bnt it was now too late tu check an insurrection which had spread so far. The traitor and rebel was in a strong fortress: the Turks outside the city, either through force or choice were nearly all on his side, the inhabitants of Nicosia began to suffer freni hunger, the villagers were growing lawless, and the bishops, seeing no longer any way to escape the vengeance of the Porte, began to devise ways of learing the island. The Archbishop Paisios, probably by the Governor's advice, left the city secretly, and after wandering in disguise over lutlf the island, hiding iu place after place from the rebels, escaped at last from the coast of Paphos on August 18, with Chrysanth os, Bishop of Paphos, and another Chrysanthos, Bishop of Kyrenia, and got to Asia Minor, aud thence to Constantinople. Khalil advanced as far as the village of Dicomo with cannons and a large force, and threatened to destroy Levkosia if the aghas were not surrendered to him. The cowardly citizens took fright, closed the gates and sat huddled np in the citadel : again some kind of agreement was made, and the rebel retired to Kyrenia. But when he found the citizens were trifling with him, in January he marched to Levkosia, posted himself with his forces and artillery on the heights of Hagia Paraskeva, and began to throw, shots into the city, whose guns replied. He invested the town, so that no one could enter or leave it. We suffered pretty sharply from hunger; flour failed, we ate brawl beans and haricot beans, pulse and vegetables for nearly fifty days. What little flour we could get we had gronnd in hand-mills. It was some time since the Porte had received news of the revolt, but either the govern-ment was dissembling, or believed that the natives could put it down. When however their information was confirmed by the bishops, a certain Ibrahim Bey, with two en rarefa, was ordered to start at once for Cyprns. To rid himself of the bishops the Vazir appointed EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

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