HISTORY ETHNOGRAPHY NATURE WINE-MAKING SITE MAP
Selected and rare materials, excerpts and observations from ancient, medieval and contemporary authors, travelers and researchers about Cyprus.
 
 
 
 
uses Google technology and indexes only and selectively internet - libraries having books with free public access
 
  Previous Next  

CLAUDE DELAVAL COBHAM
Exerpta Cypria
page 382

View PDF version of this page

an enormous quantity of cotton, and one may safely assert that if the land fell to another lord these locusts would be easily destroyed within three years. Cyprus produces about 9000 okes of white silk : the oke sells at 8 to 12 p. according to the demand. In 1745, 40,000 okes were collected : at that time it was worth 6 to 7 p. tlie oke. Fine yellow silk is produced at Baffo aud the neighbourhood to the extent of 4000 okes. It is worth from 3 to 4 p. less than the white. It goes chiefly to Cairo in Egypt. The country produces about 250,000 mozas of wheat. The inoza contains eight caffisis [Persian kafiz, a bushel-measure] and each caffisi weighs between 16 and 17 okes (taken at 44J lbs. English) according as the weigher is more or less tired, or the grains are heavier. The present mode of weighing differs greatly from that used in the rest of the world. They turn and shake the measure, press the wheat down with all their might, then heap up as much as they can on the top in the shape of a sugar-loaf. The moza costs now ten piastres. The wheat from Baffo is the best. Barley, of which about 500,000 mozas are harvested, sells at four piastres the moza. It is weighed like the wheat. Madder (lizari) brings in 500 kintals, at 95 to 100 p. the kintal. The French buy the greater part. Sheep's wool, 600 kintals, at 45 to 50 p. It goes to Leghorn. Oil—25 kintals, at 90 p. Veiy little is exported, it is mostly consumed by the natives, and by seamen. Of the white wine called Commanderia 150,000 couzas are produced. Each couza holds 2§ Eng. gallons, and is sold at the beginning at one piastre. The best of it goes to Venice, but all this wine, if exported fresh, turns in part to vinegar ; after the month of August the risk is less : it depends mainly on the weather, and the place where the vines grew. This kind, which is kept for a. very long time, has this peculiarity that in successive years it loses regularly 12 p.c. of its bulk, but it gains immensely in goodness when it deposits its lees of thirty to eighty years. These lees are very dear, and although the price of the new wine, one piastre (as given above), seems very low, yet a larger quantity called old wine is sold in Larnaca at first hand for 3 to 4^ and 5 p. the conza: and the really old and more generous wine, which is comparatively rare, fetches from 6 to 7 p., or even more. The yield of red wine, for ordinary use or shipment, is about 170,000 couzas, worth half a piastre each, just as the vintage turns out. Brandy is made to the vaine of 10,000 dollars. Of manufactured goods the following are produced and sold in Nicosia. Silk stuffs— 40,000 piastres. They are sought after chiefly in the Greek islands, for they are coarse, and have little value in Europe, except a few pieces used as cushion-covers. Ordinary linen—to the value of 25,000 p. Printed cottons and calicos—ίΟ,ΟΟΟ p. The business with France, both export and import, has been hitherto in the hands of two houses, and is reckoned at 300,000 p. The goods received by these houses from France, taking one year with another, may be stated thus:—20 bales of cloth (called Londrins seconds). 3 bales of pepper. Indigo, 12 barrels. Cochineal, 6 barrels. Sugar, 4 barrels. Martinique coffee, 4 barrels. Iron, 1400 kintals. Cloves, 4 barrels. Cinnamon, about 10,000 piastres worth. Lace from Lyon, 20,000p. Gold-embroidered stuffs, 20,000p.; and they get for these about 50,000 p. in imperial crowns, and the cliange on Constantinople. Tlie business with the (late) Venetian Republic, export and import, is valued at 450,000 p. The goods imported from Venice by merchants of that city are :—Cloth, 10 bales. Ordinary window glass, 100 cases. Vitriol, 50 barrels. Pine boards, 50,000. Mirrors of all 372 EXCERPTA CYPRIA

View PDF version of this page


  Previous First Next