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270 CYPRUS IN 187g. [CHAP. quantity produced is large, and the dark wines can be purchased retail in the villages for one penny the quart bottle !—and in my opinion are very dear at the money. According to the official returns kindly supplied to me by Mr. Robson, the chief of customs, the following list represents the declared duty-paid production from 1877 to 187g. Spirits— Commanderia— Black Wines— Okes 2| lbs. Okes 2| lbs. Okes 2| lbs. 1877-1878 . . 155.451 117,000 2,500,000 1878-1879 . . 430,000 300,000 6,000,000 Spirit is valued at about 2§ Piastres the Oke \ The rate of exchange Commanderia „ „ 2 „ » f 9 Piastres to is. = Black Wines „ „ i£ „ „ J ^180 sterling. It will be observed that an immense difference is represented in the yield of the two years. This is to be accounted for by the superabundance of rains in 18 78-187g, which caused a great quantity, but bad quality, of juice, and the wine of this vintage is so inferior that a large proportion is turning to vinegar, and can be used for no other purpose. The habit of calculating by low quantities, as " okes, " as the French reckon in " francs, " is at first sight perplexing to the English mind, and conveys an erroneous impression of the actual results. If the population of Cyprus is about 200,000, the maximum wine-crop of 6,000,000 okes would only yield 30 okes, or 60 ordinary wine-bottles, to each person during the year. Th e local consumption is exceedingly small, which can only be accounted for by the general poverty of the population. Th e exports are directed principally to the various ports of the Levant, Constantinople, Smyrna, Alexandria, in addition to Trieste, and parts of Southern

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