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.
 
 
 
 
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SIR SAMUEL WHITE BAKER
CYPRUS AS I SAW IT IN 1879
page 439

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willingly enlist in our service, and could always hi depended upon in case of necessity. The forcd already organised is an admirable nucleus, and could be rapidly increased ; each man finds his own horsey and receives two shillings a day inclusive ; his clothes! and arms being provided by the government. Fo J service in the trying climate of Cyprus the Turk is pre-eminent. I do not see any need for the presences) of British troops in this island. The fortresses are| all dismantled, the natives are peaceful, and the ex l tremely low price of wine and spirits is terribly adverse! to the sanitary condition of the English soldier. Thea staunch sobriety of the Turk, his extreme hardihood,*, which enables him to endure great fatigue upon then most simple fare, and his amenity to discipline, togethei with an instinctive knowledge of arms and a naturali capacity for a military profession, render him a valuable* material for our requirements in organising a defensive force in Cyprus. Should it be determined that a certain number of British troops shall b l retained, they can be spared unnecessary exposure, and retire to the mountain sanatorium during the summer months. The wages of both artisans and ordinary labourers have risen considerably since the British occupation,, as might have been expected. Skilled masons an! carpenters can now command from 3^. 6d. to 5.$·. per diem, who formerly could earn a maximum of 3s, Ordinary masons for building walls can even now be obtained for 2s. 6d. and 3.$·., and agricultural labourers receive is. It is probable that should extensive government improvements be undertaken, or large contracts be made by private individuals for public works, the rate will rise from one shilling to eighteen

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