234 



CYPEUS. 



had sought a measure that would give it the 

 right to insist upon them. These objects were 

 secured by the convention ; and the occupa- 

 tion of Cyprus, in its peculiar position, gave 

 . the Government the opportunity and means of 

 efficiently executing its part of the engage- 

 ment. It was not the design of the British 

 Government to alienate territory from the sov- 

 ereignty of the Sultan, or to diminish the re- 

 ceipts of his treasury. It was therefore pro- 

 posed that, while the administration and oc- 

 cupation of the island should be assigned to 

 the Queen, the territory should still continue 

 to be part of the Ottoman Empire, and that 

 the excess of the revenue over the expendi- 

 ture should be paid over annually to the trea- 

 vsury of the Sultan. 



Sir Garnet Wolseley was appointed Gover- 

 nor of Cyprus, and was assigned an efficient 

 body of troops with which to maintain pos- 

 session of the island, and which included the 

 Indian regiments that had been stationed at 

 Malta. The new Governor was instructed to 

 administer the government of the island on 

 the footing of a dependency of the Crown, so 

 far as circumstances should permit, and was 

 advised to ascertain what further powers were 

 required for administrative purposes, and how 

 far the existing institutions were available for 

 government under the Crown ; it being held 

 desirable that the provisions already estab- 

 lished for general administration should remain 

 in force, " except laws and institutions repug- 

 nant to civilization or liberty, or except in 

 certain special cases institutions repugnant to 

 the laws and customs of England." He should 

 further study the means of developing produc- 

 tion and commerce and revenue, inquire how 

 far the existing legal establishments were ap- 

 plicable to the new conditions, establish an 

 efficient police force, " without undue pre- 

 dominance of race or creed," and, "it being 

 desirable to diminish as much as practicable 

 the British force, the formation is advised of 

 a local military defensive force." The cession 

 of the island to Great Britain was proclaimed 

 by the representatives of the Sultan July llth, 

 and immediately afterward possession was 

 taken in the name of the Queen by Mr. Wal- 

 ter Baring. Sir Garnet Wolseley was installed 

 as administrator of the government on the 

 23d of July, in the presence of a great crowd 

 of people, Greek and Turkish. His procla- 

 mation to the inhabitants was received, when 

 read and repeated in Greek and Turkish, with 

 cheers. It set forth the Queen's great interest 

 in the prosperity of the inhabitants, and prom- 

 ised that measures should be devised to pro- 

 mote commerce and agriculture and the bless- 

 ings of freedom and justice. While regard 

 would be had for the moral and material wel- 

 fare of the people, attention would be paid to 

 their wishes respecting ancient customs so far 

 as is consistent with civilization and liberty, 

 " which must always be upheld by those who 

 govern in her Majesty's name." Addresses of 



welcome and confidence were received from 

 Greeks and Turks. Official possession of Ni- 

 cosia, the capital, was taken July 30th, when 

 the new Governor received the symbols of a 

 most hospitable welcome from representatives 

 of the Greek Church. Civil commissioners 

 were appointed and garrisons assigned for the 

 five provinces or departments of Limasol, 

 Eamagusta, Cerynia, Paphos, and Larnaka. 

 u A young and learned Moslem," Assim Eften- 

 di, was appointed religious judge in the island, 

 his salary to be paid by the British Govern- 

 ment. The Christian population of Nicosia, 

 under the presidency of the Bishop, presented 

 a petition to Sir Garnet Wolseley praying that 

 Greek might be established as the official lan- 

 guage ; but they were informed that their re- 

 quest could not be granted, and that English 

 would be the official language. A Turkish 

 officer arrived in the island at the end of Au- 

 gust to convey to Constantinople the Turkish 

 troops, guns, and war material, which were 

 still there. A few days afterward the English 

 Governor started on a voyage around the 

 island, in the course of which he visited Ce- 

 rynia, Baffo, Limasol, and other places, and 

 returned to Larnaka September 16th. On the 

 27th of September he held a state reception, 

 which 'was attended by the leading Moham- 

 medans, when he stated that/ he had received 

 orders from her Majesty to appoint a Legisla- 

 tive Council, of whom one half were to be in- 

 habitants of the island, and that an Executive 

 Council would also be appointed. 



The troops suffered much during the later 

 summer and the early fall with sickness, from 

 "heat apoplexy," and fevers and agues. The 

 fevers were not malignant, but they prostrated 

 the men and rendered them unfit for service. 

 The reports made about the middle of August 

 agreed that 25 per cent, of the white troops 

 were thus afflicted. As better accommodations 

 were provided for the troops, and the hot sea- 

 son passed away, their health improved. This 

 prevalence of fevers seemed to confirm the 

 prejudices which have prevailed against the 

 island that it is intrinsically unhealthy ; but 

 those persons who are best acquainted with it 

 deny that it is so, and point to the robust 

 native population in proof that no permanent 

 sources of disease different from those of other 

 countries with hot climates exist there. They 

 admit that superficial sources of disease exist, 

 that no general sanitary provisions have been 

 undertaken, that there are many marshes which 

 will cause unhealthiness until they are removed, 

 and that unacclimated persons are in danger if 

 they expose themselves carelessly; but they 

 believe that if these causes were removed and 

 proper precautions taken, Cyprus would be no 

 less healthy than other places similarly situated. 



A survey of the water lines of the island 

 under Sir George Elliott resulted in the selec- 

 tion of Famagusta as the most suitable place 

 to begin the construction of a new harbor. A 

 fine old harbor was found here seventy acres 





