ON THE PRODUCTIVE RESOURCES OF CYPRUS. 161 



cocoons of Maratassa are remarkable fur the beauty, and the brilliancy 

 of their colour. The quantity of silk produced in Cyprus averaged about 

 56,000 lbs., one half of which is raised in the district of Baffo ; but 

 within the last two or three years there has been a falling off in this 

 produce. About a tenth of it is consumed in native manufactures. The 

 greater part of that exported goes to France. 



The wines of Cyprus form one of its principal articles of export ; 

 they are of two kinds, the ordinary black wine, which is coarse 

 aud heady, with a strong taste and smell of tar ; this it acquires from 

 the jars in which it is kept, and the skins in which it is transported, 

 being always coated inside with tar, to preserve them from leaking. 



The tarry taste of the wine is highly disagreeable, though the people 

 of the country are very partial to it, and consider it wholesome. This 

 wine is largely exported to Egypt, Syria, and Trieste. The other kind 

 of wine, and that best known in Europe is the Commanderia, which 

 derived its name from a ceinmandery formerly possessed by the Knights 

 Templars at Collossi, near LimassoL It is a sweet malmsey wine, but 

 strong and heady. When free from the taste of tar it is rather agreeable. 

 It keeps remarkably well, and improves with age. When new it is of a 

 dark colour, like brown sherry ; after it has been kept two or three 

 years it becomes much paler, but with age it again becomes dark coloured, 

 the very old Commanderia being almost black. 



Large quantities of it are annually sent to Trieste and Constanti- 

 nople, and some of the older and better qualities are shipped to France 

 and Italy. It does not appear to suit the English taste, for it is never 

 exported thither, for the trade, and seldom purchased by travellers. M. 

 Fourcade, a former French consul, in a report made in 1 844 to the French 

 Government, states that an area of 8,000 hectares, or a little less than 

 20,000 acres, is occupied by vineyards, which produce annually about 

 140,000 hectolitres, or upwards of 3,000,000 gallons of wine. At the 

 present time, however, it is calculated that little more than half this 

 quantity is produced. The decrease is owing partly to the oidium, or 

 disease of the grape, which has prevailed more or less for the last eleven 

 years, but chiefly to an internal duty of 10 per cent., over and above 

 the tithe and export duties, which has been lately imposed upon wines ; 

 on this account, and owing to the harassing manner in which it is col- 

 lected, the peasants prefer selling their grapes or making them into 

 raisins, rather than making wine to be subject to the payment of 

 this tax. 



The sale of carobs, or locust beans, was till within thirty-six years a 

 Government monopoly. Since it has been abolished the cultivation of 

 the carob tree has been greatly increased ; wild trees have been grafted 

 and new plantations are everywhere springing up. In 1852 

 27,000 cwi;. of locust beans were exported. The exportation in 1862 

 was 180,000 cwt., value about 27,000£. It is exported principally to 

 Trieste, and to the Russian ports in the Black Sea. The tree grows 



VOL. IV. N 



