302 
The capital of Nicosia, to judge by its extent, might 
easily contain a hundred thousand inhabitants, but it is 
deserted; kitchen gardens and ruins occupy large 
spaces. They assured me the number of inhabitants 
does not actually exceed a thousand Turkish families, 
and as many Greeks. 
The situation of the town is elevated; it stands in the 
centre of a great plain, which renders it salubrious; the 
prospect is fine. The circumference of the plain is very 
steep; it is surrounded with a parapet of hewn stone in 
salient angles, and susceptible of a regular defence, 
which gives it an imposing appearance. The city has 
three gates, Paphos, Chirigna, and Famagosta. The 
last is magnificent. 
It is composed of a vast cylindric vault, which covers 
the whole slope or ascent from the level of the country 
below to the upper plain on which the city is built; half 
way up the ascent there is an elliptical cupola, or a seg- 
ment of a sphere, in the centre of which there is a cir- 
cular opening for the admission of the light; the monu- 
ment is entirely constructed of large hewn stone or 
rough marble, and the whole edifice is worthy of the 
ancient inhabitants. 
In that part of the town occupied by the Greeks there 
are several good streets, but the others are narrow, 
badly laid out, and particularly filthy and without 
pavement. 
Several houses of Nicosia are fine, and some very 
large. The one where I lodged belongs to th§ drago- 
man of Cyprus, the first officer of the Greek nation in 
the island. 
