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CYPRUS AS I SAW IT IN 1879. CHAPTER I. ARRIVAL AT LARNACA. O N the morning of the 4th January we sighted Cyprus at about fifty miles distance, after a smooth voyage of twenty-six hours from Alexandria. The day was favourable for an arrival, as the atmospherical condition afforded both intense lights and shadows. The sky was a cobalt blue, but upon all points of the compass local rain-clouds hovered in dark patches near the surface, and emptied themselves in heavy showers. The air was extremely clear, and as we steamed at ten knots each hour brought out in prominent relief the mountain peaks of Cyprus ; Olympus was capped with clouds. Passing through a rain-cloud which for a time obscured the view, we at length emerged into bright sunshine ; the mists had cleared from the mountain range, and Trôôdos, 6,400 feet above the sea-level, towered above all competitors. W e were now about ten miles from the shore, and the general appearance of the island suggested a recent

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