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SYNAXAHIA. HURTREU 233 side. There is a. palace too to he seen where the Pasha has his residence; it stands opposite to a large square, wherein is a pyramid, and every Friday the Turks learn horsemanship. We were told that the kings of Cyprus lived in this palace: in size and height it is a fine structure. Above the entrance are the arms of the House of Lusignan, and those of Savoy, set in many fine devices. The other houses in the city inhabited by the Turks are generally of good cut stone, built, we were told, by the Venetians, and the streets are wide and handsome. The houses are set in beautiful gardens, well planted, chiefly with the palms which beer dates. There is a French Consnl who lives at Lamica, to clear the vessels which come from Marseille and other French ports. We had not the honour of paying our respects to him, as he had gone to Fainagusta, and on this account we were unable to see what else was curious in the island. As to the circuit of Cyprus, it is very difficult to arrive at the truth, because of the eccentric way its many headlands thrnst themselves out into the sea. Its length is about that of Crete, but. it is at least three times ns long as it is broad: and seamen tell me it may measure about 440 miles round. If yon reckoned the capes and bays it would be (WO. The Greeks and other Christian inhabitants cannot be but poor on account of the ill-treatment and tyranny which they suffer from the Tnrks in their persons and property. Three Greeks who-were of our company when we went to see the chureh of S. Sophia at Nicosia told us that they paid, each of them, as their annual tribute eight piastres, or twenty-four florins of our French money. Resides this payment they aie obliged still to give to their {•îovernor, whom they call Espais [Sipahi ?] the fifth part of what income they have ; and yet again if it is known that they have anything over at the end of the year, it is taken from them by force. No wonder that they are veiy poor, and have scarcely bread to eat the whole year through. Very many of them, unable to bear any longer this cruel tyranny, wish to turn Turk ; bnt many are rejected, because (say their lords) in receiving them into the Moslem faith their tribute would be so much diminished. οw having seen a part of the things most worthy of notice in the island, and having noted its rareties, we returned from Nicosia to Cerines, thanking these three civil Greeks, and making each of them a small gift of money. [They sail fremi Cerines on Sept. 2, and are chased by a corsair who drives them into the port of] Liniassan, a town built on the seashore, where there is a fort with cannon to prevent, the corsairs, whether Turk nr Christian, carrying off the merchantmen. We stayed here six hours. No vessel is allowed to stay more than twelve without paying the port dues of 122 piastres. It cannot even take a barrel of water, or ship any goods, unless it has paid this sum, which is the ordinary tax exacted from ships which anchor there.

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