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they also serve as inns to which all people resort; but the Christians always leave something at their departure. What α monk is worth when he dies, goes to the bishop of the diocese. The priests here are very ignorant as most of them are in the eastern churches; and though Greek is their mother tongue, they do not so much as understand the antient Greek of the New Testament, tho1 the modern Greek differs very little from it ; but in Cyprus the Greek is more corrupted than in many other islands, as they have token some words from the Venetians whilst they were among them; it is notwithstanding a sweet language, but they speak it very last. Till within thirty years past Cyprus was governed by a pasha, bnt now it is under a more inferior officer, called a mosolem. The late Grand Signor gave this island ns a dowry to his daughter who was married to the grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha, and since that time the island has belonged to the grand Vizier. He legally makes of it abont seventy five purses a year each parse being about seventy pounds sterling, but then he has only η share of the harach, and of a tax called the uozonl; and I have been informed that the whole island brings in five hundred pnrses a year. There are also fees for offences, and upon account of any unnatural death ; in the latter case the village pays one purse. The original property of all the lands is in the Grand Signor, who sells them to the inhabitants and their male heirs, and in default of male heirs, the lands revert to the Grand Signor, who disposes of them in like manner. The tythe of the land, which doubtless belonged to the chnrch, is granted to two sorts of military bodies; one of them are called zaims, of which there are eighteen chiefs, who have the tythes of the lands of a certain district, and are obliged to send a number of men to the war; the others are called timariotes; under the name of Timars lands are granted all over the Turkish empire on the same condition. There is also a poll tax called the uozonl ; it is about six dollars a year paid by all those who are not obliged to go to war; both Christians and Turks, pay a tribute called the harach, which is universal over the Turkish empire. It is from ten to fifteen dollars a head ; there is also a small duty of twenty-two tiineens or forty-fonr medeens a-head, which is about three shillings English, paid yearly to the village where every one is born, lite salt and customs belong to the janizaries, who are about a thousand, and have generally an aga sent to govern them once a year from Constantinople. The Cypriotes baring their lauds at so easy a rate, any one would imagine that they must live very happily; but the mosolem is almost continually harassing the Christians, who often leave the island, and go to the coasts of Cilicia, and very frequently return again, ont of that natural love which every one has fur his own oountiy. Many of them notwithstanding settle in the seaport towns of Syria, which dispeoples the island veiy much. Cyprus is now divided into sixteen cadelisks, each having its aga or governor, and cadi or minister of justice; they consist of sixteen towns; and it is probable that among them may be fonnd the capitals of the fifteen kingdoms, into which, some say, the island of Cyprus was at first divided. The names of these towns are Chérîtes, Nicosia, Cerines, Morfo, Lefca, Solea, Baffa, Arsinoe, Attimo, or A/dim, Chrusofou, Limesol, Episcopi, Lamica, Messoria, Famagusta, and Carpass. 270 EXCERPTA CYPRIA.

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