DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.4098#0078
54 PRODUCE OF SANTA MAURA.
Leucadia has greatly decreased of late years. Coronelli says it con-
tained, in his time, thirty villages. The circuit of the whole island,
not including in the calculation its sinuosities, is about forty miles.
Most of its towns and villages were overthrown by an earthquake,
in the year 1469, which also did considerable damage to the neigh-
bouring islands, particularly Cephallenia and Zakunthos. The
capital of the latter island was nearly destroyed by the same scourge
about forty-five years afterwards, according to Michael Ducas.1
It produces grain of different kinds, which in a good season sup-
ports the inhabitants three quarters of a year; but sometimes only
for half a year. Its exports are wine, oil, salt, red dye, and cheese.
The butter, honey, wool, wax, oranges, lemons, figs, pomegranates,
apples, apricots, and several other fruits, are for the sole use of the
island. They have a valuable commerce in scarlet dye, which is
here called grano : it is a microscopic insect, scarcely visible to the
naked eye, which forms its nidus in the leaf of a small shrub called
prinari; the little protuberances in which they are enclosed are
plucked off, and being mashed, the colour is thus extracted.
The lagunes in the canal produce a great quantity of salt, which
is exported, and which is of a far superior quality to that of Corfu.
Wishing to visit the ruins of Actium and Nicopolis, we hired a
small boat and crossed the canal, which in some parts is so shallow,
that we stuck in the mud. The lowland of the island reaches within
a few hundred feet of the terra firma. We landed at Prebeza, in
the ancient territory of Cassopsea, once a decent town, but now re-
duced by the Pasha of Joannina, to a miserable village ; it is about
eight miles from Santa Maura. The port is small, but good ; and
capable of admitting ships of war. Only a few years ago Prebeza
contained near 8,000 inhabitants, who were wealthy and commer-
cial ; it now contains not as many hundreds. After a battle2 which
the Pasha gained over the French in the plain of Nicopolis,
1 Chronic, p. 202. Paris edit. ; In October 20th, 1 798.
Leucadia has greatly decreased of late years. Coronelli says it con-
tained, in his time, thirty villages. The circuit of the whole island,
not including in the calculation its sinuosities, is about forty miles.
Most of its towns and villages were overthrown by an earthquake,
in the year 1469, which also did considerable damage to the neigh-
bouring islands, particularly Cephallenia and Zakunthos. The
capital of the latter island was nearly destroyed by the same scourge
about forty-five years afterwards, according to Michael Ducas.1
It produces grain of different kinds, which in a good season sup-
ports the inhabitants three quarters of a year; but sometimes only
for half a year. Its exports are wine, oil, salt, red dye, and cheese.
The butter, honey, wool, wax, oranges, lemons, figs, pomegranates,
apples, apricots, and several other fruits, are for the sole use of the
island. They have a valuable commerce in scarlet dye, which is
here called grano : it is a microscopic insect, scarcely visible to the
naked eye, which forms its nidus in the leaf of a small shrub called
prinari; the little protuberances in which they are enclosed are
plucked off, and being mashed, the colour is thus extracted.
The lagunes in the canal produce a great quantity of salt, which
is exported, and which is of a far superior quality to that of Corfu.
Wishing to visit the ruins of Actium and Nicopolis, we hired a
small boat and crossed the canal, which in some parts is so shallow,
that we stuck in the mud. The lowland of the island reaches within
a few hundred feet of the terra firma. We landed at Prebeza, in
the ancient territory of Cassopsea, once a decent town, but now re-
duced by the Pasha of Joannina, to a miserable village ; it is about
eight miles from Santa Maura. The port is small, but good ; and
capable of admitting ships of war. Only a few years ago Prebeza
contained near 8,000 inhabitants, who were wealthy and commer-
cial ; it now contains not as many hundreds. After a battle2 which
the Pasha gained over the French in the plain of Nicopolis,
1 Chronic, p. 202. Paris edit. ; In October 20th, 1 798.