We Were Now Within A Mile
And A Quarter Of Famagousta, And The Ground Began To Rise.
It struck me
that an eminence upon our right was superior to the height of the city
walls, and I rode up to examine the position.
There was no doubt that it
commanded the lower portion of the fortress, and that a direct shell-
fire could be plunged into the rear of the guns which protect the
entrance of the harbour. In the event of modifications being introduced
when restoring the defensive works of Famagousta, it would be necessary
to erect a powerful detached fort upon this position, which would be an
immense addition to the defences of the city, as it would enfilade the
approaches upon two sides.
The walls of Famagousta are most imposing; they are constructed of
carefully-squared stone joined with cement of such extreme hardness that
the weather has had no destructive effect. The perimeter of the fortress
is about 4000 yards; the shape is nearly a parallelogram. The fosse
varies in depth and width, but the minimum of the former is twenty-five
feet, and of the width eighty feet, but in some places it exceeds one
hundred and forty. This formidable ditch is cut out of the solid rock,
which is the usual calcareous sedimentary limestone, and the stone thus
obtained has been used in the construction of the walls. The rock
foundation would render all mining operations extremely difficult. The
fire from the ramparts is increased by cavaliers of great size and
strength, capable of mounting numerous heavy guns at a superior
altitude.
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