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See also:HYDRA (or SDRA, NIDRA, IDERO, &c.; anc. Hydrea)
, an See also:island of See also:Greece, lying about 4 M. off the S.E. See also:coast of Argolis in the See also:Peloponnesus, and forming along with the neighbouring island of Dokos (Dhoko) the See also:Bay of See also:Hydra
.
Pop. about 6200
.
The greatest length from See also:south-See also:west to See also:north-See also:east is about 1 r m., and the See also:area is about 21 sq. m.; but it is little better than a rocky and treeless See also:ridge with hardly a patch or two of arable See also:soil
.
Hence the See also:epigram of Antonios Kriezes to the See also:queen of Greece: " The island produces prickly See also:pears in abundance, splendid See also:sea captains and excellent See also:prime ministers." The highest point, See also:Mount Ere, so called (according to Miaoules) from the Albanian word for See also:wind, is 1958 ft. high
.
The next in importance is known as the See also:Prophet See also:Elias, from the large See also:convent of that name on its See also:summit
.
It was there that the patriot See also:Theodorus Kolokotrones was imprisoned, and a large See also:pine See also:tree is still called after him
.
The fact that in former times the island was richly clad with See also:woods is indicated by the name still employed by the See also:Turks, Tchamliza, the See also:place of pines; but it is only in some favoured spots that a few trees are now to be found
.
Tradition also has it that it was once a well-watered island (hence the designation Hydrea), but the inhabitants are now wholly dependent on the See also:rain See also:supply, and they have sometimes had to bring See also:water from the mainland
.
This lack of fountains is probably to be ascribed in See also:part to the effect of earthquakes, which are not infrequent; that of 1769 continued for six whole days
.
Hydra, the See also:chief See also:town, is built near the See also:middle of the See also:northern coast, on a very irregular site, consisting of three hills and the intervening ravines
.
From the sea its See also: Almost all the See also:population of the island is collected in the chief town, which is the seat of a See also:bishop, and has a See also:local See also:court, numerous churches and a high school . See also:Cotton and See also:silk See also:weaving, tanning and See also:shipbuilding are carried on, and there is a fairly active See also:trade . Hydra was of no importance in See also:ancient times . The only fact in its See also:history is that the See also:people of Hermione (a See also:city on the neighbouring mainland now known by the See also:common name of Kastri) surrendered it to Samian refugees, and that from these the people of Troezen received it in See also:trust . It appears to be completely ignored by the See also:Byzantine chroniclers . In z58o it was chosen as a See also:refuge by a See also:body of Albanians from Kokkinyas in Troezenia; and other emigrants followed in 1590, 1628, 1635, 1640, &c . At the See also:close of the 17th See also:century the Hydriotes took part in the reviving See also:commerce of the Peloponnesus; and in course of See also:time they extended their range . About 1716 they began to build sakturia (of from ro to 15 tons See also:burden), and to visit the islands of the See also:Aegean; not See also:long after they introduced the latinadika (40-5o tons), and sailed as far as See also:Alexandria, See also:Constantinople, See also:Trieste and See also:Venice; and by and by they ventured to See also:France and even See also:America . From the See also:grain trade of south See also:Russia more especially they derived See also:great See also:wealth . In 1813 there were about 22,000 people in the island, and of these 10,000 were seafarers . At the time of the outbreak of the See also:war of See also:Greek See also:independence the See also:total population was 28,190, of whom 16,46o were natives and the See also:rest foreigners . One of their chief families, the Konduriotti, was See also:worth £2,000,000 . Into the struggle the Hydriotes flung themselves with rare See also:enthusiasm and devotion, and the final deliverance of Greece was mainly due to the service rendered by their fleets . See Pouqueville, Voy. de In Grece, vol. vi.; Antonios Miaoules, 'Twhµvriµa siEpl riffs vifeov "TSpas (See also:Munich, 1834); Id . Evvo7rrucii ieropia r 'v vav,2axtWV SIG, rWv s-Xoiwv r,'v rplwv vi)elilv, "TSpas, IIErcrws sal 'Yapiav (See also:Nauplia, 1833); Id . 'Ieropia rte viieov "TSpas (See also:Athens, 1874); G . D . Kriezes, 'Ieropia rift vifeov "TSpas (See also:Patras, 1860) . |
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