The

Journal.
Geographical
NQ.D. NOVEMBER,1894. VOL.IV.

AND ITS BORDERLANDS.*

MONTENEGRO
By W. H. COZENS-RDY, M.A.

1s bringing to the notice of the GeographicalSocietyMontenegroand

its Borderlands, it is with some degree of diffidencethat I hazardthe
suggestionthat on a,districtof Europe it ;s possibleto say " anything
new that is true,or anythingtrue that is new." Tfeel bound,moreover,
to apologizefor drawing attention to the fact that this SocietySa*er
morethan half a century'sexistence,has :notrenderedsny task impos-
sibleby havingalreadsrperfortnedit. But this fact is not to be evaded;
and it suppliesthe reason-may it also be the excuse? -fora paperon
Montenegroand its Borderlands. The district, then, is still, to all
intents and purposes,unknown. Maps,if they e:xistat all, are chiefly
interesting as imaginative studies. Mountainsare marked with a
nagllenesswhich scorns details; islands appearwhere no islands are;
rivers which run south otl the map, run north in reality. But the
interestof this regionis not confinedto its topography. The politician
here has manyan enigmato unravel. Ethnographycanfindno greater
varietyof races,tlOmore curiousmannersand customs; while ballad
and epic rerse-still in processof growth masrattract the studentof
literature.
The snoreixelnediatoobjectof sny third xisit to Montenegrola.st
year was to find the solution of a problemwhich had for soine time
perplesedmei nasnely,what had becolneof the Montenegrinfrontier
since the treaty of Berlin. Blue booksweresilent on the subject; the
ForeignOfficehacino information. The originalEuropeanCommission

$ Society, March12, 1894. Map,p. 480.

Paper read at t}e Royal Geographica1
1894.]
NO.Y.-NOVEMBER, 2C

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 386 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

had settled the Eastern frontierbetween the Lake of

Scutari and the
sea, had surveyedsome part of the frontierto the north,
and had then
adjournedsirFe die,withoutcompletingits labours. Rumoursuggested
that the va.ric)uspowers concernedhad been busying
themselvesin
t;nkering their respectivefrontiers on their own account.
My own
fascinationfor this problemis not shared,I imaginetby every
may, however, say that a fortunate combinationof one. I
enabledme to findits solution,and to fill up the gap in circumstances
the political
geographyof this region,at any rate,to my own satisfaction.
To my
own faith in the meritsof this solutionI will not attempt
to makecon-
verts in this paper. I would rather give some general
accountof the
¢ountriesand their peoples; and,in the first
Montenegro. place? of

The chief interest of the soyage downthe Dalmatian

coastconsist6
in the relics of Romanand TenetiarL splendourswith which it is linedt
and the magnificentscenery of that Austrian fjord,
the Bocche di
Cattaro. From Cattaro,the last Dalmatiantown, the road
to Mon-
tenegrowinds up the steepmountainside in endless
zigzags. Above
these, soon after crossingthe Montenegrinfrontier,the
view
ovet the Bocchedi Cattaroand theHerzegovinianmountains estends
side, and the Adriaticcoaston the other; and at night, on the one
when the shore
lights are reilectedin the water 3000 feet below,the
impressionis most
striking. In a moment,however,the scenerychanges.
Turning the
corner,there opensout a large rockybasin,completelyshut
in by lime
stonemountains. Imagine a circle of hills rising 400
feet all round;
the rocks bare and grey, except where a few stunted
beech or oak
treesbreakthe monoton;y.Let these hills enclose a foor
of earth,in
whicha few crops are visible. Scatter over the flat
ground and on
the slopes of the hills, at intervals of a quarterof a
mile, a few one-
storied,one-dooredone-windowedhuts, the walls of stone,
the roofsof
straw. The result is the characteristicMontenegrin
village in the
characteristic Montenegrinlandscape. Diminish the size of the hills;
decrease the areaof the groundthey enclose; put in patchesof
thesize of a tablecloth,and potato-fieldsno bigger maize
than a handker-
chief;combinehundredsof these side by side at
elevationsof 2000 to
3000 feet; connectthemby tracksthreefeetbroad,windingover
limestone
boulders and coveredwith a loose,sliding surfaceof limestone
ofall sizes; there you have Montenegro. Water is blocks
seen.There are only two rivers in the country. The nowhere to be
theZeta--disappearsinto a chasmon the plain of Niksic, principal one
and reappears
out of the ground,miles away,at the headof the Zeta
valley? the one
valley, and the only fertile part,of Montenegro. Passirlgthe
Ostrogsthe modernvillage of Danilovgrad,andthe old monastery
of
tress of Spur,the Zetajoins the otherriver,the Moraca,at Turkishfor-
Dukle,
Mr Munro,of LincolnCollege,Oxford,spent someweeks last where
¢onducting autumn
the excavationof the old iEtomantown of Dioclea,
the

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 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS. 387

supposed birthplace of the EmperorDiocletian. The Moraza,rising in the

moulltains north of the Morae;arnonastery,tlows between stony banks
alollg which no track leads. The two rivers, which below their junction
bear the joint name of Zeta, cross the plain of Podgorica,and so reach the
Lake of Scutari. One other river should, perhaps,be added to the list-
a short stream which makes a mysterious appearancefrom a huge llnex-
plored cavern at Rijeka, and, after a swampy course of three miles, is
swallowed up in the lake. Montenegro exhibits the ordinary peculiari-
ties of similar geological formations. Rivers suddenly rise, fully formed,
from the rocks, and disappearas suddenly. It is the same in all the
Karst district. This absence of water produces strange results. For

x - : S, - -:-i, - ,liCEE40
0000 - i;f Adt0 - t - i-- - i; ,,

,., , E,4d,.:fi-X. --Ed; ;d,i 40 E it i ,,;E-E k g . 4. W; X ; iSETE

-E E A-Et - :f EWEELLiSE-

. : : - .:::-i-0 t- -l.;-gX-.0; . j 0-

FIG. 1.-A MONTENEGRIN VILLAGE.

drinking, the people use old rain water, which is gerlerally stored in
petroleum tins, invariably made in Russia, but as invariably bearing
the English inscription, "Best refined petroleum;" or else they use
snow. For myselfXI have preferredthe pangs of thirst to the pleasllres
of drinking in September the dirty melted snow of the preceding winter
There is a Montenegrin saying, that when God was creating the world,
Ee carried the rocks in a sack. The sack broke over Montenegro,and
all the stones in it fell on that unhappy land. Whatever may be the
merits of this legend as an explanation, it is certainly a picturesque
and accurate description of the geographical features of the country.
Beyond the limestone basin above the Cattaro zigzags, in which lies
2 C2

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388 MONTENEGItOAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

the village of Njegus,theresuddenlyconles into sight over the dreary

wastes of rock in the foregrounda view of welcomebeauty range
afterrange of the distant All)anianmountainsnever free from snow,
and at their foot the broadexpanseof the Lakeof Scutari. Tne next
large basinholds Cetinje,.Jhecapital. A collectionof 200 smallhouses
on each side of one long street,the village has few qualificationsfor
a metropolis. It lies in one cornerof the principality. It is not as
large,noras importantcommercially, as Podgoricaor Niksic. The only
reasonadducedfor keepingit is, that to leave it for Europeis so easy.
I use the word "Europe"deliberately; for, accordingto local usage,
Montenegro is not in Europe,norarethe Montenegrins Europeans.When
I reachedthe capitallast July, the whole countrywas preparingto cele-
brate the fourhundredthanniversaryof the establishmentof the earliest
Slavonicprintingpressin the country. In 1493,beforeeither Os:ford
or Cambridgehad a permanentpress,the Montenegrinruler,Crnojevi(3,
set up a printingestablishmentat Obod. Bookswere printed there at
that date,someof whichI cameacrossby accidentin the old monastery
church at eajnica,just over the Bosnianfiontier. In honourof this
anniversary,universitiesand learnedsocietiesof Europe,the University
of Oxfordincluded,sent addressesof congratulation, whilethe Clarendon
Press gave the Prince the appropriatepresentof a collectionof books
as specimensof modernEnglish printing.
During these fetes the centre of attractionwas the squareopening
out of the mainstreetof Cetinje. On one side is the modernpalaceof
the Prince; on the other stands the old palace, the usual nalne for
which " the Billiard Saloon" is a lasting evidenceof the impression
left on the mindsof the people,whentheir late PrinceDanilo imported
a billiard-tableand playedon it in this building. Between these two
palacesstandsa large tree, beneathwhich the Prince displayshimself
every afternoon,and administersjustice to his subjects. In this
square,and in the streets as well, the populacewere singing and
dancing for a week. Of the dancesthere were three varieties. One,
the " zetsko kolo," was dancedby Albaniansfrom Podgorica;fifteen
of them,standing in an incompletering, slowly circled round,singing
the words of a song in honourof Albanianprowess,c:omposed by the
Princeto satisfyhis new subjectsafter the war. All thesedancerswere
in full dress,the most remarkablepart of which is a petticoatreaching
to the knee,made of white linen, 60 yards in width. The weight of
this costume and I speak from personalexperience is very great;
but the more yards in the garment,the greaterdandy is the wearer.
Anotherdance,the "cermnickokolo," coIlsistsof a ring of men or
women with linked arms, who circle round, singing and jumping
simultaneously into the air. Of this, the most complicatedform,
whichI have only seen once,consistsof two rings of men,one inside
the other, with a third on the shouldersof the inside ring, who in

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 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS. 389

the usual way sing and jump. In the third variety of dance,locally
called the " oro,"or eagle dance,two men or a man and a womaninside
a ring of singers jump into the air, waving their arins and uttering
shrill cries, supposedto resemblethe eagle's shriek. The name of
this dance is no doubt derived from the Greek word xopos,which
appearsin the Roumanian" horo,"and the shrieksof the dancershave
been introducedto accomnlodate the danceto its supposedconnection
with the Montenegrinword for " eagle." To the disinterestedspectator
at a safe distance, the most eCective variety of this dance is vvhenit
takesplaceon boarda ricketyboat,and the performers,in additionto
the usual peculiaritiesof the dance,fire off revolvers and wave their
yataghansor swordsin the air as they jump. The opportunitythe fete
gave for observingthe varietiesof Montenegrincostumewas unique.
FromNiksie;one afternooncame in 150 horsemenall wearingbreast-
plates of silver and gold; while Podgoricaand Dulcigno sent bands
of the MussulmanMontenegrinsall in their peculiar dress. The
national costume, always worn, whether at home or in war, is par-
ticularly striking. It is made up of a red embroideredwaistcoat
under a long frock coat of pale green, white, red, or blue; loose
bagt,y blue knickerbockers,with knee-bootsor white stockings and
hide shoes; and rounclthe waist a belt of silk, which always holds
a revolver, generally a yatafflhan,and sometimesan e2ztraknife or
pistol. On the head is worn the peculiar Montenegrincap. This i8
smalland circular,black on the sides as a sign of mourningfor the
overthrowof the old Serviankingdornat the battle of Kosovo500 years
ago; red on the top to signifythe bloodshed to avert that defeat; while
in additionto the letters " N. I.s"z.e." Nicholas the First," the gold
sernicircleof a risingsun denotesthe ultimatetriumphof a new Servian
power. The spectacleof the town crowdedxvith brilliantcostumesof
all colours,wornby men of imposingheight and magnificentcarriage--
the Montenegrinsare probablythe finest race physicallyin Europe
was e2zeeedingly picturesque. Nor does the women'sdress lack grace
and charm,though,with its black and white hues, it is moresober,as
befitsthe workers. In Montenegroit is the womenwho do the work.
For the men, war is their chief occupationand their first thought. To
this is due the fact that the rhapsodistof the Homerictype is still to
be found among them. At evening in any Montenegrinvillage, the
epic bard can be heard chanting songs-handed down from fatherto
son-and accompanyinghimself with the " gusle," a one-stringed
violin. The singer chantsin tones our scale doesnot recognize,until
particleof breathis exhaustedfrolnhis lungs. Thenwith a loud
ever;sr
gasphe takesin moreair,and without a pausecontinueshis song. The
bardis a privilegeciperson. He is the only manwho is allowedto beg
frornplace to place all other paupersare rigorouslyconfinedto their
own village-while, if blind, he has the right of sitting on the palace

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390 MONTENEGROAND lTS BORDERLANDS.

steps to sing. It was remarkable, as showingthe strengthof the poetic

feeling of the people,that the greatestenthusiasmduringthe fetes was
arousedby a blind bard,who sat on the palacesteps and sang of the
recentwarswith the Turks. He was listenedto by the crowdedsquare
in strainedsilence, only relievednow and then by rapturousburstsof
applause. On the eve of the principal day of the fete, there was a
magnifi¢entilluminationof Cetinjeandits amphitheatreof hills, when
every peakwas brilliantwith countlesslampsof clay and petroleum.
For the following day the programmewas a long one. After the
presentationof the addressesto the Prince, there wele two services,
one a funeral service in memoryof the founderof the printingpress,
and the other a service of thanksgiving. Inside the chapels of the
palace and the monasterywhile these serviceswere being conducted,
the gorgeous colours of the ecclesiastical vestments, the brilliant
uniformsof the foreignrepresentatives,the state dress of the Prin¢e
andhis familyand of the MontenegrinoSicials,composeda picturesque
and effectivescene. A banquetin the open air, at which 2000 people
sat down, and during which some thirty-two speecheswere made and
somehorseraces,the first ever held in Montenegro,broughtthe day to
a close. With the followingdaybegan an excursioninto the interiorto
Podgorica,a large commercialtown, half Turkish,just north of the
Lake of Scutari. Everywherealong the roadprinatehouses and local
communeshad brought out of their best. Every village provideda
banquet,speeches,and dances; and the most lonely roadsidehut never
failed to havea table in front of its door,spreadwith breadand meat,
wine and raki, the nationalspirit, which any one was free to take.
The largestbanquettook placeat Podgorica,wherethe tables werelaid
in the openfields. The followingday was occupiedby an excursionto
the small island of Starcevo,in the Ijake of Scutari. Eere the pro-
grammeconsistedof a service in the tiny church,a banquetof fruit,
and a danee by the Albanian-speakingwomen, bareheadedin the
blazing sun. Cetinje was reached the same evening; and such was
the erldof thefete. Throughoutthe week nothinghad been said that
couldgive ofEence to any othernation. The semi-national,semi-literary
characterof the celebrationwas entirelsrkept up. Personally,I can
only congratulatemyself on the good fortune which made me a
spectatorof thesefetes. It enabledme to see a genuinelyMontenegrin
festival,observedwith the nationalcustoms; and, more than that, by
bringingme into contactwith peoplefromall partsof the principality,
it immenselyfacilitatedmy subsequentjourneys in a country where
the peopleare naturallysuspiciousof the foreigner.
So far I have been dealing exclusivelywith the old Montenegro.
For it is a convenient,thoughnot an absolutelyaccurate,classification
to divide that countryinto the new and the old. The two are entirely
distinct. Thereis, however,one palt of Montenegrowhich occupiesan

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 MONTENEGRO
AND ITS BORDERLANDS. 391

intermediateposition between these two, and that is the plain of

Podgorica,the Lake of Scutari, and the strip of land separatingthe
Lake of Scutari from the sea. The Podgoricaplain, which stretches
fromthe junctionof the riversMoracaand Zeta abovePodgoricadown
to the Lake of Scutari,is the only part of Montenegrowhich lies at
or near the sea-level. The soil here is fertile; but the possibilitiesof
its cultivationare less than they might be, owing to the annualfoods
which swamp the low-lying lands on the bordersof the lake. The
water rises in the autulnn,and throughoutthe winter coversthe arops.
The cause of these inundationsis the incapacityof the river Bojana-
the only outlet fromthe lake to the sea-to carryoff all the water; for
the rivers rise with great rapidity. In Albania,I have seen a dry
river-bed,a quarterof a mile across,turnedby an hour's storm into a
raging and impassabletorrent. The remedyfor this evil is the rectifi-
cationand deepeningof the course of the Bojana}in orderto regulate
the outdonvfrotnthe lake.
The Lake of Scutari itself, one half of which has been addedto
Montenearoby tbe Berlin treaty,resemblesthe Lake of Gardain size
and in the beautyof its scenery. From Rijekaonwardsthe marshes
are full of wadin^,birds. Thousandsof duckare found at the headof
the lake; while all over it huge white pelicanslazily {loat.
Betweenthe lake and the sea the countryis mountainous,dry, and
barren, with the exception of one small valley behind Vir Bazar.
From this town a carriageroad leads to Antivari, after crossingthe
Sutormanrange of mountains,5000feet high. The old Yenetian and
Turkishcity of Antivari stands two miles inland, looking down over
the half-dozenhousesof Pristan,which lie on the ilat shore and form
the tiny port. The aarriageroad goes no further than Antivari. To
Dulcignothe path is even worsethan usual,and,though at first large
woodsof old olive trees diversifythe scenery,the generalcharacteristics
of the country remain the t3atne. Beyond Dulcigno to the Bojana
stretches a flat plain,the swamps of which have now been partially
drained. NeitherAntivari nor Dulcignois at presentof muchvalue as
a port. At Antivarithere is no shelter; while the minutebay on which
Dulcignolies, is exposedto the full forceof the Adriatic.
:Promthe old Montenegroto the new the transitionis in pla¢es
dramaticin its suddenness. I have been on a mountainridge,where
on one side stretched the arid Montenegrinlandscape,while on the
otherla; a new and fairerMontenegro,wherethe barerocksyieldedto
grassy mountains,the treeless slopes gave place to dense primoval
forests,and waterless tracts became fertile valleys, lavishly watered
by mountainstreains. So greatis the changefrom the old to the nes.
It is in this new Montenegrothat the loftiest mountainsare. My
ambitionshad long been centredon the highest Durmitor. But the
mountainaIwaysseemedto bring discomfiture, and I almost fear that

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392 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

the #pirit,which accordingto local traditionhaunts every mountain-

top in Montenegro,must have determinedto bafflemy endeavoursto
ascendit. My first attempt,two years pleviously,had been baulked
by the prosaicobstacleof want of food. I had scouredPodgoricafor a
#upply of tinned sardines,supposedto be caught and cured locally.
But the most diligent investigationsonly discovered-and it was in a
ropeeeller'sshop one tin. It was axlEnglish biscuit tin, and empty.
Without sardines Durmitor was inaccessible. Last year I made
anotherattempt; but a week's bad weather dogged my footsteps,and
though,drenchedto the skin and almostfrozen,I did succeedinL draggiDg
fromZabliakto the highestsummit,calledCirovaPecina,fourreluctant
Montenegrins,who pleadedwind and rain as valid excusesfor retreatr
the drivingmist hid anythingmorethanthreefeet away. What I thus
lost I can the more appreciatefrom the charmof the sceneryand the
beautyof the views of the Durmitorcountry,which I obtainedwhen
makingmy way to Niksiz3fromthe junctionof the Tara and the Piva
rivers. Between these two rivers,which flow on each side of Durmitor
in deep wood-lined gorges, the lofty grass lands stretch for miles
unbroken,and the fortylakes give the district the nameof Jezera,or
the lake country. I reachedthe Piva, far fromany hurnanhabitation,
one evening after sunset. The thick forests,clothing the precipitous
banksof the defile2000 feet deep,throughwhich the river flows,gave
a sombreawe to the scene. In reply to shouts,there came acrossthe
stream,out of the darkness,three logs of wood,looselybound together
with twigs of willow. An aged ferrymanpropelledthem. On this
frail craft the horseswere sent acrossone by one. When the turn of
us humanbeingscame,the weirdsolemnityof the sceneand the accoIn-
panimentsof the crossingmade it difficultto ilnagine that we werenot
soulsin the infernalregions,whomthis MontenegrinCharonwas ferry-
ing in silenceacrossthe Stys.
Nest to Durmitorin height, and collnectedwith it by the rangeof
mountainsalong whith the old frontierran, is Kom, at the eastern
extremity of the country. Coming from Podgorica,on my way to
Kom,and leaving the stony countrywhich extendsup to Zatrijeba¢,I
ascendedthe peak Maglic,which gives the most beautifulview of any
in DIontenegro, includingall the Albanianmountainsto the south,and
the doublepeakof :@om and the otherMontenegrinrangesto the north.
From Maglic the path leads northwardsover a narrow saddle- an
ideal watershed thirty feet wide, separatingthe Velipoljevalley, with
its steep slopes,from the valley of the Tara to the west. Fromthis
point, as I looked over the forests far below me in the valley, I
caughtsight, for the first time, of the woodenbuildings and trees and
gardens of that mysterious town whose actual inaccessibilityand
umouredfanaticismesercise so potenta fascinationuponthe Albanian
traveller -Gusinje. Near here I receiveda visit from two emissaries

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 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS. 393

from tbat town, sent to find out what I wvasdoing, and to enjoin me not
to go to-Gusinje. There were good men and bad men there, they told
me, but the bad men were stronger than the good; they thought, they
added, that I was bringing money and documents to buy Gusinje and
hand it over to Monteneg;ro. Near here, too, an old Montenegrin,armed
with a mllzzle-loading silver musket, appealed to me to prevail on
the Prince to allow the Montellegrills to attack Gusinje and take it for
their own; they could do so with perfect ease, he said, if only the Prince
would give permissioll. At one part of the route just here, the Monte-
negrins with me told me, every few hundred yards, blood-curdling
stories-how behind that rock the Gusinjotes laid in wait last summer

FIG. 2.-THE EOM RANGE, FROM MAGLIC.

(From a photopraphby Sli-. J. A. B. Munro.)

for one of their own chiefs,and shot him as he went; how on that spot
had fallen,three monthsago, another-victimto the inexorabledecrees
of the blood-feud. It was here, too, that our tents were hurliedly
withdrawnone evening from the top of a conspicuoushill on the
Montenegrinside of the frontier,becausethey weresupposedto present
too attractivea mark for desultoryrifle-practicefrom Gusinje. The
propermethod,it is said, of using a tent in Albania,is to pitch it and
-thensleep undera tree a hundredyards away. The tent, and not its
owner,is bullet-riddledin the3morning. At last I found myselfon the
#outhernslopes of EomXat (:arinaw, where,at a height of 60C0feet, a
camp was pitched, among some Albanian- speaking Montenegrin

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 394 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

shepherds. From Carina the ascent to the highest summit, called

Kucki-Rom,leadsover the shaleand rockslopesof the ¢rater-likebasin
separatingthe two luain peaks. Alongthe routewere growingall the
ordinaryhigher Alpine flowers,noticeablythe dark-bluegentian and
the yellow poppy; the edelweissalonewas nowherevisible. Though
no strangerhad ever ascendedthis mountain,the climbwas not parti-
cularlydifficult. One thing, however,did createa great sensation,and
formedthe topic of conversationamong the natives for long after-
wards. This was the use of a rope by Mr. Munro and myself to
ascendthe face of a limestonecliS by a convenientgully. The native
mind could not understandit. The solitary }Tontenegrin, braverand
more active than his comrades,who managedto reach the top by a
circuitousroute, refusedon any accountto be roped in the descent;
if eitherof llSfell, he said,we shouldpull him downtoo.
East and north of Kom are the Vasojevici people-in their own
estimation,and certainlyin mine,the fower of Montenegro. In this
district,formerlyindependentbothof Turkeyand Montenegro,but now
underMontenegrinrule, the housesanddressof the peopleare different
fromthose elsewhere. The housesare not stoneor thatched,but have
high pointed roofs,the characteristicof all village houses throughout
Bosnia. The usual Montenegrindressis replacedby the tight-fitting
white trousers,braidedwith black,of the Albaniansover the frontier.
The chief town of the Vasojeviciis Andrijevica t+ventyhouses in a
broad street charminglysituated among woodedhills, where three
riversmeet.
From AndrijevicaI went to Berani,in Albania,visited the Roman
remainsat Budimlje,andsomecavescoveredwith early(:hristiansymbols
in the valley of the Lim, and the followingday I proposedto crossthe
frontierby the Siskolake to reachthe Biogradskolake, in Montenegro.
The Governorof Beranicamewith us to a Turkishblockhouse,not far
fromthe frontier,and sent us on our way with a horse,a load of bread,
andan escortof an officerand ten men. We partedwith protestations
of undying friendship,and as I rode away,he bestowedon me, as a
token of regard,a diminutivecucumber. From the block house we
went through Alpine pastures,overwhich were dotted low huts with
barkroofs,andwhich the beech-gladesmadecuriouslylike an English
park. As it got dusk,we nearedthe Siskolake. The Turkishsoldiers,
vho were to escortus to the frontier,had no food or shelter; and as
neithertheir officernor the Montenegrinofficerwith me couldsee any
seriousinternationalobjection,it was arrangedthat the Turks should
cometo our tente, which were expectedto be a few minutesacrossthe
frontier. Just after sunset we reachedthe shepherds'huts, 6000 feet
abovethe sea, which form the village of Sisko. llere, to our dismay,
we foundfromthe inhabitantsthat the tents had been seen pitched
closeto the Biogradskolake, five hollls away. It was too dark and

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 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS. 395

too late to go on. If we stasredwherewe were,what was to becomeof

the Turkishsoldiers,who were ourguests? After somedeliberation,it
was settled to quarterthemin the villags3,and to take the chanceof a
riot. So the biggest hut was preparedfor ourselvesand the Turkish
officer,and the privatesweredistributedby twos amongthe otherhuts.
It was a comfortingrefectionthat noneof these Turkscouldspeakone
word of Montenegrin;nor was sour milk -theonly drink- likely to
makethem undulye2rcited. So the chancesin favourof peaceseemed
strong. Unfortunately,the horse and bread had not arrived,and a
Montenegrin,returninglater in the evening,reportedthat they were
two hours distant,on the Turkishside of the frontier. The Turkish

FIG. 3.-ADiDXIJEVlCA.

officerwished to selld his men to look for it. But instsad of this sotne-
what risky project of despatching a band of Turks to scolir, at the dead
of night, the country of their hereditary foes, a squad of Montenegrins
was sent Q¢ to look for the bread, and the 1'urkishofficerand his bugler
went on a hilltop near to try and rouse the nearest Turkish fort to
send back the missing animal. Two attempts proved unsuccessful. No
answeringbugle notes were heard. Our bugle calls were drowned by the
noise of the distant streams and by the slight breeze blowing in the
wrong direction. Fin-all;y,however, the Montellegrins who had been
despatchedreturned in triumph with the horse and its load, and all the
inhabitantsspent the rest of the night, crowdedinto our hut, in feedillg

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396 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

s with roast sheep and apples rollndtlle fire,and in singing songs.

There was no disturbanceduringthe night. The pleasureof shooting
a handful of their foes had yielded to their hospitableMontenegrin
instincts. The following morning, the Montenegrinsescortedtbeir
guests back to the frontier,and refusedto acceptany paytnentfor all
the entertainmentthey had given them; while we continued our
journeyto the 33iogradsko lake. It lies belowthe uplandpasturesof
Sisko,and is surrounded b;ydenseforests filled with chamois,deer and
bears the prettiest spot in Montenegro. On each side the slopes are
thickly coveredwith trees,e2rceptwhere,at their summits,stretchrich
grass pastures; while the clear waters of the lake itself, filled with

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(From a photogrqph by Mr. J. A. R. Munx o.)

trout, reflect the woods that fringe its shores. The first picture of
Montenegro the stony basin above the zigzags-mras drear and
desolate characteristicof the oltl Montenegro. Let me leave that
countrywith the Biogradskolake, the grass and woodsof which are
the type of the newerMontenegro.
But beforepassing to Turkey, let me say a few words as to the
people themselves. I should e2rtremelyregret if I failed to convey
some of my own enthusiasmfor the Montenegrinpeople. I- cannot
subscribe to the orthodos:view that the name of the country-
the "Black Mountain" is derived fromthe "black hearts" of the
people. Montenegrois not like that Armeniantown, whose cha-
racteris summedup in the saying, "Black wallB, black dogs, blacl;

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 MONTENEGROAND 1TS BORDERLANDS. 397

mountains,black hearts." And, if I may digress for a moment,let

me say that, in my opinion,the colour of the mountainshas as little
to do with the na[ne. I have seen the mountainsfromall sides andin
all parts. They are not black, but white. It seems more probable
that,as the name" Crrlat,ora," " the BlackMountain," is unknownbefore
the reign of Crnojevic,the " BlackPrince,"four hundredyearsago, the
mangave his nameto the mountain,and not the snountainsto the men.
The people themselvesare not a race of savage barbarians. Every
man, even the poorest,has the bearing and dignity of a gentleman.
Education is universal and compulsoryon all children over seven.
Theft is unknown,drunkennessunheardof. Womenare universally
respected;a womangoes in safety whereno nsandares.
Their governmentmay be paternal. A friendof minetold me one
day he had just put five men into prison for some months. I asked
him why. For saying, he replied, that they had seen after dark .
figure dressed in white, sitting on a grave. Ghost stories, he told
nle, were bad for public morals. Their governmenttna- be despotic;
but, though the Princeappointsall officials,it is always the best men
who are found filling every grade of officethroughoutthe country.
In Montenegro,at any rate, a benevolentdespotismhas producedresults
a democracyoften fails to realize. Nor ought it to be forgottenthat
in Montenegrothey have long had a completesystem of local govern-
ment. Among this l?eopleX300,000 all told, there are 500 village
councils,elected every three years,ruled by popularlyelected oScials,
levring rates, owning land, distributing charities,appointingsuper-
visors of education (whose duty it is to deliver popularlectures on
its advantages),and finding the solution of the problemof women's
rightsin allowingwomento speakin the village meetingsas long and
as often as they may wish, but to vote not at all. The Montenegrin
peopleare ill a stage of transition. Pot-shotsat Albaniansnow involve
serious diplomaticconsequences.They must abandon their lIomeric
condition,and renouncetheir epic ideas. The country has acquired
ampleresources;it is for its inhabitantsto developthem. At present,
however,they have not shakenoff their old idea that every occupation,
exceptfighting, is beneaththe dignity of a lnan. Little has beendone
to open up their country. Cornis not producedin sufficientquantity
to supplythe inhabitants,and wine is drunkwhere it is made. The
tradein dried fish and insect-powder the chief es:ports is small. In
the tinlberand cattle lie the possibilitiesof development. The cattle
trade engages the attentionof the natives; the trees attract foreign
speculators. Cattle are shippedto Malta,Austria, Italy, and :Erance.
For the timbernothing can be done,until the access to the forestsis
improved. It remains,then, forthe peopleto adaptthemselvesto their
altered conditions. On their ability so to do dependsthe future of
Alontenegro.

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398 MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

THE SANDJAE
OFNOVIBAZAR.
From MontenegroI went to the Sandjak or district of l!-ovi BaZAr,
which lies on the north-east frontier of Montenegro, dividing that
principality from Servia, and e2ctendingfrom Mitrovica the terminus
of the railway from Salonica north-west to the Bosuian frontier.
Strictly speaking, the modernSandjak of Novi Bazar is smaller than the
old one, but it is convenient to use the term in its old sense as including
all the country up to the Bosnian frontier. Politically, this district has
a peculiar importance. The direct road to Salonica from the xvest passes
through it; the Berlin treatJ7has revolutionized its constitution. By
this treaty Austria was empowered to occupy Bosnia, lIerzegovina, and
the Sandjak of Novi Bazar; but, as the Austrian Governinentwas not
desirous of undertaking the administration of the Sandjak,it was agreed
that the Ottomanadministration should continue to esercise its functions
there. Austria, however, reserved the right of keeping garrisons, and
having military and commercial roads in the whole of the old Sandjaky
and to this end the two governlYlentsarranged to come to an under--
standing as to the details. A convention was accordingly arrived at in
1879, by which it was agreed that the presence of Austrian troops in
the Sandjak should not interfere with the functions of the Ottoman
administrative authorities, which were to continue to be esercised, as in
former times, underthe exclusive and dire¢t orders of the Sublime Porte.
In accordancewith these arrangements, the Austrian Government has
posted its troops at three towns close to the Bosnian frontier, Priboj,
Taslidja, and Prijepolje. Across the river Lim it is understood the
Austrians shall not go. There is, then, in the Sandjak a Turkish civil
and military administration of all, and an Austrian lnilitary occupation
of part. The interest of the Sandjak as a political experiment isH
increased by the absence of geographical information respecting it.
Travellers here are few. It is difflcult of access; it has no railwaaso
and no proper carriage roads.
Coming into the Sandjak from Berani, on the easteln Montenegrin
frontier, the first town that I reached was Bijelopolje. My visit solved the
mystery of the existence of an apparentlyimportant town, called Akova,
which, on several maps published within the last ten ;years, appears
some fifty miles to the north of Bijelopolje. Akova has in realit;y no
separate existence. It is the Turkish form of the Servian name of the
town, and it was only the imagination of the map-makers,which had
evolved two towns from one. The Lim, the only river of antr size in
the Sandjak, {lows past Bijelopolje, and the houses rise steeply from one
bank of the river, while in the middle stands out a tall white campanile
of a Christian church, which has now become the chief mosque. The
arrival of the first hat-wearing strangers was not an earentwhich the
people could allow to pass unnoticed. Outside the town, where the

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 MONTENEGRO
AND ITS BORDERLANDS 399

troopswere drawn up in line, they were assembledin crowdsto ga7>e.

Inside,as soon as the bridgewas passedand the tortuoushilly lanes of
the bazaarwere reached,it was evident that the greater part of theP
inhabitantshad turnedout to witnessthe unusualsight. Everywindow
was crowdedwith turbanedheads; fezes lined the streets; children
stood on all the booths and stared in open-mouthedamazement.
Speculatorsin seats to view the processionmust have reapeda large
harvest that day. As the peoplehere are almost entirely Mussulman,
ar}dthe town stands quite out of the world,Bijelopoljeis at present
perhapsthe most fanaticalplace in the Sandjak. I had accordingly
refused to enter the chief mosque,and had contented myself with
ir}spectillgthe campanilefrom the outside, for I was anxious not to
ofEend the susceptibilitiesof the people. Therewas no disturbancethe
night I stayed in town. A Christian,however,who left Bijelopolje
the day after I didSbrought word that the Mussulmanpopulationwere
much excited. In my looking at the outsideof the mosque,the;ysaw,
he said, an attemptto upsettheir faithI They couldnot conceivewhat
dark political motive I had in visiting their town, and,had I stayed
there an;y longer, they would have risen against the European
Fortunatelyhe had gone, before they conarertedtheir thoughts into
deeds.
From BijelopoljeI made my way to Sijenica,the administrative
centre of the Sandjak. It lies on an undulating tableland which
e2rtendsnorthwardsup to the Servian frontier, and eastwards and
westwardsfor many miles. Not a tree is visible; there are scanty
signs of cultivation; housesare few. It is a giganticpastureland, not
unlikethe English downs. Hay is plentiful --three crops in the yearj
and the third crop- in cock-was, when I passedthrough,scatteredover
the plain. Each peasant,howeverpoor he may be, has two or three
horses and two or three cows. During the six monthsin the year for
which the snow, at this height of 3500 feet, is thick on the ground,
the stock requireall the hay the land produces,and thus all exportof
the cropis prevented.
Four or five hours east of the straggling village of Sijenica the
undulating grass country comes to an end, and the road to Novi
Bazar follows a small stream,which :Sowsbetweenlow-woodedhills,
broadeningout into a basin,in which the town of Nov; Bazar lies.
By some mistake our usual military escort had been dispensedwith
betweenSijenicaand Novi Bazar,and we had been accompaniedonly
by eome mounted zaptiehs, or constabulary. This led the Governor
of Sijenica to despatchan urgent telegramto Novi Bazarto the effect
that on no accountwas the returnjourney to be made without an
escort of soldiers. There is no cavalry at Novi Bazar; but the
ingenuityof the commander was equalto this emergency. A squadron
was hastily improvisedby turning pack-horsesinto chargers and

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too MONTENEGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

mountingthe infantry upon thern. As the saddles were two pieces

of board meeting at an acute angle over the horse'sbacl, I did not
onvy the new-formedcavalrytheir ten hours'jog-trotbackto Sijenica.
North-westof Sijenicathe characterof the countrycontinuesmuch
the same. There are still th0 treeless, grassy downs alld shallow
depressions. Haycocliswere still dotted over the pastures,and herds
of sheep and cattle still visible on each side. TowardsNova Varos
the country changes its aspect. The forest region begins, and after
passing through pine woods the town of Nova Varos comes into
view, picturesquelysituated on each side of a steep valley not 200
yards broad. Nova Varos,formerlythe centre of a large cattle trade,
has now been left stranded by the tide of commerce. The large
orthodoxchurch,built at the height of the town'sprosperityfifty years
ago, alone bearswitness to the past. But the Ghristiansare now too
poor to provide it with bellf3,and a wooden plank, beaten with a
hammer,is usedinstead. To-daythe only industryis the manufacture
of carpetsand rugs. Every girl, on marriage,takes one or more rugs
and a large paintedchestto her husband. For this reason each house
nzakesits own rugs, and eachhouseuses what it makes.
FromNova Varosto Prijepoljeis a ride of three hour6,part of the
way through magnificentforests of fir and beech. At Prijepoljewe
again reachedthe Lim. Comingfrom the East, this town is the first
place whele {;hefamiliar Austrian uniform meets the eye, for here
begins the curiousanomalyof the double occupationof the country
by Austrian and Turkish troops. To Taslidjathe road,along which
run two distinct telegraphlines, one Turkish and the otherAustrian,
each with its separatepoles,leads in sis hours from Prijepolje. The
town of Taslidja,createdby the refugeesfromBosnia,lies on bare hill
slopes,in whichthe Austriansoldiershave cut in white letters, twenty
yards high, the initials of the Austrianemperor. Westwardsa good
carriageroad leads to the Austrian frontier at Metalka. Here is
stationedthe mostwester]youtpost of the Ottomanpower in Europe,
and hereis the boundaryof the old Sandjakof Novi Bazar.
From Berani westwardsthe native populationsare Slav. They
all talk Serbian,or, as they call it, Bosnian. Bosnian, too, is the
diplomaticlanguage; for Turks and Austrians, in the absence of
French,find their only meansof communication in the Bosnianspeech
of their subjects. Commercially, the Sandjakis a road with no e2zit
westwards. An impenetrablebarrier of customs duties the fruits
of the Austrian occupationof Bosnia stops all trade across the
frontier. Taslidja,two days'carriagedrive from the Bosnianrailway
at Sarajevo,receiveseverythingon pack-horsesfromSalonica,ten days'
journey eastward. For the traveller the chief obstacleis that he is
at once set down by the populaceas an Austrian or a Russian. To
their eyes there is no distinction of nationalities among foreigners.

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 &N D ITS BORDERLANDS.
MONTENF.GRO 401
Not
Every strangeris an enelay,and has a secret political missioll.
an Italiall
longfor instance,after I had passed through Novi Bazar, to reach
friendof mine, coming from Albania to Mitrovica,wished
he wa#
NoviBazar. But he was rlot allowedto do so. Some consuls,
had been there latel- altering the and
frontiers, the authorities
told, to despatch
atNovi Bazarhad been obliged,in fear of the populace,
of cavalry,in the dead of night, over the
themwith a hur,e escort
of my own
Austrianfrontier. Such was the version rumourgave
journey in the district.
to the
Throughoutthe SandjakI mrasunder very great obligations
po8sible;
Turkishofficials. 'Their assistance rendered my journey
destiny of
theirgreat and unvalying kindnessmadeit pleasant. The
gods. One thing is
theSandjako£ Novi Bazarlies on the kneesof the
retain its present
eertain:this key of the Balkan peninsulacannot many
Bazar has seen
formfor long. 'Theoriginal Sandjakof Novi
geographical changes; it will see more.
ALBANIA.
and most
I deal last with North Albania. It is the least-known
speak a language
interestingpartof the Balkanpeninsula. The people of
strange rumours
allegedto be more ancientthan Greek. Thereare every
There is
classicalremains hidden in the mountain recesses.
a countryof
elementof romanceto fascinatethe traveller. Albaniais
south and west o£ Scutari,for
mountains. Near the sea-coast to the after
the interior there are range
instance tbere are plains; but in the
and unclimbed. Parallel with
range of mountains,unexplored many
and
frontier, twenty miles or so away, lie the
easterrlAlontenegrirl From
branchesof the Prokletija,that is, the " AccursedMountains."
views of this chain. They resemble
MontenegroI obtainedtuagnificent
at sunset the
very much the Dolomitesin structureand shape,while Their
rocks assumethe most marxellousshades of pink and green.
signs of human
bare peaks are destitute of any verdure,and show rlo
their slopes,
life. Even in August the snow still lies in patcheson
glacier. In this chain
though at no point did I observeany trace of a
in Albania. There is,
lies, in all probability,the loftiest mountain
to the south, which is llit,her
however,a rumoul of a mountainfurther is
this peak is the highest
tharl any other. The question whether with
likely, however,to remain undecided, as those best acquainted
ever being
the country say there is no chance of the mountain
on its slopes refuse all access to strangers.
approached,as the tribes
rises the river Lim, which, after passinffl
On the north of the Pxokletija of Novi
by Gusinje and Plava, crosses Alontenegro and the Sandjak
Bazaron its way to the Danube.
per cent.
In a countrylike NorthernAlbania,wherenot sevent;r-fise for
Of the people die a natural death,there is not mucil opportunity
1894.] 2 D
:NO.V. NOVEMBER,

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402 MONTENRGROAND ITS BORDERLANDS.

commerce. In the plains near the sea-coastmaizeis glown, and Ipek

has some reputationfor its wine. The mountaintribes pasturetheir
flocks and till the ground near their homes. In theory the land
belongs to the Turkish Government,but, beyonda small paymenton
the beastskept, they pay nothing in the way of ta2res. Thereare few
more warlike figures than the Albanian mountaineers. Their dress
varies accordingto their tribe; but all invariablycarrya rifle and
wear a belt of cartridges,nvhile the full-dress armouryconsists, in
addition,of two silver pistols and a curved sword,or yataghan,mrorn
in the belt. The majorit;sr, whether Catholicsor Mussulmans,shave
their heads, e2rceptone lock of hair on the top, which they allow to
grow long. Even in tending their sheep, or in sowing their fields,
or in guiding their creaking tumbrils,drawn by bullocks and piled
high with maize,no Albanian allows himself to be parted fiom his
belt of cartridges.
I had long wanted to get to Gusinje, the large ton already
mentioned,situated in the middle of an amphitheatreof mountains
belongingto the Prokletijagroup. Unfortunately,this particalarpart
of the countrywas in a more than usually disturbedconditionlast
year. The cause of this was a certain Mula Zeka,a personof whom
it is difficult to obtairlany definite information. I have talked to
official Turks civil and militarsr-to Albanians and Montenegrins,
and no two give the same accouIltof this mysteriouscharacter. To
some he was the Robin Hood of Albania. He did g;oodto the poor;
he had never harmeda single creature; he had even made roads
whereno roadswele. To othershe was the lowest type of a ruffiauly
brigand. One and all, llowever,agreed that Mula Zeka, an upstart
pIebeianof recent wealth and strong in the numberof his family,
that is, of his cousins and his uncles, could not brookthe idea that
he was not the equal or superiorof a certain BusharaBey, the head
of an old aristocraticfamily,less prosperousnow than once. Bushara
Bey was on good terms with the Turkish authorities; Mula Zeka,
consequently,was not. Ijast year the GovernmentorderedMulaZeka
to appear at Ipek. This he declined to do; and when several
governorsand three battalionsof soldierswere sent to Ipek to catch
him, he went to Rugova. This place, probablythe most inaccessible
in the whole of Albania,is an isolatedmountain; the only entrance
is a narrowtrack in the rocks. It is inhabitedby a tribe who have
no communication with the outsideworld,nor allow the olltsideworld
to have communication with them. Having taken refuge here,Mula
Zeka spent such leisure time as he had at his disposal,so I was told,
in lying in wait for me with two hundredmen,in the hopeof diverting
the attention of the Govarnment*om himself. I did not know this
at the time, and thereforedid not appreciateat its full worth the
anxiety of the TtlrkishGovernorof Berani, who knew how matters

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 MONTENEGROANrD ITS BOPiDERLANDS. 403

stood,when we had left Berani for a day or two and gone eastwards
along the frontier. He sent a zaptieh after us to tell us not to go
near Rugova. The zaptieh got drunk,and, when he returnedwithout
delivering his message,tlle infuriatedgovernortold him that, if the
Franks did not returrlby sunset,on his head would fall tlle perlalty.
That evenint,,all unconsciousof our part in the drama,we rodeinto
Beranijust as the sun was sinking,and the zaptiehwas saved.
As far as Djakovathe countrywasin a state of g;reatexcitement,and
divided into two factions-for or against Mula Zeka. Gusinje was
stronglyin his favour,and no man of any of the neighbouringtribes
had daredto go thereall last summer. The momentwas thereforemost
unpropitiousfor my chancesof eSecting an entrance,and I was in the
end unsuccessful. But as my effortsto visit the placeare so typical of
the conditionsand methodsof travel in this part of the world,I may
brieflyalludeto them here. The accidentof a coupleof Montenegrins
being killed nearthe Gusinje frontier,and a consequentcommissionto
inquireinto the matter,gave me the opportunityof getting a letter con-
veyedto the Governorof Gusinje,telling him that I proposedto cometo
that town. This unhappyindividual-who spends most of his time
confinedto the barracks,for the Gusinjoteswill not let him out- -
answeredme a monthlater that he wouldconsulthis chief at Ipek. A
Montenegrindoctorat Andrijevica,who had oncebeen summonedby tho
Gusinjotes,under a safe conduct,to see a patient in the place, hadx
promisedto do what he could for me. But my chief hope lay in a
Turkishofficialof an old family fromPlava,who undertookto take me
into Plava and backagainuninjured,even thoughI had killed fifty mez
of that town with my own hand. The Montenegrinswere strongly
againstthe attempt,but finallythe Governorof the Vasojevit;igave me
a " bessa" ol " pledgeof safe conduct" in Serbianto the leadingmanin
Plava,whoseacquaintancehe had madepolitically. This curiousdocu-
ment,which,as I did not use it, I afterwardsopenedand read,was as
follows. Of my friendtlrhowas with me and myself the governorsaid,+
" They are travellingover the world for their pleasure. They are my
personalfriends. WhereforeI recommendthem to thee as my friend,
that thou mayestreceiveand attenduponthem well, and that they may
be in saity. For I have told themthat thou art a goodand honourable
man,and that with thee, as with me, they are in safety. BTherefore I
yield them unto thy charge and the sure protectionof thy covenant.>'=
Oncein Plava wherereportsaid nvereruins of the old Romantown- I
should be able to get on the two hours further to Gusinje. Every
arrangementhad been made. But at the last momentmy Turkish
officerwas sent away on duty. With him vanishedall my hopes of
getting into Gusinje.
The divisionof the countryinto tribes,a;ndthe universalityof the
blood-fend,are the greatobstaclesto a travellerin Albania. But though
9 D 2

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 MONTENEGP.O
AND ITS BORDERLANDS.
40r
the blood-feudmakes travelling difficult,Jet without
the blood-feud
travelling would be impossible;for the system has some
advantages.
Treacheryis unknown. The word of an Albanianmay be
trusted. If your deadliestenemycomesinto yourhouse,you implicitly
him breadand salt; so long as he stays inside, he cannot mustgive
be touched.
All the details of the blood-feudare regulatedby an
unwrittencode,
calledthe law of Dukadjin,administeredin each tribe by
the chief and
the old men. Of the provisionsof this code,the following
are instances:
" If a manbe killed while underthe bessa,or pledgeof
safe conduct,of
another,he who gave his bessa to the murderedman shall
avengehis
death." "If a man would be sure of his journey,it is
he be under a bessa,especiallyunder the bessa of a enough that
chief or noble."
Again, "If a man uses his arms against anotller and
wounds him,
but does not kill him, he shall pay a fine of £15 to tlle
chiefsof his
tribe. He who robsa travelleron the roadshall pay i30 as
a penalty;
while he who steals beastsshall pay £5."
In connection+ith the blood-feudone of the most
interestingand
picturesqueof recent events in Albaniatook placeJa few months
vvhenthere was a soleme reconciliationbetween the ago,
Alballians and
Montenegrinsat Vinicka, on the river Lim, near the
frontier. The Montenegrins Montenegrin
claimed87 nlen killed and severalwounded
againstthe Albanians; the Albanians104 deadand a
smallernumber
wounded againstMontenegro. The total of killed andwoundedon each
side e2ractlybalanced. A battalion of Turkish
soldiers and two
battalions of Montenegrins met at the appointedspot. On the morning
ofthe day the two armieswere drawn up in lines
facing each other,
atright anglesto and resting on the bankof the river
Lim. The first
partof the celebrationwas a religious service, in whith
both sides
joined,conductedfirst by the Montenegrinpopes, and
then by the
Mussulmall hadji. Then the formalact of reconciliationbegan. The
leadersof the Montenegrinsand of the Albanians
advanced,two by
two,to the river's edge between the lines of soldiers,
who presented
arms.Each pair of men held one stone in their four
hands,andeach
pair,on reachingthe stream,flung the stone into the river,
it disappeared,the words, "As this stone is washed uttering,as
away and dis-
appears, so let the blood-feudsbetween us be washed away
and
disappear." When the leadersof eachside had successivelyperformed
thisceremony,the reconciliationwas complete. By it
the old scores
were wipedotlt, and both sides couldstart afresll.
Suchis the state of societyin Albania. Its explorationis
byconformingto the regulationsof the blood-feud. possible
Only thus will
any strangervisit those une2mplored regionsof the Mirdita,of the Mat
country or of the Dibra,andreducethe list of tlle geographical
in
Albaniawhichstill remainnnsolved. problems
But now that I have described Montenegro,No i
Bazar, and

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 MONTENEGRO
AND ITS BORDERLANDS-DISCUSSION. 405

AlbaIlia,the questionmay vv-ellbe asked,What interests have we in

them? I acknowledgeat onee that our trade there is smal], the
possibilitiesof its developmentremote. But the GeographicalSociety,
at any rate, is free from the curse of utilitariannotions. To make a
country interesting and its knowledgedesirable,it is enoughthat it
should be unknown. But in this district the interest is more than
purelytheoretical. This meeting-placeof East and West containsthe
key to the future political geographyof the east of Europe. To know
Montenegro,which, though tiny, has nevel yielded to the Ottoman
power; to ascertainthe politieal cohesionand the nationalsentiments
of the peoplesin the Sandjakof Novi Bazar; to-discoverthe still un-
exploledresourcesof Albania,and the aspirationsof its people,woulddo
muchto preventany treatmentof Eastern politicswithout referenceto
geography. For there are few parts of Europewhere the changesin
politicalgeographyhave been greater,and the teographicalknowledge
of thosewho madethe changesless. The vicissitudesof the Albano-
Montenegrinfrontierbearwitness to this. The treaty of Berlin added
to Montenegrothe district of Gusinje,alien in feeling, in language,
and in religion. Difficultiesnaturally arose. Ten years were taken
up in settling them,and the frontierwas at last drawn in accordance,
not vrith the theories of politicians,bllt with the facts of geography.
Geography asserted its ascendency; the Be21in treaty gave way.
Gusinje was not handed over to Montenegro. Here,at any rate, the
politicianhad not been what he shouldbe a geoDlapher.
To removethis reproachfromthis part of the Balkanpeninsula,we
as Englishmen are particularlyqualified. While we have not the
obstaele of direct politieal interests, we llave the advantageof the
sympatheticfriendshipof the peoples,.andI am eonvincedthat, with
tilue, knowledge,and tact, an Englishmancan visit any of the t-et
unexplozeddistrictsof Montenegroand its Borderlands.

Befole the leadinC of the paper, tlle Chairnzan,the LIon.GEORGE BRODRICK,

said: I am sure wc must all regretthat ourPresidentis disabledby an attack of gout,
happily not a very severe one, though enough to detain him at home, and I ean
assureyou that, although I have taken the chair at his request,I feel very unworthy
to oecupy his place. Happily, my task is a rery easy and congenialone: I have
simply to introduce to you the gentleman who is goinzrto address us presently,
Mr. Cozens-Hardy,of New Collet,e,Oxford,who holds the geoaraphicalstudentship
of last year,which, as you know, is offeredjointly by the Royal GeographicalSociety
and the University of Oxford. Thouah geographydoes not hold quite the place I
think it deservesin Oxfordstudies, I am not sure that it is generallyknown, at
all events I have pleasureill mentioning,how large a numberof our young tutors
and undergraduateshave travelled widely in their vacationsand madegood use of
their opportunities. Of course,most of them have publishednothing, but there are
a few, like Mr. Tozer and Mr. HoCarth,who have done good work for geography,if
not iD discoveringunknown countries,at a11events in brinoing tlle light of modern

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 O s N I A

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 THE GEOCRAPHICAL
JOURNAL,1894.
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SKETCH MAP OF

MONTENEGRO
ALBANLA AND NOVIBAZAR
Showmgthe Route of Mr W.H.Cozelssllard-.
Route
Naural Scale 1: 600,000
o zo
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inch _-9n-c5miJes.
One :_L _:s_

MontergruDlGourulavbeftheXcrXreaty.

1Ee local spelling of nameshaa beenfollowed.

PRO NU NCIATI ON
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