The Sun.
London, England, 1847-06-09 00:00:00

THE SLAVONIC NATIONS.

Count V. Krasinski delivered on Satt7rciay last, at
Willis's Rooms, his second lecture on the political and
intellectual development of the Slavonic nations. He
described the settlement of the Slavonic population
within the borders of the Eastern empire. These popu-
lations extended during the sixth century over all
Greece, including the Peloponesus. A German writer
of our days, M. Fullmerayer, who has deeply studied
the Byzantine history, and has carefully examined the
different localities of Greece, maintains that the ancient
Hellenic population had entirely disappeared, and was
replaced by a Slavonic one. He has proved by the evi-
dence of Byzantine writers, that the whole of the Pelo-
ponesus was occupied by the Slavonians in 589, and that
the ancient Greek population had fled either to the
islands of the Archipelago, or to some inaccessible
places on the continent of Greece. Among the most
convincing proofs which M. Fullmerayer gives in sup-
port of his assertion, are the Slavonic names which dif-
ferent localities bear to the present day, although the
inhabitants of those places speak now the Romaic or
modern Greek. It is a remarkable fact, that the names
of various localities, as towns, villages, rivers, and
mountains in the countries south of the Danube, which
:re or have been inhabited by the Slavonians, have
names similar to those of many localities situated in the
original Slavonic countries, i. e. Russia and Poland ; so
that the provinces whence the Slavonians of Turkey had
emigrated may be easily traced. M. Fullmerayer him-
aelt found, in the Morea, two places called Cracow and
Varsova. The present name of the Peloponesus (Morea)
is of Slavonic origin, derived from the word More, sea,
a derivation much more probable than from the Greek
name of the mulberry tree, as it had been generally
supposed. The Slavonic nations of Serbs or Servians
and of Avates arrived about the middle of the seventh
century from the Carpathian mountains, i. e. the present
Austrian Poland, being invited by the Emperor Hera-
clius, and settled in the lands which they now occupy.
The Slavonians of Mores were conquered by the Greek
emperors in the ninth century ; they were converted to
the Christian religion, and so completely Grecised that
they forgot their own national language and adopted
that of their masters, as the Slavonians of Pomerania,
Mecklenburg, and the island of Rugen, who lost their
own language and adopted the German. The other
Slavonic nations settled to the south of the Danube,
founded the independent states of Bulgaria, Servia,
Croatia, and Bosnia. The most interesting history is
that of Servia. It attained a momentary grandeur under

its tzar, Stephen Dashan, 1330-1350, ;vii.o having con-
quered Macedonia and Albania, would have probably
occupied Constantinople, if he bad not died on his march
towards that city at the bead of 80,000 men. Dashan
gave to his country, in 1849, a code of laws, which con-
tains many curious provisions, and which are supposed
to have been derived from the primitive Slavonic institu-
tions; as, for instance, trial by jury, the -existence of
civil marriage contracted before a magistrate, and not a
clergyman, &c. Some regulations of the same code are
very liberal; thus, for instance, a slave or captive who
escaped to the palace of the monarch was free ; any
foreign individual who fled into Servia from slavery, or
any other kind of oppression, was not to be given up,
should even the country suffer for it. Servia lost its in.
dependence at the battle of Kossovapol, in 1389, against
the Turks, but was reduced into a Turkish province only
in 1459.
The Count gave also a sketch of the history of
Bulgaria, Bosnia, and Croatia. He also gave an account
of Montenegro, the literature of Servia, Ragusa, &c.
His next lecture will be delivered on Thursday.

An expectation appears to be entertained that the
East India Company are upon the point of taking another
step likely to delay indefinitely the effective introduction of
the railway system into their territory, it being proposed to
send Mr. Simms, their railway engineer, to Bombay and Ma-
dras, to examine and report on the lines projected in these
Presidencies, before any further encouragement shall be given
to the respective companies, As regards Bombay, this course
will involve a delay of between one and two years, and for
that period the advantages which would be derived from
facilitating an increased supply of cotton, the main incen-
tive to which must consist in improved means of transit,
will consequently be lost. If further examination were
necessary on account of any doubt as to the eli-
gibility of the line proposed in that Presidency,
or if the outlay were such that it could only be
drawn ' from this country during the monetary pres-
sure likely to prevail with more or less force during
the entire period of the threatened delay, the proceeding
adopted by the India House might seem advisable ; but as
regards the first forty miles of the line, the construction of
which alone is at present urged, it is believed that no doubt
has hitherto been expressed in any quarter either as to its
eligibility or its direction, and with respect to expenditure it
appears that this would be so small asto prove comparatively
of no importance, and to be within the limits even of what
might be raised within the Presidency. The delay, more-
over, now likely to arise would scarcely be limited to two
years, for under the proposed course the present company
(the Great Indian Peninsular) would most likely follow the
recent example of the Madras Company, and break up for
want of a distinct prospect of Government support, after
which there would be little chance of an early resumption of
the design.
FATAL ACCIDENT ON TUE EASTERN COUNTIES
RAlLWAY.—Yesterday, at the Hertford station of the above
railway, an engine-driver, named Edward Williamson, while
engaged in shunting some carriages upon the rail, endea-
voured to pass between two of the carriages. Unfortunately
in the attempt he was struck by one of the buffers in the
abdomen, and forced against the preceding carriage. The
poor fellow was taken up insensible, and every assistance
rendered him, but he expired after lingering three hours in
great agony.
THE ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH ON THE LEEDS
RAILWAY.—The directors of this company are now engaged
in establishing a line of telegraphic communication between
this town and Leeds. Already the communication between
Manchester and Rochdale is complete, and the powers of the
telegraph were tested for the first time on Wednesday last.
The first official question asked on this novel machine was
on the morning of that day, about eleven o'clock, and was
addressed to the station-master at Rochdale as follows:
" What time did the second school excursion train pass?"
Answer—" Seven minutes before ten." The importance of
the electric telegraph needs not to be dwelt upon ; but we
cannot help congratulating the company upon their being
the first introducers of it into Manchester.—Manchester Ad-
vertiser'

The mortality of London, and indeed, of England
generally, shows a gradual annual decrease, whilst it is well
known the population increases considerably. The rates of
premium for life insurance have been greatly reduced during
the last few years, yet the offices continue as prosperous as
formerly. These lacts clearly demonstrate that some cause,
either unknown or unheeded, must have produced such
favourable results. Air ongst these causes, the increased
knowledge of anatomy, and the many very valuable disco-
veries in medicine, will stand most prominent. The small-
pox, that annually carried off thousands, has been success-
fully combatted by vaccination; and Gout, that used Co claim
its numerous victims, has been thoroughly vanquished by
Blair's Gout and Rheumatic Pills.
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