Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1853-03-23
H.
MoNrENEGRo AND ITS NEIGHHORs.
Every steamer from, Europe within til

counts OF war WaginS between turkey
and Montenegro. AS few of our readers
have any knowledge Of the character Of the
Montenegrins and the nature of the con-
test, we extract the following from long
article on the subject published in the
Io ldon Examiner, of February 9th:
Montenegro is small, mountaineo,nns, e,n g! dis
trict, at the back as it were of the southern
part of Dalmatia, which separates, it from
the sea. It contains about 1917, 900 inhabi-
tants. The country is divided Tito eight
Nahia, or cantons, each governed by its
own captain. Montenegro is one. of the
most barren districts in Europe, and its
people Certainly are Europe's most unmit-
gated savages. The vendetta, or law OF
revenge, is nowhere maintained SO rigo-
lously as among these Christians of Monte
negro AS On &C. of duty they will hunt
down an individual or family who has in
ured them, from generation to generation,
till full vengeance is obtained. Their COM
mon habit is, to cpt off the heads of their
enemies, and their houses ard converts are
ornamented with skulls as trophies. We
read in the Times of Thursday that 81
Turks heads, the result of the. nocturnal
surprise of Turkish mp,have been their
first triumphant gain in the present con-
Aict.
When not quarrelling among themselves,
the Montenegrins are constantly planning
some marauding expedition against their
neighbors. In these expeditions booty is
their first object, murder their second
They generally fall on some village or
Louse suddenly-if possible, when the men
are absent-murder the women and chill
dren, carry off all they can, and burn the
rest. They are brave, but false and cum
ming, like most of the South Sclaves, to
which race they belong. Such qualities,
we know,are TO be held as much the crime
Of the oppressors, as the curse of the op-
pressed; but they are not the less disagree
able and dangerous on that account. We
remember once asking an accomplished
traveller who had passed through Monte
negro, whether he believed that in hanging
the whole adult population there would be
the least danger of Furnishing any one who
had not been guilty of robbery or mur-
der' Probably not" was the answer.
The origin of great part of this people
is not the most reputable. Montenegro lies
between Dalmatia, Albania, and Herzego-
vina, and it has for many years formed a
Place of refage-an Alsatia on large scale
for all the oatcasts of those countries
If unchecked, it threatens 10 become as
dangerous population as that which for
merly inhabited the island Of the Adrlatic,
and which, under the name Of Uscocks (fu-
gitives,) became so infamously famous in
the wars between Austria and Venice
The Uscocks were, in fact, composed of the
same elements, and brought together BY the
same causes indeed, portion of the Mon
tenegrns still bear the name.
1t is now rather more than fifteen years
| since the Montenegrins refused to pay trb-
ute to the Porte, or acknowledge the au-
thority oft officers; and as the land is
barren, and the people brave, it has never
been thought worth the trouble it would
cost to reduce them to submission. But
their independence has never been recog-
nized by Turkey Or by any European pow
er. Russia, only, under the plea of sup
porting the Greek religion, to which they
belong, has been accustomed to keep up a
constant communication with them and oil
late, as practically the head of the Greek
church, has regularly subsidized their chief
This subsidy is said to amount to 4,000l
yearly and it forms the whole ofthe royal
revenuc-for an attempt 10 exact faxes
would very soon cost the prince his throne
Their chief thus subsidized has hitherto
been called Vladika or bishop; and has
beea IN the habit of proceeding to Peters
burg and ,receiRing bis installation at the
hands Of Tie Metropolitan of Russia. The
last occupant of the dignity was Peter Pc.
trovich, man very tar. superior TO those
about him in every respect He did all he
could to induce them to keep peace with
their neighbors, and lived, as much as he
dared, away from the sayages under hi.
rule. As bishop, Of course he. left no direc
heirs; but he by will appointed his neph-
ew, Daniel PetroyIch, young man o
twenty two years CID, to succeed him.
Daniel happened not 70 be in priests Or
ders, and in consequence some opposition
was made TO his succession by his uncle
Finally, it was arranged that the uncle
should be chosen Bishop or Vladika, while
Daniel should Be entrsastcd with the tempe.
raj power under the title Of prince. In this
character, accordingly, Daniel proceeded tc
Petersburg, where the independence oI
Montenegro was recognized, and Daniel
acknowledged. In Vienna he was also well
received bat no formal recognition, there,
has as yet taken place.
In the mean time, encouraged BY these
favorable signs, impeled by promises Of
support from the Pansclavists of Austria,
ard still more excited by similar promises
given underhand by inferior agents of The
Austrian government, the Alontenegrins
have now undertaken war against Turkey
on scale and with ulterior views of which
they had hitherto never dreamed. Former
expeditions have been composed of small
bodies have had but the plumber Of par.
ticular village or fortress for their object
ahd that exccatea they have returned, la
den with BOOTY and 'contentcd, home. But
in the present case they have assembled a
large force, have attempted 10 engage the
neighborng states in their undertaking, and
have boldly left their mountain Businesses,
and encampel on the plains beyond the
Turkish frontier. Their chief object is sill,
no doubt, plumber; but their injudicious
friends hold them up TO The world as the
liberators of the Christian population Of
Turkey, and would engage our sympathies
in new crusade.
1t will, Of course, he remembered that
Austria, enraged at the liberation of Kos
suth by the Sultan, could not suppress the
open avowal Of its intention to take an op-