Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1853-09-01
Sflistellanp.
Habits of the Montenegrines.


We have recently published information of
the difficulty existing between Turkey and
Montenegro The following article from Cham
bers' Journal, in reference to the manners and
customs of the Montengrines, will be read
with interest -
All the inhabitants had clothes Of frieze
resembling closely those of Bulgaria but in
stead of the woolly caps, many of them wore
black skull-caps and wide trowsers, and tights
from the knee to the ankle those who lounged
about having strookah, which is like the
Turkish cloak, but of a dirty white color, and
the pile inward SO long, course, and shaggy,
as to be like the fleece Of sheep. The necks
and breasts of the men were bare, and all wore
miserable sandals. Each male wore arms,
the waist-belt, like that Of an Albanian, show
ing bundle of pistols and dirks, which brought
to mind the old heraldic motto, Aye ready =
So predominant, indeed, is the idea of the sol
der over that Of the citizen, that when a child
is baptized, pistols are put to the infants mouth
to kiss, and then laid in the cradle beside him
and one Of the favorite toasts drank on the oc-
casion is, May he never die in his bed -
The dress of the women was of dirty white
cloth and in cut, its family likeness to the
old costume of Servia is recognized but the
details are coarser and show poorer and more
barbarous people.
On entering one of the cottages, through a
WI VI ind nf Ia ~ Ia ~.
only path Of egress, he saw, that it was divid-
ed into three compartments, separated by rude
basket work-one for the family, one for cat
tie, and one for sheep.
Such is the salubrity of the climate here,
that the French resident mentions having
met with man who had lived to see the
sixth generation of his family; the old man
himself being | IL years of age; his son 100; /;
his grandson nearly 50; his great-grandson
had attained his Goth year; the son Of the lat
ter was 43 his son 81 and his grandchild
two years Of age.
Cetigne, the capital of this extraordinary
territory, traveller describes as being rather
fortified convent, surrounded by scattered
houses, than town; but there is a large gov
ernment house, styled the Archiepiscopal Pal
ace, and an inn uniting the characters of a
European hotel and an Asiatic khan. The
vladika, or archbishop, was absent at the time !;
but our traveller was shown by the archiman-
drite the convent, containing a school-room,
where thirty-twO boys were at work on the
elements of knowledge. A hundred yards off
is the new government house, built by the
present vladika and going thither, we found
billiard-room, to combine pleasure and bust
ness, in which the senate was then sitting
The brother of the vladika was seated at the
upper end of the room on the black leather
easy chair smoking pipe.
An appeal case was going on, and gigan-
tic broad-shouldered men, with his belt full of
pistols, was pleading his cause with great an
imation. 1t appeared that he was priest !;
that his parishioners owed him each ten oakas
of grain per annum, but this year could not
pay him; and the president decided that he
should remit as much as possible on the score
of the bad times, but that he should keep an
account. and be repaid at a more prosperous
season. The senators sat all around the room,
each man being armed, and the discussions Of
ten extremely vociferous. There are no writ
ten laws in Montenegro, and there is no venall-
ty, as in the Turkish courts OF justice; but
they lean somewhat to the side Of the most
warlike litigant, so that it may be said that
club-law has not yet ceased. a-'r.a
This spirit is kept up by a petty warfare
which still goes on, on the borders of the Lake
of Scutari, where bands of forty or fifty Mon
tenegrines descend every now and then to lift
the cattle Of the Moslem. It never strikes the
Montenegrine that this is immoral, the she'd
ding of the blood of Moslem being in his
eyes not only lawful, but laudable and a
mother will often reproach her laggard son by
contrasting his remaining at home with their
father, who killed such and such number of
Turks. The result of this is, that all the de-
batable land is cultivated by men armed to the
teeth
But robberies or theft within the Montenegrine
territory are rare. When an execution does
take place, it has all the singularity Of the rest
of their manners. Representatives Of all the
forty tribes assemble with loaded guns, and
the criminal with hands bound behind him, has
short space to run, when all fire upon him
and he is generally despatched; but instances
have been known of his getting off with a
wound
A Montenegrine is always armed, and car
ries about during his most peaceful occupation,
rifle, pistols, yatagan, and cartouch-box.
The Montenegrines spend their leisure time
in firing at target, and are accustomed to this