New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1858-03-15

extract the following
The captain gave us two hours for ramhle on tue
Shore and we set out for Old Ragusa, wnlcu y e
tween two aud three miles distant The present port
is landlocked BASIN shut in BY sweeping mis- winch
are feathere2 to their SUBMITS with olive groves,
while the gardens below sparkle win tner ooscage
Of orange and lemon trees Inc mus are ooo,eu WIN %
the republican time, but all mere or less diapdated
Marks Of the French and subsequent Russian invasion
are seen on all sides Rooless honses, neglected gar
dens end terraeed fields lying faliow, gave melan.
choy air Of decay to the landscape. Climbing long
hill from the harb0r, we crossed the comb OF pro
lantory and saw the sea before us, while down in
hollow OF the coast, on our lett swan In the blue
morning vapors the spires and iortresscs OF Old Ra
gusa Far above IT, the summit of the overlooking
mountains shone the white walls OF another fort, the
road to which assembled the steep slope in fourteen
zigzags. IL was a warm picture, fun OF strong colo
and sharp decided outline. Clumps of aloe clung t
the rocks below oranges hung heavy over the gar
den walls above, and ia sunny spot some young
palms were growing. We only succeeded in reaching
the outskirts of Old Ragusa, whence overlooked
the falling city, upon whose main street paved with
slippery marble, no horse is yet allowed to set bis
| foot.
did not find the Ragusan costumes--at least those
which | saw-qute so picturesque as those OF tne
other Dalmatian ports. The race, however, : nanny
the Indeed, it has been ascertained that q an
the inhabitants of Da malta fifteen out Of sixteen are
Of Slavic blood. They are medium sized people,
| hut Tough hardy and of considerable muscular
strength. Their mode OF life Is quite primitive.
Every family has its patrarcha head, ana tne sons
hing their wives home to the paternal hut until the
| natural increase crowds them out OF its narrow
bounds The mother takes her unweaned infant to
the field with her. and lays it down on soft stone TO
Sleep They still cultivate witches, and believe. IN
! demons and magical spells. Among the horlsks, the
bridegroom, until very recently was obliged TO catch
his bride ia public race, like Hypolitus or the Tar
1 tar bachelors. Blood revenge, as among the Cors
cans exists in spite OF the law, and the wandering
4 rite Of haru tDf1
goes from village to village. as in the days OF Homer
Continuing our voyage southwark along the coast,
we reached 10 the afternoon the Boca d Cattaro the
entrance to one Of the widest and most wonderful
harbors in the world. Austria has held on with the
tenacity of terrier to all the Venetian settlements
along the Adriatic upon which she could lay hands.
Look at the map. and you will see how from Iifa 10
Budua she has seized a strip of coast, between two
and three hundred miles in length whilst its breadth
waivers between i've and thirty miles. Bosnia. the
Herzegovina and Montenegro have now no comma-
ncation with the sea- except through Austrian ports
In two places this strip is interrupted by narrow
wedges of Turkish territory, which come down to the
sea--of course at points where no seaport can be
created. Austria has taken good care of that. We
swept close under beetling clif OF mellow tinted
rock, up which rose, baston over bastion the heavy
white walls Of fortress. The mouth OF the bay is
somewhat less than mile ia breadth, with an island,
also fortified lying athwart it, We entered deep,
landlocked bay, shat in by mountains In the south
east rose lofty peak OF the Montenegrin Alps, its
summit glitteriug with snow. Where do you sup
nose CattarO lies asked the captain. Somewhere
10 this bay, y answered. No. said he " il ia Just
under yon snowy peak" :. But how are we to get
there +" "Wat and you will see! I" was the
answer.
We touched at Castelnuoyo, which was in the six.
teenth century the capital OF the Herzegovina. IL
was taken by the Spaniards, the allies OF Admiral
Dora who, after building the massive fortress which
bears their names to this day, were in turn driven
out by Khaireddn Barbarossa, the Turkish Admiral.
n
groves Of olive, chestnut and sycamore we made for
the southern end Of the bay which all at opened
aterally on the left disclosing new channel, at the
head Of which lay the little town of Perasto. Noun
tans, gray naked and impassaby steep, hung over
1t. As we approached, church and monastery
which seemed to float upon the water rose to view
They were built upon rocks in the bay-quaint,
curious structures. with bnlging green domes upon
their towers. After passing Perasto, where the
captain jeyfully pointed out his house. "a white hand
kerchief was waving from the Window the bay
curved eastward and then southwark, actually ceav
ing the mountainrange TO the very foot OF the central
peak Of SHOWS. On all sides the bare sleeps arose
almost precipitously from the water to the hight Of
5000 feet. We were on a mountain lake the 6ercest
storms Of the Adratic could not disturb the serenity
Of these waters They are barricaded against any
wind that blows. At the extremity of the lake,
der the steepest cliffs lay Cattaro, with its sharp
hight,of nearly Thousand feet above it. The sun
had long since set on the town. although the noun
tains burned with tawny Ulster all along the eastern
shore. We steamed up and cast anchor in front OF
the sea-wa.
We landed at once in order to take advantage of
the vanishing daylight. wild design for a moment
came into my head-to take horses and guard, ride
up the mountain and over to Cettgne, the capital Of
Montenegro and back again by sunrise-bnt unfortu-
natey there was moon, and should have had the
danger and the fatigue for nothing. Cattaro is a
fortress and the town, squeezed within the narrow
limits of the walls, has the deepest and darkest
streets We discovered nothing Of note in the course
of our rambe. The place, suspect, is much as 1t
was when Venice defended and khaireddin besieged
IL. We stood moment in the Public Square 10 see
the overhanging mountains burning with vermillion
and orange ia the last spendor OF sunset and then
threaded the town TO the further gate, where pow
erful spring Of the purest berylcolOred mountain
water gushes out from under the walls
A native Cattarese, who spoke little Italian, hung
on to our skirts, In order to get little money
gnide. Find me some natives of Montenegro
said to him. ooh, they wear the same dress as the
Dalmatians, said he but you can tell them by the
cross their caps.n Soon atterward encountered
an old man and his son, both OF whom had glded
Greek cross the trout OF the red fez which they
wore " Here are two!" exclaimed the guide. Ht
then stopped them and without more ado, pulled of
the old mans fez, showed US the cross, and opened
the folds OF the cap, where second cross and mum
Der Of zwanzigers were hidden. Here they keel
their money! he explained, The old fellow took th'
| whole proceeding very good hnmoredly, and was de
for goodby!' y at parting. Soon afterward we me
some pandours, or irregular soldiers, OF the Vladki
1 Montenegro. They spread-eagle on their caps
In addition TO the cross. Our guide stopped them
aud informed them (as guessed) that we wanted t.
look at them. proud Strengthening OF the body,
naughty toss OF the head, and glance of mingled
dignity and defiance was the only answer, as the
held their way. delighted with this natural ex
hibiti0n of their seeseem though it had been calle
forth in so offensive a way
have heard very contradictory accounts respecting
the present Vladika (Prince) of Montenegro. Gu
captain speaks OF him as highly accomplished man
with marked taste for literature and rather sneer
at his wife, the daughter Of Trieste merchant, VIII
pnched himself to give her dowry Of million q
zwanzigers (about $l6S 000) and thereby secure th
hand OF Prince Danilo On the other hand, a
English officer who visited Cettigne, informed IN
that the Vadlka Is rough, boorish and stupid fellow
and that his wife Is handsome, accomplished and fa
cinating. should judge the latter report to be til
, correct one, as we are beginning TO hear the mos
arbitrary and brutal charged against the Vladk
His predecessor was Bishop, which did not preveT
him from being capital shot and a good horsemal
1t easy to that this little robber State will n,
be very ongyed and that it will finally tall into n
claws OF Austria. But she will neither get it nor ho
it without fighting.
We lay all night at Cattaro So completely Is ii
place nelosed that the climate is different from tn,
Of Castelnuovo. The night was very cold and as "
steamed on in the morning we found the bay coveft
, with light sheet OF ice from shore to shore. Gu
side, the air was mild and delightful short al
i lance beyond the Boca d Cattaro, we passed Budu
another Venetian colony and the last Austrian Dol
Early IN the afternoon reached Antivari in Alb
MA the seaport OF the large city OF Scutar which