The Arizona sentinel., 1890-01-04
MONTENEGRO's CAPITAL.
Something About One of the Most Extra
 ordinary Towns of Europe.

4OHnS OL EuEOpts
 Cettinje is the most extraordinary capital in Europe. It consists of one long street, with four smaller ones crossing it, and ending vaguely in the fields. The whole town covers perhaps thirty or forty acres. The principal building is the hotel, which worthily blocks the end of the main street. It is bare and ricketty-looking structure, but represents the acme of luxury at Cettinje. The other public places are the prison, the church and the school. The first of these lies on the right-hand side, and in front of the gates, on a lawn, the prisoners amuse themselves by playing various rude games-bowls, with pieces of rock for balls, leap-frog and so on. A few of them are engaged in odd building jobs about Cettinje, and other hew wood in the mountain. They are not chained, but appear seldom to dream of running away. When a case of evasion happens, one or two fellow-convicts are dis patched te catch tha runaway and bring him back. The theory of set ting a thief to catch thief is here prac- ticed most literally and methodically. The only distinction between con- demned convict and free citizen is that the former is deprived of his arms. This is an equal degredation to the usual dress or brand elsewhere. Close to the hotel is the royal palace, a whitewashed house with green Venetian blinds, which is pOpularly supposed to nave cost million of francs owing to the ex- penses of transporting the materials. Over against it is a long, low red build ing, known as the ''Bigliardo." It re- ceiyed this nickname from an English billiard table having been set up there. The carrying of this piece of furniture by fifty men over the mountain was con- sidered-and undoubtedly was-a great feat. While the porters struggled man. fully under the slate a pilot stood astride on high, and shouted his directions as to how to get round awkward corners. The ''Bigliardo" is now used as offices for the different Ministries and Parlta- ment house. The church is very small, capable of holding, perhaps, one hundred and fifty people. On either side of the entrance are the tOmbs of Prince Danilo and his brother, Mirko Petro- witch, and in the chancel sort ol sarcophagus, which is opened on solemn occasions, containing the embalmed re- mains of the Bishop-Prince Peter l. The old monastery faces the palace. Fifty or sixty years ago this monastery and twenty of thirty cottages round it represented the town of Cettinie. Be- hind the monastery is the famous Tower of Skulls. In the old days no Montenegrin was entitled to be con- sidered an able-bodied soldier until he had decorated the tower with Turkish head The last occasion on which It re- ceived it's ghastly decorations was after the battle of GrahovO, which took place on the 18th of July, 1859. The Mon tenegrins lost 400 men and brought in 4, OOO skulls, at least so says tradition. The account is more or less confirmed by independent witnesses, one of whom, an Austrain officer, counted 2,SOV skeletons on the field several weeks aft- CT the famous fight. The custom nas' however, now died out having been abolished, together with the most practices of similar nature, by the Draconian code and infexible rule ok Danilo I.-SatQrdaY Review,