The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-05-23
The Lovely East Adriatic Coast.

The entrance Of the southern Eu-
ropean States into the war promises
to make an active scene Of opera
tlons Of the east Adriatic coast that
has so far been scarcely than
the background of the great strife.
This western fringe Of the Balkan
peninsula with its harbors and strong
strategic vantage points has long been
n contention between'Austrian and
Italian diplomatists and the goal to-
ward which Serb ambition has strug-
gled for a window on the sea.
The Austrian fleet operating from
Pola has been zealously guarding this
treasure OF the Dual Monarchy. max
ing now and then a dash into Anti
vari and then bombarding the neigh
boring black mountains while the
British and French In their effort to
succor their %diminutive Montenegrin
ally have tried to force their way
through the Bocche of Cattaro. But
the romantic beauties of clusters OF
islands, the medieval charms Of the
towns and the fascinating remains
of the splendors Of Rome's declining
days and Of the freshness and vigor
of the Venetian Republic have been
undisturbed.
Perhaps nowhere else can these
two interesting periods be studied to
such an advantage: and as the coast
has been somewhat on the byway OF
travel and the world has just begun
TO know it. may 1t remain undis-
turbed. its treasures undefled by
wars ravages.
There are few more beautiful bod
les Of waters than the Bocche OF
Cattaro or Quainter towns than those
the venetians built or embellished
with their art at the foot Of the rug
ged combining mountain slopes. 1t was
AT Spalato that DIoCLETIAN built his
great rambling palace and where was
the original tomb Of the Emperor.
At cara Is the church OF San Donate,
its flooring the pavement of the old
Roman forum. At DurazEo q great
struggling wall that it took years to
build climbs the hills to a browning
Venetian citadel. and marking out
an area ten times greater than the
present town are the remains OF It's
ancient Roman wall. Ragusa, built
solidly to last forever and remain
ing much as the venetians left 1t. was
once the stronghold Of the .Adriatic,
but now its massive walls challenge
the marksmen of the modern battle
ship. And what a target would be
the old Roman amphltheatre on the
hill slope of Pola just above the top
masts of the Austrian ships!
Whatever the result of the war
the status of the coast will he ma
terially affected. \ Teutonic victory
would mean the shutting Off of Ser
bia from her coveted Adriatic out
let. the strengthening of Austria's
hold on Dalmatia and Bosnia and
the terrifying Of her position as ar
arbiter of the future of unfortunate
Albania. Rome reported some TIME
ago as one Of the preliminaries OF
Italy's entrance into the war an I'm
Outstanding with Serbia AS to the
division of this coast. How far the
ambitions of both of these nations
extend rs regards Dalmatia Is moi
known: but it is beyond "A question
that Serbia will demand Ragusa
which in spite of the many years
since a Serb monarch ruled there Is
still To her the South Slavic Ath
ems" and a strip further south tt
let her sister Serb State OF Monte
negro out of her black mountains
And Italy must find herself dominant
in Albania. secure. II not in posses
sion. at least in the actual control OF
the important harbors Of DurazzC
and Avlona.
But whatever the exactions OF war
may fate deal kindly with this In
teresting. beautiful coast, its lone
troubled people and its treasures.