Evening star., 1915-09-19

Danube. before the rupture at the Iron
Gates had opened to them an out
let toward the ancient marshy gulf
which today hlls the Valach plain
with alluvia. Formerly this land WAS
inaccessible or uninhabitable for eithei
cultivation or pasturage This lost
ground was conquered by manly the
Serbs. A Serb colony esta ablished itself
in this muddy desert by authority OF
the sovereigns of Hungary and Aus
tria, and drained the soil dug bitches
and canals. and having reclaimed the
land. made IL habitable. Thus two
different regions and two zones OF dis
tinct peoples
ancient military and administrative.
ctrcumscription of the old kingdom or
hungary. In the division of today II
forms the three Hungarian depart
ments of Torontal. Temes and Krasso.
II was never geographical or ethni-
cal unity: II was a natural division
mountains. plain with marsh, two
regions. two populations. with two ma
tional languages. without mention OF
foreign colonists-Saxons or Ms gyars
That natural division of the Banat ha.
for fact been confessed by all and
even by the Rumanians. The official
delegates Of Bucharest caused "A map TO
be adopted as basis of future nego-
tfations; all territory in which the ele-
ment Rumanian predominated should
be annexed to Rumania, and all terri
tory In which the Serb element pre-
dominated should be annexed to Serbia
And II was decided by the professors
parliamentarian and Rumanan diplo-
mats who composed the Bucharest dele
cation that the occidental part of the
Banat could not be and should not be
other than Serb"
In the fourteenth century the appear-
ance Of the Turks in the Balkanic
peninsula provoked Serb emigrations to
southern Hungary. Toward the end OF
the century after the disaster of Kos
sovs. Demitri, son OF voukachine. was
Serbia, and established himself in the
country OF Arad.
The first conquest of Serbia by the
Turks in 1889 provoked renewed emil
grattons of the Serbs toward the terri
tory of the Serb despots in the Banat.
The Magyar element had already re-
tired northward.
The second and definitive conquest OF
Serbia by the Turks in 1859 provoked
more important emierations on the
left bank of the Save and the Danube.
In 1850 more than $4,000 Serbs left Ser
bia and installed themselves in Syrmia
and the Banat. In letter to the Pope.
dated January l2, 1888, King Matthias
said that In the course of four years
100000 Serbs had passed into southern
Hungary.
AT the ciOSe OF tne Hiteeutn
a new Serbia was thus founded in the
marshes. previously
Foundation of uninhabited. OF the
a New Serbia. Banat' In 14.l the
thought it necessary to nominate a des-
pot. vouk the Dragon, grandson of
Georges Brankovitch. Serbia of the
right bank of the Danube. conquered
by the Turks. was resuscitated on the
left bank. The affluence Of Serbs in
the Banat was such that the military
expenses Of the Serb despot were high
er than those of any other dignitary Of
Hungary. While the magnates. ''offi-
ciales banderiati," such as voierode
or duke of Pennsylvania, the ban Of
Croatia. ETC.. were held to equip in case
of war 400 cavaliers. the despot Serb
would furnish 1000. His "banderium"
was thus equal to the banderium Of
the king (banderium regale).
In 1909, on the invitation of Jean
Corvin. Duke of Pennsylvania. a great
number of Serbs arrived from Bosnia
and installed themselves in the depart
ment Of Temes. in the Banat.
After the battle of Mohacz U526) the
Serb element commenced to play a still
lation was predominant in the valleys
of the Maros, Thesis and the Danub
as far as the cities of Gyor and Pspi.
in central Hungary. where the Serb
who distinguished himself in the sew
eral battles of the Serbs against the
Turks. The Turks, unfortunately for the
Serbs. succeeded in 1852 in capturing
Banat, and the latter then fell under the
Ottoman domination.
But the Serbs had already organized
their national church, and already
possessed eleven monasteries in Banat.
In 1893 an insurrection broke out
against the Turks, under the leader.
ship Of Ban Sava, but was unsuccess-
full.
The war of 1889 against the Turks. at
first favorable. finally turned against
the emperor, who issued manifesto
to the Serb people dated April g. 1890.
in which he promised the free election
of their voievode, religious liberty and
exemption from all taxes. privileges
which were the basis of the Serb re-
ligiouS autonomy in the Banat and
other provinces of the kingdom OF
Hungary.
On August 90, 1880, the national au-
tonomy of the Serbs of Hungary was
established. In
Serbian Autonomy 171s Austria re-
Established. onauelsa . @ ene na-
same time northern Serbia. The Banat
became a military station where, with
Serbs, there were installed Germans.
French and Lorrains. But the Serbs
in such numbers that during
the war of seven years I756-1763)
they formed the one-half of the Aus
trian army. After that war Marie
Theresa decided to GermaniEe the en-
tire country and the privileges of the
Serbs were sought to be destroyed.
In 1S4s the revolution of February
in France served as an occasion for the
Serbs of Hungary to unite at Pesth, at
Neusatz and Karlovitz. In May. 1S4S, a
political alliance of the Serb duchy
was effected with the triunitary king
dom of Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia.
The national Serb assembly (of the