Year: 1875




II ono were to judge the capital of the principaty Of
Montenegro by outward appearances it would be dim
cult to attach any Importance the hamlet Of forty
fifty modest stone houses few OF them Of size or pre-
tension equal to New England farm house which Is
the CITY of the ruler Of the Sparta Of our epoch No
New York merchant would be in the least proud OF the
palace II 1t his country house, and no farmer OF
the Middle States would to have as farm the
whole plain in which 1t is situated Its rocky dry soil
gives stupted growth Of maize and pasture and the
hills around are mainly bare rock with dwarf oaks and
beeches growing in the cefts.


Yet to-day Montenegro is the point on which turns
the question Of peace in the Balkan, and, per-
haps in Eastern Europe and this week will decide be
tween the two. left the city Of Catarro yesterday
morning at Ave O'Clock, and after dizzy ride of two
hours, by q zlgzag, which in places rises only
about foot for ave of road with nothing but bare
rock every side, came to the descent into the
plain OF Njegush. The wild desolation of this amph-
theatre of gray glisening rock surpasses everything
else have ever seen. Here and there starveing fir
cypress has found cleft to get sustenance from, per-
haps' a two the whole circuit Of
the basin, and the south side is forest
OF stunted beeches No gorse, no heather, no
bushes cling in the crovces of the slopes of the
preciptous mountain solid rock fve-sixths OF the
circuit At the lower edge of the hsides, wherever
little eartn Deen aDe 10 hOlu against the
foods. wall has been made and maize wheat
grass panted-little fields ten feet by fve walled in
from wasderng hocks and forming family herItages.
Everything which niggard nature has given preserved
and made the best Of 1t reminds one of the buck
OF earth put the clets of the rocks the Rhine,
only here there is golden wine worth its weight in
silver but starveling crop of grain or potatoes.


cETTrGSE


is ridge after ridge and through gorge after gorge,
mainly by good bride path but which would permit
only carriages but piece of artillery to
pass winding and out by ways cut from solid rock
built up in masonry by the side of wild precpces and
the beds of streams which in winter torrents
and dry the rocks above them Here and there we
pass little groups of gray stone farm houses and where
little plains formed cultivation carried out
with economy of space which would be lesson to
Yankee with their zigzag fences Everything
indicated poverty and thru. The people clad like
beggars but do not beg and except those who
dressed in their fighting dresses, the general look IS
squalid. But few men; women do most of the
work The children are healthy and rugged, and one
little fellow about two, snguarly grave and thought
full looking child for any nation told that he had got
the second class in school, Every village has its
school, and every child born in these times will know
how read before he goes to the fields The men arc
all in the army, and just most at the camp at
Trahova with the insurgents in Herzegovina


Wherever there is body Of Montenegrns the insur-
recton prospers In Western Herzegovina it has been
langushng and nearly extinct The houses of the
Christians there, their crops and everything immova-
BILE have been burned and their families mainly in
refuge in Austria Montenegro. The men,
toned to military discipline and demoratzed by Turk
sh slavery have been unable alone either to organize
cooperate defence OF their villages; but with


A MoSrENEoRNs,


who are thoroughly organized and disciplined, they
gather courage and act we'll The insurrecton natu-
rally moro on this account extends in the mountain
districts nearest to Montenegro, and, the
war, declared, will be most important
in the districts toward Servia the movements
Of the insurrecton already directed by Montenegrins
will tho direction favorable to their future
operations. In pursuance Of this plan they have
moved east from the Of Montenegro until they
have finally the advance of the Scrvian volunteers
united with other bodies of Herzegovinians the great
road by which the Turkish troops enter Herzegovina
from the south, and already hold this road securely
blocked and the of Nova Varos held by the Turks
is bockaded all the passes and paths being held by
forces Of Montengrns and Sorvians, joined by Herze
govnians, and meeting at the position of Banje the
western forces having their headquarters at Pevle
and the eastern at Nova Varos.


Twice already the troops from Meran which is south
OF the insurgent line, have attempted to penetrate TO
the aid OF their companions blockaded in the noun
tain but have been repused both times and Turkish
force in Eastern Herzegovina show itself now out
OF the ortresses If Montenegro enters the field she
will bring artillery heavy enough to breach the walls of
nearly every fortress in Turkish hands, and will
have force of well disciplined large enough after
retaining those necessary hold the passes against
enemy entering send 20 900 to rs 900 into Her
zegovna and to the assistance of Serva. The Turks
have 900 to 900 men, and hope TO send so 900 in
all into Bosnia and Herzegovina but If they could
all be sent, which / much doubt, they
would not be enough. In this mountain
country there must be at least double the
number of troops in the attacking force that there is
in the defending, Of good troops, and these the
Turkish not The Porte has by its carelcssness
and Of thrift and common intelligence, left itself in
q state of comparative defenceessnes Dervish Pacha
who had the government of Bosnia had tho organiza-
tion Of the reds that province and reported to the
government before the insurrecon that he had forty
battaons. On asking for reinforcements from Con-
stantnope he told to call out his redifs but in
stead OF forty he had barely five, and these out
with great reluctance not at all disposed to hght for
the Bosniak Mussulman, in old times noted for his
ferocty Is now cowed by the fear that with all
Christendom against him the only result Of his TAX
ing up arms against the Christians would be that
he would lose everything he had. For several years
the Mussulmans have had conviction that their time
had come to leave Europe and go back to Asia They
fight now with reluctance and l see here, in the
streets Of Ccttigne,


NUMBERS SOLDIERS PRISONERS
by the insurgents and released the Montcnegrin
frontier but who decline to pass over into Turkey The
service IL not agreeable Their presence here shows
that the not, the side Of the Christians at
least 50 murderous as such fighting used to be- and tho
Montencgrins go in with discipline in favor Of hu.
manity, as they have a national character 70 risk


Everything hore waits mpatently for tho
action Of the Servian government hoping that
war will bo declared The moment tho news
reaches here the Montenegro troops will DO
launched like thunderbolt the Turks in Herze-
govna and down from the eastern decliytes Of Mon
tenegro Munitions, communications everything Is
ready, and the troops accustomed to march light and