SUPPLEMENT TO ITALY.

VENETIAN DALMATIA. RAGUSA.

VENETIAN DALMATIA.] THE

HE want of some account of Dalmatia having been regarded as an imperfection in the present work, this is the proper place to supply that deficiency, as the chief possessors were the Venetians, and even the independent republic of Ragusa bears the name and form of an Italian state. Independent of the Turkish empire in Europe, the Dalmatian provinces cannot be justly arranged under that division. The Austrian government, with the grand maritime city of Venice, also acquired these valuable territories; but from an unaccountable imbecility treated Venice and her possessions, which in any other hands would have been equal in value to the lost Netherlands, with such contempt and neglect, by a fatal routine in favour of the old Austrian port of Trieste, that impartial Europe was filled with astonishment.

All

It is unnecessary to trace the ancient geography of Liburnia and Dalmatia, or the ancient names and divisions of Albania. The inhabitants, mostly scattered over mountains, have been computed at about sixty thousand. The Montenegrins, so called from the Monte Negro, or Black Mountain, near Cattaro, have been reckoned among the most daring; while the fame of Scanderbeg has reflected glory on Albania. profess the Greek religion, but with several remains of pagan superstition, which may be traced in the travels of Fortis. The Morlacs, and other inland tribes of Dalmatia, are honest and sincere barbarians; and the dress of their vaivods somewhat resembles the Hungarian.

That portion of Dalmatia which formerly belonged to the Venetians is full of little castles and forts in the old style. The inhabitants are not only bold, but often skilful mariners, and are rather to be ruled by mildness than severity. They are attached to their chiefs and their privileges; and Venice secured their fidelity by moderate taxation, and plentiful supplies of provisions, for the country is generally barren.

The people of Albania are called Arnauts by the Turks, and lately distinguished themselves in Egypt. The interior of Dalmatia, on the S. of Bosnia, subject to the Turks, has been called Herzgovina, or Hersek, Busch. iii. 364. Fr. tr. which others call the country of Mostar, from the capital which stands on the river Narenta, where it is passed on an ancient Roman bridge. Mostar was formerly celebrated for a manufacture of arms, resembling those of Damascus. The old bans, or chiefs of Bosnia, were vassals of the kings of Hungary, formerly masters of Dalmatia; nor was Bosnia subdued by the Turks till 1522. Upper Bosnia, also called Herzgovina, or the Duchy of St. Sabas, was dismembered in the fifteenth century by Frederic III. king of Hungary, but was soon swallowed up in the Turkish conquests. The chief towns of Herzgovina are, Narona, or Narenta, formerly the capital, Imos, Varbosania, Mostar, and Klinova,

TOWNS.] The chief town is Zara, the ancient Jadera, formerly contested between the Venetians and Hungarians, but possessed by the former since 1409. Zara is one of the strongest places in Dalmatia, being surrounded by the sea, except on the E. where there is a draw-bridge and fortress. There is also a citadel, with a deep ditch cut in the rock. The port is towards the N. spacious and well defended; but there being a deficiency of water, the rain is preserved in cisterns. It was formerly the residence of the governor of Dalmatia; and is an archbishopric since 1154, the bishops of Alba, Vegia, and Osero being suffragans. There are some remains of Roman antiquity. In commerce, Zara is chiefly noted for marasquino, the most celebrated of all liqueurs, and which is distilled from the kernels of a kind of cherry.

Aurana is one of the most delightful towns of Dalmatia, being situated on a lake of the same name. It is fortified, and was a considerable time in the hands of the Turks, but retaken in 1684. Knin, otherwise Clin, or Tinen, is a fortified town on a hill, upon the very frontiers of Bosnia and Dalmatia. It is strengthened by a deep ditch, supplied with water by two rivers in the neighbourhood. It has been frequently seized by the Turks; and the final possession by the Venetians only dates from 1688. Sebenico is a strong maritime town, with a large haven and four forts. The church of St. John, in the citadel, is a fair edifice of marble. It has been four times besieged by the Turks without success, the Venetians having held possession since 1412.

Trau is also well fortified, and is a pleasant town with a suburb in the isle of Bua. The haven is commodious, and sheltered by two promontories.

Salona was the residence of the old kings of Illyria, and afterwards of the Roman prefects, and of the questors who received the revenues of the rich mines of Dalmatia, It was a station of the Roman fleets, but is now greatly reduced. Spalatro, a maritime town, is well fortified, but commanded by adjacent hills. It is the seat of an archbishopric, and a mart of the Levant trade, with a large haven, and a lazaretto. The ruins of the palace of Dioclesian are celebrated. Spalatro has belonged to the Venetians since 1420.

Detached from these provinces, and at a considerable distance towards the South, in the province of Herzgovina (also called that of St. Sabas, because that saint was there buried), the Venetians possessed Castel Nuovo, once capital of the duchy of Herzgovina, and one of the most important fortified places in Dalmatia, being on a high rock near the sea-shore. Cattaro is surrounded with mountains, which almost exclude the view of the sun. It is tolerably fortified, with a strong castle on an eminence; and has been subject to the Venetians since 1418. In 1806 it was disputed by the Russians and French. These districts are detached from the former by the territories of Ragusa.

ISLES.] The most remarkable islands formerly belonging to Venice are Osero, Cherso, Veglia, Pago, Lesina, and Curzola or Cocyra Nigra. Many of these isles are fertile in wines and olives, with figs and other fruits: and have been briefly described in a note on Italy. Near Lesina there is a famous fishery of sardines, which used to supply great part of Greece and Italy. The Turks having attacked Curzola, in 1751, were effectually resisted by the women, after the men had fled. The calcareous hills and islands of Dalmatia present some singularities; as the lake Jesero in the isle of Cherso, which only diffuses its waters every fifth year *; several curious caverns; and prodigious quantities of fossil, bones of horses, oxen, sheep, &c. but doubtful if any be human; nor have, any decidedly such, been discovered in any region of the globe.

VOL. I.

* Fortis, 429. 30

The

The Venetians also possessed some towns in Albania, as Larda a considerable place on a gulf of the same name; Voinizza on the same gulf near cape Figolo, opposite to the famous promontory of Actium where Augustus defeated Mark Anthony; Prevesa, a sea port town; and Butrinto, which is of little consequence. Among the Venetian possessions were also the islands of Corfou, Cefalonia, with others in that quarter lately erected into a separate republic.

Republic of Ragusa.

This little republic has been briefly mentioned in a note on Italy. The government is an aristocracy; and the chief magistrate, called the rector, is changed every month, an institution of singular jealousy. There is also a council of ten; and a great council composed of all the nobles above twenty years of age, who name the pregadi, or senate of sixty, which directs all state affairs, receives and sends ambassadors, and bestows offices. The revenue of Ragusa was formerly computed at a ton of gold, or about ten thousand pounds sterling. This little republic has found it necessary to court the protection of the Turks, and pays a tribute of about twenty thousand sequins, though the commerce be of use to the Ottomans in supplying them with ammunition. Jealous of their neighbours, the citizens of Ragusa only permit the gates to be opened a few hours of the day. It is a well built city, and the commerce not inconsiderable. The harbour might be rendered capable of a firm defence; and the circumjacent isles are beautified by nature and art. The earthquakes have however been terrible, that of 1667 having destroyed six thousand persons. The Ragusans have many country houses at Gravosa, another sea-port town. Stagno is another little town subject to Ragusa. Of the Ragusan isles the chief is Milet, or Melada, fertile in oranges, lemons, and good wine. On the N. there is a tolerable haven, with a town of the same name. Three or four little isles in that neighbourhood also acknow

ledge the sovereignty of Ragusa..

ZOOLOGICAL

ZOOLOGICAL REMARKS,

By Dr. SHAW.

EUROPE.

BRITAIN.

AMONG the rarer animals of Britain may be numbered the Sorex bicolor, or Water

Shrew, a larger species than the common Shrew, or Sorex erinaceus, and of a different colour, viz.: black above, and whitish below. It inhabits the banks of rivulets.

Besides the common Bat, we have the Vespertilio auritus, distinguished by the vast size of its ears; the V. noctula, or great Bat, measuring fifteen inches in extent of wings; and the V. ferrum equinum, or Horse-shoe Bat, distinguished by a horse-shoe shaped membrane at the tip of the nose.

The Mus messorius, or Harvest mouse, a beautiful little species, not much more than half the size of a common mouse, and of a reddish brown colour above, and white below: it is particularly seen in Hampshire, and fastens its nest, at a considerable distance from the ground, to the stems of thistles and other plants growing near each other.

Among birds, the beautiful Merops apiaster, or Bee-eater has been sometimes seen, a flock of not less than twenty having been observed in Norfolk. The Hoopoe and the Rose-coloured Ouzel are also occasional visitants.

The Crane, which is supposed to have been once common, has forsaken the island, appearing only as an occasional straggler from other regions.

The Motacilla arundinacea, or Reed Wren, is of the size of the Willow Wren, and of a greenish olive-brown colour above, and tawny-white beneath; the chin is white: this bird seems first to have been noticed by the late Mr. Lightfoot, who discovered it in reedy situations about the river Coln, in Buckinghamshire.

Motacilla Dartfordiensis, or Dartford Warbler, is occasionally met with in some parts of England. It is somewhat larger than the Willow Wren, and of a dusky reddishbrown colour, with the middle of the belly white: the eyes red, and the eyelids deep

crimson.

Motacilla Sylviella, or Lesser White-Throat, is also of the size of the Willow-Wren, and of a cinereous brown colour above, and whitish beneath. This also was first observed, as a British species, by Mr. Lightfoot, who found it near Bulstrode in Buckinghamshire, where it builds its nest in low bushes. It has been supposed to be the Motacilla Sylvia of Linnæus.

Charadrius Himantopus, a beautiful species of the Plover tribe, of a white colour, with the wings and tail black, glossed with green, is remarkable for the excessive length of its bright red legs, and is occasionally seen about the coasts, &c.

The

The Cancer Bufo, or Toad Crab, remarkable for its shape, and roughened surface, has been observed about the coasts of Wales.

The rare and singular fish, called Gymnetrus Ascanii (Gen. Zool.) remarkable for its great length, and thin, compressed, silver coloured body, is sometimes seen on the English coasts. In the northern seas it is said to be generally seen either preceding or accompanying shoals of Herrings, from which circumstance it has obtained the popular title of King of the Herrings.

Among the rarer British insects is happily numbered the Gryllus migratorius, or Migratory Locust, so destructive in some parts of Europe: with us it has rarely been seen in any considerable numbers, and then only as a straggler from other climes.

The curious and large species of Monoculus, called Monoculus apus, is sometimes found in muddy stagnant waters, but seems to be a local animal, and to be numbered among the rare British insects. Its history has been given with elaborate exactness, by Schæffer a German naturalist. In that country it appears to be more common.

The Papilio Antiopa, usually ranked among the rarest of the British Lepidoptera, has, of late years, made its appearance in greater number than formerly.

The beautiful Hydrachna geographica, remarkable for its polished jet-black colour variegated with gold-red spots, is an inhabitant of the clearer kind of stagnant

waters.

Among the Worm tribe the great Sea-Gordius, or Cornish Long-worm, is one of the most remarkable; measuring from five to fifteen, (or as some report) even thirty feet in length: its colour is olive-black, and its body slightly flattened: it has been chiefly seen about the coasts of Cornwall, and those of Scotland.

The curious Zoophyte, called Lucernaria quadriloba, has been found on the coasts of Ireland, attached to fuci, &c.

The three principal species of those wonderful Zoophytes called Hydra, or Polypes, are by no means uncommon in Britain, and are generally to be found, except during winter, in the clearer kind of stagnant waters, and often in such as have a brisk cur rent. Of these the most common is the Green Polype, or Hydra viridis, of Linnæus. The Hydra grisea and fusca, or the Brown and Long armed Polypes, are rather less common than the green. The particular history of these Zoophytes can hardly be expected in a sketch like the present. Suffice it to say, that their discovery has formed as it were an epoch in the science of Natural History, and that they may be considered as affording the clearest and most undoubted proofs of the union of animal and vegetable life. From the contemplation of these fresh-water Polypes, the ingenious Mr. Ellis was led to suppose, and at length to demonstrate, that many of the marine productions known by the general name of Corals and Corallines, and commonly regarded as sea plants, were in reality Zoophytes, the animal part being analogous to the common Polype, but of a ramified or compound form, and guarded, in the different tribes, by a proper union either of horny or calcareous matter, in order to enable them to support their existence in the turbulent medium in which they are destined to reside.

1

That curious fish called the Gastrobranchus cæcus, erroneously ranked by Linnaeus amongst the Vermes, under the name of Myxine glutinosa, is not unfrequently found about the British coasts, and is said to destroy other fishes by piercing their skin, and sucking their juices, and even devouring all the internal parts. Its usual length is from four to six or seven inches, and its general appearance is that of a small eel: the mouth is situated beneath, as in the Lamprey, and is of an oblong form, bearded on each side, and furnished with a series of teeth, disposed on each side, into a double row, in form of a pectinated bone. This animal is destitute of eyes: the accurate examination of its structure by Dr. Bloch, has proved it to belong to the tribe of cartilaginous fishes: the skin is smooth, and destitute of scales, and the animal is of an uncommonly glutinous nature.

The