Page:The New International Encyclopædia 1st ed. v. 13.djvu/844

* MONTENEGBO. 756 MONTENEGRO. MONTENEGRO, niiiii'tu-nu'grfi. An indepen- •deut principality of Kurope, situated in the western part of the Balkan Peninsula (q.v.), between latitudes 41° 55' and 43'' 18' X., and lonjiitudos 1S° 30' and 20' E. The name ilonte- neyro, given to the country hy the Venetians, is a translation of the Slavic Crnagora (pro- nounced cher-n4-gMa ), which signifies Black Mountain. The mountains, however, are not black, but are white or grayish. The name was not known before the reign of Crnojevic, the Black Prince, in the fifteenth century, and he is supposed to have given his name to the moimtains. The ■country' is bounded liv the Turkish Sanjak of Novihazar on the northeast, by Albania on the •southeast, by the Austrian province of Dalma- tia on the southwest, and by Ilcrzegovina on the west and north. It has a short sea frontage but no good port on the Adriatic. The area is estimated at 3000 square miles, ilontenegro is a part of the great Karst limestone plateau which, Ijeginning in Southern Austria, extends along the east side of the Adriatic through Tur- key and (ireece. It is crowded with mountains from 2.1OO to over 8000 feet in height, the high- est elevations being in the nortlicast. Nearly the whole country is covered by the Karst for- mation and has the peculiarities of similar lime- stone formations. I^ooked at from above the land would seem to be honeycomljed with cells due to -the agency of water. Rivers fully formed sudden- ly rise out of the rocks and disappear as suddenly. Here they have scooped o>it wide valleys and there they have merely produced sink holes into which they vanish. Thus large parts of the country have little surface water, and the in- habitants use rain water or .snow. The two important rivers are the Zeta and the Moraca. The Zeta disappears in a chasm on the plain of Xiksic and reap])ears miles away at the head of the Zeta Valley, the largest valley and the most fertile part of Montenegro. The Moraca flows between stony banks, along which no track leads, and joins the Zeta, and their waters empty into the Lake of Scutari, on the borders of Al- bania. Around the shores of the Lake of Scutari is a jiarrow plain, where agriculture is intensive; but there is no agriculture among the stony wastes of the Karst and no crops are raised excepting in the alluvial valley of the Zeta and some smaller streams and along the coast. Orain, tobacco, potatoes, and other vegetables are grown. The vine and fig thrive also, and the olive is produced along the narrow coastal plain. The mean an- nual tem|M'iature is from 01° in these regions to 3.5° on the higher parts of the plateau. On the whole the climate is raw excejiting in the low- lying river valleys and along the coast. The pas- ture lands, poor as they are. afford grazing for eattlp, goats, and sheep, which are the chief riches of the country. There are about .lOO.OOO sheep and go.its, (iO.OOO cattle. 8000 swine, and anon horses. The flora, though sparse on the whole, includes a considerable variety, on account of the diversity of climate. Practically all the useful plants the people require are grown. Scattering beeches and oak trees are about all that relieve the monotony of the mountains except in the still almost inac- cessible north, where fine oak. beech, and pine forests are found. The fauna includes the bear, wolf, and fox, and a considerable number of aquatic and other birds. The most important fish is the bleax, a considerable quantity of which is exported. The people were estimated in 1808 to number 22S,(IU0. Ihey arc thinly scattered over the lnwer grounds, and on the slopes of the hills their rude stone huts with one door, one window, and roof of straw, stand at intervals of about a ipiarter of a mile; around them are little patches of wheat, barley, and potatoes. The .settlements are connected with one anollier by bri<lle tracks about three feet broad winding over limestone bouhlers and covered with a loose sliding surface of limestone blocks of all sizes. Such is the characteristic aspect of the settled parts of -Mon- tenegro outside of the towns. There are no roads excepting a few recently built which connect Cetinje, Podgoritza (Podgorica) and Xiksic with one another and the coasts. The Montenegrins have not desired roads, and for ages took care not to construct them because they feared they M)uld open their country. The iloiitenegrins are an otfslioot of the Servian branch of the Slavic race. Physically they are among the largest and finest i)eo]ile in Europe and the conditions of their n:ountain life in a poor country have developed ppculiarities that make them easily distinguish- able from the Servians. They are a race of war- r:ors, always ready to take aims against external encroachments and equally ready to defend at home what they regard as their personal rights. They have thus the reputation of being excitable, quarrelsome, and violent, but every man. even the ])0orest. has the bearing and dignity of a gentle- man. Theft is unknown, and drunkenness almost unheard of. A recent report from a town official said that the only persons who had been in the prison for a half year were five men who had told ghost stories which were prejudicial to public morality. Women are universally respected. A woman may go in safetv an'where in the coun- try. Elementary education is free and nominally compulsory, though many of the women cannot read. The Montenegrins, who comprise about nine-tenths of the iiopulation. are members of the Orthodox Greek Church, their metropolitan olitaining his commission from the Holy Synod in Russia. The remainder of the inhabitants (.Mbanians and Serbs) are either Roman Cath- olics or Mohammedans. Though the government is nominally called a limited monarchy, it is actually a mild paternal despotism depending on the will of the Prince, who fills all executive offices : under the present regime only the best men are found filUng even- grade of offices throughout the countr}'. The Prince is assisted by a State Council of eight members, half chosen by himself and the remainder elected by men of military age. The country also has a comjilcte system of local government. There are several hundred village councils elected every three years. Ie-ying taxes, distributing charities, and appointing super"isors of education. Women are p(riiiitte(l to speak in the town meetings on public affairs, but are not allowed to vote. There is no standing antiv. but .'ill men physi- cally fitted are trained as soldiers and liable to be calleil to arms, the militia numlM-ring about So.- 000 infantry and 1000 artillen-. The State revenne. about .$250,000 a year, is chiefly derived from customs duties (about $00,000 a year), the salt monopoly, and the land and cattle ta.xes.