316 Henry Skene, Esq., <?» the Albanians. 



The Albanians displayed a degree of gallantry worthy of 

 their warlike name, in baffling the utmost efforts of a greatly 

 superior number of troops during a whole year, until famine 

 reduced them to the necessity of yielding. The Venetians 

 then stepped in to protect them, and obtained for them an 

 honourable retreat to Venice as refugees, while the town wafi 

 given up to the Turks. Since then, the Ottoman dominion 

 over the Albanians has been nominally undisputed, but the 

 authority of the Sultan has never been sufficient to enable 

 him to suppress the spirit of revolt which is still strong within 

 them. 



This is nearly all that is known of the history of the Alba- 

 nians, and, although it is uncertain and obscure, still several 

 heroes of this race have arisen to adorn its pages. There is 

 first the great Scanderbeg ; then the more ancient Balza and 

 Spata ; there is Ali Pasha of the present century ; and in 

 the last, Ghalil or Patrona. The latter headed a sudden 

 revolution which overwhelmed the capital in 1730, and he 

 became absolute master of Constantinople, as recorded by 

 Lord Sandwich. 



Many communities of Albanians, which were formerly 

 Christian, have become followers of Mahomet. Some of 

 these were forced to become apostates by Badjazet, their 

 conqueror, very few having had the constancy to resist this 

 conversion by means of the sword. There were, however, 

 instances of fidelity to the Cross, under the most difficult and 

 trying circumstances, the most remarkable of which were 

 the Souliotes, Chimariotes, and Parganotes, who remained 

 faithful to the Greek Church, and the Mirdites, to that of 

 Rome. Others again changed their religion from motives of 

 interest and ambition. One inducement to adopt the Mussul- 

 man faith, which was held out to the Albanians by the 

 Turkish government, was in the shape of a law, securing 

 their property to each family which should bring up one of 

 their sons as a Mahometan. Many proselytes were thus 

 gained, and the succession of land was diverted from the 

 Christians to the Mussulmen. Again, soldiers by necessity 

 and from choice, the Albanians could attain rank and power, 



