Henry Skene, Esq., on the Albanians. 325 



but the destruction of their capital Achris enabled the latter 

 to gain head again, and it is then that they first appear on 

 the page of history as acting a conspicuous part. Tlie Bul- 

 garians however recovered their power before anotlier century 

 had elapsed, and they extended to the southernmost parts of 

 Epirus ; Cedrenus records, in confirmation of this, tliat they 

 had even taken possession of Nicopolis.* They formed an 

 alliance with the Blacks in the year 1186, and rebelled to- 

 gether against the Greek empire ; they succeeded in found- 

 ing another kingdom, of which Turnovo was the capital. t 



The Bulgarians have fallen very much in power, although 

 they have not become incorporated with any of the other 

 portions of the population of European Turkey. They still 

 remain a distinct people, and they occupy different parts of 

 Macedonia, Illyria, and even Thessaly, where they devote 

 themselves solely to agriculture. Many places which were 

 formerly possessed by them, have fallen to the share of the 

 Greeks and Albanians ; and the Bulgarians have left traces 

 of their occupation, in the names of these towns, by adding 

 the Slavonian terminations ovo. avo, ista, itza or itzi. 



Their language is a corrupt Sclavonian dialect, and their 

 religion is that of the Eastern Christian Church, although 

 some of them have espoused the Mahometan faith. Rude 

 and ignorant, they still seem to retain the same habits which 

 they possessed before their descent from the forests of 

 Russia and Poland ; and, with their kinsmen the Servians, 

 Bosniacs, and Croatians, they form a family, totally distinct 

 from the Greeks and Albanians. 



The Blacks are chiefly migratory shepherds originally from 

 Wallachia, but now to be found all over Turkey in Europe, 

 and even in free Greece. They possess large flocks, which 

 they move from the hills to the plains, and mce versa., accord- 

 ing to the season ; living on the produce of these, they at- 

 tempt no species of agriculture or settlement, in general. 

 They still hold, however, several towns and villages, which 

 were taken by them in their first incursions. Well armed 

 and courageous, they are ready to protect their lives and 



* P. 628. t Cantacuzenus, I. 3. c. 10. p. 381 ; 1. 4. c. 22. p. 796. 



VOL. XLVI. NO. XCII. — APRIL 1849. Y 



