A RECENT VISIT TO THE DALMATIAN COAST. 69 
into the Gulf of Cattaro, the town of Cattaro soon coming into 
sight at the end of the gulf. The town is built upon a very , 
narrow alluvial plain at the base of lofty mountains, which rise 
like a steep wall behind it. These are the mountains of 
Montenegro, and although along the eastern shore of the gulf the 
boundary between that principality and the Austrian territory of 
Dalmatia is only distant in a horizontal direction something like 
half a mile, yet, in order to reach the frontier, it requires three or 
four hours’ stiff walking from Cattaro up the wonderful zig-zag 
road which traces its sinuous course up the mountain side. This 
is the main road to Cetinje, the capital of Montenegro. As far 
as the frontier it has been constructed by the Austrian Govern- 
ment, and is now met by the Montenegrin portion of the road 
which is continued beyond Cetinje. There can be no doubt that 
the portion of the road on the Dalmatian side has been con- 
structed with a view to the possibilities of its being required for 
military purposes, for it can be raked by the guns of the citadel of 
Cattaro, and also by those ofa fort higher up. 
The Bocche di Cattaro and the channels and inlets further to 
the north have often been compared with the Norwegian fjords. 
The resemblance, however, is only very slight in reality. It is 
true that both owe their origin to the submergence of land 
valleys, but here the parallel ceases. In the Dalmatian fjords 
there is of course no sign of ice action having played any part in 
their sculpture. This, coupled with the fact that the rocks of the 
two countries are of such an entirely different nature and appear- 
ance, will readily prepare one for the strongly marked differences 
of contour in the hills and the low-lying rocks on the margins of 
the inlets. 
It seemed to me a matter of considerable interest to determine 
if these Dalmatian inlets exhibit any instances of that peculiarity 
of the northern fjords and sea lochs in having much deeper water 
within than at their mouths. During our voyage I had a very 
good opportunity of examining the Admiralty Chart of the coast, 
but I could not discover a single instance of this peculiarity. All 
the channels and inlets of the Dalmatian coast gradually become 
