IN THE LAND OF THE BORA. Gl 



the Italian " item," it is, however, powerless, the 

 Slav party being in an absolute majority over them 

 all combined. Therefore the government must, as 

 racing men say, " stand on velvet " to a much 

 greater degree than our own prime minister does 

 at present,* and, barring an unforeseen " cave," 

 they have nothing to fear. 



The Vienna Government, true to its policy of 

 divide et impera, encourages these ridiculous 

 provincial politics, and backs first one party and 

 then another, with the idea that as long as a 

 province is busy with internal dissensions it cannot 

 actively develop the dislike which all Slav races 

 undoubtedly have for the German rule. There 

 can be no doubt that but for the religious dis- 

 sensions in these provinces Vienna would have a 

 much harder task, and this greatly explains the 

 fact that we find so hard to understand of the 

 continued coherence (if that be not too flattering 

 an expression) of an empire confronted with so 

 many racial difficulties. 



Dalmatia is also intensely jealous of the 

 expenditure lavished upon the " administered 

 provinces," Bosnia and Herzegovina, and cannot 

 see why these should be provided with railways, 

 hotels, schools, haras, forest department, roads, 

 and so forth, before a real old province of the 

 empire which is badly in need of them all. 

 * Written '94. 



