GENEEAL ASPECTS. 3 



surrounding lowlands — Upper Italy, Hungary, or South Germany — are more 

 or less at their mercy. A state which held not only this Alpine citadel, but also 

 the middle course of a river like the Danube, could easily satisfy its hunger after 

 conquests. 



Vienna, which occupies the centre of this incoherent empire, has certainly 

 exerted a considerable levelling influence upon the various races peopling the 

 empire. These latter, however, resent the pressure which is exercised by the two 

 dominant races, and the time is not perhaps very remote when the existing institu- 

 tions will be replaced by a federation voluntarily organized by the nationalities 

 inhabiting the empire. 



Formerly the Germans were supposed to form the majority of the inhabitants, 

 and since the empire has taken the title of Austria-Hungary there are some who 

 believe that Germans and Magyars combined constitute a decided majority. 

 Such, however, is not the case. They are the dominant races, true ; but amongst 

 every four Austro-Hungarians there is but one German, and amongst seven only 

 one Magyar. The Slavs virtually form a majority. Even many of the " Germans "^ 

 are merely Germanised Slavs ; but, irrespectively of this, nearly one-half of the 

 population is Slav by race and Slav by language. As respects nationality, there- 

 fore, Austria is nearly as much Slav as its two neighbour states of Turkey and 

 Russia. But the Slavs, unfortunately for the political influence they might exer- 

 cise, are split up into distinct nations. The northern and southern zones are 

 inhabited almost exclusively by Slavs, whilst the central zone is divided between 

 Germans, Magyars, and Rumanians. This central zone, from 150 to 200 

 miles in width, separates the northern from the southern, or Yugo-Slavs. It 

 constitutes the most important portion of the empire, for it is traversed by the 

 Danube, the great commercial highway of the country. If the Ruthenians desire 

 to hold intercourse with their kinsmen in the south, they are obliged to cross this 

 hostile zone ; and in reality they scarcely ever come into contact, except perhaps 

 at some Panslavic congress,' when, to the delight of the Viennese, they are com- 

 pelled to express their ideas in the hated language of the German. The Northern 

 Slavs belong to three nations speaking distinct languages, viz. Chechians (including 

 Moravians and Slovaks), Poles, and Ruthenians. No love is lost between the 

 two latter. The Southern Slavs, including the Slovenes of Carniola and Styria, 

 the Servians, Croats, and Dalmatians, exhibit greater affinities than their northern 

 kinsmen ; but, unfortunately for the political influence they might exercise, they 

 are split up into hostile religious factions, some being Roman, others Greek 

 Catholics, whilst the Slavs of Bosnia and the Herzegovina are in part 

 Mohammedans. 



Next to Slavs, Germans, and Magyars, Latin nations occupy a considerable 

 portion of the empire. The Italians of the Southern Tyrol and the coast of Istria 

 are inconsiderable in numbers, and gravitate towards Italy ; but the Rumanians 

 in Eastern Hungary and Transylvania occupy a very extended territory. It is 

 amongst them that most of the gipsies are met with, whilst the Jews are found 

 in all parts of the empire except in the Alps. Austria, in fact, is largely 



