20 AUSTRIA-HUNGAEY. 



which is principally inhabited b}^ Slovenes. The small German settlements 

 lying beyond these limits are gradually being absorbed by the Slavs, whilst 

 German, owing to the advantages it enjoys as the language of Government and 

 commerce, is gaining ground in the towns. 



A very curious feature in connection with the ethnography of the Austrian 

 Alps is the almost total absence of Jews, so numerous in other parts of the empire. 

 Up to 1848 the only place where the Jews had a sj^nagogue was Hohenems, on 

 the Lake of Constanz. Elsewhere the population had most energetically opposed 

 their settlement, even paying a special tax to be rid of their presence ; and, 

 although Jews are now met with in the principal towns, they have not yet pene- 

 trated to the Alpine villages.* 



The inhabitants of the Zillerthal, east of Innsbruck, are probably the finest 

 representatives of the Germans of the Tyrol. They are Boioarians, whilst the 

 inhabitants of Bregenz, whose women carry off the palm for beauty, are Ale- 

 manni. Upon the whole, however, the Tyrolese do not deserve the reputation for 

 manly beauty which they enjoy. In some villages they are positively ugly, but 

 their ugliness is partly disguised by their pretty national dress. Persons suffering 

 from goitre and cretinism are as numerous as in Switzerland and Savoy, those of 

 the valley of Palten, in Styria, being most frequently afflicted. In some parts 

 there exists hardly a family one of whose members is not suffering from cretinism. 

 The unhappy /c.r, crouching down near the hearth, is an object of pity to all, for 

 popularly he is supposed to have been chosen by Providence to expiate the sins of 

 his relations. 



The Tyrolese of the higher valleys, amongst whom Phœtian and Celtic ele- 

 ments appear to predominate, are more reserved than their kinsfolk in the plains, 

 who are full of spirits and gaiety, and passionately fond of music and dancing. 

 The inhabitants of the Zillerthal more especially are surrounded by a halo of 

 glory. Their skill as hunters, the bravery with which they have defended their 

 mountain defiles, and their traditional lore entitle them to a place of honour 

 amongst their countrymen. 



Accustomed to the freedom of the hills, the Tyrolese were permitted to enjoy 

 many privileges. They are no longer exempted from the conscription, but are 

 permitted to serve in a local corps of sharpshooters. They are much attached to 

 existing political institutions, and adore their emperor and the dignitaries of the 

 Church. 



The Carinthians do not much differ in this respect from the Tyrolese. There 

 was a time when these mountaineers most jealously watched over their local 

 liberties. Up to the fifteenth century the investiture of the dukes took place with 

 ceremonies intended to symbolize the sovereignty of the people, and they were 



* Population and races of the Austrian Alps, not including the Salzkammergut (1876) : — 



Germans. Italians. • Ladins. Slavs. 



Tvi-ol and Vorarlberg . . . 530,000 340,000 15,000 — 



Salzburg 152,000 __ _ _ 



Carinthia 239,000 — — 105,000 



Styria 712,000 — — 449,000 



Total . . . 1,033,000 340,000 15,000 554,000 



