350 



CROATIA. 



Croatia. 



Inhabi- 

 tants. 



•tenses. 



are in general Catholics, and are supposed to have esta- 

 blished themselves in this country in the beginning of 

 the 7th century. There are also a considerable number 

 of Illyrians from the Turkish provinces, who are of the 

 Greek church, besides Bohemians, Carniolians, Germans, 

 Italians, and a few Jews. The Croatian mountaineer 

 differs considerably both in disposition and in manners 

 from the inhabitants of the surrounding states. He re- 

 tains many of the customs of his remote ancestors, and 

 particularly that spirit of independence by which they 

 were characterised. From his infancy he is inured to 

 hardship. He is perhaps brought into the world in the 

 open fields, or on the side of a mountain, (if his mother 

 has been overtaken in labour, when engaged in her ordi- 

 nary occupation, as often happens from the hard work to 

 which the women of this country are exposed,) and be- 

 ing wrapped in a piece of coarse cloth, or swaddled only 

 in grass, he is immediately carried to church to be bap- 

 tized. His habitation scarcely shelters him from the in- 

 clemencies of a rigorous and inconstant climate. He of- 

 ten feeds upon the coarsest fare ; and from the frequent 

 scarcities which prevail, and the summer droughts, he is 

 no stranger to hunger and thirst. In the military dis- 

 tricts he is trained to the firelock from his earliest years ; 

 and soon acquires a martial appearance, and a vigorous 

 constitution. 



The inhabitants of Licca are particularly tall and well 

 made, of a brown complexion, a masculine air, and fierce 

 aspect ; and their voice is rough and loud. They are 

 brave, and excessively fond of military glory ; and the 

 women will even equal in the field the feats of their hus- 

 bands. They call themselves Junack (heroes,) a title 

 which they pretend was bestowed upon them by strangers. 

 But the most courageous of all are the Bunjifzi, who 

 make most excellent soldiers, and generally compose the 

 chosen militia of the country. They are devoid of all 

 fear; and the common amusement of the young Bunjifzi 

 is to clamber up the highest rocks on the shore, and to 

 precipitate themselves from thence into the sea. The 

 Croatians of the plains, however, are in many respects 

 very inferior. They possess neither the courage, the in- 

 dependent demeanour, nor the bodily strength and acti- 

 vity of their brethren on the hills. They arc enervated 

 "by premature marriages, which they generally enter into 

 before they are fifteen years of age, their principal anxie- 

 ty being to increase the number of females, upon whom 

 devolve not only the whole management of the family, 

 but often also the most laborious duties of agriculture ; 

 and their constitutions are farther enfeebled by the dis- 

 eases incident to a sultry and humid climate. The com- 

 mon cure among them is cupping and bleeding, while the 

 universal remedy among the inhabitants of the moun- 

 tains is a glass of brandy mixed with pepper, or a com- 

 position of wine, vinegar, and garlic. In fevers, they use 

 a decoction of black hellebore often with great success ; 

 but should the malady resist this remedy, they return 

 again to brandy, mixing it with great quantities of pepper 

 and ginger. 



The houses of the Croatian peasantry are of wood, 

 and generally of their own construction. They consist 

 of two apartments, one for the family and their provi- 

 sions, and the other for their cattle ; and the best of 

 them are but miserable hovels, without either windows 

 or chimneys. The hard earth is their only bed, except 

 that of the head of the family, or of the more wealthy 

 peasants, which is composed of a few planks raised a lit- 

 tle from the ground, and covered with stray/ and sheep- 



skins. Their furniture consists of a low table, a large Croatia, 

 trunk for keeping their money and other effects, a ket- ^^T"" "" 

 tie, one or two earthen pots, a few porringers and wooden 

 spoons, and one or two hatchets. Each carries a knife 

 for himself, which he uses at meals, and for making seve- 

 ral little household utensils, which is generally their em- 

 ployment at leisure hours. In one of these huts, some- 

 times 50 or 60 persons, of four generations, live toge- 

 ther in the greatest harmony. The oldest, who is called 

 Gospodar, is absolute chief of the family, and directs all 

 the out-work ; while his wife, or the oldest female, who 

 is called Gospodina, is entrusted with the care and edu- 

 cation of the children, and the management of the house. 

 All their clothes are made by the women, who both 

 spin the flax or wool, and weave it into cloth. The 

 common dress is a shirt with large sleeves, having the 

 neck, which is always open, and the wrists embroidered 

 with blue woollen thread ; a vest, after the Hungarian 

 fashion, with a double row of buttons ; white pantaloons; 

 short woollen stockings ; and sometimes Hungarian boots. 

 In a red belt the Croatian carries his pistols, and a long 

 knife called hanshar, and over all he throws a red cloak. 

 The richer inhabitants wear a long pelisse of green or 

 blue cloth, which they use chiefly lor show, and which 

 they seldom lay aside even in the hottest weather. 

 Their principal ornaments consist of ten or twelve silver 

 rings fastened to the left side of the vest, which make a 

 gingling noise when they walk. This is always consider- 

 ed as a sign of gentility, as are aiso large silver buttons 

 on the pelisse. The Illyrians wear in general a red bon- 

 net, and the Croats a hat or a fur cap. The shirt of the 

 women descends to the feet, and its sleeves, which are of 

 finer cloth and embroidered, are tied with silk ribbons ; 

 a woollen robe of the same length is bound round the 

 waist witn a girdle, and fastened on the breast with large 

 silver clasps, gilt and ornamented with false stones. An 

 apron before and behind is formed of pieces of fringed 

 carpet of different colours; and tl.eir stockings are of blue 

 cloth intermixed with small pieces of red and green. Du- 

 ring summer they throw aside the woollen robe, but re- 

 tain all the rest. Their hair is plaited in two tresses, 

 which hang down upon the breast, and which have small 

 bells, counters, and other ornaments fastened to their 

 extremity. Among the more wealthy these are formed 

 of gold, silver, or mother-iof pearl, and are sometimes so 

 numerous that the weight of half a pound is suspended 

 from each tress. They wear upon the head an embroi- 

 dered handkerchief after the Turkish fashion, and cover 

 the fingers, and even the thumb, with a profusion of 

 brass rings. Girls, however, have only one tress, which 

 is decked with ribbons, and cover the head with a small 

 led bonnet trimmed with gold or silver lace. 



The common food of the Croats consists of bread and Food, 

 other farinaceous preparations, milk and cheese. Those 

 in the plains, live much upon fruit, and few of them can 

 afford wheaten bread. They use very little butcher 

 meat ; and it is only at marriage feasts, or at the conclu- 

 sion of the hay season, and harvest, that they can in- 

 dulge themselves with such dainties. The prevailing 

 dishes are pottage, the same as in Scotland, but season- 

 ed with butter or oil, and sometimes milk ; vermicelli ; 

 and chou-croute. Oat-bread is in general use, but they 

 also bake in the cinders a kind of unleavened cake of 

 flower, barley, and rye, which they call pogalschen ; and 

 dining Lent they eat nothing but herbs and roots, boiled 

 in water, with a little salt. Dalmatian wine is the fa- 

 vourite beverage of the inhabitants of Licca, but they 



