REMARKS RESPECTING ALBANIA AND ITS INHABITANTS.

$95

Acarnania and the Ambracian Gulf, to the west upon the Ionian Sea and the Adriatic; though the Albanians by no means form the chief population within these limits, being interspersed with nụmerous tribes of Servians, Bulgarians, Valachians, Osmanlis, and Romaic or modern Greeks: so that in the same town it is not uncommon to hear spoken the Turkish, Romaic, Bulgarian, Valachian, and Albanian languages, and sometimes a patois, or mixture of them all. Albania is not unfrequently divided into Upper and Lower, though the boundary line of these divisions is very undefined: they might perhaps with greater propriety be styled Illyrian and Epirotian Albania. The districts which are generally acknowledged in the country are as follow. Scutari, Upper and Lower Dibra, Croia, Dulcigno, Duratzo, Tiranna, Albassan, Ochri, Avlona, Berat, Musachia, Desnitza, Scrapari, Koritza, Kolonia, Konitza, Dangli, Toskaria, Malacastra, Arberi or Liapuriá, Argyro-Castro, Kimarra, Delvino, Liutzaria, Zogoria, Palaio-Pogojanni, Ioannina, and Tzamouria: to which might now be added Arta, and Luro, since as many Albanians are settled in these provinces as in most of the others abovementioned.

With regard to the origin of this people, who lay as it were dormant so many centuries, "occulto velut arbor ævo," during the incursions of the barbarians by whom at various times the Eastern Empire was overrun*, history is quite silent; all is left to conjecture, and conjecture itself has in this instance but slight grounds for the formation of an hypothesis. Their language being entirely oral, no written documents can remain to aid us in our researches. In the opinion of Col. Leake, than whom few persons are better able to judge, they are the descendants of some ancient Illyrian nation, preserved by their mountain barriers from the intermixture of Goths, Huns, Sclavonians, and other invading tribes who settled in the country; and the only

* From the time of Ptolemy the geographer till the 11th century I believe they are not mentioned by any historian.

2

96

REMARKS RESPECTING ALBANIA AND ITS INHABITANTS.

hypothesis which seems able to stand against this, refers them to an emigration of Asiatic Albanians, concerning whom Strabo has left us a copious narrative, wherein some traits of character curiously coincide with these Europeans, modified by the inventions of modern science and the introduction of different religious rites.

The features of the Albanian, his narrow forehead, keen grey eye, small mouth, thin arched eyebrow, high cheek bones, and pointed chin, give him a very marked Scythian physiognomy; but as I am ignorant of the language [which by the best judges is considered a dialect of the Sclavonic with an intermixture of many other tongues], and have no other data of any consequence, I feel myself unqualified to offer any opinion upon this point. The name of ALBANIANS seems to have been taken from Ptolemy by the Byzantine writers* ; for the Turks call them ARNAOUTS, whilst their appellation in their own language is SKYPETARS, their country SKYPERI, and their dialect SKYP. They are divided into four great tribes, or clans, called DGEDGES, TOSKIDES, LIAPIDES, and TZIAMIDEST. The first of these occupy the northern districts of Scutari, Dibra, Dulcigno, and Durazzo. The second dwell in the great plains of Albassan, Musakia, and Malacastra, stretching from the hills of Durazzo to Berat and Avlona, and along the banks of the Voïussa, or Aous, to Tepeleni and Klissura (the ancient Fauces Antigoneæ), and from thence to the boundaries of Koritza eastward. The third are a race of wild mountaineers spread over the country between Toskerià and the great plain of Delvino, bounded by the Ionian sea: they are so dirty in their habits and so addicted to plunder that the derivation of their name is commonly referred to the Lapithæ of antiquity. The fourth tribe ex

* The titles given them by the Byzantine historians are ̓Αλβανοι, Αρβανοι, ̓Αλβανῖται, ̓Αρβανῖται, Αλβανήτες, &c.

+ Called by the Romaic writers, Γκέγκίδες, Τόσκιδες, Λιάπιδες, Τζιάμιδες The Albanian pronunciation, according to Colonel Leake, whom I consider as the best authority, is NGEGE, TOSKE, LIAPE, TZAMI. There are many subordinate tribes, most of which the reader may see in the map.

REMARKS RESPECTING ALBANIA AND ITS INHABITANTS.

97

tends over that part of ancient Thesprotia which lies chiefly to the south of the river Kalamas or Thyamis, comprehending Philates, Margariti, and the Cassopaan mountains. In all these tribes there are certain shades of difference with regard to language and manners, that render it possible for a native to distinguish them from each other: but the principal traits of the Albanian character seem to have remained unaltered since the time of Alexius Comnenus*, when they begin to be noticed by historians as a hardy and nomad, but cruel, rapacious, and insubordinate people. After the death of the great Scanderbeg, when the Albanians, who had made a most brave resistance, fell beneath the Ottoman yoke, an innovation was introduced into their religious faith till this time they at least professed Christianity, however uninstructed they might have been in its peculiar tenets and doctrines: the progress of apostacy however was at first very slow, and the religion of Mahomet did not gain many adherents till about the end of the sixteenth century: at this time a law was promulged which secured their estates in the possession of all those Albanian families who should bring up one of their members in the Mahometan faith. This had the double effect, of keeping the country more clear of Osmanli settlers than the rest of Turkey, and of soon transferring the chief property into the hands of the new proselytes. At various times however whole villages, towns, or districts, for political advantages, have voluntarily renounced the religion of their ancestors; and these instances occur not unfrequently at the present day. Yet the Albanian Mahometan is not more observant of doctrines, rites, and ceremonies under his new law than he was under his old one, and is looked upon with great contempt by the rigid Osmanli. He frequently takes a Christian woman to his wife, carries his sons to mosque, and

Οι τὰς Διαβόλεις νεμόμενοι Αλβανὸι νομάδες. L. ii. c. 55. Αλβανὸς ὁι περὶ Θετταλίαν οικῶσιν αυτονόμοι νομάδες. L. ii. c. 24. Οι τὰ ὀρεινὰ τῆς Θετταλίας νεμόμενοι Αλβανοι αβασίλευτοι, &c. L. ii. c. 28. Ευχερεις ὄντες πρὸς μεταβολάς και φύσει νεωτεροποιοί. Cantacuzeni, Hist. l. ii. c. 32. sub init.

VOL. II.

98

REMARKS RESPECTING ALBANIA AND ITS INHABITANTS.

allows his daughters to attend their mother to church; nay, he even goes himself alternately to both places of worship, and eats with his family out of the same dish, in which are viands forbidden to the disciples of Mahomet. Very few of them undergo the rite of circumcision : hence when the pasha, in a fit of religious zeal, has sent sheiks to perform the operation throughout certain districts, many of the adults have died in consequence. They are in general too poor to avail themselves of the licence which their religion grants for polygamy, but are content with one wife, who is chosen, like any other animal, more for a slave or drudge than for a companion: they are by no means jealous of their women, nor do they confine them like the Turks and Greeks. The wretched creature of a wife, with one or two infants tied in a bag behind her back, cultivates the ground and attends to the household affairs by turns, whilst her lordly master ranges over the forest in search of game, or guards the flocks, or watches behind a projecting rock with his fusil ready to aim at the unwary traveller. These women are in general hard-featured, with complexions rendered coarse by exposure to all varieties of weather, and with persons extenuated by constant toil and scanty fare. In some districts they meet with better treatment, and are found ready to share the dangers of war with the men as well as the labours of agriculture. One fault of very ill savour attaches itself to both sexes, being dirty in their habits to a proverb, and never laying aside their apparel either by day or night. Having no such conveniences as beds, they sleep on the ground, with skins or mats for covering, in the midst of filth which might turn the stomach of an Esquimaux: their huts or cabins have no chimney, but plenty of crevices are left in the roof and walls for the egress of smoke and the admission of rain. Scarcely ever is any other furniture seen than a little earthenware, with an iron pot to cook their victuals: they are far from being luxurious in their food, and intoxication is a vice of rare occurrence: yet at times they will both eat and drink immoderately, especially if it be at another person's cost: