THE SHORES OF THE ADRIATIC
THE AUSTRIAN SIDE
THE KÜSTENLANDE, ISTRIA, AND DALMATIA
By F. HAMILTON JACKSON, R.B.A.
Vice-President Of The Institute Of Decorative Designers Cantor Lecturer,Etc.
FULLY ILLUSTRATED WITH PLANS. DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR,
AND PHOTOGRAPHSTAKEN SPECIALLY FOR THIS WORK
LONDON JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET, W. 1908[Pg iv]
PRINTED BY HAZELL, WATSON AND VINEY, LD., LONDON AND AYLESBURY.[Pg v]
PREFACE
This volume is complementary to that dealing with the Italian side ofthe Adriatic, and follows much the same lines. It has not been thoughtnecessary to repeat what appeared there about the sea itself, but somefurther details on the subject have been added in an introductorychapter. The concluding chapter treats of the influence which the twocoasts exerted on each other, and contains some hints as to certainarchæological problems of great interest, which deserve fuller and moreindividual treatment than they can receive in such a work as thepresent.
In a country which still contains so much that is unfamiliar, so manymediæval survivals in customs and costume, and so much that is fine inscenery, architecture, and the decorative arts, the picturesque aspectof the country has been dwelt upon more than was the case in dealingwith the Italian side, and the meticulous description of buildings hasto a great extent been abandoned, except in cases where it was necessaryfor the full understanding of the deductions drawn from existingdetails. At the same time, matters of archæology have not beenneglected, and the rich remains of mediæval goldsmiths' work havereceived special attention. The costume, the customs, and the folk-loreof the Morlacchi are also treated of in considerable detail.
The determination of the Croat majority to stamp out the Italianlanguage by insisting upon instruction[Pg vi] in the schools being givensolely in Croat will, in the course of a generation, make Italian aforeign language understood by few; and it seems wise for those whodesire to visit Dalmatia to do so soon, while it is still understood andbefore Italian culture is forgotten.
The present work does not pretend to in any way rival Mr. T.G. Jackson'sclassic volumes on the architecture of the country, in completeness ofhistorical treatment or architectural detail. Though Sir GardnerWilkinson had published a book on the country, and the brothers Adam'sfull description of Diocletian's Palace was well known to connoisseurs,he may be said to have practically discovered Dalmatia for theEnglishman; and it is a proof of the excellence of his work that, thoughtwenty years have elapsed since it was published, it has never beensurpasse