I *ï* T
they any in ancient' times, as far as records go. They put
themfelves fpontancoufiy under the protection o f the. re-publick
oft Venice,,bav'inghhakea o& ah'dependance :on. the ponte- under
whieh they formerly dived, /though always governing themfelves
byaheh.owaüatutes.'; Th® gôvemment of thisdiute repubfrck
has.fomethiag fingularJn .it ; andldefsrves ta.beknowm Three
orders or rankit:bÉcpèrftnns compofe-the whole; -body, oft the peo-
pie,., confi ft in g ; ofgabout’ fifteen - tbou fan d Twenty families pre-
tend .that they,, are;, defeended from >nofrle, Hungarians* who in
turbulent times'had tafcen jrcfuge;iir thefe; parts; • Another large t
num-ber.of.fain-ili^.boaft that they are: nobles oft.Bofthta, ..and the
re®! ^te the:teomniorwrlty of: pe.ifant-s, ’ hvery year, on.-S't"
George’s, day,., the- Poglizans» hold tbefr ■ diet, . -which they t ail :
Zbor:. and .each o f the three-orders farms a fe.parate»-encamp- -
menfc on the-plain .oft Gatta. There they.chafe-new:.tnagiftnates} ,
or confirm, the cld ones. .
the firft, dignity.of the ftate, .and is-ahvay$\ehafen from.the.nok -
bfc Hungarian families* 'I'he eletters arc, the inferior .Countsj
that is,. the chiefs of villages,...chofen out of the- Boikkn nobllie.
ty, and. deputed- by their- refpeitive commpnities-to the dietl
In the mean-timew while the inferior/Counts eleâr the. great :
Count, the pe.opk-, divided into various affembfres,,j.eprfefenting
the inhabitants of the villages,. chufe the inferior Counts:for the -
following year, ' or confirm thofe who-deferve it- in their: office.
And the firft order o f the ftate proceeds at tlie fame time to- the
elèition o f a captain, and two proilors. It happens but fcjdom
that the great Count is chofen without violence, becaufe there
is generally more than one-candidate. In that cafe, after having
can-vafled the votes-underhand, one-.oft the. boldeft pàrtifanâ:
lays hold o f the box containing the privilèges of the community,,
which is the depolitc annually committed to the., care o f the
great
If Iff'- 1 fli
r *n I
^reat C ou n t: He: runs with the box- towards the houftrof him.-
for- whom he is engaged,: and every member o f the diet has-.a
right to pu-rfue him with-ftsnes, knives, and fire- arms1* and
many make life o f their- right to its fo il extent. If- the man
takes his meafures well, and gets fafe to the houfe propofed
with theihaxi the great- Count is duly ele&ed,i and hone dares -
makeTurthet oppofition.. T h e laws o f the Poglizans,. and their-
procedures: retain fomewhat o f the barbarous age- in which they -
were-compiledir, yet fom-e:o£.them are very reasonable. I f there - fiui!
Bap.pens;ta.:be any litigation, about land, the: judge goes upon the/
fppt,s and hears both:parties,.- fitting on»the.- ground, with, his
own cloak ; fpxead under, him ; he decides the caule before he
rtfes,-; .and(generally to: the: fatisfadtion o f both parties. When
a-Pogl-izan: .is-killed by -ode-of his countrymen* tlie. Count, or •
So,vernor .of-the* village, .attended by the principal people, goes-
to the houfesof. th.e rtuMsdererf and there' they eat, d r in k an d - -
plunder what. they, l ik e b e f t .. After:,this,, ceremony, notice is ;
given to, -the great Count, who alfo repairs without delay- to the
fame plies,.and reoniumes» every, thing that , remains.-. I f the
murder is not uttendedby fome.atrociouscdrcumftanee,..the/penal v
ty is forty dollars, which make ab'butthe value of- eight fequins;,-.
this contribution is called Karvarma, that is, bloodihed,-or price-■
of blood.:. In former times-,- murderers - were-condemned to be-
ftoned to death ; , but at prefent they- are liable only to pecuniary,
puniihments,- beeaufe the great Count -is-unwilling to expofe his-
own fentence to an appeal to the Governor General o f Dalmatia;,
yet fometimes the criminal is ftoned directly after the fait is committed,.
and fo. no time is left to appeal; Proofs by fire, and boiling
water, are ftill in ufe among thofe people,,and the, viitims
are fometimes feen difabled, and half roafted. The Poglizans.,»
have another kind of. torture,, that is at leaft equal to any o f they
analogous-.