analogous inhumane inventions among politer nations ; they put
fplinters o f pine between the nails and fleih o f thofe accufed o f
certain crimes, but never make ufe o f any other -wood, becaufe
their ftatute prefcribes this fpecies alone.
TMotwithftanding thefe traits o f legal barbarity, the Poglizans
are humane, hofpitahle, and good friends, when they have no
ground for.fufpicion. Their ignorance renders them diffident in
fome cafes,- hence i t is-irrrpoffible for ftrafi'gers" to get information
from them about any tbitig that might engage their curio-
lity,' or to infped: ancient records ; ' and they are always afraid
that a ftranger who* can read*'is ia digger for hidden treafures.
Thè (bephferds < ò f PÒgliza have a-' partibular devotion ■ for St.
V i ro, and folemrtize- nh holiday fey burning odorous wood before*
their cottages.* In farmer times, •the' Sclavonic nations
vvorffiipped the/GodWi#/. They believe*'that,u by taking away
the ice ffem- the%oll©ws o f their mountains',11 where :it lies the
whole year-round,*1 a* north wiild- is raifed, which deftroys their
pia-n tat ions, and therefore they do not -fuffer it to be ¡touched.
They1 treat* <theh women uncivilly; and never /peak o f them
without a preface o f excufe, like the Morlacchi, which is a fuf-
ficient fpecimen o f the rudenefs- o f their manners. Their
Jhcngth, fine ftature, fofericty, and habitual -fatigue, form die
Poglizans for--foldier-s. Their country1 ;is iaacceffible to large
bodies o f troops; blit they can affemblè, and-come down from
theif mountains in formidaMe muhiberS. jr!Not many years ago,
ílimálated-hy fhe'Ipirit1 o f' rd^èffgSi thcy!:threàfèhfed the city o f
Almijfd, making a;déFediÌhhdatgev6od^r!àsÌIf3f l :a1s the banks o f
¡the riverj'ancf’there wds'a hedefiity ofhlrhig the artillery in Order
.to difperfe thémi ' 'Thérè' if,0! ih;thfe!teri4fory;o f Pbgliza; a hsm-
jlct called ^?H«?*;Dt'¿?^^,‘ íAÍ'h,ftH''t3gh:i'fidsi; t lié Wood ©f :Piriint
Perhaps,
■Perhaps, in old times, the idol Pirun was adored there, as he
•was* at- Novogorod, till J oh n B a s i l i o v i t z , Great Duke o f
-Mufcovy, conquered that famous city, and the provinces de*-
•pending on it.
O f the City o f Alm-iss'A; and the injtiflfcedone hj F . F a r t . A T I 'h
'■ ’ its inhabitants.. GibgrdpBiidt errors o f "the fame Author;
A ltn iffi,. called Omtjh, • by,. thq -Sclavonians,.. is perhaps the
Qnceum.oiancient geogi-aphprs,, thqugh,pot.Has Peguntium, . as is
commonly.bflie,ved.,, .I t Jigs at ¡die foot,.of. very,,.high rocks, on
..a.le,Yel p p ip t.o f land,. w h ich is bathfd b y -t^-ipettina^and. the
fea. ..Bufchingf.tthatihfli.ight e,nj;py.ar;bet,ter air, ¡¡.has, ¡placed, iti
on a high.rockj.and.Fjathei- E a r l a t i , whom I have often ¡cited,1
.adferta that it is built on a h i l l , , adding alfo with ¡equal exaflnefs,
that it is. .five .miles diftant f rom , the ruins*of Ppejium •, though
the dift.ance.between, the ie.tw o places, is thirteen long miles,.
There are ¡.no wftiges o f good aptiquity about AlmilTa; .bu tfome ■
fragments-of vafc.% tiles, and infcription - found, a t . Starigrad,
.that is ,, the.old, city, are ipdipabpns.of an ancient.Roman fcftle-
ment.there. T h e only monument o f antiquity now preferred
in Almifia is a lmall dedicatory, infcription built up in the wall:
o f the, city. ,.„ lt has, the.tide pf-Biihpprick^ but.nptths refidence,
in the fame.manner.as Knin,,where,,,, notwith Handing, Bufching
has pMced.- a-refident/Bifliop*.,-AlmifTa,. tagether-with its territory,
forms a part o f the diacefs af'Spalatro..| It has, a feminary
o f Sclavonian. priej^deftihed tq fetve.in thep^irifh churches o f
Pogliza,.. and. in theiflands,,w.ber^:tbe„gda«anic liturgy fuhfifts.
Almiffa was, a.neft .of-- pirates, in-.thofe- ages o f wan. and-blood,,
when circumft-anees formed the- temporary charafter o f nations,
and ■fometimes led them from the principles o f humanity to barT
. barous >