he Austrian
collapse, as the Government had ordered to be done--three boxes,
presumably containing copies, are known to have been committed to the
flames at Split, while at Zadar there was a wholesale destruction on
October 31. Yet a fair number of interesting papers survived,
principally at Mostar, Castelnuovo, Metkovi['c] and Dubrovnik. In 1913
Captain Bukvich sent many reports to the effect that Split was
completely anti-Austrian and that the Italian party were the only loyal
people. On September 16 he said that the inhabitants believe in the
coming of a great Serbia, and he substantiates this with numerous
instances. "The students over thirteen years of age," he says, "are all
Serbophil, and most of the masters, professors and State clerks.... The
chief paper in Split is Serbophil and has been confiscated twenty-seven
times between October 1912 and September 1913." He reported on August
19, 1913 (Information No. 211), to the General Staff of the Imperial and
Royal 16th Corps at Dubrovnik with reference to the Francis Joseph
celebrations of the previous day: "... only the public buildings and a
few other houses were beflagged. One must notice the satisfactory
conduct and the finely decorated houses of the autonomous Italian
party." On February 27, 1914 (Information No. 62), he narrates that a
big dinner was given at the bishop's palace to celebrate the centenary
of the incorporation of Dalmatia into the Habsburg monarchy; all the
chief citizens were invited to this dinner, but the Croat deputies, Dr.
Trumbi['c], Dr. Smodlaka and other Croats declined with thanks. Dr.
Salvi, however, of the autonomous Italian party, put in an appearance.
On July 31 (Information No. 267) he refers to the mobilized men who
marched through the town and were put on board ship. "The attitude," he
says, "of the Slav _intelligentsia_ was quite passive. The Italian band
waited for the troops, a procession was improvised, great ovations took
place, and enthusiasm was shown by the Autonomous party, who called:
'Hoch Austria! Hoch the Emperor! Hoch the War! Down with Serbia! Down
with the Serbian municipality!'" A certain Demeter, an Austrian naval
lieutenant, was a spectator of these scenes. He made some notes for the
typist, afterwards embodied in a report to the Military Command at
Mostar and marked "Secret No. 147." He relates, with unconcealed fury,
how the Slavs not merely displayed no raptures when the War proclamation
was read, but walked