politan, the Vladika, in whose eparchy are
included Ipek, Kroja and Dalmatia spiritually, for the consecration
of priests, he being, since the removal of the Patriarch of Ipek,
the next Archbishop. But the foreign priests obey him in no respect
save for consecration. His functions consist in the consecration of
priests and churches. He visits the parishes but not so much for
pastoral duties as for the collection of the so-called Milostina,
the alms which form his payment. The monks too collect on their own
behalf. The people who are very superstitious, fast rigorously and
give willingly to the clergy. Their terror of excommunication makes
them regard their Bishops as the highest and most respected in the
land. Radonitch's father, first Gubernator, tried to obtain the
highest position for himself but failed. His son now tries to, and
would succeed, were he cleverer and had more money, for the
Metropolitan Plamenatz is little respected and could not do much to
prevent him. The Metropolitans have been used to visit Petersburg
from time to time and to receive a subsidy for the Church and gifts
in money and in the form of costly vestments for themselves. From
which gifts, say the people, they receive no benefit. Since 1779 no
Russian money has been received. The feelings of the country have
consequently grown cold. People here obey only so long as they gain
by so doing."

We now come upon the first notice of the development of the Great
Serbian Idea, as a definite political plan in Montenegro. The
Austrian Envoy writes:

"The following which was told me by a Montenegrin monk is worthy of
further consideration. A little while after the Russian war was
ended in 1773 a plan was made by the Metropolitan and some monks to
reconstruct the old Serbian Kingdom and to include in it besides
Bulgaria, Serbia, Upper Albania, Dalmatia and Bosnia, also the Banat
of Karlstadt and Slavonia. The Turks in all the provinces were to be
fallen upon at a given moment by the Schismatics, and it was also
resolved that all foreign officers should be cleared out of all
lands within the Imperial frontiers. The late Orthodox Bishop
Jaksitch of Karlstadt is said to have agreed and carried on a
correspondence with the Metropolitan of Montenegro by means of
priests. . . . Though the carrying out of such a plan is very
difficult, yet the project should not be left out of consideration."

The Petrovitch ambition to form and rule over Great Serbia was th