ousand
Servian families emigrated into that kingdom; this first led the way
to contact with the civilization of Germany: and in the attendance on
the Austrian schools by the youth of the Servian nation during the
eighteenth century, were sown the seeds of the now budding
civilization of the principality.

Servia Proper, for a short time wrested from the Porte by the
victories of Prince Eugene, again became a part of the dominions of
the Sultan. But a turbulent militia overawed the government and
tyrannized over the Rayahs. Pasvan Oglou and his bands at Widdin were,
at the end of last century, in open revolt against the Porte. Other
chiefs had followed his example; and for the first time the Divan
thought of associating Christian Rayahs with the spahis, to put down
these rebels, who had organized a system which savoured more of
brigandage than of government. They frequently used the holiday
dresses of the peasants as horse-cloths, interrupted the divine
service of the Christian Rayahs, and gratified their licentious
appetites unrestrained.

The Dahis, as these brigand-chiefs were called, resolved to anticipate
the approaching struggle by a massacre of the most influential
Christians. This atrocious massacre was carried out with indescribable
horrors. In the dead of the night a party of Dahis Cavasses would
surround a house, drive open gates and doors with sledge-hammers; the
awakened and affrighted inmates would rush to the windows, and seeing
the court-yard filled with armed men with dark lanterns, the shrieks
of women and children were added to the confusion; and the unhappy
father was often murdered with the half-naked females of his family
clinging to his neck, but unable to save him. The rest of the
population looked on with silent stupefaction: but Kara Georg, a
peasant, born at Topola about the year 1767, getting timely
information that his name was in the list of the doomed, fled into the
woods, and gradually organized a formidable armed force.

His efforts were everywhere successful. In the name of the Porte he
combated the Dahis, who had usurped local authority, in defiance of
the Pasha of Belgrade. The Divan, little anticipating the ultimate
issue of the struggle in Servia, was at first delighted at the success
of Kara Georg; but soon saw with consternation that the rising of the
Servian peasants grew into a formidable rebellion, and ordered the
Pashas of Bosnia and Scodra to assemble all their disposable