has
to a great extent been abandoned, except in cases where it was necessary
for the full understanding of the deductions drawn from existing
details. At the same time, matters of archaeology have not been
neglected, and the rich remains of mediaeval goldsmiths' work have
received special attention. The costume, the customs, and the folk-lore
of the Morlacchi are also treated of in considerable detail.
The determination of the Croat majority to stamp out the Italian
language by insisting upon instruction in the schools being given
solely in Croat will, in the course of a generation, make Italian a
foreign language understood by few; and it seems wise for those who
desire to visit Dalmatia to do so soon, while it is still understood and
before Italian culture is forgotten.
The present work does not pretend to in any way rival Mr. T.G. Jackson's
classic volumes on the architecture of the country, in completeness of
historical treatment or architectural detail. Though Sir Gardner
Wilkinson had published a book on the country, and the brothers Adam's
full description of Diocletian's Palace was well known to connoisseurs,
he may be said to have practically discovered Dalmatia for the
Englishman; and it is a proof of the excellence of his work that, though
twenty years have elapsed since it was published, it has never been
surpassed, and its value remains undiminished. To these volumes the
author desires to acknowledge his indebtedness, as well as to the
"Mittheilungen" of the Austrian Central Commission for the Conservation
of Historical Monuments; the "Bullettino di Storia Dalmata," conducted
by Mgr. Bulic at Spalato; the "Atti" of the Istrian "Societa di
Archeologia e Storia Patria," published at Parenzo; and the "Archeografo
Triestino," published at Trieste, all chronicling discoveries as they
were made, and containing articles giving interesting and reliable
information upon the history and antiquities of the coast. In addition,
the following works have been consulted:
Freeman's "Subject Lands of Venice"; Munro's "Rambles and Studies in
Bosnia and Herzegovina"; Neale's "Travels in Dalmatia"; Villari's
"Ragusa"; Benussi's "L'Istria"; Bianchi's "Zara Cristiana" and
"Antichita Romane e mediaevale di Zara"; Mgr. Bulic's "Guide to Spalato
and Salona"; Caprin's "Il Trecento a Trieste," "Alpi Gulie," and
"L'Istria noblissima"; Carrara's "La Dalmazia descritta"; Chiudina's
"Le Castella di Spalato"; Fabianich's "La Dalmazia
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