Voivoda, who had been chosen in the previous May, and he bestowed upon
the Serbs of Syrmia and Ba[vc]ka and the Banat a territory of their
own, with their own organization and jurisdiction. Even a less
extensive Serbian authority, namely, the Banat town of Velika Kikinda,
with its ten dependent villages, raised its own taxes, had its own
police and had the power of life and death. There was, indeed, a cloud
which came across the Serbians' happiness when [vC]uplikac, the
Voivoda, died suddenly. He was at Pan[vc]evo when he received from the
Emperor the gracious edict and a box of cigars. No sooner had he
mounted his horse, lit one of the cigars and uttered the word
"Brother," than he fell down dead. As for the Croats, the Emperor made
Jella[vc]i['c] governor of Dalmatia, which signified the union of that
province to Croatia.

HOW MONTENEGRO REFORMED HERSELF

There was a poet on the throne of Montenegro, the greatest of Yugoslav
poets, who now that the civil governor (to whom had been entrusted
certain duties which it had been thought a bishop should not
exercise)--now that this official was expelled, reigned over
Montenegro as the first and last real Prince-Bishop. He was a
magnificent person, even for a Montenegrin, since his height was no
less than 6 feet 8 inches; and in his determination to establish order
in the principality he had let nothing intervene. As Russia, after a
longish interval, resumed her subsidies and paid Peter II. an annual
allowance of nine thousand ducats, together with arms, ammunition and
wheat, the Prince-Bishop was relieved of the necessity of taxing his
people. This made it easier for him to build up a strong central power
that would not be dependent on the tribal chiefs, though it is
doubtful if a despotism was more suitable for Montenegro's economic
circumstances than the patriarchal form of government. Peter
surrounded himself with a senate of twelve members, whose salaries he
paid, a bodyguard of a few dozen and a police force of several
hundred. These men, who lived to execute his wishes, were the
instruments by which he set about improving Montenegro. The vendetta
was to give way to the law court; there was something to be said,
though, for the people who withstood this innovation, since the
court's decision was the will of Peter. But no arguments protected
anyone who clung to the old-fashioned ways of the vendetta or of
brigandage or theft from being placed before a file of the
P