ALBANIAN RISING.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 839, 10 June 1910, Page 5

ALBANIAN RISING.

OFFICIALLY STATED TO HAVE ENDED. ISy TflcErußk-Prcss Assoeiation-CoDyrlehl Consfantinoplc, Juno S. It is officially stated that the Albanian rising has. ended. Mahnnul Shevket Pasha, who commanded the Turkish troops against the insurgents, is returning to Constantinople. HEREDITARY FOES. , NEW TURKEY TAKES UP A TASK. LUNG NEGLECTED. ' If the "ending" of the revolt really means the complete suppression of Albania, the result snould greatly strengthen the position of the new 'lurkish regime, just as failure would have, greatly weakened it. The activity ot Hellenism in Crete has made Turkey exceedingly anxious to bring the Albanian trouble to a conclusion, and tliere would bo some temptation for the ofhcial announcement to anticipate the end before its arrival. On the other hand, it Turkey's task in Albania really is done, the danger of a rupture with Greece concerning Creto is so much the greater. But no doubt the progress in events in Albania is being followed as closely at ■Uhens as at Constantinople, and tho Greek navigators will steer boldly, or cautiously according to what they know. Turbulent Mountaineers. How great a task tho Turks have undertaken in essaying to make their rule fully effective in Albania may bo gauged from some of the passages in Pictures From the Balkans" (Mr. J. F. Fraser). The roucUessncss of their mountain fastnesses is tho Albanians' strength; their inter-tribal strife-though jt .makes each mountaineer a lighter-is their weakness, In modern times their disunion has always rendered impossible any idea ot expelling the hated' Turks. At tho same time, the Turks,-for many years, had overlooked tho outrages ot Albanian raiders, and had failed to enforce taxes in Albania, through dread ot a campaign in those formidable mountains. The, New Turkey has at last felt itself strong enough to face the task, with the results recently cabled. lhe Albanians were defeated in force, and were then dealt with in detail by nine Tuurkish columns of about 2000 men each, a process attended by much bloodshed, and— according to an Italian report-not, free from outrage. The Italians themselves have territorial designs in Albania, and to that extent their view of Turkish military operations may be biased. Mixed Races, Religions, Jongues. The Albanians are a mixture of races and religions,' and the language is formless. There are some Moslems, and various sorts of Christian!), and both Christian and Moslem are to be found in the same clan. The absence of roads, the perilous mountain passes, the tribal jealousies, hnvo made each little region, clasped in nigh impenetrable mountains, seif-contoined. As to the .language, there is a notional alphabet, nut it is hardly ever used. In-one part of- tho country Latin characters are employed, while in another part Greek) characters aro common. In some districts much Italian is incorporated into the language, in other districts much Greek, and in others much Slavonic. The consequence is that Albanians living 50 or tO miles apart nave the greatest diiilculty in understanding one another.l Writes Mr. Fraser:

"Present-day Albanians are a mixture of races—ltalian, Greek, Slav, Bulgar— whoso ancestors in the olden times, driven by the conquerors of Macedonia, lied to these mountains, whither' they could not be pursued, and where, although they had common interest ii\ resisting aggression from the outside, , they have never allowed to die out the flicker and often the,'flame of tribal animosity. Parallel With Highlanders. . "Seeking ' for u simple parallel, 1 might say that,the condition of Albania is not unlike that-of the Highlands of Scotland in the' sixteenth century, when tho clans were at,'constant feud with one another. Many a time I thought of similarities between Albania and Scotland. There are parts of the country reminiscent of the Highlands. The passionate love of country is a characteristic of both. The alertness of tho Scotch Highlander to resent insult is only equalled by the quickness of the Albanian to shoot anyone who may disagree with him. The quilted petticoat of the Albanian is certainly similar to tho Highlander's kilt. And if you could hear the wail of Albanian music in the hills you might,- without much stretch of the imagination, faucy you were listening to the skirl of the bagpipes. "Albanians acknowledge - the authority of their, own Bey, or chieftain, whilst they repudiate the authority of tho Turks. The head of the clan will inflict punishment on any clansman who offends against the common good of his tribe. Every .vdl'ey has its own L'ey, and most valleys are in a condition of war against one another. Clansmen are afraid to cross the ridge of mountains into -neighbouring valleys for fear of falling a prey to an enemy's bullet. This fact caused me inconvenience because I found it difficult to secure guides who would, show the way over the mountains to some village or town I ' was anxious to reach, because either they did not know the routo .or were afraid of the consequences. A Truce that Lapsed. "The clan feuds were so disturbing that a few years ugo some of the great Beys dill, meet at Blbasan and make a truce. The order that a member of a rival' clan was not to be shot on sight had its effect for a time. You cannot, however, make an Albanian behave otherwise than as an Albanian. Now the truce has lapsed, . and guerilla warfare is .again the rule. - . • "So self-contained are these ' valleys, with such a lack oT communication, not only with the outer world, but with each other, that in the course of half a day's ride 1 frequently noticed distinct changes in details of costume. For instance, in ono valley the men would weaf tight-fitting, thick felt caps, looking for all the world as though they were white smoking caps.. In an adjoining valley the men would wear tight-fitting linen skull caps, whilst still further on were men with black felt caps. "Not only aro the Albanian clans in a state of perpetual conflict with each other—if they were able to join forces they could clear the Turks out of Albania in a year—but. members .of the same cjan arc engaged in constant vendetta.. Albanians occasionally die from ordinary disease, but most, of them die from differences of opinion." Sighs for Hamidian Days. In the days when Abdul Hamid was Sultan, with his characteristic craftiness he conciliated the Albanians, by having his bodyguard at- Constantinople composed of Albanians, on whose strict nolions of honour towards a liberal master he fplt he could rely, for tho Albanian has a fierce chivalry of his own. Similarly, Abdul Hamid" broke the power of the Albanian chiefs, or lieys, by inviting them to Constantinople, making much of them, and covering their breasts with decorations. The Hiimidinn days have gone. Tho iron-handed administration of the New Turkey comes in armed force to impose census and taxes on the hitherto untrammelled mountaineer. That is why Albania raised, in a disjointed wny, the standard of tho old regime, and why guerrilla; warfare waged its uncertain course in tho mountain valleys.