Trieste occupies the proud position of being Austria’s only port, and supports the burden easily. Through a long and chequered history the city has generally managed to retain control of its own affairs, and the inhabitants look on themselves as a race apart. Standing on the debatable ground between Italy and Austria, ground so often drenched in blood, coveted as a jewel beyond price by the Venetians, Trieste is scarred with war. She carries the traffic, necessitated by her being the outlet for the empire, without difficulty, and holds her own in political affairs. As a writer in the _Times_ (December 13, 1912) says: Austrian shipping has developed greatly during recent years. In 1901 the Commercial Marine consisted of 211 steamers of a net tonnage of 190,000. By the end of 1911 the steamers numbered 330 and the net tonnage was 367,785. During the same period the number of sailing vessels decreased and their net tonnage fell from 30,000 to 19,607. In appreciating this development it must be remembered that Austria is unfavourably situated for maritime trade. In spite of the length of the Dalmatian coast and its good natural harbours, Dalmatia is one of the poorest districts in Europe, and is without a developed interior or railway communication. Trieste thus remains for Austria, like Fiume for Hungary, the only considerable port. Trieste suffers, however, from the lack of an inland region with navigable rivers and developed industrial districts. Such districts exist only in the north of Austria and their products gravitate naturally towards Hamburg by way of the Elbe, notwithstanding the reductions of Austrian railway tariffs. In view of this circumstance the growth of Austrian shipping since the beginning of the century is the more remarkable, especially as it proceeds less from trade with the Levant and Asiatic harbours than from trade with South America, for which Genoa is more favourably situated, and with North America, to which Northern and Western Europe enjoy shorter access by sea. [Illustration: RAGUSA: THE PLOČE ROAD FROM SAN GIACOMO. MORNING] Trieste is connected with Villach and Salzburg by rail, and this is one of the routes on which the Austrian government has agreed to place the Canadian observation cars. The steamers of the Austrian-Lloyd line sail from here, and it is the point of departure for India, China, and Japan. Quite recently the Canadian-Pacific Railway Company have put on a service of steamers to link up Austria with Canada, a fact of which numbers of emigrants are taking advantage. A voyage of four and a half hours lies between Trieste and Pola, the Austrian naval base. The principal government dockyard is at Pola, but at Trieste there are two building slips capable of receiving dreadnoughts. CHAPTER XVI TRANSYLVANIA AND GALICIA