II. The Poles in Russia—Russia’s Repressive Measures—The Slav Ideal—A Better Understanding—The Poles in Prussia—The Iron Heel—Law of Expropriation. III. Csech Characteristics—Professor Masaryk—Jan Huss—Slav Puritans—The Hradčin—Modern Politics. _PART II._—THE SOUTHERN SLAVS. CHAPTER V. BULGARIA 77 Country and People—The Building up of the Bulgarian State—Relations with Russia—German Influence—Alexander of Battenberg—King Ferdinand—Bulgaria’s Immediate Duty. CHAPTER VI. SERBIA 98 I. Serbian Self-reliance—Characteristics of the Serb People—The power of the Folk song—Race-consciousness. II. History of the Southern Slavs. III. The Birth of a Nation—Prince Miloš—“The Great Sower”—Alexander Karagjorgjević—Michael Obrenović—King Milan—Fall of the Obrenović Dynasty—King Peter—The Restoration of Serbia’s Prestige. IV. Serbia and Austria—A Campaign of Calumny—Annexation of Bosnia-Hercegovina—The Balkan Wars—Serbia Rehabilitated—The Tragedy of Sarajevo. CHAPTER VII. MONTENEGRO 129 The Country of the Black Mountain—Women Warriors—King, Poet and Farmer—Historical Sketch of Montenegro—Petar I., Petrović—Petar II.—Pro-Russian Policy—A Royal Poet—Nikola I. CHAPTER VIII. THE SOUTHERN SLAVS OF THE DUAL MONARCHY 138 I. A Homogeneous People—A Militant Past—The Bogumili—National Bondage—Napoleon—Illyrism—Agreement with Hungary—Count Khuen-Hedervary. II. The Greatest Representative of the Southern Slavs—Strossmayer’s Generosity and courage—Fall of Count Khuen-Hedervary—Death of Strossmayer. III. False Dawn—Conference of Fiume—Ban Paul Rauch—Monster Trial in Zagreb—The Friedjung Case—Cuvaj—Frano Supilo. IV. Dalmatia, Istria, Carniola—The Italian Element—Bosnia—Hercegovina—Conclusion. EPILOGUE. “BURIED TREASURES” _by Dimitrii Mitrinović_ 178 PREFACE. The task of writing a book on the subject of the Slav nations has afforded me very great pleasure, and I hope my work will succeed in its object and arouse the sympathies of the British public for my race. In preference to giving long disquisitions, I have purposely adopted a simple narrative tone in sketching some of the most interesting points in the national life of the Slav peoples. I have only touched upon historical events in so far as this was necessary for the context, and owing to lack of space I have been unable to do more than allude to Slav art and literature. On the other hand, a good deal of valuable information on this subject will be found in the epilogue “Buried Treasures,” which the eminent Serbo-Croat essayist, Mr. Dimitrij Mitrinović has kindly placed at my disposal.