And what about this gentelman what do you think?
1841
Nicolay, Prince of the Vasoyevich:
Brief Information on the Tribes of High Albania,
in particular on the Independent Mountains
Nicolay, Prince of the Vasoyevich, or Prince des Wassoevitch as he calls himself in French, was the author of some French-language essays and letters on the mountainous region along the present border between Albania and Montenegro. He was active during the reign of Prince Petar II Petrovic Njegos (r. 1830-1851) of Montenegro, and seems to have first-hand knowledge about the highland tribes of Albania and Montenegro at the time. Little else is known of him.
Ancient Holmia (Mountains) is situated between the Adriatic Sea, the Bay of Kotor, Bulgaria and Old Serbia, between Herzegovina, Lake Ohrid, Elbasan and Durrës. It now forms the entirety of High Albania, part of Herzegovina, Bosnia and Old Serbia.
It is about 51.3 leagues long and about 30.8 leagues wide, which makes about 1,580 square leagues. It has a population of about 320,000 souls, of whom 74,000 fighters and 5,400 cavalry.
The country is covered in mountains and steep cliffs, gorges and regions that are so inaccessible that from ancient times up to the present, no armed force has been able to penetrate them.
I do not wish to go into topographical details about the country because it is too vast a subject and would require much more careful and special treatment. I would just like to note that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to get an accurate idea of the nature of this country and of the frightening aspect of its mountains. Every step one takes, one encounters a fort, every stone is a defensive wall that nature created to stop men from advancing. In short, High Albania is a perfect natural fortress that no power has ever been able to conquer or subdue.
History tells us that the Romans, and even the Turks, were masters of this country. This is true, but in the sense of stipulations that fulfilled the needs of these tribes, and not by force of arms.
Ancient Holmia derives its name from a lofty mountain called Holm, situated in the tribal land of the Vasoyevich against the Turks of Kolashin.
Holmia is now divided into two parts. The first are the independent mountains comprising Montenegro and Brda (ancient Holmia). The second are the mountains dependent upon the Porte for their pastureland and markets, but who pay nothing to the Turks and govern themselves.
The people who now inhabit this country are of two different races: Albanian tribes and Slav tribes. The Albanian tribes or Skyptars are the descendents of Illir, son of Cadmus, King of the Phoenicians, who left his country on the arrival of the Israelites, travelled with this son and his people to settle on the banks of the Adriatic Sea, from Greece to Lake Shkodra, a position that they have held up to the present, without having altered their costumes and customs. Their language has also remained to the present day just as it was thirty-three centuries ago. This language bears no resemblance to languages to the north of it, except for technical terms and titles taken from their masters.
All the Albanians are Roman Catholic, but out of a dislike they have for the pope and the Latin language, they hold the clergy in low esteem and are little devoted to their religion.
The Slavic tribes inhabiting these high reaches are Ostrogoth Slavs who took over the country under King Sverlade and his son Ostrovoy or Ostroyl at the time of the Roman emperors Anastasius and Justin in 495. They are all of Greek Orthodox religion and are devoted to their faith to an almost fanatic extent, but the clergy has lost much of its original influence.
Source:[Manuscript discovered in the Archives of the Lazarist Community in Paris. Published in Bulletin de la Société Géographique de Paris, Paris 1841. Translated from the French by Robert Elsie.]
It`s an Prince. Should we belive to him?
