Proceeding up the Adriatic we come to the Quarnero Islands, of which the
most considerable is Krk (Veglia). The whole district had, at the last
census, 19,562 inhabitants whose ordinary language was Serbo-Croat, and
1544 who commonly spoke Italian. Of these latter the capital, likewise
called Krk, contained 1494, and only 644 who gave themselves out as
Slavs. The town, with its tortuous, rather wistful streets, was the
residence of the Venetian officials, and five or six of those old
families remain. The rest of the 1494 are nearly all Italianized Slavs,
who under Austria used to call themselves either Austrians of Italian
tongue or else Istrians. However, if they wish to be Italians now, there
is none to say them nay. They include five out of the twenty officials,
and these five gentlemen seem to have boldly said before the War that it
would please them if this island were to be included in the Kingdom of
Italy. They did not give their Austrian rulers many sleepless nights;
this confidence in them was justified, for during the War they placed
themselves in the front rank of those who flung defiant words at Italy,
and one of them enlarged his weapon, copying upon his typewriter some
Songs of Hate, which probably were sent to him from Rieka or Triest.
These typewritten sheets were then circulated in the island. One of
them--"Con le teste degli Italiani"--had been specially composed for
children and expressed the intention of playing bowls with Italian
heads. The songs for adults were less blood-thirsty but not less cruel.
The Yugoslavs of the island must have been engaged in other War work; no
songs were provided for them.... When Austria collapsed, some youths
came from Rieka, flourishing their flags and sticks, and crying, "Down
with Austria!" "Long live Italy!" "Long live Yugoslavia!" "Long live
King Peter!" There was, in fact general goodwill. A Croat National
Council was formed, and was recognized by the Italian party; it
introduced a censorship, but as the postmaster's allegiance was given to
the minority he sent a telegram to Triest, asking for bread and
protection; and on November 15 the _Stocco_ arrived. Other people soon
departed; the Bishop's chancellor and his chaplain, two magistrates and
a Custom-house official, were shipped off to Italy or Sardinia, while
the owner of the typewriter flew off as a delegate to Paris, having
persuaded the town council of the capital to vote a sum of 36,000 crowns
for his expenses--but a crown was now worth less than half a franc.
However, two members of the town council thought that it was a waste of
money; but when they were threatened with internment in Sardinia they
withdrew their active opposition, and the delegate set out. On the way
he granted an interview to an Italian journalist, and depicted the
spontaneous enthusiasm with which the islanders had called for Italy.
But the journalist had heard of the National Council and he asked, very
naturally, whether it shared these sentiments. "Ha parlato da Italiano!"
("I have spoken as an Italian"), replied the delegate; and when the
newspaper reached the island, this cryptic saying was interpreted in
various ways, his critics pointing out that, as he had diverged from
truthfulness, this was another little Song of Hate. The Bishop, Dr.
Mahni['c],[12] did not go to Italy for several months. He was a learned
Slovene, an ex-Professor of Gorica University, known also as a stern
critic of any poetry which was not dogmatically religious. He gave vent
to his dislike of the poetry of Gregor[vc]i['c] and A[vs]kerc, both of
them priests. The former, being of a mild disposition, bowed before the
storm; but A[vs]kerc wrote a cutting satire on his critic. The
Austrians, disapproving of his religious and patriotic activities,
thought they would smother him by this appointment to a rather
out-of-the-way diocese. But his influence spread far beyond it, and in
the islands he was so solicitous for the people's material welfare that,
for example, he founded savings-banks, which were a great success. It
was unavoidable, as he was a man of character, that he should come into
conflict with the Italians, for their commanding officer, a naval
captain of Hungarian origin, was not a suave administrator. He charged a
priest with making Yugoslav propaganda because he catechized the little
children in their own language; another priest on the island of Unie,
which forms a part of the diocese, was accused of making propaganda,
because he has had in his church two statues--which had been there for
years--of SS. Cyril and Methodus. They were removed from the church, he
put them back; finally he was himself expelled and Unie remained without
a priest. The naval captain was irritated by the old Slavonic liturgy,
which is used in all except four churches of the diocese, but if he
could not alter this--Dr. Mahni['c] referring him to the Pope--he and
the Admiral at Pola, Admiral Cagni, could manage with some trouble to
rid themselves of the bishop. This gentleman, who was in his seventieth
year and an invalid, said that he would perhaps go to Rome after Easter.
On March 24 the captain told him that the admiral had settled he should
sail in three days, but the bishop was ill. On the 26th the captain
returned with a lieutenant of carabinieri to ask if the bishop was still
ailing; the admiral, it seemed, had ordered that two other doctors--the
officer of health for the district and an Italian army doctor--should
verify the report of the bishop's own medical attendant. The three of
them quarrelled for two hours, but finally they all signed a memorandum
that the bishop was ill. On the 31st the captain came to say that a
destroyer would arrive and that it would take the bishop wherever he
wanted to go, for the Italians had made up their minds that go he must.
He had objected far too vigorously to their methods--not approving, for
example, of the written permit which was given in the autumn to the
people of two villages in Krk, on which it stated that these people
could supply themselves with timber at Grdnje. This was a State forest,
rented by a certain man; but the Italians acknowledged that what they
wanted was adherents, and these grateful villagers, if there should be a
plebiscite, would vote for them. The man appealed to justice, but the
judge received a verbal order not to act. The villagers were given a
general amnesty on January 1, an Italian flag was hoisted at the judge's
office--the judge had gone away. Another transaction which the bishop
had resented was after a visit paid by the captain and another officer
of the French warship _Annamite_ to the Yugoslav Reading-Rooms at
Lo[vs]inj mali (Lussinpiccolo); a priest and two other gentlemen had
escorted their guests to the harbour at 11 p.m.; during the night all
three were arrested and the priest deported. When the _Annamite_ put in
at the lofty island of Cres (Cherso) and a couple of officers went to
the Franciscan monastery, it resulted in the monastery being closed and
the monks removed. Their simple act of courtesy was, said the Italians,
propaganda. From Lo[vs]inj mali and Cres five ladies were collected,
four of them being teachers and one the wife of the pilot,
Sindi[vc]i['c]. They were guilty of having greeted the French, and on
account of this were taken to the prison at Pola. Afterwards in Venice
they were kept for six weeks in the company of prostitutes and from
there they passed to Sardinia, on which island they were retained for
nine months. As for Dr. Mahni['c], he set sail on April 4 at 6 a.m.
Being asked whither he would like to go, he said he wished to be put
down at Zengg on the mainland. "Excellent," said the Italians; but after
a few minutes they said they had received a radio from Pola that the
bishop must be taken to Ancona. He was afterwards allowed to live in a
monastery near Rome.