But there had been at Rieka an Englishman for whom I have an almost
inexpressible admiration. This was Mr. A. Beaumont who, a couple of days
after the Italians occupied the town in the above-mentioned curious
fashion, sent from Triest a long message to the _Daily Telegraph_. How
can anyone not marvel at a gentleman who travels to a foreign town which
is in the throes of unrest and who, undeterred by his infirmity, sits
down to grasp the rather complicated features of the situation? I am not
acquainted with Mr. Beaumont, but he must be blind, poor fellow, for he
says that the Yugoslavs occupied with ill-concealed glee a town entirely
inhabited by some 45,000 Italians. Perhaps somebody will read to him the
following statistics made after the year 1868, when Rieka came under
Magyar dominion. The statistics were made by the Magyars and Italianists
combined, so that they do not err in favour of the Yugoslavs. He might
also be told that the Magyar-Italian alliance closed the existing
Yugoslav national schools for the 13,478 Yugoslavs in 1890, while they
opened Italo-Magyar schools for the 13,012 "Italians" and Magyars. They
would not even allow the Yugoslavs to have at Rieka an elementary school
at their own expense. Everything possible was done during these decades
to inculcate hatred and contempt for whatsoever was Slav, hoping thus to
denationalize the citizens. In view of all this it speaks well for
Yugoslav steadfastness that they were able to maintain themselves. Here
are the figures: