The Serrian Tragedy. Dy Herbert Vivian, MA. (Grant Richards. 10s.
6d. net.)—Turkey ruled Servia from 1403-1804, and, Mr. Vivian thinks, not so very badly, after all ; the country had some sort of peace and order. Then just a century ago, when the Janissaries were becoming intolerable, there was a national uprising, and George Petrovich, alias Kara (Black) George, comes to the front. In course of time Kara George gave place to Milosh Obrenovich. Here we have the two dynasties with which Servia has been blessed. King Alexander was great-great- nephew to Milosh ; Peter Kara,georgevich is grandson to Kara George. Mr. Vivian tells the story of these people, "beggars on horseback" all of them, though not without some good qualities. King Milan had a certain charm ; King Alexander had unques- tionable courage. In the last scene, when the Obrenovich dynasty was drowned in blood, he mot his fate like a man. As to his murderers, they were a crowd of ruffians ; and it is astonishing that a man with any sense of shame, not to talk of honour, should take advantage of the hideous and cowardly crime which they committel. The dismal story had to be told, and Mr. Vivian tells it with power and out of a full knowledge. The affair of the conspiracy was as astonishing as it was hideous. How the secret was kept, when the accomplices were so numerous and so worthless, is indeed a mystery.
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