Before I had time to reply, the party broke into
the beautiful hymn for longevity, which I had heard pealing in the
cathedral of Belgrade for the return of Wucics and Petronievitch. I
assured them that I was unworthy of such an honour, but could not help
remarking that this hymn "for many years" immediately after the
drinking of a health, was one of the most striking and beautiful
customs I had noticed in Servia.
A very curious discussion arose after dinner, relative to the
different footing of Servians in Austria, and Austrians in Servia. The
former when in Austria, are under the Austrian law; the latter in
Servia, under the jurisdiction of their own consul. Being appealed to,
I explained that in former times the Ottoman Sultans easily permitted
consular jurisdiction in Turkey, without stipulating corresponding
privileges for their own subjects; for Christendom, and particularly
Austria, was considered _Dar El Harb_, or perpetually the seat of war,
in which it was illegal for subjects of the Sultan to reside.
In the afternoon we made a survey of the convent and church, which
were built by Knes Lasar, and surrounded by a wall and seven towers.
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