I must express my especial indebtedness to Professor Gelcich for the assistance and encouragement which he afforded me in preparing this volume. I also received valuable aid from Signor V. Adamović, who kindly placed his library at my service during my stay at Ragusa; to Signor A. de Serragli, who gave much information on the topography and archeology of the town; to the Padre Bibliotecario of the Franciscan Monastery, who assisted me in my researches; and to Signor Giovanni Saraca. I may say that during my visits to Dalmatia I always found the natives courteous and kindly, and willing to assist me in every way, especially at Ragusa. Of the many features which Dalmatia has in common with Italy, the one which I must call attention to is the fact that in every Dalmatian town there is always at least one local antiquary who has made a life-study of the history and archeology, working with no other thought than the love of the subject, and always willing to assist other students.
I am also indebted to Mr. Herbert P. Horne, who kindly assisted me in the chapters dealing with architecture and painting.
In the spelling of the Slavonic names I have adopted the Croatian orthography, as being the most convenient and the most accurate. The following letters have a peculiar pronunciation:—
C = _ts_ in _bits_. Thus Cavtat is pronounced Tsavtat.
Č = _ch_ in _which_. Thus Miljačka is pronounced Miljachka.
Ć is almost identical to the above, but is used only at the end of a word when preceded by an _i_. Thus Gundulić is pronounced Gundulich.
G is always pronounced hard, as in _gig_.
J = _y_ in _yet_. Thus Jajce is pronounced Yaytse. When at the end of a word and preceded by the letters _l_ or _n_ it softens them into something like the French _l_ in _mouillé_ and the French _gne_ in _signe_. Thus Sandalj and Sinj.
The letter _r_ is sometimes a semi-vowel, and is pronounced like _eurre_ in French, but less definitely. Many syllables have no other vowel. Thus the name _Hrvoje_.
S = _s_ in _since_ (never like _s_ in _nose_).
Š = _sh_ in _shave_. Thus Dušan is pronounced Dushan.
In the case of well-known names and words which are usually spelt in another way, I have adhered to the common orthography. Thus I have written Miklosich instead of Miklosić, and Tsar instead of Car. Dalmatians of Italian sympathies, but having Slavonic names, invariably use the _ch_ in the place of _č_ or _ć_.