CHAPTER XIII.
THE MILITARY FRONTIERS.
MILITARY CONSTITUTION—CARLSTADT FRONTIER—BANAL FRONTIER—SLAVONIA—BANAT FRONTIER.
The border of the Austrian empire from Povile on the coast of the Adriatic Sea to the Northern frontiers of Dalmatia, and thence through Croatia, Slavonia, the Banat and Transylvania, to Bukowina, has a military constitution peculiar to itself. In this tract, containing nearly a million of inhabitants, the men capable of bearing arms must always hold themselves in readiness to abandon the plough and home, for the purpose of averting the dangers with which they are threatened by rapacious neighbours, or by commodities impregnated with pestilence.
The inhabitant of the frontiers, at once a husbandman and a soldier, holds his lands on condition of taking up arms when required. In Transylvania he is the absolute proprietor of the ground he cultivates: in the Banat, Slavonia and Croatia, he is bound by certain restrictions somewhat like those of the feudal tenures of old, without however being obstructed in the enjoyment of the fruits of his industry.
The perfidy of an individual draws down punishment on himself alone: his family still retains its right to the possession of his lands, and this right also devolves to females when they marry of their own choice, and continue to reside upon them; nay even when there is not a male left in the house capable of bearing arms, still the land is not taken away.
As all the males capable of bearing arms are not called out at once, and every house cannot furnish the number proportioned to the land belonging to it, some other method of equalizing the burdens has been found necessary. To this end a moderate tax is levied upon the land, and from this fund a certain allowance is made to each person while in actual service. Towards the repairing and keeping up of the public works, such as buildings, roads and the like, each inhabitant of the frontiers performs gratuitously a certain quantity of labour proportionate to the extent of his land.
Agriculture and the breeding of cattle are the principal resources of the inhabitants of the frontiers. In order that the most necessary trades may not be wanting, particular places are appointed where the mechanic, artist, tradesman and merchant may exercise their respective professions without being subject to military duty. These places are called military communities, and have regular municipal institutions like other towns.
The rest of the frontier territory is divided into regimental districts, of which seventeen are appropriated to infantry, one to cavalry, and one to the Pontoneers or Watermen. Each regimental district contains on an average from forty to fifty thousand souls. Out of the males fit for service in each district two battalions are formed in time of peace. The house to which each man on duty belongs, furnishes him with food and clothing, and the state with arms and ammunition. In peace his chief occupation consists in protecting the frontiers from the incursions of the Turks, the depredations of banditti, and the introduction of the plague and contraband goods.
These men are stationed in watch-houses partly of masonry and partly elevated on high poles, which are erected along the whole frontier at such moderate distances that one post can alarm and assist the other in case of emergency. This chain of posts is strengthened, when the danger of attack or of infection by the plague becomes more imminent.