The national costume of the Albanians is handsome in appearance, and bears some resemblance to the Highland dress. It consists of a cotton shirt; a white woollen fustanella or kilt, which reaches to the knees; a jacket; a sash round the waist, in which pistols and a yataghan are commonly carried; coloured leggings; sandals; and a red cap, round which some twist a shawl or scarf. The chiefs and wealthy Albanians generally wear a jacket and vest of velvet, richly embroidered with gold, and metal greaves over their leggings, which are usually made of fine scarlet cloth. The poorer classes, though picturesque in appearance, are extremely dirty in their habits, and seldom change their clothes. As a protection from the weather, every Albanian has a capote, or rough shaggy mantle with a hood attached, and usually made of horse-hair stuff or coarse woollen cloth. The dress of the females is more various, and often fantastical. A singular custom prevails among the girls of stringing together the pieces of money which they have collected for their portion, and wearing them upon their heads. Some of them have their hair hanging down in braids to a great length, loaded with this species of ornament.
Scutari, on the lake of that name, is now considered the chief town of Albania. It is the centre of a large inland trade, and contains about 40,000 inhabitants. Prisrend, in the north-east, is noted for its manufactures of fire-arms and cutlery, and has a population of 25,000. Monastir, or Bitolia, although the capital of the eyalet of Roumelia, is not, strictly speaking, within the confines of Albania. It has a large transit trade between eastern and western Turkey. Joannina, with 36,000 inhabitants, situated on the south-west shore of a lake of the same name, was the capital of Albania in the time of Ali Pasha, and was his stronghold as well as the seat of his government. The other important towns of the interior are Jacova, Tirana, Okhrida, Elbasan, Delvino, and Metzovo. The principal seaports and river-ports are Dulcigno, Durazzo, Parga, Prevesa, and Arta.
The commerce of Albania is chiefly carried on through Arta and Prevesa, on the north side of the entrance to the Gulf of Arta. The principal merchants, however, are Greeks residing at Joannina, among whom a very active commercial spirit appears to prevail. The exports consist almost entirely of unmanufactured produce, live stock, and provisions, and comprise valonia (the cup of the acorn of the Valonia oak, used in tanning), raw silk, cheese, raw hides, drugs, dye-woods, sheep, horses, and salted meats. Notwithstanding its mountainous character, the fertility of its plains affords a surplus of grain, of which a considerable quantity is sent to Italy, the Ionian Isles, Malta, and other places. The vine, olive, pomegranate, orange, lemon, mulberry, and fig are also cultivated. Wool is exported, chiefly unmanufactured, but partly also wrought into coarse cloth. Other important articles of export are oil, tobacco of good quality, cotton, and cotton yarn. Some cargoes of wood for building and firewood are annually sent to Malta. The chief imports consist of woollen cloths, used for winter coverings. For this purpose the preference is given to a coarser and cheaper kind than any that is usually manufactured in Great Britain. This is supplied from Germany. Fire-arms, cutlery, gunpowder, hardware, coffee, and sugar are also imported. The manufactures of Albania are few and unimportant, being almost entirely confined to capotes, embroidery on cloth and velvet, fire-arms and cutlery to a limited extent, and gun and pistol stocks all for home consumption.
See the Journey through Albania and Turkey of Mr J. Cam Hobhouse (Lord Broughton); Travels in the Ionian Isles, Albania, &c., by Sir Henry Holland, who resided for some time in the capacity of physician at the court of Ali Pasha; Rev. T. S. Hugnes's Travels in Sicily, Greece, and Albania; Leake's Travels in Northern Greece; Mrs Mary A. Walker's Through Macedonia to the Albanian Lakes.
ALBANIA, in Ancient Geography, a country of Asia, bounded, according to Strabo, on the W. by Iberia, on the E. by the Caspian Sea, on the N. by Sarmatia, on the S. by Armenia and the river Cyrus (Kour). The country formerly called Albania corresponds with the modern Daghistan, Schirvan, and Leghistan, and is extremely fertile, owing to the alluvial deposits made by the river Cyrus. The ancient historians describe the Albanians as tall, strong-bodied, and, generally speaking, of a very graceful appearance. The Albanians were originally a nomad race, and never devoted themselves to agriculture or commerce. They became known to the Romans during Pompey s expedition in pursuit of Mithridates (65 B.C.), against which they opposed a force of 60,000 infantry and 22,000 cavalry. Though Pompey exacted from them a nominal submission, they continued practically independent.
ALBANO, a town and lake in the Campagna di Roma, Italy, about 14 miles S.E. of Rome. The town is much admired for the picturesque scenery around it. It is well built, and the Roman aqueduct and other monuments of antiquity are in tolerable preservation. It contains a cathedral, and there are many handsome villas of the Roman nobles in the vicinity. Population, 6400. The lake of Albano, lying to the N.E. of the town, occupies the crater of an extinct volcano, and is of a beautiful oval form, surrounded with high wooded banks, and about 7 miles in circumference. It has long been an object of attraction to the painter and the traveller. In the fourth century of ancient Rome, during the siege of Veii, there was an extraordinary rise of the waters of this lake, and the oracle declared that there was no hope of success against Veii while the Alban lake was allowed thus to swell. This prompted the Romans to drain it by a tunnel cut through the rock, a mile and a half in length, 4 feet wide, and 6 high, which is still perfect. This outlet keeps the surface of the lake at the height of 920 feet above the level of the sea. Monte Cavo, the ancient Albamis, rises on the eastern side of the lake to a height of 3000 feet, and commands a magnificent prospect. On its sum mit stood the famous temple of Jupiter Latialis. ALBANY, a city of the United States, capital of the state of New York and of the county of Albany, pictu resquely situated in a beautiful and fertile country on the western bank of the Hudson, 145 miles from New York. It is, for an American city, irregularly laid out, and much of its architecture is poor, although it contains several very fine buildings, and many of its more recently made streets are broad and handsome. The Capitol, a brown stone edifice, 115 feet by 90, built in 1807, faces a square called Capitol Park ; and opposite it, on the eastern side of the square, are the State Hall and City Hall, both con structed of white marble. There are several beautiful churches, including a large Roman Catholic cathedral. Among the literary and scientific institutions of Albany may be mentioned the university, incorporated in 1852, giving instruction in most branches of education, especially practical science and law ; a medical college ; an academy, and other schools of various grades; a large observatory; the state library, with about 90,000 volumes; and the Albany Institute for the collection and diffusion of scien tific information. Albany is an important centre of trade, being situated at the point where the united Erie and Champlain canals join the Hudson, and possessing good railway communication with most cities of the United States. The chief articles of commerce are timber, wheat,
barley, wool, and tobacco, enormous quantities of which,
