David Thomas Ansted - A Short Trip in Transylvania 1862

7/28/2019 David Thomas Ansted - A Short Trip in Transylvania 1862

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A S H O R T T R I P

I N

H U N G A R Y A N D T R A N SY L V A N IA

IN THE SPUING OP 1862.



L O N D O N I

P R I N T E D B Y W O O D F A L L A N D K I N D E R ,

ANGEL COURT, SK INN ER STREET. .



A SHORT TRIP

H U N G A R Y A N D T R A N S Y L V A N I A

IN THE SPEING OF 1862.

B T

P K O F E S S O R D. T. AN ST ED, M.A., F.R.S,

L O N D O N :

WM

- H . A L L E N & C O. , 13, W A T E R L O O P L A C E , S. W .

JIDCCCLXII .



Sala a SÏOÉ»



P E E P A C E .

T H E fol lowing pages contain l i t t le more t h a n t h e

personal n arra t ive of a rap id t r ip to a p ar t of

E uro pe less kn ow n an d v is ited tha n i t appears to the

Author to dese rve .1

Aware tha t there a re ce r ta in

requirements of t ravel so far indispensable tha t no

cou nt ry w i tho ut t he m i s p rac t ica l ly access ib le t o t h e

long vaca t ion tour i s t , whose t ime i s l imi ted , a n d

who does no t a lways des i re to incur unknown expense

in h i s jou rne y , th e A ut ho r be lieves th a t a p l a in

s ta tement of what he has done and seen in

H u n g a r y d u r i n g t h e p r e s e n t se as on m a y i n d u c e

m any to v is it tha t cou nt ry who wou ld otherwise

have ret ur ne d to th e we l l - travel led resor ts in Swi tzer

land , the Tyro l , and o ther fami l ia r places, often

previously explored and descr ibed . H e a lso th i nk s



VI P R E F A C E .

tha t by sug ge s t ing for inves t iga t ion cer ta in por t ions

of Hungar y and t he Carpa th i ans , he may induce

some of his natural his tory f r iends to extend thei r

exc ursion s an d he lp t o f ill u p th e lacuna i n t ha t

par t of European inves t iga t ion .

Such being the object he has in view, he has

endeavoured somet imes to sugges t subjec t s of enqui ry ,

an d som et ime s to ass is t th e reader by rem ind ing h im

of wha t o the rs have a l ready sa id an d don e . T hu s ,

in th e las t ch ap ter , h e has p u t to ge th er a br ief

acco unt of pol i tical eve nts , wi tho ut a kn ow ledg e of

which th e pre sen t s tate of M ag ya r feel ing is no t

eas ily app reciated . H av in g had- some l i t t le t rou ble

himself in p u t t in g th e facts in orde r , he t ru s ts he

m ay save t rou ble to oth ers by th e br ief na rrat ive .

T he book h as been w ri t te n rapid ly, an d wi th l i t t le

a id f rom w i tho ut . I t does no t pre ten d to exhau s t

th e subject, an d i t m ay be th a t oth ers wi ll receive

different impressions if they fol low the same route.

T his is , how ever, the fate of al l pe rso na l na rra t ive .

The feel ings of the wri ter , the accidental c i rcum

stanc es of t im e, place, associat ion, he al t h, an d w eather ,

al l he lp to mak e u p the im press io n, an d i t i s qui te

imposs ible that these should be exact ly repeated.



P R E F A C E . VU

Th ese rem ark s are offered, no t so m uc h to excuse

error or neglec t as to c la im th e reasonable ind ulg en ce

which th e case deserves . T he objec t of th e A u th o r ' st r ip was no t to wr i te an account of h is jou rne y, b u t

to m ak e a special an d careful inves t igat ion of a

par t icu lar de pa r tm en t of prac t ica l sc ience . W h a t he

ha s described i s , therefo re, rat he r w hat passed before

h im than wha t he went ou t to see .

I M P I N G T O N H A L L , C A M B R I D G K ,

July 25, 1862.





C O N T E N T S .

C H A P T E R I .

H U N G A R Y A S A C O U NT R Y F OR T H E T O U R I S T . — I T S H I G H

WAYS AND BYEWAYS

C H A P T E R I I .

V I E N N A TO T H E M A R O S V A L L E Y

C H A P T E R I I I .

D E V A TO T H E Z S I L V A L L E Y . — T H E V AL L EY O F T H E

S T R E H L AN D T H E T O W N O F H U N Y A D

P A G E

1

18

33

C H A P T E R I V .

T H E V A L L E Y O F T H E Z S I L . — V U L K A N A ND T H E V U L K A N

P A S S . — T H E T W O R I V E R S , A ND T H E I R P A S S A G E

T HR OU G H T H E M O U N T A I N S . — T H E G O L D - F I E L D A ND

T H E C O A L - F I E L D . — T H E S I D E V A L LE Y S OF T H E Z S I L . 53



C H A P T E R V .

C H A P T E R V I .

HUNGARIAN AND WALLACHIAN POPULATIONS continued.—

M A N N E R S , C U S T O M S, H A B IT A T I O N S , AN D C H U R C H E S . —

T H E P R I E S T S OF T H E G R E E K C H U R C H . . . 8 9

C H A P T E R V n .

T H E V A L L E Y O F H A T Z E G , AND T H E P A S S O F T H E I R O N

G A T E . — T H E D A CI AN S AND R O M A N S . — A N C I E N T

R O M A N C I T I E S I N T R A N S Y L V A N I A . — T H E P L A G U E O F

IN S E C T S . . . .

C H A P T E R V I I I .

R U S K B E R G A N D R U S R T T Z A . — T H E I R O N M I N E S , M A R B L E

Q U A R R I E S , A ND L E A D M I N E S O F T H E Z S A M I N A . —

B E E C H F O R E S T S A ND C H A R C O A L -B U R N E R S . — L U N K A N Y .

— I T S O RES AND H Y D R O P A T H IC E S T A B L IS H M E N T . 1 2 3

C H A P T E R I X .

K A R A N S E B E S . — R O A D TO O R A V I C Z A . — T H E G O L D V A L L EY S

A ND G O L D V E I N S . — T H E O RA VIC ZA C O A L A ND I R O N .

— O R A V I C Z A TO B A Z I A S C H . — T H E B A N A T . . . 1 3 9

C H A P T E R X .

U P T H E D A N U B E . — T H E ST EA M BO AT S A ND T H E I R A CC O M

M O D A T IO N .— B A Z IA S C H TO B E L G R A D A ND S E M L I N . —

S E M L I N TO M O H Á C S IC O

H U N G A R IA N A ND W A L L A C H IA N P O P U L A TIO N S O F S O U T H

E A ST ER N H U N G A R Y . — T H E R A C E S . — T H E I R A P PE A R

ANCE AND COSTUMES



C H A P T E R X I .

C ONC LUDING R E M AR K S ON T H E NAT UR AL HI S T O R Y AND

M I N E R A L R E S O U R C E S O F H U N G A R Y . — S K E T C H O F I TS

POL IT I C AL HI S T O R Y AND OF R E C E N T C HA NGE S . . 2 2 8

P A G E

M O H Á C S . — T H E R A IL RO A D TO F Ü N F K I R C H E N . — T H E T O W N ,

C H U R C H E S , AND I N N S O F F Ü N F K I R C H E N . — T H E C O A L

FIELD ADJACENT 1 7 7

C H A P T E R X I I .

M O H ÁC S TO P E S T H . — T H E M I D D L E D A N U B E . — A P P R O A C H

TO B U D A . — C I T I E S O F B U D A AND P E S T H . — P U B L I C

B U I L D I N G S A N D M U S E U M . . . . . . 1 9 6

C H A P T E R X I I I .

P E S T H TO G R A N . — T H E E C CL E SI A ST IC A L C A P IT A L O F

H U N G A R Y . — T H E G R A N C O A L - F I E L D . — T H E R A I L

T O PR E SB UR G 2 1 4

C H A P T E R X I V .





A S H O R T T R I P

I N

H U N G A R Y A N D T R A N S Y L V A N I A .

C H A P T E R I .

Hungary as a Country for the Tourist.—Its H i g h w a y s a n d

B y e w a y s .

I N a cer ta in sense , and th a t a very im po r tan t on e ,

H u ng ar y i s a new coun t ry t o t h e E uro pea n tou r i s t .

Before the revolut ion of 1848, the pol icy of Austr ia

was to shu t i t off from al l co m m un icat io n wi th th e res t

of E ur op e . Al l th e us ua l passp or t an d police regu la

t ions , t roubleso m e enou gh in any case , were dou bledwh en H u n ga ry was th e po int to be reached ; an d few

travel lers cared to u nd er go th e cer ta in t rou ble for a

very un cer ta in re tu rn of ins t ruc t ion and am use m ent .

Fo r wh en th e effort was m ad e, an d th e co un try was

ente red , th e case was l i t t l e be t te r . P re sb ur g m igh t be

reached wi th in a reasonable t im e ; b u t P re sb ur g , a ftera l l , was more A us t r i an t ha n M agy ar . Pe s th came

next . A yo un g c i ty was r i s ing in to in te re s t , g ro w ing

up by the s ide o f t he o ld t own—hal f -Turk i sh , half-

nonde scr ip t— of Ofen or B ud a . Ve ry unco m for tab le

s teamers conveyed the de te rm ined voyager down the

B



2 F O R M E R D I F F I C U L T Y O F T R A V E L L I N G .

D a n u b e t o P e s th , a n d h e mus t t ru s t to the fa r-famed

Peasan t ' s Pos t to ga l lop back to Vienna in an open

ca r t as well as he cou ld , tak ing some for ty hours for

the jou rn ey . Now and the n a geo log is t wou ld pen e

t ra te to Chemni tz o r Nagyág , to see the ce lebra ted

m i n i n g school , o r the min es of go ld a nd te l lu r ium ; b u t

for o rd inary t rave l le rs , seek ing ra t iona l amusement

in the i r pe reg r ina t ions , the re was l i t t l e inducemen t to

se lec t Hungary as the ob jec t o f the i r t r ip .

A n d if any one had a t tempted to s tudy the rea l

coun t ry o f Hunga ry and the peop le , he ce r t a in ly wou ld

have found great d iff icul ty , and must have given up a

cons iderab le t im e , a qu ar te r of a cen tur y ag o . Ra i l

roads had no t then rendered the access to Eas te rn

E u r o p e an easy an d p leasan t m at t e r . S team boats in

tha t pa r t o f the wor ld were s t ruggl ing for ex is tence ,

bare ly able to pay their way, and qui te unable to t h i n k

of p rov id ing comfor ts fo r those who pa t ron ized them.

Bad speed , bad accommodat ion , bad food , ve ry u n

cer ta in p rogress , and very ce r ta in de lays , combined to

l imi t the pa s senge r traffic to a very smal l amount .

T h e f ron t ie r passed , o r the lan d i ng a t some t o w n

from the steamboat effected, the case was even worse

th an before . T he roads were imp assable in wet w ea

the r , and enveloped in c louds of choking dust in d ry

seasons . I n n s were places in which dir t and discom

fort were the only th ings tha t cou ld reasonably be

expec ted . N or were th e people more satisfactory th a n

th e cou n t ry ; fo r a l thou gh the upper c lasses were

always well ins tructed and hospi table , and essent ia l ly



H U N G A R Y N O W M U C H I M P R O V E D . a

gentlemen, th e y co uld rarely fal l in th e way of th e oc

casional t ravel ler , who was thus for the most part obliged

to associa te w i th the pea san t s . The se were unin s t ru c te d ,

speaking no l ang ua ge bu t the i r own cur ious O r ienta l

dialect , which has few, i f any, aff ini t ies with any other

in Eu rop e , an d were un ab le t o g ive he lp because they

had no idea of what might be wanted by those so

accus tomed to luxur ies as to regard them as necessar ies

of l if e. N o wo nder , the n , th a t H u n g a ry was unvis i t ed

twenty-f ive years ago.

B ut a t a m uc h la ter per iod H u n g a ry i s described in

the bes t gu ide books as an unapproachab l e coun t ry .

O p e n i n g " M u r r a y ' s H a n d b o o k f o r S o u t h e r n E u r o p e "

( seventh edi t ion , pu bl i sh ed in 1 85 8) , we read in pag e

4 8 7 , " I t is , in de ed , difficult for E n g lis h m en to ob tain

permiss ion a t a ll to en ter H u n g ar y . Eve n should the

traveller succeed, he wil l probably obtain only a l imited

leave for a certa in n u m b e r of day s an d th e dic ta of

Pa ge t , wr i t ing in 1 8 37 , adm irable as th ey once m ay

have been , a re qu oted as th e fac ts of to-d ay . T heH un ga ry of th e pre sen t i s no t , howev er , in an y sense

the H u n g ar y the re descr ibed . Th e t r avel le r en te r s i t

and passes th ro u g h i t a t his plea sure, and qu i ts it w hen

convenient wi thout discover ing that there i s a f ront ier ,

or th at passpo r ts exis t. T h e pis tols reco m m end ed on

th e grou nd tha t ba nd s of robb ers may be m et , a re asneedless as they would be in France or Germany, and

the inn s , so m uch m al ign ed , a re in a l l po in t s fu lly

equ al to the ordinary ru n of thos e in coun tr ies l i t tle

accus tomed to vis i tors , and in many respects much

B 2



4 T R A V E L L I N G C O M P A R A T I V E L Y E A S Y .

be tter . I n th e larg er tow ns the re wil l be found a l l th em os t modern app l iances . D rosc hk ys or cabs p ly a t the

railway stations at moderate fares fixed by law, and carry

th e t ravel ler to hote ls wh ere th e sm il ing waiter , with

his white napkin, is in a t tendance ; where the inevi table

loud c lang announces the arr ival of the gues t to the

boots and chambermaid ; where the wel l -appoin ted and

perfectly clean and comfortable bedroom is shown ready

for imm edia te use for one or m ore as re qu ir ed ; and

w here th e tw o candles , w het her used or no t , will ap

pear in th e bi l l nex t m or ni ng , ju s t as in the great

cap i ta ls of W es te rn E ur op e . In the la rg er town s , and

in many of the smaller ones, excellent cafés will be

found, and the coffee or ices supplied are not excelled

in Pa r is . Th e H un ga r ia ns , in th is la s t respec t , show

som eth in g of the i r E as t e rn or ig in . No where in

E u ro pe is be tte r coffee m ad e, an d even in th e l i t t l e

country inns where one would expect to f ind nothing,

one may often obtain this luxury in perfection at very

brief not ice .

Trav el l ing in H u n g ar y is rea l ly now so easy and so

pleasant , tha t there is no reason why the ar t is t , the

professional m an , and even th e typic al tou ris t sho uld

not take advantage of a d is tr ic t in Europe where i t is

poss ible to obta in new sensat ions , to v is i t scenery nothackneyed, to s tudy a people not yet spoiled by a large

influx of travellers , and to meet those moderate diffi

cul t ies and l i t t le hardships that are not only perfect ly

endurab le , bu t a lmos t p leasurab le by the i r nove l tv .

Th ere a re fo res ts in H u ng ar y , on ly a ve ry few da ys '



O B J E C T S O F I N T E R E S T I N H U N G A R Y . 5

journey from p op ulou s c i ti es, w he re th e bear an d

the wolf a re ext remely ab un da nt , an d are accom panied

by th e lyn x, of which indiv idua l s h ave bee n sho t n o t

m uch inferior in s ize to th e leo pa rd. T h e r ivers of

H un ga ry abo un d wi th fish of k in ds seen in no o th er

Europ ean water s . B i rds f rom Africa are f reque nt

vis itors , an d es tab l ish them selve s in nob le p r ime va l

forests of beech, such as are not to be found elsewherein the W es tern wor ld . N o t fa r off a re m ou nta ins ,

whose snowy ca ps ar e rarely doffed, an d wh ich give

r ise to s t rea m s and t o r re n ts , som et imes fal l ing over

lofty precipices , som et imes foa m ing in na rrow , tor tu ou s

channel s , and somet imes rushing over golden sands , or

am ongs t bro ken bu t g igan t ic f ragm ents of th e rocksthey have un de rm ine d. Ev en rept i l es of r a re forms

an d colours ar e no t w an t in g ; a nd of th e insect wo r ld

there are f l ights of locusts only r ival led in Asia Minor,

and a pecul iar ly t roublesome f ly, a kind of tsetse of the

D an ub e, also ab solu tely loca l . T h e geo logist wil l find

in th e beds of some of the r ivers , an d in th e m o u n

t a ins , rare an d va luable m inera l s . T he pa leo nto log i s t

may s tudy the in nu m erab le fossils o bta ined from th e

plains a nd bed of th e Th eiss , one of th e r iches t local i t ies

in the world for g iga nt ic bon es . T he an t iqu ar ia n wi ll

follow w ith inte rest the c ourse of I to m an co nq ue st in

one of the mos t r emarkable of the progresses made by

tha t s ingular people , and may enr ich h i s museum wi th

rare coins and rarer an d m ore in te res t ing hou seho ld

uten s i ls , m anu factured af ter c lass ical mo de ls , of th e

fine gold of the country.



P U l i l . l C C O N V E Y A N C E S .

An d the H un ga ry of t o -day is no t u napproach ab le .

A n excellent rai lro ad send s ou t its lo ng arm s of scores

an d even h un dr ed s of miles in two or thre e direct ions ,

a l ready pe ne tra t in g far w i thin th e coun try , and l ikely

soon to trave rse i t and reach th e sho res of th e B lack

Sea. Ve ry decent hi gh road s connect th e pr incipal

tow ns. Ex cel lent acco m m oda t ion, good food an d

win e, and often extr em e cle anlin ess, wil l be found in

the large towns, and even in some of the smal ler ones ,

and th e post or some di l igence com m unic ates f rom one

to an oth er . N ob le s team boats , as m uc h super ior in

s ize and accommodat ion to those of the Rhine as these

are to a Gravesend packet , run down the rapid s t reams

wi th ex t reme swif tness , and mount aga ins t the cur ren t

a t th e ra te of e ight miles an ho ur . Such s team boa ts ,

or others somewhat smal ler but a lso wel l appointed,

naviga te the grea t feeders o f the Danube in Hungary ,

and are formidable r ivals to th e ra i lwa y. Th ere is no

wan t of pu nc tu al i ty in th ese boats ; they are as su re

to m ake the ir t im e as they are pleasa nt to t ravel i n .

They are c lean, not crowded, except dur ing fa i r t imes,

an d have an excellent cuis ine . I t i s t ru e th at th e

P ea sa nt 's Po st , so vaunte d in former t ime s, i s now a

th in g of t h e pas t , bu t th e loss is m ore th an ma de up

on the main roads , and in others i t was never very

m anag eable . T he pos ta l conveyances {eil-wagen),though cer ta in ly no t rap id , a re comfor tab le enough,

and ca rry th e t raveller well en ou gh from town to to w n.

A very e lementary car t , or char-a-banc, bet te r adapted

to the s ta te of H un ga r ia n c ross roads tha n to th e



G E N E R A L F E A T U R E S O F T H E C O U N T R Y .

comfort of the trav eller , can be hi re d to g o from on e

place to a no the r on th e cross roa ds , and l i t t le h or se s ,

s t rong and hardy enough , i f w i th no o ther p leasan t

qua l i t ies , m ay be d epe nde d on for t he passes an d for

places otherwise inaccessible . Cov ered car ts m ay som e

t imes be ob ta ined .

H u ng a r y i s a l a rge cou n t ry , an d , excep t by r a i l

ways an d s tea m bo ats , p ro gres s th ro ug h i t i s s t i l l

s low. B u t i t is a l read y in a s ta te wel l ad ap ted to th e

ha rdy tou r is t . I n a few ho urs f rom V ien na he can

reach a po int of in te res t f rom w hich to s ta r t in th e pu r

sui t of h is own special object . T he C arp ath ian s a lm ost

enclose H un g a r y to the no r th , c a s t, and so u th . T he

cou nt ry is c rossed by the Da nu be , the The is s , th e D ra ve ,the Tem es , the Raa b , th e M aro s , an d o the r r ivers , the

sm al les t o f t he m , a l t ho ug h on ly secondary s t ream s or

even feeders of the se , posse ss ing a l l the cha racte r is t ics

of r ivers , an d be in g navig able for a lo ng dis ta nc e. I t

has two noble lakes ; one of th em , the P la t t en See , the

la rges t in E u ro pe , and no t th e l eas t p i c tu re sq ue . I tinc ludes vas t p l a in s , com pared w i th w h ich o the r E u ro

pean p la in s a re a s no th i ng . Th e re a re num ero us t r ac t s

of low wooded up land , many p ic tu resque open va l leys ,

and innum erab le rocky m oun ta in go rges .

To v is it a ll these would req u i re m uc h t im e an d m uc h

labou r . B ut to exam ine som e one co rner is th e wo rk

th at m ay be done in a few weeks , an d pa r ta ke s of th e

na tu re of recreat ion. To descr ibe suc h a to ur is th e

object of t h e following pa ge s.

Th e c l im a te of H un ga ry i s exces s ive . Ex t reme



H C O N D I T I O N OK T H E l l O A D S .

cold du r in g w inter is succeeded by a rapid and b eau

tiful sp rin g, with occasional heavy ra in . L ate r in

spr ing ( in May) the sun a t ta ins a power se ldom reachedeven du r in g the ho t tes t par t of s um m er in our is land,

an d th er e are inter vals of stor m of an alm ost trop ical

character , dur ing which incredible quant i t ies of ra in

som etimes fa ll . T he roads , passable du r in g th e dry

season with l i t t le difficulty or da ng er, th en becom e

qui te un m an ag eab le ; s ide pa ths a re followed, and th e

road is th u s wide ned for a t im e, bu t the new pa th is

soon as bad as the old . A t te m pt s are m ade to escape

th e tem po rar y difficulty, b u t scarcely ever to do away

wi th the ev il by perm ane nt ly co ns t ru c t in g a road on

proper pr inc ip les . N ot unf requ ent ly a tem pora ry

to rre nt wil l carry away pa rt of a roa d, or a w hole

ser ies of sma l l br id ge s . Th e ra in pe netr a tes far in to

th e loose open soil of th e pla ins, an d w he n ho t, dry

wea ther succeeds , th e gr ou nd cracks and gap es ; in to

these cracks the next ra in m akes i ts w ay, an d widen s

them enorm ous ly , o ften un de rm inin g the road . B ut

in m an y cases th e road is m erely an accid enta l pa th

across open co un try , an d never ha d a foundat ion of

any kind ; suc h a road is at the m ercy of every ch an ge

of weather .

St i l l , a l t ho ug h th is is th e case in cross roa ds , an d

from one small town to another where there is l i t t le

traffic, it is ge ne rall y poss ible in fair w ea th er to tra ve l

across the country in any direct ion, wi th no great d is

com fort . Fr om th irt y to forty, an d even som etim es fif ty

miles , can be got over in a day , in a cou ntr y cart , with th e



D I F F I C U L T Y O F C R O S S I N G T U E M O U N T A I N S . 9

same horses th ro u g h o u t . B y a gre at effort I have, on

occasion, do ne even m ore th a n thi s . I t is often diff icult ,

if no t im po ssib le, to get fresh hors es, and to ta ke u pone's abode for the night in some of the vil lages is not

very tem pt in g ; bu t in bad wea ther the t rave l le r m us t

be prepared ei ther to stop or to go out of his way dis

tances wh ich in some cases are m uc h m ore tha n do uble

the d is tanc e betw een th e places by a nea rer road ,

au d which , bes ides , neg lec t th e po in ts o f g rea tes t

in te res t .

M os t , if no t a l l , of the en t ra nce s to th e m ou nta in

dis t r ic ts of H u n g ar y f rom the west are to lerab ly ac

cessible by good roads ; bu t w i th reg ard to th e road s

out o f Hungary towards the eas t , sou th , sou th-eas t , and

no rth -e as t , th e case is different. V ery few passes of

any kind exis t across the Carpathians , and few of these

can be t rave rsed in a ca rr ia ge . A gr ea t wal l of rock

be long ing to these g ra nd m ou n ta ins r is e s f rowning ly

a l l a round , and a l though i t i s b roken through here

and there by r ivers , such r iver channels cannot be

made avai lable for any other kind of roads than

ra i l roads , and tha t i s no t ye t a t te m pte d . Th e passes

across a l l th e m ou nt ain s are a t a gre at e levat ion, and

most of them can only be t ravel led on horseback.

So far , the n, as road s are con cern ed, H u n g a ry is s t i l l

in a very e lem entary s ta te . O n th e grea t p la ins the re

are often no m ade roa ds , for an excel lent reaso n,

na m ely, th at the re are no s tones to m ak e th em of,

ob ta inab le wi th in any reasonable d i s tan ce . In th e

open val leys and n ear rock s , w hereve r ro ads exis t , the y

B 3



t o L A N G U A G E .

are in tolerable order ; in the nar row valleys, and mo re

in th e recesses of m ou nta in co un t ry , they e i ther d i s app ear a l togethe r , or th e pa th ado pted i s th e bed of

the s t r eam . Of cour s e , un de r t hes e c i r cums tances ,

t h e r e will be occasional diff icul t ies , and when the

r iver occasiona lly carr ies dow n a large bo dy of w ate r

th e chan nel s and th e fords wh ere the wa ter has to be

crossed are s omet imes dangerous . T o a person, however, who is accus tom ed to ro ug h t ravel l ing in o the r

countr ies , there i s l i t t le i n H u n ga ry t ha t w i ll be com

plained of; i t is certainly far easier and more agreeable,

as well as safer th a n mo st pa r ts of Sp ain.

Iu t r ave l l i ng i n Hungary t he German l anguage wi l l

alm os t ev ery w he re b e found suff icient for th e ge ne ral

travel ler , f o r t h r oughou t t he coun t r y t he r e a r e many

G erm an s , an d the y form a very act ive p ar t of th e

pop ula t ion . Th e inn s are a lmos t a lways ke pt by th em .

T h e r e is mor e diff icul ty with the driver of one's cart ,

or char-a-banc, b u t h e also can general ly unders tand i f

he th inks i t wor th his wh ile to do so. T he re is at

p r es en t a s t r ong n a t i ona l f eel ing am ong Hu ng ar i a ns ,

and many speak the i r own very pecul iar l anguage

more f rom pr ide and ant i -Germanism than f rom ne

cess i ty . E ng l i s hmen , however , who a r e known to

. sym pa thize w ith th ei r love of l ib er ty, wil l alm ost

always rind thems e lves under s tood .

Wi th regard to the names of p laces , i t may be use

ful to exp lain th e pronuncia t ion of cer ta in let ters in

H u n g a r i a n , as they differ much from other E u r o p e a n

l anguages : t hus s i s a lways pronounced sh ; Boksan ,



C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F T H E H U N G A R I A N S . 11

for ins tance , i s pronounced Bokshan ; sz i s p ronounced

l ike s a lon e, th u s Szaszka is Saska ; z alone i s p ro

nounced a l i t tl e h ard er th a n w i th us ; zs i s p ronounced

exact ly l ike j i n E n g l i s h , t h u s Zsil i s p ronounced

Jil ; cz is ts , t h u s Oravicza is Oravitsa ; a n d cs is tch,

as Mohacs i s p r o n o u n c e d Mohatch. The final y is

en t i r e ly d ropped , t hus Lunkany i s s imply Lun-Kan.

B u t i n t h e s ou th o f H un g ar y , t he l angu age us ed by X

th e co m m on peop le i s a lm ost exclus ively the R om aic

dialect of W al lach ia , a cu r iou s m ixtu re of I ta l ia n a n d

T u r k i s h , t h e L a t i n e le m e n t g r e a t ly p r e p o n d e r a t i n g .

It is a kind of lingua franca. When a man wi s hes t o

swear by the D ev i l , he app eals to draco, t h e D r a g o n ;

when he speaks of a house he cal ls i t casa, an d so w i th

a m ul t i t ude o f com m on wo rds . Th i s l ang ua ge would

ce r t a in ly be acqu i r ed m uc h m ore r ead i ly t ha n t he

H un ga r ia n , bu t i t is only neede d to com m unica te w i th

the pe as an t s . Th e up per c la ss es am on g the W al l a -

c h i a n s s p e a k F r e n c h a n d G e r m a n .

T he H u n g ar ia n i s very eas ily recognized , no t only

by h i s s t r ong ly -marked phys iognomy and t he s i ngu l a r

breadth of the back of the head be tween the ear s , but

by h i s pecul ia r an d draw l ing mo de of spea king e i ther

h i s o w n l a n g u a g e o r G e r m a n . T h e H u n g a r i a n l a n

gua ge i s es sent ia l ly As ia t i c , and ha s no resem blanc e

to an y Eu rop ean d ia lec t except T ur ki s h , of w hich th e

gra m m ar an d all th e inflexions are pec ul iar . I t mu stbe di f f icul t for a German or Engl ishman to learn, and

seems to requi re th i s slow m eth od of spe ak ing . Ev ery

part of every word is said to have a meaning, and every



12 A U S T R I A N P O L I C Y I N H U N G A R Y .

word is a l te red to ad ap t i t se lf to ge nd er , nu m be r , an d

case. The root of each word in H un ga r ia n i s sa id by th epeople themselves t o be ap pa ren t t hr ou gh every modif i

c a t io n . W h e n a H u n g a r i a n s p e ak s G e rm a n h e s o m e w h a t

affects to utter his t h o u g h t s with difficulty in a foreign

language , and drawls out h is sen tences in a very cur ious

way . I no t iced t h is espec ia lly in th e ra i lway carr iages ,

where there is a cons ide rab le mixture of races , andwhere each exhib i ts h is pecul ia r i t ies .

T he H un ga r i an lan gu ag e is sa id to be very r ich , and

i t cer ta in ly has a la rge l i te ra t ur e . I observed a n u m

ber o f modern works recen t ly pub l i shed and exh ib i ted

for sale both in V i e n n a a n d Pe s th , an d the re is no

doubt that every effort is m ade to increase th e use of

t h e l a n g u a g e a m o n g th e p e o p le . I t is not easy to say

how far this may be successful , but i t is certainly not

an easy task to re ta in in a hea l thy and v igorous s ta te

a d ia lec t or la ng ua ge conf ined to a sm al l pop ula t io n ,

m os t of wh om m us t , fo r the sake of com m unica t ion

with the world , make famil ia r use of a t leas t one o ther

t o n g u e .

Since th e revolu t ion of 18 48 , th e pol icy of A ustr ia

has been to denat ional ize H un g ar y , an d the reac t ionary

po licy o f the H un ga r ia ns ha s indu ced t h e m to rever t

as far as pos sible to al l th ei r olde r c u s t o m s . Ev e ry

where the gov ernm ent of the tow ns has been taken

away f rom th e local au tho r i t ie s , and is condu cted by

A us tr i an offic ials from a di sta nc e. T h e blu e uniform

of th e A us tr ia n reve nu e collector is seen in every vil

lage, and the wearers of i t too often render themselves



I N S O L E N C E O F A U S T R I A N O F F I C I A L S . 13

unnecessa r i ly un po pu la r . A k in d of m i l i ta ry des

potism , and a pe rp etu al s ta te of m art ia l law, prevai lseverywhere , so far as the off ic ia l arrangements are con

cerned, and w hatever violence and misconduc t i s com

m it te d by th e police th er e is l i t t l e r e d re s s . All th is is part

of a sys tem which may or may not succeed in keeping

down and u l t im ate ly des t roy ing th e na t iona l feel ing ,

bu t i t does no t rend er A us t r ia po pu la r . I t in no way ,however, in terferes w ith th e pro gre ss of the t ravel ler ,

e spec ia l ly the Eng l i shman , who need no t t roub le h im

self with local polit ics .

R esu l ts of th i s sys tem p rese n t them se lves , in deed ,

now an d th en to his s i gh t , an d the re is cer ta in ly a

tend enc y to pres s very ha rd ly on th e p easan t c lass .A few da ys before m y visit to on e of th e ou t of t h e

way valleys, in w hich ar e several sm all v il lages, a

disp ute ha d ar isen du ri n g a fes tival on the occasion of

a w ed di ng . T he officials accu sed the giver of th e feast

of hav ing sm ug gle d some of the d r in ks in use . I t was

denied ; b u t th e rev en ue officer declar ed th e w ineshould n o t be use d . T h e pea san ts re fused to g ive

way, and th e resu l t was , th a t the y were a t tacked and

several kil le d. N o inq uir y seeme d likely to follow th is

o u t r a g e . N o w o n d e r t h e A u s t r i a n s a r e u n p o p u l a r .

N e i t h e r m us t i t be fo rgo t ten th a t whi le , to a ce r ta in

ex ten t , improv ing the coun t ry , th e A us t r i a n gove rn m e n t has enforced heavy pay m en t fo r th e advan tages

afforded. The tax on tobacco is so heavy and the in te r

ference in i t s manufac ture so t roub le some , tha t the

H u n g a r i a n t o b a c c o , once the b e s t i n E u ro p e , Í 3 n o w



14 R E S U M P T I O N O F L A N G U A G E A N D C O S T U M E .

hard l y t o be go t . Cig ars a re m ore c o m m o n l y s m o k e d

th a n p ipes , an d th e bes t of t h e s e are from C u b a . E a c h

town i s requi red to bear i t s pa r t , and no l i g h t part , in

t h e b u r d e n i m posed on t h e coun t ry by t h e m i li t a ry

ex t ravagance o f Aus t r i a , and t he de t e rm i na t i on t o

re ta in to th e l as t m om en t a hold in I t a ly i s fe lt as

an i ncubus i n t he r em ot es t v i l l ages t h roughou t t h e

A u s t r i a n e m p i r e .

So vast is the difference t h i s has a l r eady m ade , t ha t

one sm al l tow n in the S ie be nb ürg en , which former ly

only pa id public taxes to the extent of 1200 florins, or

£ 1 2 0 , n ow p a y s a s m u c h a s £ 8 0 0 0 , a n d t h a t w i t h o u t

, th e condi t ion or we al th of th e people be ing impro ved.

I t i s no t su rp r i s i ng t ha t a se r i ous am oun t of disaffection

t o t he cen t ra l Go vernm ent shou l d be f el t, o r t h a t t h e

M a g y a r should long for h i s na t iona l assembly a t P e s t h ,

and des i re the re -es t ab l i shm en t o f a s ta te of affairs

w h e n h e was not on ly personal ly f ree , bu t was charged

wi th no o t he r expe nd i t u re t h an th a t impo sed for th e

ben efit of his ow n c o u n t r y .

One consequence of this i s seen in the resumpt ion of

t he na t i ona l cos t um e and o l d l anguage am ongs t th e

h i ghe r c la s ses . A H un ga r i a n gen t l em an is know n a t

once by cer ta in pecul iar i t ies of d ress— such as t h e t i g h t -

fi t t ing pantaloons and Hess i an boot s , and a l so by th e

coat , and almost al l art icles of dress be i ng em bro i de redin a pecul i a r m a n n e r . To an eye not very cri t ical in

the myster i es of female cos t um e , th e ladies seem

dressed m uc h in th e s ty le requ i red by m od ern fashion ;

but I was told tha t in a pecul i a r j acke t , and some o ther



R E C E N T C H A N G E OF C U S T O M S . 16

m a t t e r s , a pa t r io t ic cut migh t a lw ays be de tec ted . The

L a t i n l a n g u a g e , not l ong ago more gene ra l ly t augh t and

spoken in H u n g a r y t h a n in any o the r p a r t of E u r o p e ,

h a s now given way a lmos t en t i re ly to the na t ive Mag

y a r a m o n g the y o u n g e r men. Eng l i sh , how eve r , is

popu la r , and the s y m p a t h y of E n g l i s h m e n w i t h the

pa t r io t ic asp i ra t ions of the more ins t ruc ted c lass , is

a s s u m e d as a m a t t e r of course . In society it is ev iden t

t h a t the na t ive l anguage is now u s u a l a m o n g all classes ,

b u t all speak German ; and in c o m p l i m e n t to the

Engl ish v is i to r , I have gene ra l ly hea rd G erm an spoken

a t tab le . I bel ieve, however , it is se ldom heard when

a par ty of H u n g a r i a n s are t o g e t h e r .

T h e H u n g a r i a n n o b l e is no l onge r the feudal lordhe once was; but, on the o t h e r h a n d , the peasan t is

no longer the serf. I t would be difficult for anyone

not perfect ly famil iar with the H u n g a r i a n l a n g u a g e ,

a n d u n a b l e to pene t ra te deep ly be low the surface

of society, to judge prec ise ly how far the c h a n g e in

th e pol i t ica l system affects the peasant c lass . So c o m plete was the dis t inc t ion of classes formerly , that there

was absolute ly no m i d d l e or i n t e r m e d i a t e class w h a t

ever . Every man was a noble or a serf; now t he se

t h i n g s are so far dy ing aw ay tha t the nob leman d rops

his t i t le when he und e r t ak es w ork tha t w i th us be longs

to the middle classes, but he r e t a in s his feelings and

h a b i t s . He looks back too, now and t hen , w i th l o n g i n g

recollection to the t ime when H u n g a r y was in his view

the freest country in E u r o p e . At t h a t t i m e the noble

pa id no tax of any k i n d — he cou ld command the services



18 V I C I N I T Y O F T U R K E Y L I T T L E F E L T .

of t he peasan t w i t hou t t h i nk i ng of pay m en t — and

h e could l ive in h is cast le , or t ravel th ro u gh the

land, secure from the visi t of the tax-gatherer , or any

de m an d from h i s t r ade sm en . I t i s not easy to see

now how this system wo rked. I t is a th in g a l tog ethe r

of th e pa st , an d th e cond i t ion of society is rapidly

approach ing tha t common in o ther par t s o f Europe .

I t wi l l, pe rh aps , be seen f rom these r em ark s th a tthere is m uch in H un ga ry wo r th no t i c ing , and some

th in g to be lea rn t wi th rega rd to the peop le as wel l

as the co un try . I t i s kn ow ledg e n ot easi ly a t ta ine d,

but , for that very reason, ext remely in teres t ing.

Once for a l l i t may be remarked, that the towns and

c it ie s o f H un ga r y are , for the m ost pa r t , wi tho utint ere st . Th er e are few Mediaeval an t iqu it ies , few

spec imens o f Go t h i c a r ch i t ec t u r e , few f ine buildings of

any k ind , no museum excep t a t Pes th , and excep t some

m ode rn pa in t in gs , no th i ng even there tha t can ap pea l

to or satisfy th e lover of a r t . Of th e pic tu res qu e th er e

is ab un da nc e a t every tu rn , bu t i t is not a t t rac t iv e to

th e nat ive ar t i s t . A lmo st a l l th e ar t tas tes of t he

Hungar ians are c lass ical , and a l l the towns look

m ode rn , excep t wh ere a m inare t o r a dom e rem ind s

one of the t ime — not far d i s t a n t — w h e n a T u r k i s h

a n d M a h o m e t a n popu la t ion con tes ted th i s bord er l and

wi th the Chr i s t i an .

Except , however , in th is way, one i s hardly reminded,

in t r ave l l ing th ro ug h H un ga ry , how nea r Tu rkey is ,

an d how very nar row ly th i s p ar t o f E uro pe has

escaped be ing O t to m an . Ev en w i th in the recollec tion



P A U C I T Y O F R O M A N R E M A I N S . 17

of l iv ing person s , Tu rk ish arm ies have overru n p ar ts

of modern H un ga ry , and red oub t s and o the r wo rks

are seen on the hil ls in the Zsil valley, where the

art i l lery of the T u rk s was pl an ted on t h e occasion of

one of their raids towards the close of the last century.

M ost of the H un ga r ia n tow ns in th e sou th have been to o

often an d too rec ent ly bu rn t to th e gr ou nd , to allow

of f ine arc hi te ctu re of th e Mediaeval da te . Th is is ,

perhap s , the t rue reason why the s t ree ts of th e town s

have been m ad e so wide a n d look so desolate , and i t

cer tainly exp lains an d ac co un ts for th e fact th at th er e

are few roads, and these few not very good.

Of R om an an t iqu i t i e s and mark s of the occupa t ion

of the ancien t ru le rs of E ur op e , the re is m ore to be

seen, bu t l i t t le in an y useful or in ter es t in g con di t ion .

Th at l i t t le is d u g up out of th e gr ou n d, few th in gs

bui l t above i t h av in g wi ths too d th e cha ng es of two

tho us an d ye ars . A few roa ds , th e form of an old

amphi theat re near a few towns , and some other indica

t ions , are al l that can be made out .

B ut the co un t ry an d the p eople of H u n g a ry afford

amp le m ater ia l for s t u d y . In these respec ts th er e i s

wonderful var ie ty , and nu m ero us po ints of in te res t .

Le t us hope tha t an acc ount of one sho r t t r ip m ay

induce En gl i shm en to a t t em pt m any o the r s , and do

jus t ice to th is rem ote , unv is i ted , bu t by no means u n

f r iendly land.



C H A P T E R I I .

V i e n n a t o t h e Maros V a l l e y .

T H E dis tr ic t of H un ga ry we a re abou t to describe

is chiefly Tran sy lvan ian . I t inc ludes pa r t o f th e

i m p o r t a n t bu t l i t t l e -known g rand duchy o f the S ieben

b ü r g e n , pa r t o f th e ad jacen t d is t r ic t of the B an na t ,

a po r t ion o f the Mi l i t a ry f ron t i e r , the Danube from

th e te rmina t ion of the ra i lway a t Baz iasch to the

town o f Gran , be tween P e s t h a n d P r e s b e r g , and some

of the eas i ly -access ib le and p ic turesque country on t h e

lef t bank of the Danube , wi th in about f i f ty mi les

f rom the river . I t is a t r i p of consid erable in te re s t ,

a n d m a d e very eas i ly . O th er s equa l ly in t e r e s t i n g

m ig h t b e made wi th advan tage , and some o f th e s e

will be a l luded to . O the rs less easy , and req ui r ing

m o re t im e , bu t a lso qu i te manageable , would ca r ry

the t r ave l l e r in to pa r t s o f e a s te rn Hunga ry u t t e r ly un -

vis i ted , complete ly buried in the val leys of the higher

C a rp a th i a n s . T h e n o r th -w e s t e rn p a r t of t h e C a r p a

th ian cha in has recent ly been crossed and brief ly d e

scribed b y a t ravel ler , b u t t h e n o r th - e a s t e rn part is even

m o re p ro m i s in g . The ne ighbourhood o f C h e m n i t z a n d

i t s mines have be en m ost frequ ently vis i ted . VVallachia

m ay be ea si ly en te red . T he town s of S iebenbürgen

may be the objects of a p i lg r im age . These are all

points access ible to the t rave l le r who has dec ided on



A N T I Q U I T I E S . i O

m aking eas te rn H un ga ry th e ob jec t o f a v i s it . W es te r n

H u n g a ry offers a t t rac t io ns of a very different k in d .

We wil l not , however , waste t ime in discurs ive ta lk , but

proceed to car ry th e reader w i th u s to the s t a r t in g-

p o i n t .

A v isi t to the ce lebra ted A m br as co llec tion of an t i

qu i t ies in V ienn a should be a p re l im inary m easure in

the case of a t rave l le r bo un d for the S ie be nb ürg en .H e will th er e see a r ich collection of Roman r e m a i n s

obtained from this dis t r ic t , and not a few barbarous

bu t m agnif icent wo rks in sol id go ld a lso found th er e .

For th e S ie ben bür gen i s a d is t r ic t th a t ha s for a very

long per iod yie lded s tore of the most precious of a l l

m e ta l s . Th e r ed go ld and t e l lu r ium of Na gy ág , th eimportant aur iferous veins of Oravicza, the sands of<

the Maros , the Be rzava , and a m u l t i tude o f o the r

r ivers wi th unfam i l ia r na m es , an d th e th i ck be ds of

gold-bear ing grave l and conglomera te of the Zs i l and

othe r val leys , have been kno w n an d ri fled from t im e

imm em oria l . Th e go ld ob ta ined was som et imes m ad einto l inks of a massive chain , sometimes worked into

equal ly massive col lars , armlets , s ignet r ings and other

personal ornaments , and occasional ly in to vases and

other ob jec ts show ing some ar t i s t ic tas te . A dm irab le

examples of these a re in the museum, and the lea rned

and most a t ten t ive and po l i te d i rec tor wi l l po in t them

out wi th p leasure to the inqui re r .

H ar d l y less in te re s t ing a re th e co ins an d bronzes f rom

the sam e ne ighbo urhoo d . Th e coun t ry we a re abou t to

visi t is c lass ic g ro u nd . I t was occu pied for less th an



20 A P P R O A C H B Y R A I L W A Y .

\ t w o c e n tu r ie s b y t h e R o m a n s , but they have left an

im pressio n w hich no tim e will ever efface. T he y weresucceeded by barb arous bu t h igh ly- im i ta t ive races . Th e

Turks have s ince swept over the land, and have t r ied ,

b u t in vain , to ext irpa te a l l m ar k. T he re i t is s t i l l ,

an d th er e i t will rem ain . I t is seen in th e app eara nce

of the people , heard in the most familiar words of the i r

l a n g u a g e , a n d m ay be traced in the f ie lds where thebricks and pot tery on the s i tes of the ir towns are every

yea r tu rned up by the p lough , t h o u g h t h e a m p h i t h e a t r e

is now a corn-field, and in the anc ien t s t ree ts the sheep

and the ca t t le b ro w s e . I n the m useu m , the n , an idea

may be formed of the an t iquar ian in te res t o f the S ie

b e n b ü r g e n ; a n d from the museum to the ra i lways ta t ion , and thence to th e point of bifurcation of the

Theiss railway, will n o t take long to desc r ibe .

Railway journeys are useful , and we owe to the ra i l

way a deb t of gr a t i tu de beyond a l l ca lcu la t ion, for we

are thus enabled to place ourse lves rapidly a t the point

from which we may des ire to s tar t to see a town orpart of a co un try ; bu t as ena b l ing us to see the co un try

th ey are worse th an useless . L et us assum e, t h e n , t h a t

the t rave l le r wishes to see a pa r t o f Hungary , and pro

ceeds by ra i l to h is des t in a t ion . Pa ss i ng by th e city of

Pes th , to which we shal l come later, let us ca r ry h im to

Czegled , about 2 2 0 mi les f rom V ien na . A de ten t ionof an hour at this place, which will some day be a very

im po r tan t s ta t ion , enab les one to ju d g e of th e c i tie s

of the p la in in th is pa r t o f Hungary , for h i t h e r t o t h e

ra i l has made l i t t le a l te ra t ion .



T H E T O W N O F C Z E G L E D . 21

Th e rai lwa y stat io n is a low flat b u ild in g , of som e

extent , b u t no be au ty . O uts ide are ha l f -a-dozen

very rou gh car t s , an d a score of wi ld- loo king hu m an

bein gs , e i th er ex t rem ely di r ty or ext rem ely bronz ed, o r

both , wi th lo ng s t rea m ing b lack ha i r , som et imes l an k,

som et imes cur le d. T he f igure i s concealed by w hi te

o r r a the r c ream-co loured ga rm en t s m ade of un dy ed

wool. T he se cover th e bod y from h ea d to foot, exce pt

tha t som et imes the hea d is covered wi th a cyl ind r ical

cap of black sheep-skin, wool outwards , and somet imes

th e legs are encased in bo ots great ly too large for th e

wearer. Ex cep t th a t the wom en are usual ly barehead ed

there is l i t t le difference in th ei r dre ss . B ot h sexes

wear the sheep-skin jacket or c loak, of which the wool

is pu t outs ide in su m m er and ins ide in w inter . B ot h

term ina te dow nw ard s in loose w hi te t rowsc rs wh ich look

l ike sho r t pe t t icoa ts , or sho r t pe t t ic oa ts tha t look l ike

t row scrs , an d bo th wear prec i se ly the sam e kin d of

eno rm ou s a nd very shabb y b oo ts , or e lse th e feet are

naked . Thes e i nd iv idua l s ha n g abou t i n t r u e Ar ab i cs ty le , an d m igh t m ake one ima g ine one had l anded

une xpe ctedly in A lgiers . B ey on d th e s tat ion is a larg e

open space covered wi th a l i t t le grass , and indented

wi th m any w heel - t r ack s , bu t ha vin g no def ined road .

A t a dis tance are seen a few low w hi tew ash ed bu i ld in gs

r i s ing out of the p la in , and a l i tt l e s tu nte d ve ge ta t ion .

All else is loose al luvial sand . T he re a re n o s to ne s

obta inab le , an d , therefore , there is no roa d . T he

wag gons and car t s proceed ing to th e s ta t ion ma ke

the be s t of thei r way over th e g ro u n d in dry we ather



22 R A I L W A Y S O F T H E T H E I S S V A L L E Y .

th r ou gh c louds of dus t , in r a iny w ea the r th r ou gh

q u a g m i r e .

A walk of a qu ar ter of an ho ur br i ng s one to the

to wn . I t con sists of row s of small w hit e hou ses a n dga rde ns , th e rows p ara l le l to each o the r , b u t a con

s ide rab le d i s tance apa r t , and thus fo rming a kind of

wide s t ree t . A lmo st a l l the ho use s are low, oblo ng ,

b a r n -l ik e b ui ld ing s, w ith a very few sm all windows ;

t h e y are bui l t wi th the i r gable ends towards the s t ree t ,

so th a t the y have no look-ou t in tha t d i rec t ion at all .The ef fec t of dul l monotony thus produced is a lmost

worse than tha t of the windowlcss houses in Mahometan

tow ns . Such the n i s Czeg led , o r a s m uc h of it as c an

be seen wi thou t los ing the chance o f ge t t ing on a n o t h e r

s tage by ra i l .

A b o u t e ighteen mi les f rom Czegled is Szolnok,where th e ra i lway aga in forks . O ne bran ch proceeds

n o r th -ea s tw ard s , and , a f te r once mo re b i fu rca t ing to the

eas t , i s comple ted to Kaschau, a d is tance of 2 1 0 mi le s ,

nearly nor th f rom Szo lnok ; ano the r b ranch p roceeds to

the sou th -eas t towards S i e b e n b ü r g e n , a n d t e r min a t e s a t

p rese n t a t A rad , a d i s t a n c e of a b o u t a h u n d r e d mi l e s

beyon d th e jun c t io n . Th is sys tem of r a i lways t ak es

advan tage o f the great val ley of t h e Th e i s s a n d i t s

p r inc ipa l t r ibu ta ry the M aro s . T he va ll ey of the Theiss

is one of the larges t of those tha t c o mmu n ic a t e wi th

th e D a n u b e , a n d t h e r iv e r is i tself navigable b y s t e a m

boa t s to a g rea t d i s t a n c e . I t is the chief c h a n n e l b y

w h i c h t h e n u m e r o u s s t r e a m s c o m i n g f rom the Carpa

th ia ns f ind th e ir way to th e sea, a nd one can easi ly



S Z O L N O K T O A R A D . 2 3

u n d e r s t a n d th a t t he on ly ou t l e t o f t he D an ub e be ing

a na r row go rge of 2 0 0 ya rds in width nea r Or s ova ,

w here the d ep th of th e r iver is ne ar ly 18 0 feet, if th is ,

by any convuls ion of na ture were closed, a n d t h e

wate r s held bac k, th e r e s u l t m u s t be the format ion of

a l ake cover ing m any scores of tho us an ds of squa re

mi les , and ent i re ly a l t e r ing the face of Europe .

T he hu nd re d m i les of r a i l f rom Szolnok t o A r a d

present only the o rd ina r y i nc iden t s be long ing to a flat

count ry , for no objec t s meet the eye more s t r ik ing t h a n

a few herds of whi te ca t t l e , provided wi th horns of the

m o s t p o r t e n t o u s length, a few f locks of sheep, and one

or two p e a s a n t s wi th t he i r s heep- s k in caps . T h e r e

is n o u n s ee m l y h u n y in t h e j o u r n e y , for the train

jogs on a t the r a t e of som e fifteen m i les an h o u r ,

and s tops at smal l road-s ide s ta t ions five or six miles

ap ar t . L i t t l e or no sign of towns or even of s ingle

hou ses i s seen, b u t s t i ll t rave l lers arc found , and th e

rai lway al ready m ak es a fai r r e tu rn for th e cap i tal in

ves ted, t ho ug h qu i t e i n i t s i n fancy , and ru n n in g on ly

two t r a ins each way per diem.

T h e present terminus of the rai lway in this di rect ion

is at Arad, an i m p o r t a n t t o w n of 3 0 , 0 0 0 i n h a b i t a n t s ,

pleasant ly s i t ua t ed in- the l evel ground close to the

r iver Maros , about for ty mi les above i t s j unc t i on with

th e T h e i s s .

A t first s ight th er e seem s n o th in g in Arad be

y o n d t h e enor m ous ly d i s p ropor t i oned wid th of its

roads to di s t inguish i t from a flourishing town in any

other par t of E u r o p e . I n t h i s r es pec t , however , i t even



24 A R A D .

su rpasses W ash ing ton , " t h e c i ty of m agn i f icen t d i s

ta nc es . " A s t rag gl in g road con duc ts from the ra i lwayinto th e tow n. Th is road co nsis ts of one wide pav ed

tra ck , to be use d in case of need when n o th in g else is

safe. Th ere is a sand y wilderness adjacent , wide en ou gh

for half-a-dozen carriages to roll along side by side in fine

weather , and becoming a t reacherous morass af ter ra in .

A somewhat harder bu t unpaved pa th ex tends be tweenth is mo rass and th e hou ses . Op pos i te ne ig hb ou rs in

this par t of the town must be as complete ly separated

from one another during many weeks of the year as i f

there were a wide stream instead of a road to cross.

Within the town, Arad is br ight , c lean, wel l-bui l t ,

and lively , bu t a l l th e s t ree ts are dispro port io nate lywide . Th e bu i ld ing s a re new, an d the church es u n

wo r thy of no t ice , bu t tho ug h ne i ther p ic turesq ue nor

han dso m e, there is a s t r ik ing appearanc e of c lean liness

and comfort th at g ives a favourable im pres sion . T he

hotel accommodation is good, and, as is usual in Hun

gar y, th e cuis ine an d cel lar are beyon d the average ofsmall tow ns in G erm an y. T he exis tence of such a

town in such a place was a m at te r of considerable

in te res t to me, and shows a very rap id advance conse

quent on the es tabl ishment of the ra i l road.

From Arad in to the S iebenbürgen there i s da i ly com

munica t ion by a schne l l -pos t , p roceeding a t the es tab

l ished ra te of one Germ an mile an h ou r . Tw en ty

hours of rumbl ing a t th is pace conveyed me to the

dis tr ic t I was about to examine.

For the first ten miles the road crosses part of the



T H E M A R O S V A L L E Y . 25

vas t p la ins of the D an ub e and The iss , th a t g r ea t open

fla t th a t has b een well nam ed the E uro pe an p a m p a s . ~

I t is not a lway s a dead level , bu t th e un du lat io ns are

so smal l com pared wi th th e ex ten t of g ro und tha t whe n

seen from a dis tan ce th ey die awa y an d are h ar dl y

recognized . Th ere i s ha rd ly a l imi t to th e am ou nt of

produce ob ta inab le f rom these a l luv ia l lands .

T he t r u e h i l ls r ise a t f irst q ui te ab ru pt ly f rom th e

pla in , an d are recognized by t he geological eye as be ing

abso lu te ly unco nne c ted w i th the undu la t ion s above

spoken of. Th ey are , indeed , usu al ly resu l ts of ancien t

vo lcan ic d is tu r ban ce , and a re no t un l ik e those b ea u

t ifu l seven s is ters ( the we l l-know n Sieb eng ebirge )

r i s ing from the ba nk s of th e R hin e be tween Bon n andCo blen tz . Th e roa d, as i t app roac hes th e hi l ls , seems

to te rm ina te abru p t l y , and a s teep ascen t shows i tse lf

on a long l ine to r igh t and le f t ; bu t the M aro s , a

fine, t ho ug h r a th e r un m ana gea b le , s t r eam, has cu t a

wide val ley , and f lows t ranqui l ly enough a t th is point ,

leaving a m ple space a lo ng i ts ba nk s for cul t iv ated f ie ldsa3 well as a road.

After winding a t the foot of the high ground for

a few m iles , we en ter am on gs t th e h i l ls , and s igns

of chang e soon a ppe ar .

A valley thre e or four m iles wide, r ichly cu l t ivate d

with c orn, wel l wa tered by th e r iver , and covered withpr et ty wh ite v i l lages , firs t succeeds th e som ew hat

b lank monotony of the g rea t p la ins ad jacen t . Th e

hills r ise rapidly on each side , an d are e i th er c lothed

with vines , or tow ards the top p re sen t an unb roken

G



2 6 U P P E R P A R T O F T H E M A R O S V A L L E Y .

m ass of fores t, for th e m ost pa r t oak . After ab outfifteen m iles of th is cou nt ry , th er e is a bro ad op en ing ,

present ing a scene s ingular ly r ich, lovely , and cul t ivated,

th rough which the road winds eas i ly and qu ie t ly a long

for som e fur th er d is tan ce . T h en , for a t im e, th e r iver

chann e l is i n t e r rup ted by p rec ip i tous rocks , and the

val ley becomes mo re sh ut in , be ing dark en ed by fores ts

of oak, much of the wood in a s ta te of nature .

T he up pe r par t of th e M aros i s exceedingly wi ld

an d beau t i ful , b u t i t i s a wide r iver , an d th e qu an t i ty

of w ate r in i t varies m u ch w ith th e season, an d affects

cons iderab ly th e p ic turesq ue re su l t . Th e r iver can

ha rd ly be r ega rded a s nav igab le , t hough , p robab ly ,

a l l the lower par t admits of easy reduct ion to a

na vig ab le s ta te . I t i s , how ever , qu i te capab le of

be ing t rav erse d by a ra i l road for a con sidera ble

dis tan ce. I t take s i ts r ise an d receives two im

po r t an t t r ibu ta r i e s from tha t pa r t of t he Ca rpa th i an s

s e p a r a t in g H u n g a r y fro m M o l d a v ia . L i k e m a n y

of the other s t reams of th is par t of Europe, i t col

lects the waters of a large area , and conveys them

ou t of a closed dis tr ict by deep fissures or by go rg es

b r o k e n t h r o u g h t h e m a i n c h a i n o f t h e m o u n t a i n s .

T he cul t ivat ion of t he M aro s val ley is b y no m ea ns

neg lec ted . T he gr ou nd is covered wi th corn c rops , o r

e lse left in gr ass on th e lower la n ds , w hi le t he hi l l

s ides are c lothed with vines for some height , and then

crow ned wi th oak , beech , an d o the r wood . Very la rge

qu ant i t i es of In d i an corn a re grow n in these pa r t s of

H u n g a r y . J u d g i n g fro m s p e ci m e n s i n t h e M u s e u m



T H E T O W N O F D O B R A . 2 ;

a t Pes th , i t would be wor th whi le to v i s i t t he coun t ryin au tumn to see the g igan t i c s t a lks o f th i s p lan t and

of the sugar grass {Sorgho) also grown in the p la ins .

They woufd seem to r iva l the g ro w th in Am er ica , w here

in som e f ields a tal l m an r id in g on a tal l ho rse wo uld

be ent i re ly los t and concealed by the corn .

M uc h o f m y jou rne y from A rad was per fo rmed b yn ig h t . Bes ides nu m ero us v i ll ages , some smal l tow ns

were passed, of wh ich Do bra i s the m ost im po r ta nt ,

and as the days were very long , and the b road moon

l ig ht rend ere d the cou nt r y v is ib le , we d id no t lose

m uc h of the scenery . Tow ards th e ea r ly mo rn ing

we en te re d th e nar ro w er pa r t o f th e va ll ey . Th e

volume of the s t ream was s t i l l l a rge , and there wasam ple space for th e road on e i th er ba nk . W e crossed

in a f e r ry -boa t , we ll en ou gh con s t ruc ted to ca r ry the

d i l igence , and the road then con t inued on the sou th

side of th e s t rea m in to th e he ar t of the S ieben

b ü r g e n .

Dobra i s a decent town, wi th i t s two churches c lose*together , s tar ing a t each o ther , but each so ugly that

there can be no r ival ry . O ne i s appropr ia t ed to the* ;

Greek and the o ther to the Roman Church , bu t the dif

ference in app eara nce is as sm al l as th e n a tu re of th e

m um m erie s car r ied on in th e in te r ior . Th e people are

a ll Hu n g a r i an s , an d seem p r o sp e r o u s . T h e h o u sesare wel l bu i l t , and the ge nera l app earan ce fav ourable .

I t i s a lm os t th e firs t of th e Sie be nb ürg en tow ns , and

f rom th is point the River Maros may be considered to

separa te t h e H u n g a r i an fro m t h e W a l l ach i an p o p u l a -

c 2



28 D E V A A N D I T S C A S T L E .

t i o n. T he actual f ront ier of W allach ia is near ly

a hu nd red mi le s fu r the r sou th , a l tho ug h w e soonbegin to see th e cus to m s and cos tumes of H un ga ry

d isp laced .

N ea r D ob ra the re i s a good dea l o f rocky ground ,

and a large qu an t i ty of a pecu l iar k i nd of con glo m erate

crops out on the r ive r -ban k . Beyond the town the

valley open s aga in , an d a t Les nek is a l tog ethe r park

l ike , t he r ive r runn ing th rough a w ide , undu la t ing

pla in between som ew hat lof ty an d very r ichly -w ooded

hil ls on each s ide . Th is co nt in ue s for some dis tanc e,

and near ly as far as De va. Som e sm all i ronw orks are

passed on the road , and the ne ighbourhood i s no t

wi tho ut a ce r ta in am ou nt of ind us t ry .

To wa rds noo n we arr ived a t D eva, ou r pre sen t di s -

t ina t io n , and th ou gh somewhat ou t o f th e way , i t is

by no means an un impor tan t p l ace .

The approach to Deva i s marked by a change in the

cha racte r of th e scen ery. T h e val ley , a lways pic

tu re sq ue , c loses in , an d ne ar t he to wn is an isola ted

rock, on whose summit are the ruins of a for t ress , whose

o r ig in com mon repo r t a t t r ibu te s to the R om an s . N o

doubt i t has been a s t rong place from time i m m e m o r i a l ,

b u t it has for some t ime been in a s ta te of decay, and

a t the revo lu t ion in 1818 what l i t t le r ema ined w as

b lown up . I t i s a p ic tu re sque ru in , and , be in g in a

cou nt ry where ru in s a re no t o f ten p ic tu resqu e , i s perh apsthe more apprec ia ted .

Deva i tse lf is a lar ge tow n, wel l s i tu ate d, an d ne at ly

bui l t . Th ere i s good accom m odat ion a t the inn , and



T H E G O L D M I N E S O P N A G Y Á G . 2!)

an air of cheerfulness about the people which was very

p leasan t to see . T he snow y C arp a th ian s a re now in

sight , and the view, both to east and west , is s ingularlybeaut i fu l .

M r . P a g e t i n h i s " H u n g a r y a n d Tr a n s y lv a n i a , " a n

excel lent book , a l tho ug h ou t of da te for those th in gs

tha t ad m i t of ch ang e , desc r ibes en thus ias t i ca l ly th e

val ley of the Maros a t and near Deva, and i t s downward

course the nc e to th e gre a t open p la in s of th e T heis s .H e s a y s : " T h e f irst p a r t t o wa r d s t h e b o r d e r s of H u n g a r y

is r ich , wel l wooded, and occas ional ly ornamented wi th

pre t ty cou n t ry houses . A t D obra the road l eaves i t . "

T he road here spoken of is th a t to Te m esw ar . T he

road f rom Adra c o n t i n u e s a long the va l ley , and has

a l ready been descr ibed . I t was no t v is ited by M r,Paget , but i s hardly less beaut i fu l .

F r o m D e v a a very in te res t ing excurs ion may be

m ade to the ce lebra ted go ld mines o f N ag y-A g

(Nag yág) abo u t t en mi les f rom th e tow n. B u t

a l t h o u g h th e dis tance i s shor t , the roads are not

te m pt in g . Ve ry beau t i fu l spec im ens of severa l ra reminera ls have been obta ined f rom Nagyág, and a t th is

p lace a l so t e l lu r ium, a somewhat r a re me ta l , i s found . -

I t i s genera l ly associa ted wi th gold , and the mine-

ralogical in teres t connected wi th i t i s very cons iderable .

The go ld of Nagyág i s no t ob ta ined f rom wash ings ,

b u t from well-marked ve ins . Th ey have long beenworked, and the produce of the mines is sti l l con

s ide rab le .

Nor th of Dcva the mounta ins are not very lof ty , but



30 G E R M A N T O W N S O F T H E S I E B E N B Ü R G E N .

th ey are difficult to c ross, an d th e ro ad s are very ba d.

To the eas t the road passes on towards the cur ious and

- in t e r e s t i ng Saxon l ands o f T ransy lvan ia ,* and sou th

w ards the re is a valley of con sider able int ere st affording

communica t ion across two low passes wi th Wal lach ia .

The country south of the Maros is chief ly inhabi ted

by Wallaehians , probably a mixed race , chief ly der ived

from the ancient Dacians , wi th a large admixture f rom

subsequ en t conq ue r ing na t ions , of whom the R om an s

were in a l l respe cts th e chief. There is very l i t t le of

th e t rue Hu ng a r i an c l emen t . Be fore, however , pa s s ing

on to the account of these val leys and thei r inhabi tants ,

i t wil l be w or th w hile to say a few w ord s co nc ern

ing the cur ious tow ns and popu la t ion of th e S iebenbürgen, and expla in the mixture of races that prevai ls

in th i s pa r t of Eu ro pe , wh ere th e S lave , th e Ge rm an,

th e M ag ya r , t h e I ta l ian of a very ear ly per iod, and

some races yet ear l ier an d wilder th an an y of the se ,

are now cur iously balanced, and are l ikely to be very

differently affected by th e gr an d m ar ch of civi l izationrap id ly mod i fy ing Eas t e rn Europe .

I t i s now seven centur ies s ince one of the rul ing

p r inces of H un ga ry de t e rm ined to induce Germ an

colonis ts to people and cul t ivate the wastes of Transyl

van ia . Th ey were indu ced to em igra te by m an y pr iv i

leges gra n te d to th em , and they br ou gh t the i r ownlaws and ins t i tu t ion s . N on e of th e pr iv ileges of the

nobles in te rfe red wi th th em . Th ey cu l t iva ted the i r l and

* So ca l led in Hungary. T h e population o f these districts

i s m i x e d German.



T H E G E R M A N P O P U L A T I O N . 31

in their own fashion, and what was once a deser t soon

becam e a cul t ivate d an d fer ti le d is t r ic t . Th e c i t ies of

t h e S i e b e n b ü r g e n , K r o n s t a d t , H e r m a n n s t a d t , E l i z a b e t h

s t a d t , K l a u s e n b u r g , a n d a n u m b e r of o thers , remain

to th is day , proofs of th e wisdom of th e m ea su re

thu s inau gu ra ted . Th e descend an t s of these Ger

m ans wi ll p roba bly lon g remain the re , bu i 'i ed am on g

a peop le w i th no Germ an sym pa th ie s , bu t t h e h o m e sof an indus t r ious , s teady , f ruga l , and pa t ien t race , the

bes t - lo dge d , the bes t -c lo thed , and th e bes t - in s t ruc ted

peasan t and middle-c lass popula t ion in tha t par t o f the

C o n t i n e n t .

The people thus se t t led , a l t h o u g h called Saxons, were

ch ie f ly f rom the Lower Rhine , and were ra ther Dutchth an N o r t h G erm an . T h e m en wear woolly caps , and

are general ly seen mounted on the l ively l i t t le horses of

the cou n t ry . Th e wom en a re by no m e ans r em arkab le

for good looks, and have a pecul iar method of wearing

th e ha ir , by which th ey are easi ly recog nized. T he ir

long t resses are pla i ted into a s ingle tail , collected atthe forehead , and hanging down the r igh t cheek .

There are now nine pr incipal c i t ies or towns, ins tead

of seven ; b u t th e na m e of t h e dis t r ic t is no t l ikely to

be a l tered.

N ot hav ing pen e t ra ted th is par t of T ransy lvania -

myself, I can on ly recommend i t to the Engl i sht rave l le r as be ing , accord ing to a l l accounts o f Hunga

r i ans and Ge rman s , no t on ly wel l wor th v is i t ing , bu t

con ta in ing a l l t ha t th e tour is t can requi re . I t i s

accessible ; th er e is fair accom mo dat ion ; th e people



32 T H E S I E B E N B Ü R G E N .

are hospi table , p leasant , and can make themselvesun der s to od by and un de r s t a nd an y one who speaks the

Ge rman l an gu ag e . T he c it ie s con ta in m any po in t s o f

great interest , even including mediaeval ruins , and the

pro xim ity to T ur ke y seems to have ha d th e effect of

improv ing r a the r than de te r io ra t ing the na t iona l cha

rac te r .

By fol lowing the course of the Maros these German

se t t lem ents a rc soon reached . Le avin g the Ma ros to

the nor th , and t ak ing the sma l l bu t no t un in te res t ing

feeder cal led the Strehl , we come into a country

by no m eans less in te res t in g , th ou gh in te res t in g in a

different way.



C H A P T E R I I I .

Deva to the Zsil Valley.— The Valley of the Strehl, and

the Town of Hunyad.

I N two comfor tab le lon g covered car ts , sea ted in

wicker a rm -ch airs (each ho ld in g two per son s) , which

were su sp en de d b y lea the rs from th e s ides of the car ts :

th e lug ga ge a t the back of th e car t , ke pt in i t s p lace

by a quan t i ty of hay in tended as the food for the horseswhen no th ing e l se cou ld be go t :— our pa r ty th us a r

ranged s ta r ted from Deva on an expedi t ion southwards .

Three ga l lan t l i t t l e Hungar ian horses were harnessed in

p r imi t ive style to each cart , and after mending sundry-

b re a k a g e s , s e n d i n g back more than once fo r miss ing

a r t ic le s , and mak ing two or three o ther fa lse s ta r ts , we

galloped off at full speed over the rough road with

suial l respect to our own safety, or that of any chance

an ima l o r pe rson in the way . O ur pa r ty inc luded

five persons besides th e dr ivers , an d we had a t f i rs t

only to reach th e tow n o f V a id a H u n y a d , s o m e t im e s

cal led Hunyad ( the word Vaida m e a n in g s im p ly

gov erno r) , where we were to d in e . T he re were

no t many inc iden ts on the road . T he f irs t pa r t

of it was the same as tha t t rave l led by the d i l igence

to H c rm a n n s t a d t , a n d a f t e rw a rd s w e e n te r e d th e cross

C 3



84 H U N Y A D I J Á N O S . "

road to H un ya d , an d a r r ived a t th a t town after abo ut

th ree hour s ' d r ive .H u n y a d i J á n o s , t h e G o v e rn o r of H u n g a r y d u r i n g

an im por tan t pe r iod o f European h i s to ry , and to

whom Europe owes i t s emancipa t ion f rom Moslem

sway, was cer ta inly one of the greates t men, not only

of h is day , bu t h is ce n tu ry . Bo rn of hum bl e pa ren t

age on the mother ' s s ide—his mother was a peasan t o f

Szo nak os, a sm all v i l lage in th e val ley of H á tz eg — h e

was acknowledged to be the son of S ig ismund, King

of Hungary , in whose re ign the Turks f i r s t c rossed

the bounda r i e s o f Hunga ry P rope r , a f t e r e s t ab l i sh ing

themselves in th e Tr ans y lv ania n va l ley . A t a very

ear ly age Hunyad ga ined a se r ies o f g lor ious v ic tor ies

over th e enem ies of h is c ou nt ry , fo llowing th em in toW al lach ia , an d d r iv ing them ac ross the Da nu be in to

Bu lgar ia , even ob ta in in g th e for t resses of Servia an d

Bosn ia . By an ac t of t reach ery no t un co m m on

du r in g th e m idd le age s , w he n no fa i th was ke p t wi th

here t ics , he was induced to v io la te the te rms of a

t r ea ty m ade w i th the Turks , and thus a rose a secondwar, in which the tables were for a t ime complete ly

turned ; bu t shor t ly before h is dea th he redeemed h is

charac te r , an d , a fte r a ba t t le las t in g th r ee day s , he

com ple te ly rou ted the enem y and took B e l g r a d . B e i n g

th u s effectually driv en back at a cri t ical period , an d

the s t r eng th o f Chr i s t i an Europe hav ing t im e to exe r titself, the Moslems never a f te rwards recovered the los t

g rou nd , and the who le of Hu ng a r y and C en t ra l E u

rope has since been free.



T H E T O W N O F H U N Y A D . 3 5

T he r ive r S t r eh l r un s in a wide , va r i ab l e , an d wind

in g s t r eam th ro u gh H u n y ad , and i s cr oss ed b y a few

wooden b r id ge s . Two or t h r e e s mal l t r i bu t a r i e s come

in c lose to th e tow n. W i th o u t be ing l a rg e , i t occupies

much ground, and there i s a l ive ly a i r about the p lace ,

t h e ho us es l oo k in g c l ean a nd com f or tab l e . A s we

were ho spi ta bly received in th e ho use of on e of th e

gen t l emen o f our pa r ty , and feted by h i s mos t amiab l e

an d ch ar m ing wi fe , I ha d no m ean s o f t e s t i n g t he

qu al i t ies of th e in n , b u t I cer ta inly ha ve be en in*;

m a n y l a r g e r t o w n s w h e r e th e prospect of accommo

da t i on was m uc h i n fe ri o r t o t h a t o f H un ya d .

T he re are several churc he s in th e tow n, b u t th e

on ly ve ry r em arkab l e bu i l d in g i s t he cast le , wh ich

i s nob ly s i t ua t ed o n a p r ec ip i t ous rock of crys

t a l li ne l im es tone , j u t t i n g f o r ward as a p rom on tor y ,

and s t an d in g a lmos t de t ach ed . Tw o s mal l s t r eam s

m eet the S t re hl a t th i s po in t , an d th re e s ides of th e

p r o m o n t o r y a re t h u s s u r r o u n d e d w i th w a t e r ; t h e

four th i s qu i te inaccess ib le . A n ot h er rock r i ses o n

th e opposi te s ide of one of the l i t t le s t reams, and

f rom the top of th i s second r o c k , also qui te i solated,

a b r i dge has been bu i l t wh ich fo rms t h e o n l y m e a n s

of access to th e cas t le . T h e br id g e is lo n g, an d of

a grea t he ight above the water . A road passes a long

t h e b a n k s o f t h e s t r e a m , also u n d e r t h e b r i d g e .

O n l y a par t of the cas t le was bu i l t by t h e Go

v e r n o r H u n y a d , t h e r e m a i n d e r b e i n g of l a te r da te .

T h e w a l l and t ower s on t he r ig h t , an d t h e ha l l , or

R i t t e r Sa al , wh ich is a lso the re , a re ve ry f ine. T h e



3 6 T H E C A S T L E O F H U N Y A D .

towe r on th e left i s very lar ge , b u t i s no t op en , a n d

is sa id to be solid th ro u g h o u t . I n th a t case i t i s

probably a project ing needle of rock, s imply inclosed,

and mask ed by m ason ry . Th e ex te r io r of th i s l a rge

towe r is pa inte d in da rk red and w hi te , in a cur iou s

unmeaning pa t te rn , g iv ing a very good e f fec t a t a d i s

tance , a l though when near ly approached the de ta i l s

a re ug ly . Such pa in te d cas tles were no t unco m m onat one per iod in Hungary, but i t i s bel ieved that

H u n y a d is th e on ly one s t il l r em ain ing . C hu rch es ,

however , a rc s t il l o rn am ente d in th i s m an ne r , and

wi thout much tas te , and some pr iva te houses are seen

similar ly disf igured in the old Saxon towns of the

S i e b e n b ü r g e n . T h e w o r k does not appear to be donein fresco, but in common oil colours.

T h e chapel in the cast le is p la in , poor , and u n i n t e

r e s t i n g . The o the r bu i ld ings a r e mos t ly des t royed ,

e i ther by a f ire which occurred a few years ago, or by

sub sequ ent neg lec t ; a n d the f ine stone work of the

Goth ic por t ion of the bu i ld ing , the g r e a t ha l l , t h eroom s above , and th e beau t i fu l cor r idor o u ts ide th e

hal l , a re rap id ly fal l ing to decay, and are already in a

very da ng ero us s ta te . Th e cas t le be lon gs to Gov ern

m e n t , a n d before the fire it was made use of for local

pu rposes . S ince th en the re h as been no a t t em pt a t

kee p ing i t tog e th er . I t wo uld appear , f rom an accoun tof the palace given by Mr. Paget , before the f i re had

t a k e n place , tha t i t w as then a very c h a r m i n g r e s i

dence , and a ge n t le m an who accom panied m e on m y

visi t , and who was an employé under Government before



V A L L E Y S N EA R- H U N Y A D . 3 7

the revolu t ion , and ha d l ived iu th e cas t le , took m e

over the var ious ru ins wi th grea t in te res t , and spoke

of i t as in his t ime perfectly fi t for occupation.

Outs ide the wal ls are two gardens, a t d if ferent levels ,

wi th severa l ch arm ing te r rac es , each wi th walks and

sea ts ; a l l , a las ! now ove rgrow n w i th weed s , an d ha rd ly

approach ab le . F rom th e ga rd ens and towers supe rb

v iews a re ob ta ined o f the su r round ing m oun ta ins .The h igh peaks of the Carpa th ian cha in , seen towards

t h e east , sweep round in a graceful curve to meet the

lof ti er m ou n ta ins in the sou th . M uc h nea re r a re th e

hills of N a g y á g , wi th the i r ce lebra ted go ld and

t e l l u r i u m m i n e s , a n d t h e g r o u n d a round i s ex t r em e ly

b r o k e n a n d p i c t u r e s q u e .T w o or th ree very pre t ty val leys op en ou t of th e

S t r e h l n e a r H u n y a d . T h e y a re p i c t u r e s q u e , r ich ly

wooded , wh ere the re i s room for a t ree , and with a

b rawl ing s t r eam som et im es fo rc ing i t s way th rough

a narrow cleft . T h e w ater is som et imes u t i l ized , be ing

m a de to t u rn sm a l l ove r sho t whee ls be lon g ing to theh a m m e r -works and i ron -m i l l s tha t a b o u n d i n t h e

ne igh bou rhoo d . Th e l i t t le s t r eam no t fa r off crosses

one of tho se gig an t ic d epo si ts of i ron o re tha t look

as if m ean t to s u p p l y a m u c h more ac t ive people

t h a n t h e m o d e r n H u n g a r i a n s . F o r a couple of

hundred ya rds the road i s b l ack wi th i ron orerecen t ly ro l led down f rom above , o r wi th the s lag

and ash of old furnaces bu i l t he re ce nt ur ies ag o,

and now only ind ica ted by these f ragments . W e

are he re in an old cou ntr y , and one w hose resourc es



38 O L D I R O N W O R K S .

were pe rha ps m ore cul t iva ted in former t im es th anthey now are . H er e , a t any ra te , the o ld D acia ns

forged t he spears wi th w hich the y en deav oured to

keep the Romans f rom forc ing the passes and en-

en te r ing the S ieb enb ürg en . H ere , i n a ft er t imes , t h e

R o ma n s , wh e n t h e y h a d ma d e g o o d t h e i r f o o t i n g ,

sme l t ed the o res and hammered the me ta l which they

so we l l knew how to use in keep ing down t roub lesome

nat ion al i t ies . T h e qu an t i ty of s lag by the roads ide ,

and the magni tude of the t renches f rom which ore has

been dug on the h i l l s , cont ras t s t rangely wi th the pre

sen t neg lec t . Th e m ag n i tu de of the t im ber g row n

on th e s i te of the old w orks affords s i lent b u t s t ro ng

proof of th e t im e th a t has e lapsed , an d expla in th e

deep cuts in the hi l l -s ide made by the act ion of cen

tur ies of su m m er ra in an d winter f rost , an d pa r t ly

obscur ing the o ld t r enches dug by the mine r .

A cha rming wa lk th rough the fo res t may be found ,

but only in the company of one who knows the coun

try wel l , f rom the place where are a l l these indicat ions

of i ron industry to another l i t t le val ley, a lso provided

wi th i t s l i t t l e mi l l s and hammer-works . T h e d i s t ance ,

as calcu lated from th e m ap , w ould seem very smal l ,

and from the second va l l ey to ano the r beyond i t one

would also fancy to be a very easy h a l f - h o u r 's wa l k .

T h e r idges betwee n these va l leys, how ever , if na rrow

are very sh arp . Som e can not be m ou nte d a t a ll except

by tak ing advantage of ravines worn by water , and by

cl im bin g a lmost ver t ica lly . Else w here a lon g détour

i s necessary to con duc t one to th e to p . H o u rs a re



L I M E S T O N E R I D G E S . 3 9

spent in thus cross ing a r i d g e a few h u n d r e d y a r d s

wide .

Al l these r idges are covered wi th thick and very

beaut i ful wood, an d, w i tho ut a g uid e, th ey are no t to

b e r e c o m m e n d e d .

From the summit of the f i rs t one looks down into a

Swiss valley w i th ch alets an d l i t t le wo oden h u ts ;

a few wi ld - look ing peop l e an d ano the r b r aw l ing

s t ream , l ike th at ju s t pass ed, giv ing l ife to th e la n d

s cape .

I h ard ly rem em ber to have seen ins tance s of tha t

pecu l i a r and p i c tu r es qu e r i dge s t r uc tu r e , s omet imes

cal l ed a " hog ' s back , " more numerous , lof ty , and nar

row, th an he re. O n one of th e r idge s the re is a s t ra igh t

pa th some mi les lon g, en t i re ly th ro ug h fores t, an d a t

almost every point of the walk you may look down on a

valley at your feet ; on each side the width at the bottom

of the r idge seeming to be not much wider a t the bot

tom th an the to p . Th ese r idges are un de rs too d by

th e geo logis t . Th ey are spl i t shre ds of a rock of ha rd

crys ta l l ine l im es ton e , c racked wh i le c ry s ta l l iz ing , th e

crack widened when brought up to the ear th ' s sur face ,

an d the f is sure th u s formed ha s been en larg ed to

become a valley by th e w ater th a t h as found i t s way

th ro ug h t he m . Th e i ron o re m akes i ts appe arance

where th i s l imes tone comes in contac t wi th an o lds la ty rock near a t h an d, a n d th e f ingers of l ime s tone

s t retch away f rom this contact .

Ai l th i s p ar t of the co un t ry i s inh ab i ted . I t i s

t ru e th er e are no v i ll ages to be seen , b u t th e hu t s of

the people are of ten i solated, and resemble ant -hi l l s



40 V A L L E Y OF TH E STB.EHL.

in their form—they are not much larger, indeed,

than the ant-hills common in the tropics. They are

altogether so poor and so low, that looking from a

distance one can hardly recognize them, even when

pointed out. With great attention one may make out

sometimes a little wooden cross among the trees ;

this generally indicates a church, but the church is

hardly of greater size, and is not better built or

better furnished, than the hu t, and often has nothing

to distinguish it. It is built of wood, and roofed with

• small split shingles, not much larger than wide laths.

From Hunyad to Ilátzeg, the road avoids the plain

of the Strehl (somewhat unnecessarily as it would

seem), and crosses a succession of low hills of little

interest, and valleys with small 'but rapid and mis

chievous streams of water. Part of the road, however,

is interesting, as from time to time we rise to the ridge

of some hill, and see spread out before us the range of

the Southern Carpathians, covered with snow till July,

and always bold and picturesque. The higher peaksof these mountains are little known, and have failed

hitherto to attract either the members of the Alpine

Club or the Vacation Tourists.* But they are not

undeserving of notice. They are unusually bold, and

are clothed with forest to a great height, and the snow

covers their upper peaks to an extent which is remark

able, considering their not very lofty elevation. The

peaks are few, and some of them are not easy of access.

* One of the latter—a lady—has recently ventured across

the Northern Carpathians, and has recorded her experience

in a separate volume, already referred to in these pages.



P H Y S I C A L G E O G R A P H Y O F T H E D I S T R I C T . 4 1

These mounta ins a re seen a t in te rva ls as we r i se uponthe successive r idg es th at sep arate th e val leys of t h e

Zsi l and Hátzeg f rom tha t of the St rehl , and each

t i me , as we approach more near ly , the i r out l ine i s

more d is t inc t . T he in terv en ing va l leys becom e a lso

wi lder , more broken, and more in te res t ing , but less

cul t iva ted . T he ra in ha s w orn very deep ravines in

th e soft al luvial or dilu vial rock in th e valley s, a n d

por t ions which are cons tant ly fa l l ing widen the

ravines , b u t m ak e the m a lm ost inaccess ib le . T he

mounta ins now a lso begin to c lose in , and the whole

coun t ry g radua l ly a s sumes a more Alp ine cha rac te r .

T he va l ley of H át ze g i tse lf is wide , lon g, an d op en.

I t is a sepa rate valley, op en in g from th e west in to t h e

St rehl va l ley ; commencing a t the foot of Retgeza t , i t

t e rmina tes nea r the town o f Há tzeg .

The phys ica l geography of th i s par t of the Carpa

thian chain is wel l seen in the val ley of the Strehl and

of the sma l l t r ibu ta ry en te r ing nea r H á tz eg . Th e ch ie f

m ou nta in axis ran ge s eas t an d wes t a t some dis tance to

th e sou th . I t cu lm ina tes a t t he m ou nta in ca ll ed Re tgeza t

( someth ing more than 8000 Eng l i sh f ee t above the

sea) , closing up one end of th e Zsi l val ley, a nd by

E a r a n g , l i t t le in fe r io r in he igh t , p roud ly s t and ing

u p as a bar r ie r a t the o th er en d. F ro m R etge za t , a

compara t ive ly low spur of grani te and o ther c rys ta l l ine

rock , g radua l ly s ink ing to abou t 1 5 0 0 feet , ran ge s a

l i t t le north of east , near ly parallel to the axis of the

Zsil val ley, while the m ain ch a in , a t l eas t 6 0 0 0 fee t

high, passes a l i t t le south of eas t , separa t ing the



4.2 W A T E R S H E D S O F T H E D I S T R I C T .

Siebenbürgen f rom Wal lach ia , and fo rming the sou th

ern boundary of the Zsi l val ley.

The low chain, however , is in this case the watershed,

the m a in chain be in g sp l it a sun der a t t he V u lk an

pas s by a c left of ne ar ly 4 0 0 0 feet , a l low ing free p as

sag e to th e Z sil r iver , wh ich is fed by a n u m b er of

small s t reamlets in a s ingular east and west val ley of

te r t ia ry rocks , and severa l smal le r s t reams f rom the

no r th and eas t . Th e m a in cha in of th e Ca rpa th ian s

tu rn s s hor t ly tow ards th e n or th , w i th an e leva t ion of

f rom 5 0 0 0 to 6 0 0 0 fee t, increas ing to above 8 0 0 0

feet .

T h e res ul t of this p ecu l iar configurat ion is seen in

a number o f sma l l va l l eys runn ing eas t and wes t ,

pa ra l l e l t o the m ou nta in ax i s . These a re b roke n ac ross

a t r igh t ang les , and the s t r eams i s su ing f rom them a l so

ru n no r th o r sou th accord ing to th e i r pos i tion w i th

rega rd to the g rea t c ross f r ac tu re . T h e H á t ze g s t r eam ,

a br an ch of the Str eh l , i s th e f irst of th es e. A fter

en te r ing the S t r eh l , i t opens nor thwards in to the

M aro s val ley. Th e Zsi l val ley comes ne xt , bu t i t ru n s

sou thw ards in to the D an u b e . The head wa te r s of

these two s t reams are only separa ted by a low and

apparen t ly un impor tan t r idge , ex t r emely na r row, and

qui te capable of being t raversed by a rai lway.

T he br an ch of the va lley of th e St re hl com ing in

at H át ze g , is cal led th e val ley of H á tz e g ; i t wi l l be

refer red to in anoth er ch apte r . T he va lley of th e

S t r e h l itself, above Há tzeg , i s open and cu l t iva ted .

- T h e r e a re several v i l lages in i t , b u t no ne of any s ize .



C O U R S E O F T H E R I V E R S T R E H L . 13

Some of the m are ex t remely nea t , and c onta in

group s of c lean- look ing comfor tab le h ouses ; o th ers

are mere col lect ions of the most unsight ly hovels .

One in par t icular I not iced, in which the houses could

only be com pared to a parce l o f m ud hea ps th ro w n

indisc r imina te ly on the gro un d . Gen era l ly each hou se

has i ts gar de n, b ut th e tow ns look be t ter a t a l i t t le

d is tance than when c lose ly approached .

The r iver Strehl in th is par t of i t s course occupies a

narrow bed in a bot tom half a mile wide or more ,

som e 2 0 or 3 0 feet below th e ge ne ral level of

th e va l ley . Th ere a re th us na tu ra l t e r races on each

side of th e r iver above th e hig he st level of the w ater ,

p re ven t ing inu nd a t io n . N o dou b t a ft er heavy r a ins

th e qu an t i ty of w ate r co m ing a lo ng thr ou gh a va lley ,

inclosed a s t h i s i s , and com m un ica t ing by man y

s ide va ll eys w i th th e h igh e r mo un ta in s , m us t som e

t imes b e ve ry g rea t , and r ende r t r ave ll i ng da ng e r ou s ;

b u t th e pres en t bed of th e s t ream can not d iverge far

from i t s cou r se w i thou t u nd e rm in i ng i t s ba nk s . Th e

w aterco urses , how ever , a l l bea r m ark s of violent act ion

f rom t ime to t im e . I n one p lace I ob served th e su p

po rt of a br id ge and half th e road to rn away . I n

an oth er , the road is na rrow ed to half i t s w idth , an d a

prec ipice formed on one s ide open to th e br aw lin g

flood belo w . I n ot he r place s g re at efforts ha d bee n

m ad e w i th par t ia l success to pre ven t dam ag e . Al l th e

mischief, however , seemed l imited to the vic ini ty of the

s t r ea m ; and the o ld road con s t ruc t ed by Tra j an in the

days of R om an gra nd eu r , a t no grea t d i s tance , i s u n-



4 4 G Y P S Y E N C A M P M E N T S .

tou ch ed . T he f inger of old Rom e is no t u n c o m m o n

in these val leys , an d one is qu i te pre pa red to accep tthe t radi t ion that any work involving the out lay of

t im e and labour was the i r s . T he road in ques t ion ,

however , i s a con t inua t ion of tha t en te r ing S ieben

b ür ge n f rom the west by th e pas s of the I ro n G ate ,

an d was con stru cted by Trajan sho r t ly after th e f irst

occupation of the province and the f inal defeat ofDeceba lus .

Th is road has n ot only been one of im po rtan ce in

anc ien t t imes , but is still a useful work.

In the open par t of the Strehl val ley, as indeed in

most of the wi lder and less - inhabi ted d i s t r i c t s , the

gyps ies t ake up the i r tem pora ry abod e , and a re sa id tobe to le rab ly num ero us . Th ey a re eas ily recognized ;

the i r wi ld p ic turesque look , the i r l ank b lack ha i r ,

br ig ht eyes , da rk skin , an d a i r of mixed inte l l ig enc e,

rogu ery , and savage wa yw ardness , d i s t inguish th em

readi ly f rom any of th e oth er pop ula t ion s even w hen

the y a re seen a lon e . H id in g a lon g we f requent lycrossed the i r pa th . O ne of th e firs t of the larg er e n

c a m p m e n t s I h a d s e e n i n H u n g a r y was s i tua ted in the

open country , near the las t v i l lage of the S t reh l valley,

w h e r e there was l i t t l e o the r pop ula t ion . I t i s no t easy

to descr ibe by the pen a scene so opposi te t o a n y t h i n g

on e is accu stom ed to see in Eu ro pe . T he pen ci l of agood a r t i s t o r a pho tog rap he r m ig h t have g iven va lu

ab le h in t s , b u t m ere verba l des cr ip t ion i s t am e. T he

reade r may, however , p ic tu re to h im se l f the en ca m p

m en t . I t cons i sted of a nu m be r of very imp erfect can va s



O C C U P A T I O N S O F T H E G Y P S I E S . 15

she ds, each form ed of th re e st ick s, plac ed so as to forma t r ia ng le , and pa r t ly covered w ith a few f il thy ra gs

s t re tched across , barely held together in such a way as

to ke ep off th e ray s of th e su n, b ut ha rd ly affording

any defence ag a ins t the pe l t ing of th e ra in . U nd er

th es e, w hich were al l qu ite op en in front, were a few

wom en en gaged in some cu l inary concoc t ion , veryspar ingly c lothed in rags even less serviceable than

those form ing th e te nt ; na ke d ch i ldren of a l l ages

were ru n n in g ab ou t ; m en , some c lo thed in a wo rn-out

she ep -skin coat wi th only th e skin left ( the wool lo ng

since gone) , some with smal l f ragments only of whi te

woo l len coats , som e w ith sheep -skin caps an d verysha bby boots , an d l i t t le e lse , w ere ly in g qu i te id le in

th e su n. A few m iserable don ke ys an d m ules feeding on

the roadside comp le ted the e s t ab l i shm en t . N o t a p a r

t icle of fu rn itu re of any k in d was to be seen, no t a

vest ige of any be t te r con di t ion , or of any wish or in

ten t ion to work ,—the ch i ldren d id no t even beg .T he gyps ies are wel l kn ow n in th is pa r t of E u

rop e, no r is their chara cter di fferent f rom th at bo rne

by th em elsew here . Th ey are good w orkers in

m eta l , bu t be t te r th ieves . I n th e w in te r the y go

abou t in the v i ll ages per fo rm ing su ch t in ke r in g as

i s the re requi red . Th ey seem, indeed , to tak e tow ork ing in m eta l as the i r one in du s t ry , and a re c lever

eno ug h to do an y th ing r equ i r ed in th a t capac i ty , bu t

the y wil l do no th in g e lse . A s soon as sp r in g com es

they a re off to the open co un t ry , wh ere the y enca m p,

and obta in what they can in a wild way, avoiding work



4 6 G E O L O G Y O F T H E S T R E H L V A L L E Y .

as m uch as poss ib le , and mere ly ex i s t ing . In su m m erthey somet imes occupy themselves in the l azy work of

go ld-w ash ing . Th ere are few of th e r iver s of T ra n

sylvania th at do no t yield som e go ld, an d m any are r ich

in thi s prec ious m etal , so th a t in thi s w ay the y ga in

a precar ious and speculat ive l iving, sui table to thei r

roving t as tes and id le habi t s .S t i l l h igher up the va l l ey the count ry a l t e r s but

l i t t le . I t i s sh ut in on th e s ide tow ards th e ea s t , th e

hi l l s no t only r is ing to a gre a t he igh t , b u t be ing very

prec ip i tous ; bu t to th e wes t i t r em ains op en . Some

ch arm ing va ll eys are sa id to exis t in th i s ne igh bo ur

hood, running up to the eas t and nor th in to inaccess ib legorges among r i ch fores t s , and w

r

.atcred by small bub

bl ing s t rea m s . V ery few vi l lages are seen he rea bo uts ,

but there are some, and, as e l sewhere , they vary much

in a pp ea ran ce ; one or two be ing c lean , pr e t ty , wi th

wel l -bui l t hou ses inc losed in c ul t iva ted ga rde ns , and

othe rs so m iserable and d i r ty th a t the y would be con

side red unfi t , in be t ter-c are d-fo r dis tr icts , even for th e

wors t - regulated pigs tyes of the poores t famil ies .

Som e of th e geolog ical features of th is pa r t of th e

co un try are wo r thy of a br ief no t ice. Lo w hi l l s of

schi s t and s la ty rocks are covered wi th rounded water -

worn pebbles at a height of several yards above the

hig he s t l eve l of th e s t ream . V ery cons iderable p i les

of s uch mo dern g r ave l a r e no t un co m m on , and t hey

contras t s ingular ly wi th the low f lat a l luvial bot tom

in wh ich th e r iver ru n s , an d in wh ich th er e are fewr

such pebbles , bu t m an y an gu lar b locks . I t is qu i te



P A S S E S I N T O T H E Z S I L V A L L E Y , 4 7

c lea r th a t a t no d i s t an t pe r iod— geolog ica l ly spe ak in g

— th is wh ole val ley was exposed to th e inf luence of

m oving cu rre nts of wa ter , very d i fferent from a nd

much more power fu l than those ob ta inab le by any

poss ib le increase of th e pr ese nt r iver . T he re ha s been

a ch an ge n ot o nly of local level , b u t of th e cir cu m

s tances un de r wh ich wa ter ac ted on th e sur face . Th ere

ha s bee n a t im e w hen th e sea or th e d is turb ed wa ters

of a la rg e lake ac ted on thes e lan ds , an d ro un de d th e

peb bles we see . Th e up pe r va l ley of the S t r eh l th u s

reads us an impor tan t geo log ica l l e s son .

T h e ch urc he s of th i s pa r t of the co un t ry have been

al ready a l lude d to . Th ey are ext remely sm al l , wo n

derful ly s imple in the i r s t r uc tu re , an d w ould be u n

recog nizab le by the s t ra n ge r , bu t for th e exis tence of a

ludicrously small wooden spire r is ing some ten feet above

an abor t ive a t t em pt a t a tow er . Th e whole con s t ruc t io n

is of thi n small f rag m en ts of spl i t wo od. T he re is no

a t t empt a t o rnament o f any k ind .

Af te r pass ing th rough a coun t ry cu l t iva ted and

covered with vi l lages such as hav e been desc ribed, a nd

alway s open , we reach at le n g th th e vi l lage of K rivad ia,

ne ar the po int wh ere the two ways across th e m ou nta in s

to th e Zsil valley div erg e. O ne of thes e road s, th a t to th e

lef t , or south-east , is a br idle path, and is considerably

lon ge r th an the o th er , b u t a t a m uc h lower e levat ion ,

an d en ters the eas tern ex t rem i ty of the va l ley . Th e

other , to the south-west , is a car t road, perfect ly passable

in fine we ather , and co nd uc t ing to the m iddle of th e

val ley opposi te the town of Vulkan, and the h igh road

to Wal lachia across the Vulkan pass .



18 P R E P A R A T I O N S F O R A T R I P .

The s ingula r bar r ie r tha t here r i ses up be tween the

valley of the Strehl and that of the Zsil is of no great

e leva tion . Es t im ated by th e anero id barom eter T

found th at f rom th e vi l lage of K rivad ia to th e top of

the bridle-path is a difference of level of 748 feet,

and from the top of the pass down to the river Zsil

on th e oth er s ide is 3 9 2 feet. Th e ca r t road is m uch

hig he r , be in g 13 29 feet above the S t reh l a t R ivadia ,and 9 2 4 above th e Zs i l a t V ul ka n . Th e he igh ts above

the sea were not ascer ta ined, but the r ise f rom Hátzeg

to Krivadia is about 629 feet, and there is no fall of

importance thence to the Maros, which f lows at a good

pace , bu t no t rap id ly , to the The iss .

A t Krivad ia , th e r iver , which does no t b r i ng a veryla rge body of water f rom the mounta ins , i s seen i ssu ing

through an extremely narrow and inaccessible c lef t in

l imes tone rock . Th e scenery i s here wi ld and gr an d ,

and the val ley appears suddenly and effectual ly c losed.

On a detached hi l l of l imestone near the r iver is a

round watch-tower of some ant iqui ty , and the c l i f fsrise vertically on on e side clo the d w ith wood to a con-

derab le he igh t , a nd t he n s lope away, los t in th ic k forest ,

to the m ou nta in be h in d . Th e va l ley is nar ro w . On

th e oth er s ide th e r ise is less pr ec ipi tou s, b u t not very

accessible .

W e left th e car ts a t th is po int of ou r jo ur ne y, andwere to proceed on horseb ack . W h e n we reached th e

v i l lage ,however , th e wea ther , which had long th re a ten ed ,

became dec idedly bad , and ex t rem ely severe th u n de r

s torms succeeded each o ther wi th rap id i ty , to r ren ts o f

ra in render ing the road a lmost impassab le . On en te r ing



H O U S E A C C O M M O D A T I O N I N K R I V A D I A . 4 9

the cou r tyard of a smal l b u t decen t hou se , whe re ou r

horses were w ai t in g for us , we foun d ab ou t a score of

the w i ldest and roug hes t m oun ta in pon ies tha t need

be seen t ied up in a lo ng l ine a ga inst a low s ton e w all ,

feed ing on a l i t t l e exceed ing ly ro t te n- loo kin g h ay

th row n on th e m ud dy g ro un d a t the i r f ee t. They

were a l l saddled af ter th e fashion of the co un try , and

ready for depar tu re , and no one seemed to imagineth a t the re m ig ht be some d iscomfor t and o th er incon

venience in s i t t in g for hou rs o n these soaked c loths

w h i l e c ros s ing the moun ta in s in to r r en t s o f r a in .

With considerable diff icul ty I succeeded in postponing

ou r de pa rtu re a t first for a few h ou rs , an d af terw ards

t i ll nex t m or n in g , and m an age d to ge t the c lo ths tak enoff, and put to dry on a small stove in the house.

Here , however , was another d iff icul ty , as only one was

al lowed to bake a t a t ime, les t these valuable propert ies

shou ld become mixed . M ean w hi le th e horses were le ft

w i tho ut o the r food th an th e res t o f the wet ha y , and

the re they pa t ien t ly s tood t ied u p in th e ra in aga in s t

the s tone wal l un t i l we w ante d th em . N o she l te r fo r

them seemed to be th o u g ht of.

O ur ow n accom mo da t ion in the hou se , tho ug h the

be st th at the place afforded, an d given u p to us in th e

m ost hos pi table w ay by th e ow ners , (who s lept on

the ground in a sor t o f k i tchen , ) was no t very ex

ce l len t . W e had one room , an d tha t a very smal l one ,

and cer ta in p rov is ions we had br o ug h t wi th us . Af te r

such a su pp er as c i rcum stances ad m i t ted , a l i t t l e loose

hay w as p rocu red and sp read on the g r ou nd . Th e re w as

D



50 C A V E R N D I S T R I C T N E A R T H E Z S I L .

one bed densely inhabi ted by f leas , which was awarded

to m e as th e s t ran ge r ; one sofa, w hich was a l lo t ted to acivi l en gin eer of ou r par ty , wh o was in th e next deg ree

a s t ranger ; an d th e th ree o thers of our pa r ty a r ran ge d

them se lves on th e ha y . Som e of th em cer ta in ly s lep t ,

bu t a l l were f iercely a t tac ked by th e small enem ies ,

who were nu m ero us and ac tive en ou gh to d is regard

c i rcumstances , and take fu l l advantage of the acc iden tthat had del ivered up to them so r ich a prey.

N ext m orn ing , a t dayb reak , we w ere up an d away ,

and ha d a very p lea san t jo ur ne y across th e pass , w hich

pre sen ted no th in g of spec ia l in te res t . T he first pa r t

of th e road is a stea dy asc en t for a couple of h ou rs

th ro u gh a cu l t iva ted and th in ly-w ood ed d is t r ic t w i th

few hou ses . T he to p of th e pass is eas i ly reac he d, a n d

is a wide , fia t t rack of g rassy m oor lan d , p rese n t in g no

pa r t icu la r fea tures . F ro m th is po in t th e desce n t to

the o ther s ide i s even and gradua l .

To wa rds 9 o ' clock we rea ch ed th e va lley on t h e

o the r s ide , and passed a magni f icen t m ass of b rok en

l imes ton e , pen e t r a t ed in m an y d i r ec tions by l a rge

caverns . T h ro ug h some of these caverns a s t ream of

w ater of con siderab le volu m e, too deep to be forded

safely by ho rses , m ak es i ts way. I n one place th e r iv er

is seen w ithin th e cavern com ing ou t f rom one low

gloomy arch , c ross ing a compara t ive ly open space , and

th en bu ry ing i tse lf aga in in th e ea r th . A t ano th er

place the w ater issues f rom th e e ar t h un d er a lof ty

l imes tone cliff, and , a l ready a la r ge s t ream , rush es a long

th ro u g h th e fie lds as if re jo ic in g a t i ts recent ly -foun d



t h e h u n g a r i a n z s i l . 5 !

l iber ty . Th e wh ole dis t r ic t is p ierced, and th e caverns

are some of the m extrem ely larg e . I n one place i t is

possible to r ide for a qua r te r of an ho ur th ro u gh a

na tur a l tun ne l in th e rock , bu t hu ge masses a re oc

casionally fall ing in from th e roof, and a l t e r ing the

form and direct ion of the channel .

O ne of the se cave rns is ra th er a favo urite spot for

excurs ions , and peop le com e from tow ns a t a very cons iderable dis tan ce to pic-nic the re . Th ere is a nob le

en try by a nat ur al arch , lea din g in to a vast hal l or co r

r id or 10 0 yar ds lon g, 60 or 8 0 feet wide, and a t leas t

2 0 feet high ; at th e end of t hi s is a r iver, over whic h

on e can pas s in to th e recesses of th e cavern by a

na tura l b r id ge of rock . Af te r t ravers ing th e passagesfor some t ime, the water is again reached, and there is

ev iden t ly open com m unica t ion wi th a very ex tens ive

se rie s of fissures.

The se l im esto ne rocks are soon pa ssed, an d we en ter

an open and beau t i fu l p ark- l ike co unt ry , lead ing to th e

val ley of th e H un g ar ia n Zs i l, a b raw l ing s t ream ru sh

ing down from a som ewh at extensive system of m o un

ta in va lleys to the no r th -e as t . Fe w th in gs a re m ore

in te re s t ing than the mode in w h ich the moun ta in s r i s e

and lose themselves in the complicated chain extending

be tween th is p ar t of th e co un t ry and the h ig her C ar

pa th ian s . A nu m be r of sm al l v i llages a re to be found ,

an d th ese vi l lages are peopled w ith a m ixed W alla ch ian -

race , ind us t r iou s eno ugh , and genera l ly seen in th e

fie lds ten d in g the ir ca t t le or cu l t iv at in g th eir f ie lds.*

They a re h igh ly p ic tu resque in appearance and cos-



53 h o r s e s a n d c a t t l e .

tu m e, and seem inc l ined to be f r iend ly , b u t the re a re

no r eady means o f communica t ion , the i r l anguage

be ing d i s t inc t from e i the r G e rm an o r H un ga r i an , and

few o f th em un de r s t a nd ing any o the r tha n the i r ow n

dia lec t . Th e i r ca t t le a re no t less p ic tu re sque th an

them se lves . Th e oxen a re a lmo s t a lways c rea m -w hi te ,

w i th e l egan t ly -cu rved ho rns o f mo s t po r t en tous l en g th .

Th e horse s are small an d ro ug h , b u t very capable of

w ork , and gene ra l ly goo d- tem pered . O f the i r ex t r em e

hard iness we had am ple exper ience , as th e an im als we

took with us were worked every day a l l day long, and

had no other food than that which they could pick up

in the open count ry .



C H A P T E R I V .

T h e V a l l e y o f t h e Z s i l . — V u l k a n a n d t h e V u l k a n P a s s . — T h e

T w o R i v e r s , a n d t h e i r P a s s a g e t h r o u g h t h e M o u n t a i n s . —

T h e G o l d - fi e ld a n d t h e C o a l - f i e l d . — T h e S i d e V a l l e y s o f

t h e Z s i l .

A C H A R M I N G and in te re s t ing va l l ey—o r , r a th e r , sy s t em

of val leys— is th is of th e Zsi l . I t is com posed of tw o

en t i r e ly d i s t inc t b ra nc he s ; one com ing in from th e

no r th , f rom a cou nt ry lon g se tt led as pa r t of H u ng ar y ,

and ca ll ed th e H un ga r i a n Zs il ; t h e o the r com ingfrom the w es t , t h ro ug h a bo rde r - l and be tw een W al -

lach ia an d H u n g ar y , o f ten in th e possess ion of Turk ey ,

and ca lled th e W al lach ian Zs i l . Th e two s t rea m s a re

near ly o f th e same m ag ni tu de ; an d a f te r m ee t in g a t

th e sou th -e as te rn ex t r emi ty of a t r i an gu la r m oun ta in

bas in , they f low toge ther th rough a very nar row,romant ic , and a lmos t inaccess ib le mounta in gorge , in to

W al lach ia , ru n n i ng in an a lmos t s t r a ig h t li ne so u th

ward s , in to th e D an ub e be low Kra iova . Th e Zs i l is

th e leas t im po r tan t of two s t ream s ( the A l t , o r A lu t a ,

be in g the o the r) tha t t r ave r se th e So u th e rn Ca rpa

th ia ns , bo th s t reams run n in g a long va lleys wh ich c ross

th e m ou n ta in cha in a t r ig h t ang le s . A l tho ug h th e

smal le r s t ream, the Zs i l i s by no means incons iderab le

even w hen i t leaves H u n ga ry ; and i t is a larg e r iver

whe n i t reaches the p la ins o f W al lac h ia .



54 I N V A S I O N S O F T H E T U R K S .

T h e n a m e Zsil is a modification of the Latin word

Julia, and i t s m ean ing , der ived from th e R om an

em press of th at na m e, is eas ily un de rs to od . I t i s pr o

nounced Jil. A lth ou gh , however , th i s s tream car ries u s

back to th e per iod of th e R om an em pire for i t s na m e,

i t is sufficient to look to a t im e very m uc h ne arer ou r

own to f ind matter of extreme interest in reference to

i t . Le ss th an a ce ntu ry ha s e lapsed s ince the T u i - k s ,

marching up the Zs i l , c rossed the Wal lach ian f ron t ie r ,

and enc am ped in th i s val ley. B u t the crescent t he n

waved over these Chris t ian lands for the las t t ime.

The Turks en te red the va l ley by the Vulkan Pass and

es tab l i shed themse lves on th e h i l l s on the no r th s ide .

Th e ea r th -w orks su r ro un d ing th i s l a s t Tu rk i sh cam p

st i ll rem ain , and th e corn waves over th e dese r ted

r e d o u b t s w h e r e t h e M o s l e m — t h e n a s E a s t e r n i n h i s

dress and m an ne rs as he s t i ll i s in fee l ing— held a

p r o m i n e n t p l a c e a m o n g t h e E u r o p e a n P o w e r s , a n d

th rea t ened to ove r th row the Aus t r i an empi re .

No grea t ba t t l e was a t tha t t ime fought in the

ne ighbourhood, nor i s there any record of the

injury do ne. T he res idence of a host i le arm y is ,

how ever, an evil too serious to be read ily fo rgo tten ;

and t he very m ode rn a i r observab le in a l l th e bu i ld

i ngs , spea ks pla in ly en oug h as to th e absence of a

long-se t t l ed and secure popula t ion .

But , bes ides the ear th-works , there a re o ther ind i

catio ns of th e vicinity of T u rk ey . A t th e foot of

the V ulk an Pass , and near th e v i ll age of V ulkan , b u t

on th e oth er side of th e r iver, is a m iserab le pile of



Q U A R A N T I N E A T V U L K A N . 05

bu i ld ings , once the laza re t to o f th i s ne ighbourhood .

H ere th e un fo r tu na te t rave l le r s who m ay have le ft

the i r homes , in some Wal lach ian town , in pe r fec t

hea l th— w ho m ay never have even hea rd of a pes t i

l en c e r a g in g in Tu rk e y — w e re c lo se ly im p r i s o n e d a n d

almo st p oisoned for a for tn ig ht or th ree week s , or

somet imes m ore , accord ing to c i rc um stan ces ; exposed

to da ng er , if da ng er ex is ted , from the ir assoc ia tes m uc h

m ore th an from any p red ispo s ing cause ; an d only se t

f ree wh en th ey were m ore l ike ly to d ie of ty p h u s

th a n of a ny o the r form of con tagiou s m ala dy .

The quaran t ine regu la t ions , however , s t i l l r emain ,

an d in th e event of an y ser ious ou tbre ak of th e p la gu e

in the east of E uro pe , these me lancho ly hu ts wo u ld ,pe rh aps , once m ore be ca lled in to use . U nh ap py ,

ind eed , w ould be the fa te of th e t rave l le rs th u s con

d e m n e d , a l t h o u g h th e m o u n ta in a i r m ig h t p ro v e a

po ten t des t roye r even o f t he pes t i l en t ia l vapo urs b red

in E as ter n p la in s an d sw am ps. I confess I could not

pass these h u t s w i tho u t a shu dde r , caused , pe rh aps ,as m uc h f rom m y own persona l exper ience in a laza

re t to , as f rom any m ere sym pa the t ic p i ty for m y

n e i g h b o u r s .

The Zsi l Val ley conta ins severa l v i l lages , d is t r ibuted

chie fly nea r th e s t ream, bo th in th e H un ga r ia n and

W al lach ian b ran che s . T h e g rea te r pa r t o f th e va l ley

is adm irab ly seen f rom the h ig h g r ou nd on the

n or th s id e ; and few scenes of th e k in d are m ore

s t r ik ing . B ar an g in th e eas t , and R e tgcz a t in th e

wes t , sh u t in the W al lach ian s t ream , an d a re c on-



56 O R I G I N O F T H E N A M E " V U L K A N . "

necte d by a g lor ious line of in term edia te m ou nta ins ,

bo th nor th a nd sou th of the r ive r . Bo th the h igh

mounta ins were very th ick ly covered with snow in

May, and are sa id to re ta in the i r whi te caps t i l l

A u g u s t . Th e y a r e , i n d e e d , n o b le m o u n ta in s , a n d

deserve more a t te n t i on f rom tou r is ts th an they have

ever received.

V ulk an is the capi ta l of th e Zs i l Val ley . W h e n ,

w hy, or by w hom i t was nam ed, I have not been able ,

b y m uc h carefu l inq uiry , to lea rn . I t i s cer ta in ly

no t volcanic , for a ll th e rock s in th e ne ig hbo urho od

are quie t cong lom era tes , san ds to nes , and c lays ; a n d

a l th o u g h b e h in d it rise lofty moun ta ins , these a re , a t

f irst , of s la ty m ate ria l , an d, furt her off, g ra ni t ic .Ne i the r can i t be connec ted w ith iron ; for t h e g re a t

b lac ksm i th -go d of the L a t in s m us t have gone so far

for h is raw m ater ia l , th a t he wo uld hard ly have es

tab l ish ed h imse lf he re in conseq uence of any na tur a l

ad va nta ge s of tha t k i nd . Suffice i t , the n , to say,

tha t the name i s so , a n d th a t the vil lage is very much

more decent than any one would expect in such a

loca li ty . I t is a frontier vi l lage placed at the foot of

t h e V u l k a n Pa ss lead ing in to Wal lach ia , an d i s th e

head-quarters of official life in the d is t r ic t .

T he re is a wi ld eno ugh c o u n t r y a m o n g t h e vas t

v i rg in fo res ts beh ind the Zs i l . N o t qu i te u n t r od de n ,

in de ed ; for in o ld t imes the R om an s , and , wi th in t h e

recollection of l iv ing pe rsons , t h e T u r k s , h a v e p o u re d

men and implemen ts o f war across , a n d h a v e s t r e n g th

ened themselves in fortifications that look now as fresh



W I L D T E N A N T S O F T H E F O R E S T . hi

as if the y ha d been co ns t ruc ted no t t en yea rs ag o.

M an y are the m arks of T urk i sh oc cupa t ion in a l l th e

adjacent d i s t r i c t . O n th e h i l l oppo s i te V ulk an , nea r

th e o ld l azare t to , of which m ent ion ha s a l ready been

m ad e, an d not far f rom th e red ou bt s , are som e of

the i r v i l lages . T ho ug h the ne igh bou rhoo d is o ld , ho w

ever, an d cul t iva tion was by no m eans com m enced in

m ode rn t ime s , the re i s ha rd ly a hou se o r shed of

any k in d t ha t da t es back ha l f a cen tu ry . W h e t h e r

we reg ard th is as a proof of the de s t ruc t ion of every

exis t ing th in g by th e inva ding a rm y, or as evidence

of the val ley being at that t ime deser ted and only

s ince peopled, cer tain i t i s that none of the houses

an d o the r con s t ruc t ions now inha bi ted show m ark s ofm ore tha n a few w inte r s ' fros t s . T he in teres t , the re

fore, of the country is chiefly l imited to i ts physical

fea tures and i t s present inhabi tant s , whether human or

of more lowly organiza t ion .

A visi t to th e forests be hin d V ul ka n w ou ld be a

g r ea t t r ea t t o a t ho rou gh s por t s man . Th e l a rgebrown be ar i s so com m on tha t th e h orses are f re

que nt ly a t t acke d by i t . In the m iddle of th e m on th

of M ay , du r in g m y vis it , a l tho ug h the season was

rem arka bly forward, and fresh food ab u nd an t , th e new s

cam e down one m orn ing t ha t a hor s e ha d been a t

t acke d and seriously wo unded in the n i gh t . Th ese

bears are ext remely powerful and mischievous , and

are no t easi ly f r ightened. T he ly nx i s com m on , a l so .

A nim als h ave been ki l led l i t t le infer ior to th e leopa rd

in s ize an d f ierceness— ma gnif icent an im als , m uc h

D 3



5 8 B I R D S O F P R E Y .

more pleasant to see in a museum than to meet a t night ,

un arm ed , in the forest . M an y o the r anim als of prey

are no t only to be foun d, bu t are com m on in th e

vas t fores ts an d a lmo s t un t ro dd en wi lds in th i s pa r t

of t he Ca rpa th i an s . W olves a r e i nc r ed ib ly ab un da n t ,

and com e dow n in pa ck s even in sum m er . A large

tra ct of co un try , if n o t rea l ly inacc essible, is cer

tain ly nev er vis ited by s tran ge rs ; an d th e thic k forestand rocky prec ip ices m ig ht well t es t th e en du r ing

pow ers of th e m em be rs of th e A lpine C lub , or of

other tour is ts who seem to hover about Switzer land

as if no othe r m ou nta in land exis ted.

B ird s of pre y of th e larges t s ize and no bles t ki nd s

are also found he re. T he m ost giga nt ic gold en eagles ,th e larges t , of the other eagles , an d a s ing ula r var iety

of vu l ture s an d oth er al lied species , belon g to th is

dis t r ic t . T h e s tu dy of th e specimen s in the N at io na l

M use um at Pe s th would be a prop er in t rodu ct ion to

a vis it to th is val ley, w he th er th e vis i tor propo sed to

am use h imsel f wi th h i s gu n , or to pu rsu e na tur a l

his tory avocat ions .

T he pass into W al lach ia is very h igh , an d n ot by

any m ean s always access ible . In w inter th e snow , an d

in spr ing and summer c loud and wind, a re a lmos t

equal ly d an ge ro us ; a nd no one could be found to

accom pany th e t ravel ler who wo uld ins is t on cross ing

w hen, in the opin ion of th e au tho r i t i es , the a t t em pt

ou gh t not to be m ad e. T he way is so narro w in an

exposed part at the top, that every year l ives are

lost by peop le be ing blown over. T he p ass can on ly



A C C O M M O D A T I O N A T T H E V U L K A N I N N . 59

be crossed on h orseb ack , an d th e accomm odat ion on

th e W al lachian s ide i s very indif ferent. O n th e H u n

ga ria n s ide i t is very fair . A t t h e foot of th e p ass

is th e vi l lage . I t i s smal l an d s t ra gg l in g, b u t looks

c l ean , an d t h e hous es a r e s u r ro un ded by ga rd ens .

Th ere i s an i n n , prov ided w i th a coup le of c lean

be ds and a sofa, all qu ite free from inse cts . T h e

cuisine, also, is no t to be de spise d, if th e trav el ler can

induce m ine ho s t to forge t th a t he has been un lu ck y

enoug h to have l os t m uch ca t t l e an d o the r p ro pe r ty

la te ly , an d a t t e nd to th e w an ts of h i s gu es t s . A t th e

t ime of my vis i t , the poor man seemed to look on

an y f resh ar r ival as an ad di t io na l t ro ub le, and no t a

prospe ct ive benef it . H e welcomed th e p ar t in g gues tr a the r t h an t h e co m ing on e . S t i ll h i s paprika* w as

not to be despised ; an d cer tain oth er na t ion al dishes ,

som ew hat infer ior , were qu i te sufficiently good to

en su re a fair m eal , if t im e were giv en . If tak en at

un aw ares , how ever , th e hou se will assu redly be found

em pty , and b u t l i t t le can b e go t wi th in a reasonablet ime b u t egg s , bre ad , wine , an d coffee. N on e of

these are l ike ly to be o the r t ha n good , an d the sup ply

does not fail.

T he car t - road f rom th e n o r th into t h e Zs il Val ley

has already been al luded to as in the direct l ine of th e

V ulka n Pas s . I t passes , indeed, th ro ug h the v i l l age .

* Paprika is a national Eungarian dish, not unlike an Irish

stew, with abundance of a red peppor m ade of th e pimen to

dried and powdered. Th is pepper is eaten w ith almost every

thing, and is a very pleasant stimulant.



6 0 T A K I N G C O U N T O F S H E E P .

Beyond th e vil lage th e roa d ceases, and th er e is only

a br id le pa th . Th ere is , however , in sum m er a good

deal of com m unic ation across th e pass, no t only of

men bu t o f s tock — ho m ed ca t t l e , bu t m ore f requen tly

sheep , be in g tak en free ly back wa rds and forwards

across th e frontier for pa st ur ag e. Som e sm all tax , or

a regula t ion req ui r in g a record of the nu m be r , ex is ts

at V ul ka n ; an d on one occasion, when com ing inaf te r a da y 's wo rk , we were de layed ha lf -an-h our a t

th e ga te , while an en orm ou s f lock of sheep were

coun ted th ro ug h. Th ere is on ly a very simple

wooden ga te or ba rr ie r to the tow n. T he sheep were

dr iven in to a sort of enclosure be tween the to l l -house

nea r the ba r r ie r an d ano th e r bu i ld ing oppos i te , an dthe roadw ay be in g c losed, the poor an im a ls rus hed

th rough the na r row foo tpa th as fast as they cou ld

tea r , ju m pi ng over one an o th e r ' s heads in the mos t

l ive ly m an ne r . T he lam bs , a lso , were in a s ta te of

the mos t p ro found as ton ishmen t and f r igh t , the i r num

be r s , meanwhi le , be ing coun ted , checked , shou ted ou t ,

and recorded , by two of th e b lue -coa ted and much-

hated officials who at te nd to th e reven ue . T he f lock

cons i s ted o f many hundred a n im a l s .

There is no o ther v i l lage worth naming in the Zs i l

Va l ley , th ou gh the re a re severa l whose names a p p e a r in

the m ap . M os t o f them are mere collections of a few

mise rab le h a b i t a t i o n s , h u d d le d toge the r wi thou t o rde r ,

and without even the fa in tes t ind ica t ion of a s t ree t .

Sti l l , a t one or two of them are decent co t tages , and a t

most of the m church es , no t be t te r , indeed , than t he



C H U R C H E S I N T H E Z S I L V A L L E Y . Gl

hovels , an d no t indic a ted by a n y th in g m ore cos tly or

o rn am en ta l , t h an a ve ry s hor t , s ma l l w ooden s p i r e , o r

sho r t Greek cross . Som e of th e ch urc he s are de tach ed

al together f rom houses ; and far f rom any s igns of

h u m a n h a b i t a t i o n . T w o s u c h c h u r c h e s — one o ld , and

qu i te neg lec ted f rom i t s decayed s ta te ; an d anothe r ,

scarce ly d i fferent in app earan ce , b u t m ore rec en t— are

placed on a very p ic tures qu e to ng ue of l and , be tween th e

two p r inc ipa l b r anches o f t he Zs i l where t hes e b r anches

un i t e t o f o rm the ma in r i ve r , and rus h t h rough t he

nar row va lley cu t t h r ou gh t he m ou nta ins . A po in t

of old schis t and several ru d e m asses of l im esto ne ,

ext remely hard and wel l defended, form the t ip of

th e ton gu e , an d ri se som e 60 or 8 0 fee t above th eval ley . O n th e sm al les t an d ou term os t , an d l eas t

access ib le , m ass of schi s t , a re th e tw o ch urc he s

perch ed. W h y th e o ld one was no t pu l led down or

b u rn t dow n, to m ak e room for the new one , i t is nee d

less to in qu ire . T he two s t ru ctu re s , a l ike in al l resp ects ,

bu i l t en t i re ly of unp a in t ed wood , and u t t e r l y w i thou tan idea of ornament , beyond the smal l sp i re , s t and

there exposed to weather , and , apparent ly , f a r r emoved

f rom any ho us e . T he re are , how ever , cer ta in ly , hou ses

and people not far off, f o r on pas s ing round t owar ds

the ford, a l i t t le above, we were sud de nly gree ted wy

ith

a s imple ai r played on a pipe of reeds ; and p re se nt ly

a smal l lad, of some eight years old, presented himsel f

wi th his very class ica l ins t rument , car ry ing us back to

th e Arcad i an t imes , and , p r obab ly , r ep res en t i ng a s t a t e

of the popula t ion prec i se ly ident ica l to tha t which

migh t have g r ee t ed a s t r anger s ome two thous and yea r s



6 2 O L D G O L D W A S H E K I E S .

a g o . Even the P aga n ism of the peasa n ts i s w onde r

fu lly l i t t le ch ang ed ; the i r cos tu m e is , no d ou bt , th e

same ; and if a few more implements are made of iron,

and na i ls , guns , and o ther conveniences take the p lace

of wooden pins , bow s and arrow s, & c. , s t i ll in th e

m ain the peop le a re una l te red .

Some of the s ide valleys, opening into the Zsil , are

very in te res t ing . T he y are separa ted from each o th er

by lof ty ba rr ie rs , and m uc h t im e is requ ired to g e t

across f rom one to another ; bu t the t ime is wel l

occupied, as in this way a good idea is obtained of

th e su r rou nd ing coun t ry . T he two p r inc ipa l o f th e

s ide s t ream s are the Biva dia , oppo si te V ulk an , and

one less co nsid erab le go ing u p to th e lofty an d snow-c o v e re d m o u n ta in Ba ra n g .

The la t te r of these va l leys is espec ia l ly remarkable

fo r the g rea t ex ten t o f o ld mine ra l work ings , ind i

ca t ing ve ry remarkab ly the cha rac te r and range o f the

ancie nt w ash ings for gold . E ver y pa r t of a grea t

terrace, about 30 feet above the present level of thes t ream, and occupying severa l square miles , i s covered

w ith sm all pi t s an d hollow s, a few feet dee p in th e

gravel , where washings have formerly been carr ied on .

All over the hil ls above this terr ace th er e are s im ilar

m ark s , and qu i te up to the m ou n ta ins , th e ind ica

t io ns are said to exten d. E ve n th e lower valley an d

th e prese nt bed of th e s t ream are no t negle c ted ; an d

he re th e gypsies s t i l l wash when th e sum m er sun be

comes too hot for t in ke r in g , an d no o the r mod e su g

gests i tself of combining idleness, pleasure, and profi t .

After the two main branches of the Zsil have united,



G E O L O G Y O F T H E Z S I L V A L L E Y . G3

th e r iver , wh ich i s th en b o th rapid and d eep , bold ly

en t e r s t he mounta in gorge , and con t inues t o t h r ead i t s

way wi th l i t t l e i n t e r r up t i on t h rough a compara t i ve ly

nar ro w ch an nel . I t app ears to be ent i re ly shu t in wi th

wood an d rock . T he wood is th ic k , wh ere th e rock i s

no t too pre cip i tou s to ad m it of i t . T he r iver i s soon

los t in the recess , an d th e h ig h m ou nta ins ap pear to

c lose up behind.

Th e up pe r en d of the W al lach ian Zs il i s a lso very

fine. T he va l ley na r row s rapid ly bey on d a cer ta in

po int , a nd dw indles to a m ere rav ine ; bu t for m an y

m i les it r em ains pre t ty wide , and th e s t ream , com ing

from th e snow s of R etg ez at , i s bo th clear an d deep .

The geology of this dis t r ic t i s pecul iar ly interes t ing,

very s im ple, an d ve ry va lua ble in a n econo mic sense.

Th e m ou nta in s enc los ing the va ll ey are o ld crys ta ll ine

rocks , s la tes an d mica , schi s t s and gra ni te s , on th e

eas t an d wes t ; an d h ard l imes tones on the n or th .

Beyo nd th e l im es ton es , s t il l fur ther to the n or th , the

s la ty rocks and grani tes r ecur .

T he in terva l be tw een th ese o ld rock s is occupied by

two se t s of de po s i t s , bo th of m od ern da te , b u t one

m uch newer and m or e d i s t u rb ed t h an t he o the r . T he

leas t modern cons i s t s of sands tones and c lays , appear

ing ei ther in the val ley below, or in the s ide val leys, of

wh ich there are m an y. I n some places , a l so , th e rocksof th is older of th e m od ern ser ies ap pe ar on th e hi l l

s ides , especia l ly on the nor th , r es t ing on the l imes tone ,

a lmos t a lways very much t i l t ed , and ly ing a t an angle

of 30° or 4 0° to th e hor izo n. T h e incl in at io n or t i l t



(il I N D I C A T I O N S O F C O A L .

of these bed s i s a lways tow ards th e val ley of th e Z si l ,

and seems to have been p roduce d by the pu sh ing up

of the h ig h m ou nta in s a l l ro un d . I t is , the re fore ,

what geologists cal l a basin; and, l ike some other

geological basins in ou r ow n cou ntr y an d e lsew here ,

i t is ful l of valu able m ine rals. I n th is ba sin — s h o w

in g i tse l f a ll ro un d th e e dges of th e basin , b rea kin g

ou t in th e fractures a t the side, laid ba re in th e bo tto m ,when the s t ream wi l l admit of i t — there l i es an abun

da nt sup ply of th a t source of all w ealth, m ine ral fuel .

T hic k b eds of coal are seen on th e hi l l -sides , an d lo ng ,

nar row tun ne ls lay bare th e coal wh ere the surface is

cove r ed . L um ps of coal appear amongs t the pebb les

in the broo ks ; b lack s t reaks app ear wh en the gr ou nd

is tu rned up by t h e p l o u g h ; the cliffs are vertical,

and at their base is somet imes a black heap also of

weathered coal .

Al l the usu al indica t ions of m ineral we al th are to

be seen— even by a has ty t r ave l l e r —br eak i ng ou t a t

in tervals in th i s s ing ular val ley . Enc losed as it now is,

wi th only two ways into i t on one side, an d one way

out of i t on the other , al l th is weal th lies idle an d use

less. B u t th er e can be l i t t le do ub t th at a few yea rs

wi ll wo rk t he usu al wonders , and t r ansform th i s wild

country to that s lavish condi t ion of th e land, wh en

the soi l i s turned, no t to br in g r iche r crop s, bu t to lay

bare and remove the ent ra i l s of the ea r th ; and when ,as i s so of ten th e case , N a tu re refuses to yield t h e

r ich harvest of vegeta t ion, so long as the underground

opera t ions a re p roceed ing .



F U T U R E P R O S P E C T S O F T H E Z S I L V A L L E Y . 65

T h e pro spe cts of w eal th for this p a r t of H u n g a r y

are ne i th er sm al l no r do ub tful . So larg e a coal-f ie ld,

c o n t a i n i n g , a s i t w ou ld seem , such ex cel lent coal ,

can no t in the se da ys be over looked. P la ced a l so , as i t

i s , w ithin a few m iles of th e rem ark ab le i ron ores of

H u n y a d a n d T e l e k , t h e r e is addi t ional reason why i t

sho uld be deve loped. T he ra i l road , w heth er i t i s con

t i nu ed a long the M aros Va l l ey i n to t he h ea r t of S i ebe n

bü rg en , o r , adv an tage be in g t ak en o f t h i s va ll ey , shou ld

be car r ied across the Carpa th ians through the gorge of

the Zs i l , mus t br ing the coa l in to demand, and cause the

so un d of th e m ine r ' s p ick to be hea rd , an d th e m ixed

pop ula t ion th a t i s me t wi th in a ll indu s t r ia l d i s t r i c t s , tobe congrega t ed in this val ley, h i t h e r t o so re t i red and

u n vis ited.

A l l a lo ng th e Zsil V al ley, f rom th e h ig h hi l l s flank

in g t he l o fty peaks o f B ar an g on th e eas t , t o t he

recesses o f t he r av ines runn ing up in to t he hea r t o f

R etge za t on the wes t , th e coal m ake s i t s app earan ce .Here a t h in , d i r t y seam, the re a m ass twen ty ya rds

thick ; in one place, la id bare by the r iver or a mountain

st rea m ; in an ot h er spo t , vis ible f rom a dis tance o n a

s teep hi l l -s ide ; every wh ere th e fact i s p ro m in en t ,

t h o u g h n e i t h e r quan t i t y nor qua l i t y are indicated to

t h e u n i n s t r u c t e d e y e .B u t th e Zs il , l ike m an y of i t s t r ibu tar ie s , i s seen

r u n n i n g between steep cliffs of gravel a n d s a n d — s o m e

t imes loose and fa l l ing , somet imes compac t and

d u r a b l e . And these grave l s and sands a re not t i l t ed

u p l ike the coa l -bear ing rocks , ne i ther do the y show th e



CO T H E C O A L C O V E R E D W I T H O T H E R R O C K S .

sam e tend enc y to inc l ine a lways towa rds the m iddle of

th e bas in . T he bas in o r t ro ug h , o r ig ina l ly fo rmed

o ut of a f lat surface, b y th e up lif t in g of th e roc ks

ro un d i ts o ute r edge s , ha s been filled up w ith vast

qu an t i t ie s of s tone s an d rub bi sh , carr ied down from

th e m ou nta ins , o r d r if ted in by some s t ro ng cu r re n t .

Th is wo rk m us t have been e xecuted while th e basin

was un de r wate r , when th e m ou nta ins ad jacen t were

is lands , and perh aps w hen the y were be ing rap id ly

wo rn away by t ida l wave s . Th e basin has thu s been

covered by a coat of peb bles , sa nd , a nd roc k, of ten

severa l hundred fee t th ick , bury ing the coa l , and pre

ven t ing th e coa l - rocks f rom be ing seen . A nd th is

accumulat ion is not , l ike the coal ser ies , d ipping towardsth e c entr e of th e b asin . Fo r th e m ost pa r t i t has a l l

been l if ted from one side (the north) long after the coal

rocks had go t the i r pos i t ion . T he am ou nt of l i ft ing

u p m ay have been cons iderab le , an d m us t hav e been

en ou gh to e leva te th e whole d is t r ic t severa l hu nd re d

feet above th e wav es . I t was pro bab ly conn ected with

th e la tes t of th e gr ea t uph eav als th at have affected

E u r o p e .

Whi le , however , the lower sands tones and c lays con

ta in so m uc h coa l— perh aps th e m os t va luab le of a ll

minera ls , a s requ i r ing and involv ing works o f indus t ry ,

and improving the resources o f a count ry by admi t t ing

th e use of s team po w er— the up pe r sands and gravels

hav e also the ir valu e, for alm ost all of the m contain a

m ark ed propor t ion of go ld . Bu t l the go ld is no t , l ike th e

coal, traceable in regular deposits from place to place.



R E L A T I V E V A L U E O F C O A L A N D G O L D . 07

I t is bur i ed wi th much tha t is wo r th less , cover ing and

covered by e nor mous he a ps of r u b b i s h , and it lies in no

order . There may be in one spo t meta l to the value

of thousands of p o u n d s , and a few h u n d r e d y a r d s off,

in rocks of precisely the same k ind , t he re may be

no t h i ng p r oc u r a b l e . One man, w or k i ng s ys t e ma t i c a l l y*

and wi th in t e l l i gence , may not in m any weeks ob ta in

enough go ld to pay l a bou r e r s ' w a ge s , and another , i d l e ,

reckless , and careless , may, in half an hour , s t umbl e

on a " n u g g e t , " or on some pi le of g o l d - d u s t of

e nor mous va l ue .

T h e r e is no t h i ng ve r y a dva n t a ge ous to the r e a l

in t e res t s of a dis t r ic t in the discovery of a gold-field

b e y o n d the i nc reased pop ula t ion a t t r ac t ed th i the r ,

whi le posi t ive and dur a b l e a dva n t a ge s are derived from

coal, and the value of the l a t t e r minera l may be esti

mated wi th in na r row l imi t s .

Gold is a specu la t ion , in which luck and chance are

of m ore avai l th an in du s t r y and knowledge . Coa l is

a cer ta in ty , w i th the exercise of reasonable care , and

with the r esources of c a p i t a l . It is to be h o p e d t h a t

the Zsi l val ley wil l soon present such evidence of profi t

a b l e i ndus t r y as its valuable minera l weal th deserves .

T h e r e is a cur ious and in teres t ing fac t , and one not

a t all easi ly explained, with regard to the t h i ckes t bed

of coal in the Zsil coal field. In many places this seam

is discovered by mere ly r emoving the turf, the roots of

the grasses be ing bur ied in a black powder , or c l ing ing

round l i t t l e f r agment s of di r ty coal . In other p laces it

fo rms a cliff. The bed is so t h i c k t ha t its na t u r a l i n t e r -



6 8 B U R N T S U R F A C E N E A R T H E C O A L .

sect ion at the surface i s th us almost always easi ly r ecog

nized . A nd i t would seem, tha t a l thou gh the re was

l i t t le known in modern t imes of this coal - f ie ld, the

recog ni t ion of i t s value i s no t a th in g of ye s terd ay , for

in many places , even in the wi ldes t par ts of the hi l l s ,

far from a vi l lage, th ere is a con sidera ble t ra ct of g ro u n d

where the c lays and sands tones have been burnt , appa

re n t ly by larg e f ires m ad e on th e surface, th e m ar k s ofb ur n in g be in g t r aceable for some inches be low th e sur

face. I t occur red to me tha t l a rge signal f ires m ig h t ha ve

been made and k ep t up in these places for a lon g w hi le ,

fed with coal from the adjacent bed, or tha t some

m an ufa cture was carr ied on former ly on th e spo t . I n

an y case, th e coal ha s cer ta in ly been use d . B u t th i sc u r i o u s b u r n t a p p e a r a n c e is no t confined to hi gh an d

pro m inen t p laces , no r does i t ex tend be yon d th e p laces

w here th e th ick coal com es to t h e surface. I saw i t

m yself in several sp ots , an d was told of i t i n many m o r e .

I f not iced wh ere th e coal is not now visible, we have only

to dig a foot or two to f ind the m in er al . N o p i ts ar e

seen, an d the re are no t r e n c h e s whence the coal may

have been dug . Ju d g in g f rom the se fac ts , and f rom th e

ent i re absence of any idea on the subjec t am on g th e

p r e s e n t i n h a b i t a n t s , t h e b u r n i n g p r o b a b ly t o o k place

very l o n g a g o . Perhaps be fo r e t he Romans en t e r ed

Wal l ach i a , t he Pagan i nhab i t an t s he r e burn t t he i r

dea d. I could no t he ar of any f rag m en ts of pottery or

o th er indica t ions even of t h e rude s t k in d to m ark th e

presence of civi l ized man as connected wi th this b u r n t

surface of the g r o u n d .



B R I D G E O V E R T H E Z S I L . 6 9

F ro m som e of th e m an y s ide val leys of th e Zsil t h er e

a re pa ths up to v i ll ages s i t ua t ed a m on g th e m ou n t a in s .

Th ese lead to po in ts of v iew of ex t rem e be au ty , sho w ing

a mix ture of wi ld , rocky grandeur , r i ch ly-wooded , park

l ike t rac t s , covered wi th the green es t an d r iches t turf,

deep go rges w i th wa te r runn ing o r f a l l i ng th rough

them, and cons iderab le t rac t s o f cu l t iva ted land s tudded

wi th p re t ty , wh i t e , p i c tu re sque houses .

O ne m ay pass up one such va lley an d across t he h i l l s ,

an d so descend in to an ot he r . F ro m th e top noble

v iews a re ob ta ined of the oppos i te mounta ins , wi th the

snow y pe ak s of B ar an g no t far off. D u ri n g th e ascent

the views of the valley below are always beautiful .

P as s in g ou t of the ch arm ing va lley of th e Zs i l , by

the road opposi te Vulkan, we f i rs t cross the r iver

by a l ong and w e l l -cons t ruc t ed wooden b r idg e . Th i s

br id ge has been recen t ly re -b u i l t , an d i s ap pa ren t ly

very s t rong , bu t i t has te r r ib le s t rug gles to m ain ta in i t s

posi t ion w hen th e r iver is f looded. F or wee ks to ge th er

in winter there are no means of cross ing f rom one s ide

of th e val ley to th e o ther i f any accide nt ha p pe n s to

th i s b r idge , fo r even in summer when the wate rs a re low

there i s somet imes danger of be ing car r ied away whi le

cross ing the fords on horseback , and w hen the re is m uc h

water i t would be hardly possible to succeed without dis

m ou n t in g and swim m ing . N um ero us l i tt le wooden foo t

br idges a re to be found , cons is t ing of the t runks of long

t rees p laced f rom ba nk to ba nk . Som et im es two t rees

are p laced en d to end ,on e f rom each b an k , th e end s over

lap pin g , an d sup po r ted by a s tou t forked po le in th e



70 H I G H E R P A S S F R O M V U L K A N T O K R I V A D I A .

m iddle . Th e foo t -passenger may th us p rac t i se those

ingen ious ba lan c ings , b r ou gh t to per fec tion by Blo nd in

wh en he c rossed Nia ga ra on a t igh t rope ; b u t w i th ou t

some l i t t le p re l im inary in s t ruc t io n a nd exper ience i t i s

not p lea san t to find one 's-se lf to t te r in g on a ro ug h

pl an k nin e inch es wide, across a rapid noisy s t re am of

deep an d ra t he r cold wa ter , or s te pp ing from one such

plank to ano ther when ha l f -way across .

L ike o ther th ings , however , one ge ts accus tomed to

th is s ty le of t rav el l in g, an d, to m e, it a lways seem ed

be t t e r tha n th e a l t e rna t ive , nam e ly , r id ing th ro ug h

water near ly up to the knees , when no th ing cou ld pre

vent th e bo ots f rom g et t in g f illed, and no m ea ns ex is ted

of d ry ing them d ur ing the res t o f one ' s so journ in thene ig hbo urh ood . Th e horses a re , however , so tho rou gh ly

accu stom ed to cross th e w ater tha t there is l i t t le or no

danger , a l though , in many p laces , the number o f loose

ro l l ing s tones mak e th e bo t to m very bad , and the foo t

i n g u n c e r t a i n .

The br idge a t Vulkan was cons t ruc ted on a sys temof m ut ua l he lp . Tho se who ha d no th in g e lse suppl ied

lab ou r , and those who could afford i t gave m ater ia l or

m oney . I t was rap id ly com ple ted , and seems l ike ly

to s t and .

Fr om th e br idg e the road ru n s u p th e Val ley of

Rivad ia for some dis ta nc e, and th en m ou nt s by a steepand long ascent to th e sum m it of th e r idg e which her e

d iv ides the Z s i l f rom th e S t reh l . T he pass i s ab ou t

1000 feet above the Zsi l Val ley on the south s ide ,

an d ful ly 13 00 above the S t reh l on the o the r



D E S C E N T T O K R I V A D I A . 71

side, th e difference, 3 0 0 feet, b ei n g th e difference

of leve l be tw een th e t r u e m ou nt a in val ley of the Zs i l

and t h e valley of th e S treh l , w hich is op en tow ard s th e

no r th to the Maro s and the p l a ins of t he D an ub e . * Th e

roc ks passed a re , f irst l im estone and th en gn eiss , b u t a t

the top a very fe l spa th ic gran i te i s found , mark ing the

impor tance of the wate r - shed as a g ran i t ic ax is .

T he descent f rom th e sum m it o f th e pass to K r i -

vadia i s no t rem ark ab le , b u t a ffords m an y p leas ing

views of sce ner y. T h e c ou nt ry is d i fferent in form ,

the h i l l s be ing more rounded and the va l ley less shu t

in . Th e te r t ia ry sands tone s and con glom era tes , as

wel l as th e coa l m ea su re s , a re a l so ab sen t , m u ch of

th e gr ou n d i s cu l t iva ted , an d there seems everywhere

a sufficient s up pl y of w ate r.

* The elevations here given are approximations obtained

by a single set of observations made with an aneroid

barometer.



C H A P T E R V .

H u n g a r i a n a n d W a l l a c h i a n P o p u l a t i o n s o f S o u t h - E a s t e r n H u n g a r y . — T h e R a c e s . — T h e i r A p p e a r a n c e a n d C o s t u m e s .

T H E m o m e n t o n e e n te r s H u n g a r y , t h e M a g y a r

pecul ia r i t ies of per sonal appe arance an d c os tum e are

fel t an d recog nize d; an d in pa ss in g from those dis t r ic ts

wh ere the pop ula t ion is t ru ly M ag ya r , to those where

the Wal lachian e lement prevai l s , the change i s qui te as

rem arka ble . W e have , in fac t, in th i s pa r t of E ur op e ,

several very s ing ula r type s of th e h u m an family ex

hib i t ed in c lose con tac t— races th a t have for ce ntu r ies

inh ab i ted th e sam e soi l, an d b een exposed to s imi lar

inf luences , b u t who have each retain ed tha t pec ul iar i ty

of fea ture an d form th a t den otes na t iona l i ty . W h y isi t th at th e Ea s te rn p eople gene ral ly are so tena ciou s of

these typica l charac ter s , whi le the W es tern t r ibes , a lmos t

wi thou t excep t ion , change , amalgamate , and adap t

them selves ? W h a t i s th e secret involved in th e pre

serva t ion by the Jew , th e Tar ta r , and the A rab , of those

po ints of s t ru ctu re which in th e Saxo n, th e Ce l t , an dthe P ra nk , m erg e so rapid ly in to some new var ie ty ,

w he n ci rcum stance s of c l imate come into act ion ? Th ese

are que r ies th at pr ese nt them selves occas ional ly even

in E ng lan d, wh en we see the J ew , or the M alay , th e



O R I G I N O F T H E H U N G A R I A N S . 7 3

Negro , the Hindoo , o r the Ch inese , wa lk ing in ou r

s t ree ts , o r m ixing , as th ey occas ional ly do , in soc ie ty .

But they become both more diff icult and more in

t e r e s t i n g w h e n , i n a c o u n t ry li ke H u n g a ry , w e m e e t*

the Magyar , the Jew, and the Turk , the descendan t o f

the o ld R om an , th e Da c ian modi fied in to the m odern

W al lach , the S axon , the Gy psy , and som et imes o the r

t r ibe s , a ll se t t led harm onio usly for cen tur ie s , each ac-Uknowledg ing the o the r a s a fe l low-coun t ryman , and ye t

each as distinct as if he never left his native soil.

Few th in gs a re more in te res t ing tha n the s tu dy of

na t ion a l cha rac te r un der c i rcum stances of th i s k in d .

Few places a re be t te r ada pted to s tud y these m at te rs

conven ien t ly than the sou th o f Hungary , the Wal lach ianborder , and the va l leys near the Mil i ta ry f ront ie r .

T he H un ga r ian p r ides h imse l f on h i s T a r ta r o r ig in .

To those in te res ted in h i s h i s to r y— an d wha t E ng l i sh

m an can he lp fee ling some in ter es t in th e s t ru gg les of

a f ree people to re ta in an ho no ura ble pos i t ion am on g

m ore powerfu l n a t io ns pre ss in g th em in on a l l s ides ?—

he will te l l of the cou ntr ies n or th of th e H im ala ya n

m ou nta ins wh ich h is ances tors once inh ab i ted ; he wi ll

t r ace h i s l angu age to the i r s , and wi ll adm ire i t th e

m ore as i t d iffers m ore sensibly from th e great la n gu ag es

of E u ro p e. H is love of show ; his sense of th e

p ic tu r e s q u e in d r e ss a n d e q u i p m e n t ; h i s q u i c k n e s s

an d c leverness , leading to l i t t le prac t ica l res u l t ; a ll th ese

confi rm the s tory he te l ls . E ven in smal l m at t e rs he

is m ore Ori en ta l than Oc ciden ta l . H is p ip e and coffee

are lu xu rie s enjoyed to far g re ate r perfection at hom e

E



74 W A L L A C H I A N P E C U L I A R I T I E S .

in H un ga ry tha n am ong the ru l in g race in Vienn a .

H is very d ishes savour of th e E as t . T he paprikaa lready a l luded to owes i ts cha rm to th e ho t pepper

w ith wh ich i t is m ad e. T h e c on sum ptio n of fowls is

eno rm ous . T he s ty le o f bu i ld ing , ad m i t t in g of l i t tl e

or no view from the house in to any pub l ic p lace, and

th e s tyle of dre ss — are a ll em inen t ly Eas te r n . Th e com

plica ted form of salu tat io n, an d th e respectful kis sing

of han ds , be long to ano the r coun t ry tha n the busy

W e s t .

Th e re i s t h u s i n H u n g a ry a degree of na t ion

ali ty exist ing, which has much in te res t and a t t rac

t ion for th e th ou gh tfu l t rave l le r . In W allachia , th e

pecu l ia r i ti e s a re equal ly m arked , d i s t ing u ish ing the W al

lach ians from H un ga r ia ns as comple te ly as these are

d is t ingu ished from E ng l i sh . I f the H un ga r ian langua ge

and s ty le a re incom prehe nsib le from the i r T ar t ar and

Alta i pecul ia r i t ies , the W allachian , der ived f rom G reek ,

La t in , Tu rk is h , and Ba rba r ia n , i s ju s t a s puzz l ing in

th i s m ix tu re . So la rge a n u m b e r o f Wa l l a c h ia n

w ords are , how ever , of L at in or ig in , th a t one soon

becomes familiar with the ir sound ; whi le any one not

acqua in ted wi th Tu rk i s h o r Ea s t e rn l a n g u a g e s , m a y b e

w e e ks i n H u n g a r y w i t h o u t c o n n e c t in g o n e M a g y a r

sou nd w ith an y familiar sense. A lm os t the f irs t t im e

th e W allach ian d ia lec t i s hea rd , there a re words spoken

tha t te l l the i r own s tory . A proc lamat ion or a n e w s p a p e rpr in t ed in th e mod ern cha rac ter , if no t com prehen sib le

as a who le , i s a t leas t sugg es t iv e . B u t w hen the o ld

wri t ten language is seen on crosses and inscr ip t ions by



G Y P S Y P O P U L A T I O N . 75

the roads ide , we are again th ro w n into confus ion. Th e

charac te r s bear m uc h resem blan ce to the Greek , bu tare no t iden t ical : the y are m ore Slavonic tha n Gre ek.

Su ch insc r ipt io ns are g enera l ly i l legible f rom o the r

cause s ; b ut o ne loses l i t t le , for the ir m ea ni ng is rarely

i m p o r t a n t .

A f t e r t he Magyar , o r t r ue H ungar i an , and t he W al

lach , o r inh ab i tan t of the o ld Ro m an se t t l em ents , th enext m os t im po r tan t per son is the Gypsy . A nd the

gyps y of t h i s pa r t of Eu r op e , r an g i ng und i s tu r bed

th ro ug h the l and , p robably m uch as he has been ac

cus tom ed to r a ng e for cen tur ies , is un do ub ted ly m ore

typ ica l , and perhaps of purer b reed than in count r ies

where his nat ional i ty , though not los t , i s confusedby the pressure of su r ro un di ng c iv il iza t ion . Th e gypsy

of the val leys of the Siebenbürgen is thus a more per

fect an d typ ical specim en even th a n the gy psy of

Granada , in Spa in , and fa r more so than the gypsy of

E n gl an d . B ut th o u g h di fferent , th e di fference is one

only of de gre e.

Of th e H un ga r ia ns the re a re b u t two c lasses , the

no ble an d th e pe asa nt . Al l who di rec t labo ur , as well

as those who merely enjoy the f rui ts of labour , belong

to the h igh er , and those who per form th e dru dg ery

are of the lower, class .

Before the la te rev olu tion , by wh ich all t h a t is in

H u n g a r y a n d a ll b e l o n g i n g t o H u n g a r y h a s u n d e r g o n e

a com plete and vi ta l ch an ge , th e n oble was a feudal

lord in a sense never und ers too d in E n gl an d . H e pa id

no tol ls or tax es . H e ad m inis te red th e law to his own

E 2



7 0 W A L L A C H I A N P O P U L A T I O N .

serfs , an d he received hom age m ore th an feudal . H e

gen eral ly l ived in h is cas t le on his es t a te . H e was

subject to l i t t le control , e i ther civil or eccle siastica l,

and h is people un de r h im were ignor an t , and , perha ps ,

in a low sense of th e wo rd, ha pp y. Since th e revolu

t ion th e case is a l tere d. T he lord is im pov erishe d, but

th e serf is not m uc h enr ich ed. T h e cast le i s abandoned ,

and the co t tage no t ye t imp roved . Th e taxes are

m ul t ip l ied m ore tha n tenfo ld , an d the v i llages a re un der

th e sway of th e cu sto m s ' pol ice ins tea d of th e feudal

lo rd . Th is la t te r chan ge i s ha rd l y an im prove m ent in

any sense .

Of the Wallachians of the f ront ier , as of the gypsies,

the re n ei th er is , no r ever was, any real dis t inct ion of

classes . I t is a nom adic p opu lat ion , poor , bu t no t

w a n t ing m uc h . Th e re a re num erous sma ll es ta tes , an d

th e hold er of each es ta te farms i t . Th e yo un g m en go

far away, an d exercise various han dicra ft cal l ing s. Th e

m iners , in th e p r inc ip a l m in ing d is t r ic t s o f H u n g a r y ,

who are no t e i ther B oh em ian s, Si les ians , or Gal ic ians ,a rc , a lmo s t w i tho ut excep t ion , W al lach ian s . La rge

m i n i n g e s t a b l i s h m e n t s exist in which there are

scarcely any H u n g a r i a n s . T h i s pecu l ia r i ty , namely , the

employmen t o f Wa l l ach ians instead of Magyars , is very

m arke d . The W al lach ians a rc dec ided ly the more indus

t r ious race , b u t s t il l the y rem ain m ere hew ers o f wood

an d drawers of wa ter . T he y are no t of ten to be found

placed in responsible posi t ions , but th is is not because

they a re d ishones t , bu t s imply tha t in the s t ruggle fo r

preceden ce th ey a l low them selves to be lef t be hin d.



H U N G A R I A N P O P U L A T I O N . 77

T he gypsies , as we have rem ark ed in a former ch ap ter ,

are c lever , and especia l ly unders tand working in meta ls ,

but they are not to be depended on in mat ters of

hon esty . Th ey l ive in v i l lages in w inter , bu t e nca m p

afte r the i r fa sh ion du r in g sum m er .

Fur the r on , in the cen t ra l pa r t o f the S iebenbürgen ,

i s t h e r e ma rk a b le Ge rma n p o p u la t io n , i n h a b i t i n g to wn s

and a c o u n t ry in which the ir ances tors se t t led some c e n tur ies ago, 1 b u t with these we have here noth ing to do .

Th ey are well w orth y of a specia l p i lg r im ag e, a nd would

repay careful inqu i ry . Th ey p resen t a m ul t i tud e of

mediaeval peculiari t ies , invaluable to the student of

h i s to ry .

To re tu rn now to the pop ula t io n of th e pa r t of th ecoun t ry to which ou r rem ark s a re l imi ted . Th e

H u n g a r i a n g e n t l e m a n is , a t th e pre sen t t im e, readi ly

k n o w n by his cos tum e, bu t h i s man ner s and genera l

appea rance w ould a lso d is t ing uis h h i m . H e is pol i te

and cons ide ra te , and we l l -b red , a s , indeed , a g en t lem an

in an y oth er pa r t of the world m us t be to deserve then a m e , b u t h e dif fers f rom th e G erm an of th e n or th

and from the A u s t r i a n in a h u n d re d l i tt l e m a t t e r s ,

readily noticed, bu t no t eas ily desc r ibed . Y ou ng

H u n g a r y i s more qu ie t and rese rved , and le ss inde

pendent of society th a n i s c o mm o n n o w wi th y o u n g

F ra n c e , y o u n g En g la n d , o r y o u n g G e r m a n y , b u t t h e

young a re no t educa ted as the i r p a re n t s we re . T h e

class ic days of H un ga ry , when a lmos t every educa ted

person not only learnt and spoke Latin^ as a second

mother tongue , a t co l lege , b u t c o n t in u e d to speak it in



78 P R E V A L E N C E O F T H E H U N G A R I A N L A N G U A G E ,

society th ro ug h l ife , are go ne . L at in is ju st as rare a n

accomplishment in th is sense in Hungary as i t i s e lsewhere . H un ga r ia n and Ge rma n a re unders tood equa l ly

wel l, and a pp aren t ly a re spoken indif ferent ly , bu t a t

hom e , and when on ly in t im a te f r iends a re p resen t ,

the na t ive language p reva i l s , and i t is certain t h a t

m any of th e ch i ldren learn l i t t le Ge rma n ti l l they a re

ins t ru c ted a t school . T he na t iv e lan gu ag e is now a

pa t r io t ic d i s t inc t ion .

I n one in te res t in g family gro up i n to wh ich I was

in t roduced I found a family of seve ra l g rown-up

daugh te rs l iv ing wi th the i r pa ren ts , and some ch i ld ren

of both sexes of a th i rd g ene ra t ion . Else w here the

three genera t ions in one house are not u n c o m m o n . I n

the case I a l lude to , the dau gh te rs spoke l i t tl e G erm an .

Th ey un ders too d i t , bu t i t was ev ident th a t th ey re

garded i t as a fore ign language , and turned with g re a t e r

satisfaction to their own whenever they could fairly do

so . The chi ldren ne i ther spoke nor u n d e r s t o o d G e r m a n .

In another smal ler family I no t iced the same cond i

t io n. T he lady apologized for he r w an t of fam iliari ty

wi th G erm an , wh ich , however , she spoke qui te well ,

wi th a p re t ty accen t ju s t sufficient to mark the foreigner,

bu t the ch ild , th ou gh a clever, quick l i t t le th in g , a n d

speak ing we l l bo th Hungar ian and Wa l l a c h ia n , n e i th e r

unders tood nor des i red to unders tand German .

I t is ev ident th a t the re is a m ean ing in th is . A

peo ple, wh o form p ar t of, an d ha ve in every d irec

t ion the most in t imate re la t ions wi th , one of the grea t

na t ional i t ies of Europe , bu t who sullenly refuse, as far



P R O B A B L E D E C L I N E O F T H E L A N G U A G E , 79

as they conven ient ly can , to ackno wled ge th e associa

t ion th ru s t u pon th em , a re no t ina

favourable state fora d v a n c e . Th e H u n g a r i a n l a n g u a g e m a y b e , a n d n o

doubt is , in te res t ing h is tor ica l ly , and may conta in

m uch va luable l i te ra t ur e , b u t i t i s too m uc h iso la ted ,

an d H u n g ar y is too smal l to re ta in for ever such a

pecu l ia r i ty .

Pr ob ab ly th i s nervo us anxie ty to preserve i t i s as

much der ived f rom an in tu i t ive sense tha t i t must soon

pa ss aw ay as from an id ea th a t it m ay by an effort be

r e t a in e d .

I n one of m y ear l ies t co nt in en ta l t r ip s (some f ive-

and - tw en t y yea rs ago) I t r avel led th ro ug h a part of

Bo hem ia , ha r d ly eve r v i s it ed th en by s t rang ers , and

of ten had considerable d i f f icu l ty in making myself

u n d e r s to o d — th e o ld e r Bo h e m ia n p e o p le a t t h a t t im e

spea k ing no G erm an . O n m ore tha n one occasion boys

or g i r ls had to be fe tched from the schoo ls to in te rp re t

for m e. Th ese boys an d g ir ls a re now grown up , and

speak Germ an hab i tua l ly , so th a t th e i r ch i ld ren p rob ab ly

will ha rd ly un de rs ta nd B ohe m ian , and in ha lf a ce n t u iy

th a t d ia lec t wi ll p ro ba bly d ie ou t . I t would cer ta in ly

do so , b u t for th e presen t m ania for Pa ns la v ism . So m e

th ing o f the same k i n d , b u t n o t so ra p id ly , m u s t t a k e

p la ce i n H u n g a r y . A t p resen t the g rea t mass of t h e

peop le a re not obl iged to learn G erma n in the schools ,

b u t th i s m u s t s oo n b e t h e c a s e . Th u s t h e H u n g a r i a nl a n g u a g e m a y l a st s o m e w h a t l o n g e r t h a n th e Bo h e m ia n ,

bu t the end i s a p p ro a c h in g .

M a n y of th e H u n g a r i a n s h a v e a p e c u l i a r d r a w l in g



BO L A N G U A G E O F T H E W A L L A C H I A N S .

m ode of p ro nou nc in g bo th the i r own langua ge and

G erm an ; b ut especial ly th e la t te r . I t is no t plea san t .T he ladies who speak G erm an do so very pre tt i ly ;

but the accent is recognizable .

I was no t much in those pa r t s o f Hungary where

th e land ed prop rieto rs chiefly reside ; and m y expe

rience is no t , there fore, w orth m uch with rega rd to

the m ; bu t w hat I did see was hig hly favourable , andthe associat ion of c lasses appeared to me to be without

th e sm allest sacrif ice of dig nit y on ei th er ha n d . T he

H un ga r ia n peasan t i s as indep end ent as he is respec t

ful ; and th e lord is s imple , an d n a t ur a l , in h is be

hav iour to the peasan t .

T he W alla ch ian po pu latio n, so far as i t fe ll u nd er

m y observ ation, is one of peas an ts only . T he families

of the h ig he r c lasses, and t h e land ed prop r ie tors , a re

no t res iden t in any pa r t of th e borde r co un tr y ; an d ,

a l though I fe l l in wi th some Wallachian gent lemen,

they were from a dist anc e, an d w ere travellers l ik e

myself. Ju d g in g from the m , and from wha t 1 hea rd

in o ther ways , I conclude tha t the I ta l ian e lement pre

va ils wi th th em m uch m ore tha n any o th er . Th ey

speak l i t t le German; but the i r own lingua franca t h e y

com bine readi ly wi th I ta l ian and Fre nc h . Th ey a lso

speak T ur kis h . T he towns of W allac hia a re not very

easily reached , no r do the y app ear to offer m uc h th at

is noticeable ; bu t th ey are ha rd l y kno wn to E ng l ishtravelle rs . Som e of the m are pro ba bly w orth a vis i t .

In po in t of cos tume th e H un ga r ia n gen t lem an i s

gen erally very m ark ed . H e would seem to have a



C O S T U M E O F H U N G A R I A N U P P E R C L A S S E S . 81

passion for a l l ki nd s of em bro ide ry, an d i t is seen on

every ou te r ga r m en t ra th e r p ro fuse ly sp read . Bra ided

or em bro ide red l ines on the nea t , t igh t - f i t t ing jack e t ,

or s imple su r to ut , tak e the p lace of bu t to ns , and ex

tend fa r beyond the l ines wh ich bu t tons have made

the ir own. B ra id covers th e wais tcoa t , o f which th e

form is also pecul ia r . In p lace of t rou sers , the H u n

ga r ian wears t igh t - f i t t ing pan ta loons , a l so b ra ided , andwell-polished He ss ian boo ts , r each in g to th e kn ee . A

bra ided cap , and a deep ly-em broide red c loak , la rg e or

smal l , acc ord ing to th e se ason, or a bra ide d fur coat

in win te r , com ple te the cos tum e . Th e am ou n t of em

broid ery var ies accord ing to th e tas te of the in div idu al ;

b u t th e fondness for t h is orn am en t is un iversa l .Black an d grey are the favourite colours for general

wear .

T h e H u n g a r i a n lady a l so wears a cos tume; bu t i t i s

le s s marked , a n d consis ts m erely in som e m odification

of th a t p e c u li a r j a c k e t , c o m m o n in E n g la n d s o m e

t ime ago , and k n o w n a s t h e polka. Th i s j a c k e t ,

t r im m ed w ith fur or bra ided , or decora ted in some

way, forms pa r t of t he cos tum e of every pa tr io t ic

d a m e . In ot he r resp ects , so far as I could lear n, th e

im a g in a t io n and fashion of th e da y is allowed full pl ay .

Crinol ine , a t any ra te , re igns supreme in the c i t ies , as

in the ci t ies of a l l o the r pa r t s of E u ro p e .

The lower c lasses of Hungar ians wear cos tumes

very var ied , and often very p ic tu resq ue . E ac h pa r t of

the country has i ts own, and the difference is consider

able in different provinces . Th e wom en often dress al-

E 3



8 2 C O S T U M E O F H U N G A R I A N F E A S A N T S .

m ost in th e same s ty le as the m en , when w ork ing in

the fields ; but for state occasions they have a peculiar

cos tume handed down f rom genera t ion to genera t ion .

The common work ing dress of the peasant is a shir t ,

or ki t t le , an d a pair of very loose, sho rt , white tro us er s ,

reac hing to th e kn ees . Very o ld rub bis hy ha lf -boots ,

and a clumsy cloth w ra p p e r ro u n d the lower part of the

l eg , from th e kn ee to the boot , form a te rm ina t ion . T heki t te l , or blouse, is t ied in at t he waist b y a bro ad

lea ther be l t , somet imes a foot w ide . A lar ge loose

great coat , made of undyed wool, woven by the

wom en of the househo ld , and pu t tog e the r a t h o m e , is

e i the r w orn in t he usua l w ay, or mere ly thro w n over

the sho ulde rs . T his coa t i s worn by women as well

as men, and , indeed , as I have said, th e field-dress,

generally, of the two sexes is so very s imilar , tha t

th ey are not easi ly d is t ingu ished a t a d is tance . T he

same boots and wrap pers rou nd th e leg , and often

the same la rge round ha t , cover ing th e head, leave

l i tt l e t o r e m a rk . W h e n the coat is not worn, the

women are seen to have a chemise t ied r o u n d th e n e c k ,

an d a short pe tt ico at in the p lace of sh ir t and t rousers .

, In winter , and even in summer, an exceedingly s imple ,

long tunic , wi th s leeves , made of the u n ta n n e d s k in

of the sheep, with the wool left, is a common dress of

the men, when the coat is not used or possessed.

Th is dress is w orn w ith th e wool ou tsid e, or inside ,acc ordin g to the season, an d is said to be ex tremely

comfor tab le , and to res is t a ll w eath ers . B ot h men and

women are seen with i t .



C O U N T R Y C O S T U M E O F H U N G A R I A N L A D I E S . 8 3

T he coat , wh en new , is of ten coarse ly em bro ider ed ,

o r o rnamen ted wi th some des ign on the back , occa sionally in colo urs . I t is very heav y, an d serviceab le ,

an d looks well . "When old, i t is app lied to various

u s e s ; I ha ve seen i t c on ve rted i nt o a ba g, an d f il led

with hay . I t i s , howev er , ex trem ely du rab le , and very

few coats would , pro bab ly , be require d by a m an du r in g

his whole l i fe t ime.T he cover ing o f th e he ad va r ie s . I n th e o p e n

cou n t ry , h i gh , cy l ind r ica l , sheepsk in caps , a re no t un

com m on ; and these a re ve ry p ic tu resqu e . Som et imes

they g ive p lace to exceed ing ly b road-b r immed , flat

h a t s , and , somet imes , to sma l l caps .

Al though the lad ies in l a rge towns , and c i t i e s ,

follow th e la tes t P ari s ia n fash ions, an d are not so easi ly

d is t ingu ished by cos tume as the gen t lemen , s t i l l , in

th e cou n t ry , an d the sma l le r v i ll ages , they adhe re ,

m ore o r l e ss , to cos tum es . V ery p leas ing and p iqu an t

are the se cos tu m es . T he nec k is bare , and a b lack

jac ke t s its ja un t i l y over a de l ica te , w hi te chem ise t ied

nea t ly above th e bo som . F ul l , b u t shor t , sleeves

leave a ro un d a rm bar e , for any cu l inary op era t io ns , o r

o the r househo ld work , tha t may be go ing on ; a n d th e

skir t of the dress , th o ug h fu l l, h as not th a t incon

ven ient am plitu de th at is so often seen in the t o w n s .

The ha ir i s dressed nea t ly , and s imply , and l i t t le orna

m e n t i s w o rn on the head .

T he W al lach ian peasa n t ry , nea r the f ron t ie r , p resen t

a very d i f ferent appearance to the Hungar ians , and are

easily recognized by the ir wi ld appearance , da rk com-



8 4 C O S T U M E O F W A L L A C H I A N P E A S A N T S .

plex ion, bl ac k, f lowing h air , an d b ri g h t, f ierce, black

eyes . Th ey are , how ever , ha rm less en ou gh , in spi te of

the se terr ib le look s. Th ey are very poo r , an d seem to

live in th e s imp les t m an ne r . In po in t of cos tum e,

they cer ta in ly approa ch th e very s imples t con t r ivance

ever in t roduced .

The founda t ion of the female cos tume in Wal lach ia

is a lon g c hem ise , rea ch in g from th e ne ck to th e ancles ,open in f ront to th e wa is t . I t is t ied in w ith s t r in gs

ro un d the neck and wr is t s , and a lso ro un d th e wais t .

Gir l s up to the age of four teen or there abo uts , an d

no t unf reque nt ly o lder wom en, wear no th in g e lse .

Y o ung ch i ld ren in sum m er a re e i the r qu i t e naked o r

have a loose sh ir t . All th e wom en wear th is chem ise ,bu t it is occasional ly adde d to an d orn am en ted .

Th e nex t s tage in th e dre ss , and one a lm ost unive rsal

in m an y pa r ts of th e co un try , is a bel t of m od era te

w id th ab out th e wais t, wh ich usua l ly te rm ina tes in two

apr on s , one in f ron t and th e o th er beh ind . These

apron s a re e i ther lon g or sho r t a t p leasure , bu t wh en

lon g ther e is a shor t f r inge app end ed , and wh en shor t

a lon g f r inge ; so th a t apro n and f r inge tog e th er

t e rm ina te tow ards the anc le . Th e ap ron s and f r inges

are general ly of some dyed woollen mater ia l , of ten not

un l ik e a p la id . Occas iona lly th e apron d isappears , and

a long f r inge hangs f rom the be l t , whi le somet imes the

fr inge is ab sen t an d the ap ron a mere s t r ip of woo llen.

If one of th e apro ns is abs en t i t is gen eral ly tha t

which should hang in f ron t .

A bodice is th e ne xt adva nc e. I t is often seen in



H E A D - D R E S S O F W A L L A C H I A N P E A S A N T S . 8 5

the tow ns ,— rare ly in the v i l lages . W he n pu t on i t i s

gen era l ly in ho no ur of some hol id ay , and be in g very

pre t ty a nd of ten laced in f ront and con nec ted w ith

loose white sleeves tied in at th e elbo w, it m u st b e

rega rded ra the r a s an ar t ic le of co qu etry th an of

cos tum e. Be yond th i s a l l i s accord ing to the tas te

and means of th e ow ner, bu t jewe ls of every k in d ,

whe the r o f prec ious meta ls or prec ious s tones , andeven humble im ita t ion s of the se , a re com para t ive ly

r a r e .

The covering of the head admits of a good deal of

var iety, an d l ike th e gen eral dres s i ts s im plest form is

very s imple indeed , cons is t ing only of a long str ip of

whi te l inen fastened in some way to the hair and

floating in the wind . A l i tt l e ing en u i ty easily converts

this s tr ip of l inen in to a head-d ress , e i the r a tu rban or

some o the r form, accord ing to the tas te of the wearer ,

or such as is the prevai l ing s ty le of the v i l lage or

dis t r ic t . I n a v i l lage in th e M il i ta ry f ront ie r , inha bi te d

by a Bulgar ian co lony, the l inen is so a r ranged as to

make two ho rns , and as th e m ater ia l i s genera l ly of

some coloured pa t te r n these two horn s have a very

cu rio us effect. I n o the r p laces the head -dress is so

arranged as to cover pa rt of th e face, leav ing only th e

eyes and nose visible .

The feet are often bare, but in bad we a the r , o r fo r *

rough work , bo th women and men ob ta in , in some w a y ,

possession of a pecul ia r ki nd of half-b oots , of th e

kind ca l led by us h igh - low s . Th ese a re , accord ing

to m y exp erien ce, uniform ly so old an d w orn as to be



O C C A S I O N A L V U L G A R I T Y O F D R E S S .

ut te r ly use less . W he nc e they a re ob ta in ed , whe ther

the y a re m anu fac tured in th e deso la te s ta te in which

they are a lways seen, or w he the r they are th e resu l ts

of some gig ant ic specu la t ion in old boots by th e uni ted

Jew s of E ng lan d and Ge rm any, i s a cur ious sub jec t

of inq uir y . Ce rta inly , I have never seen so m an y

bo ots to ge th er so old and so w orth less , even in a lon g

inspe ct ion of th e var ious ra g fa irs of L on do n or F ra n k -

> fort .

I f these boots are worn , the legs— of wh ich th e

prop or t ions a re gen era l ly good , an d seen to adv antag e

w i th the o rd ina ry cos tum e— are n o t un f requen t ly

swathed up to th e kne es with dir ty rol ls of l ine n-ra gs ;

a cur ious a r ra ng em ent , an d one of which th e ob ject

is not clear.

I n some of th e W alla ch ian vil lages of large size, i t is

no t p leasan t to see th e p ic tu res que na t ion a l cos tum e

replaced by the vulgarest and coarsest imita t ion of the

dress of th e comm on people in tow ns . Th e con tras t

be tween th e whi te ch emise , red f r inged a prons , b lackbodice , f lowing l inen h ea d- ge ar , and nake d feet, and an

elaborate s i lk gown, s tuck out with cr inol ine , f launt ing

in a l l the colours of the ra inbow , a larg e s ta r in g bo nn et ,

wi th flowers an d f ru i t s la rger and br i gh te r th an N at ur e

supplies, on the head, and clumsy shoes on the feet , is

so s t rong and so disagreeable , that one wonders i t doesnot s t r ike those who thu s d isf igure them se lves . H ap

pi ly , the occasions are rare in which these grand t rans

format ions a re made .

Th e gypsies offer curio us varieties of co stu m e. I n



C O S T U M E S O F G Y P S I E S A N D J E W S . ST

th e cou ntry , in sum m er, th ey are of ten m ere ly covered

by a few rag s— no t so m uc h th e m ark o f mise ry an d

w ant as of u t t er carelessne ss an d indifference. T he

chi ldren r un abo ut w i tho ut even a ra g . A t th e same

time, I have seen a gypsy woman dressed out , not only

gai ly , bu t han dsom ely , w i th good ta s te , and with a ll th e

m ater ia ls of exce l len t des cr ip t ion . T his wom an was

w alk in g on a coun t ry road be tween two v i ll ages , and

could ha rd l y hav e expec ted to m eet any one bu t he r

own peop le .

There a re Jews in the sou th o f Hungary , bu t in the

poorer and m ore open par t s of th e co un try th ey are

no t often met w i th . T he y are genera l ly recognized as

m uc h by the i r s ingu la r long coa ts , r each in g to the hee l s ,

and lo ng bea rds , a s by the i r pecu l ia r coun tenances .

Cer ta in ly , the Jewish phys iognomy has los t no th ing o f

i ts m ark ed fea tures in th is pa r t o f the world , and th e

charac ter i s as l i t t le a l te red .

Th ro u g h o u t t h e c o u n t ry , t h e w o m e n rid e o n h o r s e

back en cavalier, b u t on such occas ions th ey are usu al lyra t he r th ick ly c lo thed , as i t i s on ly th e b e t t e r and

richer pe asa nts wh o can afford th e lux ury of r id in g.

The poorer women work in the f ie lds with the men,

an d perform a l l k i nd s of m an ua l lab ou r .

T he you nge r H un ga r ia n women a re f requen t ly ve ry

goo d- loo king , and the ch i ldren often beaut i fu l . T he

face is ro un d an d che erful , b u t th e A siat ic ori gin is

m ark ed by th e form bo th of head an d face . T he co lour

of the ch i ldren is somet imes l igh t , an d th e h a i r pa le ,

b u t t he m en , and even th e wom en , become copper-



8 8 G E R M A N C O L O N I E S .

coloured as they advance in ye ars . T he W al lac hiau s

are m uc h da rke r , even f rom chi ldhoo d, w hich is no t

remarkab le , a s they ce r ta in ly be long to a Sou th Eu

ropean fami ly . A m on g the m a re m any spec imens of

rea l beauty , especia l ly among the men and the chi l

dren of bo th sexes. T he w om en, as is us ua l w hen

they a re ea r ly exposed to wea the r and ha rd work ,

soon lose the i r beauty , and become old very rapid ly .The men re ta in the i r ha i r and fea tures to a grea t age .

The gyps ies a re o f ten handsome.

In th is par t of the Siebenbürgen but few t races are

found of t h o s e German colonies , which have so grea t ly

affected the populat ion of the central part of the Duchy.

Occas ional ly fa i r -ha ired chi ld ren appe ar , bu t th ey areexcep t iona l . T he Ge rm ans seem to have pe r fo rmed the i r

work of colonizat ion very systematical ly, and very

charac ter is t ica l ly . T he y d id exact ly w ha t was requ ired ,

. and they d id no more . ! T h e r e is t h u s a s h a r p ly - ma r k e d

l ine of demarcat ion among the d i f ferent peoples , and

M agya r , W al lack and G erm an , Gypsy and Jew , haveinhabi ted a smal l t rac t of c o u n t r y for centur ies wi th

ou t an y one ser iously affecting the na t ion al i ty of any

\ o the r .



C H A P T E R V I .

H u n g a r i a n a n d W a l l a c h i a n P o p u l a t i o n s continued.—Manners,

C u s t o m s , H a b i t a t i o n s , a n d C h u r c h e s . — T h e P r i e s t s o f t h eG r e e k C h u r c h .

T H E m a n n e r s o f t h e H u n g a r i a n s , a n d t h e i r c u s t o m s s

in the S iebenbürgen and Bana t , a re ve ry s imple ,

p r im i t ive , an d p leas ing . A m on g the h ig her c lass, the

ladies of the household perform almost a l l those ser

vices for w hich, in E n gl a nd , we have specia l serva nts ;a n d th e y do so with a goo d-w il l and grac e par t icu lar ly

a g re e a b le . T h e y a r e e x c e ll e nt c o o k s — th e y s u p e r in

t e n d , if they do not make, a l l the d ishes for a l l meals ;

and , i f s t rangers are present , they even serve the

d ishes , wa i t u p o n th e g u e s t s , a n d , p e rh a p s , d o n o t

si t down at a l l du r in g the mea l . Th e young lad ies

of a large family will a l l be e ng ag ed toge ther on

the a r r iva l o f an expec ted v is i to r— one ass i s t ing to

cook , ano ther br in g in g th e d i shes to t ab le , a th i rd

seeing that a l l the guests are provided for, and a four th

c l e a r in g a wa y . Sometimes one of the par ty wil l s i t a t

tab le d ur in g the meal , bu t wi ll h a rd ly e a t a n y t h i n g

in her anxiety to perform the du t ies o f hosp i ta l i ty .

More f requen t ly they wi ll ea t the i r mea l in an o th er

room, and s i t down a t t ab le a f te rwards , t ak ing the i r

share in the conversa t ion wi thou t any gêne or shyness .



90 M A N A G E M E N T O F C H I L D R E N .

I a th e m or ni ng , aga in , wh en coffee is served, no

one wi l l be in a t te nd anc e bu t the lad ies , and they

will no t ta ke the ir m eal t i l l every on e is served. T he re

is ev ide ntly no affectation in th is , an d i t is d on e

w itho ut effor t. T he dra w ing -roo m , however , is no t

neglected ; and i t is evide nt th at th e ladies who a re

th u s hom ely an d useful , are no t less accom plished

th an th eir s is ters in larg er tow ns an d c i t ies , who leave

the car ry ing ou t o f the i r hosp i tab le in ten t ions to the i r

pa id ass i s tan ts .

The behaviour o f ch i ld ren to the i r pa ren ts i s s in

gu la r ly respec t fu l . A ch i ld , on en te r ing the room ,

or leaving table , wil l walk quie t ly to t h e fa ther , an d,

t a k i n g h i s h a n d , k iss th e back of i t , and th en k i s s

his cheek . T he pa ren t will th en ta ke leave of the

l i t t le one by re tu rn in g th e k iss . Af te rwards , t h e

ch i ld makes th e same acknow ledgm en t to o ther re la

t ives pr es en t . T h e yo un ge r ones will fo llow th e same

j course to a s t r an ge r , bu t t he e lder ones m erely bow.

All the c hi ldren seem to be careful ly br ou gh t u p andwell managed, and, as is usual on th e Con t inen t , t hey

are m uch wi th the ir pa re nts , an d a l l th e family have

the i r mea ls toge ther .

Th e ha bi t of k iss in g th e h a n d is re ta ined by the

lower c lasses th r ou gh ou t t he so u th of H un ga ry and

Transy lvan ia , and probably in o ther places , as wellas in the Tyro l , where i t ha s o f ten been rem ark ed .

If any favour has been received, th a t is th e recogn ized

acknowledgment ; bu t i f , in mere ly w a lk ing on the

h igh road , a parce l of yo un gs t e rs a re met go ing to ,



R E C O G N I T I O N O F S T R A N G E R S . 91

or re t u r n i ng f rom, school, th e o rdea l becom es se r ious .

Eac h l i t t le boy or g ir l wil l come up to kiss th e h an d

of his or her feudal superior ; and should the great

m an b e too m uc h o ccup ied, th ey fal l on his f r iends an d

com pa nio ns. I have had m y h an d kissed in th is way

a score of t imes in a few minutes , on meet ing a t roop

of school chi ldren while in company with a gent leman

inhab i t ing the d i s t r i c t .

W he n pass ing a long in one of the comm on car t s of

th e co un t ry , i t i s very ra re ly indee d th a t th e count ry

peo ple fail to recog nize a str an ge r, or an y per son of

s ta t io n a t a ll supe r ior to the ir ow n, an d the y m ak e

th e recogn i t ion in a very m ark ed way . Al l pe rson s

on meet ing , uncover the head , re ta in ing the ha t in theha nd for some l i t t le t im e . Pa ss i ng th ro ug h a v il lage ,

however, th e scene i s m uc h m ore im pos in g . O uts id e

m any of the houses ther e is a rou gh bench , and som e

t imes a covered seat , for the acco m m oda tion of th e

inh ab i tan ts . As there i s no th in g to keep them ins ide

their houses , except when as leep (and not a lways then) ,the m en con grega te abo ut some favouri te spo t , and

half-a-score at a t im e will be seen at a dis tan ce ly in g

down, some on these bench es , and some on the g ro un d .

T h e wom en are pe rha ps a l i t t le way off go ssip ing . As

a vehic le appro aches , a l l , w itho ut except ion, s tand op ,

the men qu ick ly a r rang ing themse lves in a long row,

with hats off , and there they remain t i l l the great people

ap pro ac h. As the car t passes , a l l , with one accord,

bow nea r ly to the g ro un d . Th e wom en s top ta lk ing ,

l la l f -a -do zen such gro up s will be passed in a s ingle



9 2 H O S P I T A L I T Y O F T H E L O W E R C L A S S E S .

vi l lage, b ut th e behav iour is a lways th e sam e. O ften

in th e open cou ntry , I have seen both m en and

w om en leave th ei r f ield-work, of wh ateve r ki nd , to

ran ge them selves in a s imilar way before bow ing.

W h en a pp aren t ly fas t as leep on th e gro un d, I have

seen th em wake u p , p lace them selves in posi t ion,

m ade th eir sa laam, and l ie down aga in to tak e a n

o the r nap , ev ident ly cons ide r ing tha t they were per

forming a rou t ine of the m os t o rd inary k ind . I

rem em be r no t ic in g a l i t t le boy two or thr ee years old ,

clothed oidy in a very old and large h a t , p robab ly

throw n away by some grow n-up person . O n my

approach, making a great effort , he took off this

hat (almost too heavy for him to l if t) , and after

sweeping it as gracefully as he could, he endea vou red

to p u t i t on ag ain in vain . T he re is no l im it to thi s

pol i teness .

B u t th e respec t of th e lower c lass for th e up pe r is

no t confined t o ex tern als, it is really felt an d acted on

systemat ical ly , and in cases where there is no idea of

o the r r e tu rn tha n s imple po l i tenes s . Th ey wi ll go ou t

of th e way for some distan ce to act as guid es , where a

few w ords wo uld be sufficient. They wil l p lace their

who le e s t ab l i shme n t a t your com ma nd , and wi l l in

re tu rn ha rd ly expec t any pecun ia ry acknowledgmen t ,

and be grateful for any th a t m ay be offered. W e had

an example of th is on o ne o ccasion, when we ather

b o u n d a t a sma l l v i ll age , w here the re was o ne house

m o r e dece nt th an the res t in w hich we took she l te r .

T h e hou se cons isted only of two room s and a sort of



F O O D A R R A N G E M E N T S . 98

open entry of some size, in which was a stove, and an

open corr idor beh ind . Th e owners were no t a t ho m e,

an d th e furnished room was locked up . Th e res t of

the house , consis t ing only of bare wal ls , was open, and

we took possession of th e corridor, sh ari ng i ts fr iendly

shel ter with a few Wallachian peasants who were a lready

th er e . Th e wea ther no t im prov ing , we dec ided to s ta y*

all n ig h t. A fire was l ig hte d in th e stove to dry th e

wet wr aps , and boi l wa ter . After a t ime , the owners

appeared , and th e bes t room was th en opene d , and

we were allowed an d invite d to ar ra ng e ourselves as

bes t we m ig ht . T he owne r, his wife an d family, lay

on th e floor in th e only oth er room , which was qu i te

w itho ut fur ni tu re , and to us was given up th e furnishedapa r tm ent usua l ly occupied by the fami ly . N oth ing

w as demanded fo r th i s d i s tu rbance .

The food a r r a ng em en t s in the cou n t ry in th i s pa r t

of H u n g ar y are no t inc onv enie nt , an d the food i tse lf

is gen era l ly goo d. Ev en th e poorest are sa id to obta in

m uch mo re m ea t tha n is usua l in Germ any , and the i rcorn food is very n ou ris hi ng . Th e bre ad is always

good, an d th e wine is sup erior to wines of th e sam e

class and pr ice in any par t of G erm an y.

The ordinary routine of meals is as follows :—Coffee

(always good) served in a tumbler , and in most p laces

with milk , is ready in the ear ly morning, and a morsel

of bread is ea ten a t t he same t im e. Tow ards noon is

d in ne r - t i m e . Some k in d of soup , bou i l l i w i th s tewed

vegetab les and pota to es , a k in d of ho m e-m ad e solid

macaroni or vermicel l i (nudel and Strudel), a nat ional

d ish cons is t ing of mea t s tewed wi th g ravy and red



g I E X C E L L E N C E O F T H E F I S H .

p e p p e r {paprika), or one of the nat ional var iet ies of

fried m ea t or fowl (eith er of th e m e xce llent) ; th es e are

fol lowed by a p ud di ng , and t h at by roas t mea t an d

sa lad . Th e var ious t ab le wines of H un ga ry are head y,

an d c onta in a la rge p erce ntag e of a lcohol w i thou t

be ing very fu ll -bodied ; the y imp rove , however , by

age , an d i t is impo ss ible to recogn ize a comm on wine

th a t has been kep t t en or m ore years , wh en com pared

wi th a wine of th e sam e viney ard m uc h m ore recen t .

Le ss th an ten years seems insufficient to br in g ou t

th e flavour. Fe w of th e wines have m uch bo uqu e t o r

aroma, a w ant prob ably due to th e s ty le of ma kin g,

which is ra the r pr i m i t ive . T h e wines are almo st

a lways s ound and wh olesom e, if not a lways ple asa nt .

T he only oth er com m on alcohol ic dr in k is an exceedingly

na s ty spi r i t , m ad e from a kin d of plu m {zwetchgen),

v e r y a b u n d a n t in all pa r t s of G erm an y. I t i s some

t ime s t as ted before m eals . Th e eve ning meal is near ly

a repet i t ion of tha t a t m id-d ay .

M an y of the r iver s of H u n g ar y abo und w i th fish of

var ious k in ds , inc lu din g some of th e most excel lent

t h a t arc b ro u g ht to table , bu t i t i s seldom th at they

can be obta ined without previous special a r r a n g e m e n t .

T h e same may be said of the wild animals in th e

fores ts , m an y of which m ig h t be ha d for th e t rou ble

of sho ot in g, b u t w hich are neve r seen at tab le .

The bear seems never eaten, the wi ld boar very rarely,

an d th e roe and red dee r are very scarce in the

m a r k e t , t h o u g h said to be everywh ere in the mo un

t a i n s . E ve n bi r ds , of w hich th er e are also m any , are

qui te neglec ted .



S T Y L E O F H O U S E S A N D I N N S . 9 5

T he fish are , bey ond c om paris on , th e f inest ob ta in ab le

from fresh wa ter. A t least thre e ki n ds of stu rg eo n, all

very common in the H un ga r ia n wate rs , y ie ld a food m ore

com pac t , be t te r - f lavoured , and cer ta in ly mo re n ou r ish ing

t h a n a n y fresh-wate r fish kno wn in W est e rn E uro pe .

When cooked properly , and eaten hot , they are , to my

tas te , superio r to every fish b ut sa lm on . Th ey m ost

r e semble excel lent and well- f lavoured large turbot .

T he flesh is w hite , f irm, an d no t w ate ry, a n d as th e

anim al grow s to a larg e s ize th er e is no ann oy anc e from

b o n e s . Al l the fish of th e stu rg eo n family co nta in a

goo d deal of oil , b u t th is on ly gives flavour, an d w hen

pro perly co oked and eaten ho t the oily tas te is got r id

of. There is , however , a very disagreeable s ty le of cooking common e n o u g h in the tow ns, an d o ne specim en of

foyttsch, dick, or an y of th e oth er f ishes th u s pre pare d,

is a lmos t enough to give a dis ta s te for the whole family .

The fish is fr ied in oil , and served cold, steeped in

v ine gar . I t i s the n in ten ded to be ea ten wi th m ore

vinegar and oi l .Besides th e car t i lag ino us f ish, the re is m uc h fine t ro u t

in the H un ga r i an m oun ta in s t r eam s . Th i s I could

neve r obta in for eat i ng , as i t seemed qu i te imp ossible

to induce any idle boy or m an to earn a few pen ce in

th is way . The re i s m uc h o the r f ish o f m any k in ds ,

but i t is not obta inable .

T he s ty le of houses in H u n g a ry and W al lach ia i s

gene ra l ly th e sam e. Th ose of larg er s ize are bui l t

round two s ides of a square , the other two s ides being

occupied by shed s for ca r t s o r ca r r iages and s ta b l i ng .



9 6 S L E E P I N G A C C O M M O D A T I O N .

An open cor r idor run s rou nd these two sides , looking

towards the court-yard , and here in f ine weather is th e

gene ral lou ng e. All th e pr incip al room s open out f rom

th is cor r idor bu t they a lso communica te wi th each o ther .

In the an gle is a stairca se le ad in g to an up pe r f loor

where a gal lery takes the place of the cor r idor . V ery

often th e up pe r f loor is only an at t ic , an d is used for

s to res , th e whole in hab i ted house be ing a l i t t l e abovethe gro un d . The pr inc ipa l room on the g round-floor is

the ea t ing - room , and nex t to i t i s t h e k i t che n . Th e

bed-roo m s a re to le rab ly la rge and roomy, and are also

used as s i t t ing- room s, be ing hand som ely furn ished ac

cord ing to the m ean s of th e p rop r ie to r , th e tab les

covered with books and the walls with p ic tu re s , among

which por t ra i t s o f d is t ingu ished pa t r io ts occupy a very

pro m ine nt p lace . In some of the villages, in the i n n s ,

even of very good appearance, and well appointed, I

was s t ruck by the nu m be r of Fre nc h pr in ts th a t ap

pea red on th e w alls . Th ese we re of a class by no means

such as would be considered proper for such a posit ion

in England , bu t they seemed to exc i te no a t t en t ion

f rom my H unga r i an compan ions .*

The s leep ing accommoda t ion in a ll H un ga r i a n inns

I found to be quite as good as the appearance of the

town or v i l lage would jus t i fy one in expect ing, and the

sta te with rega rd to dir t no t so ba d as I h ad been

* T h e same p e c u l i a r i t y of t a s t e is r e m a r k e d b y M r . P a g e t

as e x t e n d i n g t o t h e c h u r c h e s . I d i d n o t m y s e l f s e e a n y t h i n g

o f t h e k i n d , a n d i t i s n o t u n l i k e l y to h a v e a l t e r e d s i n c e t h e

date of M r . P a g e t ' s b o o k .



D I S A G R E E A B L E C U S T O M . 97

led to expect by the s tudy of Murray and the experience--

of M r. P ag et . I im agin e th a t the las t tw enty years have

done mu ch to improve al l par ts of the co un try in th is

res pec t . I n som e places th e bed s were excellent an d

sc rupu lous ly c lean , and in o the r s , tho ug h ve ry un pr o

m is in g to the eye , the resu l t was sa t is fac tory . Of

course , there were except ions , bu t the y were cer ta in ly

rare , as I d id not lose m ore t ha n two or three n ig h ts 'rest while in the country from the at tacks of f leas,

wh ich to m e a re s ingu la r ly t roub le som e . I t is t ru e m y

vis i t was m ade in th e m on th of M ay , bu t th e weath er

was a l ready very ho t , and two m on ths ear l ie r in th e year

I hav e suffered far m ore in Sp ain an d som e p a rt s of

I t a ly t h a n I d id t h e n in H u n g a ry .

There is a d isagreeable cus tom here , as in many par ts

of Germa ny , nam ely , th e sewing o r bu t ton ing the

upper sheet of the bed to a coverlet , which is a kind of

l ig ht feather bed or du vet . As th er e is no ot he r cover

in g w hatever , and no b lank et be low, one is reduc ed

ei th er to s leep un de r th is duvet or to l ie on th e bed w ith

ou t any cover ing a t a l l, a l te rna t ives no t a lways p lea san t .

O n the who le , however, th e wors t pa r t s of H u n g a r y /

v is ited by m e (and m y jou rne ys inc lu ded m any p laces

ha rd l y ever v is ited by E ng l ish or o the r foreign t rave l

le rs ) a re fa r supe r ior in a l l thos e im po rta n t t ra ve l l ing

comfor t s—food , d r ink , and s leep ing accommoda t ion—to

m an y o the r pa r t s of E uro pe in to which E ng l i sh m en oc

cas ional ly pen etra te . N ei t he r is th e locomotion so bad

as to put one to any ser ious inconvenience beyond tha t

occas ioned by a l i t t le de lay . A covered car t w i th ou t ' '

p





S T Y L E O P C H U R C H E S . 99

few s t i cks suppor t mud wal l s , enc los ing a space mea

sur ing about e ight f ee t by six, and a mud-covered

conical roof, not more t han ten or twelve feet high,

comple t es the h a b i t a t i o n . A collect ion of h u t s of t h i s

k ind r es embles a n u m b e r of l a rge ant -h i l l s more t h a n

any other object , but many vi l lages cons is t of h a r d l y

any th ing e l s e .

F ew of the bet ter vi l lages , even of the smaller s ize,

a r e wi thou t two or t h r ee churches , and even the worst

almost a lways have one and s omet imes two. Rel ig ious

feel ing in H u n g a r y , in every par t of the c o u n t r y , and

a t all t imes , has been and is remarkably f ree , and

Roman Cathol ic , Greek Cathol ic , Greek Church , wi th

var ious forms of P r o t e s t a n t w o r s h i p , are all equal lyto lera ted , and w h e r e the popu la t i on is l a rge enough

each has its t e m p l e . N e a r the frontier , however, and

in all those par t s of H u n g a r y r e f e r r e d to in these

c h a p t e r s , the c o u n t r y has been too m u c h d i s t u r b e d , up

to a compara t ive ly recent per iod , to a d m i t of m u c h de

corat ion in these sacred bu i ld in gs . Th ey are genera l l yvery plain, even in the l a r ge r t owns , and in the smal l

vi l lages but one shade super ior to the poores t co t t ages .

Four wal l s and a roof, a low wooden tower t e r m i n a t i n g

in a low wooden spire , roofed w ith sh ing les and n e i

t he r pa in t ed nor otherwise coloured or defended from

w e a t h e r : — s u c h is the usual s tyle in the smal ler p laces ,

a n d a pla in br ick bui ld ing , wi th a s o m e w h a t more o rna

menta l sp i re , is seen in the t o w n s . The R o m a n Catho l i c

c h u r c h e s are k n o w n by the l on g L a t i n c r oss , and the

G r e e k c h u r c h e s by the Greek cross w i th sh or t equal

F 2



100 T H E G R E E K C H U R C H .

a rm s . Th e Pr o te s tan t church es a re wi thou t the c ross.

W i th in , the R om an Ca tho l ic p lace of worsh ip exh ib i ts

the usual tawdry appara tus so charac ter is t ic of the coun

t ry par ish churches of tha t persuas ion everywhere , and

th e L u th e ra n is qu i te p la in . T he Greek Ch urch , wh e

ther of tha t modern var ie ty ca l led " conformed Greek ,"

ackn ow ledg in g th e P ope as the head o f the C hu rch ,

or the o ld unconforming Greek persuas ion , ignor ing h imal together , except as Bishop of Rome, presents i t s usual

cha rac te r is t ics . Th ese , however , be ing less famil iar , a re

pe rh ap s w orthy of de scrip tion . T he re is l i t t l e difference

between the two sec ts , and the account in a subse

quent paragraph appl ies , more or less accura te ly , to a l l

variet ies .Th e G reek C hu rch is th e prev ai l ing re l ig ion in a l l

t h e b o rd e r c o u n t ry b e tw e e n H u n g a ry a n d W a l l a c h ia ,

an d seem s to be th e only form of C hr is t ian i ty a m on g

th e W al lach ians . T he church es are genera l ly ve ry

poor an d shabby , bu t no t w i tho u t in te res t a s ind ica t ing

th e feelings of th e peo ple . T he y are no t gen erally lef t

open a l l day , as in R om an Cathol ic countr ies , an d th e

fixed services do no t seem very att ra cti ve . I t is said,

however , tha t the pr ies ts have grea t hold on the people ,

and th a t th ere is m uch low sup ers t i t ion . I took an

op po r tun i ty th a t occurred in a sm al l v i l lage of ra th er

a be t t e r k in d in the B ana t , nea r th e M il i ta ry f ront ie r ,

to v isi t and m ake a cq uai n ta nc e with a pr ies t and

exam ine h is chu rch . T he re was no objec tion m ade to

m y see ing every par t of th e bui l d in g , and a ll que s t ion s

were answered very freely.



O C C U P A T I O N O F T H E P R I E S T S . 101

The G reek Ch urch p r i e st s in H un ga ry , as in

Ru ssia , are a lm ost a lways of th e pea san t c lass . T h e

clerg ym an of a v i l lage is some yo un g m an of the

ne ig hbo urh ood , w ho , kno win g very imperfec tly th e

e l e m e n t s of read in g an d w ri t in g, has quali fied himse lf

to add to his dai ly earnings the very sma l l emo lumen t s

of an officiat ing minis ter of h is C hu rc h. N o t m uc h

of his t im e is th u s o ccupied, b u t th ere are two draw

backs tha t some might cons ider se r ious , and tha t no

doubt in te r fe re to p reven t much compet i t ion . One i s ,

th a t the p r ies t m us t be m arr ied , and m ay no t mar ry

m ore th an once . I t i s well kno wn tha t the p r i e s thood

of the Greek Church is everywhere s t r ic t ly m o n o g a m i s t .

T h e o th er d raw back i s mo re se r ious . I t i s th e abso lu te

necessi ty of ke ep ing , in a l l the ir s t r ic tn ess , the w on

derful fas ts of th e ch ur ch . D u ri n g th e whole of

L e n t, no t one pa rticle of m ea t or of an im al food of

an y k in d wh atever— such as fish , eggs , b u t t e r , & c . —

m us t pass th e l ips of t he p r ies t . He mus t l ive in the

vi l lage, on the coarsest d ry bre ad , m ade of Ind ian -corn f lour and water , and the supply of th is is l i m i t e d ,

bo th in the t im e of th e m ea ls , and , I believe, in th e

q ua nt i ty of th e food. To people who general ly ea t mea t ,

and who rea l ly work , th is p r iva t ion mus t be se r ious .

I have sa id that the pr ies t works . He does so as a

day labourer , or he farms his own l i t t le bit of glebe ;or, if p rov ided wi th pecunia ry resources , h e u n d e r

tak es l i t t le specula t ions , such as be co m ing a carr ier

between his v i l lage and the neares t tow n. Th e on ly

provis ion usual ly made for hi m is the glebe, which is





A R R A N G E M E N T O F T H E I N T E R I O R . 103

co urt , w ith a woo den ho use on on e s ide , i ts gab le end

towa rds the road , and sh eds ro un d two s ides . T he

cour t p rese n ted a cur ious m ix tu re of poul t ry and o ld

car t s , p igs and broken car t -whee ls , horses and ch i l

d ren , a l l ha l f -bur ied in b lack m ud . W e tu r ne d to th e

house , and en te red . The re w as the u su a l da r k ha l l ,

on ly l ig h te d when th e ou te r door was open , and the re

we saw a peasa n t woman w i th the smal les t am ou nt of

cos tume tha t even Wal lach ian hab i t s recognize ( tha t o f

E v e herself, af te r th e Fa l l , no t b e in g m uc h s im pler ) ,

eng aged in some cu l inary occup a t ion . Th e whole p lace

was so b lack wi th d i r t and sm ok e— the cooking be in g

car r ied on by an op en wood fire wi thout ch im ne y—

th a t we could see b u t l i t t le . O n saying th at we

wished to see the pr ies t , we were ushered in to the

pr inc ipa l o f the two rooms of the house , and asked

to wait a l i t t l e . T he ro om was sm all , b u t had in

each of th ree of th e co rners a wooden be ds tea d of th e

rough es t k in d . O ne ha d a loose s t raw m at t ra ss on i t ,

with one or two old coats of und resse d she eps kin , suc has a re w orn by the peasan t s ; t he o the r s w ere ba re .

There were a l so two very rough benches , a cha i r

equ al ly rou gh , and a chest of draw ers . O ne or two

sma l l daubs , r ep re s en t ing G reek C hu rch ideas o f

sa in ts , in Chinese perspec t ive , were ha ng in g on th e

walls , bu t th ere was no o the r furni tu re of an y k in d .

I especia lly not iced th e absence of an y ap pa ra tu s for

w a s h i n g .

Af te r w ai t ing for some t im e , th e p r ies t appea red ,

eviden t ly un pr ep are d for a m ere vis it of cur io si ty . H e



104 I N T E R I O R O F T H E C H U R C H .

was a yo un g, han dso m e fe llow, wi th dark copper-

coloured sk in , probably much bronzed by exposure ,

long , s i lky, black hai r f lowing over his sho uld ers , an d

lon g, s i lky m ous tach es, a lso of the deepest an d glossiest

blac k. H e was dressed in a w hite blous e, extrem ely

dir ty , and trousers whose original whiteness was even

m ore m asked by d i r t th an tha t of the b louse . H is

feet and legs were q uite ba re, and his head was also

uncov ered . O n be ing informed by m y com panion , in

the Ro m anish lang uag e ( tha t of a l l the p easants in

the ne igh bou rhoo d) , th a t a d i s t ingu ished fo re igner

f rom England des i red to honour h is church by ex

am inin g i ts in ter ior , he beg ged perm iss ion t o re t i re

for a wh ile . H e re-ap pea red soon w ith a pa ir ofW ell in gton boots , in to which th e legs of th e t rou sers

were tuc ke d. H e had also p u t on a wh ite wa istcoat ,

which , however , was le f t qu i te unbut toned , and a very

broa d-br im m ed fe lt ha t was in h is ha nd . H e was th en

in pro pe r cos tum e to accompany us to th e ch ur ch ,

of which he had the key in h is han d. A l th ou gh a t

f irst he only spoke in his own lan gu age , an d ou r con

versation passed th ro u gh an int erp rete r , I foun d, af ter

a t im e, th a t he no t only und ers too d b ut could speak

Ge rman , bu t was ra the r shy o f pa rad ing such k now

ledge . H is m ann ers were good and p leasant , and

w itho ut the s l igh test affectat ion. I t would have been

quite impossible to discover any indication of his office

from any pecul ia r i ty of dress , manner or appearance .

T he insid e of th e chu rch , as is gen erally th e case

with thos e of the G reek pers uas ion, was very ba re,



B E H I N D T H E S C R E E N S . 105

an d w i tho ut th e smal les t divis ion into ais les. I t was

also w i tho ut an y seats in th e m idd le. I t was d ivided

by two screens into thre e pa r ts . T he screen to th e

eas t was of i ron , an d mu ch the m os t e labo ra te . I t

en t ire ly concealed th e al tar , w hic h, how ever, differed

l i tt l e in appearance an d o rna m en t from th a t of a Ro m an

Cathol ic ch urc h . Between the two screens the re were

seats or s tal ls against the wall , those nearest the al tar-

screen projec t ing forwards , and be ing a l tog ethe r d i s

t inc t : one was in ten ded for th e b i sho p. Th ere was

also a readin g-d esk an d a place for th e cho ir . W it h

these except ions , the f loor was unoccupied, and en

t i rely w i thou t ben che s or chai rs . T he boo ks of th e

service were in the old Romaic character , a cur iousm ixture of G reek and S lavonic , near ly incom prehens ib le

to m e. Th is charac ter is no t used m uc h in m ode rn

pr inte d boo ks , bu t i s a lways found in inscr ipt ions a nd

also in books of any ant iqui ty.

The por t ion of the church behind the a l t a r - screen

(cor responding wi th th e choi r in our churches ) appe aredto be used par t ly as a ves t ry, an d par t ly for th e pe r

forman ce of some services ou t of s ig ht . T h e var iou s

ves tmen t s were ha ng ing u p be h ind t he s c reen , an d

the r e was no a t t emp t a t o r de r o r a r r a ng em en t . Th ere

w as a table used for reg is t ry an d oth er purp ose s w he re

w ri t in g is req uired . T he al tar was pre pa red for u se,wi th candles t i cks , &c, but wi thout decora t ion , and

th e w ho le affair seem ed as li t t le effective as po ssib le.

N on e bu t th e p r ies ts a re in th i s pa r t of th e chu rch

d ur in g service, an d th e readin g of th e Sc r iptu res i s

F 3



106 D E C O R A T I O N O F T H E W A L L S .

con duc ted a t a desk in th e bo dy of th e ch urc h in s ig ht

of the congrega t ion .

The screen at the end opposi te the al tar was low

and incom ple te . Be h ind i t was a misce l l aneous co l

lec t ion of banners and other apparatus for processions ,

and var ious odds and ends fo r churc h purp oses . H ere ,

a lso , eve ry th in g was d i sorder ly and d i r ty . Severa l

pic tures in f rames were p laced here , and these are putou t on sta nd s or easels w he n service is perform ed, for

the w orship of th e peop le . Th ey were mere faces , wi th

a bac kgro und of g i ld ing .

Th e wal ls of the cen t ra l pa r t of the bu i ld ing I ob

served t o be decorated by pic ture s , pain ted in f resco,

in im itat ion pa ne ls. Th ese frescoes" rep res en t , w ith a

rud e a t te m pt a t p erspect ive , some of the events of ou r

Sav iour ' s l ife , and th e h is tory of cer ta in favour i te

sa in ts . Th ey were m od ern, an d no t worse th an s imi lar

wo rks in Ro m an Catho l i c par i sh church es in cou n t ry

v il lages in Fra nce and G erm an y .*

Th e pr ies ts bea r b u t an indif ferent character . Th ey

occupy them se lves in var ious ways , and am on g the

res t a re accused of somet imes app rop r ia t ing p rope r ty

no t be lon g ing to them , wh en adm i t t ed in to th e be t t e r

class of ho us es . T he y are said, also, to have a powerful

influence over the i r female pa r ish ion ers , and to use i t

occasional ly for im prop er pu rpo ses . Few of them are

* M r . P a g e t , i n h i s H u n g a r y a n d T r a n s y l v a n i a , n o t i c e s

tha t t h e s u b j e c t s o f t h e s e c h u r c h p i c t u r e s i n s o m e p a r t s o f

H u n g a r y a r e m o r e f re e t h a n d e c o r o u s . I d i d n o t n o t i c e t h i s

in any of t h e m o d e r n c h u r c h e s t h a t I v i s i t e d .



O L D S T Y L E . 107

more ed uca te d th an is necessary to enable them to

rea d w ith diff iculty t h e nec essary services, an d m ak e

such records as the law requires .

W here ver th e re l ig ion of th e G reek Ch urch pr e

vails , th e o ld reck on ing of t im e rem ains , as th e cha ng e

in t roduced by a Roman Cathol ic Pope has never

bee n accepted by his re l ig ious r ivals . T he re is th u s

a great difference in the reckoning of the various fes

t iva l s o f th e ch urc h , and m uc h confusion i s in t rodu ced

in al l calculations of dates.



C H A P T E R V I I .

T h e V a l l e y o f H á t z e g a n d t h e P a s s o f t h e I r o n G a t e — T h e

D a c i a n s a n d R o m a n s . — A n c i e n t R o m a n C i t ie s i n T r a n s y l v a n i a . — T h e P l a g u e o f I n s e c t s .

F R O M the Zsi l val ley to the val ley of the Strehl by the

higher pass , oppos i te Vulkan, i s a route of cons iderable

intere s t , as i t crosses th e watershed of t he C arp ath ian s

over a com parat ively low gra ni t ic axis, paral le l to th e

main chain, which is here on the south s ide of the Zsi l

val ley, at a dis tan ce of several m iles . T he scen ery is

rocky and f ine, and from the top of the pass a noble

view is obtained of the val ley of the Strehl , and of the

lower pass in to th e Zs i l , some m iles to th e eas t . T h e

descent to the St rehl i s easy, and the town of Hátzeg is

reached af ter a few hours ' rumbl ing over an indif ferentroad . T his road is th e same as th a t t rav erse d a

week previous ly on my journey to the coal - f ie ld .

T he val ley of H át ze g is , in some resp ects , one of t h e

m os t in te res t ing pa r t s of Tran sy lva nia . T he whole

of th is dis t r ic t was occupied in ancient t imes by a

hal f -c ivi l ized people , who, wi th some success and underth e na m e of th e Getse, ob s t ruc ted th e passa ge of th e

D an ub e by Alexand er the Grea t , and a f te rwards d e

f ea ted Lys im achus , K ing of Th r ac e . U nd er t he nam e



R O M A N I N V A S I O N . 109

of Dacians (assumed a t a l a t e r pe r iod) , the same peop le

o v e r r a n No r th e r n I t a l y , a n d e v e n t h r e a t e n e d Ro meitself, exac t ing t r ibu te f rom Domi t ian , a s an induce

m e n t t o wi th h o ld f u r t h e r a d v a n c e . A b o u t t h e c o m

m enc em ent of the C hr i s t i an e ra , however , Tra jan , to

redeem th i s d i sg race—acute ly fe l t by a peop le then so

war l ike and power fu l a s the Romans—prepared an expe

d i t ion ag a ins t the m , which he l ed in pe r so n . H e de f e a t e d t h e m wi th g r e a t s l a u g h t e r , r e d u c in g t h e i r k in g ,

De c e b a lu s , t o ma k e p e a c e u n d e r v e r y h u mi l i a t i n g c o n

di t ion s . The se cond i t ions th e D acian pr ince bro ke as

soon as he saw a favourab le oppor tun i ty , .bu t he was

severely pu nis he d for his w an t of good fai th. C ross ing

th e D an ub e a t a conven ien t p lace , nea r Orsova , the

R om an Em pe ror , once more a t the head o f h i s l eg ions ,

c o n d u c t e d t h e m th r o u g h t h e c o u n t r y b y Me h a d i a a n d

K aran seb es , th ro ug h th e pas3 of the I ro n Ga te , and

so to the ent r an ce of th e Val ley of H át ze g . A t th is

po in t was s i tua ted one of th e l a rges t and m os t im

po r ta nt of th e D acia n c i t ies , Sarmisegethusa, some re

m ains of which exis t to th is day . T he D ac ians were

again defea ted , the i r k ing s la in , and the va l ley was

p e r m a n e n t ly o cc u pi ed b y t h e R o m a n s . Th e wh o le

country was , before long, conver ted in to a R o m a n

prov inc e , and roads were m ade com m unic a t ing f rom

on e se t t lem ent to an othe r . Th is con que s t over th e

Dac ians was rega rded as so impor tan t tha t one o f them o s t r e m a r k a b l e m o n u m e n t s o f m o d e r n R o m e — t h e

ce lebra ted Tra jan ' s co lumn, the o r ig ina l o f so many

copies—was erec ted in memory of i t , and the events of



1 I U I N T E R E S T O F T H E H A T Z E G V A L L E Y .

th e war are recorded there in im per is hab le bron ze. Eve n

to th i s day the phys iognomy of the Wal lach ian peasan t s

of the val ley , the descendants of the conquered people ,

m ay be easi ly recog nized as absolutely iden t ical w ith

that of the f igures sculptured on the co lumn, r epre sen t ing the i r ancestors , the resemblance being no less

s t r ik ing th an has often been observed wi th Eg yp t ian

hieroglyphics of m uc h m ore ancie nt date , where the

preva i l ing Negro types a re marked and con t r as t ed wi th

th e Eg yp t i an an d Eu rop ean r aces . I t i s ce r ta in ly

singular tha t the Dacians a lso have so l i t t le changed in

near ly two thousand year s .

The in teres t of the Hátzeg Val ley , and of the passage

t h r o u g h t h e I r o n Ga t e in to the pres ent M i l i tary f ront ier

of the Banat , i s thus very great in an histor ical sense,

an d m uch ha s been wr i t ten on the subject . T he actual

his tory of th e w ar , how ever , a n d of th e people con

quered , ha s never ye t been p repa red by anyone co nversant with the local i t ies. Th ey are no t very accessible,

even a t the p res en t t ime , thou gh mu ch mo re so th an

former ly , b u t a few days m ig h t now be spen t w i th ad

van tage be tween Hátzeg and Karansebes , s ince in bo th

places the re is fair accom m odation for a travel ler who

is no t too pa r t icu lar . Betw een th e tw o the re is l i t t lechance of obta in ing a n ight ' s shel ter , and the d is tance

is too considerable to a llow of a th or ou gh exam inat ion

of the pr incipal poin ts in one d ay ' s jou rne y. T he

roads , in favourable weather , a re by no means bad, but

in winter , or af ter recent heavy rain, they would not be

passable .



V A R H E L Y . I l l

Of the tow n of H átz eg the re is l i t t le to be sa id . I t s

posi t ion in th e val ley is p leas ing, bu t no t rem ark ab le ,

an d none of i t s bu i ldi ng s offer any pecu l iar i ty wo rthy

of no tice . Som e of th e ho use s are of a lar ge r and

be t ter k in d th an one would expect , an d th e in terva lsbe tween the houses induce an appearance of magni tude ,

wh ich the popu la t ion r e tu rns wou ld p robab ly ha rd ly

w a r r a n t .

T he val ley a lon g which th e road is con duc ted is wide

an d o pen , an d is cu l t iva ted chief ly w i th m aize . T he

s t ream ru n ni n g th rou gh i t i s incons iderab le a t o rd inaryseasons , and the moun ta ins , t hough g radua l ly d imin i sh

in g in e levat ion, are covered th ick ly w i th fores t . M a n y

low h i ll s in t e r r up t th e p la in , and nu m ero us co t tages

and co un t ry hous es a re sp r ink le d over i t , g iv ing an

appearance of l i fe very agreeable to the eye.

The last vi l lage in the plain is Várhely (Gradist ie ofth e W al lach s) , on the s it e of the anc ien t Sa rm iseg e thu sa ,*

the capi ta l of the old Dacians in the days of thei r

splendour , and the seat of empire of thei r las t k ing,

Dec eba lus . O n the ru in s of the D ac ian c ity , th e

Romans , a f te r the conques t o f the count ry , bu i l t a

c i ty called U lpia Tra jana, in ten de d by Trajan as th ecap i t al of h i s T ran sdan ub ian em pi re . Th a t t h e D a-

* T h i s n a m e i s s a i d t o d a t e f r o m t h e t i m e o f A l e x a n d e r ,

w h e n S a r m i s , t h e k i n g at t h a t t i m e , b u i l t o r f o u n d e d t h e

first t o w n . A f t e r w a r d s , t h e p l a c e b e c a m e v e r y r i c h , a n d t h e

t r e a s u r e s o f a G r e c i a n c a m p , i n c l u d i n g a n i n c r e d i b l e m u l t i

t u d e o f g o l d c o i n s , s e e m t o h a v e f o u n d t h e i r w a y i n t o t h eh a n d s o f t h e D a c i a n k i n g s , aud were l o n g p r e s e r v e d byt h e m .



112 F R A G M E N T S O F A N T I Q U I T Y .

c ians , however , were previously es tabl ished he re in

gre at str en gt h, an d with v ast wea lth, is cer ta in, for

at var ious inte rva ls, u p to a very recent da te, gold

coins of Greek o r ig in , ge neral ly Thrac iau , hav e bee n

du g up and appro pr ia ted . D ur in g the p resen t cen tu ry ,

a pr ies t suddenly d isappeared f rom the neighbourhood,

an d af ter some t ime turn ed up again in Wal lachia , po s

sessed of very great wealth, derived from a discovery of

t h i s k i n d .

In th e year 15 45 , m an y tho us an d coins are sa id to

have been found by accident an d app ropr ia te d in a

sim ilar w ay. A nc ien t coins are even now in frequ ent

use am on g the n e igh bo ur ing popula t ion fo r s igne t

r ings and o ther o rna m ents . T he y ' a re of ten sm ug

gled across th e W allachian fron tier in loaves of bre ad .

Cop per coins , chiefly Ro m an , are so com m on th at the

ch ild ren of th e villag e offer th e m for a m er e trifleto every s t ranger who passes through.

There i s someth ing very touch ing in wander ing

among the ruins of the old ci t ies in this wild and l i t t le-

vis ited pa r t of E uro pe . W e look back th ro ug h th e

successive period s of his tory , an d seem able to co n

nec t th e pres ent po pu lat io n w ith civil ized races of a

per iod perh ap s m ore ancient th an th at of any oth er

no r th Eu rop ean people . I t i s no t unl ike ly th at these

r ich val leys of the D an u be an d Th eiss , w ith th e adja

cen t m ou nta in fas tnesses, ha d bee n lo ng se t t led , an d

were a l ready powerful and wa r l ike when Ho m er san g.

P erh ap s, even wh en th e h is tor ies he to ld were in

course of performance, there were other events of equal



D E S T R U C T I O N B Y T H E R O M A N S . 11 3

imp or tanc e he re be in g car r ied on, tho ug h no t fated t o

be imm orta l ized by the po et . H er e came the o ld T hr a-

c ians , b a t t l i n g wi th th e o lder race th a t h ad been se t t led

he re before th em . Th ere are , ind eed , no reco rds of thes e

people beyond the rude and cos t ly ornaments occas ion

a l ly du g up ; b ut the y are kno wn to have been pow er

ful , for they occasional ly overcame the countr ies to the

sou th, an d the y were d rea de d even as far as th e ga tes -

o f R om e .

Nor did this warl ike people suddenly cease to exis t .

They res is ted long and ef fec tua l ly the a t tacks of the i r

more-c iv i l ized enemies in the south-eas t , and cont inued

to hold th eir ow n as a dis t in ct peo ple, t i l l they h ad so far

rous ed th e fears of R om e as to m ak e i t necessary t h a t

on e of th e two p eoples shou ld be defeated an d the i r

cou nt ry perm ane nt ly occupied by th e o the r . Th en , in

deed, th e gre at m istre ss of t he world wr

as able to meet

in ba t t le and des t roy the d e term ined aud powerful ene

m ies wh o had so often thre a ten ed R om e. Th ese Dac ian s

were th en r ich w ith spoils of Gre ece. Th ey dw elt in

powerful fenced ci t ies; the y mu ste red larg e arm ies, an d

they cul t iva ted r ich lan ds . B u t they could no more res i s t the combined and overwhelming force of Rome than

th e Car tha g in ians o r o the r s of the anc ien t inde pen den t

nat ions , and the i r count ry became ul t imate ly swal lowed

up in the vast empire not long before i ts f inal collapse.

T h e R om an s d id the i r work in ea rnes t , and they d id

i t tho ro u gh ly ; the y des t royed the peo ple ; and as for th e

chief tow n, th ey l iterally seem no t to hav e left one ston e



114 R EMA I N S O F T H E R O M A N S .

upon another. The new Roman city replaced the old

Dacian metropolis.

Little now remains of the Roman and much less of

the Dacian city, but the whole country around, for a

considerable distance, bears marks of ancient buildings,

which it will still take very many centuries to efface.

The neighbouring cornfields are divided into strips by

long and wide heaps of brick and stone, collected to

gether after being turned up with the plough. Among

these it is not uncommon to find Roman bricks, sculp

tured stones, tesserae, and coins. Very fair indications

remain of the Roman amphitheatre, which, though not

large,* seems to have been very well constructed,

and within the village are some 'mosaic floors still in

good preservation. These were probably the floors of

baths, but other fragments have been found of larger

\ buildings. The whole neighbourhood is strewed with

broken shafts of columns of marble and other stone, and

numerous capitals of columns, some of very beautiful

design, are used as supports in the various houses and

X o t h e r buildings. It is worthy of remark, that the

mosaic work is among the best that is known, having

been evidently designed and executed by excellent

artists. Beautiful sculptured heads and other works of

art have been obtained, from time to time, but they

have, for the most part, not reached any public col-

election. A few are in the National Museum at Pesth.

* Its dimensions are said, by Mr. Paget, to be 75 yards

by 45. It is an oval.



T R E A S U R E S O F T H E D A C I A N S . 115

Th ere is a leg en da ry acco unt of th e f l ight of D ece -b a lu s , with enormous t reasures , across the passes in to

th e Zsi l V al leya nd then ce in to W allac hia , af ter th e defeat

he had sus ta ined a t the ba t t l e fought wi th the Romans

near Sa rm isege th usa . A nothe r and more proba ble s to ry

is that the King was s la in , and the t reasures , af ter being

concealed in the bed of a brook, were found by Trajan.The ac tua l t reasures themse lves a re thought to be re

ferred to in the del ineat ions on Trajan 's column in

R om e. Th is la t te r v iew is ren der ed proba ble by the fact

that the coins discovered in the s ixteenth century were

found in the bed of th is same brook.

Some bu i ld ings , appa ren t ly Roman , have been made

ou t in th e f ie lds between th e m od ern vi llage and th e

a m p h i t h e a t r e ; a s u r r o u n d i n g d i tc h a n d m o u n d , a n d

the vaul t ing of o ld chambers , i s a l l that can be c lear ly

t race d . F ra gm en ts of an aqu edu c t have a lso been

foun d. O n ne ar in g th e vi llage th e s t r an ge r is accosted

by a par cel of child ren anxio us to sel l th e frag

m en ts of mosa ic -work ap pare n t ly tu rn ed up every

where .

O the r Roman r ema ins a r e found a t Demsus , a t a

sm al l d is tance from V ár he ly . The se are even m ore

per fec t , tho ug h no t very nu m er ou s . I t i s no t un l ike ly

th a t a sys tem at ic search would be well repaid . N o th in g

of th e ki nd , a t any ra te , has yet been a t te m pte d, b u t

mos t o f the squared s tones tha t have been tu rned up *

were long s ince appropr ia ted to the construct ion of the

modern houses and hove ls .

The dis tance of the ancient Dacian c i ty f rom the pass



116 " I R O N G A T E S " or T H E R O M A N S .

i s no t great , an d the r i se towards the top is gradual , the

road pass in g thro u gh fores ts , and not of fering an y th in g

remar kab l e beyond i t s p i c tu r es que beau ty . I t i s only

in a mi l i t a ry sense th a t th e word pass i s pro pe r ly

appl icable to this road, for it offers no difficulty t o t h e

ordinary t ravel ler , an d is no t elevated. I t is said to

owe i ts special na m e to th e former existence of a r ea l

gate of i ron placed at th e narrow est p ar t of th e ro ad

by the Romans a t the t ime of the i r pe r manen t occupa

t ion of the count ry , b u t no t races now exist of this gate.

I t i s s ingular , however , that three of the ent r i es made

b y t h e Romans in to Dacia a t the t ime of the conques t

were des igna t ed by t he s ame name " I r on Ga te , " and

that in each case the name is preserved to the presentd a y .

T he view f rom th e top of the pass into H u n g a ry is

b y n o means s t r ik ingly beau t i ful . Th e hi l l s ex tend ing

for a long dis tance, appear to d imini sh in impor tance

and die away into the plain. T he y are bare in th e

vicini ty, but more var ied beyond, whi le the r ich plains

of th e B an at are h ard ly vis ible , and except w he n th e

corn is r ipe t h e y add l i t t le to t h e b e a u t y . H u n g a r y

contras ts in this respect wi th t h e b r o k e n val ley jus t

pas s ed . T h e numerous dark recesses to t he s ou th

an d eas t ca r ry t h e eye t o t h e Ca rpa th i an m oun ta ins ,

whose tops are covered with snow, or have been so recent ly bared as to retain a grand and wi ld aspect .

Th ese are finer th a n a n y th in g vis ible on the oppo si te

and more r ichly cul t ivated s ide.

From the I ron Gate we descend to a val ley opening



M I L I T A R Y F R O N T I E R . 117

ou t to the w est , w atered by th e Bisz t ra . T he val ley isnot wide, being shut in by hi l l s of moderate e levat ion,

seen on app roac hing th em to be m uc h m ore th ick ly

wooded th an app ears f rom th e top of the pas s . Th ey

are the spu rs of the C arp a th ia ns , g radu a l ly lower ing

as they recede f rom the pr inc ipa l mounta ins .

A marked change takes p lace in the count ry andpeople on descen ding in to the va lley and app roac hing

th e pla ins of th e B an at . T he Mil i ta ry f ront ier i s now

ente red , and the v i l l ages a re bo th more sys temat ic and

be t t e r cons t ruc t ed tha n in t he S i ebe nbü rgen . Th e

pe op le a lso have a som ew hat di f ferent a i r , de r ived, n o

doubt , f rom the i r mi l i t a ry educa t ion .

While the vic ini ty of the great p la ins ensures a more

careful cul t ivat ion, and the soi l becomes r icher , y ie lding

more va luab le re turns for agr icu l tu ra l l abour , the re a re

cer ta in drawbacks in t roduced , o f no s l igh t impor tance

in es t im at ing th e va lue of the cou nt ry . A m on g these

m us t be ran ke d the p lag ue of insec t s . Few p laces in

E ur op e a re mo re exposed to th i s anno yanc e th an th e

pa r t o f Hunga ry we a re now approach ing .

Al though my v is i t was in the month of May, before

most of the insects had fa i r ly es tabl ished themselves

as nuisan ces , I soon he ard of th e pros pec t of ter r ib le

suffer ing f rom the locusts that were a l ready hatched,

and was made to apprecia te the real i ty of the celebrated

f ly which a l l wr i te r s on Hungary have no t iced , and

which is perhaps only excelled by the tsetse of South

Africa . Of the locus t s , I saw no th in g , bu t he ar d m u ch .

The exper iences of my companions were var ied aud



118 T H E P L A G U E O P L O C U S T S.

extensive, and all spoke of attacks so serious, and on a

scale so gig an t ic , tha t the s tor ies could only be m atc he d

by the terr ib le s ta te m en ts of w hich we have a l l he ard

and read when these s ingu la r an ima ls appear in Arab ia

or Pa les t i ne , and deva sta te now, as in ancient t im es,

th e lan d of I s rae l , o r th e p la in s o f E g y p t . A n a rm y

of locusts real ly darkening the a ir :—a swarm of locusts

c lear ing away every l iv ing form of gree n vegetable m att erabove the g ro und , and th en fa l ling on th e g ro un d in

hea ps th at th rea ten to create a pest i lenc e before the y

can be c leared :— locus ts in such m u lt i tu de th at i t is

necessary to s top them by f i r ing large t racts , and pro

vide for the ir carcases b y di gg in g wide an d deep

t renc hes — these a re the accou nts g iven . How far theywere t r u e in deta i l I could no t of course ju dg e, b u t no

sta tement seemed suff ic ient ly highly coloured to induce

hes i ta t ion on the pa r t of any person inha b i t in g t h e

dis tr ic t . T he subject w as evident ly one of in te ns e

interes t , and great a larm was experienced for the crops

of the pre sen t season.

The fly called the Golumbatzer Machen, or Golumbat-

schi, receives i ts na m e from a po pu lar tra di t io n th a t i t is

ha tch ed in a cer ta in cavern on th e D an u b e in which th e

veritable St. George slew the dragon which figures in so

many na t iona l i t ies o f Europe , and which we ourse lves

occasionally claim as ou r ow n. Ho we ver th e locali ty

of the sa int and his enemy may be ul t imately decided,

and whether the des t ruc t ion took p lace on the Danube

or e lsewhere , th e resu l t in g fly is hap pi ly confined to a

narrow dis tr ic t , b u t w ithin these l imits is hard ly less



T H E G O L U M B A T S C H I F L Y . 1 1 9

mischievous than the tsetse itself. I t i s by no means a

mosqui to as has somet imes been sa id , but more resem

bles th e com m on house -f ly. I t is , how ever , m uc h

smaller , and the body is of a br i gh te r b lack . Th e

pecul iar i t ies of the Golumbatschi are , f i r s t—that i t

swarm s in cer ta in p laces in such incredib le m ul t i tud es

as pos it ive ly to da rke n the a i r and imp ede respi ra t ion ,

while at a short d is tanc e off the re a re com parat ive ly

few ; second ly, th a t i t an no ys m en chief ly by sw arm ing

abo ut the m , whi le i t dr ives anim als m ad by the i r r i ta

t ion i t prod uces in a l l the ten de r un defen ded pa r ts of

th e body ; th i r d ly , th a t i t appears not to ran ge bey ond

a f ixed area, a n d pa rt ic ula r seasons of th e ye ar . So

larg e are th e f l ights of thes e ins ects , th at in d r ivin g

th ro ug h them i t i s necessa ry to tak e precaut ions to

avo id the i r en te r in g the m ou th and no s t r i l s . W he n

the y do en ter th e tas te is said to be d is t inct ly sweet ,

but I was able to avoid a personal experience on a s u b

ject so l i t t le ag reea ble.* M an y insta nce s occur every

season of pers ons bec om ing chok ed b y th is f ly be ing

tak en in to the a ir passag es of the th roa t du r in g in

s p i ra t ion . E ve n i nc e s s a n t s m ok i ng — w h i c h , t o do t he m

jus t ice , i s resor ted to w i th w onderful per t in ac i ty by

th e H u n g ar ia n s of al l c lasses— is insuff icient to ke ep

back these nu i sances .

B u t to the ca t tle th e ann oya nce is infin ite ly gre a te r .

* It is curious th a t th e taste of insects varies so distinctly.I t is well k n o w n that the ant is so distinctly acid that vinegaris made, in Norway, from it. The swee tness of th e Golumbatschi is said to be unmistakable.



1 2 0 A N N O Y A N C E T O T H E C A T T L E .

T he oxen seem th e m ost a t t rac t ive, for wh erever the y

are th e swa rms are thic ke s t . I f lef t w i tho ut the i r only

defence— the s moke of g r een wo od— the an imal s a r e

som et imes fair ly dr iven ou t of the i r senses , an d the y

ru sh aw ay in any direct ion at full speed , to esca pe, if

poss ib le , an d , if no t , to des t roy them selves . M ore

usu al ly, a fire be ing l igh ted a l i t t le to w ind w ard of

a conve nient s tat ion, th e oxen re sor t to th e sm okewhen ever the y need i t , and the enem y is ke pt a t

b a y .

I t is cu rio us , an d at f irst ra th er s tra ng e, to see th e

m ul t i tu de of li t tl e cur l ing c olum ns of b lu e smoke in

every di rect ion, e i ther in th e open fields or m ar k in g

th e l ine of a f reque nted roa d. I t i s m ore cur iouss t i l l to see th e pa t ien t anim als , af ter thei r labo ur ,

col lect together and s tand wi thin range of the f r iendly

vapour , sens ible that in this way only they can escape

f rom the i r min ute , bu t mos t an no yin g, foes.

H orse s , as be ing th e mo re exci table anim als , suffer

more and exhibi t thei r suffer ings more plainly thanca t t le . I have seen th e th i rd , or com parat ively loose

horse of a tea m , at tac he d to th e car t I was r id ing in,

thr ow himself violently on th e gr ou nd whi le h ar

nessed, an d end eavo ur to roll over in th e du s t . Th ere

is no l im i t to th e mischief t h a t m ig ht b e done, an d

th er e seems real ly no escape af ter th e season ha s once

com m enc ed. The se flies were al ready so nu m ero us at

the t ime of my vis i t , in the month of May, that I was

able to verify al l th a t h ad been w ri t ten abo ut th em ,

an d I am told the y las t t i l l au tu m n . I t is indeed for-



R O A D T O L U G O S . 12 1

tuna te tha t t hey are no t on ly local b ut occasional a n d

part ia l v is i tors .

But the locusts , af ter a l l , are much more serious than

th e flies. If th e la t te r occasion ally drive th e ca tt le an d

horse s in wild confusion over th e pla ins , th e form er

actua l ly devou r th e gro w ing crop s, an d leave l i t t le or

no th in g of any sor t be h in d the m . These a re th us te r

r ible drawbacks to the use of the vast natural weal th of

th i s par t o f Europe , and na ture ' s usua l ba lance i s wel lkep t up be tween g row th and des t ru c t ion . T he re i s no

defence against the locust when i ts f l ight has once com

m enc ed . As to the Go lum batsch i , by grea s ing over th e

horses , and tak ing care tha t the grease or ta r i s repea ted

often eno ug h, th e m ost ser ious a t tac ks may be p reven ted ,

while the f i re careful ly l ighted and constant ly kept up

is a m eans b y which th e oxen can a lways be ke pt

t o g e t h e r .

Down the va l ley of the Bisz t ra , to i t s junc t ion wi th

the Temes, there i s a good road , which i s cont inued to

the town o f Lugos and thence to Temesvár ,* a s t a t ion

on th e m ain l ine of ra i lway . Av oid ing th i s , I tu rn ed

off a t some d is tance f rom the I ron Gate , and made myway to Ka ranse bes , a town of some in te res t , towa rds

the south-west , wel l s i tuated in the r ich val ley of the

T em es . Th e roa d is perfect ly pra ct ica ble in f ine

weather , bu t a f te r heavy ra ins , and in bad weather , i s

* T h e r e i s a d i r e c t r o a d f r o m T e m e s v á r b y L u g o s t o t h eI r o n G a t e P a s s , a n d s o b y t h e v a l l e y o f t h e S t r e h l t o H e r -

m a n n s t a d t . T h e T o w n of T e m e s v á r i s o n t h e m a i n l i n e o f

r a i l w a y f r o m V i e n n a .

a



12 2 R O A D T O K A R A N S E B E S .

no t to be rec om m en de d. I t could no t , in fact , be

travel led over . W it h o u t offer ing mu ch of posi t ive

beau ty , there a re so many po in ts o f in te res t to be seen ,

in cross ing th e rol l ing co un try , th at on e is no t fa t igued

or anno yed by th e rou gh nes s o f th e road . Th e h i l ls

are no t lof ty , nor a re the y wood ed very extens ively , b u t

th ey offer a plea sing varie ty of forest an d cultiv ated

land . Th e m oun ta in s a re d i s t an t and fo rm no im

por tan t f ea tu re .



C H A P T E R V I I I .

R u s k b c r g a n d R u s k i t z a . — T h e I r o n M i n e s , M a r b l e Q u a r r i e s ,

a n d L e a d M i n e s o f t h e Z s a m i n a . — B e e c h F o r e s t s a n d

C h a r c o a l - b u r n e r s . — L u u k a u y . — I t s O r e s a n d H y d r o p a t h i c

E s t a b l i s h m e n t .

T o see a co un try , i t is nece ssary to dive rge from

hig h roads an d dive in to d is t r ic t s per hap s never heard

of before , and only rem ark ab le as i l lus t ra t ing m inu te

deta i l s o f cus tom s and scenery . W h e n the ob jec t tha tcarries one to a new co un try re qu ire s thi s , i t i s a piece

of good for tun e to be ta ke n full ad va nta ge of. W he n

th i s i s no t th e case , one m us t go ou t of one 's way for

th e chan ce of f ind ing new m ater ia l . I t m ay be tha t if

I had not been about to visi t the val leys near the

Iron Gate , for the spec ia l purpose of examining cer ta in

sources of mineral weal th , I should have selected

ano ther line of coun t ry th a t m ig ht no t have been so

in te res t ing o r in s t ruc t ive .

The Zsamina i s one of the pr inc ipa l va l leys opening

in to the B i sz t ra , from th e n o r th , nea r the I ro n G a te .

I t i s a narro w crevice, or fissure, ra th er th a n a t r u e

val ley, formed between hi l ls of moderate elevat ion,

gene ra l ly covered with thick forest , and at in tervals ,

w here th e w idth is suffic ient, the re are hou ses and small

vi l lages. A cons iderab le s t ream of w ater com es dow n

G 2



124 V A L L E Y O F T H E Z S A M I N A .

i t , and enters the B isz tra . Severa l miles up this valley,

i s the long and ve ry p ic tu resq ue town of R us kb erg ,

s i tua ted a t the junct ion of another va l ley , smal ler and

narro w er th an th e Zsam ina , eq ual ly wel l wooded, an d

with st i l l less space for ho use s bet w een th e hil ls . T he se

valleys are mere clefts in table land, but have a certain

im por tanc efrom th e fact of m iner a l weal th ex is t ing among

the m to som e exte nt . T hu s , in th e m ain valley a l i t t leabove R us kb erg a re ve ins of l ead , and ab un da n t s to res

of i ron ore , bes ides m arble and o th er useful m ater ia ls .

In the l i t t l e subsid iary val ley jus t a l luded to , i s a bed

of coal , an d in bo th are w orks of various k in d s con

s t ructed to make use of these minera ls .

T he coal of th is d is t r ic t i s w orked am on g t h e deepestrecesses of th e m ou nta in an d fores t. To i l ing a lo ng

u p h i l l , a long a bad road , a l though fo r tuna te ly wi th a

very good horse , an d in a com for table char-à -banc,

more than an hour and a ha lf was occupied af ter leaving

R u s k b e r g , before reaching the p lace where the works

are carr ied on . Ex cep t a few cot tag es , qu i te u n in hab i ted , bu t recen t ly bu i l t — a colony prepared for

b u t n o t e s t a b l i sh e d — th e re a r e n o h u ma n h a b i t a t i o n s

to be seen after p a s s in g th e h a mme r -wo rk , a l i t t l e

a b o v e Ru sk b e rg . A few car ts , loaded w ith th e coal ,

were met coming down to the val ley , but wi th th i s

except ion , t he s i lence was on ly d is tu rbe d by our own

wh eels . A t las t we reac hed th e coal-w orkings , and a

mo re deser ted , me la n c h o ly - looking p lace for a mine , I

have never seen . A san dsto ne , inc l ined a t a h i gh

ang le to th e hor izon, res ted on a coarse , ro t ten , b lac kish -



A P O O R C O A L - F I E L D . 125

green rock , b rok en u p in to round ba l l s wh ere exposed

to w eath er . A poor , ro t ten seam of coal res ted on th i s ,

and was covered by ano ther san ds to ne . A less -

promising development of mineral fuel i t would be

difficult to find in an y co un try , b u t, po or as i t seem s,

th is coal was thought wor th working, and a gal lery or

tu nn el ha d b een dr iven a qu ar t er of a mi le in to th e

hi l l , enabl ing the specula tors to remove a cer ta inqu an t i ty of m inera l . I could no t learn th at i t was

much in favour , though i t could be used by the smi th ,

an d had been t r ied repe atedly in pu dd l in g furnaces a t

a d is tance , for i ron m an ufac ture . So wi ld an d desola te

was the appe aranc e of the p lace , th at we ha d so me

diff icul ty in f inding the exact spot where the workings

were car r ied on, th o u g h th e road led to no thi ng e lse .

I t seem ed curio us th a t a l i t t le coal-field sh ou ld th u s be

opened at such a distance from a market , in a place so

overgrown wi th forest as to show no other break than

t h a t m a d e to remo ve th e m ine ral , an d th at a ll th is

t rou ble sh ould be tak en for a sub stan ce so smal l in

qu an t i ty an d so very poor in qu al i ty as the d i r ty s toneswe wen t to see . Th ere are , how ever , proper t ies even

in very bad m ine ral fuel, th a t fit i t for p urp os es for

which wood and charcoal are imperfect ly ad ap ted .

T h e d i r ty ston es in qu es tio n we re carrie d fifteen o r

t wen t y m i l e s , and could th er e be sold at som e profi t ,

and thus the work went on . Cer ta in ly , the owner

would no t make his for tune, b ut he m igh t earn a scan ty

profi t on a very small out lay.*

* It is a geological fact of some interest, that this coal



126 R U S K J 3 E R G .

T his w ind ing cleft in th e rock s is called th e L os na

Csora , and , even a t i t s bes t , i s on ly ju s t la rge eno ugh

to a llow of a na rro w road a longside th e s t ream th a t

run s th ro ug h it . A s in a ll m oun ta in d i s t r ic t s , the

s t ream i s t r eacherous — som etim es a m ere r i ll , i t b e

comes sud den ly swol len an d rus he s down as a to rre n t .

There is , however , genera l ly water enough in i t to dr ive

a few wheels near the o p e n i n g in to th e Zsamina , and

a t th i s po in t a re two o r th ree sma l l hammer-works .

Ru s k b e rg i s a cont inuous ser ies o f p re t ty whi te -

look ing houses and many poore r hab i ta t ions , ex tend ing

for more than a mile , wherever th e re is a space between

th e foot of th e s teep hil ls on t h e r i g h t ba nk of th e

Zs a m in a a n d th e road , wh ich here runs c lose to thewa te r . Som et imes the houses are on one side on ly,

somet imes on bo th side s, of the l i t t le r iver , and occas ion

a l ly there is room for a few betw een th e road a n d t h e

s t r e a m . A m o n g s t t h e h o u s e s a r e o th e r b u i ld in g s —

here a saw -mi l l— there a l i t t l e ham m er-w ork , wi th a

wa te rwhee l c lack ing and po un d in g incessan t ly , a ndhe lp i ng to br in g in to bars and rods the i ron sm el ted in

the m ou n ta ins . T he t rees come down qu i te to the

backs of the houses , and in te r fe re wi th the ga rdens ,

where room is found for such luxur ies , a n d the form

of the li t t le town is str ic t ly governed by these na tu

ra l l im i ts of space . S hu t in in th is m an ne r , th e in-

b e l o n g s t o t h e p e r i o d o f o u r c h a l k , w h i c h , i n t h e e a s t o f

E u r o p e , o c c u p i e s m o u n t a i n t r a c t s , a n d is v e r y d i f fe r e n t i n

a p p e a r a n c e f r o m a n y t h i n g w e a r e a c c u s t o m e d t o . B l a c k

s a n d s t o n e s a r e i t s r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s a t t h i s p o i n t .



T H E T O W N A N D I T S P O P U L A T I O N . 127

ha bi ta nt s are ap t to com plain th at th ey are cu t off

f rom the wor ld , and as the only road through the val ley

leads f rom t he Bis zt ra val ley , ne ar th e I r o n Ga te , over

a h ig h r idg e, in to a no the r val ley yet nar row er and m ore

du l l th an th a t of th e Zsam ina , the co m pla in t i s no t

wi tho u t r eason . T he wond er ce r t a in ly i s , th a t in such

a val ley the re sho uld ever hav e bee n plan ted so con

s iderable a tow n as R us kb er g . Th ere i s , however , agood deal of m inera l we al th in th e h i l ls beyo nd, an d

this has been long cul t ivated .

Ruskberg , in spi te of i t s socia l dul lness , has several

very good-sized, new -looking, and w el l -bui l t houses , a

han dso m e chu rch r i s in g and near ly comp le ted , an d

a very fa ir in n . T he la t t er es ta bl ish m ent i s ext rem elywel l supp l ied wi th the mos t impor tan t r equ i rements o f

the t ravel ler—food and s leeping accommodat ion, excel

len t beer an d wine, an d a very reason able a m ou nt of

c lean liness . Th e tow n ha s th e app earan ce o f be in g a

very flourishing pla ce . J u s t ou tsid e, at th e en d o p

pos i t e the hammer -works and the coa l va l l ey , a re some

large works recent ly erected for red uc ing lead an d

si lver - lead ores foun d in th e ne igh bo urh oo d, an d n ot

far off is a kin d of sho t tow er, so tha t ther e are m an y

and var ied indust r ies .

Th e popula t ion here i s ch ie fly H un ga r ia n , m ixed

with a m arked propor t ion of W al lachs , employed in th e

var ious works go ing on . Few H un ga r ia ns a re in th e

i ron or lead works— few are employed as labo urers in

bu i ld in g the chu rch . Th i s k in d of l abour i s no t to th e

tas te o f th e M ag ya r . H is O r ien ta l b lood docs no t s t ir



128 R U S K B E R G T O R U S K I T Z A .

him to an y r iva lry w i th thes e wo rkers , and he lookson, a l lowing wo rk to be don e , ra th er th an he lp in g to

do i t .

F r om R us kb erg up the va lley to Ru sk i tza i s a

cha rm ing d r ive . Im m edia te ly above the to w n , after

leaving th e lead-w orks a nd th e hou se of th e d i rec tor

of the i ron-works , we come to the shot tower , s i tua ted

in a spot so rom ant ic th a t i t cer ta in ly deserves the a t te n

t ion of th e ar t i s t . T he m ou nta ins close in , and a lm ost

vert ical c l iffs r ise on each side the narrow valley, w h ic h

ha s ba re ly wid th en ou gh for th e narrow road and th e

be d of th e s tre am . T he rock y cliffs of l im esto ne a re

extrem ely b rok en , an d from every ledg e an d crevice

s ta r ts for th some t ree or p l an t , leaving only th e g ra y

rock as a ba ck gr ou nd . W h er e th e cliff i s m ost

ver t ical , a wo oden shoot, co nsi st in g of a box or pipe 1 50

fee t lon g , m ade of rou gh dea ls , has been a t tach ed to

the naked l imes tone rock , apparen t ly by some o the r

h an d tha n tha t o f m an . N o t h i ng i s seen a t the to p , an d

th e box is ope n below . T hi s is th e shot tower , a lmos tthe only one in Hungary a few years a g o , a n d its use

is to allow th e m ol ten lead , reduced to a prop er s ta te

in a furnace , to b e thro w n down in to a bas in in th e

brook be low. B y th is m eans it ob ta in s t he form an d

h a rd n e s s necessary fo r th e p u rp o s e s for which the shot

is required .

Be tween R usk ber g and R usk i tza , th e va lley i s na r

row an d th e forest c loses on th e ro ad . T he stream also

becomes smaller , but there are several s ide valleys, one

of which brings down stones of r ich iron ore , va luable



I S O L A T I O N O F T H E V A L L E Y . 129

enou gh t o be wo r t h wash i ng by a l i tt l e app a r a t u s .

Th e washed ore i s u sed a t Ru sk i t za , wh ere the re i s a

ra ther large i ron es tabl ishment , fed chief ly by ores

ob t a i ned som ewha t h i ghe r up am ong t he m oun t a i n s a t

Ru sk i . Th e appea rance of the h i gh fu rnaces, cas t ing-

ho us e, an d m il l , at this wild spot , far f rom any cult iv a

t i on , an d app aren t ly ou t of the way of ev ery thin g, i s

a t f ir st ra th er su rpr is in g. T he road i s good all theway to th e work s , and on reac h ing the m a l i tt l e co lony

is seen, wi th a r espec tab le hou se for t he m ana ger an d

h i s f ami ly . I t seemed a sad ba n i sh m ent to th e p leasan t ,

qu ie t wife of th e ge nt le m an w ho sup er in ten ded th e

foun dry, to be sh ut in here wi th no com panion b u t her

l i t t le da u g h te r ; rare ly able even to get so far as R u sk -

b e r g , an d wi th no chance of seeing a pop ulat ion of

g r e a t e r imp or tanc e w i thou t a se rious an d cos tly jou rne y .

I r em arke d to th i s lady , how p leasan t ly s i tua ted her

house was, and how pic turesquely the val ley opened in

t h e neig hbo urho od of th e wo rks ; an d was answered by

an ackn ow ledgm ent of th e adva n tages , b u t an in t ima

t ion also, t h a t in win te r the re were long even ings and

dul l days when the heavy snow prevented even t h e

l i t t le excursions th a t th e ne igh bourh ood cou ld afford,

and when t he beauty of the scenery was bu t a poo r

subs t i t u t e f o r hum an associa t ions .

T h e win te r , indeed , in these par t s o f Europe , and

espec ial ly in th e m ou nta in s , i s bo th long and severe .D u r i n g m a n y weeks, co m m un ica t ion is qu i te cu t off on

one side of the valley, an d great ly impeded on the o ther .

T h e r e is only one road th r ou gh the valley, and if that

G 3



1 3 0 R U S K I T Z A .

is closed each vi l lage is lef t ent irely to i ts own resources.

D u r in g th e severe winter of 18 6 1- 2 , m an y weeks e lapsed

w itho ut th e poss ibi l ity of cross ing th e m ou nta ins ; and

this is no ext ra ord ina ry even t . S t i l l , th e valley i s a

ple asa nt plac e, an d w here i t op en s ou t in to a f lat , as

i t does occasionally, there is good cult ivable land.

A ter r ible and des t ruct ive f i re took place at the mi l l

a t l lusk i tza , du r in g th e pas t winter . W hi le th e f rost

was hard, and everything covered wi th snow, the great

bu i l d ing , con t a in ing a nu m be r of f u rnaces and ha m

m e r s , was bu r n t t o t he g ro un d , an d p roper ty o f m uch

value des t ro yed . I t ha s not y et been reb ui l t , an d th e

ru in s do n o t add to th e cheerfulness of th e scene . A

vas t m ul t i tu de of s toves , ly ing heaped on the gro un d,

and pi led one above another , over a large space, mark

the pr inc ipa l man ufac tu re , an d th e na ture of the cas t ing

for wh ich th er e is th e larg es t dem an d. Th ese s toves are

sent great dis tan ces ; the y are no t very expens ive, an d

I expect the y do no t las t very lon g. Th ey are sm al l

and very p la in , qui te unl ike the e labora te cont r ivancescomm on in G erm an y. Exc ept in s toves , the re seemed

l i tt l e doing , bu t I was to ld tha t d ur ing spr in g an d

sum m er the y ha d to be m anu fac tured as fas t as pos

s ib le to me et th e dem and co m m enc ing wi th each

a u t u m n .

The high furnaces at Ruski tza are suppl ied wi th orechiefly from a very gig an tic vein of i ron ore in th e

m ou nta ins at a l i t t le dis tan ce . T h is vein is close to a

nob le vein of wh i te m arb le , open ed to ext ract s tone to

bui ld t h e ch urc h at R u sk b er g . I t i s a lso nea r a r ich



M I N E S A N D Q U A R R I E S . 1 3 1

si lver-lead vein. T h e i ro n vein is be st seen close to

the top of t he m oun ta in of ß u sk i , and i s i n t e res t in g

en ou gh . L arg e an d fine s tone s of th e m agn et ic ore ,

fo rmi n g n a t u ra l m a g n e t s , a r e v e ry c o m m o n . T h e s e ,

i f suspended , wou ld ac t a s magne t s , hav ing s t rong

po lari ty . A l i t t le lower down, howev er, and wh ere th e

chief works a re carr ied on , the magnet ic ore g ives p lace

to a poorer bu t s t i ll valua ble oxide, m ixed w ith an dcem ented by s i li ca. T he r iche r k ind s of o re— na tura l

m agn e t s— w hen in su ff ic ient qu an t i ty , p rodu ce , on be ing

mel ted wi th charcoal , some of the pures t and most va lu

able kinds of i ron, especial ly valuable for making steel .

T he gre a t masses of o re a re , however , o f o ther k ind s :

— th ey are ox ides , b u t mixed wi th carbo nates , a ndresem bl ing in some re spec t s im pu re l im es tone . Of

such ore the quant i ty i s indef in i te , and the qual i ty good .

It i s quarried in several s tages of open-air works by a

l a rge number o f hands , a t two o r t h ree po in t s , and the re

i s a l so a tu nn el d r iven th ro ug h the ve in , con nec t ing open

works on opposi te s ides of a m ou nt a in . T he scenery in

th i s par t o f th e m ou nta in i s very gr an d , for th e w orks

are on a larg e scale , an d t he forest , e lsewhe re thic k

an d composed of lofty t ree s, is m uc h bar ed. T he re is

n o road , except to the var ious quarr ies of o re , bu t t h e

nu m be r of l oaded ca r t s descend ing , an d th e em pty ones

s lowly creeping towards the mines , g ive some an ima

t ion to the d i s t r i c t .A pa th u p a smal l gorge , l ead ing to the open wo rks ,

passes the whi te marb le quarry a l ready a l luded to .

I t i s an ex t re m ely beaut i fu l p ur e whi te s tone , b reak ing



1 3 2 T H E B E E C H F O R E S T S .

w ith a fracture l ike th a t of f ine loa f-sug ar . L a rg eblock s can be obta in ed . I t is , how ever , heavy an d too

h ar d for th e sc ul p to r 's chisel to cu t w ith faci l ity. I t

occurs in a kin d of vein, lower dow n th e hi l l th a n th e

i ron deposi t ; an d oth er som ew hat s imi lar , bu t infer ior

bu i l d ing mate r i a l , also a kind of marble , exis ts in abun

dance i n t he ne ighbourhood .

A rem ark ab le an d r ic h vein of s i lver-lead ore is

ope ned very nea r th e vein of i ron ore. T h e su pply

obta ined is to lerably ab un da nt , an d th e produ ce good.

The ores have genera l ly been car r ied to I luskberg for

r e d u c t i o n . They have he lped to supply the l ead works

there , an d th e m eta l , w hen red uced and separa ted from

the s i lver , has been conver ted into shot a t the tower .

R e t u r n i n g through the fores t , down the s teep moun

tain s lope, to the point where we ha d left o ur c arr iag es,

we soon commenced the ascent of the mountain s ide.

I t was a gr an d and wi ld scene. Te ns of tho us an ds of

acres of fores t lan d, the greate r pa r t of wh ich ha s n ot

yet reso un ded to the s t roke of the axe, cover th e su m

m its of the se noble hi l l s . A dv an cing t h r o u g h t h e m ,

a n d m o u n t i n g grad ual ly to a cons iderable he igh t , th e

groups of beech —at f irs t the only trees in the forest—

are spar ingly m ixed wi th p ines an d firs. I ha ve ra re ly

seen more noble specimens , e i ther of s ingle or twin

t rees , t han he r e abound . S t ra ight spars r i s ing wi thou t

a bran ch to a vas t he igh t , are so comm on, t h a t t rees of

ordinary s ize and propor t ions are qui te except ional .

B u t t h e forest is no t a l l un t r od de n . I n m any pa r t s

we find t races of the cha rcoa l -burn er . H is conical h u t ,



C H A R C O A L - B U R N E R S . 1 3 3

made of s t icks and resembling one of the pi les of wood

he has pre par ed for b ur n in g , i s seen f rom po in t to

point , and i t i s soon evident that a very large business

of this ki nd is carried on. T h e m en l ive in th e forest ,

som et imes a lone , v i s i t ing the tow n be low once a week

d u r i n g s u m m e r . So m e t ime s t h e y a r e a c c omp a n i e d b y

the ir wives an d fam il ies . All the ir sup pl ies com e from

below.T he gr ea t use of the beech-w ood faggots i s for

m ak in g cha rcoa l fo r t h e i ron -w orks , and a s thes e

swal low up a la r ge qu an t i ty of fue l, th e fores t s m us t

necessar i ly be th in ne d when the i ron ind us t ry i s rap id ly

adv anc ing . T her e i s l i tt l e sym ptom of th in n in g a s

ye t in the d is t r ic t I am now a l lud ing to .

A drive th ro u g h th ick forest can h ar dly fail to be

in t er es t in g . T he re i s , a t l eas t to one accus tom ed to

tow n l ife, a wo nderful ch arm in th e perfect sol i tu de of

a vas t fores t ; an d w h e n t h e only pers ons one i s l ike ly

to m ee t du r in g m any ho ur s ' d r ive a re th e cha rcoa l -

bu rn er s a t the i r voca tion ,, an d th e on ly s igns of h u m a n

influence are th e occasional fa l len t ree an d the black

b u rn in g hea p close to th e roa dsid e, th e effect is

ra th e r he igh tened tha n o the rwise . Th ey a re a s t ran ge ,

g loom y, so l ita ry race , the se c ha rco al -b urn ers , and seem

t o h a v e n o t h i n g t o d o wi t h o rd i n a ry h u m a n i t y . D u r i n g

th e w hole of th e sum m er the y l ive alone in th e forest ,

ha rd ly ever see ing a hu m an be ing of any k i nd , exceptthose a ssoc ia t e s who a re engaged in ca r t ing the manu

facture d fuel . Th ey very rar ely visi t th e tow n, or

wander many hours f rom the p l ace o f t he i r work .



1 3 4 H A B I T S O F T H E C H A R C O A L - B U H N E R S .

T he y select some place w he re wa ter is to be h ad , an d

ne ar i t bui ld a sm all h u t . I f th eir wives are w iththe m — w hic h is no t o ften the case— the wom an goes

once a wee k for th e maize bre ad , wh ich is th eir p r in

c ipal food. O therw ise , i t i s b ro u g ht in th e re tu rn

t r ips of the car ts .

As the pa ths f rom the main road to the p laces where

th e trees are felled are rare ly goo d, an d often ne arly

im pa ssa ble , th e pi le is of ten plac ed close to th e road ;

but as the road i s hardly ever used except for the

conveya nce of th e charco al , th is v ic in i ty does not a dd

m uc h to the l iveliness of the s i tu at ion .

Th e m en g ene ral ly un de r tak e th e wo rk a t a fixed

pr ice pe r cubic fa thom of charcoa l del ivered. Th ey

can thus earn l i t t le or much, according to thei r fancy,

a n d if th ey pleas e ca n lay b y profi ts for w inte r us e.

I t i s sa id , however , th at when t h e snows begin an d

no m or e wor k can be done on t he m o un t a i n s , t he y

descen d in to th e nea rest tow n or v i llage and th er e

hyberna tc , l iv ing as long as they can a mere an imal ex

is tence of dr in ki ng and s leeping. Al l th at rem ain s of

th e prof it s of th e pas t season is th en swa l lowed u p , an d

a deb t of ten inc ur re d, to be pa id off in th e next sp r in g.

Th e peop le th u s employed a re , no t on ly in H u n g ar y

bu t a lmos t everywhere , a m ark ed rac e , an d regarded as

a sor t of outca sts f rom ord inar y pe asa nt socie ty .

Th e qu an t i ty o f charcoa l m ad e in the fo res ts nearRu sk i m us t be very l a rg e , as the b urn er s a re c loser

t oge t h e r t h an u sua l , and r an ge ove r m an y squa r e m i l e s

of co un try . Th e qu al i ty i s a lso excel lent , the wood



V I E W F R O M T H E M O U N T A I N C R E S T . 13 5

be in g en t i re ly beech , and genera l ly la rge an d r ou nd .

I t seems a pi ty to devote suc h nob le t rees as we the resee to the f i re , but the cost of t ransport to any market

wou ld be far too gre at to jus t i fy a ny ot he r us e . I d id

no t hear of any of th a t inge nio us ca rvin g tha t one sees

in th e Tyro l an d some o th er fo rest d is t r ic t s . Beech

is , how ever , ha rd ly f i t ted for such op era t io ns . I t is

th e wood chiefly em ploy ed for com m on fur ni t ure in

Venice and Pe s th , bu t the re i s m uc h of th is wood

everywhere , and the supply i s so la rge tha t a cons ider

ab le w as te s eems pa rdonab le .

After a lon g and s teady pul l w ith four horse s to o ur

car r iage an d an ac t ive d r iver , we a t len g th reached th e

cres t of th e hi l l , or ra th er m ou nt ai n . At th is e levation

(am ou nt in g to th re e o r four tho us an d fee t a t leas t )

th e b eech h ad given place to th e f ir, an d pic tur esq ue

t rees of th a t k in d s tood th ick ly on th e su m m it and

s lopes o f th e m ou nta ins on bo th s ides . Ve ry noble ,

lo fty , and wel l -g rown trees a re her e com m on, and th e

pro po r t ion of poor dw arfed o r yo un g t ree s i s no t la rg e .

T he view, th o u g h f ine, was con fined to th e bo un dle ss

expan se of fores t . F a r down on bot h s ides a l i t t le

se rpen t - l ike l ine m igh t be recognized , m ar k i ng the n ar

row gap made by cu t t ing the t rees in the p repara t ion of

th e road wc h ad t rave rsed or were ab ou t to follow. A s

th e road on b ot h s ides is in z igzag , on ly sm all p ar ts

cou ld be seen a t once, an d th ese f itful m ar ki ng s did no t

tak e away f rom th e sub l im i ty a r i s in g f rom t he charac te r

of th e veg e ta t ion . Th e season be i ng spr ing , th e

con tras t of colour between the ex cee din gly pale , del i-



13(5 L U N K A N Y .

cate t in t of the beech fo l iage , and the sombre b lackness

of the firs , was s t ro ng ly m ark ed . Th e colour m ark ed

also th e l im its of he ig h t , for th e f ir does no t pe ne tra te

far down th e m ou nta in s ide , a l tho ugh the beech in

shel tered p laces r i ses ne ar ly or qu i te to t h e top .

A l t h o u g h , o n t h e wh o l e , u n b r o k en b y an y i m p o r t a n t

val ley, there are sufficient smal l ravines and gorges to

give var iety to the shading, and due effect to the other

e lements o f wi ld uncu l t iva ted beau ty tha t p reva i l .D ow n the z igzag toward s the val ley , on the o th er

s ide of Ruski , the road soon once more enters the dark

and th ick shade, and we again mee t th e m arks of the

ch a r co a l - b u r n e r . A drive of two or th re e ho ur s con

ducts to a somewhat more open par t of the val ley,

where i s the smal l , modern se t t lement and o ld v i l lageo f L u n k an y ( p r o n o u n ced Lun-kan), with i t s one i ron

furnace an d p i les of i ron ore prep are d for sm el t i ng .

Th ere i s no th ing in the v i ll age r equ i r ing no t ice . T he

whole of the m od ern es tab l i shm ent i s a colony in t ro

duced some years ago for the sake of ensur ing l ab o u r

a t the i ron-works , and the houses , church , and school ,

are new and of the usu al s ty le . H er e again th e i ron

indus t ry has p roduced cer tain marks of civi l izat ion,

con t r as t ing odd ly wi th the n a t u r a l character of t h e

va ll ey and th e o ld pop u la t ion . Few H un ga r ia ns are

employed , bu t the manager and one o r two o f the

pr inc ipa l employés are of th a t na t ion . Th ere w as a

comfor table h o u se and good garden, but the ladies ofth e household complained sadly , and cer ta in ly n o t

w i t h o u t reaso n, of th e isolat ion of the ir posi t ion. T he y



I T S M I N E R A L R E S O U R C E S . 137

ha d no t lon g s ince le ft a la rge tow n, and du r in g the

pas t w in te r— the i r f ir st i n the ne ig hb ou rho od — theyha d been cu t off from all co m m un ica tio n for several

m o n t h s .

N e a r L u n k a n y i s a s ingular deposi t of i ron ore ly ing

on the sur face o f the g round , and requ i r ing on ly to be

d u g ou t and separa ted f rom ru bb ish . T he ore i s no t

very r ich , bu t the qu an t i ty would m ak e up for t h isif coal were n ea r, or if ch arco al co uld ever be a fuel

ab un da n t enou gh and cheap eno ug h to a llow i ron to

be manufac tured f rom i t economica l ly wi thout o ther

fuel . As i t is , excel lent p ig- i ro n is m ade an d sold , b u t

th e t r ade l an gu i she s . Inacces s ib le m oun ta in va ll eys ,

fa r rem oved f rom tow ns an d ra i lway s , m ay , an d

some t imes do , con ta in ab un da n t m ine ra l w ea l th , b u t

t i l l m ea ns exis t for co nv ey ing i t to a m ar ke t , such

weal th is of ten a source of poverty ra ther than what i t

at first s e e m s , a g r e a t na t iona l b l e s s ing .

T h e l a n d in the ne ig hbo urho od of the i ron m ines is

by no means so fer ti le in app eara nce , and is cer ta in ly

n o t so h ig h ly cu l t iva ted as th a t in th e o th er va l leys

wh ere the re is less i ron ore . T he m ou nt ai n s ides are

also less th ick ly c lo thed wi th wood . This i s no t u n

l ike ly to be owing to t h e quant i ty o f i ron presen t in

t h e soil. An in te res t ing ques t ion sugges ts i t se l f to the

geolog is t as to the m ean ing and origin of these large

surface dep osi ts ; and one is ob l iged to a s sum e th a t

they are der ived from some gigant ic and very r ich vein

crossing the country, not far off , a t a h igher level .

Th e val ley in wh ich L u n k a n y i s s i tua ted may be



138 H Y D R O P A T H I C E S T A B L I S H M E N T .

reached f rom th e p la ins o f th e D an ub e , b u t the re i s

no ready or reg u la r com m unica t ion . Th e fores t has

ceased before th e vi l lage is reach ed, an d th e co u nt ry

is no t rem arkab le fo r p ic tu res que bea u ty . F or some

reason , however, no t easy to und ers t and , a hy dro pa th ic

esta bl is hm en t , on the sam e pla n as those e lsewhere in

Ge rm any , was s ta r ted som e years ago a l i t t le below

th e colony conn ected with th e i ron w ork s . N o m ine ral

spr ing exis ts , and the s t ream is small and poor .

Th ere is no conceivable ad va nta ge of posi t ion ; extr em e

difficulty m us t hav e been experien ced to ob ta in re gu lar

suppl ies ; an d of ten th e pa t ie nt s m us t have found i t

imposs ib le to reach the i r des t ina t ion wi tho ut m uch

loss of t im e. H ere , however , is th e l i t t le barra ck inwhich these un ha pp y perso ns are sa id to have res ided

x for a t im e, and th e to ta l deser t ion th at ha s succeeded

th e par t ia l anim ation of th e val ley m ak es i t tenfold

m ore desola te th an i t need otherw ise have been.



C H A P T E R I X .

K a r a n s c b e s . — R o a d t o O r a v i c z a . — T h e G o l d V a l l e y s a n d G o l d

V e i n s / — T h e O r a v i c z a C o a l a n d I r o n . — O r a v i c z a t o B a z i

a s c h . — T h e B a n a t .

FR OM L un ka ny I re tu rne d as I came, c ross ing th e

s teep m ou nta in , and desc endin g th ro ug h the fo res t to

the i ron-wo rks o f R usk i tza and R us be rg , and so once

m ore reac hin g to t he val ley of the Bisz tra an d the open

count ry towards the p la ins , in the d i rec t ion of Lugos .

Several p ic turesque vi l lages , and some that are very for

m al , a rc passed on th is road . A t le ng th we come upon

the l a rge i ron e s t ab l i shm en t a t Fe rd in and sbe rg . Th e

wo rks a t Fe rd ina nd sb er g a re convenien t , and possess

som e local in tere s t ; b u t th ei r posi t ion is no t very good,

the i r d is tance f rom fuel and i ron be in g too grea t .

The re i s a la rge , m od ern -bu i l t v i llage or co lony imm e

dia te ly adjacent , and two churches , a lmost exact ly

s imi la r , are in course of co nst ruc t ion . I was s t ru ck ,

h er e an d e lsewhere , with th e a lm ost inva r iable fact of

m o r e t h a n one church ex is t ing in every vil lage, anda lso of the modern appearance of mos t o f the churches .

On the Wal lach ian f ron t ie r the second church i s gene

ra l ly o f th e Greek p ersuas ion ; b u t the re a re a lso m an y

L u t h e r a n Pro tes tan ts , a l l to le ra ted wi thout d is t inc t ion .



1 1 0 K A R A N S E B E S .

A l i t t l e beyond Fe rd in and sbe rg , l eav ing the m a in road ,

we arr ive a t the town of Karansebcs .

K aran seb es is appro ached by a f ine a v e n u e of

pop la rs , and th e road nea r th e town is we ll ke p t . I t

is a very neat— a l m o s t a h a n d s o m e— tow n, wi th good

accom mo dat ion of th e ord in ary k in d , c lean beds a nd

capi ta l food . T he re are severa l pub l ic bu i ld ing s , an d

th e pr inc ipa l s t ree t and squa re have a very f lour ish ing

appe arance . A s , however , I en te red th e town af te r

du sk , an d was away soon af te r d ayb rea k ne xt m orn ing ,

I had no t much oppor tun i ty o f judg ing o f i t s popu la

t ion or of the degree of l iveliness i t may pr ese nt in th e

da y. I t is w or th a visit as a spe cim en of one of t h e

bet te r c lass of tow ns w ith in t he M il i ta ry f ro nt ie r — apar t o f Hungary under be t te r and longer con t ro l than

m any o the rs . Al l th e ma le inh ab i t an ts a re he re edu

cate d as soldie rs , an d are l iable to be called ou t a t a

m om en t ' s no t ice for the defence of the f ront ie r . T he

wh ole organ iza t ion of the d is t r ic t is m il i ta ry . T he

governor is a genera l officer—the next in power a n d

d ign i ty a re the cap ta ins of th e com pan ies . E ach vi l lage

has its own officer, and all are accustomed to work

toge the r . Mi l i t a ry prec is ion r e ig ns everyw here . T h e

s tree ts a re s t ra ight , wel l p ropor t ioned and c lean , t h e

houses even are buil t a c c o rd in g to p lan , and look

towards the s t ree t— a rare accident in this part of the

wo rld . I have now here seen the fair side of a m i l i t a ry

organ iza t ion so p leas ant ly exhibited as in this curious

d is t r ic t .

T he re is , however, no th in g new to say on a s ubject



S U S P E N S I O N B R I D G E . 1 4 1

a l ready f requent ly descr ibed . T h e cur ious re ad er wi l l

f ind a l l the in format ion he can need in Murray ' s Hand

book and M r . P ag e t ' s exce ll ent w ork on H u ng a r y , and

T do no t p ropos e to qu ote f rom the se book s , even

where the ir inform ation, which is som ewh at ou t of date

in th ings that a l ter with t i m e , s t i l l remains accura te , H

A mong the bu i ld ings in and a round K aransebcs , i t s

p ic tu resq ue and pecu l ia r i ron supe ns ion br idge across

th e Tem es , i s no t th e least rem ark ab le . I t is a ne a t

br id ge on a somew hat new pr inc ip le , an d th e people

are w i th reason pr ou d of i t . I t was con s t ruc ted in t h e

ne igh bo ur in g w o rks of Ru sk i t za . Th e Tem es i s he re

a cons iderab le s t r eam , and in w in te r is r a th e r t rou b le

som e, l ike m os t of the feeders of th e D an u be . Th e

churches in K aransebes , of which there several , are

modern and p la in .

F rom K aransebes , t h rough a f ine avenue a long an ex

cel lent road, a n d t h r o u g h a c o u n t r y s t u d d e d wi th whi te

hou ses and ga rde ns , we advance in to a d is t r ic t where

the road d ies away in to a mere t r ace on the sands ,

where there i s no t a house wi th in s igh t , and where the

cu l t iva t ion is reduced t o a v e ry u n i m p o r t a n t m a t t e r

w i t h o u t th e f ie lds becoming replaced by fores ts , or the

p la in s exchanged for m ou n ta in s . W e pass , in fact , across

a tract of sand in which are numberless s tones of i ron

ore , in to a cou ntry which is uncu l t ivab le , and th roughw h i c h , a f te r heavy ra in , i t would b e a l tog e the r im po s

s ible to d ra g a car t . A short d is tance f rom K aran sebe s ,

before en te r ing th is t rac t , i s Mika , which has been re

ga rde d by some as the p lace o f ba n is hm en t of the La t in



1 4 2 P R E l i U L .

poet Ovid . Th ere i s a t M ika a smal l square cast le ,

which i s popula r ly known as Ovid 's Tower , and which,

pe rha ps, may be th e spot whence i ssued those p la in t ive

songs which have charmed a l l subsequent lovers of sweet

verse . Be yo nd th is to Pr eb ul , the re i s l i t t le of in tere s t .

Prcbul i s a smal l dul l town or large dul l v i l lage , in

which a l l the houses are separated f rom each other by a

wide inte rva l ; the re is in i t a decen t w ell -bui l t m o d e r n

ch urc h, an d a schoo l . T he po pu lat ion i s chiefly W al

l ach , bu t , a s usu a l , th e inn is ke p t by a G erm an

— family . I found th is in n un us ua l ly d i r ty , especia l ly th e

s t r a ng er s ' room, in to which we were in t roduced whi le our

horses w ere ind ulg ed w i th an h ou r ' s res t and some food.

As i s usual in these v i l lage inns , the bedroom is a lso a

pub l ic s i t t ing- room, and we found a l ready thre e occu

pants , one of whom w as a Jew , unm is takab le in h i s lon grobe , h i s low broa d-br im m ed ha t , and h i s long bea rd .

This Jew had apparen t ly occup ied the room dur ing the

n i gh t , and th e ma rks of h i s occupancy were no t p leasan t

to observe . A tum ble-dow n wooden box th a t co n

ta ined the bed was hal f covered wi th a g rea t ly - r u m p l e d

feather -bed cover le t , the sheet sewn to it as u sua l .

E ven the sheet ( to say nothing of the coverlet) was so

much d i sco loured wi th d i r t as to sugges t se r ious doubts

as to the nature of the m a t e r i a l of w hich i t ha d or i gi

nal ly been m ade . So di r ty was the p lace , an d so d is

agreeab le was the a tmosphere , a l though i t seemed to

have bee n exposed to a purif icat ion of sm oke for som e

ho ur s wi th c losed wind ow s, th at I was obl iged to re t rea t

w hen ask ed t o e nt er to ta k e a cu p of coffee p rep are d for



B A T H S O F M E H A D I A . 1 4 3

m e . M y com panion an d two or three o ther per son s

wh o happ ened to come in , one of the m be ing a decen t ly-

dressed female, seemed to f ind nothing to object to, so

I phi losophica lly swallowed m y rep ug na nc e and conten ted mysel f w i th op en ing a window . I m ent ion th i s

as an ins tance of the wors t inn 's wors t accommodat ion

—not as an example of what usual ly occurs .

F ro m P re bu l t o Ke lnek i s s ome ho ur s ' d r ive t h r ou gh

a country pret ty wel l cul t ivated, but wi th very few vi l

lage s or s igns of hab i tat io n. T h e ne ar g ro un d is hi l lyan d pa rk- l ike , w i th m uc h loft ier d is ta nt blu e hi l l s on

th e le ft be tween th e va ll ey an d th e D an ub e near Orsova ,

wh ere th a t r iver cu t s thr ou gh th e Carp ath ian s by a c left

at leas t two th ou sa nd feet de ep . In this di rect ion are

th e ba ths of M eha dia , which have been descr ibed by

M r . P a g e t a n d m o r e r e c e n t ly i n M u r r a y ' s H a n d b o o k .

I d id not v i s i t them, but was informed tha t the accom

modat ion has grea t ly improved s ince those accounts

were w ri t ten , several inns an d oth er ho uses ha vin g been

adde d. As i t is a f avouri te spot w i th m an y H un ga r ia ns ,

an d is even vis i ted from V ien na , i t is m ost l ikely th at

some of th e abo m inat ions of former t im es are don e

away wi th in these days of s tea m -bo ats a nd rai lw ays .

O rsova is now so perfect ly accessible an d m ay ind eed

be vis i ted wi th so m uc h plea sure in a shor t t r ip , an d Me

ha dia , wi th i t s su lp hu r w ater s , i s so ne ar Orsova an d

co m m un ica t in g by such excel lent road s , th a t i t w ould

am ply repay every i m prove m ent th a t co uld be made. -

T he ne igh bo urh oo d of Me had ia is un ders too d to offer

m ore var iety of gr an d an d beaut i ful scenery th an an y



144 R E S C H I T Z A .

w ater ing-p lac e in E ur op e . I t i s , however , excessively

ho t in sum m er an d au tu m n , for the va l ley is

c losely sh ut in an d the var ious waters r ise a t tem pe r

a tu res va ry ing f rom 110 ° to 150 ° Fa hre nh e i t . T he

ba ths a re of grea t a n t i qu i ty , and were wel l kno w n tothe Romans , who p laced them under the p ro tec t ion o f

H e r c u l e s .

Be tween M ehad ia and the road I was t rave l l ing ,

th er e is a place of grea t int ere st , th e im prove d access t o

wh ich will soon ren de r a vis it to al l thi s ne igh bo urh oo d

m uc h easier even th a n at pre sen t . I t is th e gre at iron

es tab l i shmen t o f l leschi tza , one of th e mos t im po r tan t

in H un g ar y , an d to wh ich th e Orav icza b ra nc h o f th e

So uth A us tr ia n ra i lway is abo ut to be cond ucted . Th e

works connect ing th is p lace wi th Oravicza , and so with

th e m ain l ine , have been for som e t im e in progre ss , an d

wil l p rob ably be com ple ted in ano the r year . M eha dia

can th en b e visi ted as pa rt of a to ur from V ien na to

th e L ower D an ub e , descend ing the r ive r to O rsova , an d

re t u r n in g by Meh ad ia and the ra i l road , o r the converse .

l lesch i tza is a l ready a very la rge es ta b l is hm ent , b u t

is no doubt des t ined to a more im po r ta n t fu tu re . I t

i s am ply supp l ied with ore f rom the ne ig hb ou rho od ,

a n d fuel is not far off. U p to th e pr es en t ti m e its de

ve lopm ent has been kep t bac k by the d is tance f rom ra i l

or r iver , bu t in spite of th at i t ha s grea tly adva nce d.

So soon as the com m unica t ion is open t he re can be

no doub t as to the res u l t . T he w orks are carr ied on

b y a Co m p a n y whose in te res t s a re ident ica l wi th those

of the Co m pany which pro jec ted and carr ied out th e



G O L D E N S A N D S O F T H E B E R Z A V A . 14 5

main l ine of ra i lway f rom V ienn a to th e D an ub e a t

Basiasch.

M uc h of this pa rt of the co un try is w ithin w hat is

cal led the Mil i tary front ier , a dist r ic t remarkable for

good roa ds an d d ecen t tow ns, as wel l as for i ts

mi l i ta ry organiza t ion . How ever perfec t th e la t te r mav

be for def ence , I can ce rtai nly give it credit for offering

no imp edim ent to th e t rave l le r . I t i s unde rs tood tha t

every m an i s a so ld ier, and m us t tu rn ou t w hene ver

requi red . I had no opp ortu ni ty of see ing an y of th e

cor ps of this m ili t ia, b ut , as an in st i tu tio n, i t is well

spoken of.

Near Kelnik, we enter the val ley of the Berzava, one *

of the m any go ld -bea r ing r ive rs of H un ga ry . A ve ry

large and beauti fu l n ug ge t , now in the Mu seum a t Pe s th ,

was found in th e bed of thi s s t ream by a g yp sy some

few years ago . I t i s a com m on occu pat ion of the gypsies

every sum m er wh en the w ater is low, to w ork in th esan ds of th e s t re am , and th e res ul t is said to be ge ner al ly

sat isfactory. Th is has been go ing on pro bab ly for a t

least tw ent y cen turies , and t he re are no sign s of ex

hau st ion . Th e sands are der ived f rom the quar tz an d

oth er ve ins in the m ou nta ins , w henc e come a lso th e

sp rin gs th at feed th e river. T he Berzava flows into th e

Tem es and so in to the D an ub e , a lways supp ly ing aur i

ferous part ic les that escape the search of the gypsies.

I observed a curious ap pea ran ce ab ou t the t rees in

th i s ne ighbo urhood . M any of them were s t r ipped of

the ir foliage to about twen ty feet from th e gro un d, and

the branches and leaves seemed to be replaced by a nest

H



146 H A Y S T A C K S I N T H E T R E E S .

of po rte nt ou s dim ens ions . A t firs t, I suspec ted th e

presence of th e ' R oc , ' as descr ibed b y t he A rabian

poe ts , but soon discarded that idea as too decidedly

O rienta l . I next fanc ied th a t I m us t be t rea din g in

th e s teps of M . D u C ha il lu , an d felt inclined to look

for spe cim ens of the Go ril la , or ra th er of th at cu rio us

nes t -bu i ld ing ape , wi th an unpron ounceab le nam e , th e

ne ar com pan ion of th e G oril la , described and f igured inthe t rave ls of ou r m odern B ruce . W ha teve r the au

tho r i ty fo r M . D u Ch a i l lu ' s p ic tu re m ay be , I th i nk

no th i ng bu t th e ape was w an t ing to comple te th e

resemblance of th e object in th e d raw ing to th a t I

recogn ized in th e t rees in th i s pa r t o f H un ga ry . B u t

th e ape was no t to be foun d, an d the ne sts resolved

themselves after a t ime into haystacks of small s ize

erected on stage s abo ut e ig ht feet from th e gr ou nd , th e

t rees se lec ted be in g such as a re la rge en ou gh to sup

po r t th e s tag e and she l te r th e hay . I n o rde r to m ak e

room for the hay al l the lower branches of the tree are

removed, and care is taken that there shall not be

too m uc h grow th to in ter fere wi th the m ak in g the

s tacks of a convenient he igh t . A la rge um bre l la -

shaped roof to the s tack , not only cover ing i t , bu t pro

jec t ing far beyond i ts ou ter ex tr em ity , he lp s to ren de r

th e she l te r mo re com ple te an d th e appearan ce m ore

s ingular . These s tacks are convenient enough in many

w ays. T he catt le in w inte r , w hen gras s is scarce, assemble under them to be fed, and no fence is required

to ke ep th e anim als off till th e da y of nee d arrive s. I n

bad weather , dur ing the a lmost t ropica l s torms tha t a re



D E S T R U C T I V E P O W E R O F R A I N . 147

comm on in this pa rt of E ur op e, these um bre l las affordexcel lent shel ter bo th for m an and beast . N o th in g can

pen etrate the m , and the y are large eno ug h to give a fai r

am ou nt of space for refuge. A lth ou gh I have only

not iced these cur ious const ruc t ions on and amongst the

t rees near Oravicza , som eth ing of the sam e k in d— a

stac k erec ted on a st ag e in th e m idd le of a field,

a l lowing an imals to he rd be ne ath an d be fed on th e

spot in win ter and she l te red in summer—is not un

com m on in H un ga ry . In sp r ing , a f te r t he hay i s

ea t en , no th in g bu t t he p l a tfo rm and the hug e um bre l l a

th atc h at some distance above i t are seen .

Much of the road in this part of the country is very. ,

bad , be ing tor n an d in jured by th e heavy to rre n ts ofra in th a t ev iden t ly accom pany th e grea t s to rm s. The

s t reams the n become g rea t ly swo l l en ; t hey un de rm ine

the i r b a n k s , near which the road is general ly constructed,

and in m any p laces deep and dan gero us t renche s a re

formed. T he brid ge s are also frequ ent ly carried aw ay.

The sides of the hi l ls exhibi t , in broad, deep, red

furrows, ad m i t t in g of no cu l t iva t ion , the des t ruc t ive

pow er of the ra in . I t was cur ious to see in one place

a hundred men a t work repa i r ing b r idges recen t ly

destroyed, and close by, to i l ing over ploughed fie lds, a

dozen or tw enty oxen dr ag gin g a h ug e piece of i ron

from th e wo rks at Reschi tza to th e rai l road , w hile

m an y pa r t s o f the road were in such a s ta te tha t i t

seem ed imp ossible for any nu m be r of cat t le to dra g

th e heavy weig hts occasional ly pa ss ing . Th ere was a

H 2



14 8 L U P Á K .

good deal of m ove m ent on thi s road, bu t i t cer ta inly

would bear improvement .

Lupak i s a smal l Bulgar ian se t t l ement , be tween

K elnik and Goruja , th e n ex t s ta t ion. T he hou ses are

l i t t l e be t t e r than mud-huts , and in th i s r espec t cont ras t

wi th those of even the very poores t Hungar ian vi l lage.

B u t if the hou ses are bu i l t of mu d, and the fences

enclos ing the m are of ten bro ke n down an d always ina decayed an d rot te n s ta te , so th at one m ig ht a lm ost

m ake a gap wi th a wa lking -s t ick, the re i s a lways one

ouvrage de luxe in the shape of a s tone gateway,

genera l ly a rched a t th e to p , and no t unf req uen t ly

sheltered by a small roof for i ts own special preserva

t io n. I t is ind eed n ot easy for a s tra ng er to discoverw ha t th er e is to pres erve , for th e door d oes no t cor

respond wi th the doorway, and i f i t d id , i s general ly

lef t open ; b ut i t is evid ent th at th e hou seho ld god of

th e B ulg ar ian pea san t has t aken up h i s abode in th i s

pa r t of th e es tab l ishm en t , and is provided for accord

ing ly. Th is pecu l iar i ty was observable in every ho us e

of the village, and even in reference to th e c h u r c h y a r d .

I t may be that no one would wil l ingly enter the th ick

bed of mud in te rvening be tween th e a r chw ay and t he

house , and s t il l less wo uld a ny pr u de n t s t ran ge r r i sk

himself inside the house except in case of special need;

so th a t th e pe asa nt , af ter al l , m ay be ac t in g wisely in

present ing his bes t archi tectural feature where i t i sl ikely to be most seen and admired.

The cos tume of the people in th is Bulgar ian vi l lage



C O S T U M E O F T H E B U L G A R I A N W O M E N . 1 4 9

is qui te different from that seen in the neighbouring

vi llages of W allac hs or oth er bo rde rers . In addi t ion

to the cu r ious hor ns of which th e he adge ar consis t s ,

and which have been already al luded to , th e w om en

are clothed in sho rt pe t t icoa ts , ma de of some thick

m ateria l , in place of th e l inen chem ise, and th e m en

are mo re warmly c lo thed tha n the W al lach ian pea sants ,

and in ra th er different style . I d id no t lear n th ehisto ry of th e colony. T he peo ple seem to kee p

them selves q ui te d ist inct from the ir ne igh bo urs in al l

m a t t e r s .

Between th is pa r t o f th e co un t ry and Reschi tza i s

a rem ark ab le cavern dis t r ic t . T he hi l ls consist of

l imes tone , m uch b rok en , and p ie rced wi th num erous

na tu ra l holes, as in the en tran ce to th e Zsil Val ley

a l ready descr ibed . A na tura l tun ne l of g rea t leng th

is said to open from th e hil ls on this side in to t h e

heart of a s ingular ket t le-shaped and enclosed val ley.

Go ruja is a vil lage on th e ba nk s of a sm all str ea m

in a pic tur es qu e distr ict . I t offers ve ry poor accom

m odat ion , and no suppl ies . I t is abou t four ho urs

dis tan t from Oravicza, bu t , w ith fresh hors es an d b y

day , the d is tance mi gh t pro ba bly be don e in less t im e.

N o fresh horse s c ould , how ever, be proc ured th er e or

in an y other places on th e occasion of m y visi t , an d I

was obl iged to pu sh on, a l th ou gh I had alread y been

trav el l in g twelve ho urs w ith th e sam e pair . I reachedOravicza about ten o 'c lock a t n igh t , hav ing s ta r ted

from K ara ns eb es before five in th e m o rn in g, and

travel led the whole distance (about 70 miles) with the



1 5 0 O R A V I C Z A .

same horses , res t in g on ly th ree t im es . I t was a s ton ish

in g to see with how mu ch spir i t th e poor anim als

con t inue d to get on, even to th e las t , and I have no

reason to sup pos e the y were an y th e worse for the ir

j o u r n e y .

Oravicza is now a very im p or ta n t p lace . I t is th e

tem pora ry te rm inu s of a b ran ch of th e m ain l ine of

ra i lway from Vie nna to th e D an ub e, abo ut t o be ex

tend ed to l lesc hi tza . I t is in th e ne ar v ic ini ty of an

im po rta nt coal-field . Th ere are copper and gold m ines

close to it . T he blac k shales of th e coal m ea su res are

here disti l led for various mineral oils and paraffin, and

th er e are several o th er ind us tr ies and m anu factur es car

r ied on in i ts ne igh bo urh oo d. Th ere are several inn s ,two of the m large , and provided with bi l l iard-room s

an d coffee-rooms. Th ese are crowded en ou gh a t n ig h t ,

bu t deser ted du ri n g the day . Th ere are a lso fine

publ ic bu i ld ings , and a smal l pub l ic gar de n . Th e

town consis ts of one lo ng s t reet , cer ta inly more tha n

two miles from one end to the other ; but there are few

side s t reets or houses beyond th is pr incipal s t reet , and

not much to not ice in the town itself. Most par t of i t

is qu i te new , an d i t has every app earan ce of great pr os

per i ty , which is ha rd ly to be wond ered a t when one

^ considers the extrem e rap idi t y of i ts dev elopm ent . I t s

ex is tence is barely a l luded to by Mr. Paget , and i t is

on ly inc iden ta l ly m en t ion ed in M ur r ay ' s H a ndb ook ,

an d I f ind no othe r reco rd of it in m od ern acc ou nts ,

a l th ou gh as a cen t re of m in in g indu s t ry i t da tes fa r

> back in th e h is to ry of th is pa r t of H u ng ar y .



S T E U E R D O R F . 1 5 1

By fa r t he m os t im po r t an t i nd us t r y in the ne ig h

bou rhoo d of Oravicza is th at aris in g from th e existence

an d deve lopm ent of th e coal an d i ron f ie lds adjace nt .

These are at some l i t t le distance, and are reached after

a long , ted ious ascent th rough a th ick ly-wooded va l ley ,

over a road kept indeed in to le rab le condi t ion , bu t

too much used by the incessant t raffic of coal carts

to be very exce l len t . F ro m th e top of th e ascentone looks down upon a kind of e levated val ley,

b l ack a l ready w i th smok e , bu t b r igh t w i th m arks of

ac t ive ind us t ry in every pa r t . T he va l ley i s sm al l ,

m ea su r in g only thr ee or four mi les in ex t rem e len gth ,

and f rom a few hundred yards to less than a mile

acro ss. I t i s no t , how ever, l ike m ost coal depo si ts , of

the na tu re of a t rou gh or bas in . I t i s ra the r l ike a

sad dle , th e beds sta rt in g off on both sides from a

ce ntra l l ine. Th ey incl in e s teeply , an d are soon far

below the surface, bu t th ey seem on th e whole very

reg ula r . Th ere a re beds of coa l, of i ron s ton e , and

of black slaty s tones or bi t um ino us shales, th e la t ter

yield ing valuab le oi ls on slow dist i l la t ion . T he i ro n

s tone i s m ore abun da n t in p ropor t ion to the who le

mass of the depos i t s th an the coa l , an d the qual i ty

i s very good. T he sha les a re in fin ite ly abu nd an t , bu t

are not r ich in oi ls .

T he cen tral poin t in the dist r ic t is th e vi llage of

Steue rdorf , wh ich is a m od ern colony of sm all hou ses,for the most par t whi te and p ic turesquely dot ted over

a lar ge spac e. I t i s a very pr om ine nt object , an d al l

th e pr inc ipa l offic ial ha bi ta t ion s are th er e . B eyo nd,



152 I R O N A N D C O A L M I N E S .

on th e other side, is forest , an d to rig ht an d left

exten d th e var iou s work s , wh ich a re a t once seen to

be very extensive . Tal l chim ney s a t var ious p oints ,

large square m assive bu i ld in gs , covering the m achinery

an d th e eng ine s at th e top s of coal shafts , vast black

heaps of coal in one place, of iron ore in another, and

of shale in a third, all testify to the rapidity and mag

n i tude of the opera t ions .

Th e i ron is m ine d by horizo nta l dr i f ts or tun ne ls

int o th e side of th e hil ls , an d one of these is now in

course of cons t ruc t ion , which wil l run half through

th e val ley . Th e coal is mined by vertical shafts . T he

ironstone is of the kind common in some par ts of

Scot land , and know n a s b lack band . The re are asmany as e ight pr incipal seams, a l l among the shale ,

ove rlying th e coal, an d some of th em a foot th ick .

They are easily worked.

The coal of Steuerdorf was first recognized in 1793.

I t seems to hav e been expe rim ented on a t var ious

t imes , an d was kno w n to possess pro per ties differentf rom, and super io r to , those of the l igni tes of the

D anube and The i s s valleys. M r . P a g e t , wr i t ing in

1 8 3 7 , speaks of it as " coal now in u s e for th e ste am

boats , which the Eng l i sh eng inee r s declare to be in no

way infer ior to the best N ew ca st le ." * B ut I was

informed on th e spot th a t t h e firs t m in in g w orks of

imp or tance were no t un de r tak en t i l l 1 8 4 5 . S ince th en ,

owing to the enormous s t rides m ade in m anufa c tur ing

ind us try and locomotion, th e work has been prog re s -

* Pa ge t ' s H un ga ry and T rans ylva nia , vo l. i i. , p . 153 .



Q U A L I T Y O F T H E O R A V I C Z A C O A L . 153

s in g wi th wond erful rapid i ty . Th e coal i s used on

the ra i lways between Baziasch and Pesth (a d is tance of

30 0 m i les , inc lud ing the Orav icza b ra nch ) , in the

m anu factu re of p ig- i ro n on th e spot , an d in var ious

other m anu facture s a t Oravicza . I t i s emp loyed in

the manufac tu re o f gas a t Temeswár , and o ther towns

on th e railway as far as P e s th . I t is also conveyed to

l leschi tza for puddling, and is sold largely for househo ld use in every town a nd vi l lage to w hich i t can

be convenient ly car r ied . Th e cons um pt io n i s now

about 75 ,00 0 ton s per an nu m , bu t for th e l as t

yea r or two h as no t increase d. As soon, how ever , as

the r a i lway to Resch i t za , pass ing th rough the coa l

f ield, is completed, a great change wil l doubtless takeplace, for the long conveyance in car ts , at present

necessary , ser iously in ter feres wi th the employment

of the coal in many ways.

T he qu al i ty of th e Oravicza coal cer ta inly does no t

come u p to the descr ip t ion of the E ng l ish eng ineer

quo ted by Mr . Page t , bu t i t i s qu i t e good enough

when prope r ly han dled to answe r a ll the ord ina ry p u r

poses of m inera l fuel. I t has , un for tu na te ly , one poin t

of resem blance by no m ea ns des irable. I t evolves a

large qua nt i ty of gas in the min e, w hich, m ixing w i th

com m on air , becomes hi gh ly explosive. Several exp lo

s ions have a lready take n p lace , an d, as th e w orks deepen ,

the danger seems to increase .The h igh furnaces , a t the ext remi ty of the l i t t le

valley, furthest from the ores but close to the coal, are

o n a larg e scale, an d seem to do a good deal of bu si -

H 3



1 5 4 C O P P E R M I N E S .

n e s s . They a re mo re m ode rn and be t te r appo in ted

th an is usua l in th e dis t r ic t . T he pr incipal pa r t of

th e i ron pi g m ade here is used a t R cschi tza , as th e

e s t a b l i s h m e n t s a re connec ted and have m utua l in te res ts ,

l tesch i tza seems conv enien t ly s i tuated for m an u

fac tur ing pu rpo ses , and , of c ourse , will be m uch m ore

so wh en th e railroa d is com pleted . Tt is certa inly

astonishing that , in the absence of any other roads

than those now exis t ing , th e w orks can have gone

on so long, and increased so rapidly , as they have

d o n e .

Oravicza , as I have a lready rem ark ed , ha s lo ng

been ce lebra ted as an im po r tan t m in ing cen t re in th i s

par t of H un g ar y . Fo r a lon g t im e i t s m ines werew orked by the T ur ks . A t a la te r per iod th e works

were d ra ined by th e A us t r ia n Go vernm ent ; a nd abou t

a cen tury ago they were the subject of an e laborate an d

in te re s t ing account by a well-known scientif ic writer of

his day, th e Ba ron B or n. Th is wri ter a l ludes , indee d,

chiefly to the copper mines , which are now of secondaryimpor tance , b u t w hich the n yie lded a considerable

variety of r ich ores . H e a lso m en tion s oth er ind ustr ie s ,

and the p lace was ev iden t ly of some m ag ni tu de . O th er

la te r wr i te rs , am ong whom Be ud ant may be m ent ione d ,

have noticed th e m ineral w eal th of th i s pa r t of th e

B a n a t ; an d i t is now m or e carefully an d profitably

developed than ever.

X T h e gold mines of Oravicza are worked close to the

t o w n , an d, th o ug h no t of f irst-rate im po rtan ce , are

ex t r eme ly interes t ing, and are moderate ly prof i table .



O F F I C I A L V I S I T T O T H E M I N E S . 1 55

Un like o the r m ines of the k in d, th e gold occurs he re

in a pec uliar san ds ton e in a set of sm all veins of

m icaceou s iron ore. I was no t able to exa m ine t h e

m ines persona l ly , an d was obl iged to be con tented

w i th look ing a t the w ork in g p la ns an d spec im ens ,

and hear ing an account o f them f rom the manager .

I t i s only recen t ly th at these m ines have been regu lar ly

worked .

Besides the coal field of Steuerdorf, which is not

very larg e , two or thr ee o th er mu ch sma l ler deposi t s

a re kno wn in the ne igh bou rhoo d . O ne o f them i s

near Reschi tza , and the coal obta ined f rom it, said to

be of good qual i ty , i s largely used the re . I t is a fact

a l ready ment ioned, that the coal in these par ts ofE ur op e is rare ly of th e sam e geological age as th at

found i n Wes t e r n E ur op e . I t is usua l ly m uch newer

and infer ior , but st i l l the qu al ity is sufficiently good

to enable i t to be used wi th a d v a n t a g e .

O n the day I had selected to exam i ne the mines a t

S teuerdor f t he r e had be en a visit from a num ber o f

official persons to inquire in to the s ta te of the mining

populat ion, and I found al l the mining off icers in ful l

dress after m ee t in g the com miss ioner s . The y were

recrui t ing, af ter the i r morn ing ' s work o f r ecep t ion ,

in a g arden belo ng ing to the pr incipal inn , where

beer could be obta ine d. I found them l i tt le incl ined

to d i s tu rb themselves , nor could I ( though reaching

th e w orks a t e leven) obta in any help t i l l af ter dinner .

W h en th i s had been despa tched , I was asked to take



1 5 6 A T T E M P T A T I L L U M I N A T I O N .

coffee with the pr incipal manager , and examine the maps

and p lans , which took some t ime longer . W e th en

proceeded to look a t th e i ron m ines , and af terwards th e

coa l m ines . E ve ry th in g was a t a s tands t i l l in ho no ur

of the inspect ion, and the day seemed devoted to black

coats , beer , and tobacco . R e t ur n i ng in the even ing

i to Oravicza , I found t h at an i l lum inat io n ha d b een

orde red to c lose th e eventful v is i t, bu t as th i s tu rn ed

o u t to be s tr ic tly confin ed to official ne ce ssi ty , it af

forded a be t te r op po r tun i ty of ju d g i n g of th e wan t of

popula r i ty o f the Government than the ex ten t o f the

resources of the tow n. I t was no t un in te res t ing to

not ice that the deference and respect with which every

s t ra ng er is t rea ted , was pa id , wi tho ut g ru dg in g , to th egent lem en who were per fo rm ing the i r d u ty on th is oc

casion, an d yet no one could help seeing th at the ir

p resence was d is tas te fu l , and t he i r task un po pu la r . I

he ar d of no re aso n for thi s feeling, except th at th e

whole m at ter was a novel ty , and t ha t th e ins t i tu t ion

of th e inq uiry had some re la t ion to rec ent ch an ge s .

Th e on ly s ign of i l lumina t ion , on th e pa r t o f th e

gene ral p ub l ic , seemed to consis t of o ne, or a t m ost

tw o , ta llow candles s tuck in th e windo w of var ious

hou ses . The re was jus t eno ug h to m ake th e resu l t

r id icu lous .

Al l the m in in g opera t ion s and m anufac tures o fOrav icza a re und er th e genera l supe r in tende nce of

a mos t in te l l igen t and popula r chief, and they seem

to advance rapidly and in a sa t isfactory way . M an y



O K A V I C Z A T O B A Z I A S C H . 15 7

of the m are carr ied on, m ore or less com pletely , by

m em bers of the rai lw ay Com pany, whose in ter es ts are

chief ly French.

Fro m Orav icza to the D an ub e , a t Baz iasch , i s a

sho r t ra i lway t r i p . Th e dis tanc e i s abo ut twenty- f ive

miles to Jass eno va, the ju nc t io n wi th th e m ai l l ine , a nd

the n nea rly f if teen miles fur th er to Ba ziasc h. T he re is

nothing to observe wi th regard to th is par t of the jour

ney : and indeed genera l ly , the So u th -E as te rn S ta te -

Rai lway of Aust r ia , which cannot have been very cost ly

in i ts execution, is singular ly wanting even in those few

po in ts th a t give inte res t to rai l road s in oth er places».'

Th ere are no im po r ta nt work s , few tow ns or even vi l

lages to be seen ne ar th e l in e, an d n ot h in g special inth e cul t ivat ion of th e co un try . Th e s ta t ions are for

the mos t par t smal l and un impor tan t , and a re o f t en

placed in very out -of - the -wa y spots , ap pa ren t ly far

f rom the towns they supp ly .

B u t the cou n t ry th ro ug h which th e r ai lway he re

passes i s a pa r t of the g reat D an ub ian pla in , and has

i t s share of that s ingular vegetable weal th that i s cha

racter ist ic of th e wh ole dis tr ict . H av in g only recen tly

come in to the possession of th e C hr is t ian Po we rs i t

par ta kes m ore of the pecul iar ly rud e an d savage s ta te

of the Tu rkish p rovinces th an oth er d is t r ic ts of H u n

ga ry , and i ts fla tness and m arsh y cha racter , wh en

un cu l t ivate d , rendered i t , a t one t ime, da ng erou s to

t r aver s e . L ike the pa r t s of the Da nu be nea r the

Blac k Sea, or the C am pag na near Ro m e, or l ike an y

other large undrained, f la t , and uncared-for d is t r ic t , i t —



158 R I C H N E S S O F T H E S O I L ,

was avoided as poison ous, and was noto r ious for its

. ' fa ta l fevers . Th e very lan ds , however , wh ich, wh en

negle cted, were so poiso nou s, y ie ld , when cul t iva ted,

th e m ost m arvel lous crops of co rn .

The soi l , a r ich black loam, untouched t i l l la te ly by

th e p lou gh , scarcely needs m ore th an sowing , and the re

• is har dly a crop tha t grows in E ur op e th a t has no t bee n

success fu l ly t r ied in th e B an a t . W he a t , maize , bar ley ,

sorgho, or sugar-grass , rye , oats , r ice , f lax , hemp, rape,

an d tobacco, have a ll bee n grow n, an d each ha s ha d,

in i t s tu rn , a success of th e m os t ex t rao rd ina ry k ind .

So r ich and permanent i s the so i l tha t manure i s never

used , and the same c rops a re g rown of f the same land

year af ter year . T he lan d capable of grow ing thesecrops was sold tow ards th e c lose of th e las t cen tur y a t

exceed ing ly modera te p r ices , and Germans , Greeks ,

T ur ks , Serv ians , W al lac h ian s , an d , i t i s sa id , m an y

Fren ch and I t a l i an adven tu re r s , t ook adva n tage of th e

op po rtu ni t y . I t is now drained , cul t ivated, and hea l thy ;

fever an d malar ia are a lmost un kno w n ; an d a ll th at w aswa nted to com plete i ts value was th e ra i l roa d, a l read y

travers ing i t , and cheap coal and i ron ready to be sup

pl ied in a very short t ime.

I t m us t no t be conc luded , th a t the whole of the

Bana t i s s i tua ted wi th in the g rea t p la ins o f the Danube

and i ts t r ibu tar ie s , or th at th e pla ins , with the ir vastwe alth of soil, are on ly rich w ith in this dist r ict . O n

th e contra ry , th e w-hole of th e cen tra l pa r t of H u n g a ry

t raversed by the The iss and i t s numerous t r ibu ta r ies i s

characterized by the same soil , while the less fert i le



T H E B A N A T . 1 5 9

t rac t to the south-ea st is a lso in the Ba na t . Th e na m e,

der ived from a former d iv is ion of th e c ou nt ry ,* bu t

only of recent appl ica t ion , inc ludes a par t of the south

eas te rn p la ins , and perhaps the r i ches t and the bes t

pa r t . I t a l so inclu des a pa r t of th e m ou nta in d is t r ic t .

In a l l th is d is t r ic t agr icul ture i s rapid ly improving,

and agr i cu l tu ra l implements a re be ing in t roduced as ,

no doub t , Messr s . Shu t t l ewor th ' s e s t ab l i shment a t Pes thcan test i fy.

* " B a n " i s a l o c a l t i t l e , c o r r e s p o n d i n g t o t h e R o m a n

Dux a n d ou r Duke. T h e Banat i s s imply the Duchy. A l lt h e H u n g a r i a n t e r r i t o r y w e s t o f t h e C a r p a t h i a n s i s s o m e

t i m e s c a l le d t h e B a n a t o r D u c h y o f T e m e s w á r , b u t t h e t e r m

i s u s u a l l y l i m i t e d i n i t s u s e t o t h a t p a r t o f t h e d i s t r i c t a b o v ed e s c r i b e d .



C H A P T E R X .

U p t h e D a n u b e . — T h e S t e a m b o a t s a n d t h e i r A c c o m m o d a t i o n .

— B a z i a s c h t o B e l g r a d a n d S e m l i n . — S e m l i n t o M o h á c s .

O F al l the r ivers of Europe the Danube is the most re

ma rk a b le , t h e mo s t imp o r t a n t , t h e mo s t i n t e r e s t in g , a n d

the mos t p ic tu re sque . I t r ece ives the la rges t nu m be r

of tr ibutaries, many of which are l i t t le inferior to f irs t-

c lass r ivers . I t r u n s th ro u g h th e b ro a d e s t p l a in s ,an d betw een th e loftiest cliffs ; i t h a s in som e pa rt s

the g rea tes t dep th , and in o the rs the mos t t roub lesome

shoa ls and rocks , an d th e mo s t se rious na tu ra l in te r

ru ptio ns of any ; i t is fed by strea m s pro ceed ing from

two of the loft ies t of the Eu rop ean m ou nta in cha ins .

T ak ing i t s r i se m ore th an a tho usa nd mi les f rom th epoint of i t s embouchure in the Black Sea , i t dra ins an

area of more than half a mill ion of square miles of

country , far exceeding, in th e len g t h o f i t s course , the

number and impor tance o f i t s t r ibu ta r ies , and the a rea

it dra ins , any of th e r ivers of E u ro p e, a nd even ex

cel l ing in a l l these respects tha t grea t Asia t ic r iver , the

G ang es . W it h i ts source less th an 3 0 0 0 feet above

th e sea, an d a le ng th of course m ore th an twice as gr ea t

as tha t of the Rhine , i t ye t pours over the p la ins

a body of water more unmanageable than tha t of the



T H E D A N U B E . 161

R hin e, whose source lies a t an elevation nea rly th re e

t imes as grea t , and whose waters have so m uch shor te r

a distance to travel .

C om bin ing so m any poin ts of geo graphica l in teres t ,

the D an ub e is no less rem ark abl e in i ts his torical re

collections, w he the r we reg ard ancie nt his to ry before

the Romans were ab le to penetra te nor th of the Alps ,

or the la te r per iod of Roman occupat ion , or the

Mediaeval period , wh en th e C rescent an d th e Cross

were s tr ug gl in g for victory in th e lan ds on i ts b an ks .

There is no branch of inquiry in which the Danube does

no t afford m uch th at is instru ctive , and i t con tains m uc h

th a t , th ou gh o ld , i s new to th e present genera t io n . I t s

na tu ra l h is to ry, i ts physical ge og rap hy , i ts c ivil a ndsocia l h is tory—all these present mat te r wel l wor th

s tu dy ing . I t s ba nk s abo un d with objec ts su i tab le for

the pencil of the artist, as well as the descriptive pen of

the tour is t , and i t is on ly surpr is ing th a t th is grea t

and noble s t ream ha s rem ained so long undes cr ibed

and has been so l i t t le vis i ted.*

* I n s p e a k i n g of t h e D a n u b e a s c o m p a r a t i v e l y u n v i s i t e d

a n d u n i l l u s t r a t e d , I m a y s e e m t o i g n o r e t h e e x i s t e n c e o f s o m e

w e l l - k n o w n a n d a d m i r a b l e w o r k s b o t h o f l i t e r a t u r e a n d a r t .

M r . P a g e t ' s b o o k , a l r e a d y q u o t e d , a n d M r . H e r i n g ' s " S k e t c h e s

a n d I l l u s t r a t i o n s , " a r e b e y o n d p r a i s e , a n d a r e a s a c c u r a t e a s

t h e y a r e b e a u t i f u l . B u t t h e r e r e m a i n s s o m u c h t o d o , a n d

i t i s s o i m p o s s i b l e f o r a s m a l l n u m b e r o f a r t i s t s o r t r a v e l l e r s

t o c o m b i n e a l l p o i n t s of i n t e r e s t , t h a t t h e o n e o r t w o b r i l l i a n t

e x c e p t i o n s r a t h e r c o n fi rm t h e n e c e s s i t y o f g o i n g c a r e f u l l y

o v e r g r o u n d s o f u l l o f i n t e r e s t , t h a n c o n t r a d i c t t h e a s s e r t i o n

i n t h e t e x t .



1 0 2 D I F F I C U L T I E S O F T R A V E L .

B u t there are good reaso ns for ev ery thin g. Ti l l a

very recent p er iod , a t r ip dow n the D an ub e involved

ext reme inconvenience and d i scomfor t , and a re turn up

th e s tream was s t i l l less de sirab le. To tra ve l by lan d

in th e vicini ty of th e river was in th e h igh es t deg ree

di sagreeable , un in te res t ing , t ed ious , and cos t ly . I n

ducement there might be to v i s i t the count ry , and ,

f rom t im e to t im e, a t ravel ler wo uld re tu rn wh o h a d

surmounted the di f f icul t ies and tas ted the reward, but

so m u c h was said of th e difficulties th a t few followed

up the subjec t .

Of la te ye ars th e case ha s b een som ew hat different ,

an d acco unts of th e imp roved s tate of th e nav igat ion

of the Lower Danube have , f rom t ime to t ime, r eached

th e t r avel l ing wor ld in E ng lan d, bu t the author ized

tour i s t s ' companion has not ye t announced tha t the

Danube i s a t ask to be per formed wi th tha t amount of

ease an d ce r tainty requ ired by t h e typical paterfamilias,

wh o can spare o nly a l imi ted t im e, an d m us t see h is

way clearly to a specified da y of r et u rn before h e ca n

make a s t a r t on h i s au tumnal t r ip .

A nd the re i s ano ther reason why th e D a n u b e h a s n o t

been done jus t i ce to , even by those wh o have m ade th e

jou r ne y and r e tu rne d hom e s afe ly . Th e D an ub e a lone ,

of the navigable r ivers accessible to t ravel lers from the

wes t , ru ns towards th e eas t . T he re i s , therefore , a

t em pta t io n to descend ra th er th an ascend i t s s t ream ;

an d th i s t en den cy has been grea t ly increased by th e

uniform advice of al l wh o hav e w ri t ten con cernin g i t .

Al l ha ve advised to descend the D an ub e to th e po in t



T H E D A N U B E S T E A M E R S . 1 6 3

of grea tes t in tere s t and re tu rn by land . I ve nt ur e to

proclaim in the face of a l l these authori t ies , that a t the

pr es en t day it is far w iser, if th e tra vel ler desire s to

und ers tan d and en joy the beau t ie s of the D anu be , to

proceed by ra i l to th e fur the s t po in t he is ab le , an d

the n ta ke to th e s tre am . H e will s t i l l have to descend

a l i t t le way by w ater to reach the f inest p ar t of th e

scenery , because th is i s be t te r th an to m ak e a lon g

jour ney th ro ug h a co un try hard ly ever v is i ted , an d

over very bad roads, but in a few years even this s ta te

of th in gs wil l be imp roved, and th e p la ins near th e

B lack Sea will be accessible by rai l . A t any ra te , i t

is to b e advised th a t a l l who desire to enjoy th e

D an ub e shou ld t rave l as far as poss ib le by land , ta k i ngadvantage of the rai lway, and then, if t ime al lows,

m ake a fur the r pas sag e down stream by th e f irst

s teamer tha t approaches before ascending to see the

river as i t o u gh t to be seen . I t wil l soon be found

tha t the Danube is a r iver worth v is i t ing .

Th e fact is , th a t t he Low er D an ub e s team ers a renow the la rges t , the bes t -ap po in ted , the mo s t com

fortable , an d in al l res pects t h e bes t ad ap ted for th e

tou r is t of a l l r iver-boats in E ur op e . Th ey are ex

t remely roomy and very powerfu l , very wel l appoin ted ,

clean, with an excellent cuisine and good a t tendance , and

th er e is a cer ta in ty of ob ta in ing o n board very fa ir

win es an d excellent coffee. T he y are con stru cte d so m e

th ing l ike the grea t American r iver and lake s teamers .

A lar ge saloon on th e after deck , leaving only a

covered ga l le ry be tween i t an d th e bu lw ark s , i s beau -



1 0 4 N A T U R E O F T H E A C C O M M O D A T I O N .

t i fu l ly furnished, and serves for meals and lounging.

The whole of the roof of this saloon deck, and a con

siderable space beyond, is covered with an awning, and

affords a del ightful promenade, provided with seats .

Th is i s the usua l resor t o f th e com pany. Severa l sm al l

cab ins , wi th good s leep ing accommodat ion , a re p ro

vided, but for these an extra payment is required, and

the usual s leeping-place for gent lemen is below thesaloon, where wide and comfortable ber ths are pro

vided, and where there are a lso numerous sofas of

smaller br ea dt h. T he ladies ' sa loon I d id no t see .

Excep t du r in g the t im e of the grea t fai rs a t Pes th ,

an d on oth er occasions of un us u al reso r t , wh ich are

well kn ow n and should be avoided, the re is no crow dingon these boa ts , a l th ou gh they a re to le rab ly supp l ied

w ith pas sen ger s f rom sta t ion to s ta t ion . T he fares are

low, and the tariff of prices for food and wine moderate.

There is a good table d'hote at one o 'c lock, but no one

is pestere d to jo in i t , an d, indeed, a large pr op or t io n

of the passengers feed à-la-carte, as is the customgene ra l ly th ro ug ho u t the Au s t r i an dom in ions . Th e

waiters are a l l German.

One point only I would direct a t tent ion to in re

f erence to pe r sona l com for t s on bo a rd the D an ub e

bo ats . Th ere is a tab le in t h e s leep ing saloon, su p

p l ied wi th bas ins and water fo r wash ing , bu t the subseq uen t p rocess of d ry in g is left to the r eso urc es of

th e t r ave ll e r . N o t ha v in g t ak en a towe l w i th m e , an d

no t kn ow ing th e cus tom beforehan d , I was ra th er sur

pr i sed a fte r wa sh ing m y ha nd s an d ask ing for th is con -





166 E C O N O M I C A L T R A V E L L I N G .

and Turk i sh towns ; Be lgrad and Seml in r ep lace Ehren

brei t s te in and Coblenz ; and th e m oun tain t rac ts near

Pe s th , and be tween Pes th an d G ran , a re n o t inferior to

th e S iebenge b i rge . Be tween these , however , a re a hu n

dred other p oin ts of in te res t . Th ere are wi ld , noble

forests , somet imes seen in the d is tance, somet imes a p

proach ing the wate r ' s edge ; g igan t i c , we l l -wooded

i s lands , a fine un du la t i ng cou nt ry , an d d i s t an t b lue

m ou nta ins ; and a l l is on a large scale , prop or t ioned to

t h e b r e a d t h of the r iver , the volume of the water , and

the extent of t he coun t r y .

Al l tha t has been said above applies to the Lower

Danube be t ween V i e n n a and the del ta of the r iver ,

whence there is a sho rt rai l road to the sho res of the* Black Sea. Th is vast distan ce is m oun t ed aga i n s t t he

stre am in four day s an d a half f rom Ga latz to P es th ,

and in abo ut tw en ty ho urs m ore to V ienna, the whole

fare f rom Galatz being something less than f ive pounds

ster l in g . A s team er a lso ascends th e D an ub e dai ly

f rom V ienn a to L inz , b u t th e service i s con du cted on

a different p r incip le, an d th e bo ats a re of necessi ty

much smal ler .*

Assuming tha t the t r ave l l e r feels some interes t in the

* B e s i d e s t h e D a n u b e s t e a m e r s , t h e r e i s e x c e l l e n t a c c o m

m o d a t i o n f or p a s s e n g e r s o n b o a r d t h e p o w e r f u l s t e a m e r s

n a v i g a t i n g t h e T h e i s s a n d S a v e r i v e r s , s t a r t i n g f r o m S e m l i n

and r e t u r n i n g t h i t h e r . T h e s e , h o w e v e r , o n l y p a s s up t h e

river so l o n g a s i t r u n s t h r o u g h t h e g r e a t p l a i n s , a n d t h e r e

are no i n d u c e m e n t s f or t h e t r a v e l l e r t o a v a i l h i m s e l f o f t h e m ,

except w h e n c i r c u m s t a n c e s r e q u i r e t h a t he s h o u l d p r o c e e d

f r o m one p o i n t t o a n o t h e r n o t y e t r e a c h e d b y t h e r a il w a y -



N A R R O W P A S S O F T H E D A N U B E , 167

Danube and real ly des i res to know of what i t s beaut ies

cons is t , I must then advise him s t rongly to proceed by

rai l from V ienn a to Baziasch, an d the nce descen d to W id -

din , the l a rges t Tu rki s h town on th e r iver. W idd in is

a s t ron g for tress in B ulg ar ia . N ot h av ing v i s it ed i t ,

I can say n o th in g as to it s capab i l i ties , b u t i t wo uld

be advisable so to t im e th e ar r iva l th a t the re should

be as l i t t le interval as poss ible before the depar ture of

a s t eamer upwards . \ From this point as far as Orsova,

an d so to th e s ta t ion of D renk ov a, th e D an ub e ru ns

th ro u gh a nar row defile in th e C arp ath ian s . Th ese

m ou nta ins are here bro ken thr ou gh by a c left of severa l

tho us an d fee t, pe rha ps one of th e mos t r em ark ab le

na tu r a l phen om ena to be s een and s tud i ed i n E ur op e .

Th e ascen t of the rap ids an d th e passa ge of this p ar t

of th e r iver m ay now be acco m plished w itho ut diff icul ty,

b u t a few yea rs ag o the' de scen t ev en in sma ll bo ats was

considered a grea t feat , an d th e us ua l m etho d of p ass in g

from Orsova to Dre nko va w as by a road co ns t ru c ted

recent ly at great cos t .

T he cliffs of th e D an u be at th e n arro w est p ar t are

upwards of 2000 feet above the level of the r iver , and

th e water is sa id to be of eno rm ou s de pt h . Th e w idth

of t h e s t ream i s on ly 11 6 ya r d s . R em ains , o r r a th e r

indica t ions , of a s ingu lar ove rha ng ing road con s t ruc ted

by th e R om an s along one cliff s ti ll rem ain , an d provehow careful ly th at people m ad e provision for ev ery

al t e rna t ive . Above D renk ov a is Baziasch , th e pre sen t

t e rm inu s of t he S ou th -E as t e rn Au s t r ian Ra i lway , and

al th ou gh th er e i s no vi llage and scarcely room for two



1 0 8 U P T H E D A N U B E P R O M B A Z I A S C H .

houses, the appearance of the hotel is very sat isfactory.

Th ere is also at th e rai lway stat ion an excel lent re

s ta ura nt , so th at the pa sseng ers who come by ra i l to

embark at this point are l ikely to be well taken care of

dur ing the t ime they may be deta ined before the ar r ival

of the s teamer .

I went on board a t th is s ta t ion and there commenced

m y ascent of the D an ub e, leaving th e gra nd scenery

below for an oth er occasion. T he cou ntry is at f irsth i l ly , wi th d is tant views of the mounta ins , and the

ba nk s a re no t m uch cu l t iva ted . Th ere i s f r equen t

ch ang e in th is la t ter re spe ct , cu l t iva ted l an d s

and uncu l t iva ted wooded t rac t s a l t e rn a t ing wi th each

o t h e r . T h e H u n g a r i a n , o r left b an k, is ge ner al ly

more cul t ivated than the Servian , or r igh t bank , o f thes t r eam . T h e Servian side is, however , the more pic

t u r e s q u e

The pla in of the Danube g radua l ly widens as we

adv anc e, an d af ter pass ing one or two sm all for ts , one

of them da t ing f rom the t ime o f the Romans , we ap

proach the mouth of the Temes, the first and smal l es t

of the two great r ivers tha t pour in to the Danube, af ter

accu m u l a t i n g t h e dra inage of the western s lopes of the

Ca r p a t h i an s . T h e T em es is af in e s t r eam. I t runs r ap id ly

through the p la ins for a long d is tance , but i t s course

i s w ind ing and s low tow ards th e m ou th . The cur ren t

has of la te years been quickened by the cut t ing of f

of some of the bends by a cana l which en te r s nearTem eswár . I t passes th ro ug h a very r ich count ry now

crossed by the ra i l road, and Temeswár itself, which has



B E L G R A D . 1 6 9

lon g been kn ow n as a plea sin g, c lean, an d f lourishing

town, has a l ready, s ince the comple t ion of the ra i lway,

g rea t ly inc reased in popu la t ion and impor tance .

Not fa r f rom the mouth of the Temes , the Save , a

f ir s t-c la ss t r ib u ta ry o f th e D an ub e , p ours it s wa te rs

in to th e g rea te r s t ream and sepa ra te s the anc ien t and

im po r tan t tow ns of Be lg rad an d Sem l in . Be lg rad i s

s t i ll T ur ki sh . Sem lin , an d a ll th e res t of th e co un try

hig he r up on th e le ft b an k of the Save , a l t ho ug h s t i ll

Se rv ian , be long s to H un ga ry . T he Save i s nav igab le ,

an d a s team -boa t ascend s an d descen ds i t regula r ly

for some d is tance . T he appeara nce of Be lgrad is ex

t remely p ic turesque , the for t ress be ing bui l t on a

to ng ue of h ig h and bo ld land be tween the two r ive rs ,

and the to w n, w i th i t s m ina re t s an d mu d hovels , ex

tending round and beyond the foot of the h i l l .

The re a re th r ee pa r t s o f B e lg rad — the Se rv ian

and the Jewish be in g d i s t inc t f rom th e Tu rk is h , bu t

each is , if poss ib le , m ore f i lthy tha n th e o the r . T he

pop ula t ion is la rg e and un se t t led , an d s ince m y v isi t

the Serv ian town has been bombarded f rom the for t ress .I t i s no t easy to see w hat pu rpo se is to be a t ta ine d

by th i s des t ruc t io n of pr iv a te pro pe r ty , an d by the

sacrif ice of l ives of innocent persons l ikely to ensue.

T he fort ress is cons idered to be very s t ro n g, bo th

natura l ly and ar t i f ic ia l ly , bu t i t has been neglec ted , and

w ould pro ba bly fall a t a f irs t a t t ac k by re gu lar tro op s,un less , indeed , the s ingu la r pe r t inac i ty o f the Turks

sho u ld indu ce them to de fend i t to th e de a t h . Th e

town is a lways dull , and there is l i t t le traff ic , a l though

I



17 0 V I E W S O F B E L G R A D .

a s team er crosses a t in terva ls f rom Sem lin , an d th u s

br ing s the peop le in to com m unica t ion wi th those of

W es t e rn E ur op e . B e lg ra d i s one of those f ron tie r

tow ns a l te r na te ly in th e possess ion of th e C hr is t ian

and the Tu rk , an d p a r t ak ing o f the pecu l ia r i t i e s o f

bo th . T her e is m uc h th a t i s in te res t ing in i t , an d i t i s

well worthy of a vis i t .

Th e o r ien ta l cha rac te r wh ich d i s t ingu ished Be lg rad

th ir t y years ago is now ent i re ly gon e : th e ca th edra l

ou t - tops t he m ina re t s ; th e open b azaa rs have been

conv er ted in to shops w i th g lazed f ronts ; th e house s

have grown from low, one-f loored bui ld ings , wi th dead

wal ls an d f la t roofs , in to co ns tru c t io ns in G erm an

s ty le , several s toreys h i gh , w i th window s tow ards the

s t r e e t s .

T he re is s t i l l , how ever, a l ine of de m arc atio n betw een

C hr i s t i an i ty and I s lam ism . On one s ide of th e g re a t

squ are a re houses wi th w hi te wa l ls an d b r ig h t -g reen

w indo w -shu t te r s ; on th e o the r s ide a mosq ue , w i th

avails cru m b lin g to t h e du st , an d tre es and low roofs

b e h in d , s u g g e s t in g th o u g h t s of Co n s t a n t in o p le o r

Ca i ro .

T he v iews of B e lg rad a re emi ne n t ly pan oram ic .

To the west i s th e Save , w in di ng a lon g as i t em erges

from forests . T he sho re on th e Se rvian side is ab ru pt

and p ic tu resque ; bu t on th e H un ga r ian s ide f la t.Tow ards th e nor th -w es t a low m oun ta in t ra c t sepa

ra tes t he Save and th e D rav e va l leys , an d the sp ires

of Sem lin are seen a t no g rea t d is tan ce on the opposi te

s h o re .



S E M L I N . 171

The Tu rk i sh pop u la t ion of Be lg rad has sun k in topover ty , an d th e pr inc ipa l people a re now th e Serv ian

m e r c h a n t s .

Sem lin is only sepa rated f rom B elg ra d by th e Save,

b u t th a t r iver is wide a t i t s m ou th , an d two miles of

w ater m us t be crossed before th e opposi te tow n is

rea ch ed . Sem lin is now a c lean, wT

ell-buil t town,

m odern , a lmos t en t ir e ly H un ga r i a n , and w i th ve ry

l i t t l e appearance of German in te rmix ture in the names

of s t ree t s , pub l ic an no un ce m en ts , o r the nam es of pe r

sons an d places . Th e town is to lerably larg e an d no t

ba dly paved , and as in th e m os t recen t pub l i shed

acc ou nts of th e p lace m en t ion is express ly m ad e

of i ts miserable condi t ion in these respects , there is no

doub t i t mus t have unde rgone g rea t and r ap id improve

m en t of la te ye ars . T he re are coffee-houses and places

of en te r ta in m en t in th e pr inc ipa l s t ree t , an d severa l

m od ern chu rches an d pub l ic bu i ld in gs . As I d id no t

s tay m ore th an a few h ou rs , I ha d no occasion to t ry

th e q ual i t ies of the ho te l , b u t there could be l i t t le do ub t

tha t good qua r t e r s wou ld be found the re .

The lef t bank of the Danube opposi te Semlin is f la t

and swam py, and ind ica t ion s of th e m ou th of th e

Th eiss soon app ear . T his gr ea t r iver , w hich , wi th

i t s num erou s t r ibu ta r ie s , d ra in s th e whole of the

co un t ry to the no r thea s t an d eas t , a s far as th e

C arp a th i a n m oun ta ins in bo th d i r ec t ions , i s, i n man y

respec t s , t he mos t i n t e re s t ing and impor t an t o f a l l

th e feeders of the D an ub e . T he ag r icu l tu ra l va lue

of th e pl ai ns i t crosses is g rea t alm ost be yo nd calcula-

I 2



17 2 T H E R I V E R T H E I S S .

t io n . I t passes th e h i l ls of T oka y, wh ence come th e

r iches t and most-va lued wines grown in the world .

M an y of i t s t r ibu ta r ie s pass th r ou gh go ld -be a r ing rocks ,

an d i ts san ds are th u s aurifero us. I t is po pu lar ly said

to conta in m ore f ish th an wa ter , and am on g th e fish

are the finest variet ies of th e s tu rgeo n ob ta ined for

th e tab le . I n i t s bed are bu r ied some of the most

in teres t ing foss i l bones found in Europe , and in quan

t i ty these are scarcely equalled in any known locali ty .

T he r iver va lley leads up to the mo st p ic tu resq ue a nd

in te res t ing d i s t r i c t s of H un ga ry . I t s wa te rs a re

navigable by s team-boa ts for a long d is tance , and th re e

ra i l roads a l ready shoot the i r i ron arms up i ts var ious

bran ches . Pas s ing th ro ug h a ve ry la rge t rac t of nea r lylevel land ne ar th e D an ub e , i t s s t rea m becom es com

para t ive ly s lug gish , b u t i t b r i ng s down a la rge b ody

of wa ter , an d, w hen f looded, covers an alm ost bo un d

less expanse.

F rom the The is s to Pe te rwarde in the re i s no t m uc h

of in teres t , and what there w as I was unable to see, asthe n ig h t had c losed in . At Pe te rw arde in we s topped

t i l l ear ly morning . N eus a tz is exac t ly opposi te , an d

is a m odern and la rge tow n, ch iefly G erm an. I t com

munica tes wi th Pe te rwarde in by a bridge of b o a t s .

Th e re are some cur ious ear thw ork s near , a t t r i bu ted to

th e Ro m a n s , a n d enc losin g, w ith th e forks of th e r ive r ,

a t r iangular a rea of cons iderable size, n o doubt used as

a fortified ca m p. O ne of th e bes t of th e H un ga ri an

wines , th a t ca lled " Sc hi l le r ," i s m ade nea r he re , on

th e r ight bank of the Danube , which is h i l ly and p ic-



T H E S A V E A N D D R A V E . 1 7 3

turesqu e , and s t r on gly con t ras t s wi th the low f la texpanse on the opposi te s ide .

Th e whole of th e cou nt ry be tween th e Save and the

D an ub e , fo r up w ard s of a hu nd re d m i les , i s a nar row

st r ip , the two r ivers running near ly para l le l , bo th

com ing f rom th e w es t . T h e land is h ig h , an d th e

hi l ls r ise ne ar th e r iver on th e so uth s ide , wh i leoppo si te are the pla ins , r ich bu t f la t. After m ee t ing th e

D rav e , th e D an ub e m ake s a tu rn , and the d i rec tion of

i ts course is ne ar ly du e eas t for a lon g dis tan ce.

M o u n t i n g the r iver , therefo re , we proce ed first west

wa rds para lle l to t he Save , and the n no r thw ard ; b u t

as th e S ave con t inue s wi th i t s fo rmer d i rec t ion , th e

r ivers th en sepa rate . Sh ort ly af ter th i s separat ion , and

nea r t he be nd o f t he D an ub e , t he Drave comes in ,

ru n n in g para l le l to th e Save , an d a t no grea t d i s tance

from i t . B ot h th e Save an d D rav e tak e th ei r r ise in

th e we s t e rn ex t r em i ty o f t he A us t r i a n A lps , be tween

Vienna and Tr ies te , and have made a long course

thro ug h varied and in te res t in g , b u t very l i t t l e v i s ited ,

coun t ry be fo re the i r wa te r s en te r t he Danube .

Pas t the mouth of the Drave , commences the grea t

expanse of t e r t i a ry rock of th e D an ub ian p la ins , an d

th e mod e in which these p la ins a re wate red and pe ne

t ra ted in every direct ion by large navigable s t reams, is

su ch as to ens ure their be ing , one day or ot he r , va lued

as the y ou gh t to be . Th e co un t ry is fo r th e m os t p ar t

f la t ne ar th e r iver , b u t r ises in sm al l un du la t io ns a t a

l i t t le d is tan ce f rom i t . O ccasional ly th er e are hi l ls

o f s o m e m a g n i t u d e .



174 T H E P L A I N S O P T H E D A N U B E .

I t i s by no means the case that th is t ract i s wi thout

in te res t o r na tura l beauty , nor a re the p la ins t i r esomesw am ps, as on e wo uld supp ose from th e efforts some

travel lers seem to m ak e to pass th em as rap idly as

poss ib le w i tho ut no t ice . O n th e con t ra ry , th er e a re

m an y pre t ty va ll eys am on g th e h i l l s , occas iona l ru in s

of robber or Mediaeval cast les , very picturesque vi l lages,

and m uch cu l tiva ted l an d . Vine s c lo the the h i l l s ,when these are s teep and have a good aspect ; s t reams

ru n along th e val leys , or are seen on the hi l l - s ide s ,

an d a po pu lat ion is a lways indicated if no t a lw ays

seen.

M os t of th is beaut iful and hom ely scenery of the

Danube i s on the r igh t bank , and on th i s s ide a re seenoccasionally t h e c ou nt ry residen ces of th e richer pr o

p r i e to r s .

T he D rav e, l ike so m any of th e t r ibu tar ies of th e

D an ub e , i s nav iga ted by s team -boats , and is r a p id ly

becom ing opened . The l ands t h r ou gh w h ich i t pas s es

are r ich, bu t are no t yet so avai lable as th ey o u g h t

to be.

F r om the mou th o f t he D r ave as far a s Mohács

the coun t r y i s somewhat l es s in te res t ing , bu t i s no

where a l to ge the r f la t. B ot h sides of the r iver are

Hungar ian , bu t the r igh t bank remains the mos t

h i l ly an d varied , an d nea r M oh ác s th e h i l l s becom e

m ore d i s t inc t . Th ere i s here a som ewh at im po r tan ta l t e ra t ion in the geologica l condi t ions , which resu l t s

in im pro vin g the pictu resq ue features of th e right

ba nk of th e D an ub e , and ren de r ing ava i lab le an im -



P U N C T U A L I T Y O F T H E S T E A M E R S . 17 5

po rta nt dep osit of coal , w hich w il l be al lud ed to in

the nex t chapte r .

U p th e D an ub e , from Baz iasch to M oh ács , was a

t r i p th at occupied f rom sho r t ly af ter noo n on one day

to about seven o 'c lock in the evening of the next day

bu t one . Th e po in t s of i n t e r e s t t h r ou gh ou t t he who le

t r ip were f requent , an d I m et wi th no draw back s

whatever . Th e boa t s topped a t m an y s ta t ions , som etimes for several hours, sometimes only for a few

m inu tes , b u t w henever and wherever i t s topped the

same regu la r i ty and pu nc tua l i ty were observable . I

several t imes inquired the probable t ime of ar r ival a t

di fferent s ta t ions , an d found I could de pen d perfect ly

on th e acco unts g iven . T he t im es of de pa r tur e w ereabso lute ly f ixed. W h e n i t i s considered th at th e

passage of the s teamer f rom Galatz to Pesth occupies

several days , and involves a mul t i tude of s toppages

an d th e t ran sfer of m uc h f re ight , as well as of m an y -

passen gers , i t wi l l be seen th a t s team-b oa t nav iga t ion

on the D an ub e has a l ready a t ta ine d a h i gh p i tch of per fection. N o one ind eed nee d fear th e sm allest diff iculty

or i r regular i ty , and, as far as I could learn , accidents

and in te r rup t ion s a re as l i t t l e kn ow n as on o the r

r ivers . Th e passeng ers f requ ent ing the s team-bo a ts a re

no doubt of various classes, but I saw no symptom of

any d i sagreeab le admixture , everyone be ing qu ie t andwel l cond uc ted . Sm ok ing of course th er e was in

ab un da nc e , and everywhere ; bu t of an o th er d i s

agreea b le ha b i t too often acco m pan ying sm okin g ,

an d sa id once to have disgraced H u n g a ry , I confess



17 6 I M P R O V E D H A B I T S O F T H E P E O P L E .

I not iced very l i t t l e . I t has pro ba bly been corrected

owing to the energe t ic rem ons t ran ces o f th e pa t r io t ic

nob lem an who a t tacked i t in the publ ic p r i n ts m an y

ye ars ag o. If so, i t is a pro of how m u ch be tte r i t is

to confess and poin t ou t a weak ness or bad hab i t th an

to deny i t or pre tend to be bl ind to i ts exis tence.



C H A P T E R X I .

M o h á c s . — T h e R a i l r o a d t o F ü n f k i r c h e n . — T h e T o w n , C h u r c h e s ,a n d I n n s o f F ü n f k i r c h e n . — T h e C o al -f ie ld a d j a c e n t .

ALTHOUGH th e tow n is ne i the r l a rge no r c lean , an d

is ce r ta in ly very un in t e re s t in g , th e ne igh bo urho od of

M oh ács has w itnessed two of t h e m os t im po r t an t an d

significant ba t t les ever foug ht in E ur op e. T h e fi rs t

of the se , fough t abo ut th ree centur ie s ago , la id open t h e

Western world to the inroads of the Turks , was the cause

of cha ng ing the dyn as ty o f H un ga ry and in t rodu c ing

a Germ an pr ince to the th r on e of th a t cou nt ry , and

separa ted Transy lvan ia from H u n g ar y . A k in g , seven

bishop s , 5 00 nobles , an d 20 ,0 0 0 so ld ie rs a re sa id to have

fallen, an d a l th ou gh pro bab ly a large pro po r t ion of the

la t te r may have more f i t ly ranked as miss ing than

fallen, s t i ll th e m assacre was gre at . A ce ntu ry an d a

half afterwards the same spot was the scene of the last

of a series of victories over the Turks, and this second

bat t le prepared the way for the expuls ion of the Turks

from Eu ro pe . Su ch is th e inform at ion der ived f romb o o k s r e g a r d i n g M o h á c s .

A town so r i fe wi th his tor ical recol lect ions ought ,

one would th ink , to p resen t some appearance or

chara c te r i s t i c to d i s t ing uish i t f rom o t he rs , and i t

I 3



178 M O H Á C S .

rather takes away from the romance of travel to f ind,

where we expect a memoria l of former events , howeverr u d e , tha t th ere is ha rdly a bu i ld ing half a cen tury o ld ,

and not a s ingle objec t of an t iqu ar ia n in te res t . I t i s

only as a specimen of a second or th i rd ra te Hungar ian

town on the D an ub e , tha t M ohács i s now wo r th a l

l u d i n g t o .

I have seen the town both in f ine and wet weather—an d will endeavo ur to com m un icat e to the reader m y

hon est im press io ns con cern ing i t . I t i s cer ta in ly as

miserable a specimen of a town as can well be imagined.

On the a l luvia l p la ins of the Danube, which appear to

s t re tch out a t th is poin t in to inf in i ty , though rea l ly by

n o me a n s extensive, a few deta che d ho uses , of smal lsize an d very low, are seen do tted abo ut ap pa ren tly

w ithou t orde r . T he in tervals be tween these houses are

wide spaces with deep ru ts th ick with impalpable dust

in d ry we ather , an d im m edia te ly af ter or du r in g ra in

impassable by s lush and by a pecul iar m u d , which soon

works in to a th ick , s l imy, s l ippery pas te , only hardening

to become once more an imp alpable du st . Vast p i les

of b lack powder grea t ly res em blin g soot g ree t the

vis i tor on landing, and the small rai lway station is

the only bu i ld i ng very ne ar . I confess th a t w hen to ld

the re was no d epa r tu re by ra i l t il l nex t m orn ing m y

courage somewhat fai led me, and I looked forward to a

s leepless n ight in company with a numerous assemblageof very lively fleas.

Fo r tu na te ly , I was agreeably d isap poin ted . A l i t t le

Hungar ian woman, wi th wonderfu l ly sharp , ac t ive f in-



C O M F O R T A B L E I N N . 179

gers , seized a t once on my baggage and could hardly be

indu ced to p ar t wi th i t on any te rm s. A t las t , I

succeeded in ob ta in ing a compromise , my heavie r im

pedimenta bei ng lodged a t the ra ilway s ta t io n for th e

n ig h t , w hile I was w alked off in c ha rg e of m y activ e

l i t t l e f r i end , who t r i umphan t ly swung the r ema in ing

ba g over he r sho uld ers . She soon con duc ted m e to a

low one-s tor ied bu i ld ing of very humble pre tens ions . Atthis p lace , however , I was kindly greeted, a c lean neat

bedroom was given me, and in due t ime as excel lent a

cu tle t an d as goo d w ine as if I h a d be en in a first-rate

ho te l in V ien na . I passed a very pleasan t twelve ho urs

in Mohács , and sha l l no t cease to th ink of i t wi th

satisfaction as far as creature comforts are concerned.

Th e nex t m or n in g I was up ear ly , and m ade my way

to th e s ta t ion lon g before th e de pa r tu re of th e t ra in .

On my way back to the Danube, af ter v is i t ing Fünf

ki r ch en , I was forced to re tu rn to M oh ács , an d was

deta ined several hours unt i l the arr ival of the s teamer ,

so that I had ample t ime to discover al l the objects ofin ter es t in th e pla ce. A s on m y first visi t I was

choked and bl ind ed w ith dus t , so on m y second I ha d

to work m y way th ro ug h th e s l imy m ud , s l ipp ing a t

every s tep. Ev en th e sho r t d is tance f rom th e ra i lway

to the s team-boa t s ta t ions was a lmos t unmanageable

in th e la t te r case , b u t th e gro un d rap idly dr ied an denabled me to complete my exper iences .

Dur ing the whole t ime of my descen t o f the Danube ,

th e w eath er had been pecul iar . F or some weeks before ,

there ha d been no ra in , and the chan ge th a t had com-



180 S T O R M S I N T H E V A L L E Y O F T H E D A N U B E .

menced was at that t ime only affecting the valley of the

D an ub e , w i tho ut reach ing th e co un t ry fifty o r s ix tymi les from i t s ba nk s . Th e dry weather b roke up by a

series of th un de r s to rm s , accompanied by a lmost t rop ica l

ra in , which for severa l days tog e th er com men ced abo ut

four o 'c lock in the af ternoon, and las ted t i l l about nine

i n t h e e v e n i n g . D u r i n g t h i s t i m e t h e l i g h t n i n g w a s

rem arka bly v iv id an d f requen t , t he th un de r loud an dnea r , and t h e ra in sufficient to dr ive ev ery thi ng an d

everybody un de r wh at she l te r the y could find. La te

in the evening , and a f te r the s to rm had c leared away,

the n i gh ts were very br ig h t an d beaut i fu l . T he wea ther

had been , and co nt in ue d, very w arm for th e t im e of

year . W h a t s t ruck me m ost wi th regard to theses to rm s was the i r a lm os t exac t pu nc tu a l i ty , and the

nu m be r o f days the y con t inued . I have no t i ced th e

same fac t fo r many days toge ther in the West Ind ies ,

b u t not in th a t case in a r iver val ley. Th e s to rm s in

th e D an ub e seemed to pass up and down the va l ley ,

no t ex tending fa r on e i ther s ide .

Th e re a re no t ru e s t r ee t s in M oh ács . Som e of the

hou ses , each in i ts gard en , seem ind eed to have be en

buil t with an idea that another s imilar house in a s imilar

garden was not far off ; but i t is ra ther the except ion

than the rule for the doors of adjacent houses to open

tow ards t he same direc t ion, an d n o s or t of order hasbee n observed by the bu i ld er as to th e posi t ion of the

house, i ts d imensions, or the s tyle of i ts construct ion.

I saw, in making a tour th rough what mus t be ca l led

i t s s t ree ts , no app earan ce of shops of any k in d . Tw o



F E R R Y A C R O S S T H E D A N U B E . 1 8 1

or th ree chi ld ren , an d I th in k two w om en, were id ly

hanging about , but no o ther s ign of l i fe was v is ib le ,

not even a p i g , a d o g , a fowl, or a d u c k s h o win g

itself.

I t migh t appear tha t th i s s ingu la r co l l ec t ion o f

houses cou ld ha rd ly be long to a p lace wh ere bus ine ss

of any sor t i s t ransac ted , but such an impress ion

would no t be cor rec t . A ve ry cons ide rab le am ou nt o f

good s of var ious k i nd s are lan ded he re f rom th e

s team ers , an d conveyed up the cou n t ry to Fü nfk i rc he n ,

an d far be yo nd . N o t only i s i t a s team-boa t and ra i l

wa y sta t ion , b u t as a s hip pin g place for coals i t is

beyond compar i son the mos t impor tan t s t a t ion on the

D an u be . Th ere is a f e rry ac ross the D an ub e , whichseems to be in incessant reques t , the boat be ing covered

each t ime of c ross ing wi th as many loaded car ts , beas ts ,

and hu m an be ings , a s i t can ca r ry , a nd re tu r n in g

w ithou t de lay af te r each t r ip . T he t r ip s succeed each

o the r incessan t ly f rom ea r ly morn ing to sunse t , bu t no

vi l lage or town, or even habi ta t ion , i s seen on the o thers ide . A nu m ero us , if no t ac tive and bu s t l ing popu la

t ion , may genera l ly be seen on the bank of the r iver ,

and , no dou bt , these are t he people , w ho, a t n i gh t or

in bad weather , occupy the houses of the town.

The chief indus t ry of Mohács i s connected wi th the

ra i lway to Fü nfk i rch en and the sh ip m en t of the coa lb r ou gh t down from the m ines . T he g re a te r pa r t of

th is coal be lo ngs to , and is req uire d for th e use

of the s t eam ers of th e D an ub e S tea m N aviga t ion

C om pa ny . T he res t i s so ld to o th er s team ers , or i s





V I L L A N Y . 183

again , as if the who le t ransfe r w ere be ing con du cted

by mach ine ry .

T he ra i lway to F ün fk i rc h en c rosses th e a l luv ia l

p la ins of the D an ub e a t r ig h t ang les , and i t i s soon

evident that this plain is not here so level as one at f irst

ima gines . I t un du la te s , an d before long r i ses con

s iderably , as i s seen by th e ra i lwa y cu t t in gs . T he re

i s , how ever , good geological reason for th is , an d th e

cause i s recognized on app roa ch ing th e s ta t ion of

V i l lány , where a ha rd qua r tzy or sand s tone rock

rises l ike a wall ou t of th e ea rth , t i l l th en covered

entirely of tert iary and al luvial rock.

V il lány is an in t ere s t in g local i ty . O n th e s lopes of

the hi l l i s grown a wel l -known and excel lent red wine,

and a l l around the cul t ivat ion is h igh, and the scenery

pic ture sq ue . T he f la t app earan ce of th e pla ins is ent i re ly

gone , and f rom th i s po in t onwards the count ry i s p re t ty ,

an d th e ou t l ine var ied . T he d i s tance of V i l lány f rom

the D an ub e m us t be abou t twen ty mi l e s . Th e re

seemed a good deal of mo ve m ent a t th e s ta t ion , and

many houses and smal l v i l lages are near , in addi t ion to

th e town itself. There is no want of passengers on these

ra i lways, and even th e smal les t and m ost out-o f- the-

way s ta t ions gen eral ly show some act iv i ty . O ne often

wonders where the people come from, when on pass ing

by r a il t h rou gh a coun t ry appa ren t ly w i thou t hab i t a t i o n s , the t ra in s tops a t a smal l roadside s ta t ion to take

u p an d se t down pas sen gers . I t i s , how ever , a fact th at

wherever ra i lway communica t ion i s opened , passengers

and goods wi l l soon come to take advantage of i t .



184 R E D - D O M E D C H U R C H E S .

I no t iced a t th e V il lány s ta t ion indic a t ion s of th e

im po r tanc e o f th e d i s t r ic t for th e g ro w th o f wine , a

nu m b er of casks ly ing read y to be carr ied down toMohács fo r sh ipment , pe rhaps to Pes th o r Vienna , o r to

so me o th e r p la c e of l a rg e c o n su m p t io n . Ev e n E n g la n d

is now receiv ing supp l ies from th is qu ar ter , and if the

wines a re kep t long enough before d r ink ing the re can b e

no do ub t th a t the y will p lease th e tas te of tho se who

know an d apprec ia te pu r i ty o f f lavour. W i th ou t a g e ,however , none of th e H un ga r ia n wines a re ag reeab le ,

and i t is to be feared they may receive a bad n a m e , if

forced on the market in a young s ta te , and tas ted with

o u t k n o wle d g e of the ir pecu l ia r p roper t ie s .

Beyond Vi l lány the coun t ry i s h i l ly , and the v i l l ages

a re la rge r and more f requen ted than near t h e D a n u b e .I not iced he re , for th e f irst t i m e, th ou gh i t i s no t

pecu l ia r to the d is t r ic t , a s in g u la r c o n s t ru c t io n of the

churches , de r ived , pe rhaps , f rom the t ime when Turk ish

tas te p reva iled in the co un t ry . Ins tea d of co ns is t in g

of a nave and choir— with t ransep ts and a i s les a s a d

d i t iona l members of the b u i ld in g , wh e n any th ing more ,imp o r t a n t t h a n th e s imp le p a r i sh c h u r c h i s r e q u i r e d —

we have he re only a squ are bu i ld in g of cons iderable

size, an d a sho r t choir be yo nd . O ver th e whole of th e

square , excep t the ang les , r ises a h u g e semicircular

dom e, which is ge nera l ly pa in ted of th e deepest and

br ig h te s t red , whi le f rom the r e m a i n i n g p a r t rises a

smal l c lock- tower , square to some he igh t , and te rmi

nat ing with a f la t tened sphere and smal l sp ire .

T h e dis tance f rom Mohács to Üszög, the las t s ta t ion



E N T R A N C E T O F U N F K I R C H E N . 185

on th e ra i l , is ab ou t th ir ty m iles , an d th e s ta t io n i tse lf is

abou t th ree m i les f rom th e tow n of Fü nf k i r ch en . T he

ra i lway , wh ich is chiefly a m inera l l ine , ru ns on in to

th e coal-field, wh ich is d ist an t a few m iles to th e n o r th

eas t, am on g h i l l s of som ewh at g re a te r e leva tion th a n

those nea r th e tow n. I t is l ike ly to be continu ed w est

wa rds , an d wil l, a t K an isa , fal l in to th e main line a lread y

cons t ruc ted be tween Pes th and Tr ie s te , pa s s ing the

Pl a t ten See . Th e coun try th a t will have to be t raversed

i s wi ld , and a t p re sen t no t much inhab i t ed ; bu t the

opening thus made cannot fa i l to be of g rea t impor

tan ce , an d wi l l enab le the Fün fk i rch en coal to reach

th e Ad r ia t i c , and compe te w i th tha t now b ro ug h t a t

g re a t cos t f rom En gl an d . I t is und ers too d th a t in i t s

who le cou rse the r ive r Drave runs th rough r i ch and

produc t ive l ands , wh ich on ly requ i re means o f commu

nica t ion to insure the i r y ie ld ing very la rge resu l t s .

T he p roposed ra i lway wi ll no t , indeed , ru n a lon g th e

val ley of the Drave, but wil l be para l le l to i t , a n d n o t

ve ry d i s t an t .

Comfor tab le omnibuses , o f a pecu l ia r ly p leasan t con

s t ruc t ion , no t un l ike a combina t ion of coach and shor t

omnibus , but with only a l ight t i l t , useful in case of bad

wea ther , convey the pas senge rs f rom Üszög to Fünf

kir ch en , a t a charge of abou t s ixpence . O the r ca r r iages

were a lso wai t ing to be h i red , and the number o f pas

senge rs w ras considerable enough to fi l l several o f t h e m .

T h e ro a d to the town is paved, and in good condit ion ;

the fields a re enclosed by he dg es , an d everyw here the re

are marks o f in te l l igen t cu l t iva t ion . I was ra th er sur-





C A T H E D R A L . 187

cho i r , wh ich seems to be common enough in Hungary ,

as in Spanish churches of a cer ta in per iod.

But the mos t in te res t ing bui ld ing in the town i s

another of the churches , of much more recent da te ,

bui l t a t enormous expense, out of cer ta in large special

funds , se t apar t for the purpose , be longing to the very

r ich epi scopate of F ün fk i rc he n. Th e s ty le of th i s

bu i ld in g i s no t only very pec ul ia r , b u t ra th er or ig ina l .

To tak e adv antag e of the pos i t ion of the gr ou nd , th e

pr incipal façade of the church is the south s ide, which

is of grea t l en gth . T he wes tern ext rem i ty i s com para

t ive ly l i tt l e seen , an d i s poor ; bu t th e ch urc h s tan ds

sideways towards a group of large, eccles ias t ical bui ld

i n g s , form ing, wi th the m , thre e s ides of a nob le squa re ,

open to t h e sou th . A g r an d en t r an ce occup ies t h e

central par t , and on each s ide are f ive pr incipal win

dows , somewha t l l omanesque in fo rm, bu t w i th Goth i c

t r ace ry . C o lu m ns , w i th ve ry s ingu la r , ba rba resq ue

capi ta l s , occupy the spaces be tween the windows.

Large s t a tues su rmount t hese , on the roof. O n e n t e r

ing the church, the choir i s on the r ight s ide, and the

nav e on th e left . T he choir i s ra ised con siderab ly, an d

ben ea th i t i s a l a rge c ry pt cha pel . T he nave i s p la in .

N o n e of the window s are of coloured glas s . T he g en eral

effect of the interior is good, but the walls are not

m uc h o rnam ented . Th e re a r e no app a ren t a is le s i n

th e nav e , bu t two por t i ons , one on th e no r th an d th e

oth er on th e south s ide, th a t wo uld h ave been ais les ,

are part i t ioned off , forming dist inct chapels, not archi

tec tur al ly deco rated. T he wal ls are pain ted in f resco, to



1 8 8 M O S Q U E A T F Ü N F K I K C H E N .

resem ble a rch i tec tura l de ta i l . Th e choi r i s d iv ided in to

th re e pa r t s , t he cen t r a l p a r t be in g r ich ly o rna m en ted

w ith carved seats , over which r ises , on each s ide , a

h i gh sc reen . T he pu lp i t , r ead in g - s t an d , and a l t a r a re

a l l r ich ly carved and cons t ruc ted of o rnamenta l marb les .

T he doorways an d the pav em ent a re a lso of m a r b l e ;

bu t the wall s a re wh i tewashed . Th ere is a h a n d s o m e

and exce l len t choi r o rgan , in addi t ion to the grea tor ga n over th e west doo r . Th ere are m an y frescoes

and p ic tures in the church , a l l modern , bu t wel l -pa in ted

and in good ta s t e , though ra ther f la t .

Th e wes t f ron t has two h ig h , squa re , ba t t l em en te d

towers , w i th Rom anesqu e w indows , h igh u p . Th e re

are also false we st l i g h ts . T h e ge ne ral effect is po or.There is an old church a t that end of the town fur

the s t f rom th e ra i l road , which i s now a t ta ch ed to a

hospi ta l and poor-house , bu t which i s espec ia l ly in te r

es t in g as hav ing been a t one t im e used as a m o s q u e .

I t is one of th e few dis t in ct reminiscen ces of T ur ki sh

sway in th i s pa r t of H un ga ry . A n e legan t m in a re t ,r is ing from a l i t t le court in f ront , i s connec ted with a

square enc losure covered wi th a d o m e , a n d is a n

exact repet i t ion of the mosques a t Be lgrad and in the

o the r Turk i sh towns on t h e D a n u b e . The re does no t

seem to be any o the r com ple te bu i ld ing o f anc ien t

da te ; bu t there are several wa l ls , and some m ore perfect f rag m en ts , of w hic h no acc oun t can be given by

th e res id en ts . Th ese , no do ub t , be lon g to the per iod

of Turk i sh ru le .

A m on g o ther s ig ns of th e f lour ish ing condi t ion of





1 9 0 A N O T H E R C O A L C O U N T R Y .

are fair-s ized, well-furnished, perfect ly clean, and well-a p p o in t e d .

I am the m ore pa r t i cu la r in a l lud ing to the na tu re

of the accommodat ion here , and in o ther p laces where

I found i t be t te r than usual , because of the genera l

impress ion prevai l ing as to the badness of the inns in

H u n g a ry . M y own exper ience is ce r ta in ly m uch m ore

favourable than tha t of former t ravel le rs , and I am

stron gly inc l ined to be l ieve th a t a gre a t im prove m ent

ha s take n p lace w i th in a com para t ive ly rec en t per iod .

The inns a re genera l ly managed by Germans , and the

German language is a lways suff icient for the t ravel ler .

M y object in v is i t ing Fü nfk i rc he n was to look a t a

coal -f ie ld in th e ne ig hb ou rho od , which has la te ly become

of much in teres t , owing to the rapid increase in i t s

development , and the c i rcumstance of i t s coa l super

sed ing th a t of m an y of the o the r Da nube-va l l ey

depos i t s .

A fter an ho ur 's dr ive in one of th e l ig ht ca r ts of th e

co un try , I cam e in to th e coal d is t r ic t , eas ily rec og

nize d as well by th e na tu ra l sec t ions of coal seen by

the roads ide as by th e h ig h ch im ne ys an d p i ts passed

from t ime to t im e . Th e co un t ry be tween th e town

and the m ines i s very pr e t ty a nd wel l wooded, and , as

m os t of the wo rks have bee n c om m enced w i th in the

las t ten years , there i s none of the desola te appearanceso common in d is t r ic ts tha t have been long subjec t to

m in in g opera t ions . I do no t know a m ore beau ti fu l

specimen of woodland and va l ley scenery than is to be





1 9 2 Q U A L I T Y O F T H E C O A L .

dep osi ts , a lso, i t i s m uc h m ore incl ined to th e horizon

th an E ng l i sh coa ls genera l ly a re , b u t t he be ds a l l

dip one way, and are not on a saddle as in the former

case . There are several seams, but a l l are thin, andap pare n t ly ve ry poor , t ho ug h rega rded as wo r th

w ork ing . Su ch coals , if found in E ng lan d or m an y

other par ts of the world, would cer ta inly be set as ide

as wor th l i t t l e or noth ing , for they are not only

di r ty- looking, but a re fu l l of su lphur ( i ron pyr i t e s ) ,

and i f lef t exposed to the weather they decompose,hea t , and e i the r burn by spon taneous combus t ion ,

or become coated with a k ind o f a lum, r e su l t ing

f rom doub le decom posi t ion . T he y are ne i the r goo d-

loo kin g, no r easily or cheap ly w orked , b u t the y

possess cer ta in pro per t ies an d q ual i t ies which g ive

th em gre at va lue. O ne of th e chief of the se is , th at th eybeco m e rapid ly ha rde ne d w hen exposed to the ac tion of

fire. T hu s , i ns t ead of fa l ling th ro ug h and beco m ing

w asted w hen p u t on th e surface of a furnac e or ho t

fire, t h i s d i r ty powder imm edia te ly cakes , W h a t

eve r the quan t i ty may be tha t is th rown on , the

ins ide becomes she l te red , and remains defended bythe cake formed at the surface, t i l l the whole is

c o ke d t h r o u g h . T h e coal , therefore, burns s lowly ,

g iv ing out grea t heat , and with l i t t le or no waste .

This pecul ia r i ty i s very impor tant , and has rendered

the mine ra l p roper t i e s a t Fünfk i rchen much more

valuable than they could o therwise have been.Th ere i s a ne igh bo ur ing coa l- fie ld la rger tha n tha t

ju s t descr ibed , s i tua ted a t Vasas (pronou nced Vaschasch),







H I L L S N E A R F Ü N F K I R C H E N . 1 9 5

very d i r ty , bu t becomes ye t smal le r and d i r t ie r be fore

i t reaches M oh ács , w here b ein g f irst shovel led ou t of

the t rucks and th rown on a p i le exposed to the wea ther ,

and then shove l led in to barrows and th rown downinto the hold of a ship , i t is reduced to the f ines t

po w der . I carefully exa m ined a he ap of severa l h u n

dred tons without finding half-a-dozen coals as large

as a coc oa-n ut , and very few lu m ps were as larg e as

a sm all ap ple . I h ave e lsewhere expla ined how i t is

th a t , no tw i th s ta nd ing the se d rawb acks , the m ine ra l

is s t i l l so valu able . I t sho uld be ad de d tha t severa l

seams of i rons tone a re found near the beds of coa l .

T he ex t reme ly p ic tu re sque h i l l s, am ong wh ich and

on whose s ides the Fünfk i rchen coa l makes i t s appear

ance , have be en a lready a l lude d to . T he y seem to

cont inu e wi th th e same gene ra l charac te r as an un d u la t in g , p ic tu re sque , r ich ly-wooded co un try for a con

s iderab le d is tance , and th ey m ay be recognized a t

once in a geological as well as an o rd ina ry m ap .

They are , in fac t , deposi ts brought in to the place

we find th em by some upheav a l , an d have n o t h i ng

to do w i th th e rocks of the p la in th ro ug h which they

hav e be en forced, or wh ich have been collected ro u n d

th e i r bases, when th ey s tood up as i s lands in th e

te r t ia ry sea .



C H A P T E R X I I .

M o h á c s t o P e s t h . — T h e M i d d l e D a n u b e . — A p p r o a c h t o B u d a .— C i t i e s o f B u d a a n d P e s t h . — P u b l i c B u i l d i n g s a n d

M u s e u m .

F R OM M ohá cs to Pe s th by the D an ub e i s a t r ip of

about twenty hours , inc lud ing , however , a s toppage

of a few ho urs a t n i gh t . A l th ou gh the count ry i s by

no means un in te res t ing , th i s i s a par t o f the r iver aboutw hich l i t t le can be said . A t first, the ap pro ach of

evening and unfavourab le wea ther p revented me f rom

seeing the real ly f ine scenery between Mohács and Baja ,

a large town on the lef t bank, a t which the s teamer

s tops . Th enc e to To lna , ano ther cons iderab le p lace

on the r ight bank, there is a good deal of f ine countryon that s ide of the r iver ; but on the lef t the great

swamps and morasses o f the middle Danube beg in to

appear and in te r fe re w i th th e in te re s t . Pac s succeeds

af te r an in te rva l , and then F ö l d v a r , beyond wh ich

the re is no tow n of im po rta nc e a nd l i t t le th at i s

rem ark ab le for a lo ng dis tan ce. T he left ba nk is

deso la te and du l l , an d a l tho ug h heavy crops a re g rown,

a very large t ract admit t ing of h igh cul t ivat ion is s t i l l

in a s ta te of na tu re . L i t t l e o f th e co un t ry on e i ther

side is seen from the steamer, as the r iver is broken



P L A I N S O F T H E M I D D L E D A N U B E . 197

up by is land s , m an y of tbem of l arg e s ize , an d m ost

of them covered with low wood.Leav ing M oh ács a t 6 P .M . , i t was no t t i l l a f te r

noon of th e following day th at I found m uc h to observe ,

and a l th ou gh th is pau c i ty of in te res t m ay have been

somewhat a t t r ibu tab le to the wea ther , which was

less favourable th a n i t had be en, it is cer ta in ly th e

case that in th is part of the Danube the objects ofspecia l m ar k are few an d far betw een. Th e r i gh t ban k

cont in ues th e m os t va r ied and in te res t in g , and the

gr ou nd on th i s s ide a t len g th r i ses and prese n ts a

p ic turesq ue bac kg rou nd as we approach Bu da . Th e

course taken by the s teamer i s by the wes te rn branch

on nearing the large is land of Zsepel or Ratzköve,which reaches near ly to Buda .

Th e D an ub e be tween the m ou th o f the D rave and

the ne ighbourhood of Pes th has been descr ibed a l ready

as running through a vas t f la t a l luvia l p la in extending

eas twards to th e foo t of th e C arp a th i ans . T he whole

of th is pa rt of th e r iv er ha s a cha rac ter an d ap pe arance qui te d is t inct from i ts usual appearance e lsewhere .

O w ing to th e na tu re o f the g r ou nd , i t winds and twis ts

m uc h m ore , i t embraces m an y m or e i s la nds , and i s

m ore s lu ggis h. A bo ut a hu nd re d an d fifty miles in a

direc t l ine from north to south , corresponds here to

near ly d ouble the d is tance to be t raversed when th ewind ings o f the s t r eam a re inc luded .

Through the p la in s thus c ros sed come the p r inc ipa l

r ive rs th a t feed th e par en t s t ream , an d i t i s he re tha t

the g rea t ag r icu l tu ra l wea l th of Hu n ga ry may be





I S L A N D S O F T H E D A N U B E . 199

flesh is com m on ly ea ten for food. On th e ba nk s of

the s tream a considerable varie ty of b irds congregate ,

and there are some rare species both of them and of

qu adr up eds ; bu t the beaver , the m os t in te res t ing of

the ra re r European quad rupeds , i s more common

above than be low Vienna .

I n some pa r t s of th e s t r eam where i t ru ns th ro ug h

th e grea t p la ins a t t em pt s have been m ade , wi th g re a t

success , by cu t t i ng ac ross th e narrow er n ecks of th e

D an ub e , to sho r ten t he d is tan ce f rom p lace to

p lace b y d im in i sh ing the wind ings . Th e s t ream i s

qu i te rap id e nou gh to ensu re success in un de r

tak ings of th is k ind , fo r the moment a smal l cu t i s

opened the w ate r sweeps th ro ug h and widens i t w i th

gre a t ve loc ity , and the cu rre n t roun d th e longer way

be ing d im in ishe d , a depos i t o f mu d is p rod uced the r e

which in t ime s tops up the o ld channe l en t i re ly .

T he i s lands of the D an ub e a re f requent ly sh i f t ing ,

a l t ho ug h some of the la rger o nes , covered wi th th ick

woo d, are to ler ably s teady . Tw o of th e larg er is land s ,

one (S t . A ndr é) ab out tw enty m i les, and ano ther

(Ra tzköv e) m ore th an th i r t y m i les in len g th , succeed

one another with a short in terval , the smaller one

commencing a l i t t le above Pes th , and the o ther a l i t t le

below i t . B ot h are cul t ivated, and have several v i l lages

of considera ble s ize . T he larg er is lan d is pas sed on

th e eas t in p roceed ing f rom Mo hác s to Pe s th . T he

small one is lef t to the west on going on towards

V i e n n a .

B u t the g rea t and m os t in te res t in g fea ture of the



2 0 0 F L O O D S O F T H E D A N U B E .

Danube , in th is g rea t sweep th rough the p la ins , i s the

alm ost inf in i te m ul t i t ud e of th e sm aller is land s . Th ese

succeed each other so rapidly, and the river is often so

wide th at the y rem ind ed m e of a coral archipelago I

ha d seen on th e so uth s ide of Cu ba in the W es t In die s .

Th ey are all so gre en an d so br ig ht , so invariably of

th e same form and so near ly of the same shape, th at

th e resem blance is s ta r t l in g. A t one t im e they were

almo st as dan ger ou s, for the s team er was frequent ly

gr ou nd ed on or ne ar th em ; bu t th is so urce of delay

in D an ub e nav iga t ion i s now pre t ty near ly a t an

e n d .

Like th e Rh ine , th e D an ub e in w in te r and spr in g

is sub ject to su dd en a nd heavy floods, th e wate rs som et ime s r i s ing wi th ex t rem e and dan gero us rap id i ty .

T he cause of th is ha s already been allud ed to in

spea k ing of the nar row gorge be tween the Ca rpa th ians ,

which i s the on ly passage th ro ug h which the accu m u

la ted waters of th e s t ream can reach t h e Black Sea.

W h en heavy ra ins fall on the m ou nta ins and p la ins ,o r whe n th e win te r snows m el t rap id ly , th e whole o f

th e f la t co un try is subject to inu nd at i on , an d gre at

mischief may resul t . N o one who cons iders the m ag

ni t ud e an d nu m be r of i ts affluents, an d th e s t ric t

l imits within which i t is confined before emerging into

i ts del ta , can fa i l to unders tand the importance of th is

mat te r in the phys ica l geography of the Danube .

Th e approach to Bud a , m ark ed by a m ul t i tu de of

l i t t le mil ls , worked by the act ion of the s t ream on

un de rsh ot wheels , is s t r ik ing ly be aut i ful , and no -





2 0 2 B U D A A N D P E S T H .

to th e foot of th e roc k. T he rock is th e cele brate d

B lock sbe rg , r ecogn ized a t o nc e ' by th e obse rva to ry

nea r th e to p . Fro m i ts su m m it a m agnif icent v iew is

ob ta ined bo th above and be low the c i ty , and ex tend ing

to the h i l l coun t ry beyond .

An outer circle of much loft ier hi l ls encloses the

Blo cksb erg an d the c i ty of B ud a. Fo r a long d is ta nce

the coun t ry houses and ga rdens o f the wea l thy in

habi tants of Pes th may be seen winding up the va l ley ,

par t ly concealed by the t rees , and occas ional ly showingthei r w hi te f ronts , overgrow n w i th roses or o the r

c r e e p in g p l a n t s . Be h in d t h e m i s a tolerably lof ty

range , f rom which the v iews of the surrounding country

m us t no dou b t be sup erb . A long the whole of the

r ight bank of the Danube, f rom far above Pes th , in to

W al lach ia , a s I have a lready m ore tha n once rem arke d ,the h i l l s appear a t in te rva l s by no means d i s tan t ,

an d if no t a lways close to th e pre sen t course of th e

s t ream , they a re a lways m uch nea re r tha t ( the r igh t )

th an th e o th er (or le ft) ban k. N ea r those po in t s

whe re th e r ive r ma kes a sudden tu rn , the re i s gen e

ral ly, as in th is sou nd geologica l reaso n for th ech an ge , an d h ar d l im eston e ha s th e same effect he re

th a t the qua r tz a t Vi l l ány ha s be tween M ohác s and

F ü n f k i r c h e n . S p u r s of t h e Ca r p a th i a n s a p p r o a c h t h e

D a n u b e n e a r P e s t h .

As the c i ty i s approached nea re r , the scenery be

comes more in teres t ing , and before long the bui ld ingsof Pes th are seen behind those of Buda, apparent ly

forming wi th i t a s ing le tow n. P re sen t ly the b r idg e





2 04 T H E B L O C K S B E R G .

s t re tch of country, looking across as far as the mounta ins near Na gy ag . A t one ' s fee t, on th e oppos i te

side of the r iver , the ci ty of Pesth stretches out i ts

long l ines of modern s t reets in var ious di rect ions .

The houses in the upper par t o f the town, bo th

near the For t ress and on the var ious roads that lead to

i t , are a l l goo d, an d look com for table en ou gh . T he yoffer a vivid c on tras t to th e m isera ble spec tacle p re

sen ted in th e lower pa rt and on th e slopes of th e

Bloc ksberg . Th ese , however , a re th e pa r t s of th e

town formerly inh ab i ted exclusively by Servians or

J e w s , t h e Pa r i a h s of H u n g a r y .

B ud a i tse lf i s a lon g s t rag gl in g tow n, wi th s t rag gl in gand very ex tens ive su bu rbs , bu t wi thou t m uc h th a t i s

spec ia lly in te re s t ing . Ex cept th e ba th s , eve ry th in g

be longs to th a t l a te un m ea nin g per iod of E uro pe an

h i s to ry when there was l i t t le tas te an d w h e n the f i tness

of th in gs for the i r pur po se was a m at te r reg ard ed as

of m uc h less im po rtan ce th an thei r f it t ing a cer ta inideal c lass ical s ta nd ard . T he T ur kis h w ars th at hav e

so rec en tly ceased in thi s p ar t of E u ro p e , hav e effec

tual ly prevented any memoria l of ant iqui ty f rom being

preserved, but as th e Turks could ful ly apprecia te

b a t h s , t hey ei the r lef t th i s p a r t of the c i ty arra ng e

m ents as they were or improved th em . Th ere havebeen m any Ro m an re m ains d i scovered and described

from t ime to t ime.

T he Blo cksb erg, w i th i t s c i rcular for t ress replacin g

an old w atch tow er, s ta nd s ou t in fine co ntra st to th e

opposi te and lower hi l l , where the palace of the Arch-



M R . C L A R K E ' S S U S P E N S I O N B R I D G E . 2 0 5

duke , t he churches , t he thea t r e s , and the o the r pub l i cbu i ld ings appea r .

Fr om th e foot of th e rock, below the A rch ducal

pa lace , comm ences the beau t i fu l suspens ion br id ge ,

des igned and executed by M r . T ie rney C larke . Th is

w ork was executed a t gre at cost and un de r pecul iar

diff iculties, for th e D a n u b e is he re as wide as th e

Th am es a t Lo ndo n B r id ge , and ex t remely deep on the

side nex t B ud a. I t s bed also is al luvial , an d no t very

well ada pte d to serve as th e foun dat ion of a pier . T h e

river is subject to su dd en and violen t ru sh es of w ater,

and a great volume of broken ice passes down in winter .

O w ing to the tu rn th at ta ke s place no t far off up s t ream ,

and the i s lands tha t commence a lmos t immedia te ly be

low, th is ice is par t icu lar ly l iable to be t rou bles om e. Th e

con struct io n of the br id ge took place a t a t ime w he n

iron coffer-dams a nd s team pi le-dr iving ma chines were

no t in use , an d th u s grea t add i t ional delay and expense

w ere inc ur red . T h er e are few m ore credi table works to

be found on the C on t ine n t .

Th e propo r t ions of the br id ge a re very noble , a nd

the effect from whatever point it is seen is perfectly

sat isfactory. I t now co m m unic ates di rect ly by a co n

venien t road wi th Buda , by means of a tunne l , on ly

recen t ly com ple ted an d a lso des igned by M r . Cla rke ,

w h o , with h i s family , have been res iden ts in H u n g ar y

since th e com plet ion of his gre at wo rk. O n th e P es th

s ide , th e br id ge opens on a broad space a l i t t le beyo nd

th e cen t re of the town , bu t no t inconv enien t ly d i s ta n t .

There is s t i l l work to be done in complet ing the paving,



2 0 6 P E S T H T H E P O L I T I C A L C A P I T A L .

an d f inishing th e bu i ldin gs th a t are to give th is s qua reth e effect i t req uire s, b u t w ha t is exe cute d is sat is

factory.

Pe sth is bu i l t on the fla t to ng u e of lan d opp osi te

th e rock of B u d a. I t is qu ite flat, an d pa rts of i t hav e

been subject to ser ious inu nd at io n o n the r ise of t h e

r iver in spring, but most of the s t reets are bel ieved tobe ou t of all da ng er at pre sen t . Th e tow n ha s an

appearance of grea t newness , no o ld bui ld ings , and,

inde ed, no ant iq ui t ies of any k in d fo rm ing pa rt of i t .

I t i s for the most par t wel l -bui l t , though wi thout much

tas te as far as th e ch urc he s are con cern ed. T he

classical s tyle prevai ls , and indeed this is general ly thecase in a ll m odern bu i ld in gs in H u n g ar y . Pe s th i s

no t , however, rea lly a mo de rn tow n, hav ing been in th e

M iddle Ages the scene of n um ero us contes ts wi th the

T u r k s , who lost an d rega ined possession no less th a n

five t imes within a very short per iod previous to 1686,

when it was finally delivered into the hands of a

Ch r is t ian pop ula t ion . S ince the n, i t has con t inue d to

grow, an d has r i sen to grea t im po r tan ce . I t i s re

gard ed as th e pol it ical an d comm ercial cap i tal of

H un ga ry . P re sbu rg , indeed , con tes t s the hono ur , a s in

th a t c i ty i s the Ca thed ra l in wh ich the K ing s of H u n

gary are crowned, b u t th e D ie t i s now held in P es th ,

and the m ore mo de rn capi tal is ass um ing th e lead in al l

m at te rs . I t grows rapidly bo th towa rds eas t an d west .

In the la t te r d i rec t ion the re are a t presen t m an y open

walks an d drives in a green bu t un cu l t iva ted space

of con siderable exte nt , us ed as a P ra te r for pu bl ic





2 0 8 H O T E L A C C O M M O D A T I O N .

l i t t le army in case of need, and during the la te pol i t ica ldis tu rban ces in 18 48 , received as prison ers a lmo st a l l

th e p r inc ipa l inhab i tan ts of B ud a and P es th . Th e

pi le of bu i ld in g , th ou gh no t o rnam enta l in an arch i

tec tur a l sense , is very im posin g from i ts d im ensio ns ,

and from the very absence of any a t tempt a t ornamen

ta t io n . I d id no t en te r i t . A l th ou gh once on the

outs ide of the town i t is now nearly in the centre ,

owing to th e qu ant i ty of new bui ld in gs near and

bey ond i t . I t is as m uch as four s toreys hi gh an d

forms a remarkable fea ture s tanding up nearly detached,

surrounded by publ ic wa lks , bu t wi th busy s t ree ts

a r o u n d .

The hote ls a t Pes th are magnif icent , and provided

with a l l the luxuries that can be met with in other

E ur op ea n ca pi ta ls . Th eir charges a lso are no t extra

vagant , a l though here , a s in Vienna , house-ren t seems

dear , and the pr ice charged for apar tm en ts i s, th e r e

fore, ra th er h i gh . I t is the cus tom in th is tow n as in

Austria , to pay separately for every meal, and, indeed,

for everything taken a t the hote l in the way of food.

I t is a p lan grea t ly to be rec om m end ed to s tr an ge rs ,

as i t s implifies accounts and enables one to know pre

c isely th e price of ev ery thin g. Th ere is no table

d'hôte. Th is ins t i tu t io n seems never to have reached

Eastern Europe except by way of s team-boat navigat ion.

I t is no t easy to give any reason for t he absen ce of

so convenient a m ode of ob ta in ing a good meal a t th e

sm allest p rice. O ne can o nly say th at i t is a cu sto m

in some cou ntrie s an d no t in ot he rs . I found th e food



P U B L I C B U I L D I N G S . 2 0 9

excel lent and the wines not less so at the " Königenvon Eng land / ' s i t ua ted on the quay c lose to the l and

ing-place of the s teamer, and I had every reason to be

satisfied. T h e ot he r pr inc ipa l in ns are also very well

spoken of.

There a re many cof fee -houses in Pes th—many ,

indeed, in every s t ree t , for the Hungar ians seem todel ight in such resor t s even more th an the Pa r i s ian s

or V ienn ese. Som e of the se coffee-houses are extreme ly

ha nd som e an d on a la rge s ca le ; bu t a l l a re wel l

appointed and comfortable , and the coffee is excel lent .

The beer is not to be despised by lovers of that

beverage .

The thea t r e s o f Pes th , t hough no t handsome , a re

be t t e r - look ing bu i ld ings and more p rominen t than the

c h u r c h e s . T h e y a r e n u m e r o u s , l a r g e , a n d s h o wy .

Th e chu rche s of al l de no m inat io ns a re poor and u n

m ean ing ; bu t a syn ago gu e h as recent ly been bui l t by

the r ich Jews which r iva ls tha t recent ly comple ted a t

Co logn e . Bo th are am on g th e finest spec imens of

a rch i t ec tu re a t t em pted by the Je w s in m od ern t im es .

B oth are somewhat m osqu e- l ike and O r ien ta l in the i r

s tyle , an d th e effect is go od . T he P es th b u i l d in g

app eared to m e to be the la rg er of th e two ; b u t , be i ng

in a more open ne ighbourhood and be t te r seen , I may

hav e bee n dece ived . I t is in te r es t in g to find th e

an cien t people of Israel , af ter so m an y ce ntu r ies of ba d

t re a tm en t and pe rsecu t ion , now pre sen t ing themse lves

to society in E u ro p e as the y real ly a re ; da r in g to enjoy

before th e eyes of the world th e w eal th th ey have accu-







2 1 2 C O L L E C T I O N O F F O S S I L S .

s in gu lar . T he col lect ion of dr ied pl an ts , m an y of them

on a large scale and a da pte d to i l lus t ra te th e economic

value as well as the technical peculiar i t ies of the various

objects , i s no t less inte res t ing th an th e Zoology ; an d,

among objects of this kind, the col lect ion of woods

sho uld no t be forgot ten . Th ese , indeed, a re qu i te as

remarkable for the completeness wi th which every im

po r ta n t fact i s shown as for the qu ain t tas te in wh ichth e spe cim ens are f inished.*

A t presen t , how ever , the geological co l l ec t ions ,— in

c lu din g u nd er th i s gene ra l t i tl e m inera l s , rocks , and

foss i l s ,—are both the mos t comple te and the mos t in ter

es t in g of al l . H u n g ar y , especial ly in th at gr ea t ba s in

enclosed on thre e sides by the C arp ath ia n m ou nta insan d dra ine d chiefly by th e r iver Th eiss , is w ond erful ly

r ich in the foss i l remains of the large quadrupeds who

inhab i t ed E ur o pe p r ev ious to t he l a s t g r ea t chang es

th a t conver ted E ur o pe in to a con t inent , a l t e r ing i ts

cl ima te to corresp ond wi th the cha ng e in th e level of

land . A t th i s ear ly per iod e le ph an ts , rh inocero ses ,an d even h ip po po tam i , r an ge d f rom As ia an d Africa

in to w ha t is now eas t e rn E ur op e , and adap t ed t h em

selves to the c i rcum stances of the co un t ry . Th ey me t

he re g igan t ic bea rs an d l a rge fe line anim als , horses , and

al so tha t s ingular l a rge-horned deer (Cervus megaceros),

* E a c h k i n d o f w o o d i s m a d e i n t o a b o x r e s e m b l i n g a

b o u n d b o o k , w i t h i t s n a m e o n t h e b a c k . T h e b o x i t s e lf e x

h i b i t s t h e g r a i n o f t h e w o o d i n v a r i o u s d i r e c t i o n s , b o t h n a t u r a l

a n d p o l i s h e d . W i t h i n t h e b o x i s a t e c h n i c a l d e s c r i p t i o n , a n d

t h e d r i e d leaf, f l o w e r, a n d s e e d , i n v a r i o u s s t a t e s .



A N T I Q U I T I E S . 2 1 3

whose propor t ions maybe judged of f rom the I r i sh and

Is le of Man specimens in a l l the pr incipal museums of

E n g la n d, and by th e res tora t ions so ably effected in th e

Crys t a l Pa l ace ga rdens , a t Sydenham.

I n the bed of th e Th eiss , an d in th e a l luvia l m u d

th ro ug h which th a t r iver has a t one t im e take n i t s

course , a re bur ied innumerable bones of these an imals ,

w hich are f requen t ly d u g u p in a s ta te so abso lute ly

per fec t tha t they leave no th in g to th e im agina t ion . A

very f ine series of these bones is in the museum, and I

observed th a t a l th ou gh no t q u i te ye t in order , ow ing

to th e i l lness of th e C ura tor , addi t ions were be ing m ade

on a larg e scale . T he rem ains of th e Dinotherium an d

those of the Cervus megaceros, are especia l ly interes t ing,

be ing here associa ted wi th those of the m astodo n an d

several species of e lep ha nt and rhino cero s . A l th ou gh

no human remains have ye t been descr ibed f rom these

local i t ies , i t i s not unl ikely that they wi l l hereaf ter be

obta ine d a nd he lp to dec ide th e grea t que s t ions now

at i ssue w i th reg ard to th e t im e of th e f irs t in t ro

duc t ion of man upon the g lobe .

Bes ides th e N atu ra l H is tory co llec t ions th e m use um

is enr ic hed by a large ser ies of R om an and ot he r

ant iqui t i es , o f mechanica l cont r ivances and models , and

of m odern pa in t i ngs by H un ga r i an a r t i s ts . Th e an t i

qui t ies are of var ious per iods , and include some

specimens of great interes t .



C H A P T E R X I I I .

Pesth t o G r a n . — T h e E c c l e s ia s t i c a l C a p i t a l o f H u n g a r y . — T h e

G r a n C o a l - f i e l d . — T h e K a i l t o Presburg.

T H E mounta ins c lo se in on bo th banks o f the Danube

af te r pass ing Pes th , and the r ive r apparen t ly becomes

narro w er, b ut th is is chief ly owin g to i ts separa t io n in t o

two pa r ts by the la rge i s land of S t . A nd ré . Th is passed ,

the direc t ion is seen to change suddenly and the s tream

comes in f rom the wes t ins t ead of no r th . T he h i l l s

do not ac tual ly touch the r iver , but there is a consider

ab le and p ic turesque group of h igh ground in the ang le

th u s fo rmed, espec ial ly on the r igh t ba nk . So con

s iderable is th e ang le , th a t th e dis tanc e of P es th from

G ran by l and i s no t mo re th an ha l f th a t b y wa te r .

T he road passes th r ou gh a p ic tu resq ue co un try and i s

h i l ly .

O n th e o the r s ide— the le ft ba nk of the r ive r— the

hi l l s a re m uch m ore cons iderab le tha n a t any po in t no r th

of B aziasch, an d in fac t we he re com e up on an im po r

ta n t g roup of spu rs of the E as te rn Ca rpa th ian s . Th emoun ta ins in s igh t , a l though a t a cons ide rab le d i s t ance ,

a re those beh ind which i s the ce lebra ted min ing d is t r ic t

of Chemnitz ; and from this point a success ion of h igh

lan d con duc ts to the m ou nta ins in the no r th and eas t .

W e have he re the na tu ra l l imi t , no r thw ards , o f the





21 6 G R A N .

navigat ion to the gate of the town, but I could not see

enough to guide myself and was obl iged to fol low his

s tep s qu i te c losely to avoid los ing s ig ht of hi m an d

my ba g a l toge ther . Af te r a t im e h e cond ucted m e to

the Inn, which was a barrack of a place, very badly

suppl ied wi th everyth ing . H ere I was shown in to a

bedroom and left to myself. The accommodat ion was

inferior in every way to th a t I hav e often fou nd in

sm al ler tow ns an d vi l lages— it was very m uc h inferior

to th a t a t M oh ác s . T he room and th e bed and every

art icle of furniture was so dir ty that I fel t quite incl ined

to acc ept , as at least historica l ly correc t , th e un favo ur

able accounts of H un ga r ia n inn s I had before ra th er

do ub ted as so con trary to m y m od ern exper ience. G ran,

l ike some othe r cathedral c i t ies , i s m ore inte res t ing

than comfor table .

Gra n is indee d an old-world tow n, prob ably no t

often d i s tu rbe d by t rave l le r s . I t is th e C an terb ury of

Hungary—the sea t o f t he p r inc ipa l Archb i shopr i c and

full of ecclesiastical di gn itar ies . T he se , how ever, no t

having many vis i t s f rom st rangers , except those of thei r

own con di t ion, who wou ld pro ba bly be received into

comfor table qu ar te rs , an d th e p lace hav ing l i t tl e bu s i

ness , there i s not much inducement to improve the

i n n s .

T he nex t m or nin g I was ou t ear ly. T h e ci ty i s wel l

placed, being gro up ed rou nd a rocky hea dlan d project

i ng in to t he D an ub e . O n th e sum m i t of t he rock is a

new and very cost ly cathedral , scarcely yet completed,

b u t which s tan ds proud ly and by itself, and may be



T H E C A T H E D R A L . 2 1 7

seen from a gr ea t dista nc e in every dir ec tion . I t is

the pr inc ipa l church , and indeed the on ly church wi th

any pretension to archi tectural effect .

A zigzag road leads u p from th e tow n to th e

cath ed ral . I t is wide, and was inte nd ed to be w el l -

m ade , bu t a l r ead y— thou gh ba re ly f in i shed— the wa te r

has worn deep channels in par ts of i t , and without a t

ten t io n i t wi l l soon be dest roy ed. T he rock is soft

and easi ly acted upon.

Buil t in a style of which there are few examples in

E ng land , t he new me t ropo l i t an church of H un ga ry is

ra th er as ton ish in g th an p leas ing to one w hose eye

h as bee n edu cated to ad m ire an d feci th e bea ut ies of

Go th ic a rch i tec tu re . Al l th e de ta i l s conn ec ted wi th i t

are clas sical, b u t it does no t seem to be a copy of an y

kn ow n bu i ld in g. T he form is th at of th e Greek cross ,

the a rms be ing a lmos t o f the same length and ex

t rem ely shor t , so tha t the nave , choir , an d t rans ep ts

a re bare ly percep t ib le in comp ar i son wi th th e vas tness

of the cen t ra l square space surmounted by a la rge and

lof ty dom e. T he do m e, in fact , swallows u p eve ryth ing ,

b u t i t i s cer ta inly good in i ts pro po rt io ns . I t m easu res

82 feet in diameter a t the base .

This g rea t bu i ld ing has been in progress for the

las t 4 0 years , and h as swal lowed u p sum s of mo ney

a lm os t incred ib le . T h e see of G ran i s , however ,

ex t rem ely r ich , be ing endowed wi th m an y va luable

est a te s of gre at extent , th at have increas ed in value

t i l l th e an nu al revenue of th e P r im at e is sa id to have

exceeded 10 0, 00 0/ . s ter l ing . So r ich a pre lacy has

L



2 1 8 I N T E R I O R O F T H E C A T H E D R A L .

na tu ra l ly a t t r ac ted roya l and p r ince ly p r im a tes , sot h a t G r a n nu m be r s a m ong i t s d ign i t a r ie s na m e s

celebra ted in h is tory . Th e ca thedra l was com m enced

an d car r ied on du r in g h is l ife time by th e la te Pr inc e

Pr im ate R ud na y . I t has , s ince h i s dea th , been con

t in ue d by h is successors .

The whole of the in ter ior of the ca thedra l i s l inedwi th marb les , and suppor ted by marb le co lumns , mos t

of th e m arb les u sed be ing ra re an d va luab le , and a l l

beau t i fu l ly po l i shed . Th ere a re m any pa in t ing s in

be t t e r t a s t e than i s usua l in Roman Ca tho l i c churches

of m od ern da te , an d, for th e m ost par t , thes e are by

H un ga r ia n a r t i s t s . There i s a lso scu lp tu re o f some

be au ty . Th e s ide chap els , of wh ich ther e are several ,

are extre m ely r ich , a nd in every ' p ar t th e f inish is as

com ple te an d as cos t ly as the des ign i s gr an d. O ne

of the s ide chapels is a replacement , s tone by s tone, of

an an cien t ch u rc h, form erly on a hi l l adjacent . Th is

chu rch was a lmos t des t royed by th e T ur ks , an d ,

th ou gh on ly o f the s ix teen th cen tu r y , possessed some

his tor ica l va lue .

T he exter ior of th is gr an d Ch r is t ian Te m ple i s no t

yet com ple ted , b u t th e scaffo ld ing has bee n lon g

removed, and what remains i s mat ter of de ta i l .

The west f ront i s a handsome por t ico , lookingtowa rds th e tow n. T he eas t end i s th a t pre sen ted

to view from the river, and is a noble apse of very

good pro po r t ions . Th e wal ls a re bui l t of a w hi te

hard l imestone of the vicini ty, which has the effect

of marble from a dis tance.



E F F E C T O F S T O R M S O F R A I N . 219

Th e town of Gran is to lerab ly larg e , ra t he r s t ra ggl in g, b ut not badly bu i l t . Th ere are m an y eccles iast ical

bu i ldin gs within i t bes ides chu rch es , bu t none of the m

seem to have an y a rch i tec tura l p re tens ions . T he

streets are wide an d t he shops good. Th e day of m y

visi t was m ar ke t-d ay , an d th e stree ts were f illed w ith

open s ta l ls , wel l suppl ied with food and other producef rom th e ne igh bou rhood , a nd a lso by the usua l manufac

tu re s re qu ired by co un try people on their occasional

vis its to th e m ark et- to w n. Th e town extend s in var ious

direct ions , several new s t reets leading out towards the

co un try . Al l seemed to be tolerably we l l -bui l t , and

the houses of fair size.

I had an op po r tun i ty whi le a t G ran of no t ic ing th e

effect of th e sto rm s of ra in th a t occasiona lly fall on

th is p ar t of E u ro p e. I have rarely seen heavier, even

in the W es t Ind ian I s l and s , bu t I am no t aware

wh ether th e ac tua l q ua nt i ty has been m easured by a

ra in -ga ug e. C om ing in a t n i gh t af ter one of these

s torms on the Danube , I was no t unprepared for some

resu l t , and next m or n i ng , when I wen t ou t , I found

w ith l it t le surp r ise th at a considerable bod y of water

was ru nn in g th ro ug h th e m iddle of th e main s tree t

in the lower par t of the town, and had a l ready choked

a dra in b y which i t ou gh t to have reached th e r iver .

T h e r e wT

ere also accu m ulatio ns of ston es, and a goo d

deal of sand . I n th e afternoon of th e day of my

stay in t he neigh bou rhoo d, I was ove r taken a few

m iles from th e town by a m uc h hea vier stj i-m of rain

L 2





C O A L - F I E L D A T G R A N . 2 2 1

of E uro pe , an d th e rap id i ty w i th which chan ges a reeffected where th e ra in ha s f ree an d un in te rr up te d

course .

Gran i s no t i t se l f a p lace wi th any impor tan t indus

t ry . I t consum es r a the r th an p rodu ces . Th e ad jacen t

co un try is r ich an d is cul t iva ted with the ord inar y food-

pl an ts ; bu t the gre at object of in tere st in th e ne igh

bourhood is a coal-field, worked at a distance of a few

miles , and a t one t im e supp ly ing the s t eam -boa t s and

Pe s th a lmost exc lusive ly . S ince th e ope nin g of th e

Fü nf ki rc he n coal-f ie ld , by m ean s of the ra i l roa d be

tween the mines and Mohács , the Gran coa l has been

less in reque s t , and th e pr ice as well as th e qu an t i ty

so ld has d im in i sh ed ; bu t the works a re s t il l on ascale of some m ag ni tud e , tho ug h less p rofi tab le th an

fo rm er ly .

T he G ran coal-fie ld c on tains one gro up of a l a r g e

number of small deposi ts of mineral fuel , extending

from the foo t o f the Aus t r ian Alps th rough the grea t

p la ins of Hungary to the foo t o f the Ca rpa th ians .Fol lowing the course of the r iver Raab, f rom near

Gra tz in S tyr ia to th e D an ub e a t G ran , a lo ng se ries

of detach ed masses of coal hav e bee n trac ed , an d

most of them have been sufficiently explored to

enable the geo logis t to unde r s t and the i r h i s to ry .

S imi la r depos i t s recur on the o ther s ide of the Danube ,on the banks of the Th eiss , an d al l have th e same

pecu l i a r na tu re and be long to the sam e se r ie s . W he re

this coal can easily be obtained, or where i t occurs in

places from which i t can be readi ly conveyed by ra i l -



2 2 2 D I F F E R E N C E B E T W E E N L I G N I T E A N D C O A L .

or by wa ter -car r iage , i t becomes wor th w ork ing, a ndth us the Oe denb erg and Gran dep os i t s ,—the one near

Vienna , the o the r on the Da nu be , — have been ra the r

extensively used , w hile oth ers not infer ior have been

compara t ive ly neglec ted .

T he m iner al fuel fo und in th ese places has the

appearance of good Engl ish coal , and m i gh t a l m os t

be mistaken for i t , when f i rs t brought out of the

m ine , by p ersons l i t t le accus tomed to compare m ine

ra ls of th is k i n d ; b u t on exposure to weather i t

ve ry soon shows a difference. T h e larg e blocks break

up in to smal ler ones , and the smal ler ones reduce

to powder, so tha t the whole mass become a lmost

value less .

Th ere are m an y po ints of detai l in which a marked

difference exists be tween the l ign i t e s , or brown-coals ,

as these varieties a re cal led, and th e ordinarv s tone-coal .

T h e pec ul iar i ty already al luded to is th e mos t impor

tant to the consumer , and there i s ano the r a lmos t

equa l ly impor tan t to the p roducer . Ins tead o f the

be ds or seam s of coal be ing tolerab ly regular , so t h a t

if proof is obtained of a bed in one place, and s imi lar

proof at a distance of a mile or two, i t may be assumed

that there is a co nt in uo us depo si t , wh ich is th e case

with stone coal, the l igni tes are more usual ly in isolated

lumps, of ten very th ick , somet imes runn ing a long fo r

a good dis tance, but nowhere regular enough to jus t i fy

any out lay a t in term edia te spo ts . These two drawbacks ,

and some othe rs less im po r tan t , grea t ly interfere wi th

the value of the deposi ts .



M O G Y O R Ó S . 2 2 3

The coal-f ie ld now under considerat ion l ies some

miles away f rom Gran, and the sh ipping-place for the

coal on the Danube is a t Tata , a l i t t le above the c i ty .

I h i red one of th e c om m on ca r ts of th e co un try ( the

usua l veh ic le ) , and d rove ac ross the p la in sk i r t ing the

pic turesque wooded h i l l s on the le f t , which connect ,

t h o u g h wi th l o n g i n t e r v a l s , t h e s p u r s of t h e C a r p a th i a n s

w i th the s purs o f the A us t r i a n A lps , an d beyon d th e

nor th-eas tern extens ion of which , on the o ther s ide of

t h e Da n u b e , i s t h e c i t y o f Ch e mn i t z .

My objec t was to reach the v i l lage of Mogyorós ,

w hich I found a t l a s t ne s t l ed am ong s t th e h i l l s in a

sweet w ooded val ley. I t is a sm all vi l lage, co nsis t ing

of only a few ho use s an d a ch ur ch . Som e of th e

hou ses are of good s ize , an d enclosed in p lea san t ,

la rg e , an d w ell -f il led ga rde ns , an d th er e was a l to

ge ther an a i r of wel l - to-do comfor t which I d id not

expec t to f ind in suc h a plac e, especial ly as th e road

to i t was execrable , an d chiefly thr o u g h ru ts a foot

d e e p .After a l i t t le inquiry I succeeded in f inding the

gen t leman whom I sough t , and to whom I had a l e t t e r

of in t ro du ct io n , and as he was ju s t s ta r t i ng for h is

m ine s he took m e wi th h im . I found the who le ne igh

bo urh oo d in p re t ty m uc h th e same s ta te , th e su rface

co ns is t in g of r ich a l luvia l so i l , cove r ing an a l luvia lsa nd . A t a cer ta in de pth be low th i s , I foun d th a t a

s imple bor ing opera t ion was suff ic ient to de termine the

pres enc e of a par t icu lar deposi t of c lay w i th m ar in e

shel ls , re ga rd ed as th e sure pr ec ur so r of coal . "Wherever



22 4 C O A L M I N I N G .

thi s was foun d i t was always reg ard ed as am ple evidenceof a valuable seam , an d the n ecessary sha ft-s ink ing s

for t he pu rpos e of ex trac t ing t he coal were m ade in

perfect securi ty. I f no resu l t is obtained at a de pt h of

70 fathom s or th ere ab ou ts , a t r ia l is m ade elsewhere

and the unsuccess fu l bor ing abandoned .

T h e op erat ion of coal m in in g is he re very s im ple,an d i s no t l ike ly to in ter fere w i th th e p ic tu resq ue .

Th e shaf ts be ing sun k th ro ug h uni formly soft m ater ia l ,

a re necessar i ly s t re ng the ne d wi th t im be r from the f ir s t,

an d the levels or tu n ne ls , dr iven in to th e hi l l -s ide for

the same purp ose , a re s t r en g th ene d in th e same way .

T he wo rks are sm all , an d such l i t t le shafts or levels

nu m er ou s , for they are ext remely inexpens ive . T he

coal, once re ach ed, is remov ed as rap idly as possible ,

an d m ak es b u t l i t t le app earanc e on the sur face . W he n

the coal is gone and the roof has fal len in, the ground

set t les dow n a l i t t le , an d cul t ivat ion goes on un in ter

ru pt ed ly at th e surface, a l l m ar ks bein g obl i tera ted in

a few years.

All th is p ar t of th e Gra n coal-field is on a hil l or cliff,

r i s ing to a cons iderable he igh t , an d ra th er prec ip i tous

tow ard s th e river. T h e coal is ru n out or l if ted to a con

ven ient place, wh ere i t is loade d on sm all car ts an d se nt

awa y. N o accum ula t ion of s tock can be m ade, and

th e dai ly extract ion ou gh t to agree as nea rly as possi

ble with the dai ly sale .

Th ere are five proper t ies in the imm edia te ne igh bo ur

hoo d, m ost of the m of the same na tu re and hav ing

abo ut the same exte nt of wo rkin gs as th at w hich I



V A L L E Y O F T H E G R A N . 2 2 5

visi ted. I found th a t th e coal , un scre en ed , could be

sold , loaded on board ba rge s or s te am boa ts a t T ata ,

a t l e ss than th i r ty A us t r i a n k reu tz e r s pe r cwt . ( abou t

9 s . 6d . pe r to n ) . * I t i s sa id th a t 8 0 , 00 0 tons have

been annual ly ext rac ted f rom the adjacent la rger mine

of Anna- tha i , and no doub t the to ta l y ie ld o f the d i s

t r ic t i s very cons iderable .

Limes tone and marb le a re quar r i ed in the h i l l s , no t

far from M og yo rós : som e of th e s ton e is u s e d a t

G ran , and th e res t ca r r ied away to a d is ta nc e . T he

l ime-s tone i s par t ly she l ly and par t ly of the na

tu re of t rav er t in e . Som e of th e m arb le i s of good

q u a l i t y .

On the oppos i t e s ide o f the Danube , the smal l r ive r

Gran empt ies i t se l f in to the ma in s t r eam. I t runs

through a va l ley which is descr ibed as be ing ext remely

pic tur es qu e. T his r iver tak es i ts r ise at th e foot of

the Ta t ra , the f inest of th e nor the rn C arp a th ian m ou n

ta in groups , and runs pas t Neusohl , and not fa r f rom

C h e m n i t z .

Re tu rn ing to the v i l l age o f Mogyorós , I was inv i t ed

by m y kin d ho s t to pa r tak e of h is family m eal , an d

did not f ind out t i l l af terwards that my presence as a

gues t mus t have been a t the moment ve ry inconven ien t .

I t is impossible to express too warmly my sense of the

s imple and genuine hospi ta l i ty I rece ived a t the handsof th i s gen t leman , who mere ly knew me as a s t r anger

* A t P e s t h t h e p r i c e i s a b o u t s i x t e e n s h i l l i n g s p e r t o n f o r

t h e k n o b s a l o n e , n e a r l y t h e s a m e fo r t h e m i x e d c o a l , a n d h a l f

t h a t p r i c e f o r t h e p o w d e r .

L 3



2 2 6 G R A N T O P R E S B U R G .

wh o ha d been introd uce d by na m e only to some of hisacqu aintanc es in P es th . Ev ery poss ib le informat ion

was given m e, an d n ot one qu est ion ask ed as to th e

object of m y inq uir ies . I s ho uld add th a t th e sa m e

liberal feel ing seemed to prevai l everywhere.

Next morning I lef t Gran, and found, as indeed I have

often found before, that the charge for accommodationha d no reference wh atever to i ts qu al i ty . Fo r a f ilthy

be d in a filthy ro om I was exp ected to pay ra th er m ore

th an I ha d been charged a t Pe s th in one of the bes t

ho tels in E ur op e. I was also ch arg ed two florins

(about four francs) for the use of a cart to drive to the

rai lway stat io n, a dis tan ce of ab ou t a m ile . I m en tion

t h i s , th at if an y futu re t rav el ler sho uld m ake Gr an a

res t ing -place h e m ay be prepare d for the wors t , and

m ak e special arr an ge m en t , if he desires to hire an y

vehicle from th e in n . Th e na m e of th e inn I do

no t rem em ber ; bu t i t was the pr inc ip a l , an d seemed

th e on ly one patro nized by th e porters w ho look ou t

for s team-boat passengers .

F ro m Gran to P r esb urg is a shor t r a ilway jo urn ey .

The town of Presburg i s c lean and wel l -bui l t , and has

some in te res t ing bu i ld in gs ; b u t th er e i s l i t t le tha t i s

H un ga r i a n a bou t i t . T he D a nu be , be tw e e n G r a n a nd

Pr esb urg , i s r em arkab le fo r i t s num ero us i s lands and

for the grea t mul t i tude of in ter lac ing arms i t presents .

Th e Ra ab comes in f rom th e west and th e W aa g from

the eas t , both cons iderable s t reams, dra in ing much

cou nt ry , and p roceed ing from m oun ta ino us d i s t r i c t s .

This division of the river is subject to periodical inun-



P R E S B U R G T O T H E F R O N T I E R . 2 2 7

dat ions of gre at e xte nt , of ten do ing ser ious mischief.

Several town s a re passed , th e m ost im po r ta n t be ing

Ko mo rn w i th i t s s t ro ng for t ress , G ön yö , and D ot is .

K om orn i s in te res t in g ; b u t the ba nk s of the r iver a re

fla t. Be yon d Pr es bu rg , the f ron t ie r of H u ng ar y is

soon reached.



C H A P T E R X I V .

C o n c l u d i n g I t c m a r k s o n t h e N a t u r a l H i s t o r y a n d M i n e r a l

R e s o u r c e s o f H u n g a r y . — S k e t c h o f i t s P o l i t i c a l H i s t o r y

a n d o f R e c e n t C h a n g e s .

I T may seem unre ason able th a t a n a u th or w hose very

t i t l e p roc la ims the sh or t t im e he ha s tak en to m ake

acqua in tance wi th a count ry , should under take to offer

genera l r e m a r k s in addi t ion to his personal narra t ive of

adven tu re s .

The object in view, however , in publ i sh ing the

na r ra t ive i s to induce o thers to do as he ha s do ne —

no t, ind ee d, to follow str ic t ly in his footsteps, b u t to

reg ard H u n g ar y as a cou nt ry to be explored . A nd i t

is in orde r t h at he m ay carry ou t th is object m ore

thoroughly, that he ventures to offer in a shor t con

c l u d i n g chap te r some rem arks th a t may be useful an d

interes t ing to a future tour is t , and save him the t rouble

of referr ing to other books.

T h e n a t u r a l h i s to ry of t h e C a rpa th i ans a s a m oun

ta in cha in i s very l i t t l e k no w n, excep t a s r ega rd s th e

nor thern par t o f the range , where , however , are some of

th e loft ies t pea ks . T he na tu ra l h is tory of the res t of

H u ng ar y i s tha t of the grea t cen t ra l E uro pea n p la ins ,

and , tho ug h be t te r kn ow n, i s s t il l by no m eans com

ple te in any de pa r tm en t . Th ere a re no g lac ie rs in any

par t o f the Ca rpa th i ans , and l i t t l e pe rmanen t snow,



T H E N O R T H E R N C A R P A T H I A N S . 2 2 9

but the winter snows are ext remely heavy and las t

lon g, an d i t i s no t unl ik ely th at careful inve s t igat ion in

spr ing might discover some resul ts analogous to those of

glacier act ion, ar is ing f rom the movement of the snow

masses conver ted into something not unl ike glacier ice .

Th e no r th er n Carp ath ia ns genera l ly , bu t above a ll th e

eas tern gr ou p of th em , prom ise grea t interes t a nd

novel ty, and would cer tainly be wor th & visit from an y

one w ho ha d t im e to devote to th e subject . Th ey are

said to abound in points of view ful ly equal to the best

of those in the Tyrolese Alps, and a few days spent in

the ne ighbourhood of Kaschau would probably enable

a travel ler to select a route adapted to his peculiar taste

in t r ave l .* A s a m ou nta in ch ain , the Ca rpath ia ns offer

points of very great interes t to the phys ical geographer ,

an d they have the ad van tage of be ing compara t ive ly

l i t t le k n o w n .

A l t h o u g h t h e h e i g h t of many of the Carpath ian

summits exceeds 8000 feet , f there does not appear to be

* K a s c ha u is t he las t s t a t io n on th e Th e is s r a i lway . I t is

a l a rge town, and the re a r e means o f ge t t ing on f rom the nc e

in severa l d i rec t ions . I t i s per fec t ly access ible a nd c on

ve n i e n t .

t T h e m oun ta in B u t s c he t j e i s m a r k e d i n M u r c h i s o n 's

" Geologica l Map of Europe," pub l i s he d by J ohns on , a s ha v ing

an a l t i tu d e of 9528 feet ; b u t in V o n H a u e r ' s m a p , m o r e

r e c e n t ly pub l i s he d , f r om the Aus t r i a n s u r ve ys , i t is s t a t e d a t

1313 A us t r ia n lach te r , a l i t t l e above 8000 f eet . E ig h t tho u

san d f ee t i s genera l ly quoted as th e snow l im i t in th i s pa r t

of E uro pe , an d th e he ig h t qu o ted i s p rob ab ly a c le rica l e r ror

for 7528 . Th e h igh es t peaks o f th e N or th -w es te rn o r T a t r a

g r oup o f t h e C a r p a t h i a n s are es t ima ted a t 8500 , 8440, and

8288 fee t resp ect ive ly .





M E T E O R O L O G Y . 2 3 1

defini te r es u l ts . B u t th e effect of sou th w ind s onth e south face of thos e of t h e m ou nta ins th a t look

tow ard s W al lac hia a nd M oldav ia, i s di fferent from

that produced by the same winds , af ter they have been

cooled, blowing on the south s ide of the mountains

t h a t s e p a ra t e H u n g a r y fro m P o l a n d a n d n o r t h e r n

Ga licia. T he full ex ten t of the se influences h as yet

to be descr ibed, but i t i s cer tain that both vegetable

an d anim al l ife are modif ied by age ncies so well m ar ke d

and so powerful .

The Carpath ians requi re to be examined on both

s lopes wi th gre at care, to de term ine var ious m eteoro

logical points , and a ser ies of comparat ive observat ions

m ad e at two or thr ee s tat ion s w i th reference to

t empera tu r e , ba romete r -p r es s ur e , r a in - f a l l , and o the r

cl im atal pec ul iar i t ies , wou ld be very sug ge s t ive . I t

m ay be wel l to rem ind th e prop osed vis itor , th at th e

s ide of th e mo un tain s tow ard s W al lach ia an d Gal icia

wo uld no t gen eral ly b e foun d so easy of access as

the s ide towards H u n g ar y , an d tha t in m any p laces

th e d i s tance f rom conve nient s t a t ions would be g rea t .

T hi s i s no t th e case, how ever , wi th t h e co un try ne ar

Kronstadt , and the pr incipal passess acros al l par ts of

th e chain m ight , no do ub t , be crossed in sum m er w i th

fac il ity . Th e nor th f lanks of th e m ou nt a in s towa rds

P ol an d are eas ily vis ited f rom th e tow ns on th era i lway beyond Krakow to the eas t .

Th e bo tany of the Ca rpath ians is in te res t in g , both

in i t s ge ne ral ph ys ica l relat ions , an d in deta i l . " Th e

gen eral dif ferences of th e C arp ath ian vege tat ion an d





L O W E R A L P I N E R E G I O N . 2 3 3

roots are large and fleshy. A m on g th e most rem ar kable i s ment ioned the Senatula pygmœa, " which makes

one w on de r," says Professor He nfrey, " how i ts soft

an d f leshy leaves f ind no ur ish m en t on th e dry ro ck ."

I t is at an y ra te clear th a t th e va riety of species on

these m ou nta ins i s sm al l , on the s lopes as well as sum

mits of the most nor thern of the chain .

B u t i t does no t fol low th a t th is is the case on th e

s o u th e r n g r o u p of m o u n ta in s n e a r W a l l a c h ia . T h e

trees here r ise to a m uch g reate r e levat ion, and th e

beech appears to f lour ish much bet ter and higher than

in the A lps . Th ere is a lso here a F a u n a as well as

Flora that speaks of southern influences and aff ini t ies .

Th e lower Alp ine reg ion in the Ca rpa th ians i s re

m ark ab le fo r the ex t reme ab und an ce of the Pinns

mughus, a dul l an d useless tree , gr ow ing some two feet

hig h in op en p laces , an d often she l ter ing a large

a m o u n t of h a n d s o m e a n d in t e r e s ti n g v e g e t a ti o n .

M an y f ie ld p lan t s an d o th ers g row here , un de r th i s

shel te r , a t a h i gh er e levat ion th a n in Sw itzer land,

a l th ou gh the t ree vege ta t ion would appea r to po in t in

a con t ra ry d i rec t ion . A grass (Poa disticha) is the

only soc ia l ly -growing p lan t tha t appears when th i s

she l te r i s w i thdraw n. Th e aza leas an d rho dod en

dro ns do no t adorn the s lopes an d nes t le am on g th e

snows , as in the Alps , and a l tho ug h the Veronica a n d

species of Ranunculus are no t want ing , the re does no t

seem the var ie ty or beau ty th at is m et wi th fur th er

to the west at a s imilar elevation.

Of the special botany, there is much that i s in teres t -



2 3 4 S P E C I A L Z O O L O G Y .

ing, especia l ly wi th regard to the pla ins of the Theissan d i t s t r ib uta r ies . T he inf luence of th e som ew hat

excessive cl im ate is felt , an d th e value of t hi s m ay be

es t ima ted by th e fac t th a t , whereas the mean an nu a l

tem pe ra tu re a t P es th (57°) i s one de gree h ig he r tha n

a t Vienna , t he mean summer t empera tu re (70° ) i s two

degree s hig he r , an d th at of w inter (31°) only one de gre e lower . T he dif ference betw een w inter an d s um

mer means i s t en degrees g rea t e r t han a t Pa r i s .

Of th e specia l zoology of th e mo un tain dis t r ic t of

E as te rn H u ng ar y , very l i t tl e i s descr ibed . T he wi ld

anim als of larg e s ize , b o th b i rd s an d be asts , are

ce r ta in ly nu m ero us and in t e r e s t i ng . Some o f t hequ ad rup ed s have been a l ready a lluded to . T he b i rds

are especia l ly rem ark ab le , an d fine specim ens are to

be seen in th e m use um a t P es th . Th ey inc lude eagles

an d vu l tures , surpa ss ing in bea uty an d s ize those of

m os t pa r t s of E ur op e . Th ere a re a lso both rep t i l es an d

fishes, cer ta in ly n ot exceeded in interes t by tho se ofany E uro pe an na t ion . Of t he l ower an ima l s I am no t

in a pos i tion to g ive m uc h informa t ion , a l th ou gh th e

s tud en t of th i s de par tm ent of na tu ra l h i s to ry m ay

find m uc h m ater ia l of gr ea t inte res t in th e n at io na l

m u s e u m .

B u t t he mine ra logy and geo logy a re dep a r tm en t sof which more is kn ow n. M an y en te rpr i s in g t rave l

le r s have v i si ted the b e t te r -k no w n d i s t r i c t s , and have

given lon g an d va luable descr ip t ions of th e i r t rave l s .

The Baron Born and Dr . Townsend in the l as t cen tury ,

and M . B eu da nt in the ear ly par t of th e pres ent



M I N E R A L O G Y . 2 3 5

century , have done good work tha t requires only to be

brought in to form in reference to improved geologica l

m etho ds to have g rea t va lue and ab id in g in te res t . In

a l l respe cts , a lso , H u n g a ry i s w or th carefu l inves t iga- / -

t ion for minera l weal th , for not only i s there a quant i ty

of gold far exce eding a l l e lsewhere found in E ur op e ,

bu t the re a re o the r va luab le me ta l s and p rec ious

m ine ra ls , am on g the la t te r of which th e var ie t ies of

opal and the celebrated specimens of s i l ic if ied wood are

be s t w or th y of not ic e . A l l hav e been found in a

qu an ti ty suff icient to repa y th e cost of w ork ing , an d

cer ta in ly they t ake rank among the ma te r ia l r e sources

of th e cou n t ry . Opa l ized wood ha s been known to 'jj!

occur abundan t ly in Transy lvan ia f rom a ve ry ea r lyp e r i o d .

T he p rec iou s m e ta l s and p rec ious s tones a re m ore

rea l and va luable in the es t imate of the minera l weal th

of H u n g a r y t h a n in t h a t of a n y o th e r Eu r o p e a n

co un try . T he former are no t only very widely

d i s t r ib u te d , bu t a re r ea l ly l a rge in qu an t i ty , and canbe worked w i th some p rospec t of pe rm an en t success .

They occur in regular ve ins , and the gold i s a lso found ; /

i n t h e mo r e o r d in a r y a n d b e t t e r - k n o wn s a n d y a n d

grave l ly depos i ts com mo n in A us t ra l i a and Ca l i fo rn ia .

The opera t ions ca r r i ed on a t the regu la r min ing

e s t a b l i s h m e n t s u n d e r t h e s u p e r in t e n d e n c e of a g o v e r n m e n t officer , are of a different kind, and on a

different scale , f rom tho se of th e sm alle r peo ple, w ho

only ope ra te for them selve s . T h e m ine s a t Oravicza -

an d N ag yá g a re the mos t im po r tan t o f the fo rmer ,





L E A D M I N E S . 2 3 7

these two m etho ds the removal and po un din g u p of,X

ston e suspected to contain gold has been larg ely car

ried on where the quanti ty of water was sufficient .

Al l these methods are a l luded to to show how com

plete ly H u n g a ry ha s been , and even s t i ll i s , a gold-

p ro duc ing cou n t ry in an economic sense. Th e pu r

sui t of g old is as mu ch a regu lar a nd system at ic

lab ou r as i t ever can be in any co un try . I t h as p ro

bab ly ex is ted as one of th e com m on and rem unera t ive

employments of the people as long as c ivi l ized men

have inhab i t ed the coun t ry .

Lead ore , where found, is more usual ly valuable for

the s i lver contained in i t than for the quant i ty of lead

i t p rodu ces , b u t there a re lead mine s in H u ng ar y of

cons iderab le in te res t and of g rea t an t iqu i ty . O ne of

the m , " Fe l so - B an ya , " is i n t e re s t ing as h av ing a lmos t

prov ed fa ta l to Ba ron B or n, one of th e m ost in te l l i

g en t and ear lies t au tho rs on H un ga r ia n sc ience and

n a t u r a l h i s t o r y .

T he ore is arsenica l , an d i t was in th at day the

cus tom to apply hea t to ren de r th e w ork of rem oving

th e ore f rom th e vein m ore easy. D esc en din g on one

occasion in to the min e som ew hat too soon af ter an

opera t ion of th i s k in d had been per formed th e B aro n

was a lmost suffocated by the arsenical vapours , and

his const i tu t ion received a shock from which he never

af terwards recovered.*

* T h e f o l l o w i n g e x t r a c t o f a l e t t e r f r o m B a r o n B o r n t o h i s

f r i e n d P r o f e s s o r F e r b e r o n t h i s s u b j e c t w i l l b e i n t e r e s t i n g t o





I K O N M I N E S . 2 3 9

be the subjec t of searching inves t iga t ion for minera l

weal th wi th grea t prospect of success .*

I ro n has been m ent io ned in Ch aps . I I I . an d V I I I . as>.'

a metal of which the ores are found in some parts of

Hungary , especia l ly a t Telek , near Hunyad, in va l leys

open ing ou t to the M aros , and a lso in the B an a t . H ere ,

and in many other places, the ores are exceedingly

ab un da n t , an d genera l ly ve ry r i ch . B ut they a re no t

a lways favourably s i tua ted , an d a re by no mean s a da pte d

for profi table w ork ing on a larg e scale . T h e i ron m ines

ne ar H u n y ad , described in a forme r cha pte r , afford

goo d evidence of th is . T he y hav e bee n certainly

wel l known for a very lo ng per iod . Th ey were

worked by the Ro m ans , and p roba b ly by the Dac ians

before th em . Th ey hav e perh aps never ceased

be ing w orke d s ince th a t t im e, and a lways prob ably

a t a smal l prof it . B u t i t i s cer ta in tha t no th in g

b u t r a i lway com mu nica t ion , and ab un da nc e o f good

fuel at a m od era te cos t, wo uld ma ke the m of na t ion al

imp or tance . W he n such adva n tages can be ob ta ined

they may probably take the f i rs t place.

Co pp er is w ork ed at Ora vicza, as well as at several

o th e r p laces in th e Ban a t an d e l sewhere in H un g ar y .

N ea r S aska , and be tween Orav icza and D ogn aczk a , a re

innu m erab le t races and some mines of a ve ry re m ar k

able k i nd . O ne ext remely in te res t ing depo s i t of ore •

worked du r in g the l a st cen tu ry in th e M orawiz

* T h e n e i g h b o u r h o o d of D o g n a c z k a i s , p e r h a p s , t h e r i c h e s t

o f t h e o l d e r l o c a l i t i e s f o r s i l v e r o r e s ; a n d s o m e o f t h e o l d

m i n e s w e r e v e r y p r o f i t a b l e .



2 4 0 C O P P E R M I N E S .

m ou nta ins is m ent ion ed b y Bo rn in some de ta il . H i s

rem ark s are wo r th quo t ing , as in a c ou nt ry wh ere one

such rem arka b le cond i t ion t ak es p lace i t i s n o t

un l ike ly th a t th e same causes m ay have p rodu ced

othe rs . H e te l l s us th a t in these m ines in h is t im e

severa l ju nc t io ns of ve ins an d pa r ts of ve ins com bined

to form an accu m ulat ion of ore of ex trao rd ina ry s ize

an d r ich ne ss . T he fu ll d im ension s of th e la rg es t par t

of th e depo si t (which was oval shap ed) were u pw ard s

of 1 5 0 feet in le n g th , an d 12 0 feet w ide, th e extrem e

de p th of th e mass be in g 2 4 0 fee t. Of course th i s

r ich t reasure was soon removed, and nothing l ike i t

ha s s ince been foun d, b u t if th er e is on e such pock et

the re a re p robab ly m ore .

Th e an nu a l y ie ld o f th e copper m ines of H u ng ar y

in the t ime o f Mr . Page t was abou t 2000 tons , bu t

th i s quan t i ty has no t g rea t ly inc reased , and the work

i n g s , except in o ne or tw o p oin ts , are now sm all

a nd i r r e gu l a r .

Sm olniz was form erly celeb rated for i ts cop pe r , an d

th e ve ins ther e seem to have bee n very r ich an d

pro m is ing . S i lver was mixed wi th th e com m on ores .

Schem ni tz and K rem ni tz a re the o the r ch ie f m in ing

cen t res , and the se y ie ld s i lver in some qua nt i ty .

T he o res , however , th a t p rese n t ad m ix ture s of th i s

k i nd can no t be rega rded e i the r a s th e m os t conve

nie nt or the mo st prof i table for w ork ing in a gene ra l

w a y .

X M ercu ry has been found in m ore tha n one m in ing

dis t r ic t in th is r ich co un t ry . A t Za la th na are two



S A L T D E P O S I T S . 2 4 1

m ines tha t have in fo rmer t im es been v ery m uc hexplo red. T he oth er local i ty is to th e so uth of th e

Babo ju m ou n ta in , and i s de sc r ibed by B orn . C in na

bar seems to be th e o re , b u t na t ive m ercu ry , th ou gh

no t men t ioned , w ou ld no doub t be found .

A nt im on y i s no t ra re in th e m inera l ve ins in m os t

of th e m in in g d is t r ic t s , bu t th e q ua n t i ty does no t

seem la rge en ou gh to be o f m uc h im po r tan ce . Gold

is foun d with i t , as inde ed w ith mo st of th e ores .

Arsen ic i s se ldom found anywhere in the meta l l ic o r

na t ive s t a t e , bu t is comm on eno ugh in H un ga ry , a s a l

r eady in t ima ted , combined w i th o the r me ta l s and w i th

s u l p h u r .

Te l lu r iu m has been a l ready a l luded to . I t i s de

c ided ly more cur ious than usefu l a t the p resen t t ime .

A m on g th e misce l laneous m ine ra l s o f H un ga ry sa l t

mus t take a very h igh rank , and the depos i t s o f i t a re

pro ba bly th e lar ge st in the wo rld . N ot only do a vast

mult i tude of sa l t -spr ings proceed from the f lanks of

th e m ou nta in s , b u t ther e a re sa l t - lake s of no m ean

pro po rt ion s s t i l l lef t, an d as m an y as 159 d is t inc t

local i t ies are mentioned in books as capable of y ie lding

a la rge supply , should i t be requ i red . These a re m os t ly

on th e no rth s ide of th e co un try , an d away from th e

dis tr ic t descr ibed in th ese pag es ; b u t th ey are wel l

wo r th ca re fu l inves t iga t ion . Th e depos i t a t M arm aro s

is said to be an exact repeti t ion of that worked at

W ie l iczka , nea r K rakow ; b u t th e one m ass i s on the

sou th an d th e o ther on the no r t h s ide of the g rea t

Ca rpa th ian cha in . The M arm aros depos i t, comm enc ing

a t Ep er ies , some d is tance f rom K asch au ( the p resen t





P O L I T I C A L S T A T E O F H U N G A R Y . 2 4 3

T he re is no do ub t , however , th at wh ile m uc h of th e /

coal of the valley of the D an ub e an d i ts t r ib uta r ie s

consists of isolated patches of l ignite, containing a good

dea l of ash an d some w ater, an d fall ing to pieces on

expo sure , th er e is in th e Zsi l val ley a sple nd id d eposi t

of t ru e coal , of a per iod m ore ancie nt th an th e D an ub e

coals , but s t i l l t e r t ia ry .

Wi th a l l t he se sources of wea l th ; wi th such noble

r ivers , a n d such rich p lain s ; with so fine a clim ate, a nd

sur r ou nd ed by , if no t con ta in ing , so m any ind us t r iou s

popu la t ions , i t would be lam entab le indeed , if H un ga ry

we re no t soon to rise from its pr es en t posit ion an d be

come a p rom inen t cou nt ry in E uro pe . Cer ta in ly , th e

m iner a l an d vege tab le resources o f th e land , an d then a t u r a l facili t ies for tra n sp or t of goo ds, are suc h as

to en co ura ge every hop e of a speedy realization of so

desirable a resul t .

B ut an im po r tan t po in t here sugg es ts i tse l f fo r con

s idera t ion . Ho w are th e H un ga r ia ns to occupy th e

posi t ion the y ou gh t to a t ta in , and how far do th eirpol i t ica l re la t ions with Austr ia in terfere with their ma

ter ia l progress ? I t is cer ta in tha t Aus t r ia and the

A u s t r i a n s a re n o t a t o n e w i t h H u n g a r y a n d t h e H u n

ga ria ns . W ho se is the faul t , and what are th e chances

of rem ed yin g th e evil ?

To un de rs ta nd the s ta te o f Hu n g ar y wi th re fe renceto these que s t ions , and t o the chance of fu ture t r an

qu i l l i ty , a glance a t i ts pol i t ica l condi t ion and recent

his tory seems absolute ly essent ia l , and perhaps a few

pages on the subject may be useful , to put the English

.reader in possession of facts once learned, i t may be,



2 4 4 O P P O S I T I O N T O T H E G O V E R N M E N T .

b u t l i tt l e r em em bered , ow ing to the smal l imp or tance

of H un ga r i an po li ti cs i n W es t e rn E u rop e .

Ev er s ince th e year 17 23 th e H ouse of A us t r i a ha s

gover ned Hungar y accord ing t o a law of succession

clearly s t a ted an d d i s t inc t ly un de rs to od ; a nd the

u n i o n b e tw e e n A u s t r ia a n d H u n g a r y , p r o d u c e d b y

the fus ion of the reigning famil ies of the two coun

t r i es by in term ar r iag e , was a lways rea l , a l tho ug h the

cou nt r i es possessed d i s t inc t fund am enta l l aws and

othe r pol it ica l ins t i tu t ion s . U nfo r tun ate ly , an a t t em pt

was m ade in t he l a s t cen tu ry by t h e E m pe ror J os ep h

I I . t o c e n tr al iz e H u n g a r i a n i n s t i t u t i o n s . T h e H u n

gar ians never gave way to this innovat ion, or accepted

the reforms , admini s t ra t ive or o therwise , t h e n s u g

ges ted; and a spi r i t of opposi t ion to Aust r ia , t hen first

c rea ted , though lu l l ed for a t ime dur ing t he g r ea t

E u r ope an war s of t he F r en ch Rev o lu t ion , b roke ou t

again in 1 8 2 5 . O n th i s occasion the imm edia te cause

of qu arre l was th e neg lect of th e k in g to conv oke a

Die t , and t he monarch was ob l i ged t o g ive way .

F r o m 1 8 2 5 t o 1 8 3 9 t h e k i n g ' s g o v e r n m e n t i n H u n

ga ry was m ore an d m ore f requen t ly and ser ious ly op

posed in th e D ie t . A cons t i t u t i ona l pa r ty had , i ndeed ,

sp ru ng up , whose professed objec t w as to p romote ad

mini s t ra t ive reforms, and resis t al l at tempt to effect a

pol i t ical separa t ion of Hungary f rom Aus t r i a . Th i s

l a t t e r r evo lu t ionar y a t t em pt was a l ready an ackno w

l edged object of the op po si t ion par ty in the D ie t . I t

d id n o t then seem l ike ly to become popular , b u t t h e

assumpt ion of power and inf luence by the na t i ona l

assembly was bec om ing by degrees m ore an d more d i s -



" P R O T E C T I O N L E A G U E . 2 4 5

tin ct , an d could no t fail to be distasteful to th e Arc hduke Joseph , w ho had long been the Pa la t ine o r Regen t

of H un ga ry , and w as m uch l iked . A l thou gh , un t i l

h is dea th in 18 47 , th is p r in ce succeeded in sm oo th in g

th e con stan t ly- in crea sing difficult ies an d avoid ing th e

dan gers t ha t were from t im e to t im e ar is in g in his pa th ,

th e change w as im pen d ing , and con t inued peace w as

imposs ib le .

The revo lu t ionary pr inc ip les g radua l ly advanced , and

no t bein g chec ked by any very mo dera te or s teady

course ad op ted by th e G ov ernm ent , m ay be sa id to have

cu lm ina ted when , in 184 4 , th e ques t ion of comm erc ial

re la t ions wi th Au s t r ia was m ooted , an d the ag i ta t io n

was remo ved from th e ben che s of th e D iet to t he ha ll

o f th e Co m ita t of P es th . A soc ie ty was the n form ed,

whose m em bers d iscouraged a m on g the i r own f r iends

and in every possible way the consumption of a l l

fo re ign prod uce , an d und er the na m e of " Pro tec t ion

Le agu e " p u t fo rth th is dan gero us an d foo li sh im pedi

m en t to the p rog re s s of indu s t ry . A " Y o ung M a g y a r "

pa r ty was a lso formed, whose real in t en t ion , un de r th e

gu ise of patr io t ism , was to sepa rate f rom A us tr ia ,

r a the r than to r e fo rm the in s t i tu t ions o f the coun t ry .

T h e sess ion of th e D iet of 1 84 7 would th u s , un d er

any c i rcum stances , have been exc i t in g ; bu t i t m igh t

have led on ly to a l te ra t ions invo lv ing improvement .

Many re forms prev ious ly sugges ted were accep ted by

th e G ov ern m ent , and seemed l ikely to be carr ied . Th e

ki ng opened the Die t by a speech in t he H un ga r ian

lan gu ag e, and t he feeling was unive rsal tha t nat ion al i ty

ha d t r i um ph ed w i thou t r evo lu t ion . B u t th i s w as no t

M 2



24 fi O P E N R U P T U R E W I T H A U S T R I A .

to . las t. T he m easures of Go vernm ent were a t t acke d,and grea t exc i t em ent pro duc ed by the revolu t ionary

pa r ty ; and in the m ids t of th i s e xci t em ent E ur op e

was convulsed by th e events th a t occu r red in Par i s , in

t h e m o n t h of F e b r u a r y , 1 8 4 8 .

N o sooner was th e pu bl ic m ind th u s affected th a n

an add ress was propo sed in the Die t , de m an din g asepara te , independent , and respons ib le mini s t ry for

H u n g a ry , l iber ty of th e pre ss , f reedom of associat ion,

a na t ion al gua rd , an d a gene ra l r eprese nta t ion of th e

na t i on no t on ly fo r Hungary itself, but also for Aust r ia .

At the same t ime Aust r ia i t sel f was in a s tate of a lmost

equa l exc i t ement , and P r ince Met t e rn i ch , t he r ep re

sentat ive of arb i t rar y pow er , was com pel led to res ign .

A s epara t e m in i s t r y was g r an t ed t o H u n g a iy i n a

modified form and to a l im i ted exten t ; but the res t

of the demand was evaded, and i t was clear that there

was no quie t se t t l ement a t hand.

In t he m on th of J u ne , 18 48 , t he Die t a t Pe s th was

opened, and wi th in a month there was an open rupture

b e tw e e n t h e k i n g a n d t h e n e w H u n g a r i a n m i n i s t r y ;

th e Crow n refus ing to gr an t tha t a l evy of 20 ,0 00 m en

s hou ld be made , under t he p r e t ence o f f o rming a

nat ional guard, and refus ing also to sanct ion the i ssue

of a large quant i ty of paper notes fo r Hungar i an

c u r r e n c y .

Af ter a success ion of ev en t s— un for tu na te for th e

nat ional cause, i f t h e only object of those holding

responsible pos i t ions was to obtain a rat ional l iber ty

for the i r count ry—the war broke out in earnes t , and

a n open rup tu r e t ook p lace be tween t he E m pe r or o f



A B D I C A T I O N O F F E R D I N N A D . 2 4 7

A u s t r ia a s K in g of H u n g a r y a n d h i s H u n g a r i a n s u b j ec t s . O w ing , as i t would seem, to th e urg en t pres sure

produ ced by K os su th , the H un ga r ia ns w ere the fir st

to procla im w ar , an d the i r arm y moved across th e f ron

t ier to a t ta ck A us tr ia . Th ey were defeated on the 3 0t h

October , a t Schwechat , and prepara t ions were ac t ively

made for a f inal and severe struggle.

A t the c lose of 184 8 , the th ron e of H un ga ry was

left vacan t by the abdica t ion of Fe rd in an d and Fr an cis

Ch ar les , and a cha nge in th e Go vernm ent was an t ic i

pa ted on th e access ion of Fra ncis Jos eph , who h ad

previously been a gre at favouri te in H u n g a ry . B ut th e

H u n g a r i a n s q u e s t i o n e d th e r i g h t o f Fe r d in a n d to a b d i

cate w i thou t leave, no r has the presen t k in g ever been

crow ned or ful ly acce pted as th e r igh tful successor to

t h e t h r o n e .

Very soon, however , d issensions among the leaders of

th e revolut ion bega n to ap pea r . Gen eral Gö rgey ac t ing

w i th , a n d r e p r e s e n t in g t h e a r m y h e c o m m a n d e d ,

declared that he was in arms only for the laws of Apri l ,

1 8 4 8 , and th e lawfu l k i ng , Fe rd in an d . Th e o ther pa r ty

in t h e S t a t e , a m o n g w h o m K o s s u th r a n k e d a s chief,

adop ted ano ther m i l it a ry com m an der . H e , however , was

obliged to give way, and Görgey, by a series of s k i l f u l

manœuvres , he ld the Aus t r i ans a t bay fo r a long t ime ,

forc ing th em to re t i re , a nd to bre ak u p th e s iege they

ha d comm enced aga ins t Co m orn . H e took B ud a af te r

a s iege of seven teen da ys, an d sat dow n before A rad an d

T e m e s w á r .

By th is t ime the revolut ion had entered on an ent i re ly

new ph ase . K ossu th had been app oin ted Governor o f





T H E R E V O L U T I O N A T A N E N D . 2 4 9

des t royed a l l hope , and no th ing remained bu t to c rush

the remaining nat ional forces as they came in the way.

Af te r th e ba t t l e of Te m esw ár , th e Aus t r ian s p ressed

forward towards Arad whi le the Russ ians were coming

down from th e n or th , an d by m ean s of la rge de tach

m en ts they prev ente d a l l m anoeu vr ing on th e p ar t of

the Hungar ian genera l to escape in to Transy lvan ia .

G örg ey was th u s forced to capi tu la te a t V i lágos w ithth e r e ma in d e r o f h i s a rmy , a mo u n t in g to 2 5 ,0 0 0 me n ,

and the revolut ion was a t an end.

But the revolut ion a t an end, and the power of the

" Y o u n g M a g y a r " p a r t y co m p le te ly b r o k e n , t h e A u s t r ia n

and Russ ian genera l s had unfor tuna te ly no t rece ived

ins t ruc t ions to temper sever i ty wi th mercy , and no endeavour was made to res to re the mass o f the Hungar ian

nat ion to the ir former s ta te of union with Austr ia under

proper res t r ic t ions , secur ing the essen t ia l s , and pun ish

in g o n ly th e g u i l t y .

H a y n a u , t h e A u s t r i a n g e n e ra l , l i tt l e r e g a rd in g th e

motives of the people or the bravery they had shown,permi t ted and encouraged the mos t b ru ta l excesses ,

waded through a sea of b lood when no opposi t ion was

offered to his further advance, and seems to have

thro w n off a ll fee lings and sen t im en ts of h u m an i t y in

th e exci tem ent and scent of f resh b lood. H ec ato m bs

of vict ims fel l , and the whole country seemed l ikely to

be dec im ated . All officials who ha d in any way joi ne d

the nat ional par ty were condemned, and one a t leas t of

every c lass in every town was posi t ive ly doomed

to suffer , and did suffer , a disg racefu l de at h. W o m en ,

noble and patr io t ic , inf luenced by the h ighest and bes t



2 5 0 M O D E R N A U S T R I A N S Y S T E M .

motives , were t reated as degraded beings , and subjected

to ignom inious t rea tm en t . N o v ic tim was too m ean ,none too powerfu l fo r h i s vengeance ; and ne i ther

H un g ar y no r th e res t o f Eu rop e wi ll eas ily fo rge t th e

name of the infamous tyrant who was af terwards

r e m i n d e d in the s t ree t s of London of the es t imat ion in

which he was held by a free people.

The sys tem, as set on foot by th e con que ror , ha sbeen more or less carried out since. Not , indeed , to

the disgraceful extent , but wi th the same fool ish pol icy.

T h u s an a t t em pt unjust if iable and need less in i t se lf— a

pol i t ica l separat ion desi rable in no sense e i ther for

H u ng ar y , fo r A us t r ia , o r fo r E ur op e — a poli t ical im

possibil i ty in th e presen t s ta te o f Europe — has un fo r tu nate ly become an idea sanct i f ied by the martyrdom of

i ts advocates , and more and more f ixed in the Magyar

m i n d .

The d i smemberment o f Aus t r ia i s , however , no t

l ikely to take p lace . Th e M agy ar , a l th ou gh possessed

of many admirable quali t ies, has not of himself a suffic ient nat io nal i ty to exist a lone . Ev en H u n g a r y i s n o t

en t i re ly peopled by the Magyar race , and the o ld

? Hungar i an sys t em i s no t a l t oge the r pop u la r . Th e re

is a large German, a Servian, and a Wal l ach ian e l e m e n t

in the count ry , and th e mass of the populat ion cares too

l i t t l e about a separa te na t iona l i ty , to fight to th e d ea thfor such an idea . Ev en dur in g th e war , wh en G örg ey,

a t t h e he ad of a l a rge an d wel l -appoin ted a rm y, was

able , for a t ime, to res is t Austr ia , and might have suc

ceeded, but for the in tervent ion of Russia , in throwing

- off the Austr ian yoke ,—even then there was no rea l



T H E P E O P L E N O T U N I T E D . 2 5 1

unio n am ong the people . W hi le the re was ye t p ressu re *

f rom wi thout , and the ba t t le o f independence wasrag ing , the var ious peoples of Hungary were f igh t ing

wi th each o the r . I n Transy lvania th e W al lach ia n

peasan t ry ro se aga ins t the M agy ar p rop r i e to r s . In !

the Bana t the Se rv ians opposed bo th Magyar s and

G erm ans . In the S iebenb ürgen the Germ ans r e s is t ed .

A rad was he ld , Tem eswár was he ld , and even Bu da ,for a long t im e, was held successful ly aga inst th e

na t ion a l p ar ty , and in each were ma ny M ag ya rs t rue

to the i r con s t i tu t iona l m on arc h . Th ere i s no t in

Hungary such a union of races , or so large a populat ion

of one kind as to just i fy a separat ion, nor are there any

impor tan t border popula t ions wi th whom to f ra te rn ize

a n d u n i t e .

T h e M a g y a r s t a n d s a lo n e i n E u r o p e . T h e r e m a y

or may not be a foundation for what is called

Panslavism, but for Magyarism there seems no pol i t ical

possibi l i ty .

O n the o the r ha nd , t he re i s a g re a t ma ter ia l p ro s

per i ty open to Hungary i f the people wil l be c o n t e n t

to be quiet ly governed, and i f Austr ia is wise e n o u g h

to re lax a l i tt le in t he bu rea uc rat ic no t ion s t h at now

influence her . I t is th e un for tu na te , bu t ap pa ren t ly

hopeless , weakness of the German to centra l ize every

th in g , and to govern by a s t r ic t bureau cracy . Th is ,

no doub t , is a perpe tua l and d is t ress ing annoyance toa people so different ly const i tu ted as the Magyar; and

herein l ies a great difficulty, for the German is as hard

to convince as the H un ga r ia n i s to accus tom h imse lf

to a new m e t h o d .



2 5 2 STRUGGLE BETWEEN AUSTRIA A N D HUNGARY.

Since the revolut ion there has been but one prevai l

i ng i dea i n Vienn a wi th r ega rd t o H un g ar y , t ha t o f

David Thomas Ansted - A Short Trip in Transylvania 1862

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