A steam voyage down the Danube, vol. 1 of 2
Date: 2026-03-07T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Europe -- Description and travel; Danube River

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Title: A steam voyage down the Danube, vol. 1 of 2

With sketches of Hungary, Wallachia, Servia, and Turkey, &c.

Author: Michael J. Quin

Release date: March 7, 2026 [eBook #78133]

Language: English

Original publication: London: Richard Bentley, 1835

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/78133

Credits: Richard Illner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK A STEAM VOYAGE DOWN THE DANUBE, VOL. 1 OF 2 ***

A
STEAM VOYAGE
DOWN
THE DANUBE.

WITH SKETCHES OF
HUNGARY, WALLACHIA, SERVIA, AND
TURKEY, &c.

By MICHAEL J. QUIN,

AUTHOR OF “A VISIT TO SPAIN.”

SECOND EDITION.

REVISED AND CORRECTED.

IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

LONDON:

RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET.

1835.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

PEST.

C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, STRAND.

TO MRS. MICHAEL J. QUIN.

To you I dedicate these volumes, trusting that you may find in them some compensation for my late absence from a Home, where, as you well know, all my happiness resides. When our dear children shall be able to read this work, you will tell them that their interests only could have detained me from that home, during the five months necessarily occupied in my journey.

Always most affectionately yours,

MICHAEL J. QUIN.

Haverstock Hill, Hampstead,
20th July, 1835.

PREFACE

TO THE

SECOND EDITION.

Since the first edition of this work was published several gentlemen have called upon me, to inquire whether the navigation by steam has been yet completed from Presburg to Constantinople. It may be useful, therefore, here to state that the steam-boats do not yet regularly proceed further down the Danube than Galacz. The vessel intended to carry on the intercourse from that place to the Bosphorus, had been fitted out, and despatched from Trieste last autumn. But in the mean time, the object which the Danube company had in view, was frustrated by some means that have not yet been explained; and the vessel in question is now employed as a packet between Constantinople and Smyrna.

My own opinion is, that the Russian government has refused permission for the steam-boats of the Danube company to pass through any of the embouchures of that river into the Black Sea. The whole delta of the river became exclusively Russian, under the treaty of Adrianople; and I am informed that military pontons have been recently established across the navigable mouths of the Danube, with a view to prevent vessels of any description from entering the Black Sea in that quarter, without a passport from the Russian authorities.

The traveller, however, who wishes to become acquainted with the most interesting parts of the Danube, navigable by the steam-boats, will have no cause to regret this strange proceeding on the part of the Russian government. The banks of that magnificent river are wholly devoid of interest below Vidin. Its beauties commence at Belgrade; and from Moldava to Gladova, those wild and sublime scenes occur, which I have attempted to describe in the following pages.

I trust, at the same time, that before many months elapse, the Austrian and Russian sovereigns will come to an understanding in favour of the free navigation of the Danube and the Black Sea, as originally contemplated by the company.

M. J. Q.

September 10, 1835.

CONTENTS TO VOL. I

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Arrival at Pesth—Embarkation on board the steam-boat—Congress of Hungarian ladies—General appearance of Pesth—Buda—Mills on the Danube—Fruit-boats—Wool-waggons—Wicker carriages—Captain Cozier—Scene on board—Tyrolese emigrants—Tyrolese amusements—Countess N—— —Moldavian adventurer—Servian Jew—Depression of the Danube

1

CHAPTER II.

Dinner—Languages of the party—English groom—State of the neighbourhood of Tolna—System of landowners—English farmers in requisition—Arrival at Tolna—Battle with dogs—Search for a bed—Billiards—Cottage delights—Night scene—Hungarian politics—Group of peasants—Wood-boats—Village of Mohacs—Costume of the natives—Appearance of the streets—Industry of women—Hungarian ladies and their maids

22

CHAPTER III.

Steam-boat aground—Tyrolese melodies—Night scene—“Hanger on”—Auction at cards—Knave of clubs game—How to float a steamer—Military valet—Kamenitz—Odescalchi convent—Parting game—Kissing—Neusatz—Carlovitz—Semlin—Greek church—Plague at Constantinople—Belgrade—Semendria—Magnificent expanse of the Danube—Islands of enchantment—Sunset—Spirits of the Danube

43

CHAPTER IV.

Windings of the Danube—Civility of the Moldavian—Arrival at Moldava—Arrangements for voyage to Orsova—A Wallachian beauty—Flock of geese—Ditto of children—Woodmen—Commencement of mountain chain—Rustic sounds—Peasantry—Removal to fishing-boat—Our equipment—Accusation of robbery—Haunt of Wallachian brigands—Romantic gorge—Caverns

67

CHAPTER V.

Pastoral scene—Echoes—Picture of laziness—Rapids of the Danube—Miller and his men—Pedestrian excursion—Wallachian shepherdesses—Dancing boors—Scene at Swinich—Priest of the parish—The governor—George Dewar—Contest between the priest and the poet—Supper—Musical treat—The Moldavian—Sketch of the inn room—Hospitable invitation—Triple-bedded room—Latin harangue

85

CHAPTER VI.

Domestic arrangements—Count Szechenyi—Milanosch—Works on the Danube—Picture of industry—Auberge—Vedran’s cave—Rocky scenery—Arrival at Orsova—My chamber and its ornaments—Bedroom utensils—Hungarian civilization—Quarantine adventure—Dinner at Count Szechenyi’s—Plans for the navigation of the Danube—Origin of the enterprise

107

CHAPTER VII.

Hungarian reforms—Security of property—Orders of nobility—Advantages of steam navigation—Reformers—Auxiliary improvements—Club-house—Newspaper—System of Entails—Censorship—Sybaritism—The Count’s pursuits—Hungarian language—Verses on the vintage

130

CHAPTER VIII.

First appearance of Wallachia—The Iron Door—Trajan’s road—Reform of the Hungarian representation—Corporations—Finances—Education—Justice—Wallachian Gladova—Servian Gladova—Trajan’s bridge—Navigable stations on the Danube—Wonders of steam—Speech of Prince Milosch—Neighbourhood of Gladova—Wallachian hut—Matrimonial speculation—Tea-drinking—Music—Charms of procrastination—Departure from Gladova—Bends in the Danube—Approach to Vidin—Magnate’s costume—Visit to Hussein Pacha—The pacha’s deputy—An interpreter—Explanations—Pleasures of disguise

142

CHAPTER IX.

Hussein Pacha—Hussein’s son—Group at the interview—Commencement of conversation—Conversation prolonged—Steam expedition—Cool reception—Pacha’s harem—Wallachia and Moldavia—Treaty of Adrianople—Silistria—Boat aground—New delays—Zantiote boat—Adventurous changes—Separation—Ionian luxuries—A grave mistake

177

CHAPTER X.

Zitara Palanka—Turkish hospitality—Interior of a caffiné—Mahometan devotee—Orisons—Race of Tartars—Social variety—Turkish khan—The nargillé—Supper—Woman—Seclusion of the sex—Eating in the dark—Visiters astonished—A general invasion—Return to the boat—New acquaintances—Nicopoli—Night scene

196

CHAPTER XI.

Sistow—A delusion—New friends—Good fortune—Greek civility—Wallachian merchants—Supper—Amicable discussion—Gil Blas—Wallachian ambition—Chief of the Tartars—Striking a bargain—Equestrian preparations—Greek v. Greek—Shops of Rutschuk—Valley of Repose—Bulgarian peasants—Gipsies—Going astray—Cogitations—Resolutions—Bulgarian girls—An alarm

219

CHAPTER XII.

A boorish group—Night quarters of a caravan—Shumla—An intrusion—An angry Turk—Balkan roads—Difficulties of the way—Forests of Hæmus—Banditti—Terrors—Descent of the Balkans—Dinner—Karnabat—Gipsies—Catching a Tartar—A fiery bedroom—A decent khan—Supper

244

CHAPTER XIII.

My companions—Kind attentions—Famine—Annihilation of a Fowl—Living upon nothing—Disturbance—Still life—Consternation—A desolate town—Turks at prayers—Dinner—Alarming rumours—Chorlu—The sea of Marmora—Silivria—Street scene—A factotum—News of the day—Tartar generosity—Negotiations

264

CHAPTER XIV.

A white cock—Russian agency—Specimen of cookery—Dining in state—Departure from Silivria—Mahometan causeway—Perilous roads—Knowing horses—First view of Constantinople—Advantages of its position—Extent of its capabilities—An abstracted goose—Entrance of the capital—Pera—Vitali’s hotel—The plague—Character of the malady—Armenian funeral—Associations—Funeral of a Greek

285

APPENDIX A.

Treaty of Alliance concluded between Russia and Turkey on the 8th of July, 1833

303

APPENDIX B.

Treaty between Russia and Turkey, concluded at St. Petersburg, by Achmet Pacha, on the 29th of January, 1834

308

LIST OF PLATES.

PAGE
Frontispiece, Vol. I. Pesth
Buda and Pesth | 6
Kamenitz | 52
Peterwardein | 54
Neusatz | 56
Semlin | 58
Belgrade | 61
The Author’s route from Pesth to Rutschuk | 220
Frontispiece, Vol. II. Towing boats on the Danube

CHAPTER I.

Arrival at Pesth—Embarkation on board the steam-boat—Congress of Hungarian ladies—General appearance of Pesth—Buda—Mills on the Danube—Fruit-boats—Wool-waggons—Wicker carriages—Captain Cozier—Scene on board—Tyrolese emigrants—Tyrolese amusements—Countess N——Moldavian adventurer—Servian Jew—Depression of the Danube.

♦ ARRIVAL AT PESTH ♦ While I was preparing at Paris, towards the close of last summer, for a journey to Constantinople by the ordinary and very fatiguing course overland through Vienna, Semlin, and Belgrade, I was informed that steam-boats had been recently established on the Danube, which would enable me to descend that river to the Black sea, and thence to the Bosphorus. The hope of accomplishing my object by a route so novel, so attractive in itself, and so convenient in every respect, was too tempting to be resisted. I therefore lost no time in repairing to Vienna; and as the scenery of the Danube possesses but little interest between Presburg, where the steam navigation begins, and Pesth, the modern capital of Hungary, I preferred embarking at the latter place. I accordingly arrived there by the light of a brilliant moon, an hour or two after midnight, on the 24th of September, 1834; and as a variety of rumours had met me on the road, some stating that the steam-boat, or Dampshiffe, as it is called in that country, had been destroyed by its own engines, others that it had bulged on the rocks, or remained fixed fast in the sandy bed of the river from the want of water, it was with no small pleasure that I discovered the vessel of which I came in pursuit anchored quietly within the shade of the bridge of boats, that still forms the communication between Pesth and Buda.

♦ EMBARKATION ♦ The inns having been all shut up for the night, I was obliged to proceed without ceremony on board through a crowd of carriages, packages, and cases of all descriptions, which were huddled together on the bank, with a view to transportation by the steamer to different towns on the Danube. The guardians of the vessel were all wrapped in sleep so imperturbable, that I could find nobody to marshal me the way to a berth in the cabin. Having been without sleep myself for thirty-four hours, I was not at all indisposed to follow the example of these worthy sentinels, the more especially when, on penetrating to the cabin, I found it almost entirely preoccupied by passengers stretched on benches, in full enjoyment of the same “sweet oblivion,” amidst piles of boxes, trunks, cloaks, shawls, baskets, hat-cases, stools, and tables, congregated in “most admired confusion.” By the glimmering light of a lamp which was suspended from the roof, I at length discerned a vacant corner, and having doubled up a seat-cushion, by way of pillow, and arranged another as no mean apology for a bed, I threw myself upon it, wrapped in my cloak, resolved to subside at once into profound repose.

♦ HUNGARIAN LADIES ♦ But scarcely had I forgotten that I was slumbering on the Danube, when there arose, all of a sudden, such a storm of tongues, and such an uproar of laughter around me, that I felt for a moment as if, in punishment for my sins, I had been imprisoned in some enchanted chamber, where sleep was especially prohibited. At first the voices sounded as though they were distant from the cabin; but before I could exactly settle with myself the question, whether I was waking or dreaming, in they rushed, chattering away as if they had all the world to themselves. Morning was still far below the horizon, and I, of course, concluded that our invaders would soon be tired of their rather premature entertainment. But vain were all calculations of that description; anecdote followed anecdote; interrogatory—answer—reply—rejoinder—sur-reply and sur-rejoinder—slight titter—partial laughter—general shouts—coursed each other with indefatigable speed round the circle of this noisy congress, until the broad daylight streamed through the windows, and dissipated every hope of peace. I was shocked at my ungallant thoughts, when I surveyed my fair enemies, and found that there were amongst them two or three really pretty Hungarian ladies. I confess, God forgive me!—that I had more than once wished them all at the antipodes.

♦ PESTH—BUDA ♦ Pesth looks extremely well from the Danube. It is for the most part built in a modern style of architecture; several of the public edifices, and even of the private mansions are splendid. The national casino, or club-house, forms a distinguished feature of the city, which has been wonderfully improved during the last ten or fifteen years. Presburg is the nominal capital of Hungary; but it has, in the estimation of a Hungarian, one fault which nothing can redeem,—it is near Vienna. It has been, therefore, long superseded by Pesth, as to all matters which concern the sciences and arts, as well as the assemblages and amusements of the higher classes. Here they spend their fashionable season, give their balls, carry on their flirtations, and plan both their private and public intrigues. Buda, on the opposite bank of the river, is not without its share in these good things. Gaiety also sometimes holds her court in that quarter. The bridge of boats between the two towns has indeed occasionally operated as an obstacle to social enjoyment. But that obstacle is soon to be removed. A stone bridge has been proposed, the expenses to be defrayed by a toll, from which no person shall be exempt. Never was such an innovation as this heard of in Hungary since the Danube began its course! A Hungarian nobleman is privileged by his rank from the payment of taxes of any kind. But the ladies would not be debarred from the winter enjoyments of Buda; they worried their fathers, husbands, brothers, until at length the vote was carried in the diet,—and so a stone bridge they will have. Slight as this incident may seem to an Englishman, it will probably lead the way to many useful reforms in that country, on account of the principle of equal taxation which it involves.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

BUDA & PEST.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

♦ MILLS ON THE DANUBE ♦ Our cargo of carriages, dry goods and passengers having been at length all duly arranged, our paddles began to circulate at seven o’clock, instead of four, which was the hour appointed, and we proceeded on our voyage. The morning was splendid. As we moved along we passed by several of those curious flour-mills with which the Danube is crowded. These floating machines are very simple in their construction. A wooden house is erected in a large clumsy boat, moored near the spot where the river is most rapid. At the distance of a few paces from this edifice another smaller boat is made fast parallel to the first, the heads of both being directed down the stream. In the interval between, the water-wheel is suspended, and impelled by the natural velocity of the current. These mills, of which ten or twenty are sometimes found in immediate succession, are rather picturesque in their appearance, and give animation to the scenery around them. But, however convenient they may be to the population on either bank of the Danube, where there are no heights for windmills, it is certain that they afford serious impediments to navigation. They uniformly occupy the best parts of the river, and tend to the formation or increase of sandbanks in their neighbourhood, which, when the water is low, become, as we subsequently experienced, nuisances of a formidable description.

♦ FRUIT-BOATS ♦ I believe there is no river in Europe which winds so much as the Danube. It may, with more than the usual truth of poetry, be emphatically designated as a “wandering stream.” It consequently abounds with what are called “reaches,” portions of the bank which at a distance look like promontories, and add not a little to the difficulties of the navigators, who have to work their way against the course of the current. It is amusing to observe a boat of the country labouring round one of these obstacles. It is generally a huge unwieldly bark, constructed of oak, covered with a high roof, and laden to the very top with what here universally passes under the name of fruit—that is wine, timber, wool, wheat, hay, and produce of every degree. The vessel is dragged up the river by a force which is not at first very apparent. You behold the vessel tied to the end of a rope, which is pulled by something or somebody somewhere, and if your eye can discern the “reach” at the distance perhaps of a mile, you may discover there a dozen brawny Hungarian peasants half-naked, trudging along in rope harness, exerting all their strength to draw the enormous mass behind them. The more opulent adventurers, however, frequently employ horses for this purpose, and then the scene is infinitely more bustling. Twenty and sometimes thirty half-wild horses are required to supply a sufficient moving power, where the force of the current offers more than ordinary resistance. Almost every pair of horses belongs to a different peasant, and he will allow nobody to lash them but himself. He is most probably a nobleman, and it is a part of his privilege to drive his own horses after his own fashion. When, therefore, the whole of the team arrives at a difficult reach, it becomes the signal for a general mutiny; the leaders are perhaps prancing in the air, while the horses immediately behind are endeavouring with all their might to bolt off into the adjacent country. Here a horse and his companion stand quite still, as if they were in doubt whether they ought not, before going further, to take a pleasant draught of the element at their feet. Half a dozen of the animals in the rear have dragged each other into the river, through which they are wading up to the girth, while the sound of a dozen whips, the altercations of the drivers, the angry exclamations of the boatmen shouting on the roofs of their vessels, the neighing of the alarmed horses, and the barking of dogs, combine to form a most ludicrous concert, which may be heard far down the river. Although in a broiling sun these drivers keep on their large cloaks, which are as essential to the dignity of a Hungarian peasant-noble, as the wide-brimmed hat slouching over his swarthy countenance.

♦ WOOL-WAGGONS ♦
♦ WICKER CARRIAGES ♦ The high road, that is to say the track over the verdant turf, or the sandy track most frequently trodden, now and then ran along the side of the Danube, and exhibited occasionally specimens of the interior commerce of the country. Now a rude car laden with woolpacks, on the top of which was perched a lazy fellow smoking, drawn by eight or ten miserable horses, moved at a snail’s pace, the wooden axle of the wheels yielding the while a species of music, compared with which the hoarsest sounds of a hurdygurdy would be enchanting. Now a better sort of vehicle, a kind of waggon, filled perhaps with water-melons, Indian corn, or vegetables, for some neighbouring market, appeared on the scene, drawn by a much better class of horses, whose trappings were quite brilliant. The drivers of these waggons were generally the cultivators of the land, which furnished the burden, and they displayed their prosperity in a smart underdress, of which a waistcoat with gold or silver plated buttons, and a profusion of silk lace formed the principal ornament. These were succeeded perhaps by a troop of travellers galloping on spirited and beautiful animals, or by a family whisked along in a kind of wicker carriage, which may be found in all parts of Hungary. I travelled a considerable portion of the way from Vienna in one of these simple post-chaises, and I found it not at all disagreeable. It is on springs, and peculiarly light, and as from the irregularities of the road I was often knocked from one side of the vehicle to the other without even the civility of a notice, I deemed it a convenience to come in contact rather with a yielding material such as wicker, than with a solid board from Long Acre. And then if the balance were in danger of being more than usually disturbed, if one of the wheels aspired to figure in the sky, while the other was buried in a sandy rut, I had no great difficulty in jumping out over the sides of my carriage.

♦ CAPTAIN COZIER ♦ The captain of our steamer was an Englishman, of the name of Cozier, who, being little conversant with any branch of nautical science, was about equally skilled in the topography of the Danube. Though he had gone up and down several times, he knew no more of the caprices of the sandbanks than he did of the bed of the yellow sea. He had a bitter dislike to his office. Why he was permitted to undertake it, I never could understand. To me, I must say, he was communicative and extremely civil; but my fellow-voyagers he treated with a degree of superciliousness which was very amusing. It seemed to be his settled opinion, that nobody except an Englishman was worthy of breathing the same air with himself. To be sure we had a motley crowd on board, such perhaps as never met together on the deck of a steam-boat before. Behold us all as in a mirror.

♦ SCENE ON BOARD ♦ I am sitting (time, half-past eleven, morning) on a stool near the man at the wheel. A little before me, on my right-hand, are two Tyrolese sleeping. One of these has on his head a green hat, with a wide band of green ribbon around it, in which are stuck some white and black feathers, selected from a cock’s tail, intermixed with the bristles of a wild boar. The ribbon, where it joins, is edged with gold lace. Like most of his countrymen, this man rejoices in a thick gray frieze jacket, a striped cotton waistcoat, black leather breeches, here and there rather whitened by the hoar of antiquity, ribbed worsted gray stockings, and short stout laced boots. He wears his hair long behind, somewhat négligée. Another Tyrolese is sleeping near him, whose hat was some ages ago green, but now partakes of the colour of night. His hatband seems also to have enjoyed two shades of existence—it was formerly green, now it is a dingy yellow. It is tied in front with a bow of pink ribbon, which, in its early days, must have looked seducing, especially as it appears to have been accompanied by an artificial rose and other flowers, the ruins of which are still discernible. One of these picturesque objects is stretched on a mat; the other has his head resting on a coil of rope, his feet on a similar cushion: the intervening departments of his frame repose on the naked deck.

♦ TYROLESE EMIGRANTS ♦ While I was admiring the felicity in which these sleepers appeared to be immersed, a woman with a child, the wife I presume of one of them, came and awoke him. He rose, and she took his place. Throwing a handkerchief over her otherwise bare head, she settles herself to sleep. The sun is blazing on her ladyship. The child, a round chubby little urchin, has no fancy at present for following her example. He would very much prefer a game at romps. Trying what he can do in that way, he, slily laughing, pulls the handkerchief off her face. Half angry, she gives him a tap, but he returns to the charge, and succeeds for a while in attracting her attention by his artless tricks, until at length he falls asleep on her bosom. She then gladly resumes her interrupted slumber. She is arrayed in a short blue cloth spencer, edged with black velvet, beneath which she wears a green thick velveteen pelisse sort of dress. Thick worsted stockings (I believe!) and laced rough boots complete her apparel. Of the former, however, I am not very confident, as I only saw the most tiny bit of one of them just beneath the edge of her petticoat.

♦ TYROLESE AMUSEMENTS ♦ At the feet of this happy matron a Tyrolese boy is fast asleep. One would think that noon had been changed into midnight. Near him a woman of the same nation is sitting upon a roll of cordage, doing nothing. A little Tyrolese lad, with a cockade of white cock’s feathers, and a bunch of artificial flowers in his hat, is helping her! That must be his father who is sitting near him, smoking, and occasionally talking with one of his countrymen standing against the springs of one of the carriages, with which, by the way, our deck is most inconveniently crowded. Near the mast a group of men, all Tyrolese, are engaged in the several offices of talking, listening, smoking, musing, whistling, singing, and gazing at the dense cloud that rushes into the firmament from our black chimney. They are all rather better dressed than my immediate neighbours; one of them, a fine-looking fellow, whom I take to be the captain of the gang, has his hat cocked in a dandyish style, considerably out of the circular shape. His plume of feathers, too, is larger and of a finer quality than those of the others. This party would make a capital study for a band of brigands, could they but assume a fiercer expression of countenance. As it is, they look too amiable for a Salvator Rosa. At the top of the boat several knots of women, still Tyrolese, are sitting in various directions, executing for each other, alternately, without the slightest consciousness of the external effect of the operation, the agreeable task of disburdening their hair of its multitudinous inhabitants. No wonder that Captain Cozier was enraged!

♦ COUNTESS N—— ♦ Descending into the cabin I found a party of Hungarian nobles—men of genteel appearance and manners—seated at a round table, playing cards. They had been thus engaged all the morning. The stakes were not inconsiderable, and seemed to be taken up occasionally by the winners with infinite delight. Near them, sanctioning their amusement by her bland looks and smiles, is an elderly lady knitting on a bench, and occasionally conversing with an exceedingly elegant figure, somewhat petite, whom, upon further acquaintance, I found to be the Countess N——, on her way from Pesth to Peterwardein. She had married, at the age of eighteen, a hotheaded nobleman of her own country, who became attached to her suddenly on account of her beauty. He took her to Pesth, entered into all the amusements of the place, gambling included, which is carried on in that capital to a formidable extent. The result was, that after a short experiment of two years, they were obliged to give up their establishment, and the young countess was now returning to her mother, attended by a French femme de chambre, the only remaining fragment of her transient splendour, except her harp, which she saved also from the ruins. She was reading a book of common Hungarian ballads, which seemed to afford her amusement. In a corner, two little girls were tittering away most merrily—I could not make out at what. Within the ladies’ cabin I heard some of the laughing voices, which recalled the sense of my “murdered sleep” of the morning. Upon the whole, I was pleased with the appearance of my companions, and flattered myself with the hope of a pleasant voyage, in which I was not disappointed.

♦ MOLDAVIAN ADVENTURER ♦ In the course of the day a variety of new characters emerged from the second cabin, and other hiding places, the greater part of whom soon ceased to attract my notice, as they were of that class that seems born for the mere purpose of transforming animal and vegetable substances into human flesh and blood for the ordinary number of years. Among these specimens of creation, however, there was one little man, whom I shall not speedily forget. He was from Moldavia. He had been in the Russian service during the late war with Turkey, but in what capacity I could never satisfactorily discover. I suspect he was a spy. He spoke German, French, and Italian fluently. He wore a blue frock-coat, which probably had served him during the said war, as it could boast of only a part of one button, and two very unequal skirts, remaining in any thing like decent condition. The rest of the garment was covered with grease. A pair of old black stuff trousers patched at the knees in a most unworkmanlike manner, rent and not patched in other parts indescribable, and vilely tattered at the extremities, together with a ghost of a black waistcoat, a cast-off military cap, and wretched boots, offered an apology for a better suit, which he said he had at home. His shirt was also in the list of absentees! He had lost the half of one of his thumbs, the other was wrapped in a bandage. He had not shaved for three weeks—he certainly could not have washed either his hands or his face for three months, and a comb had probably not passed through his hair for three years. To crown his personal peculiarities, he had a very red nose, on the top of which was perched a pair of spectacles.

Nevertheless, with all these strong objections against him—so strong, that I wonder my friend Captain Cozier had not thrown him overboard—there was something about this man which seemed to have actually fascinated a rather genteel youth, who was constantly at his side, and to have already secured him the devotion of a miscellaneous group of Austrian soldiers and their wives, pedlers, and artisans, who occupied mats and sheepskins on deck. With the sailors he was quite a favourite. He whistled well, he sung well, and passed off every thing in a “devil-may-care” kind of way, which gained him admirers. A charlatan at a French fair—a romance reader at the mole of Naples—could not possess more power over his audience, than was exercised over these simpletons by this Moldavian adventurer. He had a common-place-book in his bosom—for his pockets had all vanished—from which he occasionally read to his followers scraps of poetry of his own composition, or selected from the works of celebrated German writers. These readings he interspersed with comments often so droll, that he set the whole deck in a roar. Then he would relate some of his accidents by flood and field, or describe his travels, in the course of which he mentioned the most extraordinary scenes in the world, which had occurred to him at Constantinople, Bucharest, Prague, Vienna, Petersburg, Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Gibraltar, Venice, every where but London, where he had the modesty to confess he had never yet been. His eye, when lighted up by the excitement of the moment, was singularly brilliant, the flush of fine intelligence was on his swarthy weather-beaten cheek, his voice was melody itself, and his diction eloquence.

♦ SERVIAN JEW ♦ Retired from the crowd appeared now and then an extremely well-looking Jew and his daughter, a pale, slight, interesting girl, who seemed to have much to converse about on their own affairs. They were dressed in the Turkish costume. As I passed them the father saluted me in Spanish, at which I was not a little surprised. Upon further acquaintance, I learned that he was descended from one of the Jewish families, which having been expelled in the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella from Spain, were permitted to take up their abode in Servia, where their posterity still continue to reside. The Spanish language is spoken by all these Jews, in preference even to the tongue of their fatherland, so great is their traditional affection for the once Moorish kingdoms of the peninsula. This man was returning to Vidin from Vienna, where he had been upon a mercantile speculation, which he did not explain. We became great friends. The daughter had a mandolin, upon which she sometimes favoured me with Moorish and Servian airs.

♦ DEPRESSION OF THE DANUBE ♦ Our boat rubbed upon the natural bed of the river two or three times, very much to the captain’s astonishment and perplexity. Men were consequently stationed at the prow to sound the bottom, when we found, that even where it was deepest, we had not more than six or seven feet of water. I fully expected that we should run aground, an embarrassment which was about the last I should have thought of in the Danube. I had rather imagined that our difficulties would have chiefly consisted in evading the dangerous rapidity of the flood, for I could not have fancied the Danube any thing less than a magnificent inundation, hurrying for ever towards the Euxine. Very much to my surprise, however, I found it considerably shrunk beneath its banks, and often so lethargic in its course, that it seemed more like a lake than the principal river of Europe. But from my cogitations on this subject, I was most agreeably summoned at one o’clock to dinner.

CHAPTER II.

Dinner—Languages of the party—English groom—State of the neighbourhood of Tolna—System of landowners—English farmers in requisition—Arrival at Tolna—Battle with dogs—Search for a bed—Billiards—Cottage delights—Night scene—Hungarian politics—Wood-boats—Village of Mohacs—Costume of the natives—Appearance of the streets—Industry of women—Hungarian ladies and their maids.

We sat down a large and merry party to the table. I must honestly confess that I enjoy a good dinner at all times, and in all places, but I fancy that I entertain a particular relish for the performance of my duties in that way on board a steam-boat. The air, the exercise, the novelty of the scene, the emulation kindled amongst a number of candidates for a participation in the spoil, and, perhaps, above all, the savoury odours of soups and stews, which mingle beforehand with the atmosphere of the deck, conspire to whet the appetite to a degree of keenness altogether unknown on terra firma.

♦ DINNER ♦ We commenced operations with rice soup, which was followed of course by bouilli; next came sundry dishes of roast fowl, and of fowl cooked as giblets, and well cooked too. By way of relaxation, we were then invited to admit a layer of bread pudding upon the said fowls, with a view to prevent them from finding fault with what was to come after—a prudent measure; the dinner was closed by capon, served up with plums in their own syrup for sauce. Upon the whole, notwithstanding the monotony of the entertainment, it went off, as the theatrical critics say, with éclat. We were not, however, fortunate in our wine: it was pale and sour, a degree or two beneath small beer. Hungary produces some of the most exquisite wines in Europe, but I must say that I never had the felicity to meet with them. Those which are found in ordinary use are truly detestable.

As soon as the edge of appetite was a little blunted, we became not only a merry but a noisy party. The Hungarian language prevailed by a considerable majority, but I happened to sit between a merchant from Trieste, who spoke a little English, and a medical gentleman from the Tyrol, who spoke French tolerably. The latter informed me that he had charge of the Tyrolese families on board, numbering in all nearly a hundred individuals, who were proceeding on their way to Transylvania, where they intended to settle, and work mines belonging to the Austrian government.

♦ LANGUAGES OF THE PARTY ♦ My mercantile neighbour was bound to Peterwardein, whence he was to journey into the interior, for the purpose of purchasing corn, to be shipped for Trieste. I was the only Englishman in a party of about forty persons, and I soon found that I was an object of general attention. All wondered whither I was going—what were my pursuits—what had brought me so far from home; and when it became pretty well whispered about that I was on my way to Constantinople, where the plague was raging at that moment, according to a thousand reports, in a most formidable manner, I became not only an object of attention but of sympathy. As I was altogether unacquainted with the Hungarian language, and my Hungarian friends knew no other except Latin, I was obliged to turn out from the recesses of my memory, all that still remained there of Lilly and Erasmus, in order to answer the questions that were put to me. We were consequently all speedily arranged upon a footing of agreeable intercourse, the ladies and myself only excepted, for very much to my chagrin, they spoke no dialect save their own Hungarian. Even the little elegant countess was ignorant of French and Italian; but I afterwards found that the education of the fair sex in Hungary, had been hitherto, at least, wholly neglected.

I was much pleased with my new companions. They exhibited towards each other, and towards myself, so much good nature, they were so frank in their discourse, so cheerful, so full of anecdote, so easily provoked to laughter, in which they indulged with all the heartiness of children, that I felt the greatest interest in poring over this new page of the volume of society. Even when I did not understand the language in which their conversation was carried on, I could collect its general meaning from the tone, the look, the animated gestures by which it was accompanied. After coffee our “house” adjourned.

♦ ENGLISH GROOM ♦ The engineer of the boat, a skilful, active, goodhumoured young man, from Birmingham, named Pearce, made my acquaintance in the course of the evening, and pointed out to me, among the crowd before the mast, another Englishman, near whom was sitting a very pretty German young woman, whom he had just brought from Vienna as his wife. I went forward and spoke to this man, whom I found remarkably intelligent for his station. He was on his way home, his home for the present being the village of Tolna, where we were likely to arrive about sunset. He had lived for some time with the Count Tedische, a Hungarian nobleman of extensive possessions in that part of the country, who, like most of his “order,” made a point of having an English groom to take care of his stud. From this post, however, the newly-married exile was about to be elevated to the rank of the count’s bailiff, or steward. The account which he gave me of the state of the district in which he lived, was not much calculated to encourage emigration thither from England.

♦ STATE OF TOLNA ♦ “In former times,” said he, and I give very nearly his own words, “it was the custom for the emperor to give a title of nobility to every person who in battle killed his man. These titles unfortunately became hereditary; the consequence of which is, that almost every second man you meet in Hungary either is really noble or affects to be so. The great mass of this kind of aristocracy are wretchedly poor. They are too proud to work, and having no property they live by plunder. They go, sir—you coming fresh from England will hardly believe it—these fellows go in the noonday to a field of Indian corn, the best they can find in the neighbourhood, with horses and waggons, which they have begged or seized for their purpose; they cut down as much of the corn as they please, and then carry it away openly, as if it had been the regular produce of their own industry; the poor farmer looking on all the time, perhaps, from a distance, afraid even to be seen, for it would be as much as his life is worth to offer the slightest resistance to their proceedings! For this robbery there is no redress. This is not all. These marauders choose to fall out with a man—they do so easily enough for they are dreadfully quarrelsome—they attack him, and kill him. For such a crime there is no punishment; whereas, if one of themselves happen to be killed in the fray, they obtain redress immediately. They give themselves the name of Aidelmen, which seems to be a passport of impunity for every species of wickedness.”

♦ SYSTEM OF LANDOWNERS ♦ “These Aidelmen are in some degree imitated by a still more desperate set of vagabonds, who prowl in bands all over the country. Six or seven of these ruffians come into your house of a night, and live upon you as long as it may suit their convenience. If you do not receive them hospitably as guests, give them abundance to eat, drink with them, talk with them, and make them welcome in every way, they will most probably, after consuming all your store of provisions, beat you to a mummy before they go. They then elude pursuit by hiding in the woods.”

♦ ENGLISH FARMERS ♦ “I must admit, at the same time, that the Hungarians who do not belong to either of these two classes of plunderers, are in general a very good sort of people, as the world goes. To be sure, they will cheat in bargaining if they can; but in other respects they are friendly, goodnatured, and trustworthy. They are for the most part engaged in agriculture. The system of the landowner is this: He sends round the neighbourhood, by beat of drum, to proclaim that he has a certain portion of land to let. The peasants who are willing to take this land in shares, enter into an agreement to that effect; they cultivate their tenements, and deposit the produce in the landlord’s granary: each tenant is entitled to half the produce of his labour. Upon the same plan all agricultural work is done. Those who thresh or tread out the corn, for instance, receive a fifth in kind. The clergy have for the most part portions of land settled on themselves, but tithes are still payable in some places to the landlord.”

♦ ARRIVAL AT TOLNA ♦ “This simple custom works generally very well—indeed I do not know how it could be altered, seeing that there is so little money current in any part of Hungary. At the same time, I believe the landowners in general, and the count in particular, would be extremely glad to get over some English farmers here, if such a thing was possible, which I think it is not, for few of my countrymen would long endure the Aidelmen. As for myself, I have at present very little land, though I hope to have more. I am now getting used to the thing, and begin to bear it with some degree of indifference; but I assure you, sir, if I had a livelihood in old England, I should be very glad to be back there again. To be sure, I am looked up to at Tolna by my neighbours, and respected by the count’s friends, on account of the great success which his horses generally meet with at our races—for we have, I assure you, very fair meetings of that kind, which have tended very much to improve the breed throughout the country.”

My intelligent informant’s discourse was here broken off, as we had just arrived (half-past six o’clock) at Tolna, where we cast anchor for the night. The idea of stopping here until the morning was to me incomprehensible, as the moon, though on the wane, would soon in this climate turn the night almost into day. But the sandbanks!—at that awful sound the captain shook his head, and so we had no alternative. No chart of the river had yet been engraved; but it was understood that one was in progress, of which future passengers might profit perhaps. Our fate was sealed against the slightest chance of any thing like a nocturnal expedition.

♦ BATTLE WITH DOGS ♦ “Well, at all events,” thought I, “I shall go into the village, and find a bed, if such a thing there be;” for I would have gladly avoided, if I could, the necessity of “roughing it” on a bench in the cabin. Accordingly, after all the passengers who were bound for Tolna had landed, together with nearly the whole of our Tyrolese, men, women, and children, I stepped on shore, having been recommended by the “bailiff” to put up at the “Black Eagle.” As he was necessarily engaged himself in debarking some furniture for his new house, he called a sprightly lad of his acquaintance from amidst a group on the bank, and directed him to marshal me the way to the inn. This lad not only came himself, but brought with him a whole “tail” of his companions, some of whom ran before, some beside, others behind me, along the sandy pathway leading to the village, which was nearly a mile distant. It was rather fortunate that I had this posse comitatus in my service, as, upon approaching the “Black Eagle,” we were met by such a numerous troop of fierce dogs, which seemed to have assembled from all parts of Tolna, as if to dispute our entrance, that we were obliged to come to a regular engagement. Victory having declared on our side, we proceeded onward until we arrived at the inn gate, where my escort disappeared in an instant, scampering off in all directions, as the dogs were rapidly rallying once more for action, barking as if they meant to assail even the “Black Eagle” itself. I took good care to close the gate after me, and directed my steps at once to the kitchen, where a prodigal fire was blazing, and the landlady, as well as her whole household, were running about in an indescribable hurry.

♦ SEARCH FOR A BED ♦ Upon presenting myself to the presidentess of the “Black Eagle,” I signified to her, as well as I could, that I wanted a bed; but she was so entirely preoccupied in cutting up a quarter of a calf for a variety of parties who were clamouring for supper, she had so many orders to give her maids, and had so many pots and pans stewing on the hearth, that, after repeated exertions, I gave up the toil of soliciting her attention. I stepped forth, therefore, upon an expedition of discovery for myself, resolved, if I could find a chamber disengaged, to establish my proper person therein, without further ceremony. My first attempt was rather unfortunate; for, on opening a door, I happened to light upon a woman just stepping into bed, her husband being about halfway towards the same enviable destination. My second effort was not more successful; for the room I opened was apparently a receptacle for stores of every description—grapes, flour, oats, onions, casks of wine, hay, and broken chairs. Courageously persevering in my tour of the house, I next found myself in the presence of a nurse and three or four children, all of whom were strenuously engaged in the duty of squalling as loud as they could. Finding, upon a further examination, that I had no chance of attaining my object, I resolved to wait awhile until the business of supper was over, when I thought madame might be able to think of me for a moment; but, on entering the public room, I had the gratification to observe that it was full of the Tyrolese families, who, having procured some milk, were distributing it with paternal and maternal assiduity among their infant generations. Some of the men were drinking wine, some were eating supper, others were trying to sleep on a table, or on the floor, amidst the cries of children, the scolding of mothers, songs, shouting, dancing, and other peaceable amusements.

♦ BILLIARDS ♦
♦ COTTAGE DELIGHTS ♦ Not yet despairing of fortune, I proceeded to a neighbouring apartment, which turned out to be a billiard-room crowded with Austrian officers, who were playing at billiards, or standing round the table enveloped in an atmosphere of vapour arising from Hungarian tobacco—the most potent, and to a non-smoker the most offensive, I believe, that has yet been manufactured. Not being in a mood for suffocation, I speedily effected my escape, and had the consolation to behold myself once more in the yard of the Black Eagle, in one corner of which a butcher was engaged in skinning a newly killed sheep by the light of a lamp which a swarthy peasant, in an immense hat and a blanket cloak, was holding up for him. Having at length very reluctantly resolved that my expedition was an entire failure, hearing no more of the dogs, and presuming that they were by this time all asleep, I set out upon my return to the steam-boat. As I passed along through the village, I could not help looking in at a window where a light was glimmering: the room within was decently furnished, and a pretty young mother was playing with a baby in its nightclothes, before putting it to bed. The smiles of the little angel, and the exuberant joy of the parent, afforded a spectacle of perfect happiness, which made me forget my late disappointment, and I resumed my way in good humour with all the world.

♦ NIGHT SCENE ♦ The stars were shining in the blue ocean of the sky like so many islands of fire. The moon had just risen above the margin of the horizon between two of those beauteous worlds, and, though divested of half her light, flung a long pathway of silver on the surface of the Danube. The Lyre was peculiarly brilliant, a constellation which I had many an hour admired and endeavoured to explore from my own garden at home, accompanied by her who shares in all my thoughts and feelings. Though wandering alone in a foreign land, I thus found familiar friends every where in nature around me. The silence of the scene, disturbed only now and then by the bark of a village cur; the low soothing murmur of the broad river, the recollections which its celebrated name kindled in my memory, detained me loitering on the shore until a chorus, sung by a group of Tyrolese, who were returning to our vessel, reminded me that it was time to follow their example.

♦ HUNGARIAN POLITICS ♦ Finding my companions at supper I was very glad to join them. They were in the midst of Hungarian politics, two of them being deputies on their way home from the diet. I have seldom met a more engaging person than the Count P——, who appeared to have taken an active part in the business of the legislature. He was inexhaustible in anecdotes about his fellow-deputies, and the mode in which the national affairs were carried on. Eloquent, cheerful, offhand, and thoroughly conversant with human nature, he often placed the most serious things in a ridiculous point of view, which kept the table in roars of laughter. His features beamed with benevolence, and I was not surprised afterwards to learn, that in his own county of Presburg, where he has ample possessions, he is universally beloved. He had frequently the goodness to explain to me in Latin the political parts of his conversation. He said that the diet was the mere image of what it ought to be according to the ancient constitution of the country. Many of the deputies were determined on eventually effecting a reform, but from motives of personal respect for the then reigning emperor, they would take no steps during his lifetime. Under a new sovereign, however, they would certainly insist upon the restoration of the Hungarian constitution. I had more than once occasion to remark, that politics were by no means forbidden topics in this country: they are in fact as freely spoken of as in France or England. No notice is ever taken by the authorities of this liberty of speech; I have heard even the authorities themselves discuss public questions without the slightest reserve. The freedom thus generally enjoyed must be founded not only on custom, which cannot be changed, but upon a sense of inherent strength with which it might be dangerous to tamper.

♦ WOOD-BOATS ♦ We set off the next morning from Tolna at half-past four o’clock, and again passed by a number of those picturesque-looking mills already mentioned. The bank on our right ran along the edge of a vast forest. I should have liked to sketch some peasants, who were waiting by the river-side for a boat to convey to one of the mills several sacks of wheat, which they had brought to be ground. The morning being rather cold they were wrapped up in their great cloaks, their large hats pressed low over their brows. They were accompanied by two or three women, and near them were several wicker cars, which appear to be generally used in Hungary. A wood-boat, as it is called, was making its way down the river. It consists, in fact, of four boats which are lashed together for the purpose of carrying the long timber, that is found in great abundance and of pretty good quality in the neighbouring forest. Its cabin is a very frugal affair, being composed only of half-a-dozen boards raised near the prow in a slanting direction from side to side. Beneath this shade the operations of cooking and sleeping went on.

♦ MOHACS ♦ We passed in the course of the day by several long straggling villages, near which I observed some apparently fine vineyards. Certainly the grapes with which our table was served were among the most delicious I had ever tasted, and I cannot but think that the inferiority of the Hungarian wine, in general is to be attributed to the mode in which it is manufactured. If the process were improved, and more attention bestowed upon the quality than upon the quantity produced, I have no doubt that the wines of Hungary would rival even those of Spain, which I take to be the best in Europe.

At noon we stopped at Mohacs to take in wood and coals. This latter valuable article is found at a short distance in the interior of the country: the coals are small and stony, but they form a strong fire when mingled with wood. The operation of getting them on board being a very tedious one, we all went on shore to take a stroll through the town. A large and highly respectable-looking family were waiting in a handsome phaeton on the bank for the Count P——, who met them in the most affectionate manner. They were attended by a troop of “followers,” as an Irishman would say, who kissed the count’s hand, and seemed delighted to have him once more among them. A decent elderly woman, who must have been his nurse, wept for joy. She, and one or two fine youths who seemed to be entitled to higher privileges, kissed not his hand but his arm! I looked on at this meeting with great interest, and when the carriage drove away with the count, I felt, under the impression that he was not to return, as if I had lost a friend whom I had long known.

♦ NATIVE COSTUME ♦ The bank was soon crowded with groups of peasantry, men and women, extremely well-looking, who had assembled chiefly to gaze on the wonders of the steam-boat. The former were loosely clothed in shirts, waistcoats, and loose trousers, all made of coarse canvass. The trousers were so wide that at a distance they looked like petticoats. Their hats were of the usual Hungarian dimensions, and they generally wore sandals without stockings. The head-dress of the women consisted for the most part simply of a blue handkerchief, which was tied under the chin. They wore neither stockings nor sandals. Their gowns were of ordinary calico, blue, red, green, plainly printed, I presume of German manufacture. Some twenty of these women, the younger of whom were decorated with a profusion of different coloured necklaces of glass or coral beads, were seated in a semicircle selling fruit. Their baskets were heaped with walnuts, magnificent grapes, and apples. A wicker car was also speedily in attendance, laden with some of the finest melons and plums I ever saw. The latter were of a deep red colour, and of the most tempting ripeness. When the Tyrolese began to market with these fruit-venders, an artist might have found in the scene a picturesque variety of character and costume.

♦ APPEARANCE OF THE STREETS ♦ Though the Hungarians call Mohacs a town I should rather say that it is a large village, built with the most rustic simplicity. The houses generally consist of mud walls, roofed with long reeds, each being surrounded by a high wicker fence, which encloses a considerable space of ground, including a farm-yard, a well, with the primitive lever for raising the bucket, and sometimes a garden. Rows of these detached houses form several irregular streets, which are planted with shady trees, on each side. Cocks were crowing in all directions, otherwise one would scarcely have thought that the place had been inhabited, such was the silence that prevailed. Even the dogs were mute, sleeping, perhaps, through the noonday heat. The gable ends of the cottages generally faced the street, the roof being carried a foot or two beyond the walls, on which, or upon the window-sills, were strung in the sun, quantities of a rich-looking green and ruby fruit, here called the golden apple, and resembling our girkin in form. It is preserved for pickling, is full of seeds, and even before being pickled is not disagreeable to the taste. I tried to get into the two churches which belong to the village, but they were locked. Their external appearance was decent.

♦ INDUSTRY OF WOMEN ♦ The coals and wood were carried to our boat in wheelbarrows by a number of muscular, active, hardworking girls; hundreds of men were loitering on the bank, not one of whom could be prevailed upon to assist in the labour, through sheer laziness. We were consequently detained more than three hours by an operation, which ought to have been completed within less than half the time, as the depôt was within twenty yards of the river. For their industry on this occasion these poor girls, who went through the work with indefatigable cheerfulness, received only portions of flax, respectively equivalent to about two or three pence of our money.

♦ HUNGARIAN LADIES ♦ While these girls were engaged in their task, the first crowd of spectators gradually dispersed, and left the scene open to some more respectable groups, who came to gratify their curiosity. Several young ladies appeared in their hair, which was tastefully arranged, protected from the sun by parasols, and in other respects attired in the English style. They were attended by their maids, who also displayed their ringlets, and but for the smart white aprons by which they were distinguished, might have been mistaken for their mistresses. These attractions had the usual effect of summoning also to the general rendezvous, the beaux of the neighbourhood who were for the most part apparelled in black velvet vests, and white trousers: a short white cloak decorated at the collar with red worsted lace, and conspicuously exhibiting a red cross in front, being carelessly thrown over the left shoulder.

CHAPTER III.

Steam-boat aground—Tyrolese melodies—Night scene—“Hanger on”—Auction at cards—Knave of clubs game—How to float a steamer—Military valet—Kamenitz—Odescalchi convent—Parting game—Kissing—Neusatz—Carlovitz—Semlin—Greek church—Plague at Constantinople—Belgrade—Semendria—Magnificent expanse of the Danube—Islands of enchantment—Sunset—Spirits of the Danube.

♦ STEAM-BOAT AGROUND ♦ We took our departure from Mohacs soon after three o’clock in the afternoon, having in the mean while dined on vermicelli soup, bouilli served up with beetroot, roast fowl presented on a couch of stewed cabbage, beef steaks, boiled rice sweetened and browned before the fire, together with roast capon, accompanied as usual by plum sauce. I was glad to see Count P—— once more in his place at the table. From the appearance of some fishing-boats which I saw for the first time on the Danube, about two hours after we left Mohacs, I flattered myself with the hope that we began to enter the deepest part of the river, which as it was now full a mile in width, was well entitled to be described as an inland sea. The banks indeed were still low and sandy, which detracted from its beauty. In the distance on the right, a sugar-loafed mountain, rising above the summit of a range of hills, indicated an approaching change of scenery; while we perceived the commencement of a forest on our left, lower down the river: but in other respects the country around us was altogether uninteresting. While I was indulging in a day-dream upon the novelties I was about to encounter, a sudden shock, of no great violence, however, warned us all that we were absolutely aground. The captain treated the accident with entire indifference, and it was not until he found that we were literally imbedded in the sand that he even thought of despatching a man in the small boat to sound the river on either side. We had the mortification to observe that in every part of the river at the distance of a few feet from the steamer, there was an over-abundance of water, and that had we industriously sought for a sandbank on which to run the vessel, by no effort of skill could we have found it any where except on the very spot where we were now detained. Instead of making any immediate exertions to extricate the boat from this disagreeable situation, our captain walked up and down the deck for a while, looking vacantly around him, scarcely knowing what to do. An anchor was at length borne out to a distance and thrown into the river, with a slight rope attached to it, which was carried round the axle of the windlass. The men were then set to work with a view, by pulling at the anchor, to shift the boat from its unfortunate position; but the rope was no sooner strained than it broke; it was tied and broke again and again, until every body saw that the cord was much too slender for the purpose. It was at length suggested that the only course which remained was to lighten the vessel of its cargo, when it would probably float of itself; but as this was an operation that would occupy some hours, and the day had now nearly reached its close, we were obliged to content ourselves with remaining motionless for the night.

♦ TYROLESE MELODIES ♦ The Tyrolese considerately resolved to console us all under our misfortune, by singing in concert some of their choicest national melodies. They had amongst them an admirable base, and two or three excellent treble voices, which gave with great effect the leading stanzas; the whole, men and women, joined in the chorus. It was a singular musical entertainment on the bosom of the broad Danube: and ought to have had the Alps to re-echo the songs of the hunter, and the wild tones of the shepherd, which lost some portion of their cheering influence by being flung along these quiet waters. We could not but perceive that the simple people mingled with the song, feelings of remembrance that they were already far from their native mountains, to which they were never to return.

♦ NIGHT SCENE ♦ The evening was beautiful. A warm golden tinge illumined the atmosphere all round the horizon; while, in the transparent azure of the concave above, myriads of worlds were exulting in their light, visited now and then by meteors which passed like seraphic messengers from one region of the heavens to another. The waning moon rose late, and so low in the firmament that it seemed an apparition evoked by some enchantress from the waters around us. While I was contemplating this scene my attention was disturbed by a tremendous fire which broke out at some distance beyond the forest on our left. A column of dense smoke ascended in the sky, which reflecting the blaze below seemed itself an unearthly conflagration. In a little time the whole of the horizon in that direction appeared to be in flames; we concluded that the fire which had probably begun in some village, as is often the case in this country, had reached the forest. The flames were reflected also in the Danube, and appeared to have threatened more than common dangers in their course, as we heard in the far distance the sound of horns spreading the alarm.

♦ “HANGER ON.” ♦ In the cabin, however, we all assembled in our usual spirits. The Countess N—— was the object of marked attention on the part of the gentlemen, amongst whom, I must confess, she distributed her smiles with laudable impartiality. Her sparkling black eyes evinced no want of self-possession, nor could I perceive that she was much distressed by her separation from her husband. The Count P—— was accompanied on his return from Mohacs by a kind of “hanger on,” a military man, poor but merry, and though to the count habitually obsequious, a goodnatured fellow. He spoke French fluently. In the course of several conversations which I had with this decayed gentleman, who seemed to know something of the world, he fully confirmed all I had hitherto heard of the spirit of liberty which prevails generally amongst the Hungarians, and of their fixed determination to convert their diet into a real representation of the kingdom. The example of England, he said, was not unknown to his countrymen, who greatly admired her institutions.

♦ AUCTION AT CARDS ♦ After supper we played at a round game called the “auction.” The dealer held up a certain number of cards, taken indiscriminately from the pack, and sold them to the highest bidders. When the auction, which was conducted by Count P—— with infinite drollery, came to a conclusion, the produce was collected and divided into four or five prizes, the first being the highest, and the others lessening in proportion. The remainder of the pack was distributed amongst the players. A second pack was then given to the dealer, who drew from it at hazard, without permitting any body to see them, as many cards as there were prizes to be contended for. These cards so drawn were placed separately on the table, and on the back of each a prize was deposited. He next proceeded to turn up successively the remainder of the second pack, comparing each card as it appeared with those held by the players, who laid down a corresponding card until the second pack was exhausted. Consequently there would at that period remain in their possession only the cards which corresponded with those under the prizes: these latter cards were finally displayed with due solemnity, and those who were the fortunate holders of similar ones won the prizes placed upon each. I have never seen a round game so productive as this was of interest, curiosity, and merriment.

♦ KNAVE OF CLUBS GAME ♦ Another laughter-stirring game was this: All the knaves, except the knave of clubs are discharged from the pack. The cards are then dealt out to the party in hands of five each. If the party be not numerous enough to exhaust the pack at the first deal, then the hands are increased to eight or ten, in order to accomplish that purpose. The player who holds two cards of the same class—for instance, two aces, or two queens—puts them away, but he is not entitled to get rid of more than two at a time. The leading hand, on the left of the dealer, if he hold two such cards, turns them up, and places them in the middle of the table; if he do not hold a pair then the lead passes on to him who does. After losing these two cards he then places the cards remaining in his hand on the table, back upwards. His neighbour next takes one card out of the hand so laid down, makes a pair if he can in order to reduce his hand in the same manner, and puts down the remainder. The third player follows the same course, and it is obvious that as the company hold amongst them two pairs of all the cards except the knaves, the knave of clubs must ultimately fall to the lot of some unfortunate wight. He or she, for this game knows no distinction of sex, is then decorated with a black eye, or a pair of moustaches, by means of a burnt cork. This is a game not merely of fun but of absolute riot; for the operation of painting being usually resisted, the available force of the company is called out to carry the law into execution.

♦ FLOATING A STEAMER ♦ At an early hour the following morning (26th) a large flat-bottomed boat was rowed alongside our steamer, and the crew with the assistance of our Tyrolese in a few hours transferred the greater part of the cargo from one vessel to the other. The steamer having been thus materially frightened, rose from its bed in the sand and floated into deeper water, where it was reloaded and about one o’clock in the afternoon we resumed our voyage. While the removals of the cargo were going on I observed that the cases in which it was contained were usually directed in the Latin language, in a style of which the following is a specimen:

“Spectabili ac Perillustri Domino Francisco Najmay.”

♦ MILITARY VALET ♦ The scenery on either side of the river continued, during the whole of the day, as uninteresting as that which we had already passed. The country on the left was still occupied by forests. On the right I observed the ruins of an old fortification, of which a round tower and the principal castle remain. Here and there on the same bank we noticed villages built after the fashion of Mohacs. Immense flights of wild ducks appeared from time to time, but we found it impossible to get a shot at any of them, very much to the disappointment of a military aspirant, who was valet to the Tyrolese doctor. This man was always dressed in a hussar jacket and tight pantaloons, over which he wore Hessian boots, with enormous spurs attached to them. It was amusing to see him wait upon his master of a morning in this attire, with towel and basin in his hand, or perhaps a clean shirt, or perhaps a pestle and mortar to mix up some drugs. I have no doubt, such was the ludicrous military vanity of this fellow, that of the two he would much rather lose his place than his spurs, which, by the by, were perpetually tripping him up. He disdained to mingle with the colonists, unless when he was commissioned to administer a dose, a duty which he performed with very visible reluctance.

During the evening, the deck before the mast seemed to have been turned into a barber’s shop, the operator being one of the Tyrolese women, who went through her labours with such admirable skill and expedition, that even the gentlemen availed themselves of her services. When this necessary office was over, prayers were said by the Tyrolese, who all assembled together for that purpose, after which an elderly matron sprinkled holy water amongst them.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

KAMENITZ.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

♦ KAMENITZ ♦ The towns of Vuckovar and Kamenitz, which we passed by without visiting the following day (27th), appeared, at a distance on our right, to be of some importance. The former boasts of a fine convent for monks, and several churches, which to us, at least, seemed more than usually handsome. Trees shaded the streets as usual. Several boats laden with black earthenware were in its little port, and groups of girls were engaged at the river-side in procuring supplies of water, which they took away in pitchers, suspended at the extremities of an elastic pole, which was balanced on the right shoulder. Wicker cars were busily driving in and out of the town, and in a field near it a troop of cavalry were exercising their horses.

♦ ODESCALCHI CONVENT ♦ Not far from Vuckovar, on an abrupt hill, which immediately overlooks the Danube, there is another monastery, said to have been erected by a prince of the house of Odescalchi, an Italian family, whose wealth was at one period of their career supposed to be inexhaustible. The establishment belongs to the Franciscans, and appeared to be almost a town in itself.

The country as we approached Peterwardein improved rapidly upon us. On our right undulating hills, wooded with shrubs, villages prettily situated on the heights, their church spires rising above the trees, which no village is without, announced a more fertile, a more populous, and a more cultivated part of Hungary than we had seen since our departure from Pesth. I remained generally on deck, watching the variations of scenery which presented themselves, as in a moving panorama. I did not fail, however, to mingle with my fellow-passengers occasionally, for whom the aspect of the country had not the same attractions of novelty. I found the gentlemen whenever I went down almost constantly engaged at cards—and the ladies knitting, or telling each other’s fortunes on cards, or arranging them on the table in a diversity of figures, which required no little ingenuity, the result of many a long idle hour’s experience.

♦ PARTING GAME ♦ I have no objection myself to a merry round game for an hour or so at night, or to a determined rubber or two of whist at the same genial season; but I have an invincible distaste for any such amusement, under any circumstances whatever, in the light of day. This my new friends soon found out, and they could not account for it, though I explained it as an affair of habit. However one auction game, they said, we must have before we separated, in which the whole cabin must be interested, and the first prize was to be accompanied by a licence to the winner, if a gentleman, to kiss every lady on board. My gallantry was touched by this proposal, and, of course, I sat down at the table, upon which there was a general shout of triumph.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

PETERWARDEIN.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

The ladies joined in the game, as they said, for their own protection; but it was plain enough that none of them wished to win the first prize, though it was equally clear, that they were anxious it should not fall to the lot of a huge Hungarian sergeant, whom Count P——, for the drollery of the contrast between this man and the delicate countess, had purposely invited from before the mast, to participate in our contest. I need not say that great was the rivalry at the auction, over which the count, as usual, presided, so that the prices at which the cards were knocked down, went far beyond all former example.

♦ KISSING ♦ In due course the cards were drawn for the prizes and placed under them—the ladies were already preparing, by coquettish smiles and transient blushes, and gentle palpitations, for the visitation they were about to undergo. At length the ominous card was called out, when lo! to the mortification, most especially of the young Tyrolese doctor, and to the consternation of the pretty countess, the sergeant proved to be the happy man! Her ladyship with inimitable grace allowed the cyclop to kiss her hand, with which he had the good taste to be contented; but he had ample revenge, amidst peals of laughter, on a dry old maid, whom nobody would have kissed but himself.

♦ NEUSATZ ♦ We arrived at Neusatz, opposite Peterwardein, at two o’clock; and after dinner, at which we drank to each other’s health and happiness with feelings of kindness, if not of friendship, whose evident sincerity and warmth showed that the moment of separation was not without pain on all sides, I found myself almost alone in the cabin. My fellow-passengers took leave of me in the most warmhearted terms, and I think I never felt so desolate as I did during the remainder of that evening.

The boat having been detained for an hour at Neusatz I strolled through the town, which consists of long straggling streets recently built, and full of shops, in which were sold toys, grocery, clothes, censers, ironmongery, tinware, earthenware, wooden bowls, dishes, and trenchers, all of very rude fashion, and jewellery of an ordinary description. I saw several Greek priests here, in long cloth cassocks, shovel hats, and long beards. They were remarkably neat in their persons, and humble in their demeanour. The principal church of the town had not much to boast of, except a series of ensigns which were taken during the Austrian wars with Turkey.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

NEUSATZ.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

♦ CARLOVITZ ♦ Neusatz is connected by a bridge of boats with the more ancient town of Peterwardein, on the opposite bank of the Danube, which is defended by one of the strongest fortresses on the river. The works are erected on a lofty rock, naturally very difficult of access from the river, and protected on the land side by extensive bastions and towers, which exhibit a formidable appearance. The place was well garrisoned.

Five of the boats which contributed to sustain the bridge having been disconnected at one end from the line, and suffered to yield to the force of the current, they gradually swung round together with that portion of the bridge upon them, so as to afford an opening through which we passed on our way down the river. Our cabin passengers were now reduced to four; a little humdrum widow, who never ceased to chatter, the Tyrolese doctor, a young surgeon who joined him from Neusatz, and myself. Carlovitz, a town prettily situated on the side of a hill, and celebrated for its wines, soon attracted observation on our right. The hills gradually increased in boldness as we proceeded, until night veiled them from our view, when we cast anchor in the middle of the stream. The sky was overcast with clouds, threatening a disagreeable change of weather. I took refuge from an oppressive sense of loneliness in some books which I had fortunately brought with me.

♦ SEMLIN ♦ About nine o’clock on the following morning (28th), the spires of Semlin appeared in view, and a little further down the river the cupolas and minarets of Belgrade. The steamer having cast anchor before the former place, I immediately went ashore, and explored its curiosities. It being Sunday the church bells were ringing in all directions, and the market, which was well supplied with vegetables and fruit, including a peculiarly fine species of green water-melon, was thronged with people decked out in several varieties of holiday costume, Hungarian, Greek, Turkish, and Armenian.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

SEMLIN.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

♦ GREEK CHURCH ♦ After hearing mass in one of the Roman catholic churches, which was attended by a respectable and, apparently, a very devout congregation, I went to the church belonging to the Greek catholic form of worship. As usual in these edifices it had no pews or seats of any description in the body of the church; near the screen, behind which the altar was secluded, a few stalls were arranged on each side, not, however, for sitting but for standing, and a round platform was raised in the middle, I presume for the lecturer or preacher. The screen, a curious specimen of the arts of the middle ages, was elaborately carved and gilt, and ornamented with portraits of the saints, which were painted in the old Venetian style. In the centre there was a doorway veiled by a curtain. Very few persons were present at the service, the greater part of which, according to the rites of the Greek church, was performed with mysterious secrecy behind the screen: at certain parts of the mass the curtain was drawn aside, and the ceremonies were then witnessed by those in attendance. There was no organ, but a small and very indifferent choir sung, in the ancient Gregorian chant, those portions of the mass which are commonly set to music.

♦ PLAGUE AT CONSTANTINOPLE ♦ Semlin being the frontier town of the Austrian dominions in that quarter, where travellers proceeding from Servia, or the interior of Turkey, are obliged to submit to a quarantine of fourteen days, I was anxious to hear the latest intelligence concerning the plague, which, I was informed at Vienna, prevailed in Constantinople to a serious extent. With the assistance of our engineer, I soon found out a French agent, who acts as the interpreter of the government; and from him I learned, with no small pain, that the plague continued to increase, that from eight hundred to a thousand persons were swept away by it daily; and that among the most recent victims was Mr. Wood, an Englishman, who was dragoman to the British embassy. This fact excited some alarm in my mind, as I had been hitherto taught to believe that the Franks usually escaped the pestilence, either from their more cleanly habits, their more substantial diet, or from their residing in a more airy quarter of the capital. Before we left Semlin, however, an Austrian courier came on board, who stated that a gentleman in the service of his government had passed through, from the quarantine station, only the day before, on his way from Constantinople, and that his report was more favourable. The plague had undoubtedly been very violent; but it had latterly been on the decline. The post from Semlin to Constantinople usually takes nine days; and I was assured that the latest letters fully confirmed this intelligence.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

BELGRAD.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

♦ BELGRADE ♦ We quitted Semlin at noon, and passed by Belgrade, keeping, however, as close as possible to the Hungarian bank of the Danube, in obedience to the quarantine laws, which are enforced here with the utmost rigour. The city, which is associated with so many interesting recollections of the wars between Austria and the Ottoman empire, looks a splendid collection of mosques, with their white tall minarets, palaces with their domes, gardens, cypresses, and shady groves. The citadel, which is strongly fortified, occupies a lofty hill that overlooks every part of the town, and is well calculated for its defence. The palace and seraglio of the pacha were pointed out to me by our captain; they cover a considerable space of ground, and exhibit an imposing appearance. A considerable river, the Theiss, by which it is supposed the cholera a few years ago found its way into Hungary from Russia, flows into the Danube a little above Semlin. I expected therefore, to have found the Danube here exhibiting some signs of grandeur and of commercial activity: it does, indeed, present a most magnificent sheet of water, upon which the whole British navy might ride with safety;—but, with the exception of a few small wherries in which some dirty Turks were fishing lazily in the sun, there was scarcely a symptom of animation around us. Belgrade itself looked at a distance like a city of the dead.

♦ SEMENDRIA ♦ The Hungarian side of the river was flat and desolate; the erection of mud cottages here and there on piles, three or four feet from the ground, indicated the height to which the river was raised occasionally by inundations. The cottages which we perceived sometimes on the Servian shore, were equally miserable, though the country was much higher, crowned at some distance by finely-wooded hills. By four o’clock in the afternoon Semendria came in sight. This was once an important naval station and powerful fortress in the hands of the Turks; but it has for many years fallen into decay. I saw in its port two brigs of war, of eight guns each, which had been recently built for the Prince of Servia, Milosch, by a company of carpenters from the island of Zante. They were both aground, and appeared to have no chance of being extricated from their position until the winter. Semendria is prettily situated at the foot of a hill, which almost approaches to the dignity of a mountain. It is defended on the side of the Danube by walls and castles in the old style of fortification, which look picturesque at a distance, but could afford no protection against the artillery of modern times. The castles seemed to be the habitation of a numerous tribe of birds. Near the town I observed a pretty villa, in the grounds belonging to which two ladies veiled like nuns were promenading.

♦ EXPANSE OF THE DANUBE ♦ The Danube seemed, near Belgrade, an expanse of waters which would have afforded ample space for the whole of the British navy. We had scarcely left Semendria behind us when the river became still wider, resembling indeed a vast lake, sufficient to contain all the navies of the world. It was here in every respect a truly magnificent object. The more I became acquainted with this noble river, the greater was my astonishment that it was so little known to Europe, and hitherto so rarely made use of for the purposes of commerce. Just as the sun was on the decline, flinging his last rays on the tranquil mirror beneath us, the Tyrolese crowded on deck, and favoured us with several of their national songs, which they performed with infinite spirit. It was the last time I was to hear them, as we expected to arrive at night at Vipalanka, where they were to debark on their way to Transylvania.

♦ ISLANDS OF ENCHANTMENT ♦ After passing Kubin, we perceived the commencement of several groups of islands, which, however beautiful in themselves, diminish the majestic character the Danube would otherwise have maintained the whole way from Semendria to Moldava. They occasionally divide the waters into two or three rivers in appearance; none of which, however, can be considered as insignificant. The main current which runs by the Hungarian bank retains uniformly much of the general grandeur of the parent flood. These islands are densely wooded with osiers and evergreen shrubs, which afford a safe refuge for waterfowl of every description. Wild ducks, and geese, frequently rose in clouds one above another in the sky, winging their way towards their island homes. Now and then a solitary eagle sailed through the firmament, directing his course to the mountains, which appeared like pure azure far away on the horizon.

As we proceeded among the islands, we could not avoid admiring the picturesque order in which they were disposed, the vernal verdure which every tree and every leaf and every blade of grass exhibited, while the brown tints of the woods and fields in all other quarters proclaimed the season of the year. This contrast of decay on one side, with the blooming freshness of the islands on the other, the variety of their forms, their shady inlets, their clusters of magnificent shrubs hung with flowers that sometimes rivalled the rose, sometimes the strawberry, the snowdrop, the lily, or the blue convolvulus, the wild beauty of their woods, the deep solitude in which they seemed to be secluded from all the world, interrupted only by the screams or rushing sounds of countless birds hastening to their shores, gave them a most romantic appearance, especially in the golden light of evening which still lingered around them.

♦ SUNSET ♦ The unruffled surface of the Danube reflected the whole canopy of the sky, and gave back in softened tones the saffron, ruby, and purple lines of fire which still glowed in the west. The image of the departing sun was lengthened in the waters, where it appeared like a perpendicular column of light. This optical delusion was the more striking, as the part of the Danube in which we had now arrived was, in fact, little better than a series of shallows, through which we were steering our course with the utmost difficulty.

♦ SPIRITS OF THE DANUBE ♦ As soon as the sun went down, the night became rapidly so dark, that I know not how we should have contrived to pursue our way, had not some fields of stubble on the left bank been accidentally set on fire. The flame threw its light far along the river, and materially assisted the helmsman to keep his track. Here and there, among the inlets of the islands on the opposite shore, lights also were visible, proceeding from fires kindled for the purposes of cooking, by fishermen or fowlers, whose little boats were moored in the neighbourhood. Vast pillars of smoke moved now and then over the blazing stubbles, assuming the most fantastic shapes; sometimes, as they apparently flitted along the bank, they might have been painted by an imaginative spectator as the spirits of the Danube.

CHAPTER IV.

Windings of the Danube—Civility of the Moldavian—Arrival at Moldava—Arrangements for voyage to Orsova—A Wallachian beauty—Flock of geese—Ditto of children—Woodmen—Commencement of mountain chain—Rustic sounds—Peasantry—Removal to fishing-boat—Our equipment—Accusation of robbery—Haunt of Wallachian brigands—Romantic gorge—Caverns.

I was awoke during the night by a violent storm of thunder and lightning, which I attempted to witness from the deck. The sky was an entire field of fire, and the thunder pealed incessantly, until at length the rain fell in warm showers which soon became a deluge. I was glad to take refuge in my berth again, and slept soundly until a late hour of the morning (29th), when I found our Tyrolese and their officers all busily engaged in landing their effects at Vipalanka. The bank was converted into a marsh by the rain; but, by the assistance of planks, they succeeded in effecting their object. The village was at a distance, and its mean appearance did not induce me to pay it a visit. Nearly opposite to Vipalanka are situated the village and fortress of Rama, on the brow of a bold and lofty promontory. The fortress still looks respectable, though partly in ruins; it commands the Danube at a point where begin those amazing serpentine undulations which form, perhaps, its most striking characteristic.

♦ WINDINGS OF THE DANUBE ♦ The map will show, that, if a canal were cut in a straight line from Rama to Vidin, it would be the cord of a vast irregular arch, full of windings, which indicate the various struggles made by this river in the early ages of the globe, before and after it forced its way through the heart of the mountains below Moldava, in its efforts to reach the Black Sea. Such a canal would save the navigator a period of full three days, which the mere deviations of the river in that quarter at present consume. Such a canal would, moreover, avoid some of the most serious difficulties now impeding the passage of the Danube, especially in seasons of drought, which are peculiarly felt in the whole of that interval. I despair of such a work being undertaken for the next half-century; but I am apprehensive that, until it shall be accomplished, the steam navigation of the Danube, at least by vessels of any considerable burden, will be liable to frequent interruptions. In the river, cranes were wading without any difficulty, so low was the water in almost every direction.

♦ CIVILITY OF THE MOLDAVIAN ♦ When we departed from Vipalanka for Moldava our passengers were reduced to the Servian Jew and his pale daughter, the Moldavian adventurer, and myself. The latter contrived throughout the voyage to amuse himself and his associates by his inexhaustible stores of poetry and anecdote, but he had not hitherto addressed himself with any thing like determination to my attention, or to that of the Jew. Finding, however, that we were bound further down the river, he gradually mingled in our conversation by volunteering the information which he possessed concerning the portion of the voyage we had still to achieve, and conducted himself with so much civility, that, notwithstanding his objectionable appearance I began to like the fellow.

♦ ARRIVAL AT MOLDAVA ♦ Although the rain had ceased, the morning continued cloudy; but we were compensated in some degree for the interruption of the fine weather, which we lately enjoyed, by the agreeable change of scenery that now broke upon our view. We glided along, sounding vigilantly however, all the way, between two ranges of hill, wooded to the top, and opening now and then into valleys and ravines, in which neat white cottages were scattered, and shepherds were seen driving their flocks afield. The bendings of the river were so abrupt that sometimes we could have imagined ourselves to have entered upon an extensive lake, whence there was no outlet apparent until we reached the headland round which the current preserved its course. As soon as we turned that point the scene behind us was as completely concealed from the eye as if a curtain of cloud had been dropped upon it.

Fields of Indian corn, hills deeply indented by the rains, and exhibiting sometimes the appearance of artificial fortresses, sometimes retiring to a distance, and leaving in front abrupt mounds of the most fantastic shapes; villages with their churches and steeples on one side, and churches and minarets on the other; Servians on our right fishing in little cockle-shells of boats; Hungarians on the left tending herds of swine; mountains towering in the distance—in turn engaged our attention until we arrived at Moldava, where we cast anchor at noon.

♦ ARRANGEMENTS ♦ Had the plan of the directors of the enterprise been duly carried into execution, we should have immediately quitted Moldava in a light boat owed by four stout Wallachians, and drawing little more than six inches of water. A neat wherry destined for that purpose was in fact lying near the village, but to our dismay we were informed that in many parts of the Danube between Moldava and Orsova, a distance of about seven leagues, there were not six inches of water, nor even three. The cargo was intended to be sent on by land, but there was no mode of conveyance for the passengers except a rough flat-bottomed boat belonging to a fisherman, who would not permit us to have the use of it, unless it was committed to his own guidance and rowed by his own comrades. We were informed by the agent of the company, an Italian, who assumed an air of great importance, that we should easily reach Orsova in eight hours at the utmost. Having no choice, therefore, save the flat-bottomed boat, or a pedestrian tour of twice the distance, over horrible mountain roads, we submitted to our fate, and it was arranged that the fisherman should take charge of us at daybreak the next morning.

♦ WALLACHIAN BEAUTY ♦ Moldava is an emporium of some commerce in its way. Several boats were moored near the bank, laden with hay, which groups of peasants were engaged in transferring to strong rude cars constructed in the form of a V. Some fifty or sixty oxen, by which these cars were to be drawn, were lying on the shore ruminating, or wandering about by way of relaxation. The cars proceeded to the waterside in succession; in one of these, which was waiting for its turn, I observed a remarkably fine Wallachian woman, spinning wool from a distaff in the primeval fashion. She was attired in a short woollen white mantle, under which was a robe of printed calico, which, without appearing in front, came down below the mantle behind. A neat linen chemise was folded in plaits upon her bosom, beneath which she sported a gay dimity apron, and a canvass petticoat. Her raven-black hair was carefully divided in front, braided over her ears, and detained in a knot behind by a tortoiseshell comb, from which was suspended a snow-white linen veil, that fell on her back gracefully. Neither shoe nor sandal served to hide her feet, which might have been chosen by Phidias for the statue of Minerva. This noble-looking woman, whose features were all of the Grecian mould, was the mother of three very fine young men, who were standing by her, accompanied by a huge mastiff, as if their purpose had been to exhibit a living tableau from the pastoral age and country of Agamemnon.

♦ FLOCK OF GEESE ♦ Amongst the busy group, a young Greek priest recognised some friends. He seemed a man of authority, in his peaked Shylock-looking hat, black sutan, cincture of wide blue ribbon, comely beard, and silver-headed cane. I pitied a little boy who was employed in urging a numerous colony of geese through the crowd. They seemed very much disposed to prefer making the journey by water, while he was equally determined in favour of the dry land. Now a wild dog put them all into confusion, when off they half-waddled, half-flew, to the edge of the river. Now they were fairly on the march again, when the leader desirous of cooling his bill, suddenly gave the word of command. A general mutiny ensued,—the boy ran breathless after them, throwing sticks and stones, sand and cowdung at the fugitives, until he succeeded once more in restoring discipline. His patience was, after many severe trials, eventually rewarded by success. On another part of the shore some Servians were squatted in a line, with sacks of onions before them, which they had brought across the river for sale. A plank was placed between them and their Hungarian customers, who stood at a little distance, neither being allowed to pass over the plank which represented the quarantine. The bargains were conducted on the part of the Servians by a single spokesman, who appeared an extremely knowing sort of personage.

♦ FLOCK OF CHILDREN ♦ I walked into the village, or rather, I should say, the lower part of the “town,” which is chiefly inhabited by fishermen. It is inferior in every respect to Mohacs, the cottages having all roofs of wood, wicker walls plastered with mud, and even wicker chimneys. As I was strolling quietly along a troop of almost naked little urchins gathered, shouting, around me, and grasping my right hand kissed it with tokens of fervour, which I confess I should have excused under the circumstances, not knowing exactly what might be the practical recollections impressed on the said hand of the honours which they thought fit to bestow. A few small pieces of silver had the effect of dispersing this group, but also of diffusing information through the whole village of the arrival of a stranger. Accordingly, as I proceeded, my steps were literally beset by armies of ragged figures, who claimed my hand. I gave them to understand, in the course of a regular parley, that I had no more silver, upon which I was suffered to make a retreat, without being enabled to visit the upper part of the “town,” where, as I afterwards learned, much better houses, and a respectable class of inhabitants are to be found.

♦ WOODMEN ♦ The mountainous scenery of the Danube commences a little below Moldava. I set out to climb one of the eminences, from which I might command a view of the country. I had no gun, no arms of any description; nothing except an umbrella, which I might use in self-defence.—I never, by the way, encountered an Englishman travelling abroad or at home without an umbrella: it seems a national distinction.—I do not know that I acted with much prudence in thus wandering alone and unarmed in a strange, and I may add, a more than semibarbarous region; the more especially, as in the course of my excursion among these mountains, I met now and then savage-looking woodmen returning home from the neighbouring thickets, driving before them donkies almost hidden beneath their burdens of brambly firewood, and bearing on their shoulders heavy axes, with which, if they were so disposed, they might have annihilated me without the slightest danger of discovery. But in all such cases I was circumspect, and being nearly as tall and as strong as the ordinary run of men, I had few apprehensions about encountering at least a single foe, if not taken unawares.

♦ MOUNTAIN CHAIN ♦ As I ascended I found that the mountains which I trod were but steps to higher and higher ranges, which rose dimly in the distance, and appeared to occupy a considerable portion of the country on both sides of the Danube. By what process the river forced its way among them—whether they were violently separated from each other by repeated volcanic operations, or whether the flood created its own channel by loosening masses of rock and driving them before it—I had no means of conjecturing. The chain commences here almost like a wall at either side of the current; but the undulations of the hills which I had observed on our approach to Moldava, as well as of the lower mountains at some distance from the banks, strongly favour the supposition that a vast inundation had accumulated in all that region before an opening was found for it to the Euxine.

♦ RUSTIC SOUNDS ♦ A few white cottages were sprinkled on the declivities, and swineherds were seen here and there driving their undisciplined companions homeward. A train of waggons laden with woolpacks, and drawn by oxen, whose bells tinkled in the air, was descending from the northern heights; but on the Servian side of the river all was silence and desolation. I thought the evening was about to close in abruptly, as after a slight shower of rain the mountains and hills around me suddenly put on their mantles of mist. The sun setting with great splendour soon, however, changed the scene, arraying their prominent slopes in robes of light, and dispersing the vapours which were fast gathering all round the horizon.

♦ PEASANTRY ♦ As I returned to my temporary home I loitered, not unpleased, to listen to the variety of rustic noises which the close of the day brought with it—the barking of dogs, the still tinkling bells of the oxen already arrived at the river-side, the crack of the swineherd’s whip, the distant calls of voices echoing in the mountains, the rare and sleepy twitter of the birds, the shouts of children in the village, and the merry sounds of a violin. A few old men and their grown-up hardy daughters were dredging for minnows in the river, apparently with little success. The woolpacks were all discharged on the bank, in order to be loaded the next morning on board the steam-boat, which was to depart without delay on its return to Pesth. The peasants who had arrived with the waggons exhibited, to me at least, a singular appearance. Some were in canvass shirts, trousers, and round woolly caps, without any other protection against cold or rain; others added to this attire a goatskin in its natural condition, without being even trimmed of its superfluities. I could not have distinguished the women from the men, had not the hair of the former been platted and fastened under a small linen cap, which was fitted closely on the top of the head. I soon lost sight of the whole of this motley assemblage in the dusk of night, when I resumed my old station in the cabin, there being no such thing as an inn at Moldava.

The Servian Jew found an opportunity of sending his daughter, with some friends, across the river: he intended to proceed to Vidin. The poet also was fated to be my companion, as his object was to get back to Jassy. I own that with all my respect for his talents, and with all the philosophic patience which I have acquired from some little experience in travelling, I could not enter into discussion with him, as to the arrangements necessary to be made for the following morning, without considerable twinges of reluctance. I had no thought of preparing stores for the expedition, as I presumed that we should reach Orsova early in the afternoon. He advised me, however, to provide myself with a cold chicken or two, and a bottle of rum, a suggestion which I took care to adopt, though it left me to suspect that my period of inevitable companionship with himself would be rather longer than I had already apprehended.

♦ FISHING-BOAT ♦ The morning came in all the breathing brightness of summer, though we were just on the eve of October. It had been arranged that the fisherman and his associates should be with us at five o’clock, but they failed to make their appearance until seven. They excused themselves by asking, whether any body could have expected that they should commence their labours before they had breakfasted? Our luggage having been removed into the flat-bottomed barge, the poet, the Jew, and I assumed our places, after taking a friendly leave of the captain and the engineer, from both of whom I experienced every kind of civility which they could possibly show to a countryman.

♦ EQUIPMENT ♦ The master, or patron of the boat as he is more usually called, was a short weatherbeaten old man, who had already counted more than seventy winters. The pupil of one eye was completely dimmed, and of the other scarcely sufficient remained sound to admit more than a single ray of light. Yet through that small aperture he issued glances of authority, which enforced by an imprecation or two, sometimes made the fellows at the oars wince. His helm was a long oar, which he moved to either side of the stern as occasion required. The rest of our equipage was in a very simple, or rather in a very unworkmanlike style. The oars which were just like our fireshovels, with short handles, were passed through a noose of thong or rope, tied to a peg in the edge of the vessel, which noose, or which peg, or which said thong or rope gave way about every quarter of an hour, another quarter being required for its restoration. We had three rowers, the excess of velocity at one side being corrected by the long oar of the patron at the stern.

♦ ACCUSATION OF ROBBERY ♦ We had not gone above two hundred yards from the place of embarkation when a man came running and shouting after us. We took no notice of him for a while, thinking that he must have been out of his senses, so furious were his gesticulations. At length, however, he made us understand that we had stolen one of his oars, and we were obliged to put in to shore to answer this charge. After a long controversy, if controversy that can be called in which our patron and his men, and their accuser were all talking, scolding, and shouting together, we gave him up an old oar which he took very discontentedly. About eight o’clock we were once more fairly on our way.

There being no sort of accommodation for passengers in our bark, I sat on my portmanteau; the Jew disposed of himself on a piece of carpet beside me, and in front of him the poet on the bare plank. A space near the prow was occupied by a woman and her two children. Much to my surprise, when we arrived in the middle of the river, and I began to hope our men were resolved to regain the time we had already lost, they deliberately took in their oars, and opening a wallet of bread, garlic, and cold fried fish, they proceeded to breakfast. The poet asked whether they had not performed that operation already, to which they replied that they had been disturbed at their morning meal, and that they must now finish it. Our precious bark was therefore left to make its own way down the river, a mode of travelling at all events possessed of the advantages of enabling us to observe at our leisure the scenery amidst which we entered.

♦ WALLACHIAN BRIGANDS ♦ At the entrance of the mountain gorge through which the Danube here finds its course, stand the ruins of Kolubatz, a pile of castles built on an almost inaccessible rock, which about a century ago, were occupied by a band of Wallachian brigands, under the command of Borichour, a name still repeated with a traditional sort of terror in all that neighbourhood. His depredations were carried on upon a princely scale, as he affected to consider himself the legitimate sovereign of the country around him, as far as he could reach without endangering the safety of retreat to his own fortress, which he deemed impregnable. The fishermen tell numberless stories of this celebrated robber and of his banditti, who are said to have often fought against disciplined troops, five times their number, with invariable success. When once shut up within their drawbridge, they defied their enemies, however numerous these might be, for even if their castles had been all demolished, they had secret passages through the interior of their rock leading to caverns in the adjacent mountains, where they had always ample store of provisions, and feared no pursuit. The ruins are highly picturesque, and by their formidable position give probability to the wildest tales that are related of Borichour and his Wallachians.

♦ ROMANTIC GORGE ♦ The Austrian guardhouse on the opposite bank exhibited a miserable appearance, when compared with these remains of chivalry. It was built loosely of uncemented stones, with a wooden roof and even a wooden chimney. A sentinel was looking out lazily at the door, in front of which was a stand for arms. Near the house an angle of an old castle attests, that that side of the river also had its fortress in former days, though not so extensive as Kolubatz.

As we proceeded through this romantic gorge, within which the Danube was pressed by mountains rising on each side to a considerable height, we heard repeated explosions, which we might easily have mistaken for discharges of artillery besieging a citadel. We soon observed, however, a number of men at work on the Hungarian bank, engaged in widening the carriage-road, and were informed that further down the river it was necessary to blow up the rocks for that purpose. The echoes of these detonations resounding among the mountains and along the waters, gave peculiar interest to the scene; they spoke of enterprise and industry well applied, and were the harbingers of national prosperity, civilization and happiness.

♦ CAVERNS ♦ I observed several caverns in our mountain banks as we went along, and was informed that some of the boldest rocks which shot up in the most fantastic peaks were all hollow inside, and occasionally inhabited by fishermen. In the days of brigandage they served as retreats for pirates, and all sorts of marauders, who rendered the passage of this part of the Danube an affair of no slight danger. Occasionally masses of rock appeared above our heads, depending for support on rude pillars, in which capitals wrought by the hand of nature might be descried. One immense buttress rose in the shape of a round tower, near the top of which a large cavern was visible, accessible by a gateway naturally arched in the Gothic style.

CHAPTER V.

Pastoral scene—Echoes—Picture of laziness—Rapids of the Danube—Miller and his men—Pedestrian excursion—Wallachian shepherdesses—Dancing boors—Priest of the parish—The governor—George Dewar—Contest between the priest and the poet—Supper—Musical treat—The Moldavian—Sketch of the inn room—Hospitable invitation—Triple-bedded room—Latin harangue.

♦ PASTORAL SCENE ♦ Still falling down with the stream, as our rowers had not yet finished their matin meal, we stole quietly along amid tremendous piles of rock, which rose higher and higher as we proceeded, sometimes barren of the slightest traces of vegetation, sometimes covered with brambles the whole appearing as if they had been made the sport of more than one volcanic convulsion. A grassy glen opening on our right, exhibiting a clustre of elms, beneath which a Servian boy was tending his swine, and amusing himself by playing a simple pastoral air on a reed, offered an agreeable contrast to the frowning horrors around us. The eye ranged beyond the glen over a richly-wooded valley, opening far among the rocks, where a group of women seemed engaged in cooking by a fire, whose smoke curled upwards among the trees.

The pipe of the swineherd seemed to awaken the musical faculties of our boatmen, one of whom, a short thickbodied Wallachian, wearing on his head a woolly sheepskin cap, might have been sketched as the very personification of indolence. His oar was as short as himself, and when he did permit it to come in contact with the water, his whole object seemed to be to move it against the least possible quantum of resistance. When he sated his appetite for garlic and fish, and washed down those materials by a draught of some thin wine, which he drank from a small wooden keg, instead of resuming his appointed labour he began to sing a Wallachian ballad, of which, the following notes may, perhaps, afford the musical reader some faint idea.

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♦ ECHOES ♦ It was a wild and melancholy strain, sung with a strong nasal accent; and in the intervals between the verses, one of our Wallachians, a lathy, hardy, bareheaded youth, who seemed to have been just brought in from the woods, set up a shrill abrupt shout, which, from the effect of the echo, seemed in a little while after to be answered by some voice far away over the mountains.

When the process of eating had no longer any charms, and the attractions, even of song, ceased to captivate our boatmen, they deliberately went to sleep. As the morning was thus wearing fast away, while we made little progress, the poet and I took the oars, and rowed until he could hold out no longer. The narrow rocky gorge, through which we had been stealing our course for upwards of two hours, at length gradually opened into a wider channel, hemmed in by irregular hills, thickly wooded with brambles. As the boat was still wandering down the current, our fellows all fast asleep, it landed somewhat roughly on a bed of rocks in the middle of the river. The patron awoke from his dreams in a violent rage, the fire glancing from his diminutive eyeball, as if we were all about to be lost in an inch or two of water!

♦ PICTURE OF LAZINESS ♦ The boatmen, when they were roused from slumber, seemed scarcely to know where they were, or what they were to do: oars and poles were in immediate requisition, and amid shouts of imprecations, commands, interrogations, replies, rejoinders, and expressions of indignation and wonder, how such a thing could happen, they endeavoured in vain to move the vessel from its place of rest. At length the patron compelled them to get out upon the rocks and shift the boat along, which they did without much difficulty, restoring us once more to the deeper current. The completion of this operation was the signal for another hour of recreation, which our Wallachians devoted to smoking, keeping the while under their legs the oars high out of the water. I never beheld such a picture of laziness as that which these men presented. Our patron seemed to have the faculty of guiding the boat, though wrapped in profound sleep; and his companions, when they were not eating or drinking, were either sleeping, smoking, singing, or lounging, any thing save working, which they continued as much as they possibly could, to avoid.

♦ RAPIDS OF THE DANUBE ♦ So abrupt and frequent were the windings of the Danube, amid the beauteous hills which form its banks below the narrow gorge of rocks above described, that often, on looking back, we saw no trace of the direction by which we had come; nor, on looking before us, could we discern by what course we were to proceed. We seemed to be shut in on all sides, as within a mountain lake, from which there was no apparent egress, until, by turning a little cape, we found ourselves in another and another lake, in succession. We left this charming scenery behind us, on approaching the rapids of the Danube, where its bed is wholly composed of rough rocks, sometimes starting up in masses nearly to the surface of the river, sometimes forming a wall, running across from bank to bank, and producing a perceptible fall in the current. We were warned of the danger to be encountered on passing these rapids, by the hoarse murmur of the waters which we had heard at a distance. The obstacles which the river met in its course produced considerable undulations on its surface, amounting now and then to waves, on which our bark was hurried away, notwithstanding all the efforts of our rowers, and dashed against the rocks. Had our boat not been a very strong one, or had the impulse been somewhat stronger, we should probably have been wrecked among these rapids, owing chiefly to the unskilfulness of our people, as well as the ludicrous state of alarm in which their ignorance involved them.

♦ RAPIDS OF THE DANUBE ♦
♦ MILLER AND HIS MEN ♦ The banks again assumed a wild rocky character, and approached so near each other, that, when the river is full, the volume of waters which rush through that space must be terrific. As it was, we were constantly rubbing on the bottom, and might have walked almost dry-footed on ledges which extended quite across the stream. The boat was literally carried over these ledges, as there was not water enough to float it. Our patron repeatedly told us that he, though seventy-three years old, had never known the Danube so low as it was upon that occasion. In the almost perpendicular wall which rose on our right, there was a singular lusus naturæ on a gigantic scale—it was the complete figure of a water-mill and mill-house petrified, and slightly crushed by an enormous rock which had fallen upon it from the higher precipices. The face of the superincumbent mass presented the figure of a monk preaching from a pulpit; and it only required the existence of a legend, to induce a superstitious mind to believe, that the “miller and his men” had been notorious criminals—that the monk had come to reprove them—and that, while he was still vainly exhorting them to repentance, the whole living scene was suddenly transformed into stone.

The whole of this narrow passage amongst the rocks was curious, and highly romantic. A little beyond the petrified mill, on the opposite side, we beheld a perfect outline of an immense lion, couching; the head, the eyes, the mouth, and the paws, were as correctly delineated on the naked stone, as if they had been drawn by the hand of an artist. A cluster of rocks, somewhat further on, assumed all the appearance of the ruins of a cathedral, with its towers and ivied walls, and Gothic windows and gates. The effect of this pile was remarkably picturesque, as it rose on an eminence above a mass of green foliage, which seemed to conceal the lower parts of the cathedral.

♦ PEDESTRIAN EXCURSION ♦ The day was now far advanced, and as we lost all hope of reaching Orsova that evening, and the further navigation of the rapids became tedious and disagreeable, I proposed that we should put into what is here generally considered the Wallachian shore; though, on the maps, it is all Hungarian as far as Orsova. The inhabitants differ in no respect from those of Wallachia; they speak the Wallachian language, wear the Wallachian costume, and, though under the dominion of Austria, look upon the people of the neighbouring province as of their own kindred. The Jew and the poet readily complied with my suggestion, and the country becoming quite level as soon as we emerged from the last rocky gorge, we directed our helmsman to steer for the left bank, where we landed, with a view of walking on to the village of Swinich, at a distance of about ten miles, where we were to stop for the night.

♦ WALLACHIAN SHEPHERDESSES ♦ As we proceeded on our pedestrian journey, we met occasionally Wallachian shepherdesses, driving before them goats and sheep. They had uniformly distaffs in their hands, from which they actively spun the wool round the spindle as they walked along. They were all barefooted; and, over a canvass petticoat and chemise, usually wore a stripe of plaid in front and another at the back, with long worsted tassels hanging beneath. The hair was carefully braided round the head, and sometimes fell in long plats on the shoulders. Those of the shepherdesses who were mothers, carried their infants in small cradles made of hoops, which were suspended by a cord round the neck. When the baby was to be nursed, the cradle was borne in front; when the little innocent was asleep, the cot was placed at the mother’s back, who then resumed her distaff and spindle.

I was amused by the vigilance with which the shepherdesses, who were generally fine strong-looking young women, with a bland expression of countenance, avoided touching even with the hem of their garments any of our party. Seeing the Jew in the Servian turban and pelisse, they assumed that we had unlawfully crossed the river from the opposite shore, and that they would catch the plague if by any misfortune they had come in contact with us.

♦ DANCING BOORS ♦ Whenever we approached them, therefore, on the narrow paths, they scampered off into the adjacent fields until we passed, as if we had been objects of terror. I once unwittingly lifted up the coverlet of a little crib, which I found on the ground, to peep at the cherub that was nestled beneath it, when the mother ran up breathless, and hurried away with her burden, as if she imagined that I had intended to make a victim of her offspring.

In the midst of this pastoral scene the sounds of a violin reached our ears, accompanied by shouts of people dancing. On reaching a clump of trees we found a rude hut, occupied by a number of the labourers who were engaged in the works going on upon that bank of the Danube. A large fire was blazing before the hut at which some of the men were engaged in roasting kid and frying fish, and stewing vegetables, while others were dancing to the notes of a fiddle, played by a savage-looking fellow who was elevated on a chair. They seemed to have abundance of wine, and they invited us to partake of their fare as well as of their amusement, with a rough hospitality. The Jew, however, as well as the poet, urged me with certain shrugs and looks to hasten on; as much as to say, that our new acquaintances were no better than they should be. I must say, that when we walked off, some of them did gaze after us with a peculiar expression of countenance, indicating something like regret that they had not inquired into the state of our finances.

♦ PARISH PRIEST ♦ Having walked above three hours, we arrived about seven o’clock in the evening at Swinich, a wretched-looking village, composed of a dozen or two of huts built in the most primitive style. A flight of ruinous stone steps led to, what I must call for want of a more appropriate name, the auberge of the village, where I found several motley groups of people assembled. In the principal apartment were two large beds, a few rush-bottomed chairs and wooden stools, a stone stove, and a table placed near the wall, over which were suspended wax images and little gaudy daubs of the virgin, the crucifixion, and some of the saints. The governor of the village, dressed in his blue uniform, was seated at one end of the table drinking wine, which from its colour as well as its taste, I should have called cider.

♦ THE GOVERNOR ♦ The Greek priest of the parish, Gregory Georgovitch by name, was stationed at the other end drinking from a small bottle, without the interposition of a glass, a weak, pale spirit, called in that country sleigovitch. The former was a short decent-looking kind of a person, a picture of good nature, degenerating almost into simplicity, with a spice of vanity not altogether unbecoming in the “great man” of the village. The priest had the advantage of the governor in stature, rivalled him in good humour, and seemed excessively anxious to show himself greatly superior to his companion, in intelligence. For the usual sacerdotal hat he substituted a small cloth cap, his beard was of the ordinary dignified dimensions, and his dress consisted of a large white figured waistcoat, loose nankeen trousers, over which his boots were drawn, and a short mantle. His shirt collar was open, à la Byron.

The remainder of the company in this “double-bedded” room consisted of the overseer of the works going on upon the Danube, the captain of the patrol which formed the police of the country, an officer of the quarantine, an officer of the customs, a nondescript with silly face, a little girl and two or three urchins with whom she was playing. The priest seemed to have all the talk to himself. No subject was started in which he did not take the lead, and with which sooner or later he did not contrive to mix up a quotation in bad Latin from a favourite theological author, probably the only author in that way with whose works he had ever made himself acquainted. He spoke fluently, with an air of self-complacency, but at the same time in a tone of kindness and hilarity quite patriarchal. Nothing in this world seemed to afford the governor so much delight as either to put down the priest in argument, or to witness that operation executed by another; all, however, for the sake of amusement. He would sometimes in the course of an attack upon the clergyman’s positions work himself up into a simulated passion until the latter was provoked into a real one; and then, to the great entertainment of his official friends, he would suddenly resume his goodhumoured smile, disconcerting all the angry eloquence of his antagonist.

♦ GEORGE DEWAR ♦ I was initiated in the characters and habits of these “village politicians” by an Englishman named George Dewar, who had made his appearance in the room after I entered it: he had been already apprized at the other extremity of Swinich that a countryman of his had arrived at the auberge, and it was so long, he said, since he had heard his own language spoken, that he came instantly to see me. Dewar was a very intelligent though humble adventurer in the engineering line, who had managed the diving-bell which was employed in recovering the treasure sunk near the Mexican coast, in consequence of the wreck of the Thetis a few years ago. He had performed his duties so much to the satisfaction of his employers on that occasion, that he was strongly recommended to the Count Szechenyi Istvan, when that nobleman was in London, as a very useful assistant, as well for superintending the construction of roads, as for working the diving-bell in making excavations which were intended to be executed in the rocky parts of the bed of the Danube, with a view to remove the obstacles that at present interrupt its entire navigation by steam-boats. Dewar was delighted to see me—the sounds of my “How do you do?” filled his eyes with tears, it appearing that I was the first Englishman whom he had met so far down the Danube, where he had been employed for nearly a twelvemonth.

♦ THE PRIEST AND POET ♦ The poet now joined the circle, and having ordered his bottle of wine, made himself as much at home amongst his new acquaintances as if he had known them a hundred years. He treated the company to a history of his travels, which he extended on this occasion to Grand Cairo. His audience seemed at a loss to know where Grand Cairo was, until the priest enlightened them by declaring that it was in Asia. “In Asia!” exclaimed the Moldavian, with indescribable disdain; “no such thing; Grand Cairo is in Africa.” The governor was in raptures at this decided triumph over the clergyman, who, in order to restore his character, inveigled the poet into a theological controversy. But to my surprise, and to the great chagrin of the priest, and the boundless joy of the governor, the Moldavian proved himself quite as well read in theology as he was in geography: he repeatedly convicted the priest of entire ignorance of the works with which he had pretended to be most familiar, and so merciless was he in following up his conquest, by challenging the divine on the more abstruse points of doctrine, that the latter literally felt obliged to decamp from the field. The governor shouted with excessive mirth, and ordered another bottle, which he compelled the poet to drink in addition to his own.

♦ SUPPER ♦ While this entertainment was going on, there came into the room a pretty young woman, who seemed to be well known to all the party present. The nondescript above mentioned turned out to be her husband, and Dewar being her lodger, she had come to announce to them that their supper was ready. Both appeared unwilling to go: it having been, however, conceded on her part that they might return after supper, if they liked, the three took their departure; but not before the governor exacted from the lady a promise that she also would make her appearance again, and bring with her her guitar. In the mean time I profited of the suggestion which the idea of supper prompted to my mind, and laid waste a dish of stewed chicken. The wine being, to me, at least undrinkable, I was obliged to have recourse to sleigovitch and water.

In less than half an hour the lady, the guitar, and her friends joined our circle, followed by the priest, who, notwithstanding his discomfiture, could not prevail on himself to stay away, and by two or three very fine young men, whom I had not seen before. The instrument having been tuned, our poet asked permission to look at it, and swept his mutilated fingers over the strings with the skill of a professor. The priest looked amazed. After preluding in a singularly graceful manner, which captivated the Swinicheans, the tatterdemalion, clearing his voice with a fresh bottle of wine, which was voted to him by common accord, treated us to “Di tanti palpiti,” not only with great taste, but in one of the best tenor voices I ever heard. The priest exclaimed that he knew not what to think of this fellow, unless he was the devil, for that not only were his talents and knowledge universal, but of a degree of excellence in every thing that left him without a rival.

♦ MUSICAL TREAT ♦ The lady was quite ashamed to touch the guitar after the poet; nevertheless she was induced to favour the company with two or three Wallachian songs, which, after the splendid performances we had just heard, lost all the effect they might otherwise have produced. One of the young men, jealous of the musical character of Swinich, next took up the guitar, but after vexing the chords with a long series of humdrum tinklings, which he would fain persuade us were Servian melodies, he was reluctantly compelled, by the unanimous voice of the company, to resign the instrument to our Mephistopheles, who showed himself, still more even than before, a perfect master of the art, and that too of the very best school. Italian, German, Hungarian, and Moldavian airs followed each other in rapid succession, and in the most admirable style. The fair owner of the guitar remarked, with a charming simplicity, that she really did not know her own instrument in the hands of this enchanter.

♦ THE MOLDAVIAN ♦ By this time our apartment was crowded. The door had been thrown open, and was besieged by a numerous group of savage-looking figures, wrapped in their cloaks and large hats, who stood staring in upon our musician, as if they fully participated in the priest’s opinion of his unearthly character. And in truth, when I looked at this Moldavian—remembered how he had amused his companions on the deck of the steamer by his anecdotes, his poetry, and his dramatic declamations; the variety of information which he afforded to myself during the course of the day; his undoubted acquaintance with many countries, though he sometimes indulged in exaggeration on that subject; the wandering life he had led; the offices, sometimes of trust, and responsibility, and peril, which he had fulfilled; his various acquirements in science, history, and the fine arts; and, to crown all, his musical powers, which were of the very first order; and his ragged, unshaven, filthy appearance—I could not help feeling that there was a mystery about him, such as perhaps in a former age might have procured for him the dangerous honours of a magician.

♦ OUR ROOM ♦ The scene to which I had been thus suddenly transferred from our fishing-boat, was altogether so strange and picturesque, that I much regretted my inability to preserve it in the form of a sketch. It would have been a congenial study for Wilkie.—The loosely-boarded floor over our heads, with its rude joists; the ladder for ascending to it in the corner, on which four or five chubby wondering urchins were perched; the whitewashed walls; the two immense beds; the waxen images, and the daubs of sacred subjects; the cherry-tree square table, the lamp burning upon it amidst numerous bottles and glasses; the goodhumoured, half-simpleton governor; the pompous captain; the shrimp who ruled the quarantine; the toad of the custom-house, who, whenever the governor laughed, always laughed still louder; the patriarchal-looking priest; the gentle proprietress of the guitar, her English lodger, and her unmeaning husband, who looked upon her as the paragon of perfection; the three stars of Swinich, as those young men were called, because they knew Latin; and then our Moldavian sorcerer, who, while he held the guitar, presented in his own person so inexplicable a combination of intellectual affluence with the most sordid external poverty; together with the bandit-looking group locking in at the door—furnished a picture of rustic life on the Danube, to which the pencil of Wilkie alone could have done justice.

♦ HOSPITABLE INVITATION ♦ I had engaged one of the two beds for the night, but as Dewar’s landlady was the “lady patroness” of the village, and I for the moment a person of no small distinction, an Englishman being looked upon as a kind of god throughout all that country, she would not hear of my remaining at the inn: she had in fact already prepared her own bed for me, as Dewar laughingly said, and as a point of honour I could not refuse her hospitality. As soon as our circle broke up, therefore, I proceeded with my hostess and her husband, my countryman, and one of the three “stars,” who happened to be her nephew, to her mansion. Ascending a large wooden portico by a ladder, we all entered the bedchamber together, without any ceremony: it was in fact the only room in the house, and served equally as kitchen, dining-room, drawing-room, lumber-room, and dormitory. It had the invaluable recommendation of cleanliness, notwithstanding the variety of uses to which it was convertible; and the bed, moreover, to which I was most graciously conducted, exhibited a variegated quilt, the work of the lady’s own hands, and a pair of sheets fragrant as thyme, and white as the falling snow.

♦ TRIPLE-BEDDED ROOM ♦ As the night was cold I spread my cloak on the bed, but my hostess, after seeking an explanation from Dewar of this precaution on my part, which she felt as a kind of reflection on her household propriety, went to a handsome wardrobe, which stood at one end of the room, from whose ample stores she drew forth a new blanket, the produce, also, of her own industry, and substituted it for my cloak, which she folded up and put by on a chair. In addition to the bed assigned to me there were two others in the apartment, one large enough to accommodate at least half-a-dozen men, and a small temporary pallet, which the presiding genius of the place had arranged on chairs for her own use.

♦ LATIN HARANGUE ♦ I was very well inclined to form a more intimate acquaintance with my neat nocturnal repository, the more especially as I had not enjoyed such a luxury for a whole week; but unfortunately my landlady’s learned nephew conceived, that it was his duty to entertain me with a long harangue in Latin upon the various branches of knowledge of which he was master, interspersing the more abstruse parts of his oration with Hungarian songs, accompanied by himself on the guitar. I of course listened to his address with all the gravity I could command, until taking advantage of a momentary absence of our hostess, I slipped quietly into bed. My friend had by that time arrived at the botanical department of his lecture, which completely closed the curtains of my memory for the night.

CHAPTER VI.

Domestic arrangements—Count Szechenyi—Milanosch—Works on the Danube—Picture of industry—Auberge—Vedran’s cave—Rocky scenery—Arrival at Orsova—My chamber and its ornaments—Bedroom utensils—Hungarian civilization—Quarantine adventure—Dinner at Count Szechenyi’s—Plans for the navigation of the Danube—Origin of the enterprise.

By seven o’clock on the following morning (October 1), I beheld the three male members of the family emerging from their spacious couch, while our hostess was busily engaged in preparing coffee for breakfast. My toilet was speedily despatched, and a loaf of capital brown bread, a brace of new-laid eggs, and a bowl of coffee, pretty well prepared me for the toils of the coming day. Dewar had taught his kind landlady English.

♦ DOMESTIC ARRANGEMENTS ♦ She was already as far advanced as “Good morning;” but, by some fatality or another, she constantly metamorphosed “Mr. Dewar,” into “My Dear;” which had a droll effect, especially in the presence of her goodnatured husband, who was as ignorant of the meaning of the expression as herself. The reader must not draw any scandalous conclusion from this habitual mistake, for Dewar, a very honest and honourable fellow, in his way, assured me that his pupil was, in every sense of the word, a pattern of domestic virtue. He added, that it was the general custom throughout that part of the country, to have only one sleeping-room for all the family, as well as their guests; and that this apparent laxity of discipline, caused by the necessity of the case, produced a sort of chivalrous feeling, which condemned to the deepest infamy any person guilty of the slightest disrespect towards the conjugal relations. He seemed strongly attached, not only to the family with which he resided, but to the people in general, amongst whom he was pursuing his avocations; he had never experienced so much friendship, he said, in any part of the world, as they showed him on every possible occasion; and nothing, he added, but the pleasure which he derived from that circumstance, could have induced him to remain where he was.

♦ COUNT SZECHENYI ♦ Dewar spoke also of the Count Szechenyi, in the most enthusiastic terms, describing him as a Hungarian magnate of ample fortune, who devoted himself exclusively to the regeneration of his country. It was with the sole view of collecting information, which he might afterwards apply to her benefit, that he had frequently visited England, France, and other parts of Europe. He was in the bloom of life; had served in the army; was a leading member of the diet, over which his talents, his superior acquirements, and his disinterested patriotism, gave him great influence; was constantly occupied in designing plans for the welfare of Hungary; remained a batchelor, in order that he might be more at liberty to travel about for the purpose of carrying those plans into execution; and was now actively engaged in superintending the works going on upon the Danube, which were entirely the result of his public spirit, and his indefatigable perseverance. I was delighted to hear that I should probably meet the Count at Orsova, where he possessed a temporary residence.

♦ MILANOSCH ♦ The boat, which had arrived in due time at Swinich, having been announced as ready for departure, I walked down towards the river-side, after making, through “My Dear,” a small present to our amiable hostess. But I had not proceeded many steps, when I was joined by her ladyship, dressed out in her holiday costume, including a gay silk cloak, after the London fashion, accompanied by her husband and her nephews, also in their best attire. They could not think, Dewar said, of allowing me to embark without accompanying me to the latest moment; and so we all proceeded together through the village. I was touched by their kind attentions, and felt that if I were a little longer among this simple-hearted, affectionate people, like Dewar, I should have cordially esteemed them. Our boat put away amidst their repeated adieus; Dewar looked quite downcast: nor did they quit the river-side as long as they could see my bark, which a bend in the river at length shut out from their view.

♦ WORKS ON THE DANUBE ♦ It was a lowering morning: but the neighbouring hills lifting their green heads above the surrounding vapours, seemed to promise a fine day. The new Servian village of Milanosch, on the right bank, nearly opposite to Swinich, looked picturesque through the veil of clouds in which it was arrayed. A rock on our left, that jutted boldly into the river, was crowned by the ruins of three massive round towers, which presented a striking resemblance to as many enormous sacks of corn. The Danube still preserved its course between ranges of lofty hills, wooded, and piled behind each other; some hooded in mist; while the summits and slopes of the higher ridges shone out in the beams of the morning sun. As we advanced, the green hills yielded to lofty and precipitous rocks, which rose from the waterside in a perpendicular direction, sometimes like ramparts, sometimes like huge columns of Cyclopean construction. Labourers were busily employed in blowing up these masses, whose detonations resounded far and wide, among the mountains.

♦ PICTURE OF INDUSTRY ♦ Being desirous of witnessing more closely the mode in which the men carried on their operations, I directed our patron to put me ashore, where all seemed animation and industry. The noise of the mallet and punch, the pickaxe and chisel, was heard in all directions. Where the rock was perpendicular to the river, a roadway was excavated through it only to the height of eighteen or twenty feet, leaving the upper strata undisturbed. I confess I did not enter some of these causeways, magnificent though they were, without feeling that if any of the tremendous piles, which rose in most irregular array above my head, had been loosened by the explosions going on on all sides, and had obeyed a locomotive fancy, I might have been reduced to powder with the greatest possible expedition. Where the face of the rock slanted rapidly from the river, the labour of excavation was comparatively limited. In those occasional ravines which sunk beneath the general level of the road, bridges or terraces were erected in a solid and, at the same time, an ornamental style, which reminded me of old Roman enterprise.

A whole village of wooden huts occupied a glen, in which the families of the artisans and workmen, and the officers superintending the operations on the part of the Austrian government were located. Every body seemed employed—washing, drying linen, spinning wool, weaving, preparing meat, fowls, vegetables for dinner, baking bread, scouring furniture, or building additional habitations. I was delighted by this lively picture of industry, so little resembling any thing I had seen since my departure from Vienna. An immense eagle, which had been shot the day before, was displayed upon a post, with his wings extended; measuring, from tip to tip, full seven feet. Two other eagles were on a perch, to which they were chained. One of these expanding his noble wings, looked up wistfully and proudly at the mountains above him, as if to say, “There is my native and proper home—behold, I have the means of ascending thither, but am without any crime detained here a prisoner.” They were truly regal birds. I should have very much preferred to have seen them soaring in the clouds; never, I think, having felt before with so much acuteness the extent of that injustice of which men are guilty, when they destroy or fetter, without any useful purpose, the most beautiful specimens of creation.

♦ AUBERGE ♦ One of the Austrian officers, who spoke French, very civilly conducted me over the works, and introduced me to the auberge of the colony, which occupied a large natural cavern in the rock. The roof of the cave was curiously composed of several slabs which met in the centre, springing, like the parts of an artificial arch, from the circumference. This solid construction seemed absolutely necessary to sustain the pile of rocks, which, above the cavern, towered into the heavens, tossed into all sorts of fantastic shapes, and threatening every moment to overwhelm the busy people at their feet, who, as compared with them, looked like so many insects.

♦ VEDRAN’S CAVE ♦ The masses on the opposite side of the river seemed to have been thrown into similar confusion, some shooting upwards as straight as an arrow, some in a sloping, others in a horizontal position. Wherever I looked around me, it appeared as if I had found a mystic portion of the globe, which, like the face of Satan, “deep scars of thunder had intrenched;” where Chaos still held her reign, and none save the Titans of elder time could hope to dwell in security. But my terrors were reproved by some young saplings which burst forth from amidst the rocks, spreading their graceful branches in the air. Here and there a wild flower, too, displayed its blue or coral bell; the bee murmured quietly along, the sparrow twittered, the yellow butterfly wandered about, and the spider floated by in his gossamer balloon.

♦ ROCKY SCENERY ♦ By this time my Moldavian and Servian friends had joined me, and pointed out a path by the river-side leading to a very remarkable cave, which had been converted into an impregnable fortification by the Austrian General Vedran, during the last war of the emperor against the Turks. He greatly enlarged the original cavern, which was a natural one, by burning the stone and then throwing water upon it, when it easily came away as lime. The cavity was divided into several apartments, one of which was the general’s room, another the powder-magazine, a third was for provisions, and a fourth ample enough to afford accommodation to at least a thousand men. The ruins still remain of the redoubts which had been thrown up in front of this cavern during the war. We found several names of the brave soldiers who had occupied this singular garrison cut in the walls of the cavern inside; among them that of the chivalrous Vedran himself, who is said to have sustained his position in the presence of a whole host of artillery brought to bear against him from the opposite bank of the Danube. While we were within the cavern, a series of explosions followed each other in rapid and regular order, so strongly resembling the fire of contending armies, that one might without any difficulty have imagined that the war between the crescent and the cross had not yet concluded.

♦ ORSOVA ♦ Returning to our bark we still moved on amidst scenery of the most magnificent character, formed by gigantic rocks disposed in the most irregular manner, exhibiting an infinite variety of shapes, strange and sometimes terrific in their appearance, such as might meetly combine for the creation of a region of enchantment. On the summit of one of these craggy mountains an immense isolated pile, bleached by the winds and rains of many a winter, looked precisely like a Druidical chapel. The dry bed of a torrent led from the river-side along the heights towards the temple, and groups of hooded pilgrims were seen winding their way upwards at each side of the channel in regular procession, while here and there scattered figures were emerging from among green shrubs, bound for the same destination. But temple, penitents and all seemed as if they had been miraculously petrified in the midst of the solemnities in which they were engaged.

♦ ORSOVA ♦ About three o’clock in the afternoon we reluctantly bade adieu to these magical regions of the Danube, and came in sight of Orsova, which, with its neat white houses, its church and spire, looked extremely well at a distance. Several Servian fishing-boats were moored near the opposite bank. On landing at Orsova we were met by Mr. Popovicz, the agent of the Steam Navigation Company, and four or five gentlemen, amongst whom I soon distinguished, from the respect that was paid to him, the Count Szechenyi. He very kindly inquired of me, in excellent English, what sort of a voyage we had had; adding, that he feared it must have been an unpleasant one in many respects. I frankly answered that I had not found it at all so. Although we had certainly been detained beyond our time, nevertheless I had been prepared, in truth, considering the novelty and difficulties of the enterprise, for much greater inconvenience than I had actually met with. The Count seemed much gratified that I had made allowance for the incompleteness of the undertaking, and engaged me to dine with him on the following day at two o’clock, after which, he said, he would take me in his carriage to Gladova, where the steam-boat was waiting. He added that it was his intention to proceed as far as Rutchstuk, and that he would be happy to have my company on the voyage. As the Count, with his friends, was stepping into a boat to cross the river, in order to pay his respects to Prince Milosch, the Prince of Servia, who was expected to arrive in the course of the evening at the opposite village (also called Orsova), he directed his groom, who spoke English, to see me to the inn, and to take care that I should be well attended to in every respect.

♦ MY CHAMBER ♦ It will be easily believed that these very friendly attentions on the part of an individual, whom I had never seen before, made a strong impression on my feelings; the more especially, as the sincere and cordial tone in which the Count expressed himself, was rendered still more engaging by that perfect simplicity of manner which bespeaks at once the man of the world. The hotel to which his servant conducted me was a very decent one. I dined satisfactorily on stewed fowl, a favourite dish, it seems, in that country, and although my room was quite primeval in its appearance and furniture, my bed was unobjectionable.

♦ BEDROOM UTENSILS ♦ Early the next morning (October 2), the Count sent to inform me, that as the carriages and other portions of the steam-boat cargo destined for the lower towns on the Danube had not yet arrived from Moldava, we should not quit Orsova till the following day. I had, therefore, ample time to survey my new “domain.” My chamber consisted of four very plain whitewashed walls, on the ground-floor, looking through a window which could boast neither of curtain, blind, or shutter, into a large courtyard, at the back of the inn. The floor was of deal plank, loosely put together, and unhonoured by rug, mat, or carpet, of any description. A looking-glass, hoary with age, and cobwebbed, was suspended in the oldfashioned slanting position, between two coloured old Jack Tar prints of Juno in her car, drawn by swans, with a rainbow in the distance, and of Cybele in her chariot, to which a lion and a panther were yoked. Beneath the wheels a rabbit, a rat, and a mouse, were gambolling; and behind her a great camel was star-gazing. Her ladyship was about to drive over a pyramid. An oldfashioned German stove, a large, deal, square table, three leather-cushioned chairs, the backs and seats of which were bound together by great bands of iron, a rough, square washhand-stand, in which there was a baking-dish for a basin, completed the decorations. The door was large enough, in every way, to admit a horse, and the planks of which it was composed appeared so hostile to any thing like coalition, that the daylight played through every part of it.

I asked for some warm water to shave with. The waiter brought it to me in a dinner-plate! I could not help laughing at this extraordinary novelty, and he then brought me the kettle.

♦ HUNGARIAN CIVILIZATION ♦ I compromised the matter at last for a tumbler, which was rather an improvement on the steam-boat, where I never could succeed in getting hot water except in a tea-pot! Another un-nameable utensil seems rather scarce in those parts. The only one of which the steam-boat could boast was used for keeping pickles!

This reminds me of an anecdote which the Count tells with the most ludicrous effect, as a proof of the barbarism in which his country is yet enveloped. An old lady, a friend of his, received a present of porcelain from England, including cups, saucers, plates, dishes, and basins of every kind, among the rest a bidet. When the latter article was examined nobody belonging to her household could at all make out for what purpose it was destined; but as it was a handsome piece of manufacture they were resolved that it should not be thrown by in a corner. One day the good dame invited, as the custom is in Hungary, a very large party to dinner, at which the Count and some other noblemen who had visited foreign countries were present. To the ordinary luxuries of the table was added a roast pig, which, to the great amusement of the civilized part of the company, was served up in the bidet!

♦ QUARANTINE ADVENTURE ♦After breakfasting on coffee and some remarkably fine grapes, I walked out to explore the beauties of Orsova, and as fate would have it, my steps were in the first instance directed to the mart, where, under a shed divided by a partition breast high, the business of traffic was carried on between the Hungarians and the Servians, neither being allowed by the laws of quarantine to come in contact with the other. Even the money which passed from the Servian side was taken in a pair of tongs, and steeped in a cup of vinegar before it reached a Hungarian pocket. From the mart I passed on, apparently without having attracted the attention of the guard, but when I had gone to a distance of about five hundred yards, walking along the bank of the Danube, a soldier armed with his firelock, with fixed bayonet, was despatched after me. Assuming, for what reason I know not, that I had belonged to the Servian party, he ordered me back, keeping however as wide as possible of his game. I went up to inquire the reason of his interference with my perambulations, but he pointed his bayonet in a way not to be mistaken, which only augmented my surprise. Upon returning to the guardhouse, my friend, assisted by his officer, endeavoured to make me understand that I must take my place among the Servians, whereupon the Jew who happened to come into the mart, explained their error, and I acquired my liberty. Had they succeeded, by their blundering, in compelling me to pass the quarantine boundary, I should have had to spend ten days in the Lazaretto at Orsova before I could proceed further on my journey.

♦ DINNER AT COUNT SZECHENYI’S ♦ At two o’clock I went to dine with the Count. A rude sort of a gate opened to a courtyard through which I passed to a staircase, or rather a wide step-ladder, and so on to a gallery leading to a suite of rooms genteelly furnished. On the table in the Count’s sitting apartment I recognised as old friends the Edinburgh and Quarterly Reviews, several of our “Annuals,” and other English and French periodical publications. Besides the Count, a Hungarian magnate of considerable property, was present, who coincides in most of the prudent views which the Count entertains with reference to the civilization of Hungary. Mr. Popovicz was also of the party, as well as a sensible young barrister from Pesth, named Tasner, who accompanied the Count as his secretary. We had an excellent dinner of vermicelli soup, bouilli, haricot mutton, beef ragout, roast fowl, and pudding, followed by a dessert of sweet cake and grapes. The wines were champagne and the ordinary white vintage of the country, the best I had yet tasted in Hungary. Our conversation at dinner turned chiefly on the enterprise in which the Count was engaged, and in which all his faculties seemed to have been absorbed.

♦ NAVIGATION OF THE DANUBE ♦ I collected from what was said that it was intended to construct a road wide enough for carriages, along the whole of the left bank of the Danube, and that canals were to be formed in the rapids and other rocky passages, where the river was liable to be reduced much below its ordinary level during the summer and autumn. These works necessarily required a large expenditure, which the returns of the Steam Navigation Company were not expected to repay. The Austrian government, therefore, actuated by an impulse of public spirit which it too rarely acknowledges on other subjects, has taken upon itself the entire outlay which these undertakings will require, and has, moreover, with peculiar propriety, intrusted to Count Szechenyi the superintendence of the whole, as well as an unlimited supply of funds, for which he accounts directly to the emperor. It is especially understood that a certain per centage is secured by the Austrian government to the navigation company upon its capital, provided the returns should fall below a stated amount: in point of fact the returns have for some time exceeded the amount agreed upon, so that the government is not likely to have any further responsibility in that respect.

♦ ORIGIN OF THE ENTERPRISE ♦ The enterprise was originated by the Count, who, at an early period of his life (he is at present about forty-four years of age), plainly perceived the great advantages that would accrue to Hungary, if it were rendered navigable for steam-boats to the Black Sea. Adopting the English system for procuring a large capital in small shares, he formed a list of subscribers at Presburg, consisting of magnates, members of the lower chamber of the diet, bankers, and merchants, which he brought over to this country. Here, also, he obtained a few distinguished names, and made himself master of all the details of steam navigation. Having ordered the engines for three boats to be sent from Birmingham to Trieste, he had the vessels built in that port, and then a petition was presented to the diet, on behalf of the subscribers, praying its sanction to the undertaking. This was the first instance in which the diet was called upon to take into its consideration a measure peculiar to Hungary in its national character, and involving, therefore, consequences of vast political as well as commercial tendency. If the diet took this enterprise under its auspices, the popularity and the sense of independence which the assembly would thus acquire, might lead to other measures still more conducive to the re-establishment of the Hungarian nation. Prince Metternich immediately sent for Count Szechenyi, whose brother is married to a sister of the prince’s wife, and sought explanations of this treasonable proceeding! The Count’s answer was very simple and unequivocal.—“If you have no wish that the diet should adopt the petition and act upon it, do the thing yourselves, for the Danube at all events cannot be long without steam-boats.” The hint was taken, the petition was cushioned, the plans of the Count were not only accepted but improved upon a most magnificent scale, and given back to himself for execution. The Count is the most distinguished leader of the opposition party in the diet, but he took care to have it thoroughly understood, that though, for the benefit of Hungary, he charged himself with the commission offered to him by Prince Metternich, he was still free to follow up his political principles in every way that he thought advantageous to his country.

CHAPTER VII.

Hungarian reforms—Security of property—Orders of nobility—Advantages of steam navigation—Reformers—Auxiliary improvements—Club-house—Newspaper—System of Entails—Censorship—Sybaritism—The Count’s pursuits—Hungarian language—Verses on the vintage.

♦ HUNGARIAN REFORMS ♦ After coffee we rose from the table, and the Count and I walked to the Lazaretto, a clean, airy building, about a mile from Orsova. As he was about to go to Bucharest, and on his return from Wallachia would be obliged to perform quarantine in that edifice, he was desirous of examining the apartments which he was destined to occupy. We found the establishment in excellent order, clean, healthy, and very pleasantly situated. The wife of its medical superintendent was one of the most beautiful women I had ever beheld. She was sitting alone at a window, melancholy as if she were a captive, and indeed, as she observed to the Count, how could she be otherwise, exiled as she was in this solitude from every chance of society? She was pale and downcast; her voice came in touching tones from her heart; and though she brightened up for a while, while we were speaking to her at the casement, the too bright lustre of her black eyes indicated that her health was deeply undermined by consumption. She spoke French very well, and the Count informed me that she was an intelligent and accomplished woman, but that the solitude of the place had broken down her spirits.

♦ SECURITY OF PROPERTY ♦ In the course of my stay at Orsova I had an opportunity of hearing from three or four Hungarian noblemen, who were passing through on their way to Pesth, that opinions differ very much with respect to the propriety of giving education at present to the people, because, as the country is still and must be for some years under the feudal system, if the people were educated, they would see too plainly the position in which they are placed, and would most probably seek to attain their liberties by means of a sudden and sanguinary revolution. There is no objection to their being properly educated as soon as they are fit for that stage of improvement, and other things are brought up to its level. But it would be necessary first to give knowledge to the nobles, with a view to liberalize their minds, and through their instrumentality to bring about gradually and safely the changes which may be deemed essential to the welfare of the whole community.

In the next place, the reformers are anxious to see security given to the titles of those who acquire property by purchase. As the law now stands, or rather in the absence of all law, if an individual buy an estate, he may possess it for twenty years, and then somebody comes with an old piece of parchment in his hand, who says that he has a better right to the estate than the purchaser. Litigation immediately commences—the suit goes on in the courts for years—and both parties probably spend twice the value of the property in law proceedings before the right of ownership is decided. Again, when an estate is announced for sale, the next neighbour has a privilege of pre-emption. If the property be purchased by another person, and it be discovered after a lapse of thirty or even forty years that the slightest formality was omitted in giving the next neighbour notice of the intended sale, the privilege of pre-emption again accrues, and he may buy the land, together with all the improvements bestowed upon it in the mean time, for the price which the occupant had paid. This uncertainty about titles to property is one of the greatest grievances of which Hungary has to complain.

♦ ORDERS OF NOBILITY ♦ The orders of the nobility also require limitation. At present the classes of nobles are too numerous, and are becoming more so every day; for, if a nobleman have fifty sons, they are all as noble as himself. In some few of the higher families distinguished as magnates, majorats are established by prescription. Some families have as many as three or four estates entailed upon each of the sons, and by this system their paramount rank and influence has been sustained. But, generally speaking, the estate of a nobleman of the second and inferior classes is divided, upon his death, amongst all his sons; the result of which division is to produce a swarm of pauper nobles, by whom the country is literally infested. This indiscriminate descent of title and perpetual subdivision of property, if not corrected in time, must eventually throw the whole fabric of society into confusion; or rather, they must prevent that fabric from ever being settled upon a safe foundation. These two evils cry aloud for amendment.

♦ ADVANTAGES OF STEAM NAVIGATION ♦ Another very serious grievance is, that the laws and law proceedings are all framed in the Latin language, which prevents the language of Hungary, in itself a copious and most expressive dialect, from acquiring all the perfection of which it is susceptible. Some years ago the members of the diet all spoke in Latin. Count Szechenyi was the first to address the assembly in Hungarian, and most of the better informed magnates have since followed his example.

Hungary will undoubtedly derive great commercial advantages from the steam navigation of the Danube: but, although enlightened men are not indifferent to that result, yet they look upon the enterprise rather with the hope of seeing their country derive from it a European position. When the people come more in contact with foreign nations, their emulation will be naturally excited; they will be induced to improve their roads, to build bridges, to excavate canals, to improve their towns, to give a style to their houses and public edifices, and to civilize their manners.

♦ REFORMERS ♦ These are the views of prudent and thorough reformers, who, avoiding the ordinary clash of interests and prejudices, work upon a comprehensive plan, more for the future than the present, and addressed to the improving intelligence, not to the passions, of the people. To check every impulse that would lead to precipitate changes, which could only be brought about by the effusion of blood, and to prepare the minds of men by a slow but indefeasible process for the blessings of rational freedom, are the leading principles of their policy. The Austrian government perceives this clearly, and although Prince Metternich fears the reformers, there are no men in the imperial dominions for whom he entertains a higher respect. Such men indeed are amenable to no government jealousies—each in his own sphere is a fate that overrules them.

♦ AUXILIARY IMPROVEMENTS ♦ While from their familiar acquaintance with the institutions of most of the countries of Europe, especially with those of England, which they admire almost to idolatry, the reformers plainly see, and lament, the numerous deficiencies by which Hungary is still detained in the back ground of civilization; nevertheless, they are thoroughly convinced that fundamental changes must be the work of time, if they are to be useful and permanent. They are perfectly conversant with the character of their countrymen: allow for their ignorance and their prejudices; which, however, they never lose an opportunity of rebuking, when they can do so with effect, and without giving personal offence. They listen calmly to objections, from whatever quarter they proceed; weigh them patiently; admit them for what they are worth; and profit by them, if they can, in their further proceedings. If an obstacle cannot be conquered this year, they are contented to wait until the principle makes further progress, and a more favourable opportunity may arrive for further consideration. Several influential magnates in the diet are disposed to coincide in these opinions: they are, certainly, resolved on some important alterations; but they will not attempt to carry them into effect until Hungary shall be better prepared for them than it is at this moment.

♦ CLUB-HOUSE ♦ In the mean time, all practicable measures of an auxiliary nature are in progress. For instance, a club has been established at Pesth, upon the London system; of which all the magnates, most of the deputies, and of those whom we would call the principal gentry, are members. They assemble frequently in groups, and freely discuss political topics at their club-house, which they call the National Casino. The very epithet, “national,” is not without its spell upon these conversations. The English, German, and French reviews, magazines, and newspapers, and popular publications of every description, are found in their reading-room: they have also lectures on the sciences and fine arts; and are thus beginning to Europeanize their minds. Some time after this club had been established, Prince Metternich of course turned his attention to it, and felt no small alarm, when he perceived its natural tendency. He required an explanation of its purposes from the Count Szechenyi; and upon hearing him, decided that it required control. “If you wish to control it,” rejoined the Count, “the only way to accomplish your object, is to give us a good subscription, and become one of our members. You will then have a vote, and your personal influence will, no doubt, have its due effect.” The prince took the hint, and joined the club, which is now in a flourishing condition.

♦ NEWSPAPERS ♦ Another of the auxiliary measures of the reformers so characteristic of their admirable sagacity and forecast, as well as of the prejudices of the Hungarian nobility, which they have to contend against, is the proposed bridge across the Danube, to connect Pesth with Buda, which I have already mentioned. The steam navigation of the Danube will also be a most powerful instrument of civilization; for it is quite true that steam and civilization are daily becoming almost convertible terms. Wherever one of these is found, the other cannot be far distant. A newspaper also is published at Pesth, and that, too, in the Hungarian language—a prodigious innovation, and one that promises important consequences; for there is no law of censorship in Hungary; and it is not very likely that the diet will sanction any proposition of the kind. There is, besides, an academy at Pesth, somewhat on the plan of the French Institute, which publishes its transactions and papers in a quarterly journal. To that journal, as well as to the newspaper, the reformers frequently contribute articles, written generally for the purpose of correcting some national prejudice, or inculcating some wholesome principle of legislation. These articles they sign with their names, as they are determined to carry on all their plans of improvement in the face of day, and upon the system, of keeping “within the law,” which they perfectly well understand.

♦ SYSTEM OF ENTAILS ♦ Count Szechenyi has written two very elaborate and able works, one on credit, with the view of doing away altogether the system of entails, in those cases where the life-owner of an estate chooses to borrow sums of money upon its security. In such cases, the writer contends, that if the loan be not repaid before the death of the mortgagor, the mortgagee should be at liberty to sell so much of the estate as may be sufficient to meet the debt. The evils which grow out of the present system in Hungary are enormous, as the nobles retain so much of the old feudal influence that they borrow money in the most reckless manner; and having no more than a life interest to pledge for the funds so acquired, the creditor is often defrauded of his just demand. If the whole estate were liable to it, the younger children would be interested in checking the wild extravagance which now prevails in most of the higher noble families of Hungary; and they would themselves learn betimes the value of economy, without which they never can be truly independent. The Count’s second work is of a more miscellaneous character—it discusses the various reforms of which Hungary stands in need, with a view to the amelioration of its institutions, the construction of roads, bridges, and canals. He shows, from a careful survey, that the interior of the country super-abounds in natural wealth, which only requires practicable communications with the frontiers, in order to convert it into gold.

♦ CENSORSHIP ♦ The manner in which one of these books found its way to the light is worth mentioning. The Count, by way of precaution, although he was aware of there being no legal censorship in Hungary, submitted his work to the censor appointed by the Austrian government. The censor in the first instance licensed the publication; but while it was going through the press, the eleventh sheet having been already printed, an order was issued putting a stop to its further progress. By some means or other the sheets which were printed, together with the remainder of the manuscript, found their way to Leipsic, and back again to Pesth in the shape of a neatly printed volume, of which a thousand copies were sold before the government knew of its arrival! Previously to that event the Count sought in vain for an explanation of the reasons upon which the licence had been withdrawn; but when the book could no longer be suppressed, apology after apology was made for the stupid blunder of some of the authorities, which alone had been the cause of the delay! Inquiry was made as to the particular officer who had issued the order, but no such officer could be found, no such order was in existence, and the mystery attending the prohibition of the work became just as difficult to be solved as that of its publication.

Another Hungarian magnate had written and printed at Pesth a very strong tract indeed in favour of reform. But it could only be purchased at Bucharest, whence it returned, as if upon the “viewless winds,” whenever it was ordered. These transactions led to the settlement of the fact, that there was no law authorizing a censorship in Hungary, and the first offspring of this advance in knowledge was the establishment of a newspaper. Other newspapers doubtless will follow, and as there are an English manufacturer of paper at Pesth, and a type-foundry upon the most improved system, the press will, in due time, accomplish its wonders in that region.

♦ SYBARITISM ♦ If the diet could be induced to take upon itself the whole of the expenses required for improving the navigation of the Danube, such an act would be a virtual declaration of independence. I have no doubt that this measure will be soon adopted, and that the day is not distant when the crowns of Austria and Hungary must be separated. There is at present no indisposition in Hungary to accept a king from the imperial family—but he must fix his residence at Pesth, and be contented to rule under the control of the ancient constitution of the country, which requires very few alterations in order to accommodate its provisions to the modern condition of society.

♦ THE COUNT’S PURSUITS ♦ Count Szechenyi was so good as to translate for me one or two of his articles in the Pesth newspaper, the principal object of which was to reprove and correct the very general disposition of his countrymen to Sybaritism. They are in general, like the Germans, fond of the pleasures of the table, and extremely indolent. His style of writing is piquant and goodhumoured, wholly free from pedantry, and his admonitions, which are pregnant with good sense, are conveyed in a friendly and even parental tone, which shows how deeply this excellent man has the welfare of his native land at heart. Personal ambition appeared to me to have no share in his motives of action; they seem to spring exclusively from a fervent, I might almost say, a romantic affection for his country. He loves Hungary as a youth loves the first mistress of his heart; indeed he familiarly calls his country his “wife,” and he looks upon all its inhabitants as his children. He is perfectly aware that nations never profit by historical experience, that they must purchase it by a series of trials for themselves; at the same time he labours incessantly by his writings to diffuse amongst his countrymen the ample treasures of information which he has collected during his travels and a regular course of study directed entirely towards that object.

The Count, as I have said, is now in the bloom of life, yet I regret to add that his health is occasionally interrupted, I sincerely trust not yet undermined, by some inexplicable derangement of the digestive organs. When not affected particularly by this malady, which is of a periodical character, he appears to be a vigorous, strongbodied, active, indefatigable, country gentleman; fond of rural sports in the season; a capital shot, and an excellent horseman. He is of the middle stature, of a good military figure, and a most intelligent and engaging countenance.

His manners are those of a perfectly well-bred gentleman: indeed if he had not spoken English with somewhat of a foreign accent, I should have easily mistaken him for one of my own countrymen, of that class who, from talent and information, combined with high birth, possess influence in the House of Commons.

♦ HUNGARIAN LANGUAGE ♦ Speaking of the Hungarian language he observed, that in his opinion, its roots were Turkish. It was an extremely difficult language for a foreigner to learn; but at the same time, peculiarly calculated for the expression of noble thoughts, as well as for the familiar purposes of society. By his writings, which are all in Hungarian, he has given the tone on that subject, in consequence of the eminent station which he holds from birth and property—and from being also the most popular man in the kingdom. He showed me an “Annual,” with very good embellishments, and one or two other books, which were printed at Pesth, in a style of typography not excelled in any other country.

♦ VERSES ON THE VINTAGE ♦ The remarks of the Count upon the Sybaritism of his countrymen, induced me to copy, upon returning to my hotel, the following Latin verses, on the vintage, which I found in the Pesth newspaper of the 28th of September, entitled “Gemeinnubige Blatter.”

Dithyrambus in Vindemia horna.

Gaudeamus igitur,
Hungari dum sumus!
Nam dant vinum copiosum
Jam in uvis gloriosum
Almus sol et humus.

Cælitus vindemia
Tollit vinitores:
“Vinum vetus ebibemus;
Horno locum præparemus”
Clamant potatores.

Semiusti clausimus
Spatium æstatis;
Sed autumnus restaurabit
Debiles et Bacchus dabit
Novam vim prostratis.

Gaudeamus igitur,
Hungari dum sumus,
Vino patrio et more,
Jubilantes uno ore,
Cætera sunt fumus.

Fr. Hanak, Dr.

CHAPTER VIII.

First appearance of Wallachia—The Iron Door—Reform of the Hungarian representation—Corporations—Finances—Education—Justice—Wallachian Gladova—Servian Gladova—Trajan’s bridge—Navigable stations on the Danube—Wonders of steam—Speech of Prince Milosch—Neighbourhood of Gladova—Wallachian hut—Matrimonial speculation—Tea-drinking—Music—Charms of procrastination—Departure from Gladova—Bends in the Danube—Approach to Vidin—Magnate’s costume—Visit to Hussein Pacha—The pacha’s deputy—An interpreter—Explanations—Pleasures of disguise.

♦ APPEARANCE OF WALLACHIA ♦ Count Szechenyi had already apprized me of his intention to go down the Danube as far as Rutschuk. As we were preparing, on the following morning (October 3), to set out from Orsova, he added, that his object was to land at Giurgeva, a Wallachian town, nearly opposite Rutschuk, and thence to proceed to Bucharest, in order to obtain the sanction of the hospodar, for the improvements which were meditated in the bed and on the banks of the river within his principality. I took my seat with the Count in his phaeton, and we were followed by another carriage, occupied by his secretary, Mr. Tasner. Our road by the side of the river was scarcely practicable for such vehicles, as frequently we had to be drawn over narrow abrupt rocks, which, sloping towards the Danube, afforded the agreeable prospect of a cold bath, as well as of fractured limbs, in case of a break down. In an hour after quitting Orsova we passed the frontier of Wallachia, where, if we were to Judge from first appearances, misery seemed to have taken up her favourite abode. The cabins of the poor people were constructed of hurdles, not defended, even by the addition of mud on the inside, from wind and rain. Crowds of children appeared at the doors, literally naked, in company with pigs and goats, dogs, cocks and hens, and ducks, as if all were of the same order of existence. Some of these wretched habitations were altogether underground.

♦ THE IRON DOOR ♦ We soon arrived at the commencement of the celebrated “Iron Door” of the Danube. It is a series of rapids so called from the extreme difficulty of passing them, and also probably from the almost impenetrable nature and ferruginous colour of the rocks, which form the entire bed of the river to the distance of nearly three miles. These rocks, though so long washed by the torrent are still as rough as when the river first found or forced its way amongst them. They are in large masses, tumbled about in every sort of shape and position, and now that they were completely exposed to view, in consequence of the depression of the river, they looked terrific; the gaping jaws, as it were, of some infernal monster. When the Danube is at its ordinary height, replenished by its usual tributaries, the roar of its waters in hurrying through the “Iron Door,” is borne on the winds for many miles around, like the sound of continued peals of thunder.

The present state of the river was taken advantage of by the engineers, for the purpose of making an accurate survey of the channel. This is another of the passages in which it will be necessary either to excavate a canal in the bosom of the rocks, or to erect one upon them which might be fed from the springs of the neighbouring heights.

♦ HUNGARIAN REPRESENTATION ♦ I had noticed on the Servian bank, opposite Vedran’s Cave, a tablet cut in the face of the rock, with an inscription upon it which seemed to be in good preservation, though we were not near enough to read it. It records, as the Count informed me, the completion of a line of road on that side of the river, cut through the solid rock by order of Trajan, of which a considerable portion still remains visible as far as the Iron Door.

Though reminded occasionally by jolts which threatened the entire dissolution of our carriage, that we were traversing no Roman road, I had every reason to hope that a few years would bring about great changes in Hungary, in that respect. As to the other reforms in contemplation, I believe there is no objection to the nomination by the sovereign of the high sheriffs for the fifty counties, of which Hungary, including Croatia, is composed, the more especially as in each of the counties two under-sheriffs are selected by the nobles. But the state of the representation stands greatly in need of amendment. At present each of the counties sends to the diet two deputies, who are chosen by the nobles, comprehending under that title all persons who are descended from noble families. There are besides, eighteen chapters of cathedrals which return two deputies for each, and fifty free towns, each of which returns also its two members. But the representatives of the chapters and the free towns have no vote in the lower chamber of the diet, they have only the privilege of delivering their opinions upon any measure under discussion. It is obvious that this difference between the powers of the several classes of deputies must be speedily done away.

Again, if a magnate, who is called to the diet by the king’s letter, cannot attend, he sends an individual as his proxy; but this substitute does not sit in his principal’s place in the upper house; he sits in the lower one, where, however, he has no vote. This is a useless privilege which ought to be abolished.

♦ CORPORATIONS ♦ In the free towns the deputies are chosen by the burghers, who form close corporations. Now, as was formerly the case in England, some free towns which have greatly declined in population continue to elect deputies, while other towns which have much augmented their population are altogether without the elective franchise. Schedules A and B are much wanted in those parts of Hungary; the right of election requires to be more extensively diffused, and thus the work of reform would be conducted without any great difficulty to a successful conclusion, inasmuch as a strong spirit of freedom exists throughout the country, which is sustained by the custom long established, of holding public meetings, and also assembling at public dinners, at which speeches are made in every respect after our English fashion. Indeed, as I have before observed, political topics are as openly discussed in Hungary as they are with us; and though it can scarcely be said that a press exists as yet in that country, nevertheless it possesses a certain current of public opinion, against which the emperor has no means of contending, however disagreeable it may be.

♦ FINANCES ♦ It is understood that the finances of Hungary are in a most disordered condition; so much so, that before long a crisis must arrive, dangerous to the union of the two crowns, unless measures for averting that peril be adopted in time. It will be impossible to mature any such measures, still less to carry them into execution without the concurrence of the diet, which will then assuredly take advantage of its power to incorporate a complete political reform with that of the exchequer.

♦ EDUCATION—JUSTICE ♦ The imposition of a toll upon all persons, without exception, who will pass over the new bridge about to be constructed between Pesth and Buda, is but the commencement of the abolition of those unjust privileges which exempt the nobility in general from contributing to the taxes. The clergy have at present a monopoly of all the means of education. It is intended to put an end to that system, to establish public schools upon the Lancasterian plan, in every parish of Hungary, which shall be supplied with masters educated especially for their duties at Pesth. The administration of justice requires also a complete revision, and the wealth of the church is supposed very considerably to exceed the real wants of a Christian establishment. The magnates are disposed to assume a decided part in favour of all these reforms, but it cannot be doubted that they will take care not to make the people too strong by widening beyond what they deem to be strictly inevitable, the democratic basis of the constitution.

♦ SERVIAN GLADOVA ♦ We arrived about noon at Gladova, where we found the Argo steamer waiting for us. But as the carriages and general articles of merchandise which had been forwarded from Moldava to Orsova had not yet made their appearance at the Wallachian station, I was obliged once more to draw somewhat liberally on my stock of patience. Here were five days already spent in making a journey, for which two ought to have been amply sufficient. An excellent dinner, however, which had been previously ordered by the Count, and a bottle of Champagne from a case provided by him for our voyage, consoled us for our disappointment.

The mornings began to be rather sharp. Nevertheless we breakfasted on deck (Oct. 4) on dry toast and coffee; after which, taking with us a quarantine inspector, we crossed the river in a small boat to Servian Gladova, which is a fortified town of some pretensions. We walked through the environs; our inspector not permitting us to enter the interior of the town, unless we were disposed on our return to take up our abode in the lazaretto. The country around seemed remarkably fertile, but it was almost wholly uncultivated. Such of the inhabitants as we saw were pictures of indolence—they were mostly dressed in the Turkish costume, though many were apparelled in the European fashion. We saw only one woman, in the course of our peregrinations, and she was closely veiled.

♦ TRAJAN’S BRIDGE ♦ On our return to the steamer, some discussion arose as to the exact site of Trajan’s bridge across the Danube, which, though recorded in history, had hitherto puzzled all the commentators; as, in fact, no trace of that once magnificent edifice had been discovered for many ages. The Count suggested that, as the river was now so low, there was a chance of our settling the question by a personal examination. Accordingly, we proceeded on foot along the Wallachian shore, until we arrived at the ruins of an ancient tower, built on an eminence, which had been evidently raised by artificial means. The tower was of Roman construction, and, as we conjectured that it might have been intended as a guard-station for the defence of the bridge, we ascended the eminence with no slight feelings of curiosity.

♦ TRAJAN’S BRIDGE ♦ Looking down the river, which is here of no very great width, and divided by a sandbank, which, however, cannot be perceptible in the ordinary state of the Danube, we distinctly observed the water curling over a series of impediments extending in a right line from bank to bank. At both extremities of this line we perceived on the land the remains of square pillars; and, on approaching the ruin on our side, we found it constructed of blocks of stone, faced towards the river with Roman tiles, evidently forming the buttress of the first arch of the bridge. In the river itself we counted the remains of six or seven pillars, which had manifestly served to sustain as many arches, connecting the bank on which we stood with the opposite one. No doubt therefore could remain that here was the site of Trajan’s celebrated bridge, a marvellous work for the times in which he lived, considering that it had been constructed on one of the most remote confines of the Roman empire. I calculated that these interesting ruins were about three English miles from Gladova. I brought away a fragment of a tile, as a rude memorial of our discovery.

♦ STATIONS ON THE DANUBE ♦ The Count, who was seldom idle, sat down, upon our return to our cabin, and wrote for me, in English, a memorandum of the distances of the navigable stations on the Danube, which I here copy.

German Miles.
Part. | Total.
| From Eschingen to Regensburg | 50 | 50
| —— Regensburg to Vienna | 50 | 100
| —— Vienna to Pesth | 40 | 140
| —— Pesth to Peterwardein | 60 | 200
| —— Peterwardein to Orsova | 40 | 240
| —— Orsova to Galacz | 100 | 340
| —— Galacz to the Black Sea | 25 | 365

If we add to these items the distance from the mouth of the Danube to Constantinople, by the Black Sea, which is seventy German miles then the total distance from Eschingen to Constantinople will be four hundred and thirty-five German miles or about one thousand nine hundred and fifty-eight miles of English admeasurement.

70

| | 435

As the voyage by steam, however, can only be made from Presburg to Constantinople, the distance is reduced to about fourteen hundred and forty English miles; which, when the steam-boat establishment and works on the Danube are completed, might be easily traversed in eight days and nights. At present, the journey overland from Vienna to Constantinople cannot be made in the ordinary mode of travelling within less than three weeks. The new route by the Danube will exhibit, therefore, one of the most important triumphs over time which the steam-engine has yet accomplished.

♦ WONDERS OF STEAM ♦The advantages destined to arise out of this great enterprise to Hungary, to Servia, Wallachia, and Bulgaria, and, indeed, to all Turkey, are incalculable. Those countries, which have hitherto seemed scarcely to belong to Europe, will be rapidly brought within the pale of civilization; their natural riches, which are inexhaustible, will be multiplied; their productions will be vastly improved; their institutions and laws will be assimilated to those of the most advanced nations; and new combinations, not only of physical but also of moral strength, will be created, which may give birth to important changes in the distribution of political power on the continent. Indeed, while I am writing this page from my notes, I learn from an authentic source that the people have demanded and obtained a representative constitution from Prince Milosch in Servia, and that the first assembly of the states has been already held at Karagozovatz, where, on the 28th of February last, he delivered a speech, of which I have procured from the same quarter an accurate translation. As this speech exhibits an interesting and characteristic picture of the patriarchal condition of that principality, and as no copy of it has yet been published, I need not apologize for placing it before my readers.

♦ SPEECH OF PRINCE MILOSCH ♦ “Speech pronounced by Prince Milosch, before the General Assembly held on the 16th (28th n. s.) of February, 1835, at Karagozovatz in Servia.”

“A year has gone by since we met in greater numbers, and on a more important occasion. It was our intention when we separated to assemble in greater numbers on St. George’s Day, but owing to want of forage we were under the necessity of holding only a small reunion some time after that epoch. During the summer, as well as the autumn, it became impossible to convoke a national assembly; first, because in consequence of the extraordinary drought, neither water nor hay could be procured; and secondly, because we had not been able to terminate the various reports to be laid before the general assembly. Even up to the present moment it has not been possible to complete the census of our population, and ascertain the amount of the income drawn from tithes and other sources of revenue. It has not been in my power either, within so short a space of time, to establish many of the institutions of which I yet perceive the urgent necessity. It is but a year since Servia has become a state. In laying down the foundation of a new one, it is necessary to go slowly to work, to take care not to utter even a single syllable which to-morrow, perhaps, we shall have to retract; much to the detriment of the public interest, and greatly to our own dishonour. Centuries have gone by before the different states in the world could attain the position in which we at present see them. Yet every day their institutions require some alteration. Such must also be Servia’s fate; Servia cannot in one year become a state so perfectly administered as to be faultless. Many are the peculiarities which yet distinguish the Servian nation. These must be sacrificed to the civilization and enlightenment characterizing the nations of Europe, before we can aspire to be ranked among them. First of all, we do not possess yet amongst us the sufficient number of men capable of directing the administration of the country, as is the case in Europe. This has been the great drawback to the foundation of those institutions which it is my wish to establish in our country.”

“On so solemn an occasion as the present, surrounded by the dearest members of my family, our metropolitan and bishops, the members of the Servian legislative body, those of the provincial tribunals, the captains from the different districts, the elders of the principal commonalities, and the high clergy, I appear before you, beloved brethren, to recal to your memory the speech I delivered last year on St. Tryphon’s day, before the general assembly, and which I caused to be printed and distributed among the people. In that speech I acquainted you with the desire I had of forming a regular administration; secondly, of assessing taxation in a manner both equitable and simple, and at the same time convenient for the treasury; thirdly, of paying the debts of our former bishops, which were a great burden on the provinces lately incorporated with Servia. I have uninterruptedly during a year devoted my attention, both in the council and when consulting the legislature of our country, to ascertain the administrative system best adapted and most advantageous to our country, and have come to the firm determination, first, to promulgate a statute for Servia, accurately defining the rights and duties of the Prince of Servia,—the rights and duties of Servian magistrates,—as well as those of every Servian. This statute shall be read in your presence. You will then see that the general national nights are the rights which every Servian is to enjoy,—are such as humanity demands; that the person of every Servian is free;—that every Servian is master of his property. Obedience to this statute we must swear,—not only we who are now here assembled, but also every one of our brethren who happens to be absent. We must swear one to the other;—the prince to the magistrates and people, the magistrates to the prince and people, the people to the prince and magistrates,—that we consider this statute sacred and inviolable as we hold the gospel to be inviolable and sacred,—that we shall not depart an inch from it, or alter a single syllable of it, without previously obtaining the approval and consent of the whole nation.”

“Secondly, I have resolved to form a council of state, constituting the first and highest magistrature in the country after me, the prince. It will consist of six ministers, each of whom will preside over a department of the administration, and of various privy councillors. The ministers are to draw up reports on affairs, the councillors are to examine them,—then authorize acts to be laid before me for my approval. Ministers, as well as the councillors, are responsible to the prince and people for their acts, and especially for every abuse they may be guilty of in the exercise of their power.”

“Thirdly, I have caused our civil and criminal code, to the digestion of which four years have been consecrated, once more to be revised, improved, and rendered more intelligible. These will be laid before our judges, that they may, according to their contents, protect the innocent and punish the guilty. Henceforth, every Servian will meet with protection and justice, not as formerly, in the opinions of the judge, but under the ægis of the law. Through similar institutions, the internal administration, will, I trust, become strengthened and connected as by a chain. The people will be placed under the elders, the captains, and judges; the judges under the council of state; the council under the prince, and in contact with the prince; the prince himself under the law, and in constant relation with the council. A similar institution will, I hope, act as a curb on the arbitrary will of us all in general, and of each of us in particular. It is possible, that even in these institutions, imperfections may be detected; they will, in the course of time, come to light, and be remedied. Neither my judgment, nor the information I am possessed of, nor the time I have at my disposal, have sufficed to bring to perfection so important a task, that is, so as to enable me to say, ‘No one will be able to find fault with my work,’ or ‘It is the most perfect work upon earth.’”

“Having thus fulfilled the promise I made, to introduce order in the internal administration, I shall beg your attention to the other important question, mentioned in my speech of last year,—namely, how should contributions be levied on the people?”

“The Servian nation is placed under the necessity of meeting annually the following expenses: The tribute to the sultan; the salary of the prince and his family; the salaries of persons holding situations under government; the salary of bishops; expenditure for the maintenance of a military force at home for the police, and also for the troops on the frontiers; for post establishments; for the quarantine establishment; for the mission at Constantinople; for the agents at different places; and lastly, expenses for unforeseen circumstances.”

“Hitherto, revenues drawn from different sources, have enabled us to defray the above indispensable expenses; in future, the Servian nation must, as for the past, furnish us with the necessary supplies. I have, in concert with the legislative body, endeavoured to find out the means of satisfying the imperious claims of necessity in the lightest and most equitable manner for the people, and, at the same time, the most convenient for our government. We had, during the course of last year, several discussions on the subject; some entertaining one opinion, others a different one. I perceived, at last, that it was preferable to draw up an estimate of the expenditure of Servia, and to collect the amount directly, and in one sum, from the people. The collection of this tax shall be made at two different epochs of the year, one half being paid at the feast of St. George, 23d April, the other at that of St. Demetrius, 9th November, thus to afford the people time enough in the interval to collect the sum requisite before the appointed day.”

“To prevent the people from being hourly teased by small indirect contributions, I have established but one tax, one of three dollars every six months, from every one; let every one, I say, pay three dollars half-yearly, and thus be exempt from paying any thing; whether for poll-tax, church taxes, matrimony tax, mill and distillery tax, a corn tax, and also the tenth on Indian corn, wheat, barley, and oats; the tenth on bee-hives and wine; and lastly, let the people be exempted from all kinds of obligatory service to men in office, except in those cases where government requires labourers for works of public utility; but even in this case, government shall pay wages to every man who shall work a whole day. Roads and bridges alone shall be constructed at the expense of the different villages. Forests and pasture-grounds shall, in future, be a national property; the whole nation paying contributions for them, it is but fair that the whole nation should enjoy the privilege of making use of them. Now if the people will duly weigh the numerous advantages that will arise from this new mode of taxation, I trust every one will allow that no nation in Europe is more lightly taxed than the Servians.”

“It remains to be seen, whether the produce of this tax is sufficient for the annual expenses. Our administration must now ascertain whether it be so or not. It will be the duty of the minister of finances at the expiration of the year to lay the accounts before me, the council and the national assembly, exhibiting the income as well as the expenses of government.”

“In order, however, that the assessment of this tax may be made in such a manner, that the richest as well as the poorest Servian may remain satisfied, I lay before you the census of the population, in which the number of married, as well as unmarried individuals is marked: the property of every Servian is also noted down, and of course the elders of every village are aware of the amount of each man’s tithes. It is according to this list, and to each man’s income, that the assessment of this tax is to take place. To decide what portion of this tax each individual has to pay is neither my business nor government’s; this is to be determined by the elders of each municipality. They should examine this list, compare the amount of the tithes paid by each person, and in concert with the captains and judges of the district, make the assessment of this tax in such a manner as not to give to the poor motives for accusing them of partiality.”

“These words I address to you, Brethren and Gentlemen, and request you will let me hear, or communicate in writing, your undisguised and unanimous opinion on the subject, in order to enable me to ascertain whether you approve of the institutions I have alluded to,—whether you agree with me on the amount of taxation as well as on the mode of levying it. Let me hear your opinion, now that you are assembled, and after having sworn to-day the statutes, choose amongst you the most capable individuals, and invest them with full powers to act as your representatives here so as to enable me to act in concert with them and the Council of State. These persons will afterwards return to their homes and acquaint you with the result of our combined labours. Chosen by yourselves, these persons will be your deputies; and those whose representatives they are must provide for their entertainment;—they will assist at every meeting in order to examine the accounts, and communicate information to the people on the subject.”

“So considerable a reunion of men as the present one, cannot, owing to the expense it occasions, take place annually; but Deputies of the People, such as I propose to you, exist in other countries and are equally necessary in our own.”

Private letters further state that the death of the Emperor Francis has been followed by very serious agitations in Hungary and Transylvania; that the sultan is proceeding rapidly and boldly with his plans of reform at Constantinople; and I observe that a company has been established in London for the purpose of connecting Marseilles with Constantinople by a line of steam-packets. Thus preparations are in progress throughout all that region for great changes; and communications between Vienna by the Danube, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean, and London, may be said to be on the eve of completion, which will afford the merchant, the politician, or the summer traveller the opportunity of visiting most of the principal cities of Europe, within the brief period of a month or six weeks—a tour upon which hitherto no person could think of entering who had not at least a full year at his disposal. Such are some of the miracles of the age of steam!

♦ NEIGHBOURHOOD OF GLADOVA ♦ The country around Gladova presents a picturesque succession of hills, which sloping gradually towards the Danube, open their bosoms to the southern sun. At present they are scarcely cultivated, but it can hardly be doubted that in a few years they will be converted into vineyards, for which the soil is well adapted. The Count looked forward with singular pleasure to the improvements which his efforts were calculated to produce in all the countries washed by his native river.

♦ WALLACHIAN HUT ♦ We were invited in the evening to take tea with the military, or rather the quarantine, commandant of the place. As we quitted our boat the day had just closed. There was a golden hue along the verge of the horizon towards the east, and the new moon appeared in the transparent sky of Servia a delicate crescent of silver. I had never before beheld our satellite at so early a period of its monthly course. It seemed to have but that moment received on its mountain tops the first rays of the sun. I no longer wondered that it should have been adopted as a national ensign in that country: seen, as I then saw it, suspended like the bow of an angel in the heavens, it was an object almost for adoration.

Our host, a Wallachian officer in blue uniform, was a well-looking young man, full of good nature. His house, or rather his hut, was constructed of hurdle, plastered on both sides with mud, and on the inside whitewashed, the walls betraying all the irregularities of the wicker-work. The flat roof was in the same style. His bed, a mattress, which lay in one corner, raised a few feet from the ground, was the common sofa. His chamber boasted of two tables, on one of which his museum and toilet were established, consisting of heads and amber mouthpieces of Turkish pipes, a silver bell, a pair of scissors, a snuffbox, a musical box, a dressing-case, a huge silver watch, a penknife, a smelling-bottle, and a pot of pomatum; all enshrined beneath a brown gauze veil. On the wall a gay rug, exhibiting in the middle a Mameluke holding a hound in the leash, was suspended, and within this compartment were tastefully displayed his sword, gun, cartouche-box, powder-horn, ataghan, belt, and epaulets.

♦ MATRIMONIAL SPECULATION ♦ Our party was soon increased by one of our friend’s brother officers, an ill-looking guest with one eye, who was accompanied by a great, fat, ugly woman, without a tooth in her head, dressed out in all her finery of “tinsel and brocade.” Though not young it was apparent that she had won the heart of her attendant, who having found for her a chair, placed himself on a stool at her feet, holding her brawny hand in his, which he frequently kissed. I learned afterwards that she was very rich, and that hearing of the establishment of the steam-boat she removed from the interior of the country to Gladova, with a view to look out for a husband. She appeared to be on the highway to success.

♦ CHARMS OF PROCRASTINATION ♦ We had tea in tumbler glasses, mixed with milk and rum, which, as the evening was cold, we unanimously pronounced excellent. The musical box in the mean time was wound up, and afforded the lovers a treat. The Count entered into the spirit of the scene with the most playful goodhumour, exhibiting that unaffected condescension, that happy power of placing himself upon an equality with those around him, without at the same time impairing the natural dignity of his manner, which have procured for him unrivalled influence amongst his own countrymen. We finished the night in our cabin with a rubber of whist, the count taking “dumby” against Mr. Tasner and myself.

Morning came again (October 5), but still no sign of the carriages or merchandise, for which we were waiting. We were all really provoked by this protracted delay, which seemed unaccountable, as we had received intelligence of their arrival at Orsova. The Count, having procured a horse, said he would ride on as far as the “Iron Door,” hoping to meet the caravan on the way. He hoped in vain, and rode on to Orsova, where he found the oxen and men engaged for the purpose, all asleep! He set about putting the oxen to the cars himself, and remained until he saw the whole team on the road. The laziness of these Wallachians is indomitable. They would have remained at Orsova for a week, without thinking of moving, if the Count had not luckily paid them a visit.

♦ DEPARTURE FROM GLADOVA ♦ Our cargo having been once more arranged on board, we most willingly took our departure from Gladova at noon the next day. The Danube being extremely low, we were obliged to proceed at a cautious pace until after we passed Trajan’s bridge, where the water became deeper. The Count pointed out to me the tops of the higher range of the Balkan mountains, which appeared at a great distance, like a blue vapour in the sky. The country on each side of the river seemed wholly uncultivated; it was composed of gently-swelling hills, which, when subjected to the plough, will, doubtless, abundantly repay the toil of the husbandman. The grass was parched by the long-continued drought, which had scarcely been interrupted by more than partial showers during the preceding seven or eight months. In spring those hills clothed in fresh verdure must look beautiful. Naked and desolate even as they then appeared, every bend of the Danube, and the bends were innumerable, opened a new and ever-varying prospect.

♦ BENDS IN THE DANUBE ♦ The Wallachian bank, exposed to all the fervour of the noonday sun, appeared peculiarly destined for the vintage. But the whole of that country had been so long distracted by anarchy, that the people, who had fled to Hungary are only now beginning to return. Their cottages are still constructed in the most simple and temporary style, because they do not feel assured of the continuance of that domestic peace, which happily they now enjoy. When the population increase—when their habitations are improved—when their industry is encouraged by the influence of order and the laws, and they feel themselves protected from the spoliation of marauding armies—they will be enabled, with the assistance of a few years, to convert the whole of that region into a Paradise. The Servian territory also, on our right, seemed capable of great things. The soil looked rich and crumbling; nor was beauty of scenery wanting to its other attractions.

Some hours after leaving Orsova, such is the extraordinary manner in which the Danube winds in its course, that it actually retrogrades towards Moldava, and I came again in sight of the mountains through which I had passed in the fishing-boat. These mountains stretch across the north-east angle of Servia, where they form a cluster like the Apennines, and partly divide that principality from Bulgaria. We stopped for the night at Vervo.

♦ APPROACH TO VIDIN ♦ Having resumed our voyage at the dawn (October 7), we arrived early at Kalefat, where we took on board three Wallachian officers of the quarantine, as the Count intended to pay a visit to the Pacha of Vidin. The redoubts still remain here which were thrown up by the Turks during the late war with Russia, and in the neighbourhood of which a severe engagement took place. The Russians are supposed to have lost eight thousand men on that occasion, although in their report of the battle they took no note of the slain. The important city of Vidin, in Bulgaria, exhibited at this point a very imposing aspect. I counted twenty minarets shooting up their whitened spires above the domes of the mosques, and amidst the tall cypresses, which are found in almost every Turkish town. Several troops of infantry were encamped on a plain in the neighbourhood; the activity which prevailed about their tents, and the marching and countermarching of divisions in order of battle, informed us that they were under review at that moment by the Pacha. The regiments seemed well accoutred, and thoroughly conversant with the evolutions which they had to perform.

♦ MAGNATE’S COSTUME ♦ As we approached Vidin, the scene became extremely animated and picturesque. Numerous boats were gliding up and down the river, between the town and the camp, or stationed near the bank, where crowds of the inhabitants, including a large proportion of females, were collected in order to see the steam-boat. Two or three groups of ladies, who appeared to be persons of distinction, as I concluded, from the respect which was paid to them, as well as from their snow-white lawn veils and their long green and scarlet cloth pelisses, were seated apart from the multitude. They had no male attendant with them, and they occasionally rose and walked about, as if to show that they were under no sort of restraint.

The Count having obtained permission from the Turkish authorities to go ashore, exchanged his ordinary dress for the court costume of a Hungarian magnate, which is peculiarly splendid and becoming. It resembles the uniform of an officer of the hussars, with the exception that the jacket, as well as the short mantle, are of purple velvet. The Count’s sword and sword-belt, with its large gold clasp, were magnificent. He wore, moreover, the gold key as chamberlain to the emperor, and three or four Austrian collars and orders. He had the goodness to invite Mr. Tasner and myself to accompany him on his visit; the former had already a character as his secretary, and as it was necessary for me to comply so far with Turkish customs as to appear also a member of the Count’s travelling suite, I became for the hour his physician!

♦ VISIT TO HUSSEIN PACHA ♦ The pacha to whom we were about to pay our respects was the celebrated Hussein, who had so bravely defended Shumla against the Russian army in the last war. He is known to be the best soldier, and one of the most able men in the Ottoman empire; but having failed in the expedition to Syria, where he was twice beaten by Ibrahim, he was recalled in disgrace. His enemies at the Porte strenuously exerted themselves to have him introduced to the acquaintance of the eunuch who has possession of the bowstring; but the sultan respected the talents of Hussein, and never doubted his fidelity. Had he remained at Constantinople, he would have probably regained his former ascendancy in the state: he was therefore exiled with the extraordinary rank, however, of Field-marshal to the Pachalic of Vidin, where he endeavours to forget his reverse of fortune in his exertions to form a few regiments who are intended to be models of discipline to the whole army. Hussein is a sincere patriot—a thorough hater of Russia; and there is no doubt that, if a revolution were to occur at the capital, threatening a change of dynasty, he would be found a formidable champion of the Mahometan cause.

♦ THE PACHA’S DEPUTY ♦ Upon landing with our quarantine attendants, we were conducted through an immense crowd of the people on shore, who received us with every possible degree of civility, to the pacha’s palace, which is just at the entrance to the town. Ascending an open staircase we were shown, in the first instance, to a large balcony which commanded a fine view of the river. Here we found the pacha’s chief officer sitting in state in the usual Turkish fashion, on a wooden sofa, which was covered with a carpet. He had two or three pillows to support his back, was smoking a long pipe with an ordinary amber mouthpiece, and was surrounded by eight or ten domestics, some of whom were most wretchedly attired in the Greek or European dress, barefooted, and wearing on their heads the red Greek cap, which, in fact, is like a red cloth nightcap with a blue silk tassel at the top, and to my mind peculiarly unbecoming.

♦ AN INTERPRETER ♦ The Count had forgotten to provide an interpreter. The embarrassment, therefore, may be easily conceived, which was felt by both parties, when the vice-governor could not ask us what we wanted; and if he did ask any such question, we could make no reply. We examined each other, so far as looks could serve, with unfeigned curiosity, and resolved that we were mutually in a very ludicrous situation; from which, however, we were, after half an hour’s delay, fortunately released by the entrance of Hussein’s physician.

This man was a Florentine by birth; but he had been sent to Turkey at a very early age to seek his fortune, and had now almost wholly forgotten his native language. He affected to speak French, and was looked up to by the vice-regal court of Vidin as a linguist of the first order. He was dressed in the Greek cap, blue round jacket and trousers, gray worsted stockings, and yellow slippers. There was a sinister expression in his eye, and a consciousness of guilt upon his flushed forehead, as well as in his nervous utterance, which warned us at once that we were in the presence of an adventurer, who for an adequate consideration would never refuse the secret exercise of his skill against the enemy of his employer. We felt as if we could read in his countenance a volume of crime, and we afterwards learned from our quarantime companions that our suspicions were by no means unfounded.

♦ EXPLANATIONS ♦ The Count explained in French, that he had come to pay his respects to the pacha, upon which we were informed that the pacha was not at home; that he had gone out with his favourite son to review the troops encamped near the town, but that he was expected back every moment, as his carriage had been sent for him, and a messenger would be despatched to hasten his arrival. The physician stood at the end of the sofa, covered, as in fact we also were, in compliance with the manners of Turkey; whenever he had occasion to speak to the vice-governor he put his hand to his forehead, then to his lips and breast, the established mode of giving the salaam, which by the way constantly reminded me of a Roman Catholic making the sign of the cross. Our carpet stools meanwhile were brought from the steam-boat, in order that we should strictly observe the quarantine laws, by not touching any thing capable of communicating the plague. We then sat down, looking at each other, as before, for nearly an hour, the silence being now and then interrupted by a question addressed to the physician by the vice-governor, then interpreted to the Count, who gave his answer, which was again interpreted to the vice-governor, who nodded his head, looked surprised, and again puffed a more than ordinary cloud of smoke from his distended cheeks.

♦ PLEASURES OF DISGUISE ♦ I own I did not feel quite at ease in my medical character. I was apprehensive that the physician would have interrogated me on professional matters, and would have discovered my entire ignorance of the subject, for in truth I had never opened a medical book in my life. Luckily he avoided every topic of the kind as much as I did, and most probably for the very same reason. Pipes and coffee were brought, which varied the scene for a moment, the attendants taking scrupulous care while they handed us the little china cups on a tray, and the long pipes, to keep themselves from touching any part of our dress with their own habiliments.

CHAPTER IX.

Hussein Pacha—Hussein’s son—Group at the interview—Commencement of conversation—Conversation prolonged—Steam expedition—Cool reception—Pacha’s harem—Wallachia and Moldavia—Treaty of Adrianople—Silistria—Boat aground—New delays—Zantiote boat—Adventurous changes—Separation—Ionian luxuries—A grave mistake.

The vice-governor was a fat, sickly-looking man, about fifty years of age, and grave even to stupidity. He could not hold out his curiosity beyond the ordinary question, whence we had come, what we wanted, and whither we were going. Having exhausted these topics he sunk again into a sort of Sybarite dreamy torpor, as if the odour of his tobacco were the perfume of Paradise. It was certainly very fragrant, and his coffee was the best I ever tasted. The physician was still a young man, but he looked also pale, haggard and nervous. He complained much of the air of Vidin, as peculiarly unwholesome; it was, he said, extremely cold, as compared with that of Stamboul, where he had lived for thirteen years. The town, and especially the palace, were exposed on one side to the vapours of the Danube, which here presents an extensive surface to the rays of the sun, and on the other to the freezing blasts which rush down from the Balkan mountains, He was assuredly much discontented with his lot, and confessed with an involuntary pang, which flung a strong expression of remorse athwart his forehead, that he had adopted the Mahometan faith.

♦ HUSSEIN PACHA ♦ At length the rattle of a carriage was heard driving into the courtyard below: it was immediately announced that the pacha had returned, and in a few minutes we were summoned to his presence. Passing through a line of twenty or thirty shabby officers, some of whom were dressed in turbans and flowered silk pelisses, we entered a large plain saloon, covered with a blue carpet, and containing no other furniture, except a divan, or bench, hung with yellow damask, which extended all round the room close to the walls. In a dark corner, seated in the usual Turkish attitude, was Hussein, apparently about fifty-five years old, his face deeply marked by the smallpox, swarthy and tremulous, as if he had not been unaccustomed to opium. His eye beamed with the light of superior intelligence experienced in the exercise of authority. He wore a dark olive cloth pelisse, edged with sable fur, and the red Greek cap with its blue silk tassel. He was smoking when we entered, and continued to smoke while we remained.

♦ HUSSEIN’S SON ♦ On his right-hand was seated, also in the Turkish fashion, his son by his favourite consort, about ten years old, dressed precisely like his father, beyond all comparison the most beautiful boy I ever beheld. A high forehead, dark well defined eyebrows, long black lashes, brilliant hazel eyes, downy oval cheeks glowing with the blush of health, lips red as the rose and pregnant with the consciousness of high station, but at the same time pensive, combined with other features of more than Italian perfection to exhibit a model for one of Raphael’s angels. The contrast between this boy and his father will be understood by those who have seen the statues of Prudence and Justice in St. Peter’s at Rome, or who can imagine Winter furrowed by storm and mantled in cloud, coming back to look at the joyous Spring.

♦ GROUP AT THE INTERVIEW ♦ The tone of Hussein’s voice, naturally rough, was evidently softened by the influence which the presence of this lovely youth exercised over him. He desired us, in a very kind manner through the physician, to be seated, our own stools having been brought in for that purpose. We formed a strange group altogether—the pacha smoking on the divan, his son near him with a small riding-whip in his hand headed by a silver whistle; the Count in his Hungarian costume seated in front of the pacha; Mr. Tasner and myself in black, our hats on, seated on the left of the Count; the three quarantine officers standing in a line with us; immediately behind the Count his groom in rich livery, and his gamekeeper dressed in “Lincoln green,” cocked hat and green feathers, each with a double-barrelled fowlingpiece in his hand, mounted in silver; and at the back of these a train of officers and domestics without either slippers or shoes, their toes peeping through their stockings, arrayed in every variety of European and Eastern habiliments, extending from the angle occupied by the pacha to the door.

♦ COMMENCEMENT OF CONVERSATION ♦ The preliminaries of presentation having been gone through, the Count stated, through the Florentine, that as he was passing by Vidin on his way to Bucharest, he felt it incumbent on him to pay his respects to the pacha: that he was a nobleman of Hungary appointed by the Emperor of Austria to direct the improvements which were necessary to facilitate the navigation of the Danube by steam-boats from Presburg to the Black Sea, whence they might then proceed to Stamboul. The enterprise, when completed, would be equally advantageous to Turkey as to Hungary, and he availed himself of that opportunity to recommend it to the pacha’s protection. Hussein bade the Count welcome, and said that he was very glad to see him, but made no allusion to the enterprise, which he did not appear to comprehend. A pause of nearly a quarter of an hour then ensued, during which we seemed all conscious of being employed in conjecturing how this oppressive silence was next to be broken.

♦ CONVERSATION PROLONGED ♦ At length, the pacha having exhausted his pipe, inquired if the emperor was much beloved in Hungary. The Count answered in the affirmative, adding that it was impossible for any man to know the emperor without esteeming him for his great personal virtues. An effort was then made to prolong the conversation by an allusion to the relations of peace which were now happily established between the Turks and the Hungarians, who had been so long engaged in hostilities; but Hussein cut it short by the maxim, that it was always better for men to be at peace with each other than at war. This truism having been pronounced with great self-complacency, and admitted on all hands, a second quarter of an hour elapsed in solemn taciturnity, which was really very embarrassing.

The assigned period for the generation of another idea having been fully accomplished, the pacha delivered himself of an observation, that the emperor had several officers of distinguished talent in his service. The Count confirmed the justness of this remark. Silence again resumed her wand, and we were all spellbound. In the mean while, pipes with splendid amber mouthpieces, were brought by the attendants, and presented to us; after which, another set of domestics came round with a japanned tray, on which sweetmeats were served in glasses. But as it would be necessary for us to use silver spoons, which were on the tray, and silver is supposed to be a conductor of the plague, our quarantine friends interposed and prohibited the luxury, much to my annoyance, as beside the sweetmeats were arranged glasses of sherbet. Hussein smiled, not pleased however, at the scrupulousness of our guards, which he must have felt as a sort of imputation upon his country.

♦ STEAM EXPEDITION ♦ Small china coffee-cups were then brought in upon a gold tray; they were turned down, with silver filagree cups placed over each. Coffee was next produced in a japanned pot, and the tray and coffee-pot having been placed on the floor by the attendants, one of them presented a cup to our chief officer, who removing it from its silver case, filled it with the fragrant beverage, and placed it in the Count’s hand. In this way Mr. Tasner and I were also served. The pacha and his son took some sherbet. This ceremony being concluded, the pacha inquired whether the steam-boat was going to Stamboul. The Count replied that the steam navigation so far was not yet completed, but that when another boat, which was daily expected from Trieste, should arrive at Galacz, it would be possible to make the voyage from Presburg to Stamboul in eight days. This intelligence produced an exclamation of surprise from Hussein. His officers and domestics held up their hands in amazement. But it was clear that Hussein was no friend to this sort of expedition, which he evidently thought predicted no good for Turkey.

♦ COOL RECEPTION ♦ The Count finding that the interview had already lasted long enough, rose, and we took our departure. As we came out he gave one of the servants ten gold ducats to be distributed amongst them, according to the Turkish custom, which permits no person of rank to visit another without levying this kind of tax for the benefit of the domestics. In most cases it forms the only wages they receive. The Count had intended to present the two fowling pieces to the pacha, but he came away without effecting his purpose, as the medical adventurer’s interpretation was really so loose and blundering, that it would have been impossible to have performed the ceremony with that degree of gracefulness, which would alone have given value to the gift. Perhaps, too, the Count felt that his reception was cool.

♦ PACHA’S HAREM ♦ It was our wish to have walked through Vidin, and made ourselves acquainted with the features of that important town, but our quarantine officers would not hear of such a thing. We were even directed to get rid of the dust of Vidin on the soles of our boots by dipping them in the river. Upon returning to our boat we were therefore obliged to content ourselves with all that we could see through a telescope of its fortifications and mosques, bounded in the distance by the Balkans. The pacha’s harem formed a striking object in the scene, but we could discern no bright eyes peeping through the lattices by which every window was guarded. We were told, indeed, that two ladies, dressed in black long cloth pelisses, and closely veiled, who stood on the bank of the Danube under the harem, were its principal inmates. But beyond this supposition our curiosity was destined to meet no gratification.

The Wallachian officers dined with us. In the course of conversation I learned that the quarantine establishment, which gave full employment to the only troops the hospodar possessed, was entirely under the control of the Russian consul at Bucharest. I took the liberty, therefore, to remark that our guests were in fact Russian officers much more than Wallachian, inasmuch as the regulation of the quarantine in any country is the peculiar attribute of sovereign authority. This remark, far from being contested, was on the contrary immediately acceded to: the gentlemen appeared rather pleased at being recognised as imperial servants, in which character they also considered the hospodar. Indeed, they added, how could any doubt exist upon the subject, seeing that the prince, when he was invested with the office of hospodar by the sultan at Constantinople, was arrayed in the Russian uniform?

♦ WALLACHIA AND MOLDAVIA ♦ The political condition of the two provinces, Wallachia and Moldavia, is very little known in England. They are occupied chiefly by a Sclavonian population, to which the Greeks also belong, professing the Greek Catholic religion, actuated by an indelible hatred to the Turks, and intimately connected with Russia by religious as well as national sympathies. Though compelled by conquest to acknowledge the sovereignty of the Porte, the provinces which are separated from the Russian empire by the Pruth and mere geographical lines, were governed for many years by two hospodars, native princes, selected by the Porte, and continued in authority during the sultan’s pleasure. Vexatious imposts, and great irregularities in the administration of justice, produced incessant discontent among the people, who demanded the protection of the emperor against the exactions and abuses of Turkish authority. The emperor listened willingly to their complaints, and under the pretext of securing them the free exercise of their religion, which was in truth never disturbed, interposed in their favour. The treaty of Bucharest, which was concluded in 1812, gave a direct sanction to that interposition so far as the interests of religion were concerned. The treaty of 1829, concluded at Adrianople, at the end of the late war, may be considered as handing over the provinces to Russia altogether.

♦ TREATY OF ADRIANOPLE ♦ By that treaty, or the articles subsequently added to it, it is stipulated that the hospodar shall be appointed by the sultan for life, and not for a term as before, from a list of native princes elected by persons possessing a certain amount of property in the provinces. A small annual tribute is to be paid to the sultan, who retains, under the title of suzeraineté, the nominal supremacy of those districts. A rigid quarantine, under the control of Russia, whose extensive empire would be most endangered by the introduction of the plague from Turkey, is to be observed along the whole of the Wallachian bank of the Danube, thus establishing, in fact, an armed line of separation between the Ottoman empire and its northern dependencies!

♦ SILISTRIA ♦ On the opposite bank of the Danube, Silistria, the strongest fortified town in Turkey, which commands all Bulgaria, and opens the road to Constantinople, is given up for ever to Russia. I say “for ever,” because Turkey engaged to pay an enormous sum by way of indemnity for the expenses of the late war to Russia, and it was arranged that until the whole of that indemnity was discharged Silistria should be garrisoned by Russian troops. But all the various stipulations upon this subject are so framed, as to leave the time of payment entirely at the discretion of the emperor, who will probably adjourn his demand for the last instalments sine die. By this truly Russian diplomacy he may retain Silistria as long as he pleases, which places in his hands the moral sovereignty of Turkey.

In order to complete his encroachments in that quarter, it has been further provided in the treaty of Adrianople, that besides the Bessarabian embouchure of the Danube, which he had already gained by the treaty of Bucharest, the whole of the Delta of that river should be ceded to him, and that with a view to prevent his sovereignty over that part of the Danube from being disturbed, the Bulgarian side of the Delta should remain for ever uninhabited, to the distance inland of six miles. By these arrangements, the navigation of the Danube, so far, at least, as intercourse with the Euxine is concerned, is subjected exclusively to Russian control; and Wallachia and Moldavia, really separated from Turkey, are as really added to the Russian empire. The suzeraineté of the sultan, and the nomination of the hospodars are mere diplomatic contrivances for “throwing dust” in the eyes of Europe.

♦ BOAT AGROUND ♦ After dinner we proceeded on our voyage; but found the river so shallow, that we stopped for a while, and sent out men to sound for a deeper channel. Under their guidance, and rubbing occasionally over sandbanks, we kept on until the evening, and stopped for the night at Argugrad. On the following morning we again proceeded on our way; but about nine o’clock the boat penetrated a sandbank, where it remained as firmly fixed as if it had grown up from the bottom of the river. Anticipating an accident of this kind, we had brought with us from Argugrad a flat-bottomed vessel, for the purpose of lightening the steamer of its cargo: but upon sounding the river from bank to bank, it was discovered, to our dismay, that even if the cargo, boiler, engine and all, were removed, we had not the slightest chance of moving beyond the spot, where we were fixed as by the spell of an enchanter. Indeed, we had the agreeable prospect, about a mile before us, of three country boats, laden with “fruit,” planted also like so many rocks, in the bed of the Danube.

♦ NEW DELAYS ♦ The paddles of the engine were backed, with the view at all events of getting the steamer afloat, but they revolved in vain. The boiler was then emptied of its contents: still she remained imperturbable. Anchors were thrown out to shift her from her ground; but after breaking all our ropes, and exhausting every contrivance, we were obliged to give up the task in despair. The Count made up his mind to remain on board the rest of the day, and if no chance of liberation should offer itself, to send for horses to Kalefat, and to proceed by land to Giurgeva, and Bucharest. He obligingly proposed to take me with him in his carriage, saying, that I could have no difficulty in crossing from Giurgeva to Rutschuk, where I could procure horses for a journey over the Balkans to Constantinople. I calculated that it would take a day to go to Kalefat for the horses; a second day, probably, to find them; a third to return, and get the carriages ashore, and that after all it was not certain that a carriage road could be found practicable as far as Giurgeva, without first going to Bucharest. I looked forward with no very pleasant feelings to this delay, seeing that the season for travelling was rapidly drawing to a close.

♦ ZANTIOTE BOAT ♦ Towards evening, while I was walking alone on deck, impatient of the obstruction which my voyage had encountered, an Italian ship carpenter, whom we had taken on board at Gladova, came to announce to me that a boat was in sight, which he knew to belong to some Zantiotes, with whom he had been employed in constructing the two frigates we had seen at Semendria. The boat, he added, was certainly on its way to the Black Sea, where they would coast it down to the Bosphorus, and so on by the Hellespont and the Archipelago, to Zante.

♦ ZANTIOTE BOAT ♦ I had already learned from the captain that beyond Rutschuk, the banks of the Danube were low, marshy, and wholly destitute of interest, especially for one who had passed through the splendid scenery between Moldava and the Iron Door. I was informed, moreover, that if I went as far as Silistria, I should have very little chance of finding horses there, and would run the risk of being even inhospitably treated by the Russians, who might suppose that I had some political purpose in view, in paying their garrison a visit. I therefore resolved to take a passage in the Zantiote boat to Rutschuk. The Italian informed me that the men to whom it belonged were perfectly trustworthy and civil, and that as I was an Englishman, and in some degree a fellow-subject of theirs, I might depend upon the best accommodation they could afford me.

♦ ADVENTUROUS CHANGES ♦ It was no very welcome change to pass from the comparative luxuries of the steamer—from a good mattress, excellent dinners, champagne, and the fascinating society of the Count, to an open boat, manned by Greek carpenters, with whose conversational language I was wholly unacquainted. But my anxiety to “go on,” superseded all other considerations; and there was, moreover, an adventurous character about the transition, which was not without its influence upon a mind fond of examining the phases of human character in every shade of society. The Servian Jew we had left at Vidin; the Moldavian poet had been for some days laid up with a nervous fever. But when he heard of my resolution, he crept up on deck to take leave of me.

♦ SEPARATION ♦ As the Zantiote boat, which to me, at first, appeared like a little black speck in the distance, approached, I desired the Italian to hail it, and inquire whither they were bound. His former companions immediately recognised him, and they pulled up, within quarantine distance, of the steamer. They said that they were on their way home; that they had two Turkish passengers; one for Nicopolis, the other for Rutschuk; that they would be very happy to afford me a passage, if I would accept it, as far as I pleased, and that I might depend upon their utmost attention. The goodhumoured look of these Ionian islanders confirmed me in my determination, and I much surprised the Count, who with Mr. Tasner, was busily engaged in writing, when I went to communicate to him my plans, and to bid him farewell. Though not prepared for so sudden a separation, he saw at once that the opportunity of so soon pursuing my voyage to Rutschuk ought not to be thrown away, as he confessed that he was not very certain of being able to go overland to Bucharest or Giurgeva. Having already made the journey to Constantinople from Semlin, he gave me some useful instructions as to the mode in which I should proceed, and directed the captain, who was acquainted with the Wallachian language, to furnish me with a letter to the agent of the Steam Navigation Company at Rutschuk.

♦ IONIAN LUXURIES ♦ Having taken leave of my friends, I descended into the Ionian boat, and was instantly separated from them by the bar of quarantine. The crew of the steamer assembled, and cheered us as we departed, and the Count, whose kindness to me I shall never forget, waved his handkerchief until we were veiled from his view by the increasing dusk of the evening. The vessel in which I found myself seated was a large, strong, open boat, in which there was a company of seven hardy well-looking men, who occasionally relieved each other at the oars and the helm. Three hoops were stretched over the centre of the vessel, and over these was spread a thick mat formed of dried reeds, which served as an awning. Beneath this canopy my Turkish fellow-passengers were seated on carpets. They received me with the utmost civility, and made room for my portmanteau and carpet-bag, which I converted into a sofa. Near me was a sack of walnuts, which offered no mean apology for a pillow.

♦ A GRAVE MISTAKE ♦ My new friends immediately offered me some grapes and bread, which I declined, but which reminded me that I had committed a grave mistake in not having provided myself for the remainder of the voyage from the larder of the steam-boat. One of the crew, who seemed to be their captain, opened his chest, and took out of it a large thick blanket, which he wrapped carefully around me. The night was cold, and the moon in its first quarter gleamed on the swarthy faces of my Turkish companions; one of whom, a military officer, was an extremely handsome man. The stars were all out, and we had so much light that we pursued our way until ten o’clock, when we stopped for the night near a Turkish village.

CHAPTER X.

Zitara Palanka—Turkish hospitality—Interior of a caffiné—Mahometan devotee—Orisons—Race of Tartars—Social variety—Turkish khan—The nargillé—Supper—Woman—Seclusion of the sex—Eating in the dark—Visiters astonished—A general invasion—Return to the boat—New acquaintances—Nicopoli—Night scene.

Soon after daybreak (October 9) our men were at their oars, which they plied with a degree of vigour and determination very different indeed from the annoying and invincible indolence of my Wallachian acquaintances. The morning was sunny and cheerful; but the banks of the Danube no longer presented any scenery worth observation. The Balkans had altogether vanished from our view, and there was not a hill, or even an eminence of any kind to be seen.

My breakfast consisted of a piece of excellent brown bread, and some dried curds, which I afterwards often found in Turkey and Greece, as a substitute for cheese. The captain, perceiving that I had brought no provisions with me, seemed pleased to perform for me all the duties of a host; placing near me a wooden bowl, filled with curds, a brown loaf, and a wooden canteen replenished with wine. I preferred, however, the pure element below, whenever I had occasion for it. To be sure, this frugal fare was a change from the well-served board of the steamer; but I consoled myself by thinking, that good living was not always conducive to health, and that a fast now and then is among the best prescriptions which a doctor can furnish.

♦ ZITARA PALANKA ♦ Towards noon we put in to a Turkish village, which the crew called Zitara Palanka. We went ashore to get a supply of provisions; the Turkish officer who wore the red Greek cap, his pistols and ataghan stuck in the silk scarf with which his loins were belted, and his long pipe in his hand, took me under his protection. The village was a small straggling place, consisting of wooden houses, most of which were shops for bread, curds, butchers’ meat, soft goods, groceries, fruit, rock salt, dried skins, shoes, boots, and slippers. We went to the caffiné, or coffee-house, before which we found three or four Turks sitting on a mat, in a rude sort of balcony, the floor of which was slightly elevated above the level of the street. They were well-looking men, and they received my friend and myself with a salam full of good nature, and, at the same time, not without dignity.

♦ TURKISH HOSPITALITY ♦ The pipes were all immediately put into requisition, and coffee was brought to us in china cups, my only objection to which was their minuteness. The beverage was served without sugar, the latter being a luxury in which Turkish villagers seldom indulge. My friend observed, at once, that I did not much relish my coffee in this way, and ordered sugar to be brought. But there was none to be found in the caffiné, until “mine host” procured some from a neighbouring shop. With that addition the coffee was very good, and I found three or four cups no unwelcome illustration of my philosophy of fasting. A considerable store of curds, bread, and grapes, was purchased by my military companion, who would not suffer me or any other person to contribute to the sum which he paid for it, though he intended it for the common use of the passengers and crew. The grapes were large and well flavoured, but they would have been much better if they had been kept a little longer in the sun. I rather pressed a few piastres on my friend, as my share of the day’s expenses, but he would allow me to pay for nothing, and looked as much as to say, “you will offend me if you insist.”

♦ INTERIOR OF A CAFFINÉ ♦ The interior of the caffiné consisted of one large room, divided by a low railing into three boxes, if I may so call them, within which mats were spread. At the side of the room, opposite to the door, was the fireplace, arched at top, not level with the floor, but raised nearly breast high, for the greater convenience of making coffee. The fire was of wood, and on one side a large tin pot held water constantly boiling. On the other side was an earthen pot, containing roasted coffee reduced to a fine powder by the aid of a pestle and mortar. Whenever a cup of coffee was ordered, it was prepared in two or three minutes, uniformly by itself, in a small saucepan.

♦ MAHOMETAN DEVOTEE ♦ A beggar-woman, who shifted herself along the street upon a pair of low crutches, exhibiting a picture of the most squalid misery; three or four ragged boys, and a wild-eyed dwarf, came to gaze at me with astonishment, hearing that I was an Englishman. The village has a mosque, with the usual accompaniment of a white minaret, crowned by a tin spire. It was a wretched building. The road through the street was the natural sod, trod into dust and hardened by use. With all these symptoms of poverty there appeared every where an abundance of all the necessaries of life, and a degree of personal ease, or rather indifference, about the inhabitants, who, by the way, were mostly armed in the Turkish fashion, which induced me to conclude, that, though so remote from the haunts of civilization, even Zitara Palanka was not without its share of the general happiness bestowed by a benignant Providence on mankind.

We returned to our boat, and there being a light breeze in our favour, we hoisted a sail. I had a favourable opportunity of observing the practical influence of the Mahometan faith, in the demeanour of one of my fellow-passengers, named Noureddin, who wore a green turban, long gray beard and moustaches, a tattered brown cloth pelisse, and wide blue trousers, patched all over. I understood that he was on his way to Constantinople, intending to ride on a donkey from Rutschuk to Varna, whence he would proceed by sea to the Bosphorus. After visiting the principal mosques at Stamboul, he was resolved to join one of the parties of pilgrims who usually sailed at this season of the year for Alexandria, thence to proceed on foot to the shrine of the prophet at Mecca. He was therefore a “devotee;” and I must confess that I have never seen any Christian so constantly so fervently animated as this Mussulman was, by the all-absorbing consciousness that he lived and moved in the presence and under the immediate protection of the great Creator of the universe.

♦ ORISONS ♦ Noureddin watched for the rising sun having previously spread his carpet (about the size of one of our hearth-rugs) on the floor of the boat. Turning his face towards the east, he stood wrapped in pious meditation. The moment the sun appeared above the horizon he knelt down, prostrated himself three times, kissed his carpet, and then remaining on his knees, said some prayers which were manifestly poured out from the fulness of his heart. When these orisons were concluded he again thrice prostrated himself, kissing his carpet each time. He next rose and repeated a few prayers standing. Then folding up his carpet, he sat down and told his beads.

♦ RACE OF TARTARS ♦ On the contrary, my military friend seemed to have no thought whatever of religion. Though dressed in the scarlet uniform of an officer of rank, and that splendidly too, his pistols, sword, and ataghan being richly mounted in gold, and his highly ornamented cartouche-box being suspended by a cord of gold twist, nevertheless he sometimes smiled at the ardour displayed by Noureddin. I afterwards learned that he was in fact a Tartar, a race of men who are met with every where in Turkey, are usually employed in the most confidential subordinate offices of the state, and are identified with the Turks in manners as well as in religion. But in the practices of the prevailing faith they are cold and negligent from habit, or rather perhaps from their general intelligence which has elevated them above the koran. He displayed in his cincture the oldfashioned brass case for ink, and pens formed of reeds, which he civilly requested me to use instead of my pencil, when he saw me writing notes in my journal. He examined my silver tube on the new plan, containing lead alone regulated by a screw, with great curiosity. He also looked over my journal, apparently wondering how I could make any use of the characters, to him wholly unintelligible, with which my pages were crowded.

♦ SOCIAL VARIETY ♦ The scenery of the Danube continued desolate on both sides. Occasionally we saw amongst the islands immense flocks of wild ducks and geese, the latter of an extraordinary size. Our boat proceeded down the current at a very fair rate. I dined on bread, curds, and grapes, read for some hours, and wrote with my friend’s reed and ink the paragraph which is now under the eye of my “gentle” critic. In the course of the afternoon, Noureddin twice repeated his orisons and ablutions, always with the same unaffected sincerity of devotion. The captain of the crew, who though their acknowledged master in all things requiring regulation, seemed in every other respect upon an entire equality with his companions, read to them while the distended sail permitted them to lay up their oars, popular fables from a small octavo Romaic Greek book, which appeared to attract their general attention. Now and then he interpolated between the sentences a short commentary of his own, which uttered with a roguish smile made them all laugh. The day continued to its close warm and beautiful, and though I devoted some thoughts to the esteemed Hungarian friends whom I had so lately left, as well as to the case of champagne which they had not yet exhausted, yet I must acknowledge that I shared, without a murmur, in the simple fare, as well as in the contented, I might say the happy feelings of the people around me.

♦ TURKISH KHAN ♦ At half-past six we stopped for the night, and landed, by the light of the moon, near a small village, where my Tartar friend gave us to understand we should meet with excellent accommodations. The path led us by an old fortress, near which the khan was situated, we found the owner standing outside, and he showed us a ladder by which we ascended to an open balcony covered with mats. He then took a key out of his pocket and opened a door through which we entered a large room, divided as usual by low railings into several compartments, one of which, however, was considerably elevated above the rest, and was covered with a finer mat. The embers were still alive in the fireplace, which exactly resembled the hearth already described, except that it had a reservoir beneath for the ashes. I sat down upon the edge of the elevated box. My fellow-passengers, and most of the crew who came with us, took off their shoes in the middle of the room, and then seated themselves in the usual attitude of Turks, in one of the lower compartments.

♦ THE NARGILLÉ ♦ Coffee was served without sugar, but my friend, more provident than myself, produced from beneath his cincture a little paper of sugar, which he gave me. Noureddin smoked the hooka, or nargillé (i. e. fire and water), the bubbling noise of which was peculiarly disagreeable to my ear. This instrument resembles a large carved glass decanter, in the neck of which two small tubes are inserted. One of these tubes communicates with an elastic pipe which reaches the mouth of the smoker; the other tube terminates at the top of the decanter in a small cup, called the loulé, in which the dried leaves are placed, whose essence is to be extracted. These leaves usually come from Shiraz; they are a species of tobacco much relished by Turks, but when ignited, the smoke is so rancid that they are obliged to purify and mitigate it by passing it through water. The two tubes inserted in the neck of the decanter descend halfway down the vessel, and the remaining half is nearly filled with water. Thus the suction through the elastic pipe and one of the small tubes draws down the smoke from the loulé, which, after depositing all its impurities in the water, passes into the mouth of the operator.

♦ SUPPER ♦ In the course of an hour supper was brought in, which consisted of chicken stewed and served in a savoury sauce, hot bread, hot buttered cakes, and boiled rice, which I found by no means unpalatable, notwithstanding my recent conversion to the Pythagorean system. These dishes were cooked by the female branches of the family, in the lower apartments of the house, which to us of course were inaccessible. Even in the most obscure villages of Turkey the custom of secluding the women from every place frequented by man is most rigidly observed. I began already to feel the sombre colour, which this national law imparts to the external appearance of every Turkish community I visited. Men—constantly men, and nothing but men, were to be seen every where—so much so that I got quite tired of looking at them.

♦ WOMAN ♦ I am one of those who think that without Eve there could have been no Paradise. Indeed, I sincerely consider woman as a creation standing in the scale of existence between us and the celestial spirits. She excels us greatly in purity and ardour of feeling, in tenderness of heart, in absolute unchangeable devotion to every object of her affections. As parent, wife, or daughter, there is a sacred intensity of soul in the performance of all her duties, that prevents her from bestowing even a thought upon the exertion or the difficulties with which they are attended. If there were no female in the world there could have been no genuine religion. She has received from her Creator a temperament for the belief in mysteries, and for the conversion of the most sublime doctrine into practice, which man will never rival. Equally fitted for society or solitude, the ornament of the cottage as well as the palace, guided by the impulses of good sense, which are better for the routine of every day than our most elaborate reflections, the calm and secure harbour of every good and noble thought amid the storms of life, woman was given to us that she might constantly point the way to a better world.

♦ SECLUSION OF THE SEX ♦ The systematic absence, therefore, of that portion of the inhabitants from the group which were to be met with in the bazaars and shops and coffee-houses, often cast a cloud upon the enjoyment which I might otherwise have derived from the novelty of the scene. It is not, however, as some travellers have represented, a custom peculiar to Mahometan manners. It existed in ancient Greece, and continues there still. It prevails very much in Wallachia, where the religion of the prophet never acquired any influence. In fact, all over the East, as I am informed, it is deemed a violation of traditional and well-established notions of delicacy, rather than of any rule of the koran, for a female, especially before marriage, to appear in public without an imperative necessity, and then not without being closely veiled.

Before we dipped our fingers in the dish, we washed them, our host pouring out water on them from a jar with one hand, while the other supplied us with a towel. This operation tended in some degree—a very, very small degree I must confess, to reconcile me to the further process of dividing the members of our prey with my greasy friend Noureddin, and two or three of our crew. I could also have excused the attentions of the Tartar, who really meant to be most friendly, when he selected from the middle of the stew a couple of legs for my approbation. However, cautiously avoiding the part which he touched, I found the remainder very pleasant.

♦ EATING IN THE DARK ♦ From circumstances which afterwards took place, I inferred that perhaps it was as well that while we sat upon the mat to supper, I could not see all the contents of our dish very plainly. The light, a solitary candle, was stuck in a sconce by the side of the elevated fireplace, and lent to us but a feeble ray. Nor can I even now think without horror upon the courage with which, adopting the manners of my companions, I immersed my bread in the sauce after the more solid materials had vanished. The bread was unleavened, and hot, having been just baked for us on the hearth in the harem below. It was prepared in large cakes, which were broken into pieces, and arranged round the dish. The buttered cakes formed the second course, but I did not touch them, as they appeared not to have been cleanly made. I supped chiefly on the boiled rice, which I ate with a wooden spoon, and finished off with grapes and coffee. When the pipes and hooka were again resorted to, some Turks came in who seemed to be acquaintances of the Tartar. They appeared glad to see him, and after conversing with him at some length, one of them who spoke a little Italian, asked me if I were an Englishman. I answered of course in the affirmative. He then asked me how long it was since I left England. I told him that after my departure from London I spent some time in Paris, which I had quitted exactly a month ago. My interrogator and his friends looked quite astonished at the expedition with which I had so far accomplished my journey. But when I added that I lost nearly the half of that month in delays of one kind or another, and that when the steam navigation of the Danube should be completed, I might hope to make the whole journey from London to Constantinople in fourteen days, they gave up any further inquiry into the matter; it was altogether beyond their comprehension.

♦ VISITERS ASTONISHED ♦ Preparations were made for our stay at the khan during the remainder of the night. A flock bed was brought up from below and spread for me in the elevated compartment. It was covered with a wadded silk counterpane, to which a foul sheet was sown on the inside. A large greasy-looking pillow was placed at the head. I felt an instinctive reluctance to commit myself for some hours of unconsciousness to the keeping of this concern; but as all my companions were either preparing for repose on the mats which they occupied, or were already wrapped in sleep, I took off my coat, hung up my cloak over my head, and got under the counterpane. But I was not long in my position before I was apprized of the presence of numerous intruders. The reader may imagine my uneasiness, although they did me the honour of simply marching in multitudes over my face and hands, for I happen to be one of the human race whose blood, for some unaccountable cause, they are uniformly compelled to spare. An immense cat came also to share my couch; but to her company I objected at once without the least ceremony.

♦ A GENERAL INVASION ♦ Matters being in this situation, and new colonies swarming around me every moment, I started up and performed a series of pirouettes on my bed, until I disencumbered myself of some at least of my too curious acquaintances. Noureddin meanwhile awoke, and having succeeded in lighting the candle by blowing into a flame an almost extinguished ember, which reflected a Rembrandt brightness on his gray beard and swarthy cheek, proceeded to smoke his hooka, whose bubbling sounds were by no means music to my ear. I hid myself in my cloak, applying to my soul the flattering unction that I might thus avoid all my enemies, and laid down outside the counterpane. Happily the dogs of the village had held an aggregate meeting, wherein they agreed that the Englishman should have no sleep that night, and straightway they despatched a radical deputation to present to me their impertinent address. I say “happily,” because I had scarcely remained half an hour listening to their clamour, when, peeping out from my place of concealment, I beheld the walls at my head and at my left hand literally black with many armies, bent on fresh hostilities. I was struck with horror. Even Noureddin was astonished. There was no alternative but to return to the boat, and I cannot soon forget the obliging manner in which my proposition to that effect was immediately adopted by all parties, but not before my cloak had undergone a thorough cleansing.

♦ RETURN TO THE BOAT ♦
♦ NEW ACQUAINTANCES ♦ It was midnight when we found ourselves once more beneath our matted canopy. The pure atmosphere, and my couch formed of my portmanteau, carpet-bag, and pillow of walnuts, were delicious after the close and populous prison from which we had just effected our escape. I fell into a profound sleep, from which I never awoke until six o’clock in the morning. I then washed my face and hands in the Danube, and felt as joyous as the day itself, which was splendid. As the men had resumed their oars soon after our return to the boat, we had made good way during the night. The banks of the river continued flat and wholly devoid of interest. We did not meet even a single wherry on the water to interrupt the dulness of the scene. Now and then, indeed, we encountered large dark green water-snakes, swimming against the current, by the undulating motion of their tails, holding their heads carefully out of the element. If we attempted to strike them with an oar, they dived instantly, and reappeared a few minutes after at a considerable distance. Large flocks of wild ducks also passed, high over our heads, which sometimes produced a singular effect by their wings glistening in the distant hazy air.

♦ NICOPOLI ♦ About five o’clock in the afternoon we came in sight of Nicopoli, a considerable Turkish town, remarkably well situated upon a range of hills rising above a bay in the river. The Wallachian shore looked marshy and desolate; but on our right the hills were abrupt, and so chalky in appearance as to remind me of the cliffs at Dover. The whole range forms a semicircle, at the foot of which are the waters of the bay. At a distance these hills looked like a series of fortresses, each cluster of cliffs resembling redoubts and towers admirably adapted for defence. The town is surrounded by strong ramparts in good repair, and well mounted with cannon. We landed. My Tartar friend, having procured a donkey, rode away after consigning me to the care of Noureddin, and wishing me farewell in his best manner. The crew laid in a fresh stock of bread and grapes. Noureddin led the way to a caffiné where the nargillé seemed all the rage. It was crowded with Turks. This (Friday) being their sabbath, all the shops with the exception of those of the butchers, bakers, and fruiterers, were shut in the market-place. Noureddin ordered coffee and a sausage. When the latter was produced, half heated through, I did not much relish its appearance; it found still less favour in my eyes when I saw that Noureddin had no other means of dividing it than by pulling it asunder. The coffee I could not take, as it was without sugar, and, the grocers’ shops being closed, none was to be had.

I was proceeding alone to take a view of the interior of the town, when I met a Moldavian, who addressed me in French. He advised me not to go into the town, as the Turks were extremely jealous of strangers. He told me that he had come from Galacz, on his way to Giurgeva, where he had business, but that the boat in which he performed the voyage was prevented from going further than Nicopoli by the want of water in the Danube. He added that it would be quite impossible for us to proceed further down the river, as a little below Nicopoli there was hardly any water at all. While we were talking, a Servian, dressed in the European fashion came up, who also spoke French. I inquired of him whether it would be possible for me to procure any thing in the shape of a good dinner in the town; he answered with a smile that the thing was quite impossible. I expressed my regret that I could not even get a cup of coffee, as there was no sugar to be found any where; upon which he pulled a piece of dirty blue paper out of his pocket, in which was carefully wrapped a small lump of sugar. He very kindly offered it to me, but as the article was so scarce, and in his sample of it not very inviting, I declined his civility. The Moldavian hung about me for some time, for what purpose I could not guess, until at length he produced what he called a coin of the Byzantine empire, which he offered me for a Napoleon. I was too well prepared for this species of dealing, to afford his bargaining propensity the slightest encouragement.

The captain of our vessel came to me to state that as the river was so extremely low, he could not think of departing from Nicopoli until next morning. But as I did not choose to put up with this delay, I insisted on our resuming our voyage without further loss of time. As to the deficiency of water, we did not require more than two or three inches to keep our boat afloat: if we could not find that depth we must drag the boat along until we passed the shallow, which had been described to me as extending to no great distance. The moon would soon be up, and therefore we could make the experiment by night as well as by day, and at all events it would be attended by no danger. He pointed out to me eight or ten vessels in the little bay, which it was found impossible to move: nevertheless he yielded to my wishes, and we set off at half-past seven in the evening.

♦ NIGHT SCENE ♦ For about an hour after our departure the bottom of our bark was perpetually in contact with the rocky bed of the Danube; so much so that we were pushed rather than rowed along We then found ourselves in deep water, and as there was no further difficulty to be encountered, I consigned myself to repose. I awoke, however, about eleven, when I perceived that the helm was abandoned, the crew were all fast asleep, and the vessel was left to take its own course down the current. The moon exhibited but half its orb, and veiled behind a thin haze was lingering on the edge of the horizon. I took the helm for a while, but every thing in nature looked so sleepy, that I returned to my couch, and gathering my cloak and blanket around me submitted to the general destiny. I opened my eyes again about two o’clock, when I beheld Noureddin standing near the helm, praying in an audible voice, his hands stretched towards the stars which were glowing in all their splendour above his head. The boat was still gadding slowly wherever the stream directed it: so turning away from the starlight, I again courted, and not in vain, the charms of forgetfulness.

CHAPTER XI.

Sistow—A delusion—New friends—Good fortune—Greek civility—Wallachian merchants—Supper—Amicable discussion—Gil Blas—Wallachian ambition—Chief of the Tartars—Striking a bargain—Equestrian preparations—Greek v. Greek—Shops of Rutschuk—Valley of repose—Bulgarian peasants—Gipsies—Going astray—Cogitations—Resolutions—Bulgarian girls—An alarm.

♦ SISTOW ♦ The labours of our crew were recommenced at daybreak (Oct. 11), and at nine o’clock we came in sight of Sistow, which was still mantled in gossamer vapours. Here and there the sunbeams pierced through the mist, and shone upon the spires of the minarets. Sistow is beautifully situated. A range of magnificent hills commences a league or two west of it, and extends a considerable way along the right bank of the Danube. The town, rising at the water’s edge, winds its way up the undulations of the eminences, which seem destined by nature for the reception of clusters of human habitations. After ascending for a while the houses are then lost, then they appear again higher up, the whole protected by a citadel, which crowns the summit. These hills are all well wooded, and extremely picturesque.

The Danube here presents a fine sheet of water; so deep, too, that four or five Russian merchant-ships were proceeding, without difficulty, towards Sistow. We met again several water-snakes swimming up against the current. At half-past three we came in sight of Rutschuk, to my infinite satisfaction, and in two hours after our boat was moored amidst a number of Russian, Turkish, and Greek merchant and fishing vessels of every size, which presented an appearance of considerable commercial activity.

Printed by C. Hullmandel.

PEST TO ROUSTCHUK.

London, Richard Bentley, New Burlington Street, 1835.

My captain volunteered to accompany me to find out the agent to whose care the commander of the steam-boat had recommended me by letter. We walked for some time through the town without meeting any person who could give us information as to the agent’s residence. When first I beheld Rutschuk at a distance with its numerous mosques and minarets shining in the sun, rising on a bold promontory from the edge of the vast expanse of waters formed by the Danube, I felt confident that it was a wealthy, populous, active, cleanly, and handsome city, which I should experience great gratification in examining. Never was my imagination more deceived. A more poverty-stricken, deserted, idle, filthy, ill-contrived town does not exist, I believe, even in Turkey. All the habitations, with the exception of the greater part of the shops, are literally turned outside in. That is to say, the streets on each side present only lines of dead walls, without even a window to relieve their desolate appearance. The “fronts” of the houses are all, as an Irishman might say, “backwards,” opening to a courtyard, which is entered by a gate.

♦ A DELUSION ♦ In Spain the private residences are built in the form of a square, with an open space in the middle, but still fronting to the street. The streets of Rutschuk look like the ways through a fortress, nothing but wall on each side, except where the gates here and there interrupt the dull uniformity of the stone and mortar. I now, for the first time, understood the truth of the phrase, that the Turks were only “encamped” in Europe. This is literally the fact. Almost all the towns which I afterwards visited in Bulgaria, as well as in Romania, were constructed on the same plan, evidently with a view to self-defence, for every house was in itself a fortress.

♦ NEW FRIENDS ♦ At length we chanced to meet a Greek, whom my guide saluted in his own language. Upon the superscription of the letter being shown him, he said that he was very well acquainted with the person to whom it was addressed, but the agent’s residence was at some distance from where we stood, and he refused to conduct us to it until the morrow. This specimen of indolence was too ridiculous not to betray its real motive. Of course I immediately produced a piastre, which without any further negotiation gave motion to his feet, and he led us through one or two streets to a gate, which he opened without any ceremony. We entered a large square, on each side of which were houses belonging to different families, including a public inn, in the balcony of which several Turks and Greeks were smoking and sipping coffee. One of the latter, a short, thick, cunning-looking fellow, dressed in my own way, saluted me at once in excellent French, and offered me his best services. I gave him the letter, and sad he would oblige me very much if he could tell me where the individual lived for whom it was intended. He answered me by pointing out another Greek who, also dressed as a European, was sitting on the mat opposite to him. The letter was immediately read by the agent, who promised to show me every civility in his power. I felt quite relieved from the difficulty in which I had been placed, and adding one to the party enjoyed an excellent cup of coffee.

♦ GOOD FORTUNE ♦ The Greek who first addressed me was the only person present who spoke French. He said that he had only arrived two days ago from Constantinople, and that if I were bound for that capital he would be happy to do every thing necessary to facilitate my progress. Here, thought I, is another striking instance of the good fortune which has attended me throughout my journey. I was wholly unacquainted with the Turkish and modern Greek languages; I travelled without a companion or a servant who might compensate for my deficiency in that respect; and yet, though my ignorance might have been followed by the greatest embarrassment, in a town where I was an utter stranger in every sense of the word, I had the good luck to meet with this man, who in a moment dispelled from my mind every apprehension of delay or inconvenience.

♦ GREEK CIVILITY ♦ I had seen enough of the world to be able to perceive that my Greek was already calculating, within the interior of his own breast, how much he was likely to gain from an English traveller by this adventure. But I cheerfully accepted the offer of his services, well knowing that I must pay for them, and that perhaps I was destined to submit even to some degree of imposition. But civilities and attentions, rendered especially under such circumstances, are well worth their price. I explained to him that I was most anxious to continue my journey with the least possible delay; that it was necessary for me to engage a Tartar and the usual number of horses, and that if it were at all practicable I should wish to proceed that evening on the road to Constantinople. This, he said, was altogether out of the question, as no Tartar could supply me with horses without a firman from the pacha, who was already shut up for the night in his harem with his family, and would not be accessible until eight o’clock the next morning.

♦ WALLACHIAN MERCHANTS ♦ Meanwhile the agent had my luggage brought to the khan, and having desired my Greek to thank the Ionians for their hospitality and kindness during my late voyage, I presented them with a gold ducat, with which they seemed perfectly satisfied, observing that they much regretted I was not to accompany them any further. I felt a little depressed on bidding farewell to these kindhearted islanders, whom I looked upon as my fellow-countrymen. The agent then conducted me to his own house, my Greek having promised to be with me at seven o’clock the following morning, in order to make all the requisite preparations for my journey.

I met at the agent’s house four or five Wallachian merchants from Bucharest, who, under a cunning aspect, that seemed to inquire, “Can we gain a ducat or two out of this Englishman?” appeared, nevertheless, very agreeable men, and disposed to pay me every kind of attention. They all spoke a little French; seemed respectable in their way; and guests in the house, which I assumed to be a private sort of hotel for Franks. The room in which we sat was a large one, containing a divan, extending along two of its sides, which was spread with cushions, covered by white cotton cloth. Two rickety tables were brought in, upon which, after a little delay, supper was served for the Wallachians and myself, our host, and three or four brothers, or other relatives, who lived with him.

♦ SUPPER ♦ Our first course was stewed mutton and cabbage, which, after three days’ Lenten fare, I found very acceptable. Next came some fried fish, which was not bad either; then a piece of roast-beef, so tough that it defied even Wallachian powers of mastication; and finally, a dish of boiled rice, mixed up with some curdled milk, which was not at all to my taste. These viands were exhibited in pewter dishes, and we had each a pewter plate, a pewter spoon, and a steel knife and fork, which I considered as a decided improvement upon my late mode of living. We had for dessert some large flavourless grapes. The wine was, to me, undrinkable; but a bottle of white rum was produced, which, mixed with water, compensated for the want of a better beverage.

♦ AMICABLE DISCUSSION ♦ While we were taking our coffee, my intended movements were discussed. My new friends had, as they said, lately arrived from Constantinople; and they assured me that I should find my ride over the Balkans a much more serious affair than I appeared to imagine. They had no doubt that by this time the mountains were covered with snow and ice, and as in addition to these refrigerators, I should most probably encounter piercing winds, that would freeze the blood in my veins, they agreed, in the first place, in condemning my cloak as wholly inadequate for my protection against the inclemency of the weather. They further unanimously recommended that I should purchase a cloth pelisse, lined throughout with fur, a fur cap, boots lined with fur, and a fur waistcoat. If, in addition to these articles, I provided myself with a muff, a mattress, a warm rug, a strong blanket, and a store of rum, I might, perhaps hope to effect the passage in safety, provided I wore arms. When I confessed that I had neither sword, stiletto, nor pistol, they all held up their hands in astonishment, and exclaimed, that I should by no means omit to purchase a carbine, and a pair of pistols at the least, before I set out, otherwise I should have no chance of escaping the savage banditti who infested the forests of Mount Hæmus!

♦ GIL BLAS ♦ The favourite book of my youth was Gil Blas; and I could not but feel a secret delight in recalling the philosophy of that unrivalled production to my assistance on the present occasion. I was, in fact, much amused by the combination in which they were all engaged, in order to practice on my simplicity; but I listened with great attention to every thing they had to say; though I could hardly refrain from laughter, when, as I fully expected would be the case, one produced a threadbare Russian pelisse, which he had never worn; another a pair of old jack-boots, lined with fur; another offered to dispose of the fur cap, which he had at the moment on his head; another brought forth an assortment of sabres and firearms, pressing me on the spot to offer a round sum, about fifty ducats, for the whole! I observed that I must take time to consider their very obliging propositions; being inclined, at all events, to negotiate for a pelisse, as I had reason to suppose that so much of the autumn could not have passed over without leaving its usual snows on the Balkans.

After supper, the tottering tables were removed, and the night being brilliantly fine, mine host and his friends and guests amused themselves in walking up and down the courtyard; some talking, some singing Greek songs, one playing on a flute, and another strumming a guitar. It being Saturday evening, they all appeared in a festive mood. I sat in the balcony, gazing upon the scene before me and on the domes and minarets around shining in the moonlight, with a sort of feeling which, I might say, induced me for the moment to doubt my own identity, transferred as I was thus suddenly from people to people.

♦ WALLACHIAN AMBITION ♦ Before we retired to rest there was a general muster of all the people in the house in the principal room; when the conversation happened to turn on the actual state of Turkey. The Greeks maintained that their nation was rapidly rising once more to the ascendancy which they formerly possessed in that part of Europe, and that as they were certain of the assistance of Russia, they had no doubt that they would be soon again masters of the whole of the old Greek empire. They said all this with a degree of confidence, which plainly showed that the subject had long formed a general topic of conversation in Wallachia, and that it was a theme by no means unacceptable to the ear of the autocrat. There is a Greek church at Rutschuk, which they told me was usually well attended. The hour of repose was at length announced when the Wallachian merchants and I proceeded to occupy the places assigned to us on the divan.

♦ CHIEF OF THE TARTARS ♦ I rose betimes in the morning (October 12), when I found my Greek friend already waiting to receive my orders. It was necessary for me to pay my respects to the chief of the Tartars, in order to arrange with him for a guide and for horses to take me to Constantinople. I was told that I might, with a little exertion, accomplish the journey in three days, and that, allowing a horse for myself, one for my Tartar guide, one for my luggage, one for the postilion, and one for relief, that is to say five horses in all, I might easily obtain the whole for the sum of fifteen hundred piastres. I proceeded to a caravanserai wholly occupied by Tartars, attended by my Greek, who pointed out to me their chieftain seated in a balcony smoking his pipe. He was seated at a table, and on the opposite side I discovered a countenance not unfamiliar to me, which turned out to be that of my late Tartar fellow-passenger, who had arrived here overland the evening before. Doubtless he had prepared his tribe for the approach of an Englishman, and accordingly, the first principles of the negotiation were laid down upon a basis of three thousand piastres. Nothing less could be taken.

♦ STRIKING A BARGAIN ♦ My Greek, who doubtless had also his slice out of the bargain, and who had instructed me the evening before that I ought to pay no more than the sum I have first stated, now suddenly went round to the other side, and declared that considering all things, especially that if I could procure no horses, it would be impossible for me to quit Rutschuk, advised me, if I wished to conclude the matter speedily, to make an offer at once of the highest sum I meant to give. I then proposed two thousand piastres; but ultimately the sum agreed upon was two thousand five hundred, about £25 sterling, which was to include all expenses whatever. Half was to be paid down; the other half at Constantinople. When it is considered that the distance from Rutschuk to the capital is about three hundred and fifty English miles, that I was to be attended the whole of the way by a respectable Tartar guide who was to be responsible with his head for my safety, that we were to have several relays of five horses on the road, each relay accompanied of course by a postilion, that the Tartar was to defray all charges, and that after seeing me lodged at a hotel in Pera, he was to return to Rutschuk with a certificate of my arrival, and of his own good conduct on the journey, it must be admitted after all that the bargain was not unreasonable. When it was concluded, the chief undertook all the necessary arrangements about my passport, or firman, and promised that my horses should be ready in two hours.

♦ EQUESTRIAN PREPARATIONS ♦ In the mean time, I had to equip myself with a saddle, bridle, whip, straps and cords, and a pair of strong boots, all of which the Greek procured for me. It so happened that there was not a saddle or bridle ready mounted to be had in the town, except those which my Greek had himself used on his late journey from Constantinople, for which he had the modesty to demand four ducats. I was obliged to submit to his imposition, but I must do him the justice to say, that though very well inclined to extract as much as he possibly could out of my purse, he would not suffer any body to rob me in the ordinary way but himself. When I consulted him about the pelisse and pistol affair, he laughed outright. He had crossed the Balkans only a few days before, there was not a particle of snow upon them. As to the banditti, it was probable enough there might be some Bulgarian marauders in the forests, but they would never dare to attack my Tartar.

♦ GREEK v. GREEK ♦ He then took me to the apartments which he occupied, where with the assistance of an imp, whom he called his servant, he manufactured a couple of tumblers of egg-coffee, and enabled me to make a tolerably good breakfast in what he denominated the European style. He took my luggage under his care, saw it carefully packed on one of my horses, and besides assisting me to get rid of my Wallachian friends—who, contrary, I must add, to the expressed wishes of my very worthy host, again pressed upon me a whole wardrobe of fur, old pelisses, sabres and guns—exerted himself in every possible way to expedite my departure. With reference to the plague, he said that certainly some “accidents” had occurred at Pera; but that the contagion was principally confined to Constantinople.

Though fleeced a little by this fellow I could not help being pleased by his superior intelligence, his activity, and his useful attentions. Nor did I think the less of him when, with a manly tear stealing down his weather-stained cheek he entreated me to call upon his wife and little girl at Pera, to assure them of his safety, and to say that after performing his mission at Bucharest, he would speedily return home. He wrote down her address in my journal as follows:—“Madame Catherine Marcello à Arnout kioy a coté du l’Apothecaire sur la mer dans la maison du Nicolaki Afesso. S’appelle demoiselle Effrdani.”

♦ RUTSCHUK ♦ The horses having been saddled and all things prepared, about ten o’clock I and my Tartar and postilion mounted, and rode quietly through the town. The shops were all open, and exhibited a rich display of military saddles and bridles, belts and cartouche-boxes, gaily ornamented; of Persian carpets, Broussa silks, sashes, ataghans, pistols beautifully mounted in ivory and silver, pipes with every variety of amber mouthpieces, umbrellas, Greek caps, scarlet jackets, yellow pointed slippers, gold-headed canes, fine cloths, woollen and cotton stockings, and every article of grocery, fruits, vegetables, meat, fowl, bread, fish, hardware and jewellery. The floors of these shops were usually elevated above the level of the street, and the owners and their assistants sat inside upon the floors, some working as tailors, some as saddlers, and artisans of the ordinary trades. In several of these shops, which were well stored, I saw nobody attending. They were quite open to the street, as when the shutters are taken down there is no glass window to prevent any person who chooses from entering.

♦ VALLEY OF REPOSE ♦ I had already noticed this peculiarity to my Greek friend, who said that it was observable throughout Turkey, where those petty larcenies so common in other countries were never heard of. He added, moreover, that perhaps the forests of Mount Hæmus excepted, I might travel alone all over Turkey, my portmanteau filled with gold, and unlocked, and that I should not lose so much as a ducat by robbery. His information on this point was perfectly correct. The Turks will gain as much as they can in making a bargain with foreigners, or with each other, but they never think of stealing money, or indeed property of any description.

As soon as we passed out of the town we put our horses to their speed, alternately trotting quickly, or galloping almost without interruption until one o’clock in the afternoon, when we reposed from the heat of the day in a valley admirably suited for that purpose. It was of considerable extent, surrounded on all sides by craggy precipices. A brook rushed rapidly through the middle of the valley from one of the neighbouring heights. A caravan consisting of twenty or thirty waggons, laden with wattles, mats, fruits, and merchandise of every sort, had already stopped here to take advantage of the coolness of the shade, and the freshness of the torrent, whose waters were delicious. Their oxen were drinking from the stream, or ruminating upon its banks. Groups of families belonging to the caravan were formed here and there; the men smoking, the women preparing their dinner round a fire, or washing linen in the brook, the children playing about and shouting. Other travellers who had rested their appointed time, amongst them some Turkish troopers, leading beautiful black Arabian horses, were preparing to resume their journey. My Tartar and I sat down behind a waggon, which protected us from the rays of the sun, until our horses were sufficiently refreshed. We then galloped on as before.

♦ BULGARIAN PEASANTS ♦ Our road, which was only marked through the open country by the tracks of wheels and of the hoofs of oxen and of horses, passed over low hills and valleys, occasionally patched with brushwood. About three o’clock we stopped at a solitary Bulgarian khan, where we found a number of ragged peasants, with their families, drinking white rum and water under a shed. They all came forth, upon our riding into the yard, and in a fawning servile manner welcomed the Tartar. A mat was spread for us in a rude balcony, which was protected by a roof of reeds from the sun. While we were resting here, one of the peasants who was intoxicated, though he had scarcely a fragment of shirt to cover his nakedness, his long hair matted by filth upon his forehead, and a long staff in his hand, approached as well as he could, to make our acquaintance. The Tartar took up his whip and lashed his feet soundly, until some of his companions came and took him away.

♦ GIPSIES ♦ Two female gipsies, dressed in the usual costume of that mystic race, next appeared standing by our balcony. I could not discover whence they so suddenly came. They were not deficient in the browned ruby cheek, the black eye, and swelling bosom which distinguish the tribe. They bore also long staffs [1] in their hands, and evinced a desire to disclose to us our future destinies. But they spoke laughingly, as if they were convinced that they had very little chance of imposing upon our credulity. Upon the Tartar’s returning their invitation with a shake of his head they went away, disappearing through the hedge which separated the yard from the neighbouring field.

♦ GOING ASTRAY ♦ A waggon was standing in the yard, which was hurdled in all round, and filled with a noisy multitude of cocks and hens on their way to the market. I had a most refreshing drink of spring water flavoured with rum, from a clean wooden bowl, after which our dinner was served to us in the balcony, consisting of black bread, hard eggs, very fine onions, and the best salt I had tasted since I quitted England. I asked for some grapes, but none were in the house, which seemed well stored with Indian corn hanging in bunches from the roof. I dined heartily, and with renovated energies galloped away as soon as our frugal meal was over.

The afternoon was delightfully fine, neither hot nor cold, but of that medium temperature which makes the blood tingle in its circulation through the channels of the frame. Having been so long confined to vehicles of various descriptions, I enjoyed the free air and the boundless greensward, over which I was riding. My horse too, though a poor miserable-looking hack, refreshed by a good feed, and an hour’s rest, cantered along in a spirited style. On starting I rode on before my Tartar and postilion, firmly persuaded that my horse knew the road to Shumla as well as either of them. For a while I heard them galloping behind me, but the sound ceasing to reach my ear, I looked back, and to my consternation beheld not a creature within the whole range of my horizon. I waited for a while, and then rode back two or three miles without meeting any body. I concluded that I had lost my road, and entered another beaten track, to which my horse, however, manifested several very intelligible objections. I took counsel with him, leaving the bridle on his neck, when he deliberately turned round, and followed his own course.

♦ COGITATIONS ♦ My mood of mind at that moment was by no means enviable. I had no means of ascertaining whether I was in the right way to Shumla, or whether, as I almost apprehended, from the alacrity of my horse, we were returning to Rutschuk. As I had missed my Tartar and postilion, whither had they gone? Would they ride forward to Shumla to inquire for me, or would they return to Rutschuk, satisfied with the sum already paid, in order to justify themselves by stating what was the truth, that my parting from them was my own act? They had all my luggage, and even my cloak; how was I to cross the Balkans without any protection against the reputed inclemency of these mountains? They had, moreover, some little remembrances of my journey, which I had bought for my wife and children, the loss of which I believe I should have regretted more than any thing else. I possessed, indeed, enough of gold in my pocket to defray my expenses to Constantinople, but I knew not a syllable of the language spoken by the Turks, and was equally ignorant of that in use amongst the Bulgarians. How was I to inquire my way? How was I to make any body understand what I wanted, when it would be necessary to procure fresh horses, and even the scanty meals with which I must be contented on the journey? Was it quite safe for me to travel alone, and if not, how and where was I to meet with a new guide?

♦ RESOLUTIONS ♦ These questions passed rapidly through my mind, but I came to the conclusion that at all events, I would go on. The country rose gradually into hills, which indicated that I should soon be in sight of the Balkans. I met some shepherds tending their goats, to whom I shouted the word “Shumla,” and then pointing along the track in which I was riding, inquired by this gesticulation, if I were in the right road; to which they seemed to answer in the affirmative, by pointing the same way. This information removed a heavy burden of doubt and anxiety from my mind. The sun had already set, and twilight was fast fading away; but I allowed my horse to get on after his own fashion, trusting to a benignant Providence for protection, and consoling myself with the thought that I was engaged in an adventure which seemed pregnant with interesting incidents.

♦ BULGARIAN GIRLS ♦ My romantic anticipations were by no means dispersed, when, descending into a valley, I arrived at a fountain, round which several Bulgarian girls were assembled with pitchers. They seemed to wonder very much “what manner of man” I was, and I could not help admiring their beauteous large black eyes and dark hair, which fell in plats on their shoulders, ornamented with pieces of silver coin. Some wore similar ornaments in their ears, connected together by beads of coral. They were dressed in linen or flannel tunics, marked with a red cross on the left breast, to show, I presume, that they were Christians, and therefore not obliged to wear the veil. They seemed, however, extremely shy; though curiosity, which characterizes the sex in every climate, now and then tempted them to take a peep at the solitary stranger. I prevailed on one of these damsels to allow me to drink out of her pitcher; but as soon as they filled their vessels, which they did in a great hurry, they commenced a general flight.

♦ AN ALARM ♦ I felt very much inclined to follow them, satisfied that they lived in some neighbouring hamlet, where I might spend the night, when I was alarmed by the sound of two shots, which rapidly followed each other, at some distance. Looking round towards the eminence from which I had myself just descended, I saw in the increasing dusk, a horseman, galloping wildly as if he were pursued by a whole troop of banditti. Holding his pistol in his hand, he directed his course towards the fountain, when, looking at me with a frightened aspect, his lips trembling, his forehead bathed in perspiration, he threw himself down from his horse upon the ground, where he sat for a few minutes perfectly motionless. It was my Tartar! I hardly knew him, so changed was the expression of his countenance, so disordered was his turban, and his whole dress, as if he had just fled from a field of battle. My postilion appeared soon after, leading the baggage horse, but the fifth was missing. It was soon explained, that the horse which he had ridden all the day fell on the road soon after our departure from the place where we had dined; that every effort was made to get him on his legs again, but that after losing a great deal of time in the experiment they were obliged to abandon the animal; the more so, as from my imprudence in hastening on they found it necessary to come in pursuit of me. The Tartar’s head was at stake, which he would probably have lost had he not fortunately overtaken me. I blamed myself for causing the man so much tribulation, though the occurrence was one of those mere chapters of accidents which now and then are to be found in the history of every man’s life, be he ever so circumspect.

CHAPTER XII.

A boorish group—Night quarters of a caravan—Shumla—An intrusion—An angry Turk—Balkan roads—Difficulties of the way—Forests of Hæmus—Banditti—Terrors—Descent of the Balkans—Dinner—Karnabat—Gipsies—Catching a Tartar—A fiery bedroom—A decent khan—Supper.

♦ BOORISH GROUP ♦ Having all refreshed ourselves and our horses at the fountain, we remounted in the bright light of the moon, which almost renewed the day. There was a balmy softness in the air which was quite luxurious; and as we galloped along I experienced a confirmed confidence in the goodness of that Providence to whose parental vigilance we are all so constantly indebted. We arrived at Rasgrad about eight o’clock at night, and stopped at an inn; where, as usual, we were shown to the open gallery, which communicates with all the upper apartments; the lower being entirely secluded from observation, and occupied by the family. A room was assigned to our use, but it was fastened on the outside by a padlock, the key of which could nowhere be found. A foolish-looking clown, with thick lips and staring eyes attempted to open the lock with an immense knife, but without effect. The master at length came, and forced the hasp out of the door, which then permitted us to enter a tolerably good apartment. We sat upon the floor, and took coffee, while a fresh set of horses were prepared for our journey.

At midnight, having galloped for nearly four hours without cessation, we arrived at a solitary hut, in which we espied a light. My Tartar generally contrived to have a rest and a pipe, at least, at that interval, and we accordingly dismounted. The door was upon the latch, and going in, we found a great log of wood burning in the middle of the floor, round which five peasants were sleeping. A boy was awake, to take care of the fire. We sat down without any ceremony, and enjoyed the warmth of the chamber, as the night was cold. My Tartar, who was a fine-looking man, though somewhat bulky for a courier, had bound a silk handkerchief round his turban, to preserve it from the dust. Over the usual military dress he wore a large blue cloak, which he wrapped round his shoulders in the Spanish fashion. His pipe was a plain rod of cherry wood, with a red earthen head. Taking out his pistols and sabre, which were fastened within his cincture, he laid them on the floor, and proceeded to smoke, as if he felt himself quite at home.

♦ NIGHT QUARTERS ♦ One of the peasants, disturbed by the voice of the Tartar, who directed the boy to go and fetch a fresh pitcher of water from the well outside the hut, opened his eyes and looked at us with ludicrous astonishment. An expression of terror kindled gradually over his countenance when he beheld the pistols and sabre glistening in the light of the fire. He shrunk into a corner, where he sat upon his haunches, apparently incapable of comprehending where he was, or how he could best make his escape. He then awoke his companions fearfully, who one after another gazed upon their unexpected visiters with a sort of awe, as if they were persuaded that it was all over with them, and we were come to sacrifice them without further inquiry. They must have been marauders, for their own consciences were evidently the most immediate sources of their alarm. Having rested a while and slaked our thirst from the pitcher of cool spring water, we pursued our road, to the great delight of these boors, who were quite happy to get rid of us.

♦ OF A CARAVAN ♦ We rode for about two hours, when the night became so dark that we could hardly see each other as we galloped along. Perceiving some fires among brushwood, at a distance, we directed our horses towards them, and found several men and women sleeping near burning piles under the shelter of the shrubs and brambles. In the dark ground behind was a large caravan of waggons and numerous oxen resting for the night. We were most hospitably welcomed by these people, who were immediately awoke by the salute of the Tartar. He seemed to be well known to them, and they placed mats for us by the side of their fire. We dismounted and sat down, when some cakes of excellent brown bread were brought. A whole one was put into my hands, and then a wooden keg was presented to me, from which I took a draught of the most delicious water I ever tasted.

♦ SHUMLA ♦ We waited here until the dark clouds with which the sky was overcast travelled away, and the stars shone out. The Tartar had much to say to his friends. He did not forget to relate to them the story of our accidental separation, which induced them to look at me earnestly, as much as to ask, though in a kind manner, “How could you have done so?”

We were now at the foot of the Balkans, which, after mounting our horses, we began to ascend by the light of a few stars that twinkled dimly in the heavens. The road was rough and winding, but the horses seemed well acquainted with it, and the distant lights of Shumla, now glimmering on the heights like a single taper, now scattered in various directions, cheered us through the difficulties of the way. We arrived at that celebrated town at four o’clock in the morning, amidst the barking of some hundred dogs, and rode to an inn, where we were immediately accommodated with coffee and apartments, the people being already up and stirring about the business of the day.

I had my rug brought up, and laid on the floor. Having then satisfied myself by examining the panelled partitions of my chamber, that it had no communication with any other room, I locked my door, having previously entreated that the labours of a lad, who was pounding coffee in a mortar below, should be suspended. Placing my portmanteau at my head I lay down much fatigued, hoping that I might have a few hours of refreshing sleep. I had scarcely slept an hour, however, when just as the light of day was coming in at my window, a door which I had not perceived at the head of my couch, opened, and a great Turk, half dressed, stepped over me. I presumed that seeing me there he would not think of remaining in my room to disturb my repose. But I was very much mistaken; for, approaching the window, he sat himself down near it in an armchair, having ejected from the said chair very unceremoniously my coat, waistcoat and suspenders, of which I had disencumbered myself. Then calling through the window to his servant, he ordered his hooka to be brought, and crowned his impertinence by giving way to a violent cough with which he was afflicted.

♦ AN INTRUSION ♦
♦ AN ANGRY TURK ♦ When the servant came, he could not, of course, open the door, as it was locked inside. The Turk was obliged to get up to open it, an exertion which annoyed him excessively. I had, moreover, the misfortune, on shutting the window before I lay down, to break a pane of the glass in endeavouring to close the frame that opened on a hinge, of which all the nails were loose. Here was another theme for his anger, which became violent. Every person belonging to the house was summoned to account for this occurrence, which was the more deeply resented, inasmuch as it was calculated, the morning being raw and misty, to increase the invalid’s malady. I, at length, gave them to understand that I was the offender; upon which the Turk threw himself back in his chair, took the end of his hooka in his mouth, and bubbled away as loud as he could, determined to revenge himself by rendering it impossible for me to sleep. In this object he effectually succeeded. I continued prostrate, however, until seven o’clock, when I rose and breakfasted capitally on brown bread and a bowl of boiled milk. There was a waggon in the yard, filled with grapes, which a Turk was preparing to tread out. A tub was placed beneath to receive the liquor, in which state, before the process of fermentation begins, it is a favourite beverage all over the country at this season of the year. I went to the waggon, and selecting a cluster of the grapes, helped myself, looking at the same time round for some person to whom I might pay the price of them. The owner made his appearance with a very surly frown on his face; but when I tendered him some pieces of silver, he, with a very different expression of feature, not only refused them, but picking out two or three of the best clusters he could find, substituted them for the inferior one which I had chosen for myself.

♦ BALKANS ♦ We set out at eight o’clock in the morning, (Oct. 13) slowly ascending the mountains. I had no opportunity of examining the fortifications which Hussein Pacha was said to have erected at the side of the town by which we had entered. On the side towards the Balkans I perceived no symptoms whatever of warlike preparation, though the abrupt precipices beneath which we rode for a while afforded the most favourable positions for defences that might, I should suppose, be rendered almost impregnable; as, from the nature of the ground, it would be difficult to bring artillery to bear upon them. Passing into the more open country, we found it pretty well cultivated; the people were gathering the vintage every where, so that, during the whole day, we obtained abundance of fine grapes merely by asking for them. My limbs were a little jaded from riding so many hours at the rate we had hitherto travelled; but, as we were now constantly ascending, we were obliged to slacken our pace. I was therefore by no means so much knocked up as I had expected. My Tartar gave me reason to hope that we should arrive at Stamboul on the evening of the following day, provided we could meet with good horses.

♦ DIFFICULTIES OF THE WAY ♦ The road through the mountains would certainly not have been deemed practicable for an English saddle-horse. It was simply marked over the natural rock by frequent use, no care whatever having been for one moment expended upon it, even for the purpose of removing the loose stones, or breaking down the more prominent masses. Sometimes we rode over a track polished like ice by the winter torrents, on which, when ascending, we were obliged diligently to take a zigzag course, when descending, to allow the animal now and then to slide at his own discretion. On other occasions, the near foot might be seen on a pointed rock, while the off leg was about to pounce into a hole, the hinder hoofs making the best of their way through boulder-stones, as if playing with them at marbles.

♦ FORESTS OF HÆMUS ♦ It seemed to me, at first, an improper hazard of life to attempt to ride over such a road as this, where the horse and rider, even going at the most stealthy pace, were every moment in peril of being dashed to the ground. But the animals, though in England the whole five would not be deemed worth as many pounds, were so well accustomed to the business which they had to perform, that, be the disposition of the track what it might, they never by any chance made a false step. Their intelligence, prudence, courage, and extreme watchfulness for their own safety, as well as for that of the lives intrusted to their keeping, were wonderful. No human being could have executed their office with the uniform success which attended all their movements. So rapidly did they gain upon my confidence, that, on levels or even on declivities, I did not hesitate to follow my Tartar’s example, when, with a view to recover the time lost in ascending, or to escape quickly from a pass through a dense part of the woods, whence banditti sometimes fire upon the traveller, he absolutely galloped over these smooth or broken masses, both equally dangerous, as if he were flying for his life.

♦ BANDITTI ♦ Nothing in nature can be more beautiful than the variety, especially towards the close of the autumn, of the hues that distinguish the shrubs and trees which compose the forests of Mount Hæmus. On one side, as if for the purpose of ornament, an eminence rising gradually from the torrent bed over which we rode, and extending towards the heavens, was clothed to its summit with the most magnificent shrubs, tinted with all shades of colour, light gold, russet brown, silver ash, pale green, scarlet red, orange, and the incomparable blue of the iris. Amidst these shrubs the convolvulus and other flowering creepers suspended their festoons of bells, rivalling the delicate white of the lily, or the transparent pink of the wild rose.

On the other side the thick forests sometimes below us, sometimes threatening to march down upon us from their tremendous heights, rank long grass, ferns, and brambles, branches interlacing with each other, old trees fallen in all directions and scathed by the lightning, rendering them impenetrable, seemed, indeed, peculiarly fitted to be the haunts of robbers. The assassin has only to place himself behind the trunk of a tree, wait until the wayfarer appears in view, then deliberately take his aim, and he can hardly fail to bring down his victim. Pursuit is altogether out of the question. Retaliation would be equally impracticable, as the murderer could not be seen. The traveller who is best armed, as in this case my Tartar was, is usually selected for the first experiment. The discharge is the signal to the whole band, who are stationed at their posts along the edge of the forest to be ready to fire at the remaining fugitives; and then, when all danger of a contest is over, the work of plunder commences.

♦ TERRORS ♦ My Tartar and postilion were in a perfect fever during the whole time we were riding through these passes. We galloped the whole way, whether up or down the declivities. Sometimes the road was occupied by caravans, and we were obliged to mount narrow and broken pathways, which we found or made upon its edge. But even over these tracks, where there was scarcely room for the horse’s hoof, we flew with a speed which must have betrayed their terror. I do not affect to say that I was myself altogether free from alarm; but I confess that I thought a great deal less of perils from banditti than from the rocks over which I was obliged to pursue my companions. It was emphatically one of those instances of which I have occasionally seen other examples in the course of my life, where in order to escape visionary dangers, real dangers were incurred of a much more serious description.

♦ DESCENT OF THE BALKANS ♦ Heated and fatigued with our steeple chase, we at length rested on the summit of the lofty range on which we had been travelling all day, in a hut formed of planks inserted perpendicularly in the earth, and roofed with tiles, inhabited by a solitary old man who supplied us with coffee. In the evening we descended towards the lower ranges of the Balkans, which succeed each other like so many undulations, varying in height, but almost all destitute of trees, here and there speckled with brambles, sometimes covered with heath, but wholly unfit for any purpose of cultivation. My Tartar, therefore, had no longer any fears of banditti. We occasionally saw in the sheltered valleys considerable encampments of gipsies, but these wanderers excited no apprehension in his mind. Indeed they appeared every where much more intent on enjoying the pleasures of music and dancing, or preparing their meals at the fires which were lighted near their tents, than in meditating attacks upon travellers. At the same time we prudently avoided making their acquaintance, being quite satisfied with the distant view of their tents and fires, and the groups moving around them—objects which in every climate are so picturesque—and with the sound of their pipes, violins, hurdygurdies and tambourines, intermingled with the regular stamping of the dancers, and the shouts of men and children, which echoed in joyful tones through the otherwise desolate mountains.

♦ DINNER ♦ Our horses having behaved so well in conducting us without accident, and with such fearful expedition over the first and highest ridge of the Balkans, I urged the Tartar to stop and allow them to be fed at one or two hamlets through which we rode. But my entreaties were in vain. He seemed to have no feeling whatever with respect to the unfortunate animals, except to urge them on as far as he could within the shortest possible space of time. I insisted, however, upon justice being done to them, and dismounting at the first house, looking like an inn, which I met on the road, I refused to go further until the horses were provided with corn. He observed, that if the horses were to dine there so also must I, a proceeding, however, to which I objected, as we were not then more than two or three leagues distant from Karnabat, a town of some importance in Romania. However, he gave orders for dinner. An unhappy hen who was amusing herself sauntering about the farm-yard, was laid hold of by our landlady, who having gashed the jugular vein with skill, dipped the body into boiling water, plucked off the feathers, and in about an hour presented the victim to me boiled to rags, in a wooden bowl, which looked so filthy that nothing could induce me to touch its contents. A wooden tray was also brought with coarse dirty salt, half-baked black bread, and a rusty knife. I resolutely deferred dining until we should stop for the night at the town already mentioned. The Tartar took his usual meal of bread, hard eggs, and onions; and when he saw that I would scarcely even look at the fowl, he deliberately wrapped it up in some paper, and put it into the haversack, which dangled from his saddle—“a very useless precaution,” thought I, “for if you do not eat it yourself, I am quite sure that nobody else will!”

♦ KARNABAT ♦ We remounted about seven o’clock in the evening. Our horses at first got on very well but after exerting themselves for an hour or two, it became evident that the toils of the morning among the rough roads of the mountain had literally knocked them up. Even at a moderate pace we ought to have reached Karnabat at nine, but it was past eleven before we entered its gates, though we had seen the lights of the town the whole evening. I was a good deal fatigued, less from riding, which never affects me, than from the labour which it cost me to push my miserable horse forward. His limbs seemed to have lost all their vital supply of lubricity. Every step was a stoppage. I should have greatly preferred walking, if that had not been rendered impracticable by my Turkish jack-boots, with pointed toes, which, as well as the heels, were turned up, so as to give the sole the complete form of the segment of a circle.

♦ GIPSIES ♦ However I looked forward to the hope of finding good quarters at Karnabat, as most of the towns of Romania, being inhabited principally by Turks, are of a better description than those in Bulgaria, which I had hitherto visited. The proportion of Mussulmen in the latter province is not considerable, and is dispersed through Vidin, Nicopoli, Rutschuk, and Shumla. The great mass of its population consists of the Sclavonian race, who profess to be Christians, but who appear to have scarcely any houses of worship.

♦ CATCHING A TARTAR ♦ The southern valleys of the Balkans seem to be favourite abodes of the gipsies, who occupy them without any fear of disturbance. How these people, who neither spin nor weave, nor cultivate the earth, clothe themselves so well, and accumulate the abundance of vegetables, flesh-meat, fowls, and rum, with which they are always provided, is to me as great a mystery as the origin of their tribes, and the purpose for which they are endowed with migratory dispositions, apparently destined to defy all the powers of civilization.

The conduct of my guide during the day did not tend to raise him very much in my esteem. Upon alighting for the night, I was not long in finding out that I had indeed “caught a Tartar.” We stopped near a mean-looking house; upon the door being opened, I saw that it consisted of only one room, in which eight or ten persons were already sleeping, and an immense fire was blazing in an oven, in which bread was about to be placed. Had the information of my Wallachian friends, of fur boot and pelisse memory, been at all correct with reference to the inclemency of the Balkans, I should probably not have very strongly objected to the neighbourhood of the oven. But as the fact was, that in crossing these mountains, I not only saw neither ice nor snow, but found it impossible even to wear my cloak, on account of the intense heat, which even at this hour of the night was but little mitigated, I refused at once to expose myself to the danger of being baked on one hand, and poisoned by the atmosphere of so many companions on the other. Besides, I perceived there no chance whatever of a good dinner, of which I really stood very much in need.

♦ A FIERY BEDROOM ♦ The moon was shining brightly in a cloudless sky, and after parleying for a while with my Tartar, who understood, or seemed to understand, very little of my Italian, I said that if he did not conduct me to a respectable inn, I should endeavour to find one for myself, and that moreover I should report him to his chief for his behaviour. He declared that there was no other inn open in the town at that hour of the night, and that he would not go in search of one. Kindling his pipe, he sat down outside the door, and said that from that house he would not depart. In the mean time the owner went out and borrowed a feather-bed, which he displayed before me with great triumph; and he added that if that would not do, he had even a magnificent hooka at my service, which he had also borrowed for the occasion. I could not help being pleased with the kindness of this poor Turk, but no temptation whatever could induce me to enter the furnace which he called his house.

♦ A DECENT KHAN ♦ I walked up the street as well as I could in my boots, my whip in my hand, to see what I could do for myself. Some six or eight fellows followed me chattering, and one or two going before me, seemed resolved to prevent me from proceeding further. I calmly applied my whip to their legs, and dispersed the whole group in an instant. After I had searched about in vain for a while, the Tartar at length came to find me, and seeing that I was inflexible in my purpose, he conducted me to a khan of the first class, where I was delighted to find some appearance of decency.

♦ SUPPER ♦ We knocked for a while before we were admitted, and we had some difficulty in finding vacant places on the divan, as the inn was crowded. But two Turks, in the most civil manner, yielded us their stations in the principal chamber, and adjourned for the remainder of the night into another room. My supper was served about half-past twelve. Poached eggs floating in oil were first brought, which I could not reconcile by any effort to my taste. A dish of boiled rice next made its appearance, together with a bowl of milk, which I found excellent. Pickles were appended to the rice, but I had no fancy for them; and then some hard eggs made their appearance, which constituted the principal part of my meal. I closed this operation with a glass of hot rum-and-water, after which, wrapping myself up in my cloak, I lay down on the cushion of the divan, and slept profoundly till seven o’clock the following morning.

CHAPTER XIII.

My companions—Kind attentions—Famine—Annihilation of a fowl—Living upon nothing—Disturbance—Still life—Consternation—A desolate town—Turks at prayers—Dinner—Alarming Rumours—Chorlu—The sea of Marmora—Silivria—Street scene—A factotum—News of the day—Tartar generosity—Negotiations.

My companions were all Turks, apparently of a very respectable class in society. Besides the divan which afforded couches to six or seven persons, two others had mattresses on the floor.

♦ MY COMPANIONS ♦ There was no want of fresh air in the room, as several panes of glass were broken in the windows. Indeed one whole frame which was papered all over fell in during the night, and had the temperature of the external atmosphere not been peculiarly mild, one of my new acquaintances, over whose face the morning breezes were playing, might have suffered from the accident.

As soon as I emerged from the folds of my cloak, I became an object of general attention to these gentlemen. One presented me immediately with his pipe, and looked very much astonished to find that the first thing I did on opening my eyes was not an act of conformity with the universal custom of smoking. Instead of a chibouke, however, I ordered a napkin and some water, which was brought to me in a pewter dish, and after making my toilet in the best manner I could, I proceeded to write my journal. My memory being full of the incidents of the preceding day, I of course wrote with great rapidity, being much more anxious to set down all the matter, than to impart to it any form of style. They followed my movements with surprise, the more especially as my mode of writing the characters from left to right was the reverse of their own, and they could not conceive how it was possible for me to create any character at all with the silver instrument which I held in my hand, and which borrowed no assistance from the ink-bottle. They smiled at each other as much as to say, “These Englishmen are the strangest beings in the world, they have ways of their own for every thing.”

♦ KIND ATTENTIONS ♦ I unscrewed my pencil and showed them the mode in which it was constructed. Simple as it was they could scarcely be made to comprehend it. I very much regretted that I had not brought a few of these instruments with me for the purpose of presenting them to such persons as these, whose civility and good nature deserved every return I could make. While I was performing my ablutions one would hold the dish, another the napkin. A third ordered coffee for me. Then the pipe was again and again offered. My objection to this grand luxury of Turkish life seemed to them unaccountable. Then my suspenders became objects of examination, as well as my moveable shirt collar, and my black silk cravat. When I finished dressing by putting on my blue cloth cap, they seemed to look upon my tout ensemble as a complete puzzle.

♦ FAMINE ♦ After breakfasting on a bowl of boiled milk, three or four eggs, and very good brown bread, I proceeded on my journey through the lower ranges of the Balkans. These mountains and valleys are almost wholly unpeopled. The few huts which we passed in the course of the day were of the most miserable description. The country is every where so barren that the human beings who are scattered over it, few though they be, have scarcely any thing to live upon. We rode on until the afternoon without being able to find any accommodation either for man or horse. The fountains were all dried up, so that we could not obtain even a draught of water, which would have been the more acceptable, inasmuch as the day was inconveniently warm. At length we came to a little brook, by the side of which we were delighted to sit down. The Tartar, though much heated, stooped down and drank copiously from the spring with impunity. I did not dare to follow his example until I had rested a while, when he produced a bottle of rum. I prevailed on him and the postilion to empty it of a portion of its contents, after which I filled it with water from the brook. The mixture then was not only safe but truly delicious. It renovated my appetite, which had been sickened by long fasting and hard riding, but what was there to eat?

♦ ANNIHILATION OF A FOWL ♦ My cunning Tartar then brought forth from his haversack the much-despised, the abhorred fowl of the previous evening, together with a loaf of bread and a paper of salt! After a little reflection upon the vanity of all human resolutions, I was prevailed upon to sever a wing from the breast, and to taste the inside meat, to which I could discover no just objection. I tried a similar experiment with the other wing, which I was forced to admit to be equally free from any fair ground of impeachment. Both these members being pretty well dealt with, I thought there could be no harm in extending my acquaintance to the breast, which disappeared in due time. The legs next became objects of curious inquiry, and fully answered my new-born expectations. The side-bones and “merrythought” pleasantly reminded me of the “soul,” which soon established to my entire satisfaction the truth of the Pythagorean doctrine, by migrating under my own superintendence into a different body. Finally the back yielded up its treasures, and though I was in the land of Mahomet, I could not help being Catholic enough to pay my compliments to the “pope’s nose.” When I thought of my late cackling friend, who sauntered about with so fine an air of self-complacency, now reduced to such a wonderful state of disorganization, I convinced myself that her ladyship must have been guilty of some dreadful deed in this world or some other, which caused her to be thus decapitated, drawn and quartered, I may say annihilated with a degree of expedition unprecedented in the “annals of crime.”

♦ LIVING UPON NOTHING ♦ My guide, as usual, contented himself with hard eggs. How the postilion fared it was no business of mine to inquire. I saw him at a distance, chewing something. He had plenty of water, at all events, and so had our horses; who, moreover, feasted on some brambles. I began to think that Turkish horses have the peculiar faculty of living upon nothing; and as they made no objection to going on, I thought it would be words thrown away to attempt to persuade them of their folly in resolving to gallop over these boundless wastes without so much as a straw in their inside. A fresh relay at nine o’clock, which we procured at a wretched hamlet, enabled us to pursue our journey rapidly the whole night; the moon lighted our way until the morning came, and disclosed Adrianople in the distance.

From the various descriptions which I had read of this city, second only to Stamboul itself, I had expected to find it characterized by a considerable degree of splendour. The cupolas and minarets of its numerous mosques undoubtedly do afford to the traveller, for some time before he enters it, ample grounds for believing that he is about to visit an important, well-inhabited, and flourishing town. But though not wholly disappointed, this expectation is much attenuated by the time he reaches his khan, after riding through the principal streets, which, beyond the usual variety of shops, supply no materials for admiration.

♦ DISTURBANCE ♦ I was feverish after my long uninterrupted ride, and mingled cold water copiously with my coffee. The Tartar seemed to have no intention of resting; but I insisted on being shown to a chamber, where I was determined on remaining for five or six hours, even if I could not sleep. By way of precaution I discarded all the pillows and cushions which I found in the room, as they were by no means inviting; and spreading my rug on the floor, with my carpet-bag for a pillow, I enjoyed, for about two hours, a most delicious slumber.

A rascally boy then came to knock at my door, which I had contrived, very much to his astonishment, to fasten on the inside. I pretended not to hear him for a while, suspecting he was a messenger from my more villanous Tartar. But he knocked and pushed and kicked at my barricades, until he succeeded in forcing the door a sufficient distance from the jamb to enable him to take a view of my person. This was impertinent. I therefore got up and let him in. Whereupon I laid my whip upon his shoulders until he was very glad to make his escape by jumping down a whole flight of stairs. The chatter of customers in a butcher’s shop immediately under my window, the noise of people walking and talking in the street, each group of gossips seeming to have a particular fancy for stopping in my neighbourhood, the sound of ungreased waggon-wheels, creaking over the rough roads below, the bellow of oxen, and the occasional shouts of children, all conspired to assure me that further forgetfulness was, for that day, out of the question.

♦ STILL LIFE ♦ However, I continued in the attitude of repose, and as I could not keep my eyes shut I amused myself in observing the still life of a tailor’s shop opposite, which appeared to be the favourite lounge of all the idlers of the town. The master and three journeymen were seated in the Turkish fashion, which tailors have adopted in every age and clime. Three visiters took their seats also on the board, smoking their long pipes, and looking on with profound gravity at the perpetual passing and repassing of the needles and threads through the cloth, which was destined in due season to become a waistcoat or a pair of trousers. Not a word escaped any of the party. A voluptuous, well-dressed, fine-looking man, with a long gold-headed cane balanced in one hand, and his immense pipe in the other, next made his appearance. He could not go by the shop without “looking in.” Kindling his pipe, he also took his station on the board, and while his charge of tobacco lasted, seemed the happiest of mortals. When the last puff expired he quitted his seat, walked down the street, paid a visit to a tinman, smoked another pipe, came back, sat down again in the tailor’s shop, where he found the whole party undisturbed, filled his pipe again, exhausted it, and then seemed fairly at a loss to know what he was next to do. He looked up the street, down the street, went out, came back, stood a few minutes at the door in a state of listlessness, within a degree of petrification, and, at length, resolutely disappeared.

♦ CONSTERNATION ♦ Being somewhat refreshed, I proceeded to what I should call the kitchen, but which the Turks treat as a coffee-room, where several Adrianopolites were assembled, sipping their universal beverage, amidst clouds of their fragrant tobacco. Here I learned, very much to my consternation, that the Russians were in the Bosphorus, preparing to take possession of Constantinople. I inquired by what means this intelligence had arrived, as when I left Vienna nothing of that kind had transpired. The answer was, that a courier from the English embassy had just passed through on his way to Semlin, and that it was expected that England would immediately declare war against the emperor. As all this was conveyed to me in broken French and Italian, I concluded at first that I misunderstood what was said, and that they were speaking of the events of 1833, not of the present year. But I was positively assured that the Russian fleet and troops had arrived a few days ago in the Bosphorus, and that unless England should in time prevent them, they would soon be the masters, not only of the capital, but of all Turkey. While this conversation was going on they gathered gradually around me, and expressed themselves quite anxious to know whether I thought that my countrymen would really come to their protection. They appeared to despair of being able to do anything in their own defence, and even accustomed to the idea of resigning themselves to Russian supremacy, unless England interposed in their behalf. I expressed my confident hope that the intelligence was at least premature; but if it were true, I conceived that not only England but France also could hardly contemplate such proceedings with indifference.

♦ A DESOLATE TOWN ♦ Our horses having been announced, we took our departure at noon, and arrived at Burgas at four o’clock. This town has more of a European aspect at a distance than any I had yet seen in Turkey. It boasts of several mosques, and other public buildings of great extent, which give it an appearance of grandeur. But on strolling through the streets I found them almost a wilderness. The edifices which I had expected to see inhabited as palaces, or used as public institutions, were abandoned to the winds and rain. The fountains, which in a former age had been beautifully decorated with marble, were thrown down and neglected. The cloisters of the mosques, which in one or two instances were upon a most magnificent scale, had become the safe abode of wild cats and dogs, owls and ravens, whose croaking added not a little to the desolation of the scene. The mosques were all out of repair.

♦ TURKS AT PRAYERS ♦ A boy proclaimed, from the top of a minaret, in the usual terms, [2] the hour of evening service while I happened to be at the gate of one of these temples. It was immediately opened. Eight or ten wretched-looking devotees emerged from different quarters of the cloisters, washed their feet at the ruinous fountain, and leaving their slippers outside the door, entered the mosque. I did not deem it prudent to follow their example, as I was alone.

But I stood unmolested at the door, which remained open. Lamps, like those we use in illuminations, were lighted, suspended from the roof, almost low enough to touch the head of a man standing. The thin congregation were arranged in a semicircle, and all joined aloud in prayers, in tones not unlike those in use among the Jews, but without being quite so boisterous, and with every external appearance, at least, of profound devotion to the great Father of the universe, towards whose abode in heaven, their eyes were constantly directed.

♦ DINNER ♦ I dined on rice and haricot mutton, which, by the way, I had great difficulty in compelling my Tartar to order, as he would have preferred limiting my fare to eggs, which cost less money. He was a most penurious caterer, and if by inflexible firmness I had not gained an ascendancy over him, he would have starved me through the whole journey. I mention these things in order that future travellers in Turkey may be prepared to adopt the same course—the only one that will satisfactorily carry them through the difficulties attending a journey in that country. I think it may be assumed as a general principle, that though your personal safety is assured in the hands of a Tartar, your digestive organs will not have much reason to thank him, if he can help it.

While I was engaged at my humble meal, several persons, as usual, came to witness my operations. A meat dinner appears to be in Turkey a public exhibition; but I must do my spectators the justice to say, that the chief attraction of the scene was the national character of the principal performer, whom they treated with the utmost respect. I began to feel myself somebody of distinction, and to have doubts of my personal identity, as all my habits and tastes were formed amid the shades of life, wherever I could find them. But here I was invested with a character which seemed, in the opinion of the Turks, to place me at an immeasurable distance above themselves on the scale of existence. They saw in me—a simple, dusty-coated, jack-booted, unshaven, travel-stained equestrian—nothing but my country, of whose power to accomplish whatever she resolves to do in any quarter of the world, they appeared to entertain the most entire conviction.

♦ ALARMING RUMOURS ♦ The report of the Russians being at Constantinople was here repeated by every tongue. It was added, that a conspiracy had broken out there about a fortnight before; that there had been much fighting in the streets; that Pera had been again laid waste by flames; that the sultan was a prisoner in the seraglio; and that the imperial flag of Russia was waving over the seven towers. These additional circumstances seriously affected the obstinacy with which I had hitherto treated the whole story as a fabrication; I even began to think whether I ought to proceed any further, as, if the news thus thickening upon me were true, a solitary Briton would have little chance of safety within the walls of Constantinople. However, I resolved to go on. As I was mounting my horse, several of my new friends pressed their hands on my shoulder in a warm and even affectionate manner, exclaiming, in energetic terms, “England and the Sultan at Stamboul—the Russians in the sea!” There was a slight “hurra!” when we rode off; and one of the Turks accompanied me through the streets, pressing his hand upon my knee. The excitement of this scene rendered me extremely anxious to learn the real state of affairs at the capital. My host had procured for me, without any solicitation on my part, the best horse he could find at Burgas—a fine Arabian, as gentle as a child, as fleet as the wind, and almost as indefatigable.

♦ CHORLU ♦ We rode, without cessation, through the bright night for eight hours, and arrived about three o’clock in the morning at Chorlu, where I was shown into a filthy room in an outhouse, as I had no fancy for sleeping in a stable. I lay down upon a mat on the floor, and slept soundly until seven, when, after a good breakfast on eggs, brown bread, syllabub, and grapes, which I found here remarkably fine, we resumed our journey with fresh horses, very much inferior to those we had during the night.

♦ SILIVRIA ♦ The morning was misty, but the sun soon shone out, and my heart bounded with delight, when, on galloping along the ridge of an eminence, I beheld, glittering in the distance, on my right, the waters of the sea of Marmora. They appeared through the refraction of the misty air as if they were in the sky, but the white sails stealing over their surface convinced me that I was under no delusion. Those waters would soon mingle with the Mediterranean, the Mediterranean with the Atlantic, which washed my native shores. Some of those sails were most probably lately from England, or now returning thither. These are the associations which make an Englishman feel every where, when he approaches the sea, as if he were once more at home!

Our horses being very sorry animals, we were obliged, after the first hour or two, to ride at a snail’s pace. Silivria, with its picturesque castle and fortifications reposing on the vast blue lake of Marmora, was in sight all day, but we did not arrive there until two o’clock in the afternoon. The town was filled with Turkish soldiers, dressed in the new uniform of the country—blue round jacket, vest, and trousers, the red Greek cap with blue silk tassel, strong square-toed shoes, and white cotton stockings. They presented a most unmilitary appearance, and I concluded at once, from the reports with which my mind had been filled, that they were flying in dismay from Constantinople.

♦ STREET SCENE ♦ On dismounting at a caravanserai, which was midway down the principal street, I was conducted to an open balcony, where mats were spread. The scene before me was not magnificent. The street was shaded by a few large trees, planted on each side. You may imagine how it was paved, if you have ever seen a street in London when the pavement is taken up. A stream of muddy water ran through the middle, leaving in its course a pool near a dunghill, on the top of which an old pelican was strutting, apparently the master of that position, much to the envy of a poor hen, who was looking up at him wistfully, and also of a cat, who seemed to be thinking how she could best dislodge the usurper. But he was on his guard against both his enemies, now looking down on one, now on the other, fiercely.

♦ A FACTOTUM ♦ Two little pug-dogs were busy at a game of romps, running here and there, grappling with each other, rolling each other over, biting the back of each other’s neck, leg, or tail, without hurting it, barking in well-feigned passion, the fugitive turning on the pursuer, who, in his turn, affected a retreat. Some sturdy cocks were gadding about, crowing at intervals, to remind the world of their importance. Geese and ducks frequented the pool, and every time a cock crew they gabbled in chorus. The sound made the pelican tremble on his throne.

Seated on a stone near a gateway was a genteel, well-dressed Turkish boy, afflicted by a nervous affection in the face, which every two or three minutes drew up the right corner of his mouth close to his ear. His whole occupation was looking at me, an occupation which detained him on his stone three hours without a moment’s interruption. A little way down the street was the tomb of a saint, a circular edifice, roofed with wood, and railed all round; upon an elevated platform within, the holy man was laid out in the dress in which he died a century ago. He presented as yet no visible signs of decay, which proved his title to canonization!

An Italian, half idiot, half knave, wretchedly attired, the factotum of the caravanserai, introduced himself to my acquaintance, and asked me if I were not much fatigued, offering at the same time his services to procure me some seawater, which he strongly recommended as an application of sovereign power to any part of my frame that might have been affected by the saddle. Although somewhat jaded I had no occasion to accept his advice, though I should have been extremely glad to dip in a warm sea-bath if such a thing were to be found in Silivria. Nothing of the sort was to be had, but there was a vapour-bath, in which I might be shampooed if I thought fit. But the sense of suffocation with which that operation is attended, forbade the experiment.

♦ NEWS OF THE DAY ♦ I inquired the news from Constantinople. “All quiet.”—“What! no revolution?”—“Revolution! Oh yes; that was all over.”—“And the Russians have come to Constantinople!”—“Yes; the Russians came, and have gone again, Signor!”—“How long is it since they went away?”—“A year ago, Signor.”—“A year ago! what do you mean?”—“I mean two years ago, Signor.”—“What are all these soldiers about?”—“Some are getting shaved, Signor.”—“Poh! I mean, where are they going?”—“I saw two of them just now going to bed, Signor.”—“But whither are they marching?”—“Nowhere, Signor, for they are all boys and have not learned to march yet?”—“Where have they come from?”—“Stamboul.”—“Oh! I see you are a Turk, though you have not put on the turban.”—“Sometimes a Turk, Signor, sometimes nothing at all.”—“What are these soldiers about?”—“Do you see these men coming up the street, Signor, one of them with half a sheep on his back?”—“I do.”—“Well, Signor, those men are about to get their supper.”

♦ TARTAR GENEROSITY ♦ Finding that I had no prospect of extorting any political information from this addlepated Italian, I engaged his services in the culinary line, desiring him to proceed forthwith to the cook’s-shop and get me some stewed mutton for dinner. He fled, delighted with his mission, already contemplating with such an eye as his mind possessed, the probability of there being fragments which might fall to his share. He returned immediately, however, rather downcast, followed by my Tartar, who with an effrontery too ridiculous for anger, assured me that not a morsel of mutton, or of meat of any kind was to be had in the town, the troops having consumed the whole stock of that article in the trade. I directed their attention to a butcher’s stall opposite, where two men were engaged cutting up or rather cutting down, a sheep with a sabre, and to another shop in the lower part of the street where similar operations were in progress. “Those sheep,” said the Tartar, “are all bought up for the army, which is going to Adrianople: I can get nothing for you but some eggs.”

♦ NEGOTIATIONS ♦ I rose from my mat, and bade them attend me to one of the shops which I had noticed, where, through the medium of the Italian, no unwilling interpreter on the occasion, a negotiation was immediately concluded upon the subject of a leg of the said mutton, which being separated from the other members by a sabre, was taken possession of by my accomplice, who triumphantly posted away with it to the cook’s-shop at the further end of the street.

CHAPTER XIV.

A white cock—Russian agency—Specimen of cookery—Dining in state—Departure from Silivria—Mahometan causeway—Perilous roads—Knowing horses—First view of Constantinople—Advantages of its position—Extent of its capabilities—An abstracted goose—Entrance of the capital—Pera—Vitali’s hotel—The plague—Character of the malady—Armenian funeral—Associations—Funeral of a Greek.

♦ A WHITE COCK ♦ I sauntered about Silivria for some time, amused by the novel and animated scene which it presented. Several large charcoal fires were made up in pans in the street, on which kettles containing pieces of meat, onions, and other vegetables were boiling, surrounded by groups of soldiers who fanned the fires occasionally with a turkey’s wing. Here a baker was as busy as he could possibly be, serving out cakes of bread, just taken from the oven, to soldiers who passed in single file before his window. A beautiful white cock was a conspicuous character all day: he seemed to think that the whole of these preparations were going on for persons very much inferior to himself in all the requisites of dignity. Flies swarmed in all directions. The balconies of the caffinés were filled with Turks, who as usual sipped their nectar, smoked and continued for hours gazing at vacancy. I was honoured by a look from a Mussulman who was idling about like myself, one hand in his breeches pocket, while the other wielded his pipe and a switch. A boy walking along with a pitcher of water on his head, seemed also very much astonished at my appearance in Silivria, a feeling in which he was joined by a shoemaker who was taking home a pair of mended slippers to a customer hard by.

A fruitman seemed to be making his fortune amongst the recruits, to whom he had already disposed of five or six large baskets of very fine fresh grapes. He had still a few clusters remaining, which I purchased for a small silver coin equivalent to about two pence of our money. Even out of this he gave me some change in copper, which I presented to a decent-looking beggar-woman who was going about from shop to shop veiled. A string of camels laden with merchandise, and as usual led by a donkey, entered the town from the Constantinople road, their loud bells tinkling as they paced along. They lay down in the middle of the street, while their drivers went in search of refreshment. Here and there the merry tones of the xebeck were heard from latticed windows.

♦ RUSSIAN AGENCY ♦ While I was thus roving about, one of a group of soldiers who were sitting on a wall addressed me in good French. He turned out to be a Corsican, who, by some vicissitude of fortune, was enlisted in the Mahometan service. From him I learned that Constantinople was perfectly tranquil—that no tumults had recently occurred there—and that the Russians, as he expressed it, had “not yet” possession of Constantinople, nor had they “yet” even returned to the Bosphorus. He placed such an emphasis on his pas encores, that I instinctively assumed him to be a Russian spy. There can be no doubt at all that Russian agency is at full work in every part of Turkey; and that the stories which I heard on the road were the inventions of men well paid for the propagating them, under the impression that, by means of that kind, Mussulmen will become reconciled, by so often hearing of Russian invasion, to the ultimate result of Russian supremacy. But this will be found a most grave mistake, if I have read the Turkish mind with any thing like critical acumen.

♦ SPECIMEN OF COOKERY ♦ By the time I returned to my balcony I fully expected that my dinner would have been there before me, but no symptom of it was perceptible. I called the factotum to account, who assured me that it would be ready in a few minutes. I waited for half an hour, when I sent him to make inquiries. He returned with a question, how I wished it to be done? I desired it to be plainly boiled, and sent to me in its own gravy, without any rice or oil. He came back, after the lapse of another half-hour, with a piece of the meat in his hand, by way of a sample for me to taste, and say whether it was boiled enough! I objected to touch this precious fragment which he had dug out of my leg of mutton with the dirtiest fingers I ever beheld, and directed the dish, such as it was, to be served without further delay.

♦ DEPARTURE FROM SILIVRIA ♦ At length the mutton made its appearance in a wooden dish, without any accompaniment of any kind! There was not even a grain of salt. The cook ran off in one direction, the Italian in another, and, in about a quarter of an hour, the latter returned with a little coarse salt in a bit of greasy paper. Then there was no bread. Off scampered the Italian to a baker’s shop, whence he brought back a smoking hot roll, which he put into my hand. Meantime my Tartar came to claim his share of the spoil, which he by no means deserved. I cut out some slices, however, for myself with his knife, and gave him up the remainder. My repast was soon over; but, after all, not unsatisfactory, concluding with coffee and grapes. I was glad to see that something continued in the wooden dish for my faithful auxiliary, for which he waited with a keen eye, but at the same time with exemplary patience. This dinner scene passed in the balcony, open to all the street; and I had the felicity of being closely observed, during the whole transaction, by a group of gaping recruits and ragged children.

We found some difficulty in procuring four horses at Silivria: at length, about seven o’clock in the evening, we mounted a set of animals of the most wretched description, already fatigued, as I afterwards learned, by a long journey, from which they had rested only a few hours. We set out by the light of the moon, and, in about an hour, reached a very handsome khan, where we took coffee. We then proceeded along the beach of Marmora, the murmur of whose gentle waves, borne on the fresh atmosphere of the sea, fell upon my heart like a spring shower on the parched earth. At midnight we arrived near the once magnificent series of bridges, which, in a former age, were erected over a wide arm of the sea, and considerably shorten the road to Constantinople. Clouds having set in and darkened the night, a thunder-storm and violent rains came on, which compelled us to take shelter in the gateway of an inn at the foot of the principal bridge. We dismounted and rested here until four o’clock, when we again proceeded on our journey.

♦ MAHOMETAN CAUSEWAY ♦ From these bridges to Constantinople a causeway has been constructed upon the plan of the ancient Roman roads. But, like the bridges across the arms of the Marmora, it has fallen into such a state of ruin as to become infinitely more a source of danger than of convenience to the traveller. It is as bad as the worst parts of the track over the Balkans. Had the sultan taken pains to render his capital inaccessible to cavalry on the side of Silivria, no engineer could have broken up the causeway, which in some places is the only road, with more skill, with a view to render it perilous, than time and shameful negligence have done throughout the whole of the line. Five hundred or a thousand men, employed for a fortnight, would, at a trifling expense, restore it to its pristine solidity and beauty. But the genius of decay seems to have paralyzed, for the present, the wonted energies of the Turkish people.

♦ PERILOUS ROADS ♦ The soil through which this causeway runs, is in general a soft clay, upon some more adhesive strata, which do not rapidly absorb the humid atmosphere of the neighbouring waters. The consequence is that when heavy rains have fallen, the earth becomes so slippery that it requires the greatest care on the part of the rider to preserve his horse from falling at every step, when he is not on the causeway, which for the greater portion of the way is absolutely impassable. My Tartar, a bulky man, was seated on a wretched pony, which came down three or four times. Once the animal lost footing for both his hinder legs, and stuck so firmly in the mud on his haunches that the Tartar tumbled backwards head over heels. He got up in a fury and assailed the postilion in such a storm of passion, that I thought he would have ended by shooting him. However he was content with compelling the man to give up his own horse and mount the pony.

♦ KNOWING HORSES ♦ In a few minutes after down came the unfortunate postilion in a marsh, whence we had great difficulty in extricating him, covered all over with mud. I held a tight rein, and though my Rosinante stumbled at every fourth or fifth step, I had the good fortune to escape the general destiny. Even the baggage-horse was tripped up repeatedly, falling sometimes on his haunches, sometimes rolling quite over on his back, his legs dancing in the air. Whether riding on a level, ascending or descending the numerous hills which intervene between the bridges and the capital, the peril was the same. The horses seemed painfully conscious of the difficulties which they had to go through, and whenever they could get upon the causeway they preferred it, picking their steps through the stones with marvellous ingenuity. To the less experienced traveller, however, the change appeared to be only “from the frying-pan into the fire.”

♦ VIEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE ♦ At length we entered on a more sandy track, and rode with less toil until the day returned: when, from the top of the highest eminence we had yet ascended, we beheld at three leagues’ distance below the Ottoman capital, still reposing in the twilight of early morning. The east soon after began to redden, and the sun rose in all his Asiatic glory over the mountains behind Scutari, which almost touched the sky. Their tabled summits were already spread with cloth of gold, and clouds of fiery dust were rolling around, as if raised by the march of armies tending towards that splendid plain for encampment. The crescents and spires of the white minarets, the tall green cypresses, the minarets of nature, greatly excelling the others in the solemnity of their beauty, shone out in the descending beams. The venerable watch-towers, and the countless domes of the mosques were all illumined, and then the castellated battlements, caravanserais, bazaars, and palaces, extending in a long line to the waters of the Marmora, which reflected the blaze. Seen at that moment of enchantment, Constantinople, distinguished from all other European capitals by its oriental architecture, whose filagree Arabesques became transparent in the light, and rising from amidst groves and cemeteries and gardens, where the foliage and the flowers of summer were still in bloom, looked less a reality than the vision of some Persian tale.

♦ EXTENT OF CAPABILITIES ♦ It was unnecessary for my Tartar to point downwards and say, “There is Stamboul!” The capital of the Constantines has no rival upon this planet of ours, in external appearance, at least, and in the peculiar advantages of its position. Having free access to the Mediterranean through the Hellespont, it may with every possible facility defend itself at the Dardanelles from a maritime force, and having shut its gates at that point, may withdraw to the Marmora, the Bosphorus, or the Euxine, repair there its ships, build new fleets, equip and abundantly provision them from a populous and fertile territory, and rush out again upon its enemies, with an overwhelming force. Or if the chieftain who is master of Stamboul choose not to run the further risk of maritime war, he need only put the key of his gates at the Dardanelles in his pocket, turn his men of war into merchant ships, and find employment for them in trading along the coasts of Turkey, Asia Minor, the whole of the borders of the Black Sea, to which the silks of Broussa, the carpets and brocades of Persia, the rice, and fruits, and corn of all that territory, and the riches of central and southern Russia, are brought.

♦ ABSTRACTED GOOSE ♦ If not content with the field of the Euxine, he may extend his commerce without a single convoy, along the Danube to Wallachia, Bulgaria, Hungary, Servia, and Austria, attracting within his reach, in exchange for the productions of the East, the spoils of all Germany. When the Danube shall be united with the Rhine, by means of the canal now about to be formed, the ruler of Constantinople, though at war with Syria, the Barbary States, Egypt, Greece, France, Spain, England, and the two Americas, may not only live in safety within the castles of his Dardanelles, but carry his trade to the very verge of the British channel, fearless of all the naval powers in the world!

While I was indulging in these fine speculations, my reverie was turned into uncontrollable laughter by a lad whom we overtook, riding behind a stately Turk, having at his saddle-bow a bag, from which a goose was looking out. The picture was an odd contrast to my airy dreams, and was not a little heightened when the winged prisoner, effecting his escape, ran off towards the home from which he had been just abstracted. The Turk was discomposed, the lad went off in chase of the goose, which his lordship had intended for his dinner. But though he would not wait to witness the result of the pursuit, he cast many a “longing, lingering look behind,” until at length the boy returned in triumph, and tied up the goose again in his bag, allowing him, as before, to look at the beauteous world which he was so soon to leave.

♦ ENTRANCE OF THE CAPITAL ♦ As we approached the outer gate of Constantinople, we were confined entirely to the causeway, the sands being deep and marshy. It was, gently speaking, a most execrable road. If our animals from long experience, and the judicious selection which marked all their steps, had not been enabled to work miracles, I know not how we could have got on. It was half-past ten o’clock when we passed the gate, where my firman was exhibited. We then pursued our way through numerous cemeteries, planted with cypresses, and crowded with gravestones, usually small round columns, carved at the top in the figure of a turban. As I was hastening as well as I could after my Tartar, through these desperate defiles, a fine-looking Turk stopped me, broke a walnut in his hand and divided it with me. It was his mode of bidding me welcome to my destination.

♦ VITALI’S HOTEL ♦ After leaving the receptacles of the dead, which were very extensive, and afforded by their numberless fresh graves, abundant evidence of the havoc which the plague had recently made, we entered the streets, and were immediately in the midst of the industry and bustle of a great city. Riding to the edge of the “Golden Horn,” as the inner harbour is called, I gladly dismounted, and transferred my weary limbs to a boat, where my luggage and Tartar were also speedily deposited. In a few minutes we were landed at Galata, whence we walked on to Pera, and found a French youth, who conducted us to Vitali’s hotel, familiarly called Giusepino’s, in the Strada Santa Maria, and almost next door to the church of the Holy Trinity.

The hotel was full of Englishmen; but Vitali very civilly offered to fit up for me in an hour or two, a chamber at the top of his house, which presented magnificent views of Constantinople. My goods and my person having been then fumigated—as, through ignorance, I had taken no precautions whatever in passing through crowds amongst which the pestilence was absolutely raging—I was admitted to intercourse; breakfasted, reposed a while on a sofa, then with infinite delight changed my travelling attire, and noted in my journal, that, calculating to a moment, I had thus been exactly five days and nights on the road from Rutschuk to the gate of the capital. This was considered a good journey, as, although the Tartars perform it in three days and nights, when great expedition is required, travellers seldom go over the whole ground in less than nine. The expectation, therefore, held out to me at the commencement of my ride, that I might accomplish it within three days was all moonshine.

♦ THE PLAGUE ♦ Vitali’s account of the plague was alarming. Within the last week it had considerably diminished, but suddenly returned again with more violence than ever, and in the city no fewer than fifteen hundred victims had been numbered with the dead only the day before. At Galata and Pera a few deaths had also occurred, and even Therapia, higher up the Bosphorus, was said not to be exempt from the contagion. He confirmed the reports of Mr. Wood’s death; but I afterwards learned, that, in point of fact, that gentleman had recovered from the plague by means of prompt, judicious, and vigorous measures; that being then in a very weakly state, he unfortunately accepted the advice of an Ionian quack, who promised to restore his strength rapidly by the use of a potion which he carried about as a sovereign remedy in all cases of debility, and that the patient died of the dose, in consequence of its having been too powerful for his then wasted constitution.

♦ ITS CHARACTER ♦ Mr. Cartwright, the British Consul-General, who lived nearly opposite to Vitali’s, and to whom I lost no time in paying my respects, also assured me that he had himself recovered from the plague, by the adoption of timely applications: that the malady was, in truth, nothing more than a violent typhus fever, which, if permitted to reach its height, seemed to be in all cases fatal, but if met in the beginning by medical skill, and determination on the part of the sufferer, it yielded the contest, though the poison which it diffused through the veins was felt for a long time after. The first symptoms of the malady are swellings under the arms, which if not opened at once, spread in an hour over the whole frame. The only precautions, he said, which I could adopt, were to procure airy apartments, to live generously, to be attentive to personal cleanliness, and when I walked out to carry in my hand a substantial cane, by which I should prevent any body whomsoever from touching me even with the hem of his garment. I found it awkward enough at first to guide my way through the very narrow streets of Pera, especially during the hours when they were most crowded, by poking people away, now at one side, now at the other. But the same thing, I observed, was done by every passenger: it was no rudeness, for it was the result of a universally understood necessity; and I soon found that I was not more anxious to avoid coming into contact with others, than they were to shun too near an approach to me.

♦ ARMENIAN FUNERAL ♦ As I was returning from the consul’s, where I had the happiness to find letters from home, to my hotel, I met an Armenian funeral procession passing along the street, formed of a long double file of men, preceded by several priests and choir-boys, who were singing the Roman catholic anthems of the dead, bearing a large silver crucifix, a vase of holy water, a pan of incense, smoking censers, and lighted tapers; the priests in their stoles, surplices, cassocks, and caps; the boys in surplices and cassocks; all moving on with as much order and freedom as I had ever observed in any part of Spain. A black velvet pall was thrown over the coffin, which six men sustained on their shoulders. I followed the procession to the Frank cemetery, which was at the distance of about a mile higher up the Bosphorus: when they arrived at the newly-made grave, the concluding psalms and prayers, closed by that solemn and affecting series of supplications, the De Profundis, were read by the officiating clergyman, and responded to by the crowd, in a manner that made me feel at once as if I were not in a Mahometan but a Catholic country.

♦ ASSOCIATIONS ♦ Here was a remarkable result of the plan upon which that religion was traced from the earliest ages. By its having adopted for its invariable and universal dialect the Latin tongue, I, who am wholly ignorant of Armenian, found myself at home amidst the orisons of that people to the God of all men. The psalms which they repeated, the Requiem which they sung, their final adieus to the dead, as the body was lowered into the grave, were those to which I had been accustomed from my infancy—those in which I last took a deep share when I was separated from a mother who had loved me above all earthly things. My tears mingled with those of the real mourners over the departed—the associations of the scene were not to be controlled.

♦ FUNERAL OF A GREEK ♦ I was not at all prepared for this open and authorized celebration of Christian rites in the public streets and cemeteries of the very capital of the koran. But I had afterwards abundant opportunities of satisfying my mind, that, in no other part of Europe is the existence of all religions more liberally secured and even protected than within the precincts of Constantinople. It was, I think, only the very next day that I witnessed a similar procession of Greek catholics, whose anthems and prayers differed in language and in other points from those of the Armenians. The body was borne on a bier, clothed in the ordinary attire of life; the head was crowned with a wreath of flowers, the eyes were still open, and the spirit seemed to have departed but a few moments before its receptacle was carried to the cemetery, where it had to wait until its place was hollowed in the earth. On each of these occasions, Turks, Greeks, Armenians, Franks, were seen collected round the grave, all listening with respectful and even solemn attention to the prayers which were uttered by the ministers in attendance.

APPENDIX A.

TREATY OF ALLIANCE CONCLUDED BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY ON THE 8th OF JULY, 1833.

In the Name of Almighty God.

Translation.

His Imperial Majesty the most high and most puissant Emperor and Autocrat of all the Russias, and his Highness the most high and most puissant Emperor of the Ottomans, equally animated by a sincere desire to maintain the system of peace and good harmony happily established between the two Empires, have resolved to extend and to strengthen the perfect amity and confidence which reign between them by the conclusion of a Treaty of defensive Alliance.

In consequence, their Majesties have chosen and nominated as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say, his Majesty the Emperor of all the Russias, the most excellent and the most honourable Alexis Count Orloff, his Ambassador Extraordinary at the Sublime Ottoman Porte, &c. &c.

And Mr. Apollinaire Bouténeff his Extraordinary Envoy and Minister Plenipotentiary at the Sublime Ottoman Porte, &c. &c.

And his Highness the Sultan of the Ottomans, the most illustrious and most excellent the oldest of his Viziers, Hosrew-Mehmet Pacha, Seraskier Commander-in-chief of the regular Troops of the Line, and Governor-General of Constantinople, &c. &c. the most excellent and the most honourable Ferzi-Achmet Pacha, Mouchir and Commander of his Highness’s Guard, &c. &c.; and Hadji-Mehmet-Akif Effendi, actual Reis Effendi, &c. &c.

Who after having exchanged their full powers, which have been found in good and regular form, have agreed upon the following Articles.

ARTICLE I.

There shall be for ever Peace, Amity, and Alliance between H. M. the Emperor of all the Russias, and H. M. the Emperor of the Ottomans, their Empires and their Subjects, as well by land as by sea. This Alliance having solely for its object the common defence of their States against all attack, their Majesties promise to have a mutual and unreserved understanding as to all objects which concern their tranquillity and safety respectively, and to lend to each other for this purpose materiel succours and the most efficacious assistance.

ARTICLE II.

The Treaty of Peace concluded at Adrianople on the 2nd of September, 1829, as well as all the other Treaties comprised in it, as well as the Convention signed at St. Petersburg on the 14th of April, 1830, and the arrangement concluded at Constantinople on the 9th (21st) of July, 1832, relative to Greece, are confirmed throughout all their tenour by the present Treaty of defensive Alliance as if the said Transactions had been inserted in it word for word.

ARTICLE III.

In consequence of the principle of conservation and of mutual defence which serves as the basis for the present Treaty of Alliance, and by reason of the most sincere desire to assure the duration, the maintenance, and the entire independence of the Sublime Porte, H. M. the Emperor of all the Russias, in case that circumstances which might again determine the Sublime Porte to claim naval and military aid from Russia, should occur, although the case be not now foreseen, if it please God, promises to furnish by land and sea as many troops and forces as the contracting parties shall deem necessary. It is accordingly agreed that in this case the forces by land and sea whose assistance the Sublime Porte shall demand, shall be held at its disposal.

ARTICLE IV.

According to what has been said above, in case one of the two Powers shall have demanded assistance from the other, the expenses only of provisions for the forces by land and sea which shall have been furnished, shall fall to the charge of the Power which shall have demanded the succour.

ARTICLE V.

Although the two high contracting Powers be sincerely disposed to maintain this engagement to the most remote period, inasmuch however as it is possible that hereafter circumstances may require some alterations in this Treaty, it has been agreed that its duration should be fixed at eight years, to run from the date of the exchange of the Imperial Ratifications. The two Parties, before the expiration of that term, shall agree according to the state in which things shall be at that epoch, upon the renewal of the Treaty.

ARTICLE VI.

The present Treaty of defensive Alliance shall be ratified by the two High Contracting Parties, and the ratifications shall be exchanged at Constantinople, within the period of two months, or sooner if possible.

The present Instrument, containing six Articles, and to which the last hand shall be put by the exchange of the respective ratifications, having been drawn up between us, we have signed and sealed it with our Seals, in virtue of our full powers, and delivered, in exchange for another of the like tenour, into the hands of the Plenipotentiaries of the Sublime Ottoman Porte.

Done at Constantinople, the 26th of June (8th of July), in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three (the 20th of the moon of Safer, in the year 1249 of the Hegira).

(Signed)
Count Alexis Orloff (L. S.)

(Signed)
A. Bouteneff (L. S.)

Separate Article of the Treaty of Alliance concluded between Russia and Turkey, on the 8th of July, 1833.

In virtue of one of the clauses of the First Article of the Patent Treaty of defensive Alliance concluded between the Sublime Porte and the Imperial Court of Russia, the two High Contracting Parties have engaged to lend mutually materiel succours and the most efficacious assistance for the safety of their respective states. Nevertheless, as H. M. the Emperor of all the Russias wishing to save the Sublime Ottoman Porte the expense and the inconveniences which might result to it from lending such materiel succour, will not demand this succour should circumstances place the Sublime Porte under the obligation to furnish it, the Sublime Porte in lieu of the succour which it is bound to lend in case of need according to the principle of reciprocity of the Patent Treaty, should limit its action in favour of the Imperial Court of Russia to shutting the strait of the Dardanelles, that is to say, not to permit any foreign vessel of war to enter it under any pretext whatsoever.

The present separate and secret Article shall have the same force and validity as if it were inserted word for word in the Treaty of defensive Alliance of this day.

Done at Constantinople the 26th of June (8th of July), in the year one thousand eight hundred and thirty-three (the 20th of the moon of Safer, in the year 1249 of the Hegira).

(Signed)
Count Alexis Orloff (L. S.)

(Signed)
A. Bouteneff (L. S.)

APPENDIX A.

TREATY OF ALLIANCE CONCLUDED BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY ON THE 8th OF JULY, 1833.

In the Name of Almighty God.

Traduction.

S. M. I. le très haut et très puissant Empereur et Autocrat de toutes les Russies, et S. H. le très haut et très puissant Empereur des Ottomans, également animés du sincère désir de maintenir le systême de paix et de bonne harmonie heureusement établies entre les deux Empires, ont résolu d’étendre et de fortifier la parfaite amitié et la confiance qui règnent entre eux, par la conclusion d’un Traité d’Alliance défensive.

En conséquence L. L. M. M. ont choisi et nommé pour leurs Plénipotentiaires, savoir, S. M. l’Empereur de toutes les Russies, les très excellens et très honorables le Sieur Alexis Comte Orloff, Son Ambassadeur Extraordinaire près la Sublime Porte Ottomane, &c. &c.

Et le Sieur Apollinaire Bouténeff, Son Envoyé Extraordinaire et Ministre Plénipotentiaire près la Sublime Porte Ottomane, &c. &c.

Et S. H. le Sultan des Ottomans, les trés illustre et très excellent le plus ancien de ses Visirs, Hosrew-Mehmet Pacha, Seraskier Commandant en chef des Troupes de Ligne regulières et Gouverneur Général de Constantinople, &c. &c. les très excellens et très honorables Ferzi-Achmet Pacha, Mouchir et Commandant de la Garde de S. H. &c. &c.; et Hadji-Mehmet-Akif Effendi, Reis Effendi Actuel, &c.

Lesquels, après avoir échangé leurs pleins pouvoirs, trouvés en bonne et de forme, sont convenus des Articles suivants.

ARTICLE I.

Il y aura à jamais Paix, Amitié, et Alliance entre S. M. l’Empereur de toutes les Russies et S. M. l’Empereur des Ottomans, Leurs Empires et Leurs Sujets, tant sur Terre que sur Mer. Cette Alliance ayant uniquement pour objet la défense commune de leurs états contre tout empiètement, L. L. M. M. promettent de s’entendre sans réserve sur tous les objets qui concernent Leur Tranquilité et Sûreté respectives, et de se prêter à cet effet mutuellement des secours matériels et l’assistance la plus efficace.

ARTICLE II.

Le Traité de Paix conclu à Andrinople le 2 Septembre, 1829, ainsi que tous les autres Traités qui y sont compris, de même aussi la Convention signée à St. Petersbourg le 14 Avril, 1830, et l’arrangement conclu à Constantinople le 9 (21) Juillet, 1832, rélatif à la Grèce, sont confirmés dans toute leur teneur par le présent Traité d’Alliance défensive comme si les dites Transactions y avaient été insérées mot pour mot.

ARTICLE III.

En conséquence du principe de conservation et de défense mutuelle qui sert de base au présent Traité d’Alliance, et par suite du plus sincère désir d’assurer la durée, le maintien, et l’entière indépendance de la Sublime Porte, S. M. l’Empereur de toutes les Russies, dans le cas où les circonstances qui pourraient déterminer de nouveau la S. Porte à réclamer l’assistance navale et militaire de la Russie, venaient à se présenter, quoique ce cas ne soit nullement à prévoir, s’il plait à Dieu, promet de fournir par terre et par mer autant de Troupes et de Forces que les deux Hautes Parties Contractantes le jugeraient nécessaire. D’après cela, il est convenu qu’en ce cas les Forces de terre et de mer dont la S. Porte réclamerait le secours, seront tenues à sa disposition.

ARTICLE IV.

Selon ce qui a été dit plus haut, dans le cas où l’une des deux Puissances aura réclamé l’assistance de l’autre, les frais seuls d’approvisionnement pour les Forces de terre et de mer qui seraient fournies tomberont à la charge de la Puissance qui aura demandé le secours.

ARTICLE V.

Quoique les deux Hautes Parties Contractantes soient sincèrement intentionnés de maintenir cet engagement jusqu’au terme le plus éloigné, comme il se pourrait que dans la suite les circonstances exigeassent qu’il fût apporté quelques changemens à ce Traité, on est convenu de fixer sa durée à huit ans, à dater du jour de l’échange des Ratifications Impériales. Les deux Parties, avant l’expiration de ce terme, se concerteront suivant l’état où seront les choses à cette époque, sur le renouvellement du dit Traité.

ARTICLE VI.

Le présent Traité d’Alliance défensive sera ratifié par les deux Hautes Parties Contractantes, et les Ratifications en seront échangées à Constantinople, dans le terme de deux mois, ou plutôt si faire se peut.

Le présent Instrument, contenant six Articles, et auquel il sera mis la dernière main par l’échange des ratifications respectives, ayant été arrêté entre nous, nous l’avons signé et scellé de nos Sceaux, en vertu de nos pleins pouvoirs, et délivré, en échange contre un autre pareil, entre les mains des Plénipotentiaires de la Sublime Porte Ottomane.

Fait à Constantinople, le 26 Juin, l’an mil huit cent trente-trois (le 20 de la lune de Safer, l’an 1249 de l’Hégire).

(Signé)
Cte. Alexis Orloff (L. S.)

(Signé)
A. Bouteneff (L. S.)

Separate Article of the Treaty of Alliance concluded between Russia and Turkey, on the 8th of July, 1833.

En vertu d’une des clauses d’Article 1er du Traité Patent d’Alliance défensive conclu entre la Sublime Porte et la Cour Impériale de Russie, les deux Hautes Parties Contractantes sont tenues de se prêter mutuellement des secours matériels et l’assistance la plus efficace pour la sûreté de leurs états respectifs. Néanmoins, comme S. M. l’Empereur de toutes les Russies voulant épargner à la Sublime Porte Ottomane la charge et les embarras qui résulteraient pour elle de la prestation d’un secours matériel, ne demandera pas ce secours si les circonstances mettaient la S. Porte dans l’obligation de le fournir, la Sublime Porte Ottomane à la place du secours qu’elle doit prêter au besoin d’après le principe de réciprocité du Traité Patent, devrait borner son action en faveur de la Cour Impériale de Russie à fermer le détroit des Dardanelles, c’est à dire, à ne permettre à aucun bâtiment de guerre étranger d’y entrer sous aucun prétexte quelconque.

Le présent Article séparé et sécret aura la même force et valeur que s’il était inséré mot à mot dans le Traité d’Alliance défensive de ce jour.

Fait à Constantinople le 26 Juin, l’an mil huit cent trente-trois (le 20 de la lune de Safer, l’an 1249 de l’Hégire).

(Signé)
Cte. Alexis Orloff (L. S.)

(Signé)
A. Bouteneff (L. S.)

APPENDIX B.

TREATY BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY, CONCLUDED AT ST. PETERSBURG, BY ACHMET PACHA, ON THE 29th OF JANUARY, 1834.

Translation.

The most high and most puissant Ottoman Emperor, my benefactor and master, on the one part, and the most high and most magnanimous Emperor of all the Russias, on the other, animated by the desire with which they are inspired by the sincere friendship, cordiality, and confidence, that happily exist between them, to arrange definitively certain points of the Treaty concluded between the two High Powers at Adrianople, which have not been hitherto carried into execution, have named for this purpose as their Plenipotentiaries, that is to say, H. M. the Ottoman Emperor, His Excellency Mouchir Ahmed Pacha, Military Counsellor of the Seraglio, Ambassador Extraordinary of the Sublime Porte at the Imperial Court of Russia, &c. &c., and H. M. the Emperor of Russia, their Excellencies the Count Nesselrode, Vice-Chancellor of the Empire, and the Count Alexis Orloff, General of Cavalry, Aide-de-Camp of the Emperor, &c. &c., who, after having reciprocally shown their full powers, have agreed on the following Articles:

ARTICLE I.

The two high Courts having deemed it necessary to establish, as has been already stipulated in the Treaty of Adrianople, a line of demarcation between the two Empires in the East, such as may henceforth prevent every species of dispute and discussion, it has been agreed that a line should be traced that should completely obstruct the depredations which the neighbouring tribes have been in the habit of committing, and which have more than once compromised the relations of neighbourhood and friendship between the two Empires. Accordingly, and as Commissioners on both sides have examined the localities, and obtained the necessary information for this purpose, the two Contracting Parties have resolved to proceed to the settlement of the frontiers in such a way as that the object wisely laid down in the Treaty of Adrianople should be completely fulfilled; and with that view they have adopted, with common accord, the line which may be seen traced in red on the map which is appended to the present treaty.

Conformably to the fourth Article of the Treaty of Adrianople, this line departs from Port St. Nicolo on the coast of the Black Sea, follows the actual frontiers of Guriel, ascends as far as the frontiers of Juira, thence traverses the Province of Akhiskha, and strikes the point where the provinces of Akhiskha and of Cars are reunited to the Province of Georgia. Thus the greatest part of the Province of Akhiskha remains, together with the other countries and territories mentioned in the said Treaty, under the dominion of the Sublime Porte, as may be seen by the map, of which two copies have been made and collated by the Plenipotentiaries of the two Powers, and which, considered as forming part of the present Treaty, are to be subjoined to it, as evidence of the manner in which the future limits of the two empires have been settled.

After the exchange of the ratifications of the present Treaty and as soon as posts shall have been erected by the Commissioners named on both sides, according to the line traced on the map, from one end to the other, the Russian troops shall evacuate the territories situated beyond that line, and shall retire within the limits which it prescribes. So also the Mussulmans who inhabit the inconsiderable territories which are comprised within the line that passes by the Sandjack of Ghroubhan and the extremities of the Sandjacks of Ponskron and of Djildir, and who may wish to establish themselves within the territories of the Sublime Porte, shall be at liberty, within the term of eighteen months, from the date of the exchange of the ratifications of the Treaty, to arrange the affairs which attach them to the country, and to transport themselves to the Turkish States without molestation.

ARTICLE II.

By the Instrument executed separately at Adrianople relative to the Principalities of Wallachia and Moldavia, the Sublime Porte had undertaken to recognise formally the regulations made, while the Russian troops occupied those Provinces, by the Principal inhabitants with reference to their internal administration; the Sublime Porte finding nothing in the Articles of that Constitution which can affect its rights of Sovereignty, consents henceforth to recognise formally the said Constitution.

It engages to publish in this respect a Firman, accompanied by a Hatti Sherif, two months after the exchange of ratifications, and to give a copy of the same to the Russian Mission at Constantinople.

After the formal recognition of the Constitution, the Hospodars of Wallachia and Moldavia shall be named, but for this time only, and as a case entirely peculiar, in the manner which was agreed upon some time ago between the two Contracting Powers, and they will proceed to govern the two Provinces conformably to the Constitution, in pursuance of the stipulations above mentioned.

His Majesty the Emperor of Russia wishing to afford a new proof of the regard and consideration which he entertains towards his Highness, and to hasten the moment when the Sublime Porte shall exercise the rights which the Treaties secure to it over the two Provinces, will order his troops, as soon as the Princes shall have been named, to retire from the two Provinces. This point shall be executed two months after the nomination of the Princes. And as a compensation is due in all justice for the advantages which the Sublime Porte grants as a favour to the Wallachians and Moldavians, it is agreed and ordained that the annual tribute, which the two Provinces ought to pay according to the Treaties, shall be fixed henceforth at six thousand purses (that is to say, at three millions of Turkish piastres); and the Princes shall take care that this sum be annually paid, counting from the 1st of January, 1835.

It is agreed between the two Courts that the number of troops, which shall be employed as garrisons in the interior of the two Provinces, shall be fixed in an invariable manner and with the approbation of the Porte, and that the latter is to give colours to the garrisons, and a flag to the Valacho-Moldavian merchant vessels which navigate the Danube.

ARTICLE III.

With respect to the desire manifested by His Highness to execute scrupulously the engagements which he has undertaken by the third Article of the explanatory and separate Act which is appended to the Treaty of Adrianople, and by the Treaty of Petersburg relative thereunto, H. M. the Emperor of all the Russias is most willing to afford to the Sublime Porte new facilities for the execution of the engagements imposed by the Acts above mentioned, and it is accordingly agreed:

1º. That although it has been stipulated by the second Article of the Treaty of St. Petersburg, that the Sublime Porte shall pay annually, and during eight years, one million of Dutch ducats, it shall pay only five hundred thousand ducats per annum.

2º. That the Sublime Porte be no longer obliged, as it has hitherto been, to pay in the month of May, each year, and at one time only, the whole yearly sum, and that it shall henceforth pay the five hundred thousand ducats by degrees, but the entire sum within the interval from the month of May of one year to the month of May in the following year.

3º. That his Imperial Majesty renounces his right to demand the difference, which arose at the period of each payment of the portion of the indemnities for the expenses of the war and the commercial claims, between the price at which the Sublime Porte paid the ducat in Turkish piastres, and the real value of the ducats.

4º. That moreover, his Imperial Majesty, taking into consideration the embarrassments in which the Treasury of that Empire has been lately involved, consents to the immediate defalcation of two millions of ducats, which is the third of the amount of the indemnities for the expenses of the war.

5º. That considering the defalcation above announced, and the other arrangements already mentioned, the sum total of the indemnities amounts to four millions of Dutch ducats, of which the first portion to be paid in one year, as one account, consists of 500,000 ducats, and which shall be paid from the 1st of May, 1834, to the 1st of May, 1835, and the corresponding portions in the following years shall be paid in the same manner until the whole debt be discharged; but upon the condition that the assurances, guarantees, and facilities stipulated by Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, and 9 of the Treaty of St. Petersburg shall preserve down to that period all their force, as if they had been inserted word for word in the present Treaty.

CONCLUSION.

In virtue of the powers which have been given me, I have concluded the present Treaty, which shall be ratified by the Contracting Parties, and the ratification of which shall be exchanged at Constantinople, within the term of six weeks, or sooner if possible; I have affixed to it my seal and signature, and I have delivered it to their Excellencies the Plenipotentiaries of the Court of Russia at Petersburg, in exchange for the counterpart which they have delivered to me.

Done the 18th Ramazan,
1249.

APPENDIX B.

TREATY BETWEEN RUSSIA AND TURKEY, CONCLUDED AT ST. PETERSBURG, BY ACHMET PACHA, ON THE 29th OF JANUARY, 1834.

Traduction.

Le très haut et très puissant Empereur Ottoman, mon bienfaiteur et maître, d’une part, et le très haut et très magnanime Empereur de toutes les Russies, de l’autre, animés du désir, que leur inspirent l’amitié sincère, la securité et la confiance qui existent heureusement entre eux, d’arranger définitivement certains points du Traité conclu entre les deux Hautes Puissances à Andrinople, lesquels n’ont pas été mis à exécution jusqu’à présent, ont nommé à cet effet pour leurs Plénipotentiaires, savoir, Sa Majesté l’Empereur Ottoman, Son Excellence Mouchir Ahmed Pacha, Conseiller Militaire du Sérail, Ambassadeur Extraordinaire de la Sublime Porte à la Cour Impériale de Russie, &c. &c. et Sa Majesté l’Empereur de Russie, leurs Excellences le Comte Nesselrode, Vice-Chancelier de l’Empire, et le Comte Alexis Orloff, Général de Cavalerie, Aide-de-Camp de l’Empereur, &c. &c. lesquels, après avoir montré réciproquement leurs pleins pouvoirs, sont convenus des Articles suivans:

ARTICLE I.

Les deux hautes Cours ayant jugé nécessaire d’établir, ainsi qu’il est stipulé dans le Traité d’Andrinople, une ligne de démarcation entre les deux Empires dans l’Orient, capable de prévenir désormais toute espèce de disputes et de discussion, il a été convenu que l’on tracerait une linge qui peut empêcher entièrement les déprédations que les peuplades circonvoisines commettaient, et qui ont plus d’une fois compromis les relations de voisinage et d’amitié entre les deux Empires. En conséquence et après que des Commissaires de part et d’autre ont examiné les lieux, et pris des renseignemens à cet égard, les deux Parties Contractantes ont résolu de procéder à la fixation des frontières de manière à ce que le but qu’on s’est sagement proposé dans le Traité d’Andrinople fût complètement rempli; et pour cela, elles ont adopté, de commun accord, la ligne que l’on voit tracée en couleur rouge dans la carte qui est jointe au présent Traité.

Conformément au IVme Article du Traité d’Andrinople, cette ligne part du Port de St. Nicolo, sur la côte de la mer noire, suit les frontières actuelles de la Province de Guriel, monte jusqu’aux confins d’Iuira, et de là elle traverse la Province d’Akhiskha, et elle aboutit au point où les Provinces d’Akhiskha et de Cars se réunissent à la Province de la Georgie. Ainsi la plus grande partie de la Province d’Akhiskha reste, avec les autres pays et terres dont il est question dans le dit Traite, sous la domination de la Sublime Porte, comme on voit par la carte dont deux de copies ont été faites et collationnées par les Plénipotentiaires des deux Puissances, et qui, considérées comme faisant partie du présent Traité, doivent y être jointes, pour y voir la manière dont les limites futures des deux Empires ont étés fixées.

Après l’échange des ratifications du présent Traité, et aussitôt que l’on aura fait planter des poteaux par des Commissaires nommés de part et d’autre, d’après la ligne tracée dans la carte, d’un bout à l’autre, les troupes Russes évacueront les terres situées au dehors de cette ligne, et se retireront dans les bornes qu’elle prescrit. De même les Mussulmans qui se trouvent dans les terres peu considérables qui sont comprises dans la ligne qui passe devant le Sandjack de Ghroubhan et des extrémités des Sandjacks de Ponskron et de Djildir, lesquels voudront s’établir dans les terres de la Sublime Porte, pourront, dans le terme de dix-huit mois, à dater du jour de l’échange des Ratifications du Traité, finir les affaires qui les attachaient au pays, et se transporter dans les Etats Turcs, sans que l’on y mette obstacle.

ARTICLE II.

Par l’Instrument fait séparément à Andrinople relativement au Principautés de la Valachie et de la Moldavie, la Sublime Porte a pris l’engagement de reconnaître formellement les règlemens faits, pendant que les troupes Russes occupaient ces Provinces, par les principaux habitans sur leur administration intérieure; la Sublime Porte ne trouvant rien dans les Articles de cette Constitution, qui puisse affecter ses droits de Souveraineté, consent dès à présent à reconnaître formellement la dite Constitution.

Elle s’engage à publier à cet égard un Firman, accompagné d’un Hatti Sherif, deux mois après l’échange des ratifications, et à donner une copie du même à la Mission Russe à Constantinople,

Après la reconnaissance formelle de la Constitution, les Hospodars de Valachie et de Moldavie seront nommés, mais pour cette seule fois-ci, et comme un cas tout particulier, de la manière qui a été convenue, il y a quelque tems, entre les deux Puissances Contractantes, et ils commenceront à gouverner les deux Provinces conformément à la Constitution, laquelle est une suite des stipulations dont il a été parlé plus haut.

Sa Majesté l’Empereur de Russie voulant donner une nouvelle preuve des égards et de la considération qu’il a pour Sa Hautesse, et hâter le moment ou la Sublime Porte usera des droits que les Traités lui assurent sur les deux Provinces, ordonnera à ses troupes, une fois que les Princes auront été nommés, de se retirer des deux Provinces. Ce point aura son exécution deux mois après la nomination des Princes. Et comme une compensation est dû en toute justice pour les avantages que la Sublime Porte accorde par faveur aux Valaques et aux Moldaves, il est convenu et arrêté que le tribut annuel, que les deux Provinces doivent lui payer d’après les Traités, est fixé desormais à six mille bourses (c. à d. à trois millions de piastres Turques); et les Princes auront soin que cette somme lui soit payée annuellement à compter du 1 Janvier, 1835.

Il est convenu entre les deux Cours que le nombre des Troupes, qui seront employées comme garnisons dans l’intérieur des deux Provinces, sera fixé d’une manière invariable et au gré de la Sublime Porte, et que celle-ci donnera les drapeaux aux garnisons, et le pavillon aux bâtimens marchands Valaco-Moldaves qui naviguent sur le Danube.

ARTICLE III.

En égard au désir témoigné par Sa Hautesse d’exécuter scrupuleusement les engagemens qu’elle a pris par le troisième Article de l’Acte explicatif et separé qui fait suite au Traité d’Andrinople, et par le Traité de Pétersbourg y rélatif, Sa Majesté l’Empereur de toutes les Russies a bien voulu offrir de nouvelles facilités dans l’exécution des engagemens imposés par les Actes ci-dessus mentionnés à la Sublime Porte, et par conséquent il est convenu:

1º. Que quoiqu’il ait été stipulé par le second Article du Traité de St. Pétersbourg, que la Sublime Porte payera annuellement, et pendant huit ans, un million de ducats de Hollande, elle ne payera que cinq cent mille ducats par an.

2º. Que la Sublime Porte n’est plus obligée, comme elle l’était jusqu’ici, de payer au mois de Mai de chaque année, et en une seule fois, tout l’argent qui était dû pour l’année, et qu’elle paiera desormais les cinq cent mille ducats peu à peu, mais en entier dans l’intervalle du mois de Mai d’une année au mois de Mai de l’année suivante.

3º. Que Sa Majesté Impériale renonce à son droit de demander la différénce, qu’il y avait à l’époque de chaque paiement de la portion des indemnités pour les frais de la guerre et pour le commerce, entre le prix auquel la Sublime Porte payait le ducat en piastres Turques, et la véritable valeur des ducats.

4º. Qu’en outre, Sa Majesté Impériale, prenant en considération les embarras dans lesquels le Trésor de cet Empire s’est trouvé dernièrement, consent à défalquer sur le champ deux millions de ducats, ce qui est le tiers du solde des indemnités pour les frais de la guerre.

5º. Que vu la défalcation ci-dessus énoncée et les autres dispositions dont il a été parlé plus haut, le total des indemnités est de quatre millions de ducats de Hollande, dont la première portion à payer dans un an, comme une compte, consiste en 500,000 ducats, et sera payé du 1er Mai, 1834, au 1er Mai, 1835, et les portions préalables dans les années suivantes seront payées de la même manière jusqu’à l’acquittement de la dette; mais à condition que les assurances, les garanties, et les facilités stipulées par les Articles 4, 5, 6, 7, et 9, du Traité de St. Pétersbourg conserveront, jusqu’alors toute leur vigueur, comme s’ils étaient insérées mot à mot dans le présent Traité.

CONCLUSION.

En vertu des pouvoirs qui m’ont été donnés, j’ai conclu le présent Traité, qui sera ratifié par les deux Parties Contractantes, et dont les ratifications seront échangées à Constantinople, dans le terme de six semaines, ou plutôt si faire se pourra; j’y ai apposé mon cachet, et mis ma signature, et je l’ai remis à leurs Excellences les Plénipotentiaires de la Cour de Russie à Pétersbourg, en échange de la pièce qu’ils m’ont remise.

Fait le 18 Ramazan, 1249.

END OF VOL. I.

C. WHITING, BEAUFORT HOUSE, STRAND.

FOOTNOTES

[1] The peasant sometimes places his staff upon the back of his shoulders grasping it tightly at the same time with each hand lifted as he walks. In this manner it affords relief to his back and chest, and also supports his arms.

[2] La Allah ila Allah, Muhammed Resoul Allah (No God but God, Mahomet Prophet of God).

TRANSCRIBERS’ NOTES

New original cover art included with this eBook is granted to the public domain.

The music file is the music transcriber's interpretation of the printed notation and is placed in the public domain.

In the original text, Appendices A and B were printed in two columns, with the French version on the left side of each page and the English translation on the right. In this version, the texts have been separated: the complete English text appears first, followed by the full French text.

The last listing in the “List of Plates” is: Frontispiece, Vol. II. Towing boats on the Danube. This illustration does not appear in Vol. I, but is used as the Frontispiece for Vol. II.

In some cases, the placement of the illustrations has been adjusted to better align with the text.

Page headings have been placed as sidenotes and enclosed in ‘♦’ symbols.

Original spellings have been kept as printed with the following exceptions:

- Page v: “no” changed to “not” in - “...the steam-boats do not yet regularly proceed further...”

- Page v: a period was added to end of sentence - “...down the Danube than Galacz.”

- Page vi: “poceeding” changed to “proceeding” - “...this strange proceeding on the part of...”

- Page 45: “it-” changed to “its” - “...the day had now nearly reached its close...”

- Page 50: a period was added to end of sentence - “...then the lead passes on to him who does.”

- Page 50: “an” changed to “and” - “...rose from its bed in the sand and floated into deeper water...”

- Page 62: “winte” changed to “winter” - “...have no chance of being extricated from their position until the winter...”

- Page 71: “mmediately” changed to “immediately” - “...we should have immediately quitted Moldava...”

- Page 85: a period was added to end of sentence - “... more than one volcanic convulsion.”

- Page 191: an “I” added to beginning of the sentence - “I calculated that it would take a day...”

- Page 244: “Forsets” changed to “Forests” - “...of the way—Forests of Hæmus—...”

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Table of Contents

- A STEAM VOYAGE DOWN THE DANUBE.

- CONTENTS TO VOL. I

- LIST OF PLATES.

- CHAPTER I.

- CHAPTER II.

- CHAPTER III.

- CHAPTER IV.

- CHAPTER V.

- CHAPTER VI.

- CHAPTER VII.

- CHAPTER VIII.

- CHAPTER IX.

- CHAPTER X.

- CHAPTER XI.

- CHAPTER XII.

- CHAPTER XIII.

- CHAPTER XIV.

- APPENDIX A.

- ARTICLE I.

- ARTICLE II.

- ARTICLE III.

- ARTICLE IV.

- ARTICLE V.

- ARTICLE VI.

- APPENDIX A.

- ARTICLE I.

- ARTICLE II.

- ARTICLE III.

- ARTICLE IV.

- ARTICLE V.

- ARTICLE VI.

- APPENDIX B.

- ARTICLE I.

- ARTICLE II.

- ARTICLE III.

- CONCLUSION.

- APPENDIX B.

- ARTICLE I.

- ARTICLE II.

- ARTICLE III.

- THE FULL PROJECT GUTENBERG™ LICENSE