Chapter I: Front Matter

ROUND ABOUT THE CARPATHIANS

BY

ANDREW F. CROSSE

FELLOW OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY

WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS
EDINBURGH AND LONDON
MDCCCLXXVIII

_The Right of translation is reserved_

MUIR AND PATERSON, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

CONTENTS.

PAGE

CHAPTER I.

Down the Danube from Buda-Pest--Amusements on board the steamer--Basiash--Drive to Oravicza by Weisskirchen--Ladies of Oravicza--Gipsy music--Finding an old school-fellow--The _czardas_. 1

CHAPTER II.

Consequences of trying to buy a horse--An expedition into Servia--Fine scenery--The peasants of New Moldova--Szechenyi road--Geology of the defile of Kasan--Crossing the Danube--Milanovacz--Drive to Maidenpek--Fearful storm in the mountains--Miserable quarters for the night--Extent of this storm--The disastrous effects of the same storm at Buda-Pest--Great loss of life. 15

CHAPTER III.

Maidenpek--Well-to-do condition of Servians--Lady Mary Wortley Montague's journey through Servia--Troubles in Bulgaria--Communists at Negotin--Copper mines--Forest ride--Robbers on the road--Kucainia--Belo-breska--Across the Danube--Detention at customhouse--Weisskirchen--Sleeping Wallacks. 33

CHAPTER IV.

Variety of races in Hungary--Wallacks or Roumains--Statistics--Savage outbreak of the Wallacks in former years--Panslavic ideas--Roumanians and their origin--Priests of the Greek Church--Destruction of forests--Spirit of Communism--Incendiary fires. 46

CHAPTER V.

Paraffine-works in Oravicza--Gold mine--Coal mines at Auima-Steirdorf--Geology--States Railway Company's mines--Bribery 54

CHAPTER VI.

Mineral wealth of the Banat--Wild ride to Dognacska--Equipment for a riding tour--An afternoon nap and its consequences--Copper mines--Self-help--Rare insects--Moravicza--Rare minerals--Deutsch Bogsan--Reschitza 58

CHAPTER VII.

Election at Oravicza--Officialism--Reforms--Society--Ride to Szaszka--Fine views--Drenkova--Character of the Serbs--Svenica--Rough night walk through the forest 70

CHAPTER VIII.

Hospitable welcome at Uibanya--Excursion to the Servian side of the Danube--Ascent of the Stierberg--Bivouac in the woods--Magnificent views towards the Balkans--Fourteen eagles disturbed--Wallack dance 83

CHAPTER IX.

A hunting expedition proposed--Drive from Uibanya to Orsova--Oriental aspect of the market-place--Cserna Valley--Hercules-Bad, Mehadia--Post-office mistakes--Drive to Karansebes--Rough customers _en route_--Lawlessness--Fair at Karansebes--Podolian cattle--Ferocious dogs 90

CHAPTER X.

Post-office at Karansebes--Good headquarters for a sportsman--Preparations for a week in the mountains--The party starting for the hunt--Adventures by the way--Fine trees--Game--Hut in the forest--Beauty of the scenery in the Southern Carpathians 104

CHAPTER XI.

Chamois and bear hunting--First battue--Luxurious dinner 5000 feet above the sea-level--Storm in the night--Discomforts--The bear's supper--The eagle's breakfast--Second and third day's shooting--Baking a friend as a cure for fever--Striking camp--View into Roumania 118

CHAPTER XII.

Back at Mehadia--Troubles about a carriage--An unexpected night on the road--Return to Karansebes--On horseback through the Iron Gate Pass--Varhely, the ancient capital of Dacia--Roman remains--Beauty of the Hatszeg Valley 131

CHAPTER XIII.

Hungarian hospitality--Wallack laziness--Fishing--"Settled gipsies"--Anecdote--Old _régime_--Fire--Old Roman bath--The avifauna of Transylvania--Fly-fishing 140

CHAPTER XIV.

On horseback to Petrosèny--A new town--Valuable coal-fields--Killing fish with dynamite and poison--Singular manner of repairing roads--Hungarian patriotism--Story of Hunyadi Janos--Intrusion of the Moslems into Europe 152

CHAPTER XV.

Hunting for a guide--School statistics--Old times--Over the mountains to Herrmannstadt--Night in the open--Nearly setting the forest on fire--Orlat 160

CHAPTER XVI.

Herrmannstadt--Saxon immigrants--Museum--Places of interest in the neighbourhood--The fortress-churches--Heltau--The Rothen Thurm Pass--Turkish incursions 173

CHAPTER XVII.

Magyar intolerance of the German--Patriotic revival of the Magyar language--Ride from Herrmannstadt to Kronstadt--The village of Zeiden--Curious scene in church--Reformation in Transylvania--Political bitterness between Saxons and Magyars in 1848 184

CHAPTER XVIII.

Political difficulties--Impatient criticism of foreigners--Hungary has everything to do--Tenant-farmers wanted--Wages 195

CHAPTER XIX.

Want of progress amongst the Saxons--The Burzenland--Kronstadt--Mixed character of its inhabitants--Szeklers--General Bem's campaign 199

CHAPTER XX.

The Tomöscher Pass--Projected railway from Kronstadt to Bucharest--Visit to the cavalry barracks at Rosenau--Terzburg Pass--Dr Daubeny on the extinct volcanoes of Hungary--Professor Judd on mineral deposits 209

CHAPTER XXI.

A ride through Szeklerland--Warnings about robbers--Büksad--A look at the sulphur deposits on Mount Büdos--A lonely lake--An invitation to Tusnad 219

CHAPTER XXII.

The baths of Tusnad--The state of affairs before 1848--Inequality of taxation--Reform--The existing land laws--Communal property--Complete registration of titles to estates--Question of entail 232

CHAPTER XXIII.

Fine scenery in Szeklerland--Csik Szent Marton--Absence of inns--The Szekler's love of lawsuits--Csik Szereda--Hospitality along the road--Wallack atrocities in 1848--The Wallacks not Panslavists 243

CHAPTER XXIV.

Ride to Szent Domokos--Difficulty about quarters--Interesting host--Jewish question in Hungary--Taxation--Financial matters 252

CHAPTER XXV.

Copper mine of Balanbanya--Miners in the wine-shop--Ride to St Miklos--Visit to an Armenian family--Capture of a robber--Cold ride to the baths of Borsék 260

CHAPTER XXVI.

Moldavian frontier--Tölgyes--Excitement about robbers--Attempt at extortion--A ride over the mountains--Return to St Miklos 275

CHAPTER XXVII.

Toplicza--Armenian hospitality--A bear-hunt--A ride over to the frontier of Bukovina--Destruction of timber--Maladministration of State property--An unpleasant night on the mountain--Snowstorm 282

CHAPTER XXVIII.

Visits at Transylvanian châteaux--Society--Dogs--Amusements at Klausenburg--Magyar poets--Count Istvan Széchenyi--Baron Eötvos--'The Village Notary'--Hungarian self-criticism--Literary taste 291

CHAPTER XXIX.

A visit at Schloss B------National characteristics--Robber stories--Origin of the "poor lads"--Audacity of the robbers--Anecdote of Deák and the housebreaker--Romantic story of a robber chief 302

CHAPTER XXX.

Return to Buda-Pest--All-Souls' Day--The cemetery--Secret burial of Count Louis Batthyanyi--High rate of mortality at Buda-Pest 315

CHAPTER XXXI.

Skating--Death and funeral of Deák--Deák's policy--Uneasiness about the rise of the Danube--Great excitement about inundations--The capital in danger--Night scene on the embankment--Firing the danger-signal--The great calamity averted 321

CHAPTER XXXII.

Results of the Danube inundations--State of things at Baja--Terrible condition of New Pest--Injuries sustained by the island garden of St. Marguerite--Charity organisation 335

CHAPTER XXXIII.

Expedition to the Marmaros Mountains--Railways in Hungary--The train stopping for a rest--The Alföld--Shepherds of the plain--Wild appearance of the Rusniacks--Slavs of Northern Hungary--Marmaros Szigeth--Difficulty in slinging a hammock--The Jews of Karasconfalu--Soda manufactory at Boeska--Romantic scenery--Salt mines--Subterranean lake 339

CHAPTER XXXIV.

The Tokay district--Visit at Schloss G------Wild-boar hunting--Incidents of the chase 355

CHAPTER XXXV.

Tokay vineyards--The vine-grower's difficulties--Geology of the Hegyalia--The Pope's compliment to the wine of Tállya--Towns of the Hegyalia--Farming--System of wages at harvest--The different sorts of Tokay wine 364

_Map of the Banat and Transylvania with Mr Crosse's route._

ROUND ABOUT THE CARPATHIANS.