^Cl y hS:^ 0 jr - - % mu at ia T RAVEL S FROM VIENNA THROUGH LOWER HUNGARY; WITH SOME REMARKS ON THE STATE OF VIENNA DURING THE CONGRESS, IN THE YEAR 1814. BY RICHARD BRIGHT, M. D, EDINBURGH: PRINTED FOR ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE AND COMPANY, EDINBURGH; AND LONGMAN, HURST, REES, ORME, AND BROWN, LONDON. 1818. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016 https://archive.org/details/travelsfromviennOObrig PREFACE. It has been the object of the author, in the following work, to lay before his readers the in- formation he has collected respecting the state of a country but little examined by Englishmen, be- cause placed beyond the usual circuit of the tra- veller’s observation. Amongst the labourers who have hitherto gathered in the same field, Townson has, undoubtedly, been the most industrious; and his merits have been acknowledged for a period of twenty years. That Hungary has shared less than most other European states, in the rapid events to which the arms and the ambition of mo- dern times have given rise, is true ; she has had her eventful days ; she has experienced her 'ii VI PREFACE. years of splendour, and her centuries of oppres- sion ; she has felt the devastations of war, while other countries saw them but afar off ; and it has at length been her lot to remain comparatively tranquil, whilst other countries were convulsed. Modern events have, however, wrought changes in her condition, and the patriotism of her nobles is producing an extensive, though gradual, im- provement in her internal prosperity. The silent changes of a season of tranquillity, no less than the alterations which rapidly follow each other during periods of public commotion, are objects of research to the Historian and to the Political Economist; and it is the humble duty of the Tra- veller to collect, under all the varieties of circum- stance, such materials as may supply a ground- work for connected history, and for general deduc- tion. Correct observation and faithful statement are the cardinal virtues on which his character must depend ; and if in these simple merits the following work should not be found wanting, the object of its author’s ambition will be fulfilled. The reader who seeks for elaborate political dis- quisition, or the amusement derived from private anecdote, will be disappointed. The work con- tains little more than the plain statement of the ob- jects which were seen ; and where it was thought PREFACE. Vll necessary to go beyond the sphere of personal observation, German authorities, of established merit, have been relied upon. This is more particularly the case with regard to all statisti- cal accounts, where the assistance of the valu- able works of Schwartner and of Bisenger, and of some recent periodical publications, cannot he too fully acknowledged. It was, at one time, intended to subjoin a sketch of the lit erature of the country ; hut, upon this in- teresting subject, it is not possible to write with a hasty pen ; and the materials, which were still but imperfectly collected, had already shewn themselves too extensive to be compressed with- in the short limits of a chapter. It was not with out great reluctance that the author relinquished this object, being sensible that the true spirit and condition of a nation can never be appreciated, without some insight into the progress of its intel- lectual culture. He trusts, however, that the design which is deferred, will not be forgotten, and antici- pates with much pleasure, those hours in which he may pursue his labours upon the subject, with a view of presenting them in a more acceptable form to the public. With this intention firmly on his mind, he has not thought it necessary to suppress the promises, which occur more than once in the Vlll PREFACE. preseut volume ; and, although they no longer refer to pages within its own limits, he ventures to hope that they will be accomplished. Of the mode in which his performance has been executed, it is not for the author to speak at large ; and, whatever anxiety he may experience in submitting himself to the public, he feels, that he approaches them in a form which gives him no right to demand more than justice, or to solicit more than candour. If there be any point which appears to him peculiarly open to criticism, it is the minuteness of detail with which he has some- times treated matters connected with rural econo- my. This, however, has been done, with the wish of introducing the reader, as much as pos- sible, to a knowledge of the actual state of a truly agricultural people ; and they, to whom the con- dition of eight million of their fellow-creatures is a matter of any interest, will not shrink from the perusal of a work, because they perceive it to contain a few minute details. The arrangement is subject to those imperfections which generally arise where the form of Journal has been adopted ; but an Index is supplied, with the intention of remedying this inconvenience. The first two chapters cannot be considered as immediately connected with the main subject of PREFACE. IX the work ; yet, viewing Vienna as the capital of the great monarchy to which Hungary is closely attached, and remembering the interest of the pe- riod which here passes under a hasty review, the propriety of introducing these chapters will not, it is hoped, be disputed. The Appendix is composed of several indepen- dent articles, serving to illustrate various points occurring in the text, and some of them, in con- junction with observations in other parts of the work, will assist in conveying information on the statistics of the whole Austrian empire. To one valuable communication (in the Appendix) the author particularly claims attention. It was writ- ten by a friend during a residence in Spain in 1816-17? and although it speaks of a tribe of peo- ple inhabiting that peninsula, is strictly connected with the history of a curious part of the Hunga- rian population ; a tribe which, under the various appellations of Bohemien, Zigeuner, Cygany, Tschingenes, Gitano, or Gypsey, has sprinkled it- self over the whole face of Europe. The attention of the author had been formerly called to this subject, by perusing the elaborate dissertation of Grellman, which appeared at Gottingen in the year 1783. When he found himself surrounded by these people in Hungary, he was naturally led h X PREFACE. to inquire into their habits and condition. .After- his return, he was proceeding to investigate their fate in this country, when the appearance of the work of Hoyland, by shewing that the inquiry had already fallen into more efficient hands, put a stop to his pursuits, and, since that time, several perio- dical publications have furnished more of those scattered notices, from which we may hope, at some time, to collect satisfactorily the history of this extraordinary race. The author, from the ob- servations of his friend in Spain, and from his own observations in Hungary, offers his contribution to the common stock. With respect to the maps which accompany this volume, it may with confidence be asserted, that they are derived from the most authentic sources ; and that, whatever may be the inaccuracies, insepa- rable from the want of complete and connected tri- gonometrical surveys, they will be found fully ade- quate to all the practical purposes, both of the tra- veller and of the reader. It has been deemed right, in both of these maps, to introduce much more than the country actually visited, because observations are constantly occurring, which embrace not only the whole of Hungary, but of Transylvania, and the military frontier. To acknowledge the favours which have been PREFACE. XI received in the progress of this volume, and during the period to which it refers, would be to comment upon every page, and to relate again the proceed- ings of each separate day; the author must, there- fore, content himself with a general acknowledg- ment, the sincerity of which they who know him best will best appreciate. In one instance, which occurs in page 444* the author has detected a fact so imperfectly stated, as to leave an unfavourable impression re- specting a body of his own countrymen, for whom he feels a most unfeigned esteem. In that passage, a remark is casually introduced, in reference to the jail of Bristol; and after describing its former condition, he has omitted to add, that the citizens, long sensible of its glaring imperfections, have united their exertions to remove an evil so repug- nant to every feeling of humanity ; and that consi- derable progress has been already made in the erec- tion of a spacious jail, for criminals and debtors, on a plan in which perfect security is made con- sistent with every attention to the health and refor- mation of the prisoners. Should the good ex- ample, now general in this country, be instru- mental in leading the great Hungarian proprietors to adopt improvements, suitable to their peculiar situation, England will have fresh reason to rejoice Xll PREFACE. in its humane endeavours ; and the Author of the present volume will feel some satisfaction, if he should have exercised but a remote influence in forwarding this important object. London , March 1818 , CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF THE SOVEREIGNS OF HUNGARY. It is judged expedient to insert, in this place, a chrono- logical List of the Potentates who have at different periods swayed the sceptre of Hungary, which may serve as a clue to assist the reader in connecting the scattered historical facts oc- curring, but scarcely forming an important part in the present volume. The Dukes of Hungary. From A. D. 884, Arpad. From A. D. 947, Torus. 889, Arzab. 972, Geisa. 907, Zoltau. 997, Stephan. Kings of Hungary. From A. D. 1000, Stephan I. From A. D. 1095, Kolomann. 1038, Peter I. 1114, Stephan II. 1040,' Samuel. 1131, Bela II. 1041, Peter II. 1141, Geisa II. 1044, Peter III. 1160, Stephan III. 1046, Andrew I. 1162, Ladislas II. 1060, Bela I. 1162, Stephan IV. 1063, Salomon. 1162, Stephan V. 1074, Geisa I. 1173, Bela III. 1077, Ladislas. 1196, Emmerich. XIV LIST OF THE SOVEREIGNS OF HUNGARY. From A.D. 1204, Ladislas III. From A.D. 1382, Maria I. 1205, Andrew II. 1385, Charles II. of 1235, Bela IV. Naples. 1270, Stephan VI. 1385, Maria II. 1272, Ladislas IV. 1387, Sigismond. 1290, Andrew III. 1437, Albert. 1301, Wenzel of 1440, Elizabeth. Bohemia. 1442, Wladislaus I. 1304, Otho of Ba- 1444, Ladislas V. varia. 1457, Mathias. 1307, Charles I. of 1490, Wladislaus II. Naples. 1516, Louis II. 1342, Louis I. 1526, John Zapolga. Kings of Hungary , of the Austrian Line. From A.D. 1527, Ferdinand I. From A.D. 1705, Joseph I. 1563, Maximilian. 1711, Charles II. * 1576, Rodolph. 1740, Maria The- 1608, Mathias II. resia. 1619, Ferdinand II. 1780, Joseph II. 1637, Ferdinand III. 1790, Leopold II. 1657, Leopold I. 1792, Francis I. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Vienna.— The Redoute. — Congress.— Carrousel. — Court.— Imperial Hunt. — Pri- vate Entertainments. — Evening Amusements. — Dinner Parties.— Theatres.— Tableaux. — The Prater, and other places of public resort. — A Party on Sledges. — Festivals of the Church. — Holy Week. — Death of the Marshal Prince de Ligne. — Empress Maria Louisa. — Prince of Parma. — 'Uncertainty in In- telligence of the Negociations. — The Imperial Vault - Page 3 CHAPTER II. Vignette — Partial View of Vienna. Gallery of Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen. — Imperial Collection of Paintings.— Private Collections. — Cabinet of Count Lamberg. — Etruscan Vases. — Im- perial Collection of Antiques. — Figured Glass. — Treasury. — Professor Barth.— Work in Mosaic. — Monument by Canova. — Academy of the Fine Arts. — University. — Other Institutions for Education.— Libraries.- — Collection of Manufactures. — Learned Men. — Medical and Charitable Establishments.— Nuremberg, the birth-place of Albert Diirer. - - 51 CHAPTER III. Vignette— Hungarian Post- Travelling. Leave Vienna.— Pressbiirg.— Appearance of Country and Peasants. — -Tyrnau.— Freystadt. — Neutra. — Urmeny, the residence of Graf Hunyadi. — Introduction of Horse-racing.— Breeding Stud. — Cyganis. — Lands possessed by Nobles alone. — State of Peasants, and the services required of them. — Interior of a Peasant’s Habitation. - - sJ4< CHAPTER IV. Vignette — Cattle and Agricultural Implements. Urmeny. — Hungarian Granary,. — Succession of Crops. — Large Flocks of improved Sheep. — Great attention to the breed and folding. — Horned Cattle. — Leave Ur- meny. — Appearance of the Country.— -Leva. — A Funeral. — Batha.- — Stein- bach.— Approach and arrival at Schemnitz.— Minute Regulations for manage- ment of Sheep. - - - - - 120 XVI CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. Vignette — Machine for raising the Water from the Mines. Schemnitz. — General description of the Mining District. — Windschacht— Machinery— Drawings. — Stephani-schacht. — Preparation of the Ores. — Poch- werk. — Smelting and Refining. — Mining College. — -Leave Schemnitz. — Glas- Hiitte. — Szent Kereszt. — Kremnitz. — Separation of Gold and Silver. — Alloy. — Mint. — Quantity of precious Metals obtained.— Process of Amalgamation, as practised in Saxony.— Return to Schemnitz. - Page 146 CHAPTER VI Vignette- — Concert performed by the Cyganis of Sagh. Leave Schemnitz. — Maroth. — -Sagh. — Cyganis. — Description of Country. — Jews. — Waitzen Extensive Plain. — Debretzin. — Pestb. — Buden, or Ofen. — Thea- tres.— Fair at Pesth. — Weights and Measures. — Manufactures. — Attempts to cultivate Sugar, Cotton, Coffee, &c. — Produce of the Land. — Canals. — Com- merce. — Exports and Imports. — Libraries. — Museum. — Coals, Salt, &c. — ■ Hospital. — Botanic Garden— New Observatory. — Baths. — Police.— Historical Sketch of Pesth and Buda — Komorn. — Raab. - - 186 CHAPTER VII. Vignette — Maria Theresia and Joseph the Second. Historical Sketch. — King of Hungary. — His Privileges. — His Power with respect to the Catholic, Protestant, and Greek Churches. — The Palatine and other ^Officers of State. — Nobles. — Free Citizens — The Diet. — Revenue. — Army. 300 CHAPTER VIII. Vignette — A Dance performed by Hungarian Peasant Boys. Vosendorf. — Laxenburg. — The Ritter Schloss. — Baaden. — Schonau. — Gardens of Baron Brown. — Cotton Manufacture. — CEdenburg. — Eisenstadt. — Neusied- ler-See Nagy Barom. Croatians. Guns. Stein-am-Anger.- Ovid’s Tomb. — Szalaber. — Keszthely. — Georgicon. — Agricultural Societies and Insti- tutions. — Cultivation of F ruit Trees. — Keszi. — Hill of Csobantz. — Sheep Farm . — Improvers of Sheep. — Vineyards. — Their Effects on the Peasantry. — Minera- logy of the Hill Badacson. — Rich Wines.— Szigliget. — Geological Remarks.— The Vineyard of Sz. Gyorgy Hegy. - 327 CHAPTER IX. Vignette — Interior of an Hungarian Prison. Breeding Stud— Balaton Lake. — National Dance. — Keresztur— Fishery. — Buf- faloes — Administration of Justice — Prisons. — Warm Spring of Heviz. — Mineral Waters in Hungary. — Hospital— Tortoises— Wild Boars. - 425 CONTENTS. xvii CHAPTER X. Vignette — Interior of a Peasant's House on the Murafcos. Leave Keszthely.— Sz. Miklos.— The Murakos.— Attempts to cultivate Silk.— Csaktornya.— Peculiarity in the Inhabitants of this District.— Varasdin.— Spring of Naphtha.—* Prison.— Dairy.— Maize.— Gold Washing. - Page 453 CHAPTER XI. Vignette — A Croatian Cottage. Croatia.— The Military Frontiers.— Ludbregh.— Csurgo.— Agriculture.— Bees and Honey.— Forests— Prison.— Cyganis, or Gypsies. - 486 CHAPTER XII. Vignette — Walachian Settlement near the Drave, Badocsa.— -Csokonya.— Graf Szechenyi.— Peasantry.— -German Settlements.— Walachians.— Their Language, History, and Manners.— Szigetvar.— Fiinf- kirchen.— Bishop Klimo.— Library— Churches.— Market.— Manna.— Domes- tic Manners.— Processions and Pilgrimages.— Various Religions.— Clergy. Revenue of the Church. - 545 CHAPTER XIII. Vignette — Prisoners going to their Daily W orlc. Peasantry.— Mohacs.—Szexard.— Wine.— Tolna.— Tobacco.— Saffron.— Fold- var. — Plains of Hungary.— Extent.— Inhabitants and Open Lands of Aus- tria.— Disease amongst Cattle.— Duke Albert.— Pesth.— Marton Vasar.— Pe- culiarities of Husbandry and Condition of Peasantry. — -Stuhlweissenburg.— Earthquakes.— Palota.— Bakony Forest.— Fungi.— Sumeg.— Kormond.— Frontiers of Hungary.— Styria. — Gratz.— Public Institutions. — Joannaeum.— Manufactures and Commerce.— Iron.— Salt.— Agriculture. — Schottwien. 593 c xviii CONTENTS. APPENDIX. General View of the Kingdom of Hungary. - - - iii Statistical Account of the Mines of Hungary. - . xvii Coronation of Joseph I. King of Hungary. - - xxvii An Account of the Vineyards of Menes. - xlii Statement of the Extent and Produce of the Austrian Vineyards. liii Statement of the Extent and Produce of the Arable Lands in Austria. lvii Account of the Wild Boy discovered near the Neusiedler-see. - Ixii A List of the Works of Baron Jacquin. - - Ixiii State of the Gypsies in Spain, 1817. - Ixv List of Words used by the Gypsey, Gitano, and Cygani. - - Ixxviii Vocabulary. “ - - - Ixxx Index. xciii MAPS. Hungary. Hungary, Transylvania, and the surrounding Countries. - App. xvi PLATES. The Market at Batha, Frontispiece. Neutra. -------- 1.02 Schemnitz and the surrounding Country. - - - 148 The Town of Kremnitz with the Silver Works. 168 Amalgam Works near Frey berg. - - - - - 182 Distant View of Waitzen on the Danube. - 193 View of Buda and part of Pesth. - 280 The Balaton Lake seen from Keszthely. - ... 360 Varasdin from the Murakos. - - - - 474 Funfkirchen. ------- 574 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. CHAPTER I. Vienna. — The JRedoute. — Congress. — Carrousel. — Court. — Im- perial Hunt. — Private Entertainments. — Evening Amuse- ments. — Dinner Parties. — Theatres. — Tableaux. — The Prater , and other places of public resort. — A party on sledges. — Festi- vals of the church. — Holy -week. — Death of the Marshal Prince de Ligne.- — Empress Maria Louisa. — Prince of Par- ma. — Uncertainty in intelligence of the negociations . — The Im- perial Vault. I had already passed several months in Holland, and different; parts of Germany, when the expected dissolution of the con- gress, which had assembled at Vienna in the autumn of 1814 v 4 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY, [Ch. I. Vienna. induced me to hasten towards that capital ; since I was natu- rally anxious to become a spectator of this most extraordinary assemblage. At Dresden, I was assured that the whole was al- ready brought to a close, and was thus induced to remain quietly for some weeks. When I had advanced as far as Prague, I was hurried on by the report that a few days still remained ; during my approach to Vienna, the account changed at every town, and, on entering the capital in the latter end of Novem- ber, we were told that the congress would certainly continue for weeks, and probably for months ; in short, that no one could foresee its termination. I soon procured a lodging in a busy and dirty inn in the commercial part of the city, which was much frequented by Greeks, Armenians, and Eastern merchants. It was built in the form of a hollow square ; the communication between the rooms was by open galleries ; and the internal space into which they looked was crowded with tilted waggons, shattered ca- lashes, and other swinging and springless machines, which will not submit themselves to the English nomenclature. My apartment was large and desolate, without a carpet, but provided with an earthen stove in one corner, and a little wooden bed-stead in another. Such are the miserable accom- modations in most of the inns at Vienna. The windows, however, which were double, looked into a busy street, lying in the direct line between the gayer parts of the town, and the great public drive called the Prater, and, as it was at an hour when many carriages were rolling towards that spot, the scene was lively, and put me more in mind of London than any thing 1 had before seen in Germany. Many of the equi- pages were handsome, well attended by servants, and kept with care. After some time, I walked into the streets, — a ser- vice of danger ; for most of them are narrow, and the sides, which are paved with flat square stones for the convenience of TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. CHAPTE R I. Vienna. — The Redoute. — Congress . — Carrousel. — Court. — Im- perial Hunt. — Private Entertainments. — Evening Amuse- ments. — Dinner Parties . — Theatres Tableaux . — The Prater, and other places of public resort. — A Party on Sledges. — Festi- vals of the Church. — Holy Week. — Death of the Marshal Prince de Ligne. — Empress Maria Louisa. — Prince of Par - ma. — Uncertainty in Intelligence of the Negociations . — The Imperial Vault . { had already passed several months in Holland, and different parts of Germany, when the expected dissolution of the Con- gress, which had assembled at Vienna in the autumn of 1814, induced me to hasten towards that capital, as I was natu- 4 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna- rally anxious to become a spectator of this most extraordinary assemblage. At Dresden, I was assured that the whole was already brought to a close, and amidst varying rumours, I re- mained for some weeks in that interesting neighbourhood. Having advanced as far as Prague, I was hurried on by the re- port that a few days still remained ; during my approach to Vienna, the account changed at every town ; and, on entering the capital in the latter end of November, we were told that the Congress would certainly continue for weeks, and probably for months ; in short, that no one could foresee its termination. I soon procured a lodging in a busy and dirty inn in the commercial part of the city, which was much frequented by Greeks, Armenians, and Eastern merchants. It was built in the form of a hollow square ; the communication between the rooms was by open galleries ; and the internal space into which they looked was crowded with tilted waggons, shattered ca- lashes, and other swinging and springless machines, which will not submit themselves to the English nomenclature. My apartment was large and desolate, without a carpet, but provided with an earthen stove in one corner, and a little wooden bedstead in another. Such are the miserable accom- modations in most of the inns at Vienna. The windows, however, which were double, looked into a busy street, lying in the direct line between the gayer parts of the town, and the great public drive called the Prater, and, as it was at an hour when many carriages were rolling towards that spot, the scene was lively, and put me more in mind of London than any thing I had before seen in Germany. Many of the equi- pages were handsome, well attended with servants, and kept with care. After some time, I walked into the streets, — a ser- vice of danger; for most of them are narrow, and the sides, which are paved with flat square stones for the convenience of Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 5 walking, and are, on that account, greatly praised throughout the whole empire, are so little elevated above the carriage tract, that the foot passenger has no safety but in the judg- ment of the charioteer, who frequently risks an encounter with your feet, rather than with the wheels of a passing carriage. The coachmen, however, give some warning of their approach, by a species of unintelligible roar, a little in accent like the language in which a Lancashire carter converses with his team ; but not less peremptory than the rapid “ by your leave” of a Bath chairman. When, by courage or good luck, I could snatch an opportunity to cast a look upwards, I observed that many of the houses were large, and handsomely built, and all of them very high ; but, owing to the narrowness of the streets, there is a prevailing gloom, and it is only in a few of the more open parts that the real beauty of the buildings can de- velope itself. The shops display a considerable variety of goods, though frequently a square glazed case of patterns hanging at the door is the only mark by which the nature of the shopkeeper’s dealings is indicated. Besides this, a small board, projecting into the street from above each door, bears some painted sign, as the Golden Fleece, the Sceptre, the Schwartzenburg Head, or the Holy Ghost. It may not, perhaps, be improper, thus early in my narra- tive, to introduce a slight description of the general situation and character of this city. Stating, at the same time, a few of the principal events which have had an influence over its ex- ternal state and appearance, as they have forwarded or retard- ed its internal prosperity. The city of Vienna is situated on a plain where the Danube divides itself into several branches, upon the southernmost of which the capital is built. It consists of two parts perfectly distinct. The city, properly so called, is surrounded by walls, bastions, and a dry fosse, forming a complete fortification ; 6 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. and the suburbs, which are surrounded by a line of circumvalla- tion, with barriers at all the openings, and are separated from the city by the Glacis , and an intervening space entirely free from buildings. The circuit of the inner fortification is less than three miles, whilst that of the external lines exceeds twelve ; including in this the line of the works, which occupies about two-thirds of the whole, and the natural line, formed by the branch of the Danube, which, touching at one part of the walls of the city, may be considered as forming one-third of the surrounding line of defence. A part of the suburbs is cut off by this branch of the river, being situated on the opposite side, and occupying part of a large island, formed by the di- vided streaYn. The whole population of this capital amounts to about 270,000, of which 200,000 reside in the extensive suburbs. The history of this city, situated almost upon the eastern confines of Germany, is crowded with eventful periods. It had been for many years a station of the Roman legions, and had afterwards successively fallen into the hands of the Goths and of the Huns, when Charlemagne in 791 attached it to the empire of the Francs. At this time, however, the walls includ- ed but a comparatively small space, and, when the church of St Stephen, which now stands nearly in the centre of the city, was built in 1144, by the margrave Henry II., it was without the walls. Under a succession of margraves and of dukes, the city was gradually improved by public buildings, and institutions ; and by fortifications, added or strengthened, according to the urgency of domestic and foreign danger. It was during this period, in the year 1365, that the Duke Ru- dolph IV. founded the university to which Maria Theresa, four centuries afterwards, gave its present form and importance. In 1484, Vienna sustained with courage, but without success, a siege by the Hungarians, under their king Mathias, who. Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 7 from that time, took up his residence in the city. On his death, however, the Emperor Maximilian was receiv- ed as Archduke, since which Vienna has always been the re- sidence of the Austrian Court. In 1529, the inhabitants, to defend themselves against the Turks ; who, taking advantage of the disturbed state of Hungary, had carried their arms in- to Austria ; were compelled to destroy the whole suburbs by fire, and to repair the imperfect fortifications with all pos- sible activity, and by these means were enabled, after suffering a siege of three weeks, to force the enemy to retire. In consequence of the warning which they received from this at- tack, the city was surrounded by the regular fortifications and walls, which still exist in many parts quite uninjured. In the year 1683, the Turks were again induced by the Hungarians to undertake the siege of Vienna, with a large army under the command of the vizier in person. The commandant of the town a second time destroyed the whole of the suburbs, and for two months maintained the city, when, other forces com- ing to the assistance of Vienna, the Turks again retired. The fortifications were then repaired, and the suburbs re- built ; and, in 1704, the lines of circumvallation were form- ed, to protect them from the incursions of the Hungarians, who were again agitated by revolt. From this time, under the successive reigns of Joseph I., of Charles IV., of Maria Theresa, of Joseph II., and the short reign of Leopold II., the public edifices and institutions of Vienna were greatly improved. In 1792, the present emperor succeeded, amidst the unpropitious omens of the French Revolution. In 1797, Vienna was again threatened with siege by the victorious ar- mies of France returning from Italy, — a danger which was averted by the treaty signed at Leoben. In 1805, however, on the breaking out of a new French war, the enemy was suf- fered quietly to take possession of Vienna, on the 13th of No- 8 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. vember. After remaining in the city for a month, the French troops withdrew, and Napoleon, having returned his thanks to the inhabitants for their loyal attachment to his person, enter- ed the city in triumph. In 1809, war again broke out be- tween Austria and France. After the battles fought from the 18th to the 22d of April, by Napoleon and the Archduke Charles, in the neighbourhood of Ratisbon, the enemy set themselves in march towards Vienna. The town prepared for siege. The French took possession of the suburbs without experiencing any resistance ; and the Emperor Napoleon, on the 9th of May, fixed his head-quarters at the palace of Shon- brun. On the 11th, at nine o’clock in the evening, the bom- bardment of the city commenced furiously in one part, while an attack was at the same time made upon another. Before three in the morning a capitulation was offered, and Marshal Oudinot had taken possession of the town before nine. Sub- sequently to this, the well-known battles of Wagram and of Asperne took place, and concluded in the armistice of July the 12th, and in the peace signed at Shbnbrun on the 14th of October. The French immediately began to destroy the for- tifications of Vienna ; and, before they left it, had made such extensive breaches, that their repair would require an immense labour and expence. The Austrians have at length perceived the impossibility of defending a town which is commanded by its suburbs, and justly feeling the calamities to which the inha- bitants of a fortified place are often exposed, have resolved not to repair the walls, and are now busily employed in pulling down several parts, in order to facilitate the approaches to the town. The events which followed the French campaign of 1809 in such rapid succession, and which finally gave rise to the general congress assembled at Vienna, are too fresh in the memory of every one to require any detail. Ch. i. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 9 On this short sketch of some of the prominent featured in the history of Vienna, it is by no means my intention to in- graft a political discussion ; it is introduced simply with the view of leading the reader to form correct ideas of the present state of the Austrian capital. He will at once form to him- self the picture of antiquated buildings piled up in successive stories, and of streets narrowed to the utmost by the trembling people who sought protection within the walls; and he will anticipate a town irregularly constructed by frequent addi- tions, yet ornamented by many substantial public edifices, aris- ing under the comparatively quiet and peaceful reigns which preceded that of the present monarch. In the suburbs he will look for a more regular and open plan of building, —for houses less elevated, — for gardens and places of recreation, — for the work-yards of artificers, — and the seat of many manufactures ; — and all this he will find. In fact, the city of Vienna and its suburbs, as it relates to the elevation of the buildings, approaches somewhat to the figure of a cone, of which the apex is formed by the steeple of St Stephen’s church, and the circumference of the basis by the external lines of fortification. The largest, highest, and best houses of the suburbs, are generally built in those parts which face towards the city, where are seen seve- ral fine streets, palaces of the nobility, and public institu- tions. The glacis, and the area which is always preserved free from buildings, is nearly a quarter of a mile in width, and is a most valuable means of securing the health of the inhabi- tants. My .first walk was short; and at an early hour I retired to the box, for it deserves no better name, which was destined to receive my weary limbs. From this I was roused in the morn- ing by a succession of visitors ; one presented himself as a chiropodist, another was a barber ; a woman came to supply 10 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna . me with tooth-brushes and trinkets ; a turbaned figure had beautiful amber mouth-pieces for tobacco-pipes ; and another excellent meerschaum tobacco-pipe heads. Having dismissed all my company, too little satisfied to induce them to repeat their visits, I had my breakfast, consisting, as is usual in Ger- many, of a jug of hot scalded milk, and another of coffee. It was Sunday ; the shops were all closed, and, in addition to the mass, which is daily and almost hourly celebrated in all the churches v sermons were preached in the German language. It is a day of more than ordinary festivity amongst all ranks ; the theatres are open in the evening ; and I was' strongly re- commended to visit a place of public amusement called the Redoute, where, in all probability, I should see many of the distinguished persons then collected at the Congress. Not having yet delivered my letters, I accompanied a gentle- man of Vienna, with whom I had made an accidental acquaint- ance. We entered the room about nine o’clock in the even- ing. It is a magnificent saloon, finely lighted, surrounded by a gallery, and forming a part of the large pile of building called the Bourg or Imperial Palace. Never was an assembly less ceremonious ; every one wore his hat ; many, till the room be- came heated, their great-coats ; and no one pretended to appear in an evening dress, except a few Englishmen, who, from the habits of our country, and some little vanity, generally attempt to distinguish themselves by an attention to outward appear- ance. Around the whole circumference of the room were four or five rows of benches, occupied, for the most part, by well- dressed females ; while the other parts presented a moving multitude, many of whom were in masks, or in dominos, and were busily engaged in talking and laughing, or dancing to the music of a powerful orchestra. My companion squeezed my arm, as we passed a thin figure with sallow shrunken features, 1 Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 11 of mild expression, with a neck, stiff, bending a little forwards, and walking badly. “ That is our Emperor.” I shook my head and smiled. He was alone, and dressed like the rest. “ Pray “ allow me to doubt a little till I have some farther proof.” — “ There, do you see that little man with white hair, a pale face, “ and aquiline nose ? He was almost pushed down as he passed “ the corner ; — that is the King of Denmark.” Again I shook my head in disbelief. “ Here the Emperor of Russia ap- “ proaches.” I looked up, and found the information true. His fine manly form, his round and smiling countenance, and his neat morning dress, were not to be mistaken ; they were the same which, some months before, I had seen enter the church at Harlem, to the thundering peals of the grand organ. I soon recognised the tall form, the solemn and grave features, of the King of Prussia ; and afterwards seeing these two in familiar conversation with the two monarchs, whose pretensions I had disputed, was satisfied their claims were just. “ That short, “ thick, old gentleman, is the Grand Duke of Saxe Weimar. “ That young man near him, the Crown Prince of Wirtemberg. “ Here, turn your eyes to that seat. The large elderly man, “ with a full face, — he looks like an Englishman, — he is the King “ of Bavaria.” — “ Pardon” I exclaimed, stepping quickly aside. “ That was the Grand Duke of Baaden,” said my monitor, “ whose toe you trod upon ; he was talking to Prince William “ of Prussia. Here, fall back a little to let these gentlemen “ pass, they seem very anxious to go on. One, two, three, four, “ five ; — these are all Archdukes of Austria. — There seems a “ little press towards that end of the room.— See, three women in “ masks have beset the King of Prussia ; he seems not a little “ puzzled what he shall do with them. — Now a party of waltzers “ draws the attention of the crowd, and the King is left to dispose “ of his fair assailants as he thinks fit. — Do you see that stout 12 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. “ tall man, who looks at the dance ? — he is the Duke of Saxe “ Coburg ; and by his side, not so stout as himself, is his brother the Prince Leopold.” — “ Who is this young man next to us, “ marked with the small-pox, who is speaking broken English ?” “ It is the Crown Prince of Bavaria; he is said to be very fond “ of your nation. And here,” giving me another hearty squeeze with his elbow, “ is an English milord.” He had upon his head a remarkably flat cocked hat, — two ladies in dominos leaned upon his arm. The hat, unique of its kind, rather excited a smile in my companion. After a little more pushing, for the room was now become very full, we encoun- tered a fine dark military looking man, not in uniform of course, but with mustachoes. u This was Beauharnois, viceroy of “ Italy.” In this way, for two or three hours, did we continue meeting and pushing amongst hundreds of men, each of whom, had he but made his appearance singly at a fashionable rout in London, would have furnished a paragraph to our newspapers, prints to our shops, titles to our bazaars, distinctive appellations to every article of our dress, and themes, if not ideas, to our poets. As the night advanced, refreshments were provided for those who paid for them, in apartments fitted for the purpose, and several rooms were opened, adjoining to the gallery, where the company might order suppers ; and the whole did not break up till a late hour in the morning. Such was my first intro- duction to some of the members of the Congress. I succeeded, with some difficulty, in procuring a private lodging, and daily increased my acquaintance with the town and its inhabitants. I was somewhat disappointed in the mag- nificence which I had anticipated, as attendant upon so import- ant an assemblage from all the powers of Europe. In fact, the splendour was entirely that of the Austrian Court, which Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 13 had given to its visitors a most imperial reception. No foreign royal equipages were seen in the streets ; but the carriages and servants of the Emperor were perpetually passing. All the imperial and royal guests were lodged in the Bourg. Each so- vereign had a complete suite of rooms in the lower part of this extensive building ; while their attendants, secretaries, physi- cians, and other officers, occupied the upper stories of the same edifice. For all these, establishments were regularly provided by the Austrian court. Every royal person had a separate equipage, with six or eight horses, and equerries, and a crowd of servants, as well appointed as those which attended imme- diately on the person of the Emperor. Neither were the po- tentates, the Emperor of Russia, and King of Prussia, the King of Bavaria, or the King of Wirtemberg, alone thus provided for, but the Empress of Russia also, the Queens and the Duchess of Oldenburg, were splendidly attended, and even each of their principal officers had a pair or four horses, ac- cording to his dignity, constantly at command. I have heard it asserted, that between two and three hundred imperial car- riages were in daily use, a very large proportion of which had, of course, been prepared for this occasion. They were all painted green, and adorned with either silver or gold. Many of them approached, though none of them equalled, either in elegance or workmanship, the best English carriages. In the grand square of the palace, four distinct royal guards were constantly mounted, each consisting of about fifty grena- diers ; they were stationed near the apartments of the respec- tive sovereigns, upon whom they attended ; and whenever the approach of a monarch or general officer was discovered by the sentinels on duty, the intelligence was passed in a yell more hideous than ever issued from the mouth of a Cherokee Indian, 14 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. The drum beat, and the whole stood under arms till the object of their salute had passed the gates of the square. It was, of course, one great object of the court to provide amusement for the strangers, and to afford the sovereigns as much variety as possible while the negociations were pending. Amongst the entertainments which were contrived to dissi- pate the ennui of royalty, nothing of the kind could well sur- „ pass the magnificence of a species of tournament, termed a Carrousel, performed by young men of noble birth, which took place in the beginning of December. The place appointed for this shew was the Imperial Riding- School ; a large saloon, surrounded by a narrow gallery about twelve feet from the ground, communicating with the apart- ments of the palace, and running behind the handsome Co- rinthian columns which supported a second gallery above. The whole was illuminated by chandeliers to a degree of bril- liancy which almost equalled the brightness of day. The accommodations were not calculated for above a thousand spectators, and these consisted of persons who, from their situa- tions and circumstances, had received orders for admission from the court. The seats at one end of the room were set apart for the Monarchs, and at the other for twenty T four ladies, whom we were to consider as the admired objects which would this even- ing call forth the utmost exertions of skill and prowess in the aspiring knights. At eight o’clock, the heralds sounded their trumpets, announcing the entrance of these fair ladies, who, conducted by the champion knights, took their places of dis- tinction. One would imagine that all the riches of Vienna had been collected to adorn the heads, necks, and persons of these four-and-twenty princesses. Their dresses of velvet and lace were covered with diamonds. They were divided into four companies, distinguished by the colours they wore ; — of Ch. i. Vienna :] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 15 one party the velvet was black, of another crimson, the third scarlet, and the fourth blue ; and the mantle of each knight corresponded with the dress of his dame. The knights were in Spanish costume, splendidly adorned with gold and silver. When the ladies were seated, and the knights had retired, the trumpets again sounded to declare the arrival of the court. On the entrance of the sovereigns, an universal applause en-> sued. The two Emperors took their places in the centre at the front, with the Empresses on each side, and then all the other sovereigns, princes, and potentates, in their order of prece- dency. They were all in their full uniform, with their orders and decorations, and formed the most magnificent assemblage of human beings which Europe could produce. The saloon now resounded with martial airs, and the twenty-four knights en- tered the arena, mounted on steeds with flowing manes, whose natural colours were scarcely to be traced through their gold embroidery and trappings. The knights, followed by six-and- thirty squires in more simple Spanish dresses, all mounted on jet-black horses, approached the sovereigns in a body, and saluted with 'their lances. Then, wheeling round with ra- pidity, they advanced and paid the same mark of respect to their ladies, who, standing up, graciously returned their salu- tation. The knights then, skilfully manoeuvring their well-ma- naged horses, retired from the hall ; but four of them quickly returned for the purpose of performing the various feats of skill appointed for the amusement of the day. For this pur- pose, figures had been placed in the arena, bearing the heads of Turks and Moors. Towards these each knight was to ad- vance, and, passing at full speed, strike off in succession all the heads with his sword, — was then in like manner to raise them from the ground with his weapon, and so in various ways give proof of prowess in the exercises of combat, when neither 16 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna . blood nor retaliation was expected. In succession all the knights entered in. parties of fours, and went through their evo- lutions with great variety of active exertion, a band of music constantly playing appropriate airs, or martial flourishes. A considerable time having been occupied by these amuse- ments, the scene again changed, and the whole company of knights and squires appeared together, and performed various elegant and rapid movements, skilfully directing their horses, while at full speed, in all the crossings, turnings, and windings, which give such lively confusion to the order of an English country dance. Other trials of skill succeeded, in which they passed their lances, at full speed, through rings, or disengaged small objects sus- pended at a height above them. The exercises being ended, the knights again saluted the court, and then their dames, and, encouraged by their smiles and applauses, soon reappear- ed to lead them in triumph to the ball, prepared in the grand saloon of the Redoute. There the whole company assembled in masks or dominos. The knights and their dames were still the objects of admiration ; for the royal personages w;ere gene- rally concealed in simple dominos, and very few of the maskers troubled themselves to maintain their characters with Spirit. A magnificent supper was prepared in an adjoining room, of which the dames, who were served by the obsequious hands of their knights, alone partook. The whole amply realized every anticipation of an imperial entertainment. Whatever was august in sovereignty, assisted as spectators of the car- rousel ; and not a knight entered the lists in whose veins the noblest blood of Europe did not flow. It called to mind the days of ancient chivalry, when these military sports formed so large a part of the amusements of the European courts ; and we were probably witnessing these games in the very country which first produced them. Many centuries have now elapsed Ch. x. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 17 since the Germans invented this mode of exercising their prowess on the effigies of their fierce invaders and implacable enemies the Turks ; and from them, probably, many of the peculiar insignias and exploits were adopted in the similar ex- hibitions of other nations. Grand Court days, such, for instance, as New-year’s-day, when every person who has been presented to the Emperor and Empress makes a point of attending, afford, perhaps, even a more splendid exhibition than the entertainment just de- scribed. The Court is usually held in the evening, beginning about seven o’clock, and breaking up about ten. On these occasions, a long and handsome suit of apartments is thrown open ; the floors of which are not concealed by carpets, but are richly inlaid with various devices. Several of them, oc- cupied as antichambers, and lined with guards and pages, lead to the hall, out of which lofty folding doors open into the principal saloon. There the Hungarian Guards, in their rich- est uniforms, are stationed. On entering the saloon, a much more dazzling scene of magnificence displays itself. The room is large, but its extent is somewhat lost in consequence of its great height. The roof is supported by pillars in imi- tation of finely polished marble, which reflect the lustres by which it is lighted. It is beyond my powers to describe the gay and splendid variety of dresses which were here display- ed. A large proportion of the men wore military uniforms, but such uniforms as even a Russian would fear to wear in the field by the side of a friendly Cossack. So interwoven with gold — so clasped with jewels — such diamond plumes — and such embroidered stars and orders, — that they bore the appearance of being the substantial fruits rather than the honourable tes- timonials of victorious arms. The few who were not in uni- form, were little inferior in the richness of their embroidered c IS TRAVELS IK LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. I. Vienna. suits, and added much to the variety of the scene. The ladies were generally in white, with gold and silver points and spangles ; their heads dressed with much simplicity, but rich- ly adorned with diamonds. The Empress and the ladies were seated ; the men conversed, standing together in the middle of the room, while a large party of dancers marched round and round, to the sound of music, in a quiet, graceful po- lonoise. And here an observer might read in the counte- nances of emperors and of kings, the same difficulties of con- versation, the same free or embarrassed address, which are oc- casionally met with in the intercourse of ordinary society. After pursuing their varied windings for a time, as if discon- tented with the narrow limits of their sphere, the dancers would venture, under the conduct of their gallant general, Prince Schwartzenburg, to explore the endless suit of apart- ments, ’till the music, almost dying on the ear, warned them to return. The thoughtful card-players let fall their cards, and even Prince Talleyrand raised his mouth, for a moment, above his handkerchief, to see the gay troops of royalty pass on. In the early part of their visit, the monarch s were twice en- tertained by a species of royal hunt ; deprived of the noblest features of this manly amusement, and degenerated into a cruel display of skill in a very ordinary art. The monarchs and royal personages, who were to be the chief actors in this tragedy, provided with fowling-pieces, placed themselves in certain stations within a large arena, which had been prepared for the purpose, several miles from the city, and was. sur- rounded by accommodations for a large assemblage of nobi- lity. Each of the sportsmen was attended by four pages, to assist in reloading, while yeomen armed with spears stood behind, to protect them from any danger which might threat- Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 19 en. All being thus artfully arranged, a number of wild boars, deer, hares, and other animals of chace, which had been before provided, were let loose in succession ; and the privileged sportsmen continued to fire till the whole were destroyed, or the destroyers were weary of their labour. It may excite some surprise ; but I was assured by one of the spectators, that, though all the monarchs were tolerable marksmen, none shot so well as the Empress of Austria, who always selected the hares, as the smallest objects, and never failed to kill with a single ball. The ladies, it was said, entered with spirit into this amusement, and seemed delighted at the sufferings of a poor fox, which, after being fired at till all his legs were bro- ken, still gasped for breath. The sanction of a court has great influence, at least on the freedom with which such feelings are expressed. Our Eng- lish females have as yet only learnt to admire the vigorous activity of a horse-race, which, figured in its least alluring co- lours, does not assimilate to the barbarity of a bull-fight, the delight of every Spanish lady ; or the carnage of an Austrian hunt. The Emperor, in providing a reception for his visitors, had not calculated on a protracted stay of so many months, and began to find some difficulty in varying their evening amuse- ments. Courts were held ; concerts were given ; the best boxes in all the theatres were furnished with convenience and splendour ; on the one side for the potentates, on the other for the ministers. Still, however, there was something flagging and heavy ; it was impossible to support the spirit of such entertainments week after week ; and the court was left very much to its own exertions, for the greater part of the high nobility, im- poverished by the war, and despairing of giving any private en- 20 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna . tertainments which would not be totally eclipsed in splendour by the imperial pageantry, of which they fomed a part, retired from the competition, and were not sorry to avail themselves of the excuse, that their necessary attendance on the court prevented them from their usual exercise of hospitality. Hence the society of Vienna, of which much has been said, suffered materially during the Congress, and comparatively few houses were open for the reception of strangers. Some entertainments given by individuals were, however, most splendid. These consisted very much of great diplo- matic dinners, at which every one was expected to appear in full uniform or court dress, the whole repast being conducted with a magnificence scarcely to be surpassed. On other occa- sions, the different ambassadors and ministers gave superb dress balls, at which all the monarchs were present; — where they danced freely, supped cheerfully, and parted late. One of the parties given by Prince Metternich, at his house in the neighbourhood of Vienna, was particularly interesting. It had been signified by the emperor, that his nobles would gratify him by appearing in the costumes of their respective peasants. With this wish they, of course, complied ; and the picturesque dresses and magnificent jewels formed a scene in which magic beauty, and princely wealth, were displayed in the most various and interesting combinations. On another occasion, Prince Razumowsky, the Russian am- bassador, gave an entertainment in his palace in the suburbs, at which, after a ball, a magnificent banquet was provided for no less than eight hundred guests, who were all conveniently seated at the tables, which were arranged through a grand suit of apartments. In the latter part of December, an assembly was proposed by Sir Sidney Smith, which, from its object, may likewise be i Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 21 considered interesting. It was a sort of Pic-nic, — a dinner and ball. Every ticket of admission was signed by a knight, and knights of every order in Christendom had that privilege. It was the purpose of our distinguished countryman to place the situation of the Christian slaves in the hands of the Bar- bary powers before the view of the assembled potentates, and to obtain for them at least some temporary relief. The Em- peror of Russia, the King of Prussia, the King of Denmark, the Austrian archdukes, and many others, were present. This entertainment was given at a place of public amusement called the Augarten ; and the ball, which followed, was a most splen- did, though not very numerous, assemblage. Pic-nic balls were by no means uncommon amusements, the distribution of the tickets being in the hands of those with whom they originated. Here the society was very se- lect ; and, as the trappings and restraints of court were put away, they were very pleasant. They were often held in the small room of the Redoute ; and, as the monarchs univer- sally joined in the dance, it was commonly restricted to the polonoise : for the rapid revolutions of the waltz were not deemed quite suitable to the dignity of these great personages. Upon the whole, however, this cheerful exercise was a great favourite with the imperial and royal visitors ; and, after hav- ing left them dancing at three in the morning, I have disco- vered them at the same employment before nine o’clock on the succeeding evening. Such were the amusements which gave rise to a remark from one who is well known to have said many things more strikingly witty, but few, perhaps, more true, — “ Le Congres,” said he, “ danse, mais il n’avance pas.” A celebrated minister, however, varied the mode of- applying the metaphor ; for, being one day asked how the Congress 22 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. went on, he answered nothing, but began significantly to rub his lame leg. Morning calls, those senseless caricatures of society, are not considered of the same importance in Vienna as in London. Usually when a stranger has been properly introduced to a fa- mily, he receives a general invitation, of which he is expect- ed to avail himself. Accordingly, he calls in the evening, or previously sends his servant ; and, if the lady of the house, or any of the family are at home, he is admitted, and then, as it happens, meets others, or is perhaps the only visitor. Easy conversation or cards, music and tea, chess or enigmas, fill up the evening ; or, if the party be numerous, dances and re- freshments, the rehearsal of poetry, or other exercises of mind or body, enliven the visit, and dispel the unpleasant restraints of society. The evening amusements in Germany are very various, and will sometimes almost fall under the dreaded denomination of puerile. Not content with requesting young ladies to recite verses, they will sometimes invert the natural order of things, and compel children to act plays, while grown people will play cross questions and crooked answers, or standing in a circle, and holding a cord in their hands, pass a ring from one to the other, imposing it upon some one of the party, to discover in whose possession it is to be found. Acting riddles is a favourite game, and one which is well calculated to amuse those, who wisely resolve' to be amused when they can. A cer- tain portion of the company retire into an adjoining room, where they concert together how best to represent by action the different syllables which compose a word, and then the meaning of the whole word. They presently return, and, carrying on their preconcerted action, require the company to resolve their riddle. Thus, for instance, on one occasion the Ch. I. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 23 word which was determined upon was Jumeaux. Some of the actors coming from their retirement, began to squeeze a lemon into a glass, calling the attention of the company very particu- larly to it by their action, thus representing Ju. Others came forwards imitating the various maladies and misfortunes of life, thus acting the syllable mectiix. Then, finally, tottered into the circle an Italian duke and a Prussian general, neither less than six feet in height, dressed in sheets and leading strings ; — a fine bouncing emblem of Jumeaux. Dinner parties, though not the regular every day amusement of life in Vienna, are not uncommon ; and at this period, besides those given by the inhabitants, the numerous strangers, some of whom had sufficiently large establishments, contributed to the number. There is much similarity in the style of dinners through- out Germany, and it has some points of peculiar excellence. The table is generally round or oval, so that each guest has means of intercourse with the whole party, even when it is large. It is covered, for the greater part, with a tasteful dis- play of sweets or fruits ; two places only being left, near the middle, for the more substantial dishes. Each person is pro- vided with a black bottle of light wine, and every cover .(even at a table d'hote) is furnished with a napkin and silver forks. The first dishes which occupy the vacant spaces are always soups ; they are quickly removed to the side tables, and distri- buted by the servants. In the meantime, the next dish is placed upon the table, taken off, carved, and carried round to the guests in precisely the same manner ; and so on, till every thing has been served. The plates are carefully changed, but the knives and forks very generally remain through the great- er part of the dinner, or, at best, are only wiped and returned. The dishes are so numerous, and the variety so great, that, as every body eats a little of every thing, they seldom take twice 24 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. of the same. The succession of luxuries is not exactly the same as with us. An Englishman is somewhat surprised to see a joint of meat followed by a fish, or a savoury dish usurp the place of one that was sweet. To conclude the ceremony, each servant takes .one of the sweetmeat ornaments of the table, and carries it, as he has done with the other dishes, to all the guests. During the whole of this time, the conversa- tion has been general and lively, and, beyond a doubt, much more interesting than that which is heard on similar occasions and in similar society in England, where its current is perpe- tually interrupted by the attention, which every one is bound to pay to the wants and wishes of persons at the most distant parts of the table. While the sweetmeats are served, a few glasses of some superior kinds of wine, which have likewise been distributed at intervals during the dinner, are carried round ; and then the company, both ladies and gentlemen, rise at the same time by a kind of mutual consent, which, as the rooms are seldom covered with a carpet, occasions no in- considerable noise. To this succeeds a general bowing and compliment from every one to each of the company individually, each “ hoping that the other has eaten a good dinner.” This peculiar phrase is precisely the counterpart of another always employed on the parting of friends about mid-day, expressing « a sincere hope that the other will eat a hearty dinner,” and is the form of civility most usual in Vienna. The party now adjourns into another apartment, where coffee is served, and where it is frequently joined by other visitors, chiefly men who come without particular invitation, to pay their respects, or converse on business, in the manner of a morning call, and prolong their visits as the movements of the first party indi- cate : for an invitation to dinner by no means necessarily im- plies that you are to spend your evening, or any part of it, at Ch. r. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 25 the house, or that the family has no other engagement as soon as dinner is concluded, and the guests have taken their coffee and liquors. As. the dinner is early, being always between twelve and five, the remainder of the evening is employed in various pursuits. A drive in the Prater, or to some place of public resort, a visit to the theatre, or a succession of the calls I have just described, employ the evening ; or, if the dinner has been very early, the party resume the occupations and business of the day. A very large proportion of the strangers who had come to Vienna upon business or pleasure were single men, or such as had left their families at home, without any idea of quit- ting them for so long a period ; and having no establishments, they generally resorted to the different traiteurs to dine, where it will easily be imagined that a singular variety of national character and language was to be found. Germans from all parts, Italians, French, Danes, English, Greeks, Armenians, Spanish, and Portuguese, all in promiscuous parties. The Poles and Russians have the greatest facility of conversation ; they acquire languages almost without trouble ; they begin in their earliest infancy, and readily address every one in his na- tive tongue. On the contrary, the English and French are the most deficient ; and frequently brought to my recollection the words of Bacon, who, in giving his instructions to the young traveller, says, “ He that travelleth into a country, before he hath some entrance into the language, goeth to school , and not to travel .” Indeed, obvious as this remark appears, it cannot be fully appreciated by one who has not experienced its truth. Let a man’s mind be of the highest character, and cultivated with the greatest care, if he be unable to conceive readily the force of other men’s arguments * or to express his own opinions with promptitude and correctness, he must be content to rank n. 26 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. beneath those to whom he is in truth greatly superior. A cor- rect knowledge of French, however, was all which was actually necessary in Vienna ; for, besides that it is generally spoken by the court, and well understood by all persons of moderate edu- cation, there were few strangers to whom it was not familiar. The German language is spoken in less purity at Vienna than in any other part of Germany. This circumstance has, no doubt, facilitated the introduction of French ; but its universal prevalence is perhaps best accounted for from the absolute ne- cessity of finding some one language, in which all the various nations composing the Austrian empire might be able to com- municate. Italian has, in this view, been much spoken at the court, and is still frequently introduced ; but French generally prevails amidst this confusion of tongues. Independently, however, of the difficulty which Englishmen often experience from their ignorance of the modern lan- guages, another still more serious obstacle arises from a punc- tilious disinclination to converse, without proper and regular in- troduction. An Englishman, if thrown by chance at the same table with strangers, will often eat his dinner in silence and gloom, and leave the party without condescending to make a bow of parting salutation. I have heard such an one complain, with a mixture of contempt and anger, of the forward freeness of these “ foreigners.” “ That impudent fellow began talking to me — I don’t know who he is.” Yet, in all probability, this despised companion bore the rank of a count, at least; for Vienna was at that time so full of noblesse, that I remember as I was one day going to dine at a traiteur with a friend, the only five persons we accosted were princes, and all of different nations ; indeed, a person without some title was scarcely to be found. In the evening, the theatre is the usual resource for the many i Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 27 who have no other more active engagement. The time and du- ration of the performances are very convenient. They begin about six, and conclude a little after nine. The play in Vienna is a recreation, — in London a fatigue. At Vienna you see the best national productions, and enjoy three comfortable hours ; whilst in London, it is necessary to derange the whole occupa- tions of the day, and at last to undergo many hours of fatigue and discomfort. The theatres at Vienna were all occupied by Ger- man companies ; the Italian opera having been lately discon- tinued. There are five of them, one which communicates with the palace, and is called the Palace Theatre ; and another called the Coertner-thor Theatre from its situation ; is likewise within the boundary of the city. The other three are in the suburbs. In the two former, as well as in the chief theatre of the sub- urbs, the representations are highly respectable, and the lan- guage spoken is pure. In the two smaller theatres, the pieces are generally of an inferior character ; and the German, even where it is not intended to imitate the low and vulgar dialect, is often extremely bad. The prices are all moderate, and the houses were generally well filled. The parterres ; which cor- respond to the English pit, but where places may be previously taken ; were full of strangers, the great majority men ; officers and diplomatists negligently dressed, though generally bearing some star or cross in token of their rank or services. The greatest decorum prevails in the house during the representa- tion j and England might, in this respect, again take a lesson, though the means employed detract much from the praises due to the result ; for the police military ; that is, police officers dressed in a particular livery, and wearing swords ; are placed in all the avenues. I never saw them usurp any unpleasant au- thority ; and the result certainly is, that a person who goes with a wish to hear the play, is not disappointed by the bursting out of 28 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Gh. I. Vienna. those noisy quarrels, which scarcely fail to interrupt the perform- ance in an English theatre. Nor is there any part of the house to which a party of the most delicate females might not resort with the greatest propriety. The performances are continued throughout the whole year, with the exception of the days pro- hibited by the Catholic kalendar, on many of which, however, concerts, public rehearsals, and a species of exhibition called a Tableau, are permitted. I shall say a few words of this latter amusement, as it is scarcely known in England, though often introduced in many parts of the continent ; and was, during the assembly of the Congress, more than once made the subject of court entertainments, in which some of the highest nobility performed. The nature of these exhibitions is, to represent by groups of living figures, the compositions of celebrated sculptors or paint- ers. With this view, the part of the apartment or theatre, be- yond which the tableau is to be placed, is darkened, and on rais- ing a curtain, the figures are discovered dressed in the costume which the painter has given them, and firmly fixed in the at- titude which his pencil had prescribed. The light is skilfully introduced, and other objects arranged, so as to give as near- ly as possible the effect of the original painting. After some minutes the curtain drops to give the performers time to rest, and relieve themselves from the painful attitudes which they are often obliged to maintain, and the curtain again drawn up, discovers them still in their characteristic postures. When the spectators are supposed to be satisfied with one picture, another is introduced, and thus several are exhibited in suc- cession. This generally forms only a part of the evening’s amusement, and is either accompanied by a theatrical per- formance, or, if in private, by dancing or music. I once wit- nessed a striking variety of this entertainment. At a certain Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 29 hour in the evening, in the midst of a splendid assembly, the folding doors of another room were suddenly thrown open, and what appeared to be a beautiful collection of wax figures, was displayed to our delighted eyes. They were placed on pe- destals, in recesses, or in groups, around the room. They re- presented heathen deities, or the gnomes and fairies with which the poets have peopled the regions of imagination,— with all their emblematical accompaniments and their dresses, which were selected with the greatest taste. These figures were re- presented by persons whom nature had favoured in a distin- guished manner ; they preserved an unmoved firmness of at- titude, and nothing interrupted the illusion they intended to create, but the animation of their eyes, and the smile which sometimes dimpled the cheek even of the rooted Daphne. To assert that this exhibition was beautiful, were to degrade its charms ; it seemed to throw a magic spell over the spectators, and the great difficulty was to induce them to retire, when it was actually necessary to relieve the figures from the painful position in which they stood. The Prater has already been mentioned as a place to which the people resort for amusement. It is situated on a large island formed by the Danube, and is a very magnificent orna- ment to the city, and a delightful place of recreation for its in- habitants. The principal drive is between double rows of horse-chesnut trees, and is above two miles long in a straight line. Many other drives and walks intersect the woods, but all the inter- vening space of turf and grove, with the exception of some preserves for game, is open to the pedestrian. The grand ave- nue terminates at one end, in extensive public walks, called the Augarten, where a large building is constructed with rooms for entertainments, and saloons for public balls and concerts ; 30 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna . while the garden, which affords a variety of arbours and reces- ses for tables in the open air, is laid out in avenues formed by cut hedges and magnificent trees, and occupies a space equal to half the city of Vienna. Near to the grand drive of the Prater are several houses for refreshments, and some buildings for public amusement ; — a circus for exhibitions of horsemanship, — a panorama, — several houses for what are called in Germany Carrousels, from their resemblance to horsemen in a tournament ; or, as we should term them, merry-go-rounds, — and a very high and exten- sive scaffolding for the display of fire- works, near to which is erected a kind of open theatre for the spectators. The whole island is adorned with elms of large and beautiful growth ; but, as it is flat and low, there are, near the banks of the river, ma- ny alders and willows, the latter of which have attained a most unusual size. To this delightful place the people flock in crowds, even during the winter, if a bright day invite them ; but, as the spring advances, and the trees begin to cover them- selves with leaves, and the days to lengthen, these visits are more general, and the hour of retiring becomes later. At this season it is not unusual to see a double unbroken row of car- riages extending for at least a mile, each preserving the exact line, to which it is strictly kept both by custom, and by the interference of men in the livery of the police, who are station- ed at regular distances. The assemblage of carriages in this procession is singular- ly varied. As the Emperor of Austria passes in one direc- tion, driving the Empress in a phaeton with a pair of quiet horses, and a single servant standing behind, the Count Trautmannsdorf, the master of the horse, is passing in the contrary direction, with a curricle or barouche and six. Im- mediately before the Emperor the carriage which impedes Cti. i. Vienna.'} TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 31 his progress is a fiacre, hired by a little shopkeeper to take his wife and child an airing in the Prater. Behind him, scarcely restrained by his orderly example, are the impatient wheels of a tilbury, guided by a young English lord ; next fol- lows a sort of truncated chariot, with a notch cut in the front to receive a coachman, folded in an old cloak, with ornaments of coarse fur, a large misshapen cocked hat, edged with tar- nished lace, and a short crooked pipe stuck in the corner of his mouth. — This carriage was hired by a young Polish count at the rate of twelve shillings per day, to be constantly in wait- ing for him. — The next carriage is an open landau, with four horses, very plain, nay, scarcely respectable ; it contains the King of Prussia and three of his diplomatic corps. Then the carriage of a wealthy banker ; next a green brischca , in which two young men are lounging at their ease ;— the cockade is Sar- dinian. The next is a chariot and four, with two postillions in blue, with cocked hats ; the livery is that of the Prince Liech- tenstein. Then follows an open carriage, with two very pretty women, well dressed, but rather gaily for the place ; — no one knows who they are. This curricle and pair, fitted out exact- ly in the English style, and followed by two out-riders, is the Prince N. Liechtenstein ; and this handsome English carriage, driven four-in-hand, which breaks a little from the line, is the English ambassador’s. On the turf gallops the Emperor of Russia upon a large grey horse, and with him Prince Eugene Beauharnois, subduing a fiery black. The Emperor is dressed in a blue coat and buckskins, and is followed by a single groom. Those who now spur their horses into a gallop, — follow a hare, — or, leap the rails ! — who does not know the country to which they belong ? Now a carriage draws up to the side near the houses of refreshment, and the Pasha of Widdin alights with his companion, and followed by a servant carrying his hookah, all 32 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. t. Vienna. are dressed in full Eastern costume, and the Pascha is going to enjoy his pipe over a cup of coffee. In short, the carriages and costumes of the whole of Europe, both civilized and unciviliz- ed, were at* this moment to be seen in the drive at Vienna. The numerous tables which stand beneath the groves of trees are filled with mixed parties ; they generally look like families ; some of the females have brought their work. A few officers out of uniform sit in groups, and, as they smoke, quietly enjoy the passing scene. Advancing into the wood, and leaving the grand drive, numbers of the common people are seen sitting at the tables smoking and drinking beer, or thronging about the buildings of the carrousels, to which a trumpeter from time to time calls their attention ; while, in an adjoining room, music in- vites the soldier and his sweetheart to mingle in the rapid waltz. If you have wandered in another direction, you have perhaps heard the report of fowling-pieces in such rapid succession, that you expected to meet a large party of sportsmen, but, to your surprise, have learned that a single individual is waging war up- on the young rooks. He is an Austrian nobleman, accompa- nied by four men in green jackets, each with a loaded fowling- piece ready to put into his master’s hands the moment he has discharged his own ; and thus the poor rooks would be sub- jected to a most continued galling fire of their enemy, were he but a more skilful marksman. The inhabitants of Vienna are not only much in the habit of frequenting the Prater, and there, in the enjoy- ment of little societies' under the green shade, dining or chatting over their coffee ; but frequently extend their excur- sions to those more distant spots, where some sweet retirement conceals from them the noise and bustle of the capital, and the uninteresting flatness of the country in which it is placed. At one time they will visit the delightfully wooded and varied Ch. r. Vienna . ] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 33 parks of. Dombach, at another, they climb the towers on the summit of the rocky Griffinstein, where they will point out to the Englishman who accompanies them, the den of solid tim- ber in which his monarch Richard is said, though perhaps not quite correctly, to have passed the period of his imprisonment. At another time they will visit the heights of the Johansberg, and, tracing the divided bed of the Danube, will mark, with regret, the whirlwinds of dust that float over to the city, to which the descending sun bids them again return ; or they will roam the day in the delicious mountain bosom of the Brill, look from the surrounding heights on the rough and al- pine features of Carinthia, or read the monumental lines en- graven on the temple raised by the gratitude of Prince Liech- tenstein to the memory of the four soldiers who fell in rescu- ing him from the enemy of their country. RUHET SANFT AUF DIESEN HOHEN EDLE GEBEINE TAPFERER CESTERREICHS KRIEGER RUHM BEDECKT BEY ASPERN UND WAGRAM GEFALLEN VERMAG EUER FREUND. NICHT DIE ENTSEELTEN LEICHNAME ZU BELEBEN,— SIE STETS ZU EHREN, 1ST SEINE PFLICHT. REST SOFTLY ON THESE HEIGHTS, . YE RELICS OF BRAVE AUSTRIAN WARRIORS, WHO, BEDECKED WITH GLORY, FELL AT ASPERN AND WAGRAM THOUGH IT BE DENIED YOUR FRIEND TO REANIMATE, IT IS HIS DUTY TO RENDER YOU UNCEASING HONOUR. The climate of Vienna, during the winter of 1814-15, was nearly as changeable as that of London : from the middle of December, however, till the middle of February, there was suf- ficient frost to keep the ground almost continually covered with snow. The thermometer was often at 25° of Fahrenheit, dur- ing the day, and at midnight seldom below 20°. At this period the streets of Vienna were crowded with sledges, the greater part E 34 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna . of the wheeled carriages having disappeared ; even the hack- ney coaches had been taken from their wheels to be hung up- on sledges. The horses’ heads were adorned with plumes, and, as they passed over the hardened snow without occasioning any sound, it became necessary to provide them with bells, which gave warning of their approach. From 50 or 100, ar- ranged in order, upon a piece of leather or velvet, placed up- on the horses’ shoulders, produced a lively and agreeable jing- ling sound on every motion of the animal. The scene afford- ed by these sledges is much more gay than that produced by an equal number of wheeled carriages ; there is always some emulation in adorning them with plumes or coloured cloths ; and amongst the nobility, the vanity of possessing rich and beautiful sledges was once carried to such excess, and produ- ced such large expences, that it was discouraged by the court. On the present occasion, however, the Emperor invited his nobility to assist in forming a magnificent procession of these vehicles for the amusement of his guests. The day appointed for this parade was Sunday, and the streets were, during the whole day, crowded with an expect- ing multitude. The greatest good order prevailed : arising in part from the accustomed subjection of an Austrian mob, and in part from the sedate and orderly feeling communicated by a Sunday dress. At two o’clock the procession began to move through the streets. It was indeed singularly beautiful. There were nearly forty sledges prepared for the purpose, "fitted up and adorned in the most splendid manner. They all varied in colour ; green, blue, red of every shade, covered with orna- mental work of gold and silver, and lined within with velvet and rich fur. They were generally built like light cars, for two persons, a gentleman driving, and a lady sitting by his side ; the former dressed in full uniform, the latter with high Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 35 plumes of feathers, rich dresses, and a notable quantity of rouge. The greater part of this assembly were royal persons ; two Emperors, three Kings, two or three hereditary prin’ces, se- veral archdukes ; amongst the ladies were two Empresses, two queens, archduchesses and princesses ; and with them were observed two of our own nobility. Each sledge was drawn by a single pair of horses, covered with richly embroidered cloths of gold, with plumes upon their heads and necks, and a great mass of silver or gilded bells hanging in the usual manner across their shoulders. A servant in a rich fur cloak stood behind each sledge, and between each, three or four equerries attended, in the uniforms and liveries of the Emperor, or of their respective masters. A band of military music pre- ceded on a large sledge constructed for the purpose, and a similar band followed. A body of horse soldiers went be- fore the whole, and another closed the procession. This brilliant pomp passed and repassed through all the principal streets of Vienna ; then, leaving the town, proceeded to a pa- lace of the Emperor at some distance, where a magnificent dinner and a theatrical exhibition had been prepared ; and, at ten o’clock, the procession returned by the light of torches. As it approached oyer the glacis, and open space between the walls of the city and its suburbs, the effect was very striking. The ground was covered with deep snow, and the winding course of the procession was marked like a river of fire, by the flames of the moving torches. When they entered the streets, the effect was, in a great degree, lost ; and, after a short cir- cuit, the ladies were conducted to their respective habitations. After seeing this exhibition, I went to a little card party, and afterwards to one of the masked balls at the Redoute, where I laughed with great princes, and flirted with masked 36 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch, i. Vienna. ladies, till a late hour, and thus concluded a Sabbath in the capital and court of this most Christian and Catholic country. I have already mentioned, that the festivities of Vienna are suspended or modified according to the instructions of the Ca- tholic kalendar. I shall now venture to describe a few of the religious ceremonials which occurred during my residence in that city, and produced some changes and interruptions in the usual course of amusement. The first of these took place about a month before Christmas. During the whole of Ad- vent, public balls were prohibited ; and, in the two days pre- vious to Christmas day, the theatres were closed, although a great concert was, on the 23d, given by the court. The bad weather prevented any public processions on Christmas day. It was, however, fully occupied in prayers and mass through all the churches, which were attended by great multitudes of people. I observed some of them most actively employed, at the same moment, upon their different religious duties. During the time they stood around the pulpit, as if listening to the sermon, their lips were in rapid motion repeating their prayers, their hands busily counted their beads, and their eyes were wandering from one object to the other, fixed for a moment, upon an altar, for a moment, upon an ornamented image, and then, for a moment, upon the sacred relics of a mouldering saint. After the sermon, a procession of priests and attendants passed through the assembled crowd, sprinkled the people with holy water, and invoked upon them the bles- sings of Heaven. These and similar ceremonies occupied the day ; but, in the evening, a grand piece of music, composed by Beethoven, and called the Battle of Vittoria, was given to a crowded assembly in the saloon of the Redoute. After this, all things proceeded with tolerable animation, the chief diver- sions being plays and concerts till the Epiphany. This holi- Ch- i. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 37 day was marked by constant services in the churches, by pro- cessions and prayers, and by the total cessation of all public diversions. It was a day of reflection, or it was so reputed, which preceded the commencement of the Carnival, the ‘‘period of most lively and unremitting amusement. Now the balls began in all their gaiety and spirit ; Pic-nics were supported in the redoute saloons ; public assemblies were frequented by the second class of the people at the hotels; and other still inferior balls were given in public rooms fitted for the purpose in almost every quarter of the city. All the theatres were open every night ; and private parties and splendid court en- tertainments were daily given. It was towards the close of this period that the first representation of the Carrousel, of which I have spoken, took place. Even during the period of public festivity, the observances of religion were not neglect- ed. Solemn days were held, and grand services and ceremo- nials were performed in the churches. Amongst these the mass, which was celebrated for the departed soul of Louis XVI. of France, deserves particular mention. A large monu- mental pyramid, covered with black cloth, was erected in the centre of St Stephen’s Church. On the steps of which it was formed, wax lights in large silver candlesticks, were arranged ; on the lowest, at each corner, sat a weeping figure ; on the summit, the crown, the sceptre, and the insignia of various or- ders, were deposited ; and high above the whole, another crown was suspended, from which black drapery flowed like a canopy ; the effect of which, as it floated in the deep darkness of the arched roof, was very striking. Besides this chief funereal de- coration, there were several similar ornaments placed in dif- ferent parts of the church. At the appointed hour, when the sovereigns and their suits, together with all the ambassadors, attended, a grand service was performed, and an oration, writ- 38 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. ten by Prince Talleyrand, was pronounced by a priest ; tlie whole ceremony occupying above two hours. The carnival and its amusements terminated in a grand mas- querade on the 6th of February; and all the people began early in the morning of the 7th to receive the ashes of re- pentance from the hands of the priests. Now commenced a period of less dissipation. The masquerades had ceased, and so had the public balls, but the theatres were still open. In the holy week, however, which arrived in March, all plays were prohibited, but declamation and music were even then allowed in the theatres. The churches were constantly open ; and, of the numberless ceremonies and processions, many were calculated to impress but little reverence. The rapid suc- cession of undignified action rather distracts than fixes the at- tention ; and though undoubtedly numbers of the worshippers were seriously and devoutly occupied in prayer, it seemed to be rather in spite of the interference of the priest, than in con- sequence of his assistance. On the Thursday of this week, which was the 24th of March, a singular religious ceremony was celebrated by the court. It is known in German Catholic countries by the name of the Fuss- waschung, or the “ washing of the feet.” The large saloon, in which public court entertainments are given, was fitted up for the purpose ; elevated benches and galleries were constructed round the room for the reception of the court and strangers ; and in the area, upon two raised platforms, tables were spread, at one of which sat twelve men, and at the other twelve wo- men. They had been selected from the oldest and most de- serving paupers, and were suitably clothed in black, with hand- kerchiefs and square collars of white muslin, and girdles round their waists. The emperor and empress, with the archdukes, and the arch- l Ch. i. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. duchesses, Leopoldine and Clementine, and their suits, having all previously attended mass in the Royal Chapel, entered and approached the table to the sound of solemn music. The Hungarian Guard followed in their most splendid uniform, with their leopard-skin jackets falling from their shoulders, and bearing trays of different meats, which the emperor, empress, archdukes, and attendants, placed on the table, in three succes- sive courses, before the poor men and women, who tasted a little, drank each a glass of wine, and answered a few questions put to them by their sovereigns. The tables were then re- moved, and the empress and her daughters the archduchesses, dressed in black, with pages bearing their trains, approached. Silver bowls were placed beneath the bare feet of the aged women. The grand chamberlain, in a humble posture, poured water upon the feet of each in succession, from a golden urn, and the empress wiped them with a fine napkin she held in her hand. The emperor performed the same ceremony on the feet of the men, and the rite concluded amidst the sounds of sacred music. On Good Friday, the burial of our Saviour was commemo- rated in all the churches. I saw it in St Stephen s. Service was first performed, at the grand altar, where the archbishop, bishop, and several of the clergy, officiated. During that time, the crucifix stood upon the altar, concealed from public view. But the veil was at length gradually drawn up, and the body of our Saviour exposed to the adoration of the people ; after which the priests, about twenty in number, clad in the most splendid habits of their order, formed themselves in proces- sion ; and in the midst stood the archbishop with robes of pur- ple lined with ermine, with a mitre of white silk embroidered with gold ; he was accompanied by the bishop, likewise in his full robes. The reverend archbishop, bending with age, bore 40 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. the crucifix. They moved solemnly down the middle aisle, pausing from time to time to pay homage to the sacred em- blem. They passed up the right aisle to an altar, where the archbishop placed the crucifix upon a bench covered with vel- vet ; and the priests and many attendants advancing in turn, prostrated themselves and kissed the body of our Saviour. Another service being performed, the whole proceeded as be- fore* but accompanied by persons bearing torches, to a chapel in a remote part of the church, where they deposited the cru- cifix with the utmost solemnity of prayer. Then, returning to the grand altar, they again employed themselves in prayer and chaunting, and at length arrived at the left aisle, which was completely darkened. The light of the torches here illuminat- ed a monumental group of angels in white marble, and a black cross hung with white drapery. Here they repeated similar ceremonies ; and soon after, having made another circuit through the church, the procession concluded. There was something in this solemnity more striking than is usual on such occasions. The effect was magnificent. The groups of adoring priests, — the fine Gothic architecture, — and the gloom which pervaded the church, — and the solemn music, were ad- mirably suited to recal a lively remembrance of the events it was intended to commemorate. During the whole day, the crucifix and the crucified body of our Saviour lay exposed in every church, that the people might pray by it, adore it, kiss, or embrace it, without interruption. In some of the churches, the images were in wax, and of the full size, giving a most exact and awful representation of real death, so that I was scarcely astonished at the emotion which was to be discovered in the countenances of maity delicate fe- males who prostrated themselves before these figures. On Saturday the Host was elevated in all the churches, in Ch.'i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 41 commemoration of the resurrection. The altars were various- ly ornamented with gilding and lights, but in the chapel of the palace the elevation of the Host was particularly splendid. In other churches there were devices, representing the rolling away of the stone, or the discovery of the empty tomb, or other passages of the sacred history. The figures were in- closed in cases of glass, ornamented with artificial flowers, or tinsel of gold and silver, and before them, during the whole day, might be seen a constant succession of devout worship- pers. In the evening the Imperial family, with all the members of the ecclesiastical establishment, made another solemn and splen- did procession round St Stephen’s church, in the presence of a vast concourse of people. The following day was Easter Sun- day, and, as my landlady, or her servant, had been early at the church with a fine white loaf, some eggs, ham, and horse-ra- dish, folded in a napkin, to receive the blessing of the priest, I was favoured with some of this bread to my coffee, and, after attending the high mass, was invited by my landlord to par- take of their family dinner, the first dishes of which were com- posed of those viands, which the priest had rendered holy in the morning. Monday was a day of more than usual solemnity, for Christ- mas-day having been very unfavourable, it had been thought proper to postpone the ceremony, and, of course, the feelings of that day, till Easter Monday, and this borrowed celebration now afforded the chief spectacle. The grenadiers were drawn up in the aisles of St Stephen’s church, and the archbishop and bishop having, in solemn pro- cession, received the Imperial family and their suit, conducted them into the church. They were attended by a large body of pages in their full uniforms of scarlet and gold, and by the Hun- F 42 TRAVELS IN L.OWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. garian life-guards. Next followed a number of young clergy in white robes, and others more dignified, in purple and red. The archbishop, in his richly embroidered robes of gold, and wear- ing the mitre, soon entered, accompanied by the bishop, and a crowd of attendants, bearing the crosier, silver crosses, and ban- ners. The archbishop and bishop fell back, and the whole Im- perial family, with the ladies of the court, in diamonds and white, and all the chamberlains and gentlemen in their court dresses, walked forwards, bowing to the archbishop as they passed. Having gained the nave of the church, which had been hung with rich tapestry, they all took their seats whilst the service, with sacred music, was performed. This being concluded, they returned to the palace, forming a magnificent procession ; the German life-guards in their scarlet uniforms went first ; then followed the Hungarian guards, splendid with green, and silver, and leopard skins, mounted as usual on their grey horses ; next followed the body of pages, and a great number of servants on foot, in their liveries of black, or yellow, and gold ; and after them seven state carriages, red and gold, richly carved, with glass sides, and each drawn by six horses, with superb trappings. The horses of the carriage which bore the Emperor and Empress were greys, with postillions in the most singular flowing robes of black and yellow velvet, and high ostrich feathers in their caps. In the other carriages were the archdukes and archduchesses, and in some the ladies of the court. All the horses and carriages were attended by grooms and pages ; and companies of grenadiers, and several cavalry regiments closed the procession, and completed the shew. In the afternoon the Prater was crowded with carriages, and all the different places of amusement connected with it ; tl^e theatre of horsemanship, the earrousals, the swings, the coffee- houses, and tables, were filled by the common people. It was Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 48 like a fair, and gave a good idea of the scene which is exhibit- ed almost every summer afternoon in this delightful place of public resort. As dancing was now again permitted, I visited the Redoute in the evening. The alarming news had now ar- rived that Napoleon had already nearly reached Paris. This, of course, became a great subject of conversation. I observed some of the potentates, however, at a late hour, amusing them- selves in this public assembly, walking about, and talking to ladies in masks. This was the conclusion of the holy week, and now amusements returned to their accustomed course. Such, then, are a few of the more particular pageants of the church exhibited at this season ; but, as it is the object of the Catholic forms to recal, by imitation, all the chief events in the lives both of our Saviour and his apostles, ceremonies of a si- milar kind are occurring every week, and, together with the usual offices of prayer, become an important part in the daily occupation of a strict Catholic worshipper. Thus, for instance, the lady of the house at which I lived, and her family, were accustomed to go to bed by nine o’clock, in order., that they might be in church before six in the morning ; and, if I wish- ed to return home between four and seven in the afternoon, I ran the risk of finding the door locked upon a deserted house, the inhabitants being all at their devotions. The churches are almost constantly open, and, enter them when you will, ser- vants who have been sent on errands are seen, kneeling before the altars or the images, with their baskets or parcels by their sides. Thus prayer, by its frequency, becomes a habit and re- creation, rather than the performance of a duty ; and I have of- ten been truly astonished to observe, in the coldest weather, little children, when far from the restraint of their parents* fall down upon their knees before the images, which adorn many of the corners of strefets and passages in Vienna, and there remain 44 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. I. Vienna. fixed for several minutes as in serious devotion. The great multiplicity of holy days interferes with the common occupa- tions of life, without giving that complete periodical and salu- tary rest, which is derived from a well-observed Sabbath ; — an institution which, amongst us, civilizes and enlightens the low- er orders of the people. The Catholic festivals, on the con- trary, appear to strengthen feelings which are always enough inclined to go beyond the reach of sober reason ; they en- courage the common people to indulge in the raptures of en- thusiasm, instead of inducing them to enjoy and improve the solid advantages of domestic comfort and society. Devout and uninformed Catholics seem to be constantly living in an ideal world, perpetually thinking upon and accompanying our Saviour, yet, in point of real imitation and obedience, are at least as far behind as the Protestants. The amusements of Vienna were scarcely interrupted, though its society experienced an irreparable loss, by the death of the Mareschal Prince de Ligne, who, on the 13th of December, after an illness of some weeks, left the world, of which, for so many years, he had formed a distinguished ornament. He was greatly advanced in years, yet continued, till the period of his last illness, to mingle in society, and frequent public amusements. His vivacity and cheerfulness never deserted him, and in his affectionate intercourse with his family, might be discoverd the purity of the source in which his lively con- versation originated. No better tribute can be paid to the heart, as well as to the talents, of this inestimable man, than to state the simple fact, that, when approaching to the age of ninety years, his daughters, with their husbands, children, and grandchildren, young and old, deemed it the greatest privi- lege and happiness of their lives, to be allowed daily to surround V Ch. i. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 45 his table, receive the blessing of his smile, and partake of his instructive and enlivening discourse. The funeral was conducted with those military honours which his rank in the army demanded, and the body was deposited at a small estate which the prince possessed upon the Kalen- berg, about four miles distant from the city. As I stood upon the bastions, I saw the procession pass beneath me to the sound of solemn music ; I observed the king of Prussia at a distance upon that part of the wall which had been razed to the ground by the French. I was struck at seeing this monarch — himself a volume in the history of fortune’s changes, — witnessing, from the ruined walls of a proud city, the closing scene of all that genius which had once lightly chronicled the mind of his An- cestor, then termed the Great, but long since numbered with the untitled dead. When we reflect on the rapid and eventful changes ; on the uncertain progress, but the certain termina- tion of the little journey of life ; we are sometimes tempted to turn from the bright scenes of prosperity, and rest a moment on the reverse. Nor need we wander far from the scenes of rejoicing before we find a mighty mourner whose lot it was, midst the exultation of fortunate princes, to maintain the dig- nity of misfortune. . The Empress Maria Louisa was, during all this period, cal- led upon, for the most arduous exercise of resignation, and the most unexampled efforts of patience, amidst the agonies of contending affections, which ever fell to the lot of woman. She suffered with a dignity which did honour to her charac- ter. With her infant, to whom but a few months before, the eyes of all Europe had been directed, she lived in quiet seclu- sion at the palace of Schonbrun, a few miles from Vienna. She took no part in those festivities with which her father’s court reechoed, but daily paid a respectful visit to her parents, 46 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. and returned to her infant charge, awaiting in patience the re- sult of events over which she could exercise no control. Whatever might be the political feeling with which the fallen Emperor was viewed, it was unmixed commiseration alone which could attend the misfortunes of the Empress and her guiltless child. I was one day tempted by curiosity ; if the in- terest of the object may not deserve a better name ; to trans- gress so far the limits of propriety, as to call with a friend at the palace of Schonbrun, and request that we might be indulged with an introduction to the infant king. We found that all the servants about the palace were Frenchmen, who still wore the liveries of Napoleon. When our request had been made known, a female attendant came to the antichamber and tbld us, that the child was at present with its mother ; but if we could amuse ourselves for an hour in the gardens, and would then return, our curiosity should be gratified. We accordingly came at the appointed time, and were ushered into a room where the infant was sitting on the floor amusing himself, amidst a profuse collection of playthings. We were introdu- ced to Madame Montesquieu, and one or two other ladies who were present. The infant king of Rome ; then indeed styled the Prince of Parma ; was at the moment occupied with a toy, which imitated a well-furnished kitchen. He was the sweetest child I ever beheld ; his complexion light, with fine white silky hair falling in curls upon his neck. He was dressed in the embroider- ed uniform of an hussar, and seemed to pay little attention to us as we. entered, continuing to arrange the dishes in his little kitchen. I believe he was the least embarrassed of the party. He was rather too old to allow of loud praises of his beauty, and rather too young to enter into conversation. His appearance was so engaging, that I longed to take him in my arms, yet his situation forbade such a familiarity. Under these circum- Ch. i. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 47 stances, we contrived a few trifling questions, to which he gave such arch and bashful answers as we have all often received from children of his age, and, after a few minutes conversation with Madame Montesquieu, we withdrew. It may doubtless be expected, that I should consider some- what in detail the political subjects of which all the festivities of the Congress were but the humble and unimportant atten- dants,— but this is by no means my intention. I was never made privy to a single secret of any one of these assembled cabi- nets ; and, however much we might amuse ourselves; in idle hours, in the discussion of those varied reports, which some- times, perhaps, through inadvertency, sometimes from inten- tion, gained a certain currency ; I never felt conviction, that we were possessed, in a single instance, of the political view of any minister upon any contested point. I remember once being in a large party, amongst whom there were several whose situation, connected with the first political characters, would have induced me to believe, that their information upon passing events must be correct and ex- tensive. The conversation fell by chance on the difficulty of obtaining good historical evidence : — Nay, said a lady in the company, I think it might easily be done, if people were a little more in the habit of noting down events which are taking place around them. Even, then, replied a gentleman, it is much more difficult than you imagine. Take, for instance, the fact which is said to have occurred amongst us within these few days, I mean the attempt to carry away the infant King of Rome. Well, cried half a dozen voices* I think we all know that at least ; and it was fortunate, said one, that such strict or- ders had been given at the frontiers, or they would doubtless have succeeded. — Why, madam, said another, you know he never left the palace, it was Madam de Montesquieu who de- 48 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna, tected the plot. — Madam de Montesquieu ! replied a third, Why, the strongest suspicions have attached to her : You know she has been desired to retire to a monastery, and is there in vir- tual confinement. Oh ! no she is still at Schdnbrun, but they keep a watch over her. She has been permitted, at her own request, to return to France ; said another. Indeed, sir, I should hardly think that, before the mystery of those letters had been cleared up. — What, pray, is the circumstance of those letters to which you allude ? — Here a general laugh ensued, and the first gentleman was allowed to have fully made good his proposition, — that, to gain correct historical information, is a matter of no small difficulty. In one fact alone were we all pretty well agreed,- — that the infant King had been very sud- denly transferred from Schdnbrun to the more secure apart- ments in the Royal Palace of Vienna, where, for the last two days, he had been exhibited pretty constantly from a window looking into the great square. With such an example before us, I shall certainly be excused for not attempting an;y detailed account of those proceedings, the general results of which are now known to all. The grand subjects in discussion were the future condition of Poland, Saxony, and the Italian States, — -in fact, all those points in which political expediency appeared to be in opposition to justice. It was the difficulties arising on these subjects which caused the proceedings of the Congress to be so long and tedious, — so many different interests to be consulted, so many scruples to be overcome, and so many just and honest men to be per- verted from their ways ; — what wonder that some months should have elapsed in consulting, in protesting, and in recant- ing. Of what notes and memorials, — of what representations and concessions — did we not daily hear : of sturdy ministers who faltered, and of faltering ministers who grew firm. In Ch. i. Vienna.~\ TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 49 the midst of all these rumours, it was ever the anxious inquiry, whether England was the steady champion of justice ? — whe- ther she boldly asserted and strenously maintained that charac- ter which the boasted freedom of her principles led Europe to expect, and which her preeminence, both in arms and finance, seemed to have placed her in a condition to retain ? I would, however, caution those skilful diplomatists, who, sitting at their ease, like the champions at a carrousal, know how to vanquish Turk and Moor without sustaining a blemish, not rashly to de- cide on events, the complicated causes of which must be sought in every remote corner of Europe; — in the interests, the perverse- ness, the weakness, or the wickedness, as well as the right feel- ings of every potentate and minister in the civilized world. For myself, I confess I felt almost a personal interest in the fate of Saxony'; for, during a residence of some continuance, both at Leipsic and at Dresden, I had so often witnessed the strong feelings excited by the fear of national degradation, and so often been appealed to as an individual of that great and generous nation, which, they doubted not, would espouse their cause, preserve their national integrity, and restore their king ; that, though I feared, lest, in this doubtful case, mercy and justice should be at. variance, I hoped, almost without expect- ing it, that judgment might be given in favour of the former. 1 will not, however, venture farther upon these disputed points ; but will rather conclude a chapter, the object of which has of- ten been to present the scenes of life, enriched by wealth, and ennobled by royalty, by conducting my reader to a gloomy cave, where he may associate with more emperors and empres- ses now brought low, and more of royal birth, than ever graced the assemblies of a Congress. In an extensive vault' beneath the chapel of the Capuchins, in the Mebl Grub, we visited the cemetery of the imperial family. The coffins of bronze here lie G 50 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. i. Vienna. exposed to view, and, from these alone, without having heard the story of the pious monk who conducted us, we at once de- cyphered that death sought his harvest in the spring and the autumn amongst emperors, as amongst the poor. We here wandered amidst an assemblage of nine emperors, thirteen em- presses, and, in all, above eighty of royal and imperial blood. Those who had filled their important stations well, and those who had filled them badly, had come thus far on their journey with those who had never been called upon to act for them- selves. Of the remainder of their history, we know nothing ; but, before we quitted the vault, the monk, kneeling at the foot of the sarcophagus, which held the remains of Maria Theresa, invited us to join in beseeching a quiet rest to their departed souls, Gallery of Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen. — Imperial Collection of Paintings. — Private Collections. — Cabinet of Count Lam- berg. — Etruscan Vases. — Imperial Collection of Antiques . — Figured Glass.— Treasury. — Professor Barth . — Works in Mosaic. — Monument by Canova. — Academy of the Fine Arts . — University. — Other Institutions for Education. — Libraries . — - Collection of Manufactures.— Learned Men. — Medical and Charitable Establishments. — Nuremberg , the birth-place of Albert D'urer. Vienna affords much interesting matter to a lover of the fine arts. Of this the single private collection of the Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen bears sufficient evidence, and would itself re- pay the pains of any one fond of such pursuits, who should undertake a journey to Vienna, * CHAPTER II. 52 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Cii. ii. Vienna. This noble collection contains above 12,000 original draw- ings, and 129,000 engravings, comprising specimens by almost every artist of reputation ; and a complete collection of all the maps and military plans which have been published. The whole are disposed in a long and handsome but unornamented gallery, surrounded by a range of cases made to imitate large folio volumes. Each of these is filled either with drawings or prints, placed in chronological order, according to the masters who designed them, and divided into the several schools. Of many of the engravings there are duplicates, all of which, being classed according to the engraver, form a second series. It would be difficult to say in what school, or what period, this collection is most rich, so perfect is it in all its parts. The series of the early German masters is very full, beginning with the drawings of those who lived before 1420, and who are but little known; then proceeding to Martin Schon, who died in 1486, — to Michel Wohlgemuth, born in 1434, — Israel van Mecheln, who died about 1523, — Mat. Grunewald, who died 1510, — N. Mair, who flourished in 1500, — Albert Diirer, born in 1470, and who died soon after 1527, — Lucas Cranach, born in 1472 ; — and from him to Hans Burgmair, — Albert Altdorfer, — Hans Baldung, — Hans Schaeuflein, and in succession to the artists of the present day. The drawings by Albert Diirer con- sist of 159 specimens, and those who have seen them will need no other eulogium on the exquisite talent of this master, the great leader of the German school. There is much delicacy and minuteness, combined with perfect freedom, in all his sketches ; and although his works generally betray some of the faults of the early German masters, we are almost tempted to consider the rich invention of his genius as supernatural, when we remem- ber the time in which he lived, the few examples he had to fol- low, and the very confined sphere which bounded his observa- tion. The greater part of his drawings are executed with a pen, Ch. ii. Vienna."] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 53 upon grounds of different tints. Some of the figures are rich- ly coloured with ornamented dresses. Some birds are beauti- fully finished. A lion and hare, and the wing of a paroquet, flowers, and several heads of aged men, are laboured to an astonishing degree of minuteness. The engravings by this master are the more remarkable, as having formed his own pri- vate collection ; they are very numerous, and several of them are from drawings in this cabinet. In some instances the suc- cessive proof- impressions are preserved, so that the different stages of the work may be clearly traced. Without attempting a minute detail, it may be mentioned, that this superb cabinet contains a great number of drawings by Raffaelle, — fifty sketches by Claude, — the original private collection of Dietrich, who was professor at Dresden, — and the greater part of the celebrated cabinet of drawings of the Prince de Ligne. Its prodigious extent, or its riches in the works of any particular master, do not constitute its greatest merits. The completeness of the series, gives it inestimable value, as illustrating the history of the arts of design and engraving. Mr Lefevre, who has the direction and immediate superin- tendence, is now sedulously engaged in publishing a descrip- tion, accompanied with engravings, in exact imitation of some of the more curious subjects. The liberal footing on which this gallery is placed, and the easy access which is granted to strangers, are much to be admired. The Duke is frequently himself in the room, pursuing his favourite occupation ; for, although far advanced in age, he still takes great pleasure in the collection. Having, with his own hands, formed a full de- scriptive catalogue, he is now employed in revising it. He is the most zealous and liberal patron of the arts that Vienna can boast. The Imperial collection of Paintings at the palace called the 54 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. Belvedere, in the suburbs, consists of nearly 1400 pictures, dis- tributed in twenty-three rooms, and arranged under the Italian, German, and Flemish schools. There are in each class many of great excellence. The Titians are numerous. It is parti- cularly rich in the works of Rubens, to which nearly two whole apartments are devoted ; and there are several fine pieces by Vandyke. With the works of the German masters it is unu- sually stored. There are some rich and beautiful productions of Albert Diirer ; and, on the whole, both the ancient and modern works of this school place it on a footing with the two well-known collections of Munich and Heidelberg. There is, unfortunately, no correct catalogue of the collection ; the only one, which was published in 1781, is now, in consequence of the additions and changes which have taken place, of little use. In each room is hung a list of the pictures, and the mas- ters to whom they are ascribed. Amongst the collections of paintings, that of Prince Ester- hazy, at his palace in the suburbs, is one of the most exten- sive, containing above 500 subjects, the works of an almost equal number of masters ; and this is even surpassed in num- ber by the Prince Liechtenstein’s, whose paintings amount to above 700. Some of the smaller and more private collections should not be passed unnoticed. In that of Prince Schonborn, which contains nearly 200 paintings, there are some beautiful works of Rembrandt. One of these, which represents the Philistines depriving Sampson of his sight, displays a singular effect of light. The spectator is supposed to stand within the cave or vault, and the light, coming directly to the centre of the pic- ture, falls upon the figure of Sampson, who is brought to the ground, and is struggling with an armed man. Two others are engaged in binding him, while a fourth is on the point of Ch. n. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 55 perpetrating the cruel deed. Other subjects ascribed to the same master, as, a Descent from the Cross, a Virgin and Child, and a Fortune-teller, are more pleasing, and of great excel- lence. There are likewise fine Cattle-pieces by Cuyp, and a beautiful head by Carlo Dolce, greatly resembling the celebrat- ed St Cecilia in the Dresden gallery. Many of the paintings belonging to Count Lamberg are of a very superior class ; and the interest which the polite attention and enthusiasm of the proprietor inspired, leads me to particu- larize some of them. That which may be noticed first, although the Count, when he exhibits his paintings to strangers, care- fully preserves it till the last, is a sleeping female figure by Titian, with crimson drapery hanging from a tree, and a fine landscape in the distance. This picture is remarkable for warmth of colour, and boldness of execution. A Sea-port, by Claude, in which the setting sun throws long shadows from the vessels at anchor, on a gently rippling water, is highly valued by the Count. But the Englishman who wishes to appreciate the works of Claude, need not leave his own country, which is at present so rich in them. Some excellent works of Paul Potter add beauty to this gallery ; and, particu- larly, for natural effect and high finish, must be mentioned a Cattle-market, held in a shady grove. On the foreground is a straight rail, over which a dog is leaping. There are a few animated groups of men and cattle in the nearer parts of the picture, and some hundreds of small figures in the more re- mote avenues of the wood, on which the light falls through the trees in the back of the picture, giving to them a peculiar life and brilliancy. The drawing and perspective are admi- rable. The Ruysdales are also very fine, particularly one which re- presents a rivulet, with wild-fowl rising from it, in the fore- 56 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. ground. The wood on each side, and the road leading through the open trees, are perfect nature. In another, the painter seems resolved to shew the creative power of his art ; for, hav- ing put together a few boards, forming a sheepfold, round the stump of a simple pollard willow, he bids us admire, as a beauti- ful picture, what in nature we should either not observe, or turn from as unpleasing. There is a magnificent picture by Rubens, of a Tiger and her Whelps, and, by the same master, a group of three female figures, supporting on their heads a basket of flowers. There are, likewise, two beautiful sketches by him, of Morning driving away Night ; and a finished sketch, intended as a study for a large picture to be placed in the town-house of Amsterdam, but which was never painted. It is a rich composition, and represents the different provinces paying their homage. The collection boasts of three paintings by Murillo, of which one is a flower-girl, and one a genuine specimen of his lower style. Two boys sitting on the ground play with dice for acorns, which are in a handkerchief by their side. Their ragged cloth- ing, their swarthy complexion, their unwashed feet, are all evi- dently from the pencil of Murillo. Velasquez has here a noble portrait of a lady. A Game piece by Weenix, has obtained, by the management of the artist, an importance above its subject. A white peacock hangs in the middle of this picture ; by its side lies some dead game ; and, in the back-ground, is an old Flemish garden. The light falls immediately on the large white bird in the centre, producing a most imposing effect. Three characteristic pieces by Van Heyden, painted with his curious attention to minuteness. Every brick in the Dutch buildings, and every stone in the pavement, is a portrait ; yet he manages, with all this, not to lose the general good effect of light and shade. A landscape, by Poussin, with a lake in the centre, level, and Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 57 deep : — noble mountains rise behind, and a shepherd leads his flocks on the grassy banks by the water side. In another piece, Loutherbourg’s transparent waves are dashing the rock, against which a miserable shipwrecked crew are clinging for their safety. The pencil of Hondekoeter puts articulate mur- murs into the attitude of an angry cock, who reluctantly re- treats before the loud reproaches of the anxious father defend- ing his young brood of turkeys. The eye may here wander over the varied lights and shades of Vernet’s landscapes. With Bourguignon you may enter fierce and bloody battles. Rachael Ruysch, and Van Huysum, are forming flowery wreaths for the victors ; and Vandyke confers immortality upon the hero. In short, few collections can be found of equal extent, which afford so many truly good, and truly characteristic specimens of the art, as the cabinet of Count Lamberg. Besides his pictures, the Count possesses a beautiful collec- tion of those ancient vases, which are termed Etruscan. There are above four hundred of them, many of which are large, and the designs with which they are ornamented, highly remark- able for elegance and taste. These, as well as his paintings, were chiefly collected when he was minister from Austria at the court of Naples, The vases have been purchased by the Government, to be added, after the death of Count Lamberg, to the imperial collection, which already contains about two hundred specimens of the same kind. The Count and his friend the Abbe Mazzuola have been at some pains in arranging the cabinet, and in tracing out, from the internal evidence of the specimens, the progressive steps employed in the ornamental part of this manufacture. The process seems to have been simple. The vessel having been formed and baked, is supposed to have been of a light red colour, and was then plunged into a fluid in which a fine H 58 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. ochery earth was suspended. This gave a slight glaze, and deepened the colour. The outline of the ornamental design was then traced with an instrument, which indented rather than scratched the surface. Next with a pencil, a black line, about the tenth of an inch in width, was drawn round the figures, thus defining the subjects with exactness. The vacant space between the figures was then filled up with a black glazing matter, and the different parts of the figures, the lines of the drapery, and the features, traced with the same material, after which the vessel was again submitted to the fire. The whole of the process may be followed pretty clearly by ob- serving attentively different vases. 1st, The simple baked clay is seen, of a light red colour, on the bottoms of the vessels -where there is neither glaze nor design, or where partial exfoliations have taken place. 2dly, Upon careful examination, indented outlines, traced in a rude manner, may be discerned, and sometimes lines of the same kind are seen even to intersect the figures. 3dly, Most of the designs are surrounded by a portion of the black paint, which, being higher than the general surface, has the appearance of a partial double coating, limited to about one tenth of an inch. 4thly, In one vase, found in an unfinished state, the black. is but in part laid on, and looks like work done with a coarse hair pencil with paint not very fluid. I have some doubt, however, whe- ther the first outline was traced after the first general coating, or whether it was not marked on the unburnt clay. This subject is treated of at large, as I believe, by the Abbe, in a description of this collection, illustrated by plates, and published at Paris. The national collection of Antiques occupies some apart- ments in the Imperial Palace. The statuary in this collection is very insignificant. The chief objects, worthy of any atten- Cn. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 59 tion, are a few fine marble busts, and one or two figures ; more remarkable, from the remote situation in Pannonia, and other distant parts of the Austrian Empire, in which they have been found, and on the history of which they throw some light ; than from their workmanship. The collection of small bronze figures is numerous ; several of them are of exquisite design, and skilfully moulded. Some figures and busts, cut completely out of precious stones, boast of considerable beauty ; and in the same cabinet, is a bowl above two feet in diameter, formed from a single mass of agate. The inimitable collection of an- tique cameos and intaglios, and the extensive cabinet of coins and medals, are, however, the great ornaments of this collec- tion. Forty of the most remarkable cameos were, as is well known, excellently engraved, and published at Vienna, with descriptions by Abbe Eckhel in 1788. The whole cabinet re- mains unimpaired by the ravages of the war, after having been, together with the collection of minerals and natural history, three several times carried down the Danube into the Bannat, to preserve it from the plundering grasp of the French. Of that most exquisite piece of workmanship, the cameo of the Apotheosis of Augustus, it is impossible to speak in terms of sufficient praise. . It is executed on a sardonyx, of nearly eight inches square, claiming for itself the third or fourth place in point of magnitude, amongst the specimens of antiquity in this department of art, and is considered by all the principal writers upon the subject, as the first in point of design and execution. The white layer from which the figures are formed, is thin and sufficiently translucid to permit the dark stone be- neath to appear through those parts, where the folds of the dra- pery and other lines are deeply cut. This adds great beauty and variety to the picture ; while the rich dark brown of the stone, forming the ground of the design, affords a fine contrast and re- lief to the figures. 60 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. The subject of the design is supposed to be a flattering allegory, representing Augustus enthroned amongst the gods, and filling the station of Jupiter. His wife Livia seated by his side, is figured as the goddess Rome, and near the throne are gathered Neptune, Cybele, and the goddess of abundance, attendants on his state. Germanicus and Tiberius, crowned with victorious laurels, present themselves with respectful dignity, before the august chief of the family, who receives them with tranquillity and composure, unmoved by surprise or pleasure, as conscious, beforehand, that victory must attend the footsteps of Tiberius; or unwilling to sully the purity of justice, by even the appearance of the partial smiles of favour. Such is the principal group which occupies one half of this superb cameo. The second, which is quite unconnected, re- presents Roman soldiers erecting a trophy to Augustus, ac- companied by prisoners of war. The sculptor, conjectured to have been Dioscorides, has succeeded, in a most astonishing manner, in giving such a grace to the principal figures, that, while gazing with admiration, the mind of the observer is never called to reflect on the difficulties which must attend every work of this nature, and whilst his eye follows the traces worn with such incalculable labour in the hardest flint, it pursues in fancy the pencil in its light and flowing course. Although there is no other gem in this collection, which approaches to the splendour of the Apotheosis of Augustus, yet there are others of extraordinary size, and some of the smaller ones of exquisite workmanship. I shall of these mention one only, which may serve as an example, and assist in stimulating, not in satisfying, curiosity. A cameo cut in a sardonyx, of about two inches in length, re- presents the return of Orestes to Argos, accompanied by his friend Pylades, to revenge the death of Agamemnon, his V- Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 61 father, by the murder of his own mother, Clytemnestra, and iEgisthus, who had usurped the throne of Argos. The mur- der is already perpetrated. The body of Clytemnestra, breath- ing her last, is depicted with all the tranquillity of death ; and the soft limbs and placid sleep of a helpless woman, are finely contrasted with the force which still marks the convulsed at- titude, and the clenched palms of her dying consort. The young men, amazed and disgusted at the horrid deed, stand motionless with their weapons still uplifted, turning their eyes from the objects which their bloody hands strive to conceal ; whilst attending slaves evince their deep interest in the scene. The collection of Etruscan yases includes many fine speci- mens. With them are several vessels of ancient glass, and a large display of figured glasses and enamels j shewing the great variety and extent to which this manufacture had been carried by the ancients. Among these are many pieces of an ornamented glass, to which my attention had been called by Klaproth whilst I was at Berlin. This learned and accurate philosopher was then engaged in preparing a memoir for the academy, de- scribing the specimens of his own collection, and what he could discover of their history, and the art of making them, which he considers to be of great antiquity. The first specimens he had obtained accidentally, but had since, with great diligence, ad- ded to them. The whole number in Klaproth’s cabinet was about fourteen. They had been cut with care ; one for the lid of a box, another the guard of a sword, (of course only for shew,) and others for the heads of canes, or, as the Professor himself supposes, of sceptres. In the Imperial collection, there are probably one hundred and fifty specimens. Their pecu- liarity consists in being variegated with regular patterns in different colours, which pervade the whole substance. In those % 62 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. in Klaproth’s possession, they are generally stars differently disposed. In one instance, a circle of the diameter of one- tenth of an inch forms a centre, round which leaflets, as of a flower, are uniformly arranged. These patterns more nearly resemble the silicious madreporites from Antigua, than any thing I remember to have seen, except as to colour, the body or base of the glass being either transparent and colourless, or blue, or green, or opaque red ; whilst the stars or patterns are variegated in red, yellow, white, and green, producing great diversity with much beauty and richness. Many of those at Vienna are exceedingly beautiful, having the same star-like forms, in red, green, and white, on dark grounds. In others, the artists have arrived at greater perfection ; the different colours, being arranged in waved or straight lines, form a regular border ; and in one, the spaces between the straight lines are occupied by a running pattern. An oblong piece, an inch and a half in length, and one-fourth of an inch in thickness, shews half the full face of a woman, divided down the middle. The forehead is adorned by a yellow striped tiara, and a red ear-ring is suspended from the ear ; the face is near- ly white. The eyes, eye-lids, and lashes, as well as the contour of the nose and mouth, are marked by dark lines, which, when held to the light, shew a deep purple. The ground is of a dark colour, and, on examining the edges, it appears that all the colours, as was the case in the other specimens, extend through the whole thickness. A circumstance is observable on minutely inspecting the white of the face, which gives an idea of its having been formed by letting in pieces by the side of each other ; for there is the appearance of straight lines, forming two squares, the one containing within it the eye, the other in- cluding the nose, and the white colour of the one is more pure than that of the other. Yet the edges shew, where broken, Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 61 father, by the murder of his own mother, Clytemnestra, and Egistes, who had usurped the throne of Argos. The murder is already perpetrated. The body of Clytemnestra, breathing her last, is depicted with all the tranquillity of death ; and the soft limbs and placid sleep of a helpless woman, are finely contrasted with the force which still marks the con- vulsed attitude, and the clenched palms of her dying consort. The young men, amazed and disgusted at the horrid deed, stand motionless with their weapons still uplifted, turning their eyes from the objects which their bloody hands refuse to conceal ; whilst attending slaves deplore the dire catastrophe. The collection of Etruscan vases includes many fine speci- mens. With them are several vessels of ancient glass, and a large display of figured glasses and enamels ; shewing the great variety and extent to which this manufacture had been carried by the ancients. Among these, there are many pieces of an ornamented glass, to which my attention had been called by Klaproth whilst I was at Berlin. This learned and accurate philosopher was then engaged in preparing a memoir for the academy, de- scribing the specimens of his own collection, and what he could discover of their history, and the art of making them, which he considers to be of great antiquity. The first specimens he had obtained accidentally, but had since, with great diligence, ad- ded to them. The whole number in Klaproth’s cabinet was about fourteen. They had been cut with care ; one for the lid of a box, another the guard of a sword, (of course only for shew,) and others for the heads of canes, or, as the Professor himself supposes, of sceptres. In the Imperial collection, there are probably one hundred and fifty specimens. Their pecu- liarity consists in being variegated with regular patterns in different colours, which pervade the whole substance. In those 62 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. £Ch. ii. Vienna. in Klaproth’s possession, they are generally stars, differently disposed. In one instance, a circle of the diameter of one- tenth of an inch forms a centre, round which leaflets, as of a flower, are uniformly arranged. These patterns more nearly resemble the silicious madreporites from Antigua, than any thing I remember to have seen, except as to colour, the body or base of the glass being either transparent and colourless, or blue, or green, or opaque red ; whilst the stars or patterns are variegated in red, yellow, white, and green, producing great di- versity, with much beauty and richness. Many of those at Vienna are exceedingly beautiful, having the same star-like forms, in red, green, and white, on dark grounds. In others, the artists have arrived at greater perfection ; the different colours being arranged in waved or straight lines, form a regular border ; and in one, the spaces between the straight lines are occupied by a running pattern. An oblong piece, an inch and a half in length, and one-fourth of an inch in thickness, shews half the full face of a woman, divided down the middle. The forehead is adorned by a yellow striped tiara, and a red ear-ring is suspended from the ear ; the face is near- ly white. The eyes, eyelids, and lashes, as well as the contour of the nose and mouth, are marked by dark lines, which, when held to the light, shew a deep purple. The ground is of a dark colour, and, on examining the edges, it appears that all the colours, as was the case in the other specimens, extend through the whole thickness. A circumstance is observable on minutely inspecting the white of the face, which gives an idea of its having been formed by letting in pieces by the side of each other ; for there is the appearance of straight lines, forming two squares, the one containing within it the eye, the other in- cluding the nose, and the white colour of the one is more pure than that of the other. Yet the edges shew, where broken, Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 63 that the conchoidal fractures pass uninterruptedly from one to the other, as if the substance were perfectly simple, and homo- geneous. Another represents the upper part only of a female head, including one eye ; the hair is ornamented with two green vine leaves, which bear the appearance of having been inserted, and formed of a more durable composition than the rest, since they project a little above the general surface, probably being less corroded by the atmosphere, or some other solvent, which appears to have acted upon the surface of the other parts. I have been more particular in my account of these rem- nants of antiquity than I should have been, had I not believed that they are very rare, and consequently objects of more than ordinary curiosity. To attempt any description of the very extensive collections of antique coins and medals would be endless. They are high- ly valuable, both for antiquity and for workmanship, giving- proofs of an early proficiency in the art of coining, which, in many respects, with all our modern improvements, we are to- tally unable to imitate. The collection of modern coins is likewise of most surprising extent, and in number and variety is esteemed the first in Europe. The Imperial treasury contains a few antiques, but is more rich in modern works. Amongst these are some curious pieces of clock-work, and several of the earliest watches which were made at Nuremberg, and which, from their oval form, are well known to have obtained the name of eggs ; much curiously carved ivory ; numerous magnificent vessels cut in crystal ; others worked from blocks of jasper and agate ; most splendid cups and lamps formed from solid masses of rich lapis-lazuli, and a vessel ten inches in height, by four in diameter, cut from 64 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. II. Vienna. a clear topaz. Such objects, equally wonderful as productions of nature as of art, form a grand display, and, with a large as- sortment of crowns, sceptres, and jewelled ornaments, make up the chief attractions of the treasury. One small apartment is, however, well worthy of attention, as containing a very exten- sive collection of the early labours of Raffaelle, while he was employed as a designer on Italian pottery. This collection was received as a present from the Pope, and the greater part has been disposed, both for security and for beauty, in the arched ceiling of a small room, where it is dis- played as concave enamelled pictures occupying the centre of each of the square compartments of carved wood. In the gal- lery of the little Belvedere, are likewise some pieces of this ware, which even excel, in size and execution, any to be found in the treasury. The general appearance of these early works of the great master are known to all, and, though at times much talent is discernible under the roughness of the style, and the glaring yellows and greens in which they are executed ; yet their intrinsic merits would never have bestowed upon these productions the value and interest which the subsequent emi- nence of Raffaelle has attached to every production of his hands. As a private collection, that of Professor Bahrdt must not be passed over in silence, — a man who, in the science of medi- cine, has done much to raise the character of Vienna ; but whose enthusiastic love of the arts has unfortunately too much centered within himself. This extraordinary man, now arrived at a very advanced age, has long retired from society, and, sur- rounded in his cottage by gems, antiques, and drawings, con- ceals himself beneath a cynic mask, which it requires all the so- licitation of old friendship to withdraw even for a moment ; and then as it were tantalizing, he offers only a cursory view of what might add so greatly to the pleasure and instruction of society. Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 65 The antiques within his cabinet, and the gems within his mind, are equally denied to those who would seek them with ordinary claims. We may, however, hope that the world will shortly be made partaker in these treasures, as he has been long engaged in preparing a work on the subject of his Cameos, and has al- ready had the engravings executed under his own eye, by a very promising young artist, whom he has himself instructed. Of the middle ages of the arts we likewise find many va- luable memorials in the public collections, amongst which, no one is more striking than a finely sculptured table ornament from the hands of Benvenuto Cellini, preserved in the little Belvedere ; and, descending to more modern times, and an inferior art, may be mentioned the almost unequalled collec- tion of Mosaic works, executed at Florence, which ornament the walls of a spacious apartment in the palace. The land- scapes, which are produced by the inlaying of different colour- ed polished stones, are so nicely shaded, that, for a moment, the eye is deceived into the belief that they are paintings ; and in some, particularly the four last executed views of Leghorn, the delicacy of the shades, and the ease of the figures, are truly surprising. A school for the improvement of this art has like- wise been established by the Emperor at Milan, where a fine imitation of the Last Supper, by Leonardo da Vinci, has lately been produced. To turn, however, to what may be deemed the highest sphere in which the labours of the artist can be directed, and to an example of the perfection which it has again reached, let us contemplate one of the noblest works of Canova, the mo- dern, the still living Phidias. On entering the Augustiner Kirk , a monument, erected by Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen to the memory of his wife, at once rivets the attention. Towards the summit of a pyra- mid of grey marble, an ascending angel bears on a medallion 66 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Cii. ii. Vienna. the image of the departed ; beneath, the door -way of the se- pulchre lies open. The lion, which should have guarded its entrance, sleeps ; and the protecting genius of the disconsolate husband, wearied with watching, has rested his head upon the lion’s mane, and resigned himself to melancholy. Virtue, bearing the ashes of her friend, trusting her melancholy, measured steps to the guidance of Innocence and spotless Purity, enters the unguarded vault ; while Charity, supporting an aged mourner, and directing with mild control the footsteps of an orphan, follows the companion of her grief towards the mausoleum of their common votary. Composed and tranquil sorrow has spread its softest influence on this mournful procession. The features are distorted by no passions ; the eyes drop no tears j but the unmoistened dust, embalmed by the sweet incense of affection, will rest within the tomb, and give a sad reality to those pangs which the sculptured marble would itself have claimed. After speaking of this sublime monument, to describe the statuary of inferior workmanship with which the open places or the fountains of Vienna are ornamented ; to mention the works of Matthieli, of Donner, or of Strudel, — would be pla- cing merit in the shade, and soliciting comparisons, which must prove injurious to the reputation these excellent artists have obtained, at a time when they are no longer able to contend for the meed of victory. For the encouragement of native talent, an academy of the fine arts was instituted in 1704, and has been since continued, with proper professors and teachers, under the imperial patron- age. But the political events which have distracted this coun- try, have rendered it uncongenial to the progress of art ; and considering Vienna as the capital of the German empire, we are surprised to find so few artists whose works merit the high- est praise. Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 65 The antiques within his cabinet, and the gems within his mind, are equally denied to those who would seek them with ordi- nary claims. We may, however, hope that the world will shortly be made partaker in these treasures, as he has been long engaged in preparing a work on the subject of his Ca- meos, and has already had the engravings executed under his own eye, by a very promising young artist, whom he has him- self instructed^ Of the middle ages of the arts we likewise find many va- luable memorials in the public collections, amongst which, no one is more striking than a finely sculptured table ornament from the hands of Benvenuto Cellini, preserved in the little Belvedere ; and, descending to more modern times, and an inferior art, may be mentioned the almost unequalled collec- tion of Mosaic works, executed at Florence in Pietra duro, which ornament the walls of a spacious apartment in the pa- lace. The landscapes, which are produced by the inlaying of different coloured polished stones, are so nicely shaded, that, for a moment, the eye is deceived into the belief that they are paintings ; and in some, particularly the four last executed views of Leghorn, the delicacy of the shades, and the ease of the figures, are truly .surprising. To turn, however, to what may be deemed the highest sphere in which the labours of the artist can be directed, and to an example of the perfection which it has again reached, let us contemplate one of the noblest works of Canova, the mo- dern, the still living Phidias. On entering the Augustiner Kirk , a monument, erected by Duke Albert of Saxe-Teschen to the memory of his wife, at once rivets the attention. Towards the summit of a pyra- mid of grey marble, an ascending angel bears on a medallion the image of the departed ; beneath, the doorway of the se- 66 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. pulchre lies open. The lion, which should have guarded its entrance, sleeps ; and the protecting genius of the disconsolate husband, wearied with watching, has rested his head upon the lion’s mane, and resigned himself to Grief. Virtue, bearing the ashes of her friend, trusting . her melancholy measured steps to the guidance of Innocence and spotless Purity, enters the un- guarded vault ; while Charity, supporting an aged mourner, and directing with mild control the footsteps of the orphan, follows the bright companion of her grief towards the mauso- leum of their common votary. Composed and tranquil sorrow has spread its softest influence on this mournful procession. No passion may distort the features, the eye may drop no tear ; but the unmoistened dust, embalmed by the sweet in- cense of affectionate feeling and regret, will rest within the tomb, and give a sad reality to those pangs which the sculp- tured marble would itself have claimed from the breast of sympathy. After speaking of this sublime monument, to describe the statuary of inferior workmanship with which the open places or the fountains of Vienna are ornamented ; to mention the works of Matthieli, of Donner, or of Strudel, — would be pla- cing merit in the shade, and soliciting comparisons, which must prove injurious to the reputation these excellent artists have obtained, at a time when they are no longer able to contend for the meed of victory. For the encouragement of native talent, an academy of the fine arts was instituted in 1704, and has been since continued, with proper professors and teachers, under the imperial patron- age. But the political and moral climate of Austria seems un- congenial to the sparks of genius ; and there are few large ca- pitals which contain a smaller number of artists whose works merit any considerable praise. Ch. ii. Vienna. TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 67 As a sculptor, however, Zau’ner has distinguished himself ; and a very fine example of his skill is to be seen in the bronze equestrian figure of Joseph II. in the centre of the square, called the Joseph Platz ; and both the apartments in the aca- demy and the buildings of the city have received valuable em- bellishment from the labours of Fischer. Amongst the living artists, Fliger, the present director of the Belvedere gallery, is celebrated as an historical and por- trait painter. The productions of Rosa are likewise admirable ; and several engravers have given proofs of skill. Kininger, in a late engraving after a fine portrait of Jacquin by Fiiger, has done himself the greatest honour. But, with the exceptions of these, and a few who might be associated with them, there is but little matured talent in any department of the fine arts. There is, however, a considerable share of that marketable mediocrity which arises from the demand for models for the porcelain manufacture ; and, for inferior paintings of battles, landscapes, and costumes, with which many shops in Vienna are stored. The engraving of maps is much encouraged, and carried to great perfection. Some of them are in the high- est style of finish, exhibiting a complete and comprehensive representation of the character of the country they are meant to delineate. The military operations, which may be said to have been constantly going forwards, have given rise to a very extended sale of maps on the Continent ; and Vienna, from the multitude of strangers and military men who are constantly passing through it, has become a central point for this traffic. Amongst the public institutions of Vienna, there is one, the object of which is to bring together into one view specimens of all the manufactured products of the Austrian dominions, and, from time to time, contrast or illustrate them by speci- mens from other countries. Professor Witmansteder, a man 68 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. of much acuteness and knowledge, was the director of the Mu- seum, and under his care it has been chiefly formed. This collection presents at once an interesting and extensive view of the magnitude and diversity of the Austrian manufac- tures, which, though they seldom equal those of England, yet, from their variety, give proofs of a power which wants only the freedom that peace and an enlightened government may give, and the security which the present financial system is expected to afford, to become a mighty source of national wealth. Many of the manufactures have suffered greatly by the war. Whilst, however, the distresses of war have acted as a check upon some, and the diminution of public credit has utterly de- stroyed others, still there are several which have received be- neficial encouragement from the difficulty of intercourse with our island. Amongst these may be placed the fabric of cot- ton, which ranks with that of any European nation except- ing England and Saxony, and is said to have lately em- ployed within the Austrian dominions not less than 360,000 persons. This manufacture is carried to the greatest extent in Austria-proper, where there are thirty-three manufactories of cotton goods, several of twist, besides seven printing-houses. In many instances the English machinery and improvements have been very closely imitated. Bohemia, and particularly Prague and Kuttenberg, partake in this trade. In Moravia, Lettowitz, and in Styria, Gratz, are the principal towns in which it is carried on. Articles of iron and steel form an important part of the col- lection at Vienna, this being a manufacture in which great pro- gress has been made in various parts of Austria. The number of iron forges in the empire amount to 1000, of which the most extensive are in Bohemia, in the country Ctr. ii. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 69 above and below the Ens, and in Styria. The Carlsbad steel-ware is noted throughout Germany. The town of Steyer has within its circuit 12,000 men employed in the ma- nufacture of iron- ware. Jn Vienna itself, much very fine orna- mental steel- work is executed ; and at Wardhofen small ar- ticles are made in great perfection. In proof of this, there are shewn at the museum, fish-hooks of most astonishing mi- nuteness, above 11,630 weighing only one lode (half an ounce.) Styria has above 200 forges, which annually yield 280,000 cwt. of iron, of which a considerable portion is converted within the province into scythes and various other edged tools. Cast as well as wrought iron is here brought to much perfection, though it is by no means so fine as that of the Prussian manufactures in Silesia, where the management is so skilful, and the iron of such quality, that the most minute articles, such as small me- dallions, and casts of gems for necklaces or seals, are formed with edges so sharp and perfect, that they have the appearance of being cut with a graver, or stamped with a die. The Aus- trians have not yet applied cast-iron so extensively, and to works of as much importance, as we have. Whilst I was at Vienna, Baaden was fixed upon as the place where the first trial should be made of the security and advantages of an iron bridge. It was accordingly cast in Bohemia, and brought to its place of destination, a little rivulet which runs near that town. The bridge was opened with great pomp, attended by the celebration of an appropriate religious ceremony. The court and clergy had already passed, when, a crowd of people suddenly rushing upon the bridge, it gave way in the centre, and broke off at both ends near the springing of the arch, and nearly four hundred people were precipitated in its ruins. Glass and porcelain formed a more ornamental department in the museum, and are manufactures of much consequence to 70 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. the empire. Of the former there are 170 works in the Aus- trian dominions, of which 78 are in Bohemia, and the article produced from them is of the finest kind. The most magnifi- cent services and lustres are exported to Spain, Russia, and America. Plate-glass has also attained its highest perfection, particularly at Neuliaus, in the province below the Ens, where mirrors are cast of the largest size and best quality. The porcelain of Vienna is well known. The manufacture is situated in the suburb of Rossau, and employs above 600 workmen, of whom about 100 are painters. The china is of a strong texture, but falls far short of that of Berlin or Meissen in elegance, both of form and ornament. I was shewn two magnificent vases of green and gold, which were preparing as a present for the Emperor of Russia ; and yet even in these some of the figures were but badly proportioned, and many of the flowers merely productions of the imagination. This spe- cies of bad taste is probably owing to the great demand for china ornamented with gay and lively flowers, for the supply of Turkey. The unsettled state of Europe had greatly check- ed the demand for this china ; but it is rapidly advancing to its former extent. Of the richest silks, the museum boasts a large variety ; but this manufacture, once so flourishing, has been almost destroyed by the war. Before the French Revolution, it employed at Vienna alone 6000 looms. In 1803, it was re- duced nearly one-third ; and, at the time of which I speak, many establishments had been totally given up, and others were on the decline. Many most beautiful articles of rich em- broidered silk are to be found in the palaces of the wealthy, or the museum of the Emperor ; but this fabric has been dis- continued, and the looms are chiefly employed in weaving shawls, to which all the females of the capital continue to give great encouragement. Vienna is the chief, but not the On. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 71 only, seat of the silk manufacture in Austria, many of the principal towns participating, but not extensively. Linen is an article of much importance ; and, particularly in Bohemia and Moravia, it is carried to great extent and perfection. In the year 1801, the number of spinners of flax in Bohemia alone amounted to 320,000, and the weavers to 85,000 ; and, by the calculations made in 1808, they appear to be increasing. In Moravia, without enumerating those who weave for their domestic purposes, the numbers employed in spinning are sup- posed to amount to 24,000, and in weaving to 16,000. In the different branches of the woollen manufacture throughout the dominions, it is calculated that about 600,000 individuals are engaged. That a correct as well as a general view may be af- forded of the kinds and varieties of both these important branches of manufacture, the museum is provided, not only with whole pieces of different colours and qualities, but also with voluminous books of patterns, arranged in series, illustra- tive of various points. One part of the museum, resembling a toy-shop, was parti- cularly entertaining, being furnished with articles made in Brechtesgaden. Many of them are so trifling, that they may appear ridiculous \ but their prices, being surprisingly low, may be worth notice ; for instance, 10 dozen dancing- dolls sold for 1 florin 20 ditto needle-cases - - 1 20 ditto cricket-houses - - 1 20 ditto painted tables - - 1 20 ditto cradles with children - 1 with an immense variety of other articles of the same descrip- tion. 72 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. As workers in wood, the Germans have long been celebrated, and their skill is beautifully displayed in all the household fur- niture of Vienna, the polish of which is exquisite. The ele- gance of their inlaid floors make the stranger regret less than he otherwise would do, the absence of a comfortable carpet, — a luxury there almost unknown. The variety of other articles of Austrian manufacture ex- hibited at this museum, is most extensive ; but it would be needless to enumerate them, my only object being to shew the nature of this national exhibition. Having taken this hasty view of the Austrian manufac- tures, and of the state of the fine arts in Vienna, the next inquiry may be, whether the Austrians have succeeded in the pursuits of science, or whether, labouring under depres- sing causes, their energy has been damped, and their pro- gress rendered slow ? The number of scientific men in Vi- enna, when considered as the capital of a great empire, is unusually small, their intercourse with each other is limited, and the spirit of literary association ; which, in Berlin and the north of Germany, is at its height; is unknown at Vienna. There is no philosophical or scientific community ; a few in- sulated individuals, led on by the ardour of their disposition, and cheered by a feeling of self-satisfaction, pursue their labour in the midst of the neglect of their fellow-citizens. The Austrian government greatly discountenances all as- semblies and societies of men, whether their purposes be friend- ly, scientific, or political. Every thing of this kind is viewed with a suspicious eye, and the result has been, that, with the exception of a single small medical society, all such opportu- nities for literary intercourse are wanting. The same system of coercion and examination which per- vades the political and outward state of the Austrian subject, Cn« II. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 71 only seat of the silk manufacture in Austria, other principal towns participating to a small extent. Linen is an article of much importance ; and Bohemia and Moravia are the principal seats of the manufacture. In the year 1801, the number of spinners of flax in Bohemia alone amounted to 230,000 ; the weavers to 85,000 ; and, by the calculations made in 1808, they appear to be increasing. In Moravia, without enumerating those who weave for do- mestic consumption, the numbers employed in spinning are supposed to amount to 24,000, and in weaving to 16,000. The finest linens, however, are obtained from Austrian Silesia, where above 80,000 pieces are annually fabricated, without any large establishments for the purpose. The province over the Enns and Galicia also partake extensively, having above 60,000 individuals engaged in the manufacture. For the manufacture of woollen goods, Moravia ranks highest, and in this province 26 towns are particularly distinguished. The number of workmen amounts to 140,000 or 150,000 ; and the produce is above 252,000 pieces of fine and common cloth and woollen- stuffs ; besides 10,000 ells of coarse woollen for the peasantry, and 1000 pieces of blanketing, with other articles. In Bohemia this manufacture occupies above 88,000 persons, who prepard 123,797 pieces of cloth ; 66,448 pieces of woollen-stuff* ; and above 60,000 dozen of stockings. At Linz, in the province over the Enns, is situated the largest woollen manufactory in Germany. It employs 25,000 hands in making cloths, woollen-stuffs, and carpeting. The four towns of Bielitz, Odrau, Wagstadt, and Wigstadt, in Austrian Silesia, yield nearly 60,000 pieces annually. The province under the Enns has likewise considerable woollen manufacto- ries. Styria, Carinthia, Hungary, Transylvania, and Galicia, are much less productive, making chiefly the coarsest goods, 72 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. for the use of the lower orders and the peasantry. In all the various branches of this trade, it is computed that 600,000 Austrian subjects find employment. In order to afford a cor- rect, as well as a superficial or general view of all the various products of these different manufactories, the museum is pro- vided not only with entire pieces of different colours and qua- lities, but likewise with voluminous books of patterns, arranged in series, illustrating the progress of the manufacture, and the objects of inquiry connected with them. Leather is another manufacture very generally diffused. In this Hungary takes a considerable part j at Pressburg, Flinfkir- chen, Ratko, Jolschwa, Ofen, Pestli, and in the towns of Zips, they prepare leather which ranks with that of Vienna. The leather of Bohemia and Moravia is also good. In the manufac- ture of paper, Austria is very deficient ; a circumstance which displays itself still more in the quality than in the quantity of the article produced. Paper-mills are established in all the provinces, but the superior kinds are chiefly imported. — One department of the museum resembled a toy-shop, and was furnished with many articles from Brechtesgaden ; some of which are so trifling as to appear ridiculous, yet, from the exces- sive lowness of their prices, are rendered objects of curiosity. As workers of wood, indeed, in all its forms, the Germans have long been celebrated, and their skill is beautifully displayed in the household furniture of Vienna, which, for perfection in finish, and the skilful adaptation of the different species of indi- genous wood, may vie with the cabinet- ware of any metropolis in Europe. The elegance of the inlaid floors, which adorn the private houses as well as the palaces of Vienna, leave the stranger less room to regret the absence of that rarest of all luxuries, — a comfortable carpet. A great variety of manufac- tured goods might still be introduced into this casual sketch, Ch. II. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 73 but I shall content myself with mentioning one other article^ which claims a most important place amongst the inventions of man. I refer to gunpowder ; of which Austria not only makes sufficient for her own consumption, but supplies a large quantity to Turkey ; Styria alone manufacturing above 1000 centners. The saltpetre and sulphur are obtained plen- tifully from Bohemia, Galicia, Hungary, Transylvania, and Croatia. In an account which is sometimes published of what are termed the “ Academic and Citizen Artists ” of Vienna, no- thing is more remarkable than the great proportion of mu- sicians, and the makers of musical instruments. In truth, if there be any art cultivated and encouraged in Vienna, it is music ; yet, singular as it may appear, in the very country where the piano was invented, and the town where so many makers are employed, Beethoven, the ornament of the art, is forced to seek a good instrument from the English capital. With respect to the general state of science in Vienna* it is certainly far from flourishing. The mode of education is very artificial and laborious, and for all those who aspire to any situation about the court, even the office of chamberlain* an object of every well born Austrian’s ambition, — is marked out with the most minute 'precision for every month, during nearly thirteen years. The censorship of the press is likewise ex- ercised with activity, and many foreign publications are pro- hibited, on account of their moral as well as their political tendency. The number of scientific men is small, their in- tercourse with each other is limited, and the spirit of literary association so little understood, , that, with the exception of a small medical society, all opportunities of mutually com- municating information are neglected. It is most true that science has liberal and enlightened supporters even amongst * K 74 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. and in the Imperial family itself is encouraged, particularly by the Archduke John, who is its powerful patron, and zealous vo- tary. But this is not enough ; a prevailing inspiration is want- ing. The zeal and interest occasioned by discussion, — the emulation arising from comparison, — the hopes centred in suc- cess, — are all wanting to the culture ; while to the patronage of science are wanting the general feeling of its worth, and the interest excited by the frequent perusal of its discoveries, and its speculations, first exciting the mind to listen to its voice, and gradually leading it to delight in its language. Nevertheless, the university and the public institutions of Vienna draw forth and collect, as it were by force, a certain sum of science and literature ; and, at present, there are learned men, who, in spite of the want of encouragement, and the absence of the or- dinary excitements, have obtained, by their zeal and industry, a high rank amongst the promoters of science, and cultivators of literature. Foremost of these stands the aged and revered Jacquin, who may, with propriety, be styled the leader of the little band of scientific persons now residing in Vienna. After a life of much active exertion as professor at the schools of Schemnitz, as a voyager to the islands of the West Indies, and as the professor of botany in the university of Vi- enna, — a course which has been marked by r the splendid botani- cal works, and the numerous discoveries to which it has given rise, — this respected investigator of nature now reposes in the quiet of a matured old age ; and, approaching to his ninetieth year, he frequently joins, with life, and always with intelligence, in the conversation of his friends. His interest in botanic dis- coveries, the favourite pursuit of his younger days, has, in a re- markable degree, passed away ; but he still relates the scenes and incidents of the earlier periods of his life, with all the clear- ness and accuracy which would attend the relation of the most Ch. n. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 75 recent occurrences. He passes his tranquil days in the bosom of his son’s family, residing during the winter at Vienna, and delighted to mark the approach of spring, which summons them to their country residence, in the midst of the Botanic Garden which has grown under his protection, and where every tree hails him as its friend, and recals the cares and pleasures of his youthful toils. His son, Baron Jacquin, is the worthy supporter of this aged naturalist, and his able successor in the pursuits of science. He at present holds the botanical chair in the university, and as professor of chemistry, delivers a very valuable course of lec- tures to a numerous class. His house and table are open in the most hospitable and friendly manner to all those who feel any regard for the book of nature, or any interest in the laws by which she directs her extended operations. And his week- ly meetings glow with the same spirit, if they cannot flourish to the same extent, as those justly admired assemblies which give life, and interest, and union, to the efforts of science in our own country, under the auspices and beneath the roof of its firmest and most constant friend. The daughter of Baron Jacquin is married to Dr Schreibers, a naturalist of extensive knowledge, and unremitted assiduity. He resides with his family in apartments in the Imperial mu- seum of natural history, of which he has the general superin- tendence. This museum occupies several large rooms in the Bourg, and embraces all the different branches of natural history, including mineralogy. The zoological part is very extensive, having been collected and arranged with great care and expence. It has been furnished with many valuable specimens from the menagerie of Schonbrun, which was formerly much better stored with rare ani- mals than it now is. The museum of Sir Ashton Lever furnish- 76 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. it. Vienna. ed many very curious articles to this department, and opportuni- ties have never been neglected of purchasing collections or in- dividual specimens which might add to its value. Whilst I was at Vienna, Dr Schreibers was very busily occupied in some minute investigations upon the history and habits of the amphibia indigenous in Austria. For the better conduct- ing these inquiries, he has a large flat space upon the roof of the building, where he keeps living animals of various species, in cages or in water, making his daily observations upon the changes they undergo, and the habits they evince. In his study he pursues his microscopic researches, and, with the assistance of a most able artist, has obtained a valuable collec- tion of drawings, illustrating the objects of his examination. Dr Bremser, the coadjutor of his labours, was as ardently engaged in elucidating the history of the parasitical animals which live in the internal structures of the larger species. The collection of these objects, preserved in spirits, was commenced by Dr Schreibers in 1803, and may now boast of greater extent and value than any other which exists. The pains which have been taken to render it complete do the highest honour to all the parties concerned, and afford an excellent example to the directors of great national institutions, for the improvement of our knowledge in the more hidden secrets of nature. The mineralogical part of the museum is deposited in cases arranged through a suit of rooms, where the more splen- did specimens are displayed. The whole consists of nearly 100,000, amongst which, as might be expected from the ex- tent and mineral riches of the Austrian dominions, are a great number of die most magnificent and valuable which are any where to be seen. That which is always shewn to stran- gers with the greatest exultation, is the Noble Opal from the Ch. ii. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 77 mines of Kaschau, which weighs above seventeen ounces,^ and is supposed to be the largest mass of this mineral ever found. One among the most curious series in this collection, is un- doubtedly that of meteoric stones, or aerolites. Several are from the shower which fell at Stannen, in Moravia, in 1808, whither Dr Schreibers, with other commissioners, were dis- patched six days after the occurrence of the phenomenon, with full powers from the Emperor to summon witnesses, and make use of all other means for ascertaining the truth of the fact al- leged, and the circumstances which attended it. The result of the investigation was such as must have removed all doubts, if any had been entertained, of these substances having actually fallen from the atmosphere. The phenomenon had been wit- nessed by hundreds as they were going to church in the morn- ing. A cloud had been observed, a loud crashing noise was heard, and the substances fell within a few yards of several in- dividuals; were picked up by many while still warm; and were heard by others to fall with a hissing noise into the water. The commissioners found some still imbedded in the earth, where they had fallen ; and were able to trace, with tolerable accuracy, the limits within which the shower, consisting, of above a hundred stones of different sizes, had been confined. They were all coated with a semivitrified crust, and on analysis were found to correspond very much with the other specimens of which the origin had been ascribed to the same source. Amongst these atmospheric productions, are two large masses of solid iron, one of which fell at Elbogen, but the date of its de- scent is not known. This mass is probably above 100 lbs. in weight. It is so perfectly solid and pure, that trinkets, and agar- den knife for the Emperor, have been cut from it. The other mass is nearly of equal size, and fell at Agram, at 6 o’clock, May 26, 1751 ; it has many indentations on its surface, and seems 78 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. to have undergone a partial fusion. Dr Schreibers has likewise a private collection of these meteoric productions, containing specimens of stones which have fallen in 24 different places, all of which he has analysed, and the results are carefully arranged with the original specimens. He entertained at one time the intention of publishing a work upon this subject, and has brought together a large stock of materials ; has gathered the histories of above 200 meteoric explosions, and has a set of beautiful drawings taken from the specimens in the Imperial collection ; but the disturbances which have convulsed the con- tinent, broke in upon his pursuit, and he has not hitherto re- sumed it. With the naturalists of Vienna must be ranked Mr Baum- garten, at present occupied in a work upon the botanical pro- ductions of Transylvania ; and the Abbe Mazzuola, whose col- lection of butterflies is almost unique, and boasts of some most rare varieties. The present Archbishop of Vienna is also an ardent naturalist. Indeed, the sciences connected with natural history are those which are most cultivated in this city. Mathematics and Astronomy are not, however, neglected, and have been successfully pursued by several individuals, of whom the Professor Burke, and the Abbe Treisnecker, director of the Astronomical Observatory, are the most distinguished. Amongst the practising physicians, there are some highly worthy of being noticed, though it is somewhat singular, that of the most celebrated, scarcely any one is an Austrian by birth. Neither Doctors Frank, De Carro, Malfatti, Capellini, nor Hildenbrand, are Austrians ; and after enumerating these, very few remain whose names will be in the least familiar to a stranger. Of all I have mentioned, Dr Frank is best known to the world, by his numerous and learned writings. Few men have spent their lives in more active labours of usefulness. Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 79 He was first known as professor of medical jurisprudence at Pavia. He then came to Vienna, and filled the chair of clini- cal medicine in the University for twenty years. Removing to Wilna with his son, he there established another course of clinical lectures. Thence he was called to St Petersburg, where, during a residence of two years, he introduced cli- nical lectures, but not finding the climate agree with him, he returned to Vienna. His wish was to avoid practice, and to de- vote himself to his literary pursuits ; but, notwithstanding this, he has much practice forced upon him as a consulting physician. The remainder of his time is occupied in completing the works he has begun, particularly his elaborate treatise upon medical jurisprudence. He is a man of the most instructive and plea- sing conversation, with great knowledge both of books and men, and is most universally respected. He is now above seventy years of age, is perfectly firm and upright, and in all his faculties and dispositions, possesses the force and energy of youth, tempered by the mildness of advancing years. Dr De Carro likewise does much honour to Vienna, and his important exertions in the propagation of that greatest disco- very of the age, the vaccine inoculation, will ever entitle him to the sincere thanks of his fellow-creatures. To him the Continent of Asia, as well as that of Europe, is indebted for the first introduction of this great blessing, and I shall make no scruple of here inserting a short account of his success, nearly in the words of a biographical memoir of De Carro, which has very lately been published by an Austrian Noble- man. De Carro, having received his medical education in England, had early opportunities of becoming acquainted with Jenner’s important discovery, and, feeling the greatest reliance on his skill and accuracy, resolved to make the first trial upon his 80 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. own two sons. “ These children, on the 10th of May 1799, “ became the first subjects of the cow-pox inoculation upon “ the continent of Europe.” The success of the experiment was complete, and the children were found to be wholly inca- pable of receiving the small-pox infection. De Carro now la- boured sedulously to propagate the discovery through the whole of Europe. His efforts were attended with the most sa- tisfactory results, and his writings became the standard autho- rities upon the subject. This, however, was but a small part of the benefit which he conferred upon mankind ; for, after applying himself with un- remitting zeal, he at length succeeded in introducing this great discovery into the British possessions, and other remote coun- tries of the East, which he effected by communications of the virus over land. His labours in this most meritorious work have called forth the grateful acknowledgments of the many countries which have benefited by them, and will remain a lasting memorial to his honour. The sciences and the arts are, in many other points, indebted to the zeal of De Carro j but all other glory is eclipsed in the single praise, of having been the worthiest follower in the path marked out by Jenner. The medical reputation obtained by Professor Beer has not been confined to Germany, but his merit has been acknow- ledged throughout Europe. He is the third in a succession of teachers on the treatment of diseases of the eye, — a school of which Barth may be called the founder. To him succeeded Prochaska, who still holds the anatomical chair in the univer- sity ; but Beer, at present, on all affections of the eye, is the teacher and authority of Germany. The Count Harrack, a man of extensive reading and singu- lar philanthropy, must not be passed unnoticed, and does not the less deserve to be enrolled amongst the worthies of Vienna, Ch. ii. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 81 because the purity of his benevolence would never allow him to claim such distinction. This singular man turned his at- tention to the study of medicine somewhat late in life, for the sole purpose of doing good, and continues to spend his time unceasingly in relieving the miseries of those who are un- able to make pecuniary return for the attentions and advice they receive. This species of benevolent exertion is much needed in Vienna, where there are none of the smaller medical charities and dispensaries, which abound in our own country. I several times accompanied this gentleman in his visits to the establishments for the education of the blind, and to a small hospital in a convent of Elizabethines, where the nuns discharge all the offices of care and attendance towards the patients ; and it was pleasing to see with what truly parental kindness he conversed and associated with all .these objects of his charitable labours. Among the benevolent projects which have occupied the mind of this excellent man, it was his anxious wish to dis- cover means for restraining the frequent extension and ravages of the plague in the Turkish dominions, where, as is well known, religious scruples oppose the adoption of those me- thods of prevention v which have been found so efficacious in other countries. He accordingly took advantage of the as- sembly of Congress* to present a memorial .on the subject to the various potentates and ministers, hoping that they would, in conjunction, adopt some measures to induce the Porte to consult its own true interest in that respect, I am not, how- ever, aware that the subject ever obtained the attention which perhaps it merited ; and the followers of Mahomet still conti- nue to view the approaches of the plague with superstitious re- signation. In the departments of literature and belles lettres* the num- ber of distinguished names is still more confined than in that L 82 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. of science ; and, with the exception of Mr Hammer’s colossal strength in Oriental learning the general literary knowledge of the archimandrit of the united Greek church, Anthimo Gazi, particularly as respects both ancient and modern Greece ; — the historical sketches of Baron Hormayr ; — the political, dis- quisitions of the aged Sonnenfels ; — the elegant romances and idyls of Madame Pichler ; — and the dramatic works of Ma- dame Weissenthurn, — I do not remember to have become ac- quainted with any thing of very modern date which claimed attention. The writers on theological subjects are numerous, and many treatises, both upon statistics and agriculture, an- nually appear. I have already noticed that the business of education in Austria is of a most formidable nature, both for its duration and its formality. It necessarily demands a large apparatus to keep it in activity ; and, accordingly, there-are throughout the empire, universities, lyceums, district academies, gymnasiums, Latin schools, schools for instructing children in their native tongue, and schools for teaching the elements of religion, all under the immediate superintendence, and in the greater part supported at the expence, of the government. The professors and teachers are not only paid from the public treasury, but the young men are obliged, under pain of exclusion from all the endless offices of state, to attend their instructions. Pri- vate schools arej consequently, almost unknown ; and there are no traces of that emulation which, in more free countries, ensures to parents a large choice of well instructed masters, each anxious to improve and facilitate education. Vienna has its full share of these public institutions, for lead- ing young minds into such paths as the Austrian government thinks most fitted for its subjects. There are sixty schools for instructing the poor in reading, writing, and arithmetic, where Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 83 they pay at the rate of three florins per year. — One Normal school, professing nearly the same objects, as preparatory for the Gymnasium, at ten florins per year.— Thftee Gymnasia, in which the studies prescribed by law are, religion, composition, classics, natural history, arithmetic, geography, history, and the elements of mathematics ; — And an university provided with forty-five professors, besides extra teachers. Independent of all these, is the Theresian Academy, esta^ blished for the sons of Catholic nobility, to which foreigners are admitted. It is superintended by a director, and has twen- ty-one professors, ten masters of the modern languages, besides several tutors. There are likewise Imperial medical academies. Imperial mi- litary academies, and an Imperial academy for the Oriental lan- guages ; and, lastly, the Imperial Polytechnic school, lately es- tablished, for instructing tradesmen, and teaching solely, by means of professors and their lectures, all the trades and ma- nufactures, from the sewing of a shoe, or the making of a table, to the construction of a palace, or the fabrication of a silk bro- cade. Whether this establishment will answer its- intended purpose will be seen hereafter. In the meantime, several learn- ed men have been enlisted into the service, and, to facilitate the business of instruction, the Museum of Manufactures, before spoken of, has been removed to the new building. To some of these institutions considerable libraries are attach- ed. That of the university is very extensive, and is said to contain 90,000 volumes. The imperial collection of books, however, far surpasses every other, and consists of 200,000 volumes. These are deposited in a most magnificent hall, to which are attached smaller rooms for manuscripts, and some selections of rare books, illustrative of particular subjects. In one of my visits to this library, I saw the MSS. which were 84 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna . just brought back from Paris. They had been plundered with an unsparing hand by the French, and, having been stript of their ancient vellum coverings, to render them more portable, were now returned in superb morocco and gold bindings, adorned with the initial of the despoiler’s name. A large part of this library is freely open, during several hours of the day, to the use of the citizens, who may read in an apartment, fur- nished with desks, where the books they require are brought to them by attendants, to whom they are again returned on quitting the room. Many of the libraries belonging to noble families in Vienna, are likewise extremely valuable. The Charitable Institutions are, for the most part, monu- ments of the kindness of government towards its distressed subjects, or of dying devotees towards the salvation of their own souls, rather than the tokens of public philanthropy, or the offspring of the widely extended exertions of Christian charity. They are supported, either directly from the treasury, or by a tax laid upon the inhabitants, for the express purpose of assisting some specific establishment, or by the legacies of individuals. I do not remember one which is maintained ex- actly on the principle of voluntary contributions. My attention was naturally drawn, in a peculiar manner, to the magnificent General Hospital, where the medical lectures of Hildenbrand, the instruction of Beer, and the surgical prac- tice of Rust and Kern, afford great attractions to those who are interested in such pursuits. The Hospital is calculated to receive 2000 patients, but, owing to circumstances connected with its funds, it did not, at the time I was there, contain above 800. The building forms six or seven open squares, and the parts appropriated to the patients are divided into long wards and private chambers. Ch. ii. Vienna .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 85 The patients are distinguished into four separate classes, of which the three first comprise such as are not absolutely desti- tute, but are able to pay something towards the reestablish- ment of their health. The highest class pay one florin and fifteen kreutzers per day, for which they are accommodated with separate rooms and nurses. The lowest pay but thirteen kreutzers, and are treated in the same way as those who are admitted gratis. The provisions are supplied by cooks, who contract to furnish a full diet , a half diet , or a low diet , at cer- tain rates ; the lowest bidder always being preferred. The greatest precaution is, however, employed to guard against im- position. The different kinds of food are daily tasted by some of the attending physicians, both in the kitchen and in the ward. The wards are high and well proportioned, heated by stoves, and, as fuel is dear, the windows, which are small, but nume- rous, and provided with double glass, are never opened during winter. Ventilation is, however, tolerably effected by means of ventilators which open near the ceiling, and as there is much spare room in the hospital, the wards are changed, and undergo a complete purification every six months. The medical department is numerously filled ; four physi- cians and four surgeons reside in the building, besides others who are attached to it. The clinical wards are greatly superior to the others ; they are situated in a separate building in one of the squares of the hospital, where the Professor Hilden- brand, under whose care these patients are placed, resides. This very able physician is the worthy successor of the ce- lebrated Stoll and Frank ; he devotes himself very assiduously to the improvement of the students, whose education, in the practical parts of medicine, he superintends. He visits the patients, in company with the pupils, as early as seven o’clock 86 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. in the morning, and afterwards delivers a very excellent course of medical lectures in Latin. Professor Beer likewise lectures in this hospital, and gives his clinical instructions in a large ward set apart for diseases of the eye. For assisting in the medical education of the students, there is a considerable collection of anatomical preparations, both at the hospital and at the university. And at the Josephene me- dico-chirurgical academy, is to be seen a most splendid collec- tion of anatomical casts in wax, made by the skilful Floren- tine artists, representing, in the minutest detail, all the parts of the human body, with their anatomical structure fully dis- played and, where requisite, the magnified representation of the parts accompany those of the natural size. There is yet one more cabinet of this class of preparations, which is particularly worthy of attention. This is the museum of Professor Prochaska, which contains the most minute injec- tions of the vessels of the human body in existence. In fact, the Professor is in possession of a certain art of injecting, which he received from Barth, on conditions of secrecy, and thus, in defiance of all the rules of philosophic liberality, these two enlightened men deny to the world the valuable means they have discovered of increasing our knowledge of the most intricate parts of the human frame. In the meantime, Pro- chaska is ready, for fifty ducats, to. supply to the curious small cabinets, accompanied with a microscope, and containing about seventy microscopic specimens, showing the most minute ra- mifications of different vessels in the various structures of the body. It appears that this art of subtle injection is the same which Lieberklihn employed before them, and which was lost after his death. It would, indeed, be a blot upon the scien- tific spirit of the university of Vienna, if a second time such a discovery should be suffered to perish. Ch. XX. Vienna.'] TRAVELS TN LOWER HUNGARY. 87 Connected with the General Hospital, is an institution for lying-in women, to which persons may be admitted in the most secret manner ; and, unseen by any individual, will re- ceive every medical assistance and every care ; and, having paid a trifling sum, may quit the house perfectly undiscovered. The child is either taken by the mother, or left, to be placed in the Hospital of Foundlings. The moral tendency of such regulations may be a subject of animadversion ; but their hu- manity is not to be doubted. The Hospital of Foundlings is, of course, constituted to as- sist in the same general system, and is open to the reception, not only of children born in the Lying-in Hospital, but of all other children, on paying a certain sum, which never amounts to more than forty-five florins,— is, in certain cases, as low as eight florins, — and, where extreme poverty is fully proved, is altogether dispensed with. The mother, on leaving the child, receives a ticket, by presenting which she may at any time re- claim her offspring, who is otherwise, at a proper age, put to some useful trade or employment. In the case of actual foundlings, the district or parish in which such children are exposed defrays the fee on entrance. The Asylum for the Insane is a fanciful edifice, and not well contrived. Externally, it appears a large round tower; and, on entering, it is found to consist of a hollow circle, in the centre of which a square building rises, joined to the circle by each of its angles. The circular part contains the patients, and the inclosed building is intended for the residence of the keepers and the surgeon. This building is four stories high, besides the ground floor. Each story is constructed nearly on the same plan ; — a passage runs round the inner -circum- ference, into which the cells or chambers open. It contains 300 patients, whose condition is far from being as comfortable 88 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Cn. ii. Vienna. as in many of the establishments for the insane which I have visited. The Institutions for the education of the Deaf and Dumb, established by the Emperor Joseph, as well as that for the in- struction of the Blind, are conducted with much spirit and success, on plans similar to those of Paris and Berlin, but are not very extensive. The system established for private bathing in Vienna, from its convenience, deserves particular notice ; for, besides accom- modations at the baths, called the Diana and Emperor’s baths, you may, at any time, by sending an order a few hours pre- viously, be furnished from them with a warm bath in your own lodging. This is done by putting the hot water into small casks, formed of staves at least two inches in thickness, which are conveyed to any part of the city or suburbs upon carriages resembling our brewers’ drays. A bathing vessel is brought at the same time, and placed in your chamber, and is filled from these casks, of which a sufficient number are left to be added to the rest, to keep up the temperature. When confined in these thick casks, the water will retain considerable heat for twenty-four hours. The apparatus is removed by the same persons who brought it ; and the whole charge does not a- mount to more than eighteenpence or two shillings, according to the distance of your abode from the public baths. Amongst the many instances of superintending police watch- ing over the public health, must be noticed the regulations by which all burying-grounds are removed beyond the lines, and slaughter-houses prohibited within the walls of the city, and also, that a convenient and secure portion of one of the branches of the Danube is marked out and guarded by proper officers, in order to render it a safe bathing-place for the common people; Ch. ii. Vienna."] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 89 Shortly after my arrival at Vienna, I was accidentally made acquainted with another instance of minute attention to the safety of the citizen expressed by the police regulations of this metropolis. As I walked along the Coertner Strasse one evening, feeling slightly indisposed, I entered a shop, and made civil application for a most harmless remedy. The written prescription was immediately demanded. I had none, but at once wrote it for the druggist’s satisfaction. The signa- ture was scrutinized, and the name demanded. A printed re- gister of practitioners authorized by government was examin- ed, and my name of course not found. Neither explanation nor entreaty could avail ; and, surrounded by medicines, the only assistance I could procure was a direction to the abode of the nearest authorized prescriber. Fortunately all the ven- ders of drugs in Vienna were not equally conscientious. I ob- tained my medicine from another, and never again met with a similar refusal. My uncourteous druggist, however, did but strictly obey the well-intentioned injunctions of the govern- ment. If, in some instances, the regulations of government descend a little too minutely into the circumstances which may promote the well-being of the subject ; — and if the observer beat moments tempted to smile at the anxiety evinced, lest the impulse, di- recting to self preservation, should prove too weak, when un- assisted by the arm of authorized power ; yet, on a survey of the whole conduct of the Austrian government towards its people, the excellence of the ruling heart is always plainly dis- cerned. Nor are the Austrians insensible to the advantages they thus enjoy, but repay it with heartfelt sentiments of affec- tion towards the Emperor, which they never fail to express, even when they murmur at his decrees. If I were to select, M 90 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ii. Vienna. from amongst the eulogies which have been passed on nlo- narchs, the most glowing traits, assisted by the warmest efforts of imagination, I might not perhaps make a deeper impression upon the mind of the reader, than by the simple recital of the fact, that it is the habit of the Austrian ruler, to admit into his presence, and to personal interview, every individual of his realm. One day in every week is devoted to this sacred duty ; when the Emperor, with the first dawning of the morning, at- tends in a private apartment, to receive petitions and com- plaints, from the mouths even of his poorest subjects. He lis- tens to them freely, and, though he seldom judges finally at the moment, shews his sympathy, and declares his feeling in their behalf. Before I speak of my departure from Vienna towards Hun- gary, I would add one topic more to a very miscellaneous chap- ter, and note down the observations which arose on a visit to Nuremberg, in the Summer of 1815. It presented a scene which, in itself and its associations, was deeply impressive. I had remarked, in Holland and in Prussia, people recovering from political slavery. I had observed, in Saxony, the devas- tation of war, and the fears of those who trembled under the apprehension of political oppression ; but, in Nuremberg, for the first time, 1 saw the recent effects of political annihilation. This once free city, formerly so flourishing in its manufac- tures and trade,— so exulting in its liberties, — so proud of its patrician families, — where the arts of sculpture were fostered, — the art of painting in Germany revived, almost created, — and where all the sciences could find a secure refuge, — is now re- duced to a tributary provincial town, under the direction of fo- reign magistrates ; — trade injured, and the arts neglected. As I passed through it, I heard nothing but the melancholy re- cital of what it had been. Ch. ii. Vienna.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 91 The Bavarian government, from a wish to assimilate this city to the kingdom to which it now belongs ; and, if possible, to erase the memory of its ancient condition, has begun by destroying the independence of the rich and illustrious fa- milies, from which the government and magistracy were for- merly derived. A law has been enacted, prohibiting the ex- clusive descent of property to the elder branch of the fa- mily, — a most effectual safeguard against the accumulation of wealth to individuals, and which, of itself, would strike a de- cisive blow to the efficiency of Nuremberg as a nursery of the arts. The consequence of these combined causes has already been, that the greater part of the valuable collections of paintings and antiquities have been dispersed ; and the last remaining library, and the fine and celebrated collections of Paul de Praun, which, for nearly two centuries, have been the boast of Nurem- berg, are now offered for sale. In each ancient mansion, the folding doors are closed, — the court-yard is overgrown with grass, — the chambers have lost their ornaments, — and our con- ductors seemed to fear lest the naked walls should echo too loud- ly, what they recounted to us as the cause of all this desolation. I can truly say, that, during the few days I spent in Nurem- berg, I never heard a contented word, nor did I ever hear a complaint uttered with an open voice ; for persons, who would each relate facts when alone with me, would utter but distant insinuations when they were together, so much did suspicion and fear occupy their minds. The Bavarian government, or its authorized minister, has, in one or two instances, copied the example which has been given so frequently of late, of attempting to complete the sub- jugation, and insure the obedience of the people, by taking away striking monuments, or destroying certain insignia, upon 92 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. ir. Vienna. which they have been accustomed to look with admiration, and point out as objects of pride. Thus, in Nuremberg, the Bavarians have laid their sacri- legious hands upon various public ornaments; and what has particularly excited disgust, is the removal of a magnificent work in cast metal, which used to adorn the town-hall, and which was looked upon with peculiar respect. We were con- ducted in order to have the situation pointed out, which this admired piece of art had occupied, but the doors of the great room were shut against us. We knocked in vain, and were only answered by the imprecations of the Russian soldiers, who, on their march towards the frontiers of France, had been put in possession of the useless apartment. But let political events pursue their course,— let Nuremberg fall much lower in importance than she yet has fallen, — her name will not be forgotten. So long as the history of the arts remains an object of interest, the birth place of Albert Durer, his constant residence, and the scene of his last days, will be identified with Nuremberg; and the last turret which marks the situation of this once powerful and free city, will serve as a monument to the father of the arts, whose in- dustry and whose genius were such, that it is to be doubted whether, in diversity of subject, in correctness of drawing, or in beauty of finish, he has yet ever been surpassed ; and who, in the sister arts of engraving and sculpture, succeeded to a degree which would have afforded sufficient ground for the warmest praise, had he not been rendered still more celebrated by his painting. The works of German art recall him to our minds at every step, — and the feelings which attend the extin- guished glory of Nuremberg, remind us, by no unnatural connec- tion, of the death of Albert Durer, and the epitaph inscribed over his remains. Once associated in their glory,-— the man and his Ch. ii. Vienna.-] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 93 ancient home now rest together in their decay ; — and the tra- veller would be ungrateful not to scatter such flowers over each as he may collect, although the gathering be hasty and the of- fering rude. The epitaph on Albert Durer might furnish an inscription for his native place, — “ Vixit Germaniag decus.” me . al . DU QUICQUID . ALBERTI . DURERI , MORTALE . FUIT SUB . HOC . CONDITUR . TUMULO EMIGRAVIT . VIII . IDUS . APRILIS MDXXVIII AjV VIXIT . GERMANISE . DECUS ALBERTUS . DURERUS ARTIUM . LUMEN . SOL . ARTIFICUM URBIS . PATRLE . NOR . ORNAMENTUM PICTOR . CHALCOGRAPHUS . SCULPTOR SINE . EXEMPLO . QUIA . OMNISCIUS DIGNUS . INVENTUS . EXTERIS QUEM . IMITANDUM . CENSERENT MAGNES . MAGNATUM . COS . INGENIORUM POST . SESQUISECULI . REQUIEM QUIA . PAREM . NON . HABUIT SOLUS . HEIC . CUBARE . JUBETUR TU . FLORES . SPARGE . VIATOR A . R . S . MDCLXXXI OPT . MER . F . CUR I . DE . S CHAPTER III. Leave Vienna .- — Pressburg. — Appearance of Country and Pea- sants. — Tyrnau . — Freystadt. — Neutra. — U rmeny , theresiden ce of Graf Hunyadi. — Introduction of Horse-racing. — Breeding stud.— Cyganis. — Lands possessed by Nobles alone. — State of Peasants , and the services required of them. — Interior of a Peasant's habitation. During my residence in Vienna, I was fortunate enough to be- come acquainted with some of the Hungarian nobility, through whose kindness I was furnished with many valuable letters, which promised to afford me much facility in passing through their country, and in gaining information upon such subjects as should appear to me most interesting. Provided with these in- troductions, I embraced the earliest days of spring, and, leaving Ch. III. Hamburg .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 95 Vienna, in March 1815, in company with a friend who wished to visit Pressburg, took the road on the right bank of the Da- nube. The country through which we first passed was flat, open, and uninteresting, the river, much intersected by islands covered with alders and willows, showing itself at intervals. Great part of the land is not cultivated, and very little of it is inclosed. The villages afforded as little interest as the intervening country. At the post-houses we found that horses had been bespoken for the Palatine, who was expected on his way from Ofen, and, on this account, horse patroles were stationed at certain distances along the road. To the right, before entering Haimburg, are the remains of a Roman triumphal arch, the lower parts of which are built of stone, and the upper parts, as well as the arch, of the thin bricks so frequently found in these remains of antiquity. The cement is very strong ; and a large mass of brick- work, which had fallen from the top, still adheres firmly together. We examined it attentively, but could not discover the remains of any inscription. This archway has been described and figured by Dr Brown, who wrote in 1673 ; and since that period it has suffered much Iqss dilapidation than might be expected. The traces, however, of the ancient town of Carnuntum, in which it is supposed to have been erected, are now become very faint ; but, immediately surrounding the arch, the earth is thrown into confused heaps, bearing at present the appear- ance rather of a depository of the dead, than of the remains of a splendid city. The day was too far advanced when we arrived at Haimburg to cross the Danube before night ; and, there being no inn at the river on this side, we determined to remain where we were, 96 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Pressburg . and seated ourselves in the public room, where Teniers might have found some excellent subjects for his pencil. The company had divided itself into knots. The party with whom we more immediately connected ourselves, consisted of two well-informed merchants, just come from the confines of Turkey. Their knowledge of languages might well surprise an Englishman ; for they spoke fluently no less than seven, of which they wrote five with tolerable correctness. Such ac- complishments are, however, by no means unusual in the country we were just entering ; for the mixture of nations and languages in Hungary is so great, that it is nearly impossible to live there, without some knowledge of Latin, German, and Sclavonian, or, according to the district in which you have oc- casion to reside, Hungarian or Bosnian or Walachian. Early on the following morning we proceeded to Pressburg, which we reached, after crossing the Danube in a large boat ; the flying bridges, which are always removed during the winter on account of the ice, not being yet reestablished. In Pressburg, a city with 22,000 inhabitants, declared by Fer- dinand, in 1536, the capital of Hungary, — the place where the kings were crowned, and the diets were held,- — there was now little to detain us. The castle, which was some years ago used as a barrack, was accidentally burned down. The walls still form a square pile with a tower at each angle ; but it is more remarkable for its situation than its structure. It is placed on a hill of moderate elevation, which may be consider- ed as the commencement of the Carpathian chain, overlooking a vast plain, through which the Danube rolls ; and on the north-west of which alone the horizon is broken for about one-third of its extent by distant mountains. The town itself is insignificant ; many of the streets are steep and narrow, — -the good houses but few, — and the shops, which Ch. hi. Pressburg."] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 9*7 are for the most part supplied with goods from Vienna, bear a poor and retail character. We visited the principal church, de- dicated to St Martin the martyr. It is a very ancient Gothic edifice, said indeed to have been built in 1090. There is an excellent equestrian figure of the tutelary saint, placed over the altar. It is cast in metal, after a mould by the celebrated Donner. Pressburg has likewise its theatre ; and in the middle of the town is an open space, .planted with young trees, as a public walk. The manufactures are of little importance. They are chiefly oil, snuff, woollen goods, and before the late war it had some share in the manufacture of silk. A public school for boys of the Catholic religion is sup- ported by government ; besides which we here find one of the largest Lutheran establishments for education in Hungary. In the suburbs, which are extensive, for the ancient walls of the city did not include above 400 houses, are seen a few large residences, with gardens belonging to Hungarian nobles. As I inquired from the innkeeper respecting the best means by which I might arrive at the towns of Schemnitz and Kremnitz, without a carriage of my own, he represented to me .for- cibly the inconvenience to which I should be subjected, by depending upon the carriages provided at the post stations ; and a young man joining in our conversation, recommend- ed me to stay till the following day, when he himself intend- ed to go in that direction, taking advantage of a returning silver waggon which had been carrying coin to Vienna. The prospect of this only public conveyance, was but little al- luring ; and, as my friend offered to accompany me the first stage, I determined to proceed with him, and trust- after- wards to the means afforded at the different stations. We ac- cordingly set forwards. There was no active bustle in the N 98 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iii. Peasantry. streets, — no throng of people crowding to and fro, — and scarcely had we left the town, when all traces of human habi- tations ceased,- — and the flat country assumed an open and ne- glected aspect. The chief objects which enlivened the scene, were filthy peasants, seated on the front of their light waggons, loaded with fire-wood, who, flourishing their long whips, kept their four ponies in a trot, whilst they directed their course with a single rein of cord. The road was very bad, and parti- cularly when we passed a village, the wheels sunk to their naves in mud. When we arrived at Cseklesz, the first stage after leaving Pressburg, and the residence of Graf Esterhazy, my com- panion returned to Vienna ; placing myself, therefore, with my portmanteau and a few books in a small post calash, I proceed- ed towards Sarfo. The road improved ; the peasants were employed in plough- ing the land, and my driver cheered the way by a Scla- vonian song. But let no one be induced, by these expressions, to figure to his imagination a scene of rural delight. The plain is unenlivened by trees, unintersected by hedges, and thinly inhabited by human beings ; — a waste of arable land, badly cultivated, and yielding imperfect crops to proprietors who are scarcely conscious of the extent of territory they possess. It is for some branch of the families of Esterhazy or Palfy, known to them only by name, that the Sclavonian peasants who inhabit these regions are employed. Their appearance bespeaks no fostering care from the superior, — no independent respect, yielded with free satisfaction from the inferior. It is easy to perceive, that all stimulus to invention, all incitement to extraordinary exertion, is wanting. No one peasant has pro- ceeded in the arts of life and civilization a step farther than his neighbour. When you have seen one you have seen all. Ch. ill. Peasantry .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 99 From the same little hat, covered with oil, falls the same mat- ted long black hair, negligently plaited or tied in knots ; and over the* same dirty jacket and trowsers, is wrapped on each a cloak of coarse woollen cloth, or sheep-skin still retaining its wool. Whether it be winter or summer, week-day or Sabbath, the Sclavonian of this district never lays aside his cloak, or is seen but in heavy boots. Their instruments of agriculture are throughout the same, and in all their habitations is observed a perfect uniformity of design. A wide muddy road separates two rows of cottages, which constitute a village. From amongst them there is no possibility of selecting the best or the worst ; they are absolutely uniform. In some villages the cottages present their ends ; in others, their sides to the road ; but there is seldom this variety in the same village. The interior of the cottage is in general divided into three small rooms on the ground floor, and a little space in the roof destined for lumber. The roof is commonly covered with a very thick thatch, the walls are white washed, and pierced towards the road by two small windows. The cottages are usually placed a few yards distant from each other. The intervening space defended by a rail and gate, or a hedge of wicker-work to- wards the road, forms the farm-yard, which runs back some way, and contains a shed or out-house for the cattle. Such is the outward appearance of the peasant and his habitation. Of his domestic economy, more may be said hereafter. One of the villages through which we passed contained about two hundred families of peasants. It is of the largest size, the property, I believe, of Prince Esterhazy, who is said to possess above twenty-five villages in this district. As I passed through this wild and open country, and look- ed around on all the objects which formed its characteristic features, I observed a triangular stone edifice, with a pillar 100 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. in. Tyrnau. rising from each corner, which I was informed was intended, by the addition of beams, to form a triple gallows. I was, consequently, led to inquire into the frequency of its^use, and was gratified to find, that, in fact, it was there rather as a warning, than an instrument of punishment, being assured by a man advanced in years that he did not remember a single execution. At Sarfo, which is merely a village, I exchanged my little covered calash for a very inferior conveyance, a small cart, without any cover or protection, hung on iron bars instead of springs or leathers. It soon broke down, but was quickly re- paired. The country still presented a prodigious extent of land, lnoderately cultivated ; and, as the evening gradually closed, the Carpathian Mountains formed a fine outline towards the setting sun, whilst the peasants, who were returning home with their ploughs and oxen, added to the beauty of the scene. It was eight o’clock when I arrived at Tyrnau, about four- teen English miles distant from Sarfo. This is a royal free town of considerable size, where some coarse cloth is manu- factured, and its markets are largely attended. Until the year 1777, this town had to boast of the national university, which at that period was removed by Maria Theresa to Ofen. A se- minary for young clergy, and other schools, are still maintain- ed at Tyrnau ; and the archbishop’s palace, some handsome churches, and the convents of several religious orders which once flourished in this town, stamp, it with a character of some importance. I was now just in time to become one of a party at the supper-table, where the post-master, and a no- bleman whose mustaches and whiskers had been trained al- most to meet, formed the most conspicuous guests, keeping up a rapid conversation in Latin, in which the whole company at times joined. 101 Ch. \n. Freystadt.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. On the following day I proceeded through a district, which, at the commencement, was flat, but soon after became varied with gentle inequalities, affording a swelling outline, and scat- tered over thinly with stunted trees. In this country, where there are no farming tenants, the great proprietors have the establishments necessary for collect- ing the crops distributed on different parts of their extensive territories. I saw more than one of these during the morn- ing’s ride, at great distances from each other. As we approach- ed Freystadt, we perceived, in a plain to the left, the regular fortification of Leopoldstadt, so called after Leopold the First. It is situated on the river Waag. The building of this fortress was rendered necessary, by the twenty years’ truce concluded in 1664, when Neuhaiisel was to remain in the hands of the Turks. Brown saw it, in 1669, still in progress. Its fortifica- tions are tolerably entire, and it is at present employed only as a station for invalids. The town of Freystadt is well situated, on a finely rising ground. Graf Erdodi is the proprietor of the whole, and of a large extent of surrounding country. His residence might, from its situation, form a striking object, were it not unfortunately, like many of the large mansions of the Hungarian nobility, built with little attention to elegance or taste. After crossing the Waag, which is here a rapid river, by a bridge of timber, the road winds through a wood, and ascends gently towards Freystadt. It was market-day in this little town,— the streets were thronged with peasants, and the light waggons of the country, each drawn by two oxen or small horses abreast. The costume of the men has been already described, except that, in addition to the usual sheep’s skin cloak, many had two tails hanging from the collar down their backs, generally made 102 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Neutra. of black lamb’s skin, or variegated in some rude pattern of black and white. The women wore short pelisses of blue cloth, lined, and bordered with fur or wool, and white handkerchiefs closely bound about their heads. On a bank of grass im- mediately on the skirts of the town, a numerous body of peasantry was collected, having horses and cattle of various kinds for sale. It was a curious sight, and whether the negli- gence of the peasant were more marked in the appearance of himself or his cattle, was not easy to determine. Nature had done much in forming a strong race of men, however deficient the cattle may be in beauty or size. A more pitiable collec- tion of horses could scarcely be seen ; and the meagre appear- ance of the horned cattle too plainly indicated the insufficiency of the pastures on which they had been fed. Many miserable beggars, with groups of mingled Jews and Gypsies, served to complete this motley assemblage. The country, on leaving Freystadt, became a little varied, and the quantity of wood rather increased ; the road continued very bad till we approached Neutra. This town is finely situated on two elevations, on one of which stands the bishop’s palace, with the cathedral, — on the other a public school ; and at no great distance behind the town is a range of hills, beautifully covered with forest trees. There are many good houses, and a large building for trans- acting the business of the comitatus. It happened to be the period of its assembling ; and while the post-master awaited the return of his horses from the labour of the field, I enter- ed an inn which could boast, indeed, of little cOmfort, but a dirty cloth was spread upon the table to invite the visitors to eat. As I sat here, several of the inferior nobility, who had come to attend the assembly, entered. Their conversation was in gene- ral too obscure, either from the language or the subject, to afford I Ch. III. Urmeny.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 103 me much interest ; but a travelling lecturer on philosophy, who joined the party, enlivened it by a bombastic affectation of learning, which seemed to produce no small effect upon some of "his hearers, and, certainly, secured him additional auditors for the evening. After more than two hours delay, I procured horses late in the afternoon to carry me to Urmeny, the seat of Graf Hunyadi, to whom I had letters of introduction. Urmeny lies entirely out of the post-road j but our lonely track passed through a fine open valley, the sides of which were par- tially covered with wood : the river Neutra wound along the bottom. The newly springing corn clothed the arable land with delightful verdure, and on turning round, and look- ing towards Neutra, the ridge of mountains, running to the north and east, presented a most magnificent view. In a short time every trace of road ceased. The few peasants whom we met from time to time were wild and uncultivated in ap- pearance, yet, as in all countries where there are few travel- lers, and more particularly where the relation between peasant and lord is such as in Hungary, they never forgot to make sub- missive bows to the carriage. At length passing over a low ridge w’e arrived at the village of Urmeny. This extends it- self over the opposite rising bank, on the summit of which is seen the residence of Graf Hunyadi, which, together with the church, overlooks all the other buildings. My driver was willing to take me at once to the Chateau, but, as it was already dark, I thought it might be better to defer presenting myself till the following morning. My scruples were, however, speedily removed, for I found that, being out of the post-road, Urmeny afforded the traveller no public accommodation. . Under these circumstances, I went imme- diately to the castle, where I learned that the Graf was absent, 104 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iii. Urmeny. though hourly expected. It fortunately happened that I was provided with a letter for Mr Appell, who, under the title of Director, has complete powers, during the absence of the Graf, to discharge all the duties of hospitality. Mr Appell Inhabits a handsome modern house in the garden, within a short distance of the castle, where he received me with the most unaffected cordiality. He lamented the absence of the Graf, and imme- diately gave orders to the Ober Hof-meister, who adds va- rious functions to those of maitre d’hotel, to prepare a chamber in the castle for a stranger. Thither my luggage was quickly conveyed, and all my apologies as speedily silenced by my hospitable landlord, who assured me that, when better acquaint- ed with the customs of Hungary, I should know they were quite unnecessary. I found the Director most closely intent upon the agricultu- ral pursuits over which he presides, and happily uniting great zeal with steady and intelligent exertion. We were soon en- gaged in conversation upon the economy of the farm ; and I was astonished at the exertions^ the Graf is making to im- prove every thing connected with the breeding of horses, sheep, and cattle. Whilst we were employed in examining and comparing the different registers and accounts, which are regularly kept, relative to the breed and progress of each kind of farming-stock, the family physician entered. He is a man of talents, living in a neighbouring house ; and finding in the castle the only recompence and consolation for the virtual ba- nishment in which he passes his time. We were shortly sum- moned to supper. It was a patriarchal meal. A large round table, comfortably served in the manner of the country, was surrounded by a numerous family of the Director’s children. Their mother was dead ; but a female relation, in some degree, supplied her place. A young artist, engaged to live in the Ch. hi. Vrrneny.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 105 house, for the double purpose of painting the portraits of the Graf’s favourite horses, and instructing the Director’s children, was likewise of the party. These, with the physician and my- self, formed the company. The supper was simple and plen- tiful ; and, amongst other things, we found excellent cheese, the produce of an estate of the Graf’s, near the Balaton Lake, which had many of the best qualities of Stilton ; wine, not unlike claret, from another of his estates ; and a very fine fish called Fogas (Perea Lucioperca? J, taken in the Balaton. Af- ter a cheerful repast, I retired to my room ; and at seven the following morning took coffee, according to appointment, with the Director. Lying on the table, with other books, was Tattersall’s Racing Kalendar, which led to the production of the Racing Kalendar of Hunyadi. The Graf has been taking great pains with his breed of horses ; and, with a view of ascertaining the progress which he makes, and, at the same time, through a desire of exciting the country to exertion, has instituted races on the English model. This practice, which has secured to Great Britain the finest horses in the world, seems likely to be attended with the greatest benefits to the Hungarian breed. At that time the Graf’s kalendar contained the account of two races only, both of which occurred during the preceding year ; before which period, his project of breeding was too little ma- tured to furnish him with proper horses. Though the turf is at present engrossed by his own racers, other proprietors are be- ginning to understand the object and perceive the advantages of the plan. As it may be curious and interesting to see the record of the first attempt to establish in Hungary this English practice, I insert a translation of the first page of the Hunyadi kalendar. o 106 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iii. Urmeny. This race took place May 22d 1814, between three mares. Name of the Mare. Colour and Maries. Size. Age. Name of the Father. | Mother. Name of the Rider. With mhat Weight. Victoria. Light Brown. 15Han. \ Inch. 3 Years. Montedoro.J Roxalana. Johan Petzucha. 78| Pfund. Capria. Chesnut. 14Han. Scinch. 3 Yoscanello. | Capria. Johan Hofchuth. 72| Pfund. Cocoa. Iron Grey. 14 Han. Scinch. 3 Poria, from Viliam, Transyl- Transyl- vania. vania. Johan Kudrij. 72| Pfund. “ In this case Victoria and Capria ran the length of one “ English mile, or 849 Vienna klafters, in two minutes and « eleven seconds. But Cocoa remained the length of six horses “ behind. « That the above described horses of this size and age, and “ carrying this weight, did really accomplish the distance in « the time stated, we testify by our names.” (Here follows a long list of signatures of noblemen and others who were present.) Graf Hunyadi has since continued, and even increased, his exertions in pursuit of this important object. In the spring of 1816 he ran thirteen three year old mares of his own breeding, before an assemblage of several thousand persons. In this case the whole were divided into three allotments, each form- ing a separate race. In the first, Justina ran the length of the course, which is 1082£ Vienna klafters, in three minutes and forty-two seconds. In the next, Ariosa did the same in two minutes and fifty-eight seconds ; and, in the third, Lodoiska in two minutes and fifty-four seconds. Then, after resting for an hour, the three successful mares ran against each other, and Lodoiska went over the course in three minutes and three se- conds. 1 Ch. iii. Hefenenv.~\ TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 107 As the Graf wishes, not only to draw the attention of the landholders to the breeding of horses, but also to infuse into bis peasantry a spirit of improvement in this particular, he has appointed a day, on which their horses alone run, and gives re- wards to the successful competitors. Portraits of some of the Graf’s horses were shewn me. They were executed with great correctness and skill, by the artist whom I had met at dinner. We next proceeded to the stables, which are placed near the house, that they may be always under the eye of the Graf himself. They are a fine range, containing from thirty to forty horses. The flooring is of wood, and the litter being removed during the day, the horses stand on the boards. A general superintendant is constantly in the stables, and each groom has not more than two or three horses under his separate care. Some one of the grooms must always be present, and a mark hung over the stalls of him to whose turn it falls, reminds him of his duty. The horses we here saw were various crosses of the Arabian and Transylvanian. Several were led out to shew their forms and paces, which in general were extremely good. We now mounted a light carriage of the Director’s, termed a drosky , and drove towards Hetmeny, a farm belonging to the Graf at the distance of a few miles, where he keeps his breeding stud. It was a delightful morning, and the way led us over a perfect plain, the greater part of which was un in closed, affording a fine sweet grass, and dry pasturage to the sheep. We had here an opportunity of comparing the fine-woolled flocks of Graf Hunyadi, with the unimproved sheep of the country. The latter are larger in the carcase, but the inferiori- ty in the quality of their fleece is extremely striking. . We passed over part of an estate belonging to one of the greatest proprietors in Hungary. It was one of those many 108 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Hetmeny. neglected territories, which, left to the care of a steward, are probably never seen by the owner ; and as there are but few peasants attached to it, it is worked by those who live on other estates, at the distance of some days’ journey. This duty they are compelled to discharge at the will of their Lord, being obliged to leave their homes, with their Cattle and ploughs, and take up a temporary residence in some barn or stable on the estate to which they are removed. We passed a village built in the usual manner, and, cross- ing a ferry, arrived on the farm of Hetmeny. We had not proceeded many steps before the Director encountered some of the inferior officers, with whom he began a conversation on farming affairs in Latin. The effect was singular ; but I was by this time growing accustomed to it. At Hetmeny I found all the arrangements made with atten- tion to utility, and not to shew. Large pens for breeding mares ; — airy and open stables furnished with mangers, not divided into stalls, for feeding the young horses, which are af- terwards driven out into the inclosures appropriated for them, according to their different classes and ages ; — a long stable, with stalls for horses more advanced, amongst which were those which had been tried in the races of the last year ; — and small open stables, each devoted to one of the stallions on which the Graf depends for the improvement of his breed. One stallion only of the old breed of the estate is preserved, strong, and of a brown colour. Whilst waiting for dinner at the house of the Inspector, I saw the commencement of a most particular and laborious register, in which the qualities of each horse, in both body and disposi- tion, were strictly detailed, with a view to obtain such an inti- mate knowledge of the animals as may ensure a continual im- provement in the breed. After dinner, we visited "the-' race- Ch. iii. Cyganis.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 109 horses, which were now in their first week of training for the expected competition. Highly gratified with all I had seen, I returned with my conductor to the carriage, and we drove to a village, where the Graf has one of his sheepfolds. The generality of the inhabi- tants were Sclavonian ; but, as occurs in almost all the villages in this part of the country, there are persons of other nations, more particularly Gypsies, a race of people here called Cyganis. These people are spread through all Hungary, are distributed in every hamlet, but retain all the peculiarities which consti- tute a separate tribe. Though they become truly the fixed in- habitants of the villages where they live, they seldom marry out of their own body, and rarely employ themselves in regu- lar works of agriculture. They are considered inferior even to the peasants, and as- sume the occupations ©f smiths or carpenters, and carriers of messages and letters. In harvest, and other seasons when la- bour presses, they are called upon to assist in the fields ; and any little irregular work is confided to the Cyganis. Their houses, which are always small and poor in appearance, are commonly situated on the outskirts of the village, and, if pos- sible, in the neighbourhood of some thicket or rough land. In their persons they are dirty, and scantily clothed. They are easily to be distinguished by the round form of the face, the dark swarthy complexion, small curved nose, and black eyes. In short, those who have seen Gypsies in England will immediately recognize the same tribe of people in the Cyganis of Hungary. In some few instances, however, these people have been known to raise themselves by industry and care to a situation higher than the common peasant. They become dealers in horses and tobacco, and frequent the fairs and mar- kets. They are generally musical, and some are in the habit 110 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iii. Peasantry. of wandering about amongst the gentry, and professionally fre- quenting weddings or feasts. Upon the whole, they are not much discountenanced, and, from their readiness to employ themselves in irregular occupa- tions, are often found very useful. Attempts have frequently been made to bring them to habits of regular industry, but in vain. Content with very little, they seem to value the species of independence they possess, though enjoyed at the expence of all which the more civilized have been taught to consider the comforts of life. The majority, however, of the inhabitants of this village were peasants, or, as they are called, Bauers. As I shall have fre- quent occasion to speak of this class, it may be well to give here a slight sketch of their situation, and the relation in which they stand to their Lord ; leaving the outline to be filled up and illustrated as circumstances arisGCm the progress of my journal. The manner in which land is possessed and distributed in this country is very singular. No man can possess lands who is not a noble of Hungary. But, as all the family of a nobleman are also noble, it is supposed, that, in every twenty-one indi- viduals in the nation, one is of this class. The lands descend either entire and undivided to the eldest son, or are equally divided amongst the sons, or, in some cases, amongst the sons and daughters ; so that many of the nobles become, by these divisions, extremely poor, and are often obliged to discharge all the duties of the meanest peasant. If any of these nobles wish to sell an estate to a stranger, however high in rank, even to a noble of the Austrian empire, application must first be made to the surrounding proprietors, to learn whether they wish to purchase at the stipulated price ; if they decline, the stranger may purchase it for a period of thirty years ; at the Ch. hi. Peasantry .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. Ill end of which time, any branch of the family which sold it, how- ever distantly related, may oblige the stranger to surrender his bargain. This goes so far, that, in many cases, though the purchaser be an Hungarian noble, the family of the former possessor can reclaim it after thirty years, on payment of the original price, together with expences incurred in the buildings and improvements which have been made during that period. The litigation, ill-will, and evils of every kind to which such laws give rise* are beyond calculation. The peasants on these estates were formerly bound to per- form indefinite services, on account of supposed grants and privileges, likewise little understood. Maria Theresa put the whole under certain regulations, which left less arbitrary power in the hands of the Lord. She fixed the quantity of land upon each estate, which was to remain irrevocably in the possession of the peasantry, giving to each peasant his portion, called a session , and defining the services which should be required of him by his Lord in return. The only points determined, how- ever, were, first, the whole quantity of land assigned to the pea- sants ; secondly, the relation between the quantity of land and the quantity of labour the Lord should require for it. The indi- vidual peasants are not fixed to the soil, but may always be dismissed when the superior finds cause ; nor is it of necessity that the son succeeds to his father, though usually the case. The peasant has no absolute claim to a whole session ; — if the Lord please he may give but half a session, or a third ; but, in this case, he cannot require more than one-half or one-third of the labour. The quantity of land allotted to a whole session is fixed for each comitatus or county. In the county of Neutra, where Urmeny is situated, it varies, according to the quality of the soil, from twenty* to thirty joch, each equal to 1.46 acres, or nearly 1 £ English statute acre ; and of these sixteen or twenty 112 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iii. Peasantry. must be arable ; the rest meadow. The services required of the father of the family, for the whole session, are one hundred and four days of labour during the year, if he work without cattle, or fifty-two days if he bring two horses or oxen, or four, if ne- cessary, with ploughs and carts. In this work he may either employ himself, or, if he prefer and can afford it, may send a servant. Besides this, he must give four fowls and twelve eggs, and one pfund and a half of butter j and every thirty peasants must give one calf yearly. He must also pay a florin for his house, — must cut and bring home a klafter of wood, — must spin in his family six pfund of wool or hemp, provided by the landlord, — and, among four peasants, the proprietor claims what is called a long journey, that is, they must trans- port twenty- centners, each one hundred French pounds weight, the distance of two days’ journey out and home; and, besides all this, they must pay one-tenth of all their products to the church, and one-ninth to the Lord. Such are the services owed by the peasant, and happy would he be were he subject to no other claims. Unfortunately, however, the peasant of Hungary has scarcely any political rights, and is considered by the government, much more than by the landlord, in the light of a slave. By an unlimit- ed extension of the aristocratical privilege, the noble is free from every burthen, and the whole is accumulated upon the peasant. The noble pays no tribute, and goes freely through the country, subject to neither tolls nor duties; but the peasant is subject to pay tribute, and although there may be some nominal restrictions to the services due from him to govern- ment, it can safely be said, that there is no limit, in point of fact, to the services which he is compelled to perform. What- ever public work is to be executed, — not only when a road is to be repaired, but when new roads are to be made, or bridges €h. hi. Peasantry TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 11 built, — the county meeting gives the order, and the peasant dares not refuse to execute it. All soldiers passing through the country are quartered exclusively upon the peasantry. They must provide them, without recompence, with bread, and furnish their horses with corn, and whenever called upon, by an order termed a “ forespann order” they must provide the person bringing it with horses and means of conveyance. Such an order is always employed by the officers of government ; and whoever can in any way plead public business as the cause of his journey, takes care to provide himself with it. In all levies of soldiers the whole falls upon the peasant, and the choice is left to the arbitrary discretion of the Lord and his servants. Taking a general view of the situation of the peasant, we may be satisfied, that it is not only in appearance, but in reali- ty, oppressive. The appearance of oppression constantly im- posing on the sufferer a consciousness of his humiliation, is of itself an evil hard to bear ; but in the present case there is more than apparent hardship ; for, even supposing that the re- turn made to the Hungarian peasant for his labour by his Lord were an ample recompence, still the unlimited demands of. ser- vice from government would prevent his deriving advantage from it. It is certain that the whole system is bad. Neither the Lord nor the peasant is satisfied. The benefit derived by the latter is by no means proportionate to the sacrifice which the landlord is called upon to make. The quantity of land ap- propriated to the peasant is enormous, and still he always la- bours unwillingly, and of course ineffectually, under an idea that he works from compulsion, and not for pay. In order to do all the farming work upon a given estate by the peasants, it is no wild assertion, that nearly one-half of the land capable of cultivation is portioned out amongst the labourers, p 114 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Peasantry. Owing to local circumstances, however, the proportion be- tween the estate and peasants belonging to it varies very much. When the Empress Maria Theresa made the dis- tribution, she was guided, in a great degree, by the actual number then existing on each estate, to all of whom she gave lands, apparently without considering how the change would apply to individual cases. And, besides this original inequali- ty, subsequent divisions of estates, and the cultivation of lands, at that time wholly neglected, have rendered the disproportion, in some cases, glaringly absurd. Thus, I have heard of estates, of which every acre was occupied by the peasants, the landlord receiving nothing but the tenths and other casual services from them, unless he had occasion to transport them to labour on some other of his estates. On other pro- perties, again, there are no peasants, — and this appears to be the state of things most desirable to the proprietor, — so much so, that, even where peasants have been upon an estate, in- stances have come to my knowledge, in which the Lord has almost neglected to demand their services, finding his labour better performed by hired servants. But, if the landlord have reason to be little satisfied, still less can the peasant be supposed to rejoice in his situation. It can never be well, to make the great and actually necessary part of society,- — the labouring class, — dependant on the chances of a good or bad harvest for its existence. A man of capital can bear, for a year or two years, the failure of his crops ; but, let a cold east wind blow for one night, — let a hail storm descend, — or let a river overflow its banks, —and the peasant, who has nothing but his field, starves or becomes a burthen to his Lord. Of this I have seen actual proof, not only in the wine districts of Hungary, in which the uncertainty of the crop is extreme, but in some of its richest plains, where I have known Ch. hi. Peasantry.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 115 the peasantry, full three months before gathering in, humbly supplicating the landlords to advance them corn on the faith of the coming harvest. These are evils always liable to oc- cur, supposing the peasant were allowed to cultivate his lands without interruption. But is this the case ? The Lord can le- gally claim only one hundred and four days’ labour from each in the year ; yet who can restrain him if he demand more ? There are a multiplicity of pretexts under which he can make such demands, and be supported in them. The administration of justice is, in a great degree, vested in his own hands. There are many little faults for which a peasant becomes liable to be punished with blows and fines, but which he is often permitted to commute for labour. In fact, these things happen so fre- quently, and other extorted days of labour, which the peasant fears to refuse, occur so often, that I remember, when in con- versation with a very intelligent Director, I was estimating the labour of each peasant at 104 days, — he immediately corrected me, and said I might double it. If, however, the Lord, or his head servants, have too much feeling of propriety to transgress against the strictness of the law, they can at any time call upon the peasants to serve them for pay j and that, not at the usual wages of a servant, but about one-third as much, according to an assessed rate of labour. Add to all this, the services due to the government, — remember, too, that cases occur in which a peasant is obliged to be six weeks from his home, with his horses and cart, carrying imperial stores to the frontier, — and then judge whether he is permitted to cul- tivate, without interruption, the land which he receives, as the only return for his labour. In order to give a more distinct and lively idea of the servi- ces to which a peasant is bound, as well as to shew that they are actually required of him, I shall here insert an extract of 116 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Peasantry. the form of an account, which I was permitted to make from the books of a particular estate. It contains the several heads, or items ; and shews distinctly, at one view, all the claims to which the peasant is liable from his Lord. In the original, the respective amount of each, in days or money, was marked by figures ; but, as these amounts are merely local, they can have but little interest, and are therefore omitted. Tojas. — 12 eggs given yearly by each peasant. Tsibe. — 2 fowls do. Kappam. — 2 capons do. Itze Vaj. — Butter. Borju Penz. — Calf money. Sums paid in lieu of the of a calf by each peasant. Fust Penz. — 1 florin paid by each house to the landlord. Robot Vciltsag. — Money paid to redeem the appointed labour or robot. Olfavagas. — A klafter of wood to be cut yearly by each peasant. Fonyas. — The spinning. Each must spin six pfund of hemp. FLoszszufuvares. — Long journeys every four sessions, being call- ed upon to furnish one annually. Kulombfele. — Sundries, including the money due from the peasants on account of favours granted by the lord. Belso Fundus. — Money paid on account of garden ground, when the house and garden occupy more than a quarter of an acre. Halaszat. — The fishery. Each peasant being called upon for one day’s fishing. Segeiotul. — Money paid for an additional right of feeding cat- tle on open pastures, or in the forests j and this is general- ly paid in a joint sum by a whole village or hamlet. Ch, iii. Peasantry .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 1 17 Rettul. — Remuneration for additional pasture lands usually paid in labour, four or five days’ robot , that is, service, being given for a jocli. Fold tul. — Paid for additional arable land, at the rate of three days’ labour for a joch, besides one-fifth of the produce. Szoloszedes.— Vintage. Each peasant who possesses any vine- yard must give one day’s labour at his Lord’s vintage. Olfavagas. — When the peasant is not called upon to cut wood, he must give two days’ labour. Fonyas. — If the hemp- spinning be not claimed, he must give six days’ labour. Vadaszat. — Hunting. Every person who has a house must assist in the chace. during three days. Hossu fwvarellen . — Each entire session, instead of its propor- tionate assistance in the long journeys, gives fifteen or twenty days’ labour. If the peasant be unwilling to make this exchange, the landlord cannot oblige him to do it, but is at liberty to sell the long journey which is due to another person, who is usually some Jew, or travel- ling merchant. Urbarial-Competentz .> — The 104 days’ labour which each session yields to the Lord. Restant. — The arrears of labour. This may be claimed after any period of years. Adoz Hazok. — The sum of florins due from the peasants on ac- count of their houses, each paying one florin. Arendas. — Those handicraft workmen and other lodgers, who have no separate houses, pay money. Robotos. — Or, if they prefer it, must give 12 days’ labour. Szabados. — Having a house as the free gift of the Lord, who requires no robot. Fuszta. — Houses uninhabited. 118 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. hi. Peasantry. Arendas . — Money paid for houses instead of labour. Robottos . — Labour paid for houses. Summa . — The number of whole sessions. The number of peasants having whole sessions. The number having two-fourths. The number having three-fourths. The number having one-fourth. — Money paid to the peasants for work done above what is due to the Lord. — -Number of days* labour due from all the peasants yearly. Labour remaining from the last year. — — Days’ labour done upon the estate during the preced- ing year. In the village we were now visiting, the portions or ses- sions of the peasants were generally divided into thirds. Being curious to examine the interior of their houses, I was gratified by the Director, who conducted me into some of them ; I believe, however, with a very pardonable selection of the best. I was surprised to find, that men, so negligent of their personal appearance, should enjoy in their houses so much comfort and good order. The door opens in the side of the house into the middle room, or kitchen, in which is an oven, constructed of clay, well calculated for baking bread, and various implements for household purposes, which generally occupy this apartment fully. On each side of the room is a door, com- municating on one hand with the family dormitory, in which are the two windows that look into the road. This cham- ber is usually small, but well arranged ; the beds in good order, piled upon each other, to be spread out on the floor at Ch. in. Peasantry .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 119 night, and the walls covered with a multiplicity of pictures and images of our Saviour, together with dishes, plates, and ves- sels of coarse earthen ware. The other door from the kitchen leads to the store-room, the repository of the greater part of the peasant’s riches, consisting of bags of grain of various kinds, both for consumption and for seed, bladders of tallow, sausages, and other articles of provision, in quantities which it would as- tonish us to find in an English cottage. We must, however, keep in mind, that the harvest of the Hungarian peasant anti- cipates the income of the whole year ; and, from the circum- stances in which he is placed, he should be rather compared with our farmer than our labourer. The yards or folds be- tween the houses are usually much neglected, and are the dirty receptacles of a thousand uncleanly objects. Light carts and ploughs, with which the owner performs his stated labour, — his meagre cattle, — a loose rudely formed heap of hay, — and half a dozen ragged children, — stand there in mixed con- fusion, over which three or four noble dogs, of a peculiar breed, resembling in some degree the Newfoundland dog, keep faith- ful watch. It was at this village that I first saw one of Graf Hunyadi’s flocks of sheep, esteemed his third in point of improvement of breed. The wool was beautiful, and the pens well con- structed. But of the Graf’s excellent and numerous flocks I shall hereafter speak more particularly. We now returned towards the castle, calling at another sheep-fold in our way, and crossing again the extensive plain over which we pass- ed in the morning. Our evening was spent as the for- mer, except that the physician excused himself from remain- ing to supper, as it was his turn to inspect the patrole, which, in consequence of the many depredations lately committed in the neighbourhood, was established at Urmeny. CHAPTER PV. Urmeny. — Hungarian Granary. — Succession of Crops. — Large flocks of improved Sheep. — Great attention to the Breed and Folding. — Horned Cattle. — Leave Urmeny. — Appearance of the Country. — Leva. — A Funeral. — Batha. — Steinbach. — Ap- proach and arrival at Schemnitz. — Minute regulations for management of Sheep. The following morning, whilst at breakfast with the Director, his children, according to the custom of the country, came in to pay their morning duty, each kissing his father’s hand. It was a ceremony which had not dwindled into mere form, but appeared to be accompanied with feelings of affection and respect. We afterwards walked round the garden, visiting the dove and poultry house, which are admirable, and the kennel, where 1 found many greyhounds, with which the Graf frequent- Ch. iv. Urmeny.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 121 ly amuses himself. A walk to the nursery ground followed ; one of the Graf’s favourite objects being to shelter with hedge- rows and belts the naked country in which he lives, and he has already planted much in the neighbourhood of Urmeny. We visited also a well-built granary, but the mode of storing wheat generally adopted in this country is very objectionable, for the grain, after being beaten out, often by the feet of horses and oxen, is deposited in holes in the ground, where it is kept dur- ing the winter. It there acquires a strong mouldy smell, which goes off, in some degree, it is true, by exposure to the air, but the grain always suffers much deterioration. Accordingly, close to the Graf’s farm-yard is a piece of open ground, where thirty or forty little tumuli were seen, each of them co- vering the entrance to one of these subterraneous deposita- ries ; and in the course of the day, I had an opportunity of being present whilst one of them was opened. In their con- struction, a circular hole is dug to the depth of about three feet, and an excavation is formed of such dimensions, that a man can sit in it to stow away the grain, and assist in bring- ing it to the surface when required. This done, a fire is light- ed with a view of hardening the sides, which are afterwards lined with straw. When the grain is thus stowed, straw is placed upon the top, and earth thrown in to fill up the en- trance hole, which forms the neck, as it were, of the cave, and a little heap of earth remains, pointing out the spot ; or, when there is occasion to make use of a distinctive mark, a piece of wood, with notches, is stuck into it. You seldom pass a vil- lage without seeing a number of such little hillocks in a neigh- bouring piece of ground. We now proceeded to visit another of the Graf’s farms, called Keszi, at the distance of about three English miles. A large col- lection of peasants, with their cattle and ploughs, were at work on Q 122 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Urmeny. one part of it. The system here adopted is nearly the com- mon agriculture of the country, the usual succession of crops being, 1st year, wheat and rye, sown in winter. 2d year, grain of various sorts, sown in spring, 3d year, fallow. 4th year, winter grain. 5th year, spring grain. 6th year, fallow, with manure and good dunging, and so on, a simple fallow every third, and manuring every sixth year. Maize is one of the most productive crops. It is planted in April, and cut in September or October, yielding thirty-fold, whilst other crops yield not more than ten-fold at the utmost. Turnips have been fairly tried without success, on account of the dryness which usually prevails during the summer months. The land is ploughed very shallow, seldom above three inches, with a plough which has its share almost horizontal. The whole of the grain, except the maize, is broad-cast, and rubbed in with a brush harrow. As well as I could judge, from the winter crops all looking green and well at the time I saw them, the seed is sown with great regularity. The maize is put in the ground by women who follow after the plough, and with a hoe turn back a little mould, drop a few grains, and imme- diately replace the earth. It is in this part of the Graf’s estate, that he has established his race ground, on a most beautiful piece of turf just without the limits of a park which he has laid out according to the English taste, and where he is about to build a small house. He is stocking his park with pheasants and other game, and the trees have already acquired considerable size. At the farm of Keszi the Graf likewise keeps the most exten- Ch. iv. Sheep.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 123 sive flocks which he possesses in this part of Hungary, consisting of about twelve hundred sheep, which have now been ten years under improvement. In the care of them he employs one chief shepherd and six men. The sheep are divided into flocks of from one hundred to two hundred, as circumstances may require ; and we arrived just as they were following their shepherds in various directions, over a wide extent of sweet pasture, resembling our English downs. Amongst other objects interesting to the agriculturist, was an excellent range of cow stalls, and one of the large bee houses, which are often very valuable in Hungary, but this was somewhat neglected. On returning to dinner, we found a neighbouring Graf, who had driven over, on a visit to Urmeny. He dined with us, and invited me, with much kindness, to his residence in the mountains behind Neutra ; but as my time would not admit of it, I was forced to decline an invitation which it would, on many accounts, have given me great pleasure to accept. As soon as he had taken his leave, Mr Appell, anxious to amuse me, ordered horses again to his carriage, and conducted me to the Graf’s estate, called Tarrany. It was here that we found the finest of all the Hunyadi flocks, and that upon which the proprietor chiefly depends for his future progress. I shall therefore take this opportunity to speak more at large respecting the breed, and the care taken in its improvement. The original breed of Hungarian sheep is, in fact, the real Ovis strepsiceros of authors, covered with very coarse wool, and bearing upright spiral horns. Improvement on this stock by crosses, with other varieties, is become so general, that a flock of the native race is seldom to be met with, excepting upon the estates of the clergy. The great improvement has been by the introduction of 124 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Sheep. Spanish blood. Some of the great proprietors have themselves imported from Spain ; others have obtained rams from the flocks of the Emperor of Austria, and others from various private sources, so that at present there is scarcely any flock of importance which has Hot derived advantage from the Spanish cross. In the year 1773, a Royal flock was established at Merco- pail, to assist in the general improvement. This has, how- ever, been latterly somewhat neglected, on account of another since formed at Holitsch. The wool is now a great object of commerce. In 1802, it was calculated that above twelve mil- lion and a half pfund was exported from Hungary, a large por- tion of which goes into Austria, and is either there manufac- tured, or is carried to more distant markets ; and much of that which is sold in England, under the denomination of Saxon wool, is actually the produce of Hungary, exported in spite of the heavy duty it pays on leaving the Austrian dominions. It is about fourteen years since the first Spanish sheep were introduced upon the Hunyadi estates, from Moravia, where Baron Geisler had been many years employed in improving the breed. Since that time the Graf has exercised unwearied assiduity in crossing and recrossing, and introducing new and more perfect Merinos. By keeping the most accurate regi- sters of the pedigree of each sheep, he has been enabled to proceed, with a degree of mathematical precision, in the regu- lar and progressive improvement of his whole stock. Out of the seventeen thousand sheep composing his flock, there is not one whose whole family he cannot trace by reference to his books ; and he regulates his yearly sales by these registers. He considers the purity of blood the first requisite towards perfec- tion in the fleece ; but he is well aware that little can be done, unless the sheep be kept in health and condition. For this Ch. iv. Sheep.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 125 purpose, he lias adopted a system of folding, which, as far as I can judge, is almost perfect ; and the whole is conducted with so much accuracy, that I contemplated it with pleasure and astonishment. At each of the head-quarters (if I may so term them) of his sheep, well-built sheds are constructed, having brick pillars at certain distances, which leave about half the side open, and thus admit a free circulation of air during summer, and afford easy means of excluding the cold in winter. The height of the sheds is about seven feet to the springing of the roof; and they are divided by little racks, into such spaces as are neces- sary for the division amongst the flocks. Racks are also ar- ranged round the whole, so that all the sheep can conveniently feed at them. The floor is covered with straw, and the upper layer, being continually renewed, a dry and warm bedding is obtained. In these houses the sheep are kept almost constantly during winter, that is, from November till April, and are then fed three times a day upon dry food. They are watered twice a day, from a well close at hand. Even during summer, the sheep are driven under cover every evening, and they are conducted home in the day time when it rains, or when the heat is oppressive. They always lamb in the house ; the ewe being placed, upon this occasion, in a little pen by herself, where she remains unmo- lested. These pens are about three feet long, by two feet wide, and are formed by means of hurdles. It is owing to this care that they never lose a lamb. But, to give a more perfect and connected idea of the minute order and extreme care taken in this establishment, and to gratify those who are really interested in the subject, I am induced to insert, at the end of the present chapter, the regulations made by Graf Hunyadi. They came into my hands through a very circuitous medium, and I trust 126 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. It. Sheep. a sufficient apology, for publishing private directions of this nature, will be found, in a wish to point out to my English readers, the assiduous exertions of an Hungarian noble, who takes the lead in the agriculture of his country, and in my un- willingness that they should be deprived of the valuable hints which may be thus afforded. Their utility makes them almost public property; and I foresee no inconvenience that can arise from making them known. The first idea on reading these regulations will probably be, that, while they look well, in a theoretical point of view, they are too nice for practice. Such, however, is not the case. I believe, from all which I saw, that they are com- pletely put in execution at Urmeny. The Graf has, indeed, one advantage, which will not often be found ; he has inspired all his officers and servants with an interest in the subject. The number of persons employed is about one man to every hundred sheep, and each of them considers his flock as his family and pride. The result of all this care has been a success, which could scarcely have been anticipated. A conception can hardly be formed of flocks more uniformly excellent. The sheep are strong and healthy ; and, for the Spanish cross, large. Their fleeces perfect, — not a lock broken or displaced, — and even the tail and legs covered with good wool. It is, of course, the wool, and not the carcase, which is the great object in a country so poor, and so thinly peopled, as Hungary. The pfund (1.23 lb. avoirdupois) of wool on the spot, yields nearly one and a half silver gulden, which, as the gulden varies, according to the course of exchange, from one-seventh to one- ninth of a pound Sterling, is between 3s. and 4s. 6d t Three pfund (about 3f lbs.) is estimated as about the average product of each sheep. Some, however, particularly the rams, yield six l Ch. iv. Cattle .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 127 or seven. The whole of the wool, without any separation, and only washed on the back of the sheep, is sold at the same price, and the consequence is, that, from flocks which, if cover- ed with the ordinary wool of the country, might be expected to yield an income of 15,000 or 20,000 guldens, not less than 50,000 guldens are now annually produced. In this sketch of the Hunyadi economy, I must not neglect the horned cattle. The native Hungarian breed bears much resemblance to the wild white species which was formerly found in our own country. They are large, vigorous, and active, of a dirty white colour, with horns of a prodigious length, exceed- ing, in this respect, even the long horned breed of Lancashire. The oxen are most excellently adapted for the plough, uniting to all the qualities of the ordinary ox, a very superior degree of activity. The cow is, perhaps, deficient in milk, yet, by care in the choice of the best, and attention to regular milking, the quan- tity given by one has been increased to 2000 quarts in a year. In general, the dairy of the Graf consists of crosses of the Styrian breed, or the still more valued breeds of Switzerland, of which one in his possession gave 3400 quarts in the year. The cows are constantly in the house during the whole year, and are brushed and cleaned like horses daily ; their stalls are kept per- fectly neat, and are very well constructed. A raised passage about three feet broad, runs along the middle of the building, on each side of which, the cows are arranged with their heads towards each other. This passage is boarded on its sides and floor, and enables the servants employed, both to look at, and feed the cattle with the greatest convenience. Besides common cattle, the Graf has about a dozen buf- faloes, singularly uncouth animals ; their carcase in proportion to their height, which is inferior to that of a cow, very round 128 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Cattle. and broad. Their colour is black, their hair coarse, and so scanty that the skin is discernible in every part. The tail more nearly resembles that of the elephant than of the ox ; and the head is so placed in a horizontal position, with the nose stretched for- ward, that their horns usually lie on their shoulders. The noise they make has no resemblance to the lowing of a cow, it is rather a shrill snort. They are bred in Hungary for the same pur- poses as ordinary cattle. The milk which they give is richer than other milk, and considerable in quantity. A single ani- mal yielded 1470 quarts in the year. As beasts of labour, they are excessively strong, but they are slow and unmanageable. The dairy establishments are distributed in different places, and put under the care of resident servants or peasants, who have to account to the proprietor for the produce chiefly in butter. A steward or trusty person attends each day to see how much milk is obtained. At certain intervals the trial is made to discover what quantities of butter should be yielded by a given quantity of milk, and thus a good check is placed upon all parties employed. A regular register is also kept of the quantity of milk given monthly by each cow, for the pur- pose of ascertaining what calves particularly deserve to be rear- ed. I shall here conclude the subject by subjoining a short ex- tract of two or three items from such a register. Ch. iv. Cattle . ] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 129 Observations. Mother killed on account of age. She is good, gives much milk, and her calves are hand- some. Do. Do. Moderately good calves and milk. Sickly calves. Much milk, but bad. Middling calves and milk. Good milk, fine calves. 0 of Cow. at Ur- meny. at Ur- meny. at Keszi. Do. at Tar- rany. Do. of Calf. | Slaugh- tered. at Ur- rn eny. Slaugh- tered. at Keszi. Do. at Tar- rany. Do. for La- bour. 5 of CaltlJ Adyla Feker. Rech- ter. Ferdi- nand. Ferdi- nand. Produced 1 Cow Calf. 9th June 7th Aug. Bull Calf. 4th June 10th Dec. 20th Dec. 5th Jan. 5th Jan. 31st Dec. Sura. s 2 g § §, § § 1 Dec. c? 5 55 o*W' o>W> 2 g 5 3? Oct. t o* r © « •*? * « g 5 J w 2 s Sept. s g g g £ 5 s g Aug. § ^ 3T ' «? g « ■ 8 5 S? $ g 2- July. O » © S §? <3 So June. nl^i cNP ~W wt# e»H< S 2. CO 00 CO 5? S May. ^ Sg £ 2 2 e* c* April. . MW £r 00 O ^ 2 <0 O 00 Oi Mar. I § f I g §r Feb. 00 2 ^ « 4 ^ co ^ O CO CO • Name. Gyurtsa. (Buffalo.) Bukross. (Buffalo.) Oudass. (Buffalo.) Szorossa. (Cross of Hungarian and Styrian) Porassa. Juna. (Swiss breed born in Hun- gary.) Diana. (Swiss.) Oreg Csako. Hungarian. Mixed co- lour; mode rate size ; fine horns. R 130 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Peasants, After remaining a few days at Urmeny, I pursued my jour- ney, furnished with a note to one of the Graf’s stewards, resident at a village through which the road passed, desiring him to provide me with a conveyance to Leva. Thus did my worthy friend the Director complete the hospitality with which my whole residence at Urmeny was marked. Nothing had been left undone which the kindest attention could suggest as gratifying to a stranger. It was truly with regret that I left it, and this feeling was much increased by the recollection that the absence of the Graf, during my whole stay, had de- prived me of the gratification of making myself acquainted with one whose liberal and enlightened exertions had so much benefited his country. My driver was a Sclavonian peasant, a rough unpolished creature, whose matted locks, falling from a little dirty cap of leather, hung over a thick cloak made of woollen blanketing. To add, indeed, to the filthy appearance of this figure, he was afflicted with that unseemly disease, known by the name of Plica Polonica, in which the hair grows so matted, that it is im- possible to disentangle it, and becomes actually felted into balls, which, from an unfounded apprehension of bad consequences, the peasants are very unwilling to have removed. This dis- ease is not, however, common in Hungary, and is, I believe, nearly confined to the northern districts. The country was flat and open. It was the Sabbath, and passing a little village, we saw the peasants ranged along the steps and wall of the church-yard, as the bell summoned them to prayer. The men, notwithstanding the warmth of a fine day, were closely wrapt in their thick cloaks, of which the wool was generally turned inwards. The women were clothed in short blue pelisses bound with fur, and wore, as well as the men, large heavy Hessian boots; those of the young women being made of Ch. Iv. Fzzscs.] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY.* 131 yellow leather, with high heels of a bright red. As the car- riage passed, the men bowed respectfully, but the salutation of the women was less discernible. The country was adorned with a little wood, and we pas- sed another village with a church upon a gentle elevation by the way side. Large groups of peasants were stretched on the grass indulging their natural indolence near a few shabby calashes, such as the petty nobles and officers of large estates generally drive, and which are drawn by four, or six peasants’ horsed. I alighted for a few minutes, and found the congregation devout and attentive. The space about the church, from its elevation and dryness, had been fixed upon as well fitted for the preservation of corn ; and where tombs might have been expected, I found the little earthen heaps which mark the depositories of grain. I soon discovered that my driver was altogether ignorant of his way, and we wandered entirely from any road or track : this, how- ever, we at length regained by the assistance of the peasants. Amongst them I noticed some young women whose heads were not, as usual, enveloped in white handkerchiefs. Beau- tiful hair carefully combed in its natural direction, and rol- led into two cords .before, and one larger behind, — to which the two front cords were united, and the whole bound together, — was plaited with ribbon in the form of a long tail hanging down the back. The landscape now became varied with wood, and even vine- yards. We entered a forest, and had the good fortune to choose the right road out of three which offered themselves, and at length came upon the large village of Fuses, on the outskirts of which I observed many children of Cygariis, lying naked about the doors of their mud cottages. We passed along a charming valley, bounded by oak wood on either side. 132 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Pell. the red-breasts and larks singing sweetly. The diversity of the country increased as we approached another Sclavonian vil- lage, and afterwards passed a farm of Graf Hunyadi, situated upon a rising ground. The appearance of the flocks and farm- buildings told me immediately who the possessor was, and I stopped the carriage for a few minutes to take a general view of the establishment. After a short time, we descended abruptly from a ridge into an extensive plain. Immediately beneath was a fine wood, upon the skirts of which is situated the village of Pell, to which I was directing my way. Being Sunday, the Graf’s steward was from home in his carriage, which the family seemed to re- gret, as they did not well know how to fulfil the wishes of the Director, by forwarding me to Leva. When, however, they found that I was quite indifferent as to the mode of convey- ance, if I could only proceed, they soon gave orders for a pea- sant’s waggon, and, whilst it was preparing, 1 was requested to partake of their family dinner, which was just placed on the table. After which, I examined an extensive and well-regu- lated dairy establishment, which differs little from that I have already described. The Graf has here a brewery, cultivating his own hops, and selling the beer which is too much for his private consumption. It appears that hops grow wild, although they are rarely cultivated in this country, for almost the whole that are con- sumed in Hungary have hitherto been imported from Bohe- mia. The waggon being ready, I contrived to form a seat with my portmanteau and a few bundles of straw ; but the rough motion of the vehicle soon destroyed all my hopes of comfort ; and I found sufficient employment in watching and keeping together my books and other loose articles, which might i Ch. iv. Ltva.~\ TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 133 easily have been lost through the sides and bottom of the car- riage. It was the common peasant’s waggon, about six feet long, and two feet and a half broad, the side of rough rail work, the bottom of three or four unjoined planks. This was drawn by four small meagre horses, scarcely connected with it, by a slight harness of ropes. The peasant, in bis cloak, sat upon one of the wheel-horses, and, with a single cord, directed the two leaders, whilst his long whip whistled round his head in- cessantly. As to the rapidity of our progress there was no cause of complaint ; we trotted briskly over the plain, which was fertile, but often marshy. We crossed the river Gran by a wooden bridge, well constructed for bearing against the swollen current ; and, after passing two or three villages, reach- ed the public road which leads to Leva. Just on the outside of the town there is a larger settlement of Cyganis than usual. They occupy a row of at least a dozen houses, and present a sad picture of wretchedness. On entering the town, I found tolerable streets ; but, as in most of the towns in this low country, the road was dirty beyond description, and the wheels sunk almost to the axles in the mud. I now explained to my conductor that he must drive me to the posthouse ; but, when I got there, the whole yard was full of people, and I learned that the postmaster, having lost his wife, was on the point of following her corpse. This, I plainly saw, would put a stop to my journey for the day, and did not feel much disappointed, as it afforded me an opportunity of attending a ceremony which no one ought to neglect in a foreign country. After three priests, with crosses and incense boxes, — -followed by the coffin, and accompanied by a numerous train of mourners, and boys with wax-lights, — had moved with solemn singing to- wards the burying-place, I went quickly to the inn, dismissed my waggon, and joined the procession. The place of burial 134 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. IV. Lew. was considerably elevated, at the distance of half a mile from Leva, — a solitary spot of ground, adorned only by crosses rais- ed by the hands of affection over departed friends. As the body was laid in the ground, I thought I perceived more emo- tion in the spectators than is usual. The rite being perform- ed, the assembly separated during the performance of a so- lemn chant. The greater part retired to a still higher ground covered with vineyards, on the summit of which a temple is erected as a memorial of our Saviour’s death upon Mount Calvary. I remained a little longer than the rest, and beheld a most affecting and beautiful scene. It was the tribute paid by mothers, by children, and by friends, to the remains of those who were gone before them. Tears flowed in torrents from the eyes of a mother and a daughter, who kneeled at the side of a tomb which seemed to have been long the abode of him over whom they prayed. In another spot two little chil- dren cried aloud, as they lay with their faces upon a heap of earth, whilst others kissed the mould which had been lately raised. The loneliness of the spot, — the Carpathian chain stretched out in the distance,— the obscurity of approaching night, — the stillness of nature, interrupted only by the cries of widows and of children,— were sadly, yet harmoniously, combined ; and he must have been cold indeed who could witness the scene with- out emotion. These humble peasants of Hungary have, through the na- tive promptings of the heart, so blended the memory of their departed friends with the feelings of devotion, that nations boasting of higher degrees of cultivation may respect and fol- low their example. We may civilize and refine away our feel- ings till the simple dictates of nature are completely yield- ed up. With the majority of mankind consolation is sought in Ch. iv. Leva."] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 135 forgetfulness ; to present a variety of new objects to the mind, and a constant succession of changes is deemed the duty of a comforter. Thus the only feelings which accompany the death of a friend are supposed to be those purely selfish remem- brances which recal to our minds the comforts we have lost, — - reducing the whole sentiments of friendship to a standard ac- cording to which our estates, our houses, and our fortunes, hold the highest places. For my own part, I am persuaded that the human mind, which derives such satisfaction in the formation of friendships, is capable of maintaining and cherishing these emotions throughout its whole existence, and,- that we are truly no more pardonable in attempting to forget a friend who is dead, than we should be in forgetting one that is absent. If, putting aside all unintelligible motives, there is one which can be felt and explained, more pure than others, leading us to re- joice in our future prospects, it is the idea and hope of meet- ing again the friends from whom we have been separated by death. When I was at Berlin, during the preceding year, I follow- ed the celebrated Iffland to the grave. Mingled with some pomp,, you might trace much real feeling. In the midst of the ceremony my attention was attracted by a young woman, who stood near a mound of earth newly covered with turf, which she anxiously protected from the feet of the pressing crowd. It was the tomb of her parent ; and the figure of this affectionate daughter presented a monument more striking than the most costly work of art. There were in this burial-ground many tributes, paid by those who loved rather to court than shun the objects of their affection — of friends who lingered with delight over the last parting scene. Throughout the church-yard there was scarcely a mouldering heap of sand which was not covered with the gayest flowers of the season. 136 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Leva . Nor were these marks of attention confined to the depositories of the poor. Around the enclosing wall were many monu- ments of marble, with recesses formed for retirement ; where, amidst bowers of green-house plants were placed seats, on which friends might repose, and give way to their reflections and regret. And now may I ask the reader to wander with me one step farther, whilst I speak of the monarch to whose territories I have already transported him ? Frederic of Prussia married the late Queen when very young, and a long course of years had cemented their affection, when her unexpected death threatened to break the bond. The King’s sorrow was attend- ed by the sympathy of his people. It was not the edict of the Court, but individual and sincere feeling, which filled Berlin with mourners. The King and the whole family followed her on foot to the grave. A mausoleum of his own design was erected at his favourite garden of Charlottenburg, whither his wife’s remains were conveyed.' Here, on certain days, the public are allowed to enter ; and though, when I saw it, three years had elapsed since the Queen’s death, many still conti- nued to visit the spot with reverence and affection. Early on each anniversary, the King and his eleven children, attended by a single priest, repair to this sanctuary, and, descending into the tomb, each places a garland on the coffin, when, having addressed the Almighty in prayer, the King retires to the island of Paon, near Potsdam, and passes the remainder of the day in perfect solitude. That a monarch who can cherish such feelings, who can so encourage them in his family and in his people, should enjoy their affection and confidence, will astonish no one. When I resided in Berlin, this feeling was at its height, for to the attrac- tion of private virtue was added the splendour of public glory. Ch. iv. Leva .] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 137 But to return to the humble worshippers at Leva. On leav- ing the burying-ground, I followed those who had ascended the bill of Calvary. They were devoutly kneeling on the grass ; addressing their prayers towards the chapel, in which I perceived, through an open grating, some images of our Saviour and the Virgin Mary, which were surrounded with ornaments and lights. When I .had regained the inn, the postmaster desired to know whether I wished for horses on the following morning ; and, for the first time since I left Vienna, my passport was de- manded. This being examined, the postmaster would not per- mit me to proceed without four horses, strongly insisting on the steepness of the hills, and badness of the roads. After some debate, it was resolved, -that, as the weather, during the night, would affect the state of the roads* it should also deter- mine the necessary number of horses. If no rain fell, we agreed that a pair would be sufficient. The inn at which I slept was large; but, like all the inns, not only in Hungary, but I may say in Germany, very defi- cient in comforts. It is curious to observe, with what perfect coolness the traveller is received, as if it were a matter of the greatest indifference, whether he choose to stay or not. It is scarcely by entreaties that the key of a room can be found ; and neither entreaties nor commands can procure clean sheets. So little are they accustomed to this luxury, that the servants, even in the best private houses of Hungary, do not always think it necessary to give each sfranger a fresh change of linen. Early the next day I set out, over a most dreadful road, which fully corresponded with the postmaster’s description. It lay through an extensive, open, and cultivated country, diversified with gentle risings ; and, from time to time, by the road side, a few trees formed broken hedge-rows around the cottages of the pea- s 138 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Batha, sants. The mountains over Schemnitz and Kremnitz now ap- peared ; — a fine amphitheatre, with some snow still resting in the higher hollows. At the end of an extensive and elevated plain, we came to the post-town Batha. It is rather a village than a town, ha- ving but few houses larger than a cottage, and two churches. The houses differed from those most common in Hungary, in having cellars, to which the descent was by covered steps. In other respects, it was a true example of an Hungarian village. A considerable market was just then held in the street, where a great number of boots, and some crockery-ware, was exposed to sale. The light waggons which passed to and fro, — the pea- sants clad in their holiday suits, — and the Jewish merchants who busily pursued their interests, — gave a pleasing life and activity to the scene. Here, for the first time, I found myself obliged to speak Latin. The postmaster was an old gentle- man, dressed in a perfect Hungarian habit, — a light-blue jack- et, edged with fur, and ornamented with silk twist and but- tons, a pair of blue pantaloons, with the seams also embroid- ered, and half boots ; his upper lip adorned with mustaches ; his hair tied behind in a queue. He could not speak Ger- man, and gave me the choice of all the languages he knew ; they were, Latin, Hungarian, Sclavonian, and Walachian ; from which, of course, I soon made my selection. The post- master was anxious to hear news from Vienna, and almost all the local information which I drew from him, whilst the horses were getting ready, was, that both the town of Batha and Steinbach, the next post at which I should arrive, were the property of Prince Esterhazy, a name* which occurs very fre- quently in answer to inquiries respecting property in Hun- gary. The road, on leaving Batha, gradually rose amongst hillocks, Ch. iv. Steinlach.'] TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. 139 covered with vineyards, from which we descended upon a country, abounding with mountain scenery, and every step presented new and beautiful views. We wound through a val- ley, whose sides were covered with woods, and decomposing rocks. A little of the winter snow varied the summit of the mountains. By 12 o’clock, we arrived at Steinbach. This place*is situated in a romantic glen, and consists of little more than a posthouse and a small inn. Finding it was likely that I should be detained for horses, I went to the inn, and endea- voured to provide myself with some refreshment. A piece of beef, boiled in a soup of sour crout, bread, and acid wine, was all the place would afford. As I sat in the only little room appropriated for strangers, I observed that the peasants, my companions, had been more provident than myself, trusting only for wine and spirits to the house ; for, on entering, each opened his bag and drew out, one a piece of veal, another a sausage, and a third, onions and cheese. I shortly returned to the post-house, where I found the post- master and his family sitting down to dinner ; and, though I assured them I had already dined at the inn, they hospitably compelled me to join their party. My companions, as they wiped back their mustaches, and with their fingers carelessly supplied themselves with cloves of garlic and shalot, unfolded to me their very grand ideas of the riches of England. They seemed to have represented to themselves the bank of Eng- land, and all the other banks in our island, as prodigious store-houses, whose magazines, with difficulty, contained incal- culable hoards of money, lying absolutely useless, from its abundance ; and I could scarcely persuade them, that any species of money less intrinsically valuable than the precious metals circulated in England. Our dinner was interrupted by a messenger, whose entrance gave rise to a conversation in the 140 TRAVELS IN LOWER HUNGARY. [Ch. iv. Steinbach. Sclavonian language, apparently of high interest. The post- master soon explained to me, that it was an affair between his brother-in-law, who sat at the table with us, and a lawyer. It appeared that the gentleman was one of seven brothers, who inherited a village from their father ; and that disputes had arisen about the partition. The other observed, that his family had been noble for more than seven hundred years and I could not help concluding, from his appearance, that, during the course of the time, the property must have suffered much, from divisions like the present, which threatened to place one village under seven separate lords. It is difficult to imagine a road more beautiful than that which leads from Steinbach to Schemnitz. As it follows the valley in which Steinbach is situated, it continues to rise till the pine mingles itself with the oak and the birch, and it then passes upon the most magnificent terrace, some- times hanging over the valley on the right, sometimes on the left ; and, as it pursues the winding side of the mountain, pre- sents a constant succession of the finest scenery. On the high- est elevations, we passed several large reservoirs, formed to collect the water from the melted snow, for the use of the ma- chinery employed in the mines of Windschacht and of Schem- nitz.