A Visit to the Holy Land, Egypt, and Italy | Page 5

on the right bank of the Danube.
On approaching Semlin, a few small cannons were fired off on board
our boat. Unfortunately the steward did not receive notice of this event
early enough to allow of his opening the windows, consequently one
was shattered: this was a serious misfortune for us, as the temperature
had sunk to zero, and all the landscape around was covered with snow.
Before leaving Vienna, the cabin stove had been banished from its
place, as the sun had sent forth its mild beams for a few days, and a
continuance of the warm weather was rashly relied on. On the whole, I
would not advise any traveller to take a second-class berth on board a
steamer belonging to the Viennese company. A greater want of order
than we find in these vessels could scarcely be met with. The traveller
whose funds will not permit of his paying first-class fare will do better
to content himself with a third-class, i.e. a deck-passage, particularly if
he purposes journeying no farther than Mohacs. If the weather is fine, it
is more agreeable to remain on deck, watching the panorama of the
Danube as it glides past. Should the day be unfavourable, the traveller
can go, without ceremony, into the second-class cabin, for no one
makes a distinction between the second and third-class places. During
the daytime, at any rate, it is quite as agreeable to remain on deck as to
venture below. Travelling down the river from Pesth, the women are
compelled to pass the night in the same cabin with the men; an
arrangement as uncomfortable as it is indecorous. I afterwards had
some experience of steamers belonging to the Austrian Lloyds, on
whose vessels I always found a proper separation of the two sexes, and
a due regard for the comfort of second-class passengers.
The cold was so severe, that we would gladly have closed every
window, but for the close atmosphere engendered by the number of
poor people, mostly Jews, who form the larger portion of passengers on

board a Hungarian steamer. When the weather is unfavourable, these
men are accustomed to hasten from their third-class places to those of
the second class, where their presence renders it immediately desirable
to open every outlet for purposes of ventilation. What the traveller has
to endure on board these vessels would scarcely be believed.
Uncushioned benches serve for seats by day and for beds by night. A
separation of the two sexes is nowhere attempted, not even on board the
Ferdinand, in which you enter the Black Sea, and are exposed to the
merciless attacks of sea-sickness.
Considering the high rate of passage-money demanded on this journey,
I really think the traveller might expect better accommodation. The
first-class to Constantinople costs 120 florins, {23} the second 85
florins, exclusive of provisions, and without reckoning the hotel
expenses at Presburg.
March 26th.
Last night was not a period of rest, but of noise for us travellers. Not
one of us could close his eyes.
Semlin is a place of considerable importance as a commercial town:
above 180 cwt. of goods were unloaded here from our vessel; and in
exchange we took on board coals, wood, and wares of various
descriptions. The damaged wheel, too, had to be repaired; and every
thing was done with so much crashing and noise, that we almost
imagined the whole steamer was coming to pieces. Added to this, the
cold wind drove in continually through the broken pane, and made the
place a real purgatory to us. At length, at six o'clock in the morning, we
got afloat once more. One advantage, however, resulted from this
fortuitous stoppage: we had a very good view of Belgrade, a town of
20,000 inhabitants, situate opposite to Semlin. It is the first Turkish
fortified city in Servia.
The aspect of Belgrade is exceedingly beautiful. The fortifications
extend upwards on a rock from the Danube in the form of steps. The
city itself, with its graceful minarets, lies half a mile farther inland.
Here I saw the first mosques and minarets. The mosques, as far as I

could observe from the steamer, are built in a circular form, not very
high, and surmounted by a cupola flanked by one or two minarets, a
kind of high round pillar. The loftiest among these buildings is the
palace of Prince Milosch. From this point our voyage becomes very
interesting, presenting a rich and varied succession of delightful
landscape-views. The river is hemmed in on either side by mountains,
until it spreads itself forth free and unrestrained, in the neighbourhood
of Pancsova, to a breadth of 800 fathoms.
Pancsova, on the left bank of the Danube, in the territory of Banata, is a
military station.
As the stoppages are only for a