Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition | Page 9

in the Sredna Gora and Rhodope. Possibly
the most genuine representatives of the race are the Pomaks or
Mahommedan Bulgarians, whose conversion to Islam preserved their
women from the licence of the Turkish conqueror; they inhabit the
highlands of Rhodope and certain districts in the neighbourhood of
Lovtcha (Lovetch) and Plevna. Retaining their Bulgarian speech and
many ancient national usages, they may be compared with the
indigenous Cretan, Bosnian and Albanian Moslems. The Pomaks in the
principality are estimated at 26,000, but their numbers are declining. In
the north-eastern district between the Yantra and the Black Sea the
Bulgarian race is as yet thinly represented; most of the inhabitants are
Turks, a quiet, submissive, agricultural population, which unfortunately
shows a tendency to emigrate. The Black Sea coast is inhabited by a
variety of races. The Greek element is strong in the maritime towns,
and displays its natural aptitude for navigation and commerce. The
Gagäuzi, a peculiar race of Turkish-speaking Christians, inhabit the
littoral from Cape Eminé to Cape Kaliakra: they are of Turanian origin
and descend from the ancient Kumani. The valleys of the Maritza and
Arda are occupied by a mixed population consisting of Bulgarians,
Greeks and Turks; the principal Greek colonies are in Stanimaka,
Kavakly and Philippopolis. The origin of the peculiar Shôp tribe which
inhabits the mountain tracts of Sofia, Breznik and Radomir is a mystery.
The Shôps are conceivably a remnant of the aboriginal race which
remained undisturbed in its mountain home during the Slavonic and
Bulgarian incursions: they cling with much tenacity to their distinctive
customs, apparel and dialect. The considerable Vlach or Ruman colony
in the Danubian districts dates from the 18th century, when large
numbers of Walachian peasants sought a refuge on Turkish soil from
the tyranny of the boyars or nobles: the department of Vidin alone
contains 36 Ruman villages with a population of 30,550. Especially
interesting is the race of nomad shepherds from the Macedonian and

the Aegean coast who come in thousands every summer to pasture their
flocks on the Bulgarian mountains; they are divided into two tribes--the
Kutzovlachs, or "lame Vlachs," who speak Rumanian, and the
Hellenized Karakatchans or "black shepherds" (compare the Morlachs,
or Mavro-vlachs, [Greek: mauroi blaches], of Dalmatia), who speak
Greek. The Tatars, a peaceable, industrious race, are chiefly found in
the neighbourhood of Varna and Silistria; they were introduced as
colonists by the Turkish government in 1861. They may be reckoned at
12,000. The gipsies, who are scattered in considerable numbers
throughout the country, came into Bulgaria in the 14th century. They
are for the most part Moslems, and retain their ancient Indian speech.
They live in the utmost poverty, occupy separate cantonments in the
villages, and are treated as outcasts by the rest of the population. The
Bulgarians, being of mixed origin, possess few salient physical
characteristics. The Slavonic type is far less pronounced than among
the kindred races; the Ugrian or Finnish cast of features occasionally
asserts itself in the central Balkans. The face is generally oval, the nose
straight, the jaw somewhat heavy. The men, as a rule, are rather below
middle height, compactly built, and, among the peasantry, very
muscular; the women are generally deficient in beauty and rapidly
grow old. The upper class, the so-called intelligenzia, is physically very
inferior to the rural population.
National Character.--The character of the Bulgarians presents a
singular contrast to that of the neighbouring nations. Less quick-witted
than the Greeks, less prone to idealism than the Servians, less apt to
assimilate the externals of civilization than the Rumanians, they
possess in a remarkable degree the qualities of patience, perseverance
and endurance, with the capacity for laborious effort peculiar to an
agricultural race. The tenacity and determination with which they
pursue their national aims may eventually enable them to vanquish
their more brilliant competitors in the struggle for hegemony in the
Peninsula. Unlike most southern races, the Bulgarians are reserved,
taciturn, phlegmatic, unresponsive, and extremely suspicious of
foreigners. The peasants are industrious, peaceable and orderly; the
vendetta, as it exists in Albania, Montenegro and Macedonia, and the
use of the knife in quarrels, so common in southern Europe, are alike

unknown. The tranquillity of rural life has, unfortunately, been invaded
by the intrigues of political agitators, and bloodshed is not uncommon
at elections. All classes practise thrift bordering on parsimony, and any
display of wealth is generally resented. The standard of sexual morality
is high, especially in the rural districts; the unfaithful wife is an object
of public contempt, and in former times was punished with death.
Marriage ceremonies are elaborate and protracted, as is the case in most
primitive communities; elopements are frequent, but usually take place
with the consent of the parents on both sides, in order to avoid the
expense of a regular wedding. The