Round About the Carpathians

Round About the Carpathians

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Title: Round About the Carpathians
Author: Andrew F. Crosse
Release Date: March 12, 2006 [EBook #17972]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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ABOUT THE CARPATHIANS ***
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ROUND ABOUT THE CARPATHIANS
BY
ANDREW F. CROSSE

FELLOW OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY
WILLIAM BLACKWOOD AND SONS EDINBURGH AND
LONDON MDCCCLXXVIII
The Right of translation is reserved
MUIR AND PATERSON, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH.

CONTENTS.
PAGE
CHAPTER I.
Down the Danube from Buda-Pest--Amusements on board the
steamer--Basiash--Drive to Oravicza by Weisskirchen--Ladies of
Oravicza--Gipsy music--Finding an old school-fellow--The czardas. 1
CHAPTER II.
Consequences of trying to buy a horse--An expedition into Servia--Fine
scenery--The peasants of New Moldova--Szechenyi road--Geology of
the defile of Kasan--Crossing the Danube--Milanovacz--Drive to
Maidenpek--Fearful storm in the mountains--Miserable quarters for the
night--Extent of this storm--The disastrous effects of the same storm at
Buda-Pest--Great loss of life. 15
CHAPTER III.
Maidenpek--Well-to-do condition of Servians--Lady Mary Wortley
Montague's journey through Servia--Troubles in Bulgaria--Communists
at Negotin--Copper mines--Forest ride--Robbers on the
road--Kucainia--Belo-breska--Across the Danube--Detention at
customhouse--Weisskirchen--Sleeping Wallacks. 33

CHAPTER IV.
Variety of races in Hungary--Wallacks or Roumains--Statistics--Savage
outbreak of the Wallacks in former years--Panslavic
ideas--Roumanians and their origin--Priests of the Greek
Church--Destruction of forests--Spirit of Communism--Incendiary fires.
46
CHAPTER V.
Paraffine-works in Oravicza--Gold mine--Coal mines at
Auima-Steirdorf--Geology--States Railway Company's mines--Bribery
54
CHAPTER VI.
Mineral wealth of the Banat--Wild ride to Dognacska--Equipment for a
riding tour--An afternoon nap and its consequences--Copper
mines--Self-help--Rare insects--Moravicza--Rare minerals--Deutsch
Bogsan--Reschitza 58
CHAPTER VII.
Election at Oravicza--Officialism--Reforms--Society--Ride to
Szaszka--Fine views--Drenkova--Character of the
Serbs--Svenica--Rough night walk through the forest 70
CHAPTER VIII.
Hospitable welcome at Uibanya--Excursion to the Servian side of the
Danube--Ascent of the Stierberg--Bivouac in the woods--Magnificent
views towards the Balkans--Fourteen eagles disturbed--Wallack dance
83
CHAPTER IX.
A hunting expedition proposed--Drive from Uibanya to

Orsova--Oriental aspect of the market-place--Cserna
Valley--Hercules-Bad, Mehadia--Post-office mistakes--Drive to
Karansebes--Rough customers en route--Lawlessness--Fair at
Karansebes--Podolian cattle--Ferocious dogs 90
CHAPTER X.
Post-office at Karansebes--Good headquarters for a
sportsman--Preparations for a week in the mountains--The party
starting for the hunt--Adventures by the way--Fine trees--Game--Hut in
the forest--Beauty of the scenery in the Southern Carpathians 104
CHAPTER XI.
Chamois and bear hunting--First battue--Luxurious dinner 5000 feet
above the sea-level--Storm in the night--Discomforts--The bear's
supper--The eagle's breakfast--Second and third day's shooting--Baking
a friend as a cure for fever--Striking camp--View into Roumania 118
CHAPTER XII.
Back at Mehadia--Troubles about a carriage--An unexpected night on
the road--Return to Karansebes--On horseback through the Iron Gate
Pass--Varhely, the ancient capital of Dacia--Roman remains--Beauty of
the Hatszeg Valley 131
CHAPTER XIII.
Hungarian hospitality--Wallack laziness--Fishing--"Settled
gipsies"--Anecdote--Old régime--Fire--Old Roman bath--The avifauna
of Transylvania--Fly-fishing 140
CHAPTER XIV.
On horseback to Petrosèny--A new town--Valuable coal-fields--Killing
fish with dynamite and poison--Singular manner of repairing
roads--Hungarian patriotism--Story of Hunyadi Janos--Intrusion of the

Moslems into Europe 152
CHAPTER XV.
Hunting for a guide--School statistics--Old times--Over the mountains
to Herrmannstadt--Night in the open--Nearly setting the forest on
fire--Orlat 160
CHAPTER XVI.
Herrmannstadt--Saxon immigrants--Museum--Places of interest in the
neighbourhood--The fortress-churches--Heltau--The Rothen Thurm
Pass--Turkish incursions 173
CHAPTER XVII.
Magyar intolerance of the German--Patriotic revival of the Magyar
language--Ride from Herrmannstadt to Kronstadt--The village of
Zeiden--Curious scene in church--Reformation in
Transylvania--Political bitterness between Saxons and Magyars in 1848
184
CHAPTER XVIII.
Political difficulties--Impatient criticism of foreigners--Hungary has
everything to do--Tenant-farmers wanted--Wages 195
CHAPTER XIX.
Want of progress amongst the Saxons--The
Burzenland--Kronstadt--Mixed character of its
inhabitants--Szeklers--General Bem's campaign 199
CHAPTER XX.
The Tomöscher Pass--Projected railway from Kronstadt to
Bucharest--Visit to the cavalry barracks at Rosenau--Terzburg Pass--Dr

Daubeny on the extinct volcanoes of Hungary--Professor Judd on
mineral deposits 209
CHAPTER XXI.
A ride through Szeklerland--Warnings about robbers--Büksad--A look
at the sulphur deposits on Mount Büdos--A lonely lake--An invitation
to Tusnad 219
CHAPTER XXII.
The baths of Tusnad--The state of affairs before 1848--Inequality of
taxation--Reform--The existing land laws--Communal
property--Complete registration of titles to estates--Question of entail
232
CHAPTER XXIII.
Fine scenery in Szeklerland--Csik Szent Marton--Absence of inns--The
Szekler's love of lawsuits--Csik Szereda--Hospitality along the
road--Wallack atrocities in 1848--The Wallacks not Panslavists 243
CHAPTER XXIV.
Ride to Szent Domokos--Difficulty about quarters--Interesting
host--Jewish question in Hungary--Taxation--Financial matters 252
CHAPTER XXV.
Copper mine of Balanbanya--Miners in the wine-shop--Ride to St
Miklos--Visit to an Armenian family--Capture of a robber--Cold ride to
the baths of Borsék 260
CHAPTER XXVI.
Moldavian frontier--Tölgyes--Excitement about robbers--Attempt at
extortion--A ride over the mountains--Return to St Miklos 275

CHAPTER XXVII.
Toplicza--Armenian hospitality--A bear-hunt--A ride over to the
frontier of