Read Ebook: The botanist's repository for new and rare plants; vols 1 & 2 [of 10] by Andrews Henry Cranke Active

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Ebook has 1351 lines and 74768 words, and 28 pages

Leave Beyrout.--Camp afloat.-Rhodes.--The shores of the Mediterranean suitable for the cultivation of the arts.--A Moslem of the new school.--American Presbyterian clergyman.--A Mexican senator.--A sermon for sailors.--Smyrna.--Buyukdere.--Sir Stratford Canning.--Embark for Bulgaria.

Varna.--Contrast of Northern and Southern provinces of Turkey.--Roustchouk.--Conversation with Deftendar.--The Danube.--A Bulgarian interior.--A dandy of the Lower Danube.--Depart for Widdin.

River steaming.--Arrival at Widdin.--Jew.--Comfortless khan.--Wretched appearance of Widdin.--Hussein Pasha.--M. Petronievitch.--Steam balloon.

Leave Widdin.--The Timok.--Enter Servia.--Brza Palanka.--The Iron Gates.--Old and New Orsova.--Wallachian Matron.--Semlin.--A conversation on language.

Description of Belgrade.--Fortifications.--Street and street population.--Cathedral.--Large square.--Coffee-house.--Deserted villa.--Baths.

Europeanization of Belgrade.--Lighting and paving.--Interior of the fortress.--Turkish Pasha.--Turkish quarter.--Turkish population.--Panorama of Belgrade.--Dinner party given by the prince.

Return to Servia.--The Danube.--Semlin.--Wucics and Petronievitch.--Cathedral solemnity.--Subscription ball.

Holman, the blind traveller.--Milutinovich, the poet.--Bulgarian legend.--Tableau de genre.--Departure for the interior.

Journey to Shabatz.--Resemblance of manners to those of the middle ages.--Palesh.--A Servian bride.--Blind minstrel.--Gipsies.--Macadamized roads.

Shabatz.--A provincial chancery.--Servian collector.--Description of his house.--Country barber.--Turkish quarter.--Self-taught priest.--A provincial dinner.--Native soiree.

Kaimak.--History of a renegade.--A bishop's house.--Progress of education.--Portrait of Milosh.--Bosnia and the Bosnians.--Moslem fanaticism.--Death of the collector.

The banat of Matchva.--Losnitza.--Feuds on the frontier.--Enter the back-woods.--Convent of Tronosha.--Greek festival.--Congregation of peasantry.--Rustic finery.

Romantic sylvan scenery.--Patriarchal simplicity of manners.--Krupena.--Sokol.--Its extraordinary position.--Wretched town.--Alpine scenery.--Cool reception.--Valley of the Rogatschitza.

The Drina.--Liubovia.--Quarantine station.--Derlatcha.--A Servian beauty.--A lunatic priest.--Sorry quarters.--Murder by brigands.

Arrival at Ushitza.--Wretched street.--Excellent khan.--Turkish vayvode.--A Persian dervish.--Relations of Moslems and Christians.--Visit the castle.--Bird's eye view.

Poshega.--The river Morava.--Arrival at Csatsak.--A Viennese doctor.--Project to ascend the Kopaunik.--Visit the bishop.--Ancient cathedral church.--Greek mass.--Karanovatz.--Emigrant priest.--Albanian disorders.--Salt mines.

Coronation church of the ancient kings of Servia.--Enter the Highlands.--Valley of the Ybar.--First view of the High Balkan.--Convent of Studenitza.--Byzantine Architecture.--Phlegmatic monk.--Servian frontier.--New quarantine.--Russian major.

Cross the Bosniac frontier.--Gipsy encampment.--Novibazar described.--Rough reception.--Precipitate departure.--Fanaticism.

Ascent of the Kopaunik.--Grand prospect.--Descent of the Kopaunik.--Bruss.--Involuntary bigamy.--Conversation on the Servian character.--Krushevatz.--Relics of monarchy.

Formation of the Servian monarchy.--Contest between the Latin and Greek Churches.--Stephen Dushan.--A great warrior.--Results of his victories.--Kucs Lasar.--Invasion of Amurath.--Battle of Kossovo.--Death of Lasar and Amurath.--Fall of the Servian monarchy.--General observations.

A battue missed.--Proceed to Alexinatz.--Foreign-Office courier.--Bulgarian frontier.--Gipsy Suregee.--Tiupria.--New bridge and macadamized roads.

Visit to Ravanitza.--Jovial party.--Servian and Austrian jurisdiction.--Convent described.--Eagles reversed.--Bulgarian festivities.

Manasia.--Has preserved its middle-age character.--Robinson Crusoe.--Wonderful echo.--Kindness of the people.--Svilainitza.--Posharevatz.--Baby giantess.

Rich soil.--Mysterious waters.--Treaty of Passarovitz.--The castle of Semendria.--Relics of the antique.--The Brankovitch family.--Panesova.--Morrison's pills.

Personal appearance of the Servians.--Their moral character.--Peculiarity of manners.--Christmas festivities.--Easter.--The Dodola.

Town life.--The public offices.--Manners half-oriental half-European.--Merchants and tradesmen.--Turkish population.--Porters.--Barbers.--Cafes.--Public writer.

Poetry.--Journalism.--The fine arts.--The Lyceum.--Mineralogical cabinet.--Museum.--Servian Education.

Preparations for departure.--Impressions of the East.--Prince Alexander.--The palace.--Kara Georg.

A memoir of Kara Georg.

Milosh Obrenovitch.

The prince.--The government.--The senate.--The minister for foreign affairs.--The minister of the interior.--Courts of justice.--Finances.

Agriculture and commerce.

The foreign agents.

VIENNA IN 1844.

Improvements in Vienna.--Palladian style.--Music.--Theatres.--Sir Robert Gordon.--Prince Metternich.--Armen ball.--Dancing.--Strauss.--Austrian policy.

Concluding observations on Austria and her prospects.

SERVIA.

Leave Beyrout.--Camp afloat.--Rhodes.--The shores of the Mediterranean suitable for the cultivation of the arts.--A Moslem of the new school.--American Presbyterian clergyman.--A Mexican senator.--A sermon for sailors.--Smyrna.--Buyukdere.--Sir Stratford Canning.--Embark for Bulgaria.

At length I stand on the pier of Beyrout, while my luggage is being embarked for the Austrian steamer lying in the roads, which, in the Levantine slang, has lighted her chibouque, and is polluting yon white promontory, clear cut in the azure horizon, with a thick black cloud of Wallsend.

I bade a hurried adieu to my friends, and went on board. The quarter-deck, which retained its awning day and night, was divided into two compartments, one of which was reserved for the promenade of the cabin passengers, the other for the bivouac of the Turks, who retained their camp habits with amusing minuteness, making the larboard quarter a vast tent afloat, with its rolled up beds, quilts, counterpanes, washing gear, and all sorts of water-cans, coffee-pots, and chibouques, with stores of bread, cheese, fruit, and other provisions for the voyage. In the East, a family cannot move without its household paraphernalia, but then it requires a slight addition of furniture and utensils to settle for years in a strange place. The settlement of a European family requires a thousand et ceteras and months of installation, but then it is set in motion for the new world with a few portmanteaus and travelling bags.

Two days and a half of steaming brought us to Rhodes.

An enchanter has waved his wand! in reading of the wondrous world of the ancients, one feels a desire to get a peep at Rome before its destruction by barbarian hordes. A leap backwards of half this period is what one seems to make at Rhodes, a perfectly preserved city and fortress of the middle ages. Here has been none of the Vandalism of Vauban, Cohorn, and those mechanical-pated fellows, who, with their Dutch dyke-looking parapets, made such havoc of donjons and picturesque turrets in Europe. Here is every variety of mediaeval battlement; so perfect is the illusion, that one wonders the waiter's horn should be mute, and the walls devoid of bowman, knight, and squire.

Two more delightful days of steaming among the Greek Islands now followed. The heat was moderate, the motion gentle, the sea was liquid lapis lazuli, and the hundred-tinted islets around us, wrought their accustomed spell. Surely there is something in climate which creates permanent abodes of art! The Mediterranean, with its hydrographical configuration, excluding from its great peninsulas the extremes of heat and cold, seems destined to nourish the most exquisite sentiment of the Beautiful. Those brilliant or softly graduated tints invite the palette, and the cultivation of the graces of the mind, shining with its aesthetic ray through lineaments thorough-bred from generation to generation, invites the sculptor to transfer to marble, grace of contour and elevation of expression. But let us not envy the balmy South. The Germanic or northern element, if less susceptible of the beautiful is more masculine, better balanced, less in extremes. It was this element that struck down the Roman empire, that peoples America and Australia, and rules India; that exhausted worlds, and then created new.

The most prominent individual of the native division of passengers, was Arif Effendi, a pious Moslem of the new school, who had a great horror of brandy; first, because it was made from wine; and secondly, because his own favourite beverage was Jamaica rum; for, as Peter Parley says, "Of late years, many improvements have taken place among the Mussulmans, who show a disposition to adopt the best things of their more enlightened neighbours." We had a great deal of conversation during the voyage, for he professed to have a great admiration of England, and a great dislike of France; probably all owing to the fact of rum coming from Jamaica, and brandy and wine from Cognac and Bordeaux.

Another individual was a still richer character: an American Presbyterian clergyman, with furi-bond dilated nostril and a terrific frown.

"You must lose Canada," said he to me one day, abruptly, "ay, and Bermuda into the bargain."

"I think you had better round off your acquisitions with a few odd West India Islands."

"We have stomach enough for that too."

"I hear you have been to Jerusalem."

"Yes; I went to recover my voice, which I lost; for I have one of the largest congregations in Boston."

"But, my good friend, you breathe nothing but war and conquest."

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