The story of Hungary

Front matter

Class JlBiLS^

Book.

mm°i^lAi

Preface

In complying with the request of the pubUshers of the Nations Series to write the Story of Hungary, I undertook a task which was out of the range of my previous Hterary undertakings, which had for the most part been devoted to the geography, history, and philology of Central Asia. The principal reason which induced me to enter upon what is for me a new literary field, was my desire to make American and English readers acquainted with the record of my native country, and to present the various phases of the history of Hungary in the light best suited to attract the attention of the citizens of England and of the Great Republic, to whose opinion we Hungarians are by no means indifferent.

My willingness to prepare the present volume was further due to the fact, that it was not the History, but the Story of Hungary, I was asked to write ; an undertaking in which I had simply to deal with the salient events, the most noteworthy personalities, and the most thrilling episodes in a narrative which covered nearly a thousand years, and was not called upon to consider the philosophical side of the history, or to discuss the deeper-lying motives or the less significant details of national action.

IV ST OR V OF HUNGAR V.

For a task such as that presented to me, I concluded that the knowledge and the ideas of a Hungarian man of letters were not inadequate ; I have, nevertheless, had recourse, in certain instances, to the assistance of writers who had given special attention to our national history, with the idea of making as accurate as possible this t/ie first Story of Hungary written in English.

The distance between Buda-Pesth and New York rendered it impossible for me to give my personal attention to the proofs while the volume was being put into type. The proof-reading was therefore entrusted to the care of Mr. Louis Heilprin, a gentleman who is evidently thoroughly familiar with the subject, and to whom I desire to express my obligations not only for the care he has taken with the proof-reading, but also for his attention in securing in my English text the most accurate and most effective forms of expression.

I take this opportunity of expressing, also, my thanks for the kind cooperation of my countrymen, Messrs. Sebestyen, Csanki, Acsady, and Vargha.

A. V.

Buda-Pesth, August, 1886.

Contents

PAGE

The Country and the People of Hungary, 1-17

A bird's-eye view, I — Carpathian mountains, 5 — Water system, 7 — Climate, 9 — Various nationalities, 13 — Constitution, 16.

II

Hungary before the Occupation by the Magyars . . . . . . 18-26

Prehistoric times, 18 — Pannonia and Dacia, 20 — The Marcomanni, 21 — Huns, 23 — Gepidse, 24 — Bajan, prince of the Avars, 25.

III

Nimrod and his descendants, 27 — Two kindred races, 29 — Cradle of the Magyar race, 32 — Country between the Volga and Danube, 33 — The seven dukes, 36 — Invasion of Hungary, 37. — Defeat of Svatopluk, 39.

IV

Arpad the first duke, 42 — Defeat of King Berengar, 44 — Battle of Presburg, 45 — Battle of Merseburg, 47 — Melancholy Magyars, 49 — Duke Geyza, 51.

V

VI THE STORY OF HUNGARY.

V. Page

The Conversion to Christianity . . 53-64 Shamanism, 53 — Missionaries, 55 — Baptism of Stephen, 58 — Discontent, 59 — Rigorous laws, 61 — Changes in manners and customs, 63

VI

St. Stephen, the First King of Hungary. 65-96

St. Stephen's Day, 66 — Influence of religious ideas, Gg — Character of Stephen, 71 — Embassy to Rome, 74 — St. Stephen's crown, 75 — Papal bull, 77 — Christian church the corner-stone, 79 — Cathedral of Stuhlweissenburg, 81 — Increase of royal authority, 83 — Revenues, 85 — Prosperity of the country, 87 — Attack of Conrad, 89 — Stephen's advice to his son, 91 — Stephen canonized, 96.

VII

Wealth of the Arpads, 98 — Charter of the Golden Bull, 99 — Vatha, 102 — Envoys of Henry III., 103 — The brothers' feud, 105 — Power of paganism broken, 107 — Battle of Mogyorod, 109 — Increase of population, 11 1 — Religious movement in Europe, 114 — The *" bookish " king, 115 — Struggle between uncle and nephew, 117 — Bela's oath, 119 — Royal chancery, 121 — Battle on the Drave, 124 — Andrew II., 125 — Complaints of the nobles, 127 — Golden Bull, 129 — Mongol invasion, 132 — Plain of Theiss, 135 — Battle of Muhi, 139 — Bela's flight, 141 — Colonization, 142 — Frederic, Duke of Austria, 144 — Alliance of houses of Hapsburg and Arpad, 145 — Ladislaus IV., 147 — The sun of the Arpads sets, 150.

VIII. The Anjous in Hungary . . . 151-193

The Czech party victorious, 152 — Otto's march through Buda, 153 — Charles Robert of Anjou crowned, 154 — Czech depredations, 155 — Battle of Kassa, 157 — Zach family condemned.

CONTENTS. VU

PAGE

1 60 — Wallachian campaign, 161 — Louis the Great, 164. — Assassination of Andrew, 165— The Pope's sentence, 167— Successes in Servia, i6g — Europe threatened by a new foe, i7i_Cultivation of the arts of peace, 174— End of union between Poland and Hungary, 175— Coronation of Charles, 17- — Sigismund, ruler of Hungary, 179 — Execution of Kont, 181 — Approach of Bajazet, 183— Election of new king, 185 — King of Hungary becomes Emperor of Germany, 187 — Church of Rome, 189— Siege of Galambocz, 191 — Death of

Sigismund, 193.

IX. John Hunyadi ; the Great Champion of Christianity ...... 194-216

Every noble a born soldier, 195— Battle of Semendria, 196 — Heroism of Simon Kemeny, 199 — Entrance of Turkish army, 201— League against the Turks, 203 — Terms of peace, 205— Battle of Varna, 207— Defeat of the Hungarians, 209 Invasion of Albania, 211 — John Capistrano, 213— Death of

Hunyadi, 215.

X

Personal courage, 220 — Wars with the Poles and Czechs, 222— The Black Troop, 224— Siege of Vienna, 225 — Severe disciplinarian, 229 — Character of Matthias, 231 — Embassy to Charles VIII. , 233— Brilliant court receptions, 235— "An Earthly Paradise," 238— New laws, 240— King Matthias the Just, 241— Critical position, 243— Wealth, 245 — Renaissance, 247— Court dinners, 249— Library, 251— Palace at Buda, 253 — Death of Matthias, 256.

XL The Period of National Decline, and the Disastrous Battle of MohacsT . 257-289 A dark page, 257 — John Corvinus, 259 — Deputation of Uladislaus, 261— Disorders of the times, 263— A distinguished brawl, 267 — Condition of the Hungarian peasants, 269— Peasant war, 271— Popular feeling, 273— Indifference of viii THE STORY OF HUNGARY.

PAGE

the king, 275 — Frivolous amusements, 277 — Fuggers, 279 — Kalandos League, 281 — Siege of Shabatz, 283 — King Louis roused from his lethargy, 285 — Battle of Mohacs, 287 — Hungarians pay a heavy penalty, 289.

XII

The Turkish World, and the Rise of Protestantism IN Hungary . . . 290-336

Sack of Buda, 293 — A nation with tw^o kings, 295 — Ambitious schemes of Solyman, 297— Gallant George Szondi, 299 — Stephen Losonczy, 301 — Temesvar taken by the Turks, 305 — Depressing days, 307 — Heroic defence of Erlau, 308 — Plans of Solyman, 311 — He lays siege to Szigetvar, 313 — Wearisomeness of the siege, 315 — Fall of Szigetvar, 317 — The poet Balassa, 319 — Spread of Luther's ideas, 322 — Laws against Lutherans, 323 — Teachings of Calvin, 325 — 'I'he anti-reformation movement, 327 — Nicholas Zrinyi, 329 — Last great campaign of the Osmanlis, 331 — Rout of the Turks, 333 — Peace of Szatmar, 335 — Desolation of Hungary, 336.

Ferdinand elevated to the throne of Hungary, 338 — Turks averse to increase of Hapsburg power, 339 — Vienna the seat of government, 341 — Obstacle to Germanizing schemes, 343 — Rebellion, 345 — Peace of Vienna, 346 — Jesuits gain a foothold, 347 — Gabriel Bethlen, 348 — Old policy of the Transylvanian princes, 350 — Disturbance of the "balance of power," 351 — Gloomy outlook for the Hungarians, 353 — General conspiracy, 355 — Kurucz-Labancz era, 357 — Negotiations begun, 358 — Siege of Vienna raised, 359 — Bloody 'I'ribunal of Eperjes, 360 — Colonization of the Alfold, 361 — Oppressive taxes, 362 — Francis Rakoczy II., 363 — New rising of the people, 364 — Compact of Szatmar, 367 — Inauguration of new policy, 369 — Maria Theresa's appeal, 370 — Gratitude of the queen, 371 — Social revolution, 372.

CONTENTS. ix

XIV

The Emperor Joseph II. — The National Reaction AND THE Napoleonic Wars, 374-399

A king refuses to be crowned, 375 — Imbued with eighteenthcentury views, 386 — German made the ofhcial language, 379 — Shocks the prejudices of the people, 381 — Crown removed to Vienna, 382 — War declared against Turkey, 385 — Succession of Leopold II., 387 — Hungary declared an independent country, 389 — Laws securing religious liberty, 390 — Arbitrary government of Francis I, 391 — Hungarian Jacobins, 392 — Echo of the French ideas, 394— Liberal leaders arrested, 395 — Bloody executions, 396 — Main functions of the diets, 397 — Constitution ignored, 398 — Levy of recruits, 399.

XV. SzECHENYi, Kossuth, and the Struggle for

Liberty i:^ 1848-1849 . . . 400-440 Hungarian Academy of Sciences, 400 — Stephen Szechenyi, 402 — Congress of Vienna, 404 — Speaks in Hungarian, 406 — Publication of " Credit," 409 — Introduction of horse-racing, 410 — Danube Steam Navigation Company, 411 — Louis Kossuth, 412 — Leaders of public opinion, 414 — Censorship of the press, 415 — Kossuth's imprisonment, 416 — Pesti Hirlap, 417 — Attacks on Kossuth, 418 — Policy of the Viennese government, 420 — Revolutions of 1848, 421 — Talpra Magyar, 422— Reforms of the diet, 423 — Hungary a modern state, 424 — Rebellion of Croatians, Wallachs, and Serbs, Ofih—Honveds, ii^2.'] — Vote for troops and funds, 428 — Death of Szechenyi, 429 — Invasion of Windischgratz, 430 — Klapka achieves his first triumph, 431 — Alliance between Francis Joseph and the Czar, 432 — Surrender of Vilagos, 433 — Persecution of the patriots, 434 — Work of reconciliation, 435 — Austria- Hungary, 436 — Pardon for political offenders, 440.

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

SALLY FROM FORTRESS OF sziGETVAR . Frontispiece

SELF-IMMOLATION OF SZONDI ..... xiv

DANUBE FROM THE RUINS OF VISEGRAD ... 3

BORDERS OF THE DANUBE . . . . . 7

BUDA-PESTH . . . . . . . .II

HUNGARIAN TYPES ....... 13

CHILDREN FROM THE DISTRICT OF THE SAVE . . I5

A " KOLA " 17

ROMAN AND DACIANS, FROM TRAJAN's COLUMN . I9

A ROMAN TEMPLE . . . . . . .21

HUNGARIAN SHEPHERD . . . . . • 3^

ELECTION OF ALMOS, THE FIRST DUKE . • • 35

ARPAD TAKES POSSESSION OF HUNGARY . . -43

BAPTISM OF ST. STEPHEN -57

CORONATION OF ST. STEPHEN ... .67

THE PEOPLE SEDUCED BY VATHA CLAIM THE RE- ESTABLISHMENT OF PAGANISM ....

DUEL BETWEEN ST. LADISLAUS AND AKERS B^LA IV. RETURNS TO HIS COUNTRY, DEVASTATED

BY THE MONGOLS

CASTLE OF ARVA

CATHEDRAL OF GRAN ......

xi lOI

153 163 xu rilE STORY OF HUNGARY.

CASTLE OF BETZKO . . .

CASTLE OF HUNYAD

PRESBURG ....

FORTRESS OF BUDA .

RUINS OF VISEGRAD

JELLACHICH SQUARE, AGRAM .

HEROIC DEFENCE OF ERLAU

pasha's HOUSE

HUNGARIAN PEASANTS IN AN INN

A CSIKOS .....

HUNGARIAN PEASANTS

PEASANT GIRL FROM THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF BUDA

PESTH HUNGARIAN PEASANT HUNGARIAN PORTER (dOOR-KEEPEr) SLOVAK WOMAN AND CHILDREN GYPSY HUTS OLD GYPSY WOMAN .

HALT OF GYPSIES GYPSIES AND LADY .

HOUSE AT KRAPINA HUNGARIAN GYPSY .

HUNGARIAN LADY . woman's HEAD-DRESS CARTS BARKS ON DANUBE .

173 196

319 321

405 419

423 425 435

439 440

SELF-IMMOLATION OF SZONDI. (Seep. 3OI.)

THE STORY OF HUNGARY.

Chapter I. The Country And The People Of Hungary

Alexander Petofi, the great Hungarian poet, in one of his beautiful poems, sings thus of his native land :

" If the earth be God's crown Our country is its fairest jewel."

And truly were we able to ascend the airy heights and obtain a bird's-eye view of Hungary, we would fain admit that it is one of the fairest and most blessed spots on the face of the earth.

In the Northwest of Hungary, on the banks of the Danube, begins the mountainous region known under the name of the Carpathian range, which for beauty is not surpassed by the Alps, and in extent fairly rivals them. This mountain range, encircling like a gigantic evergreen wreath one half of the country^ extends all along its northern boundary and, after enclosing the eastern portion of it, stretches westward to where it is intersected by the waters of the Danube, not terminating there, however, but branch-

I ing off into the countries lying along the lower course of that river.

The whole range of the Carpathians is characterized throughout its immensely long course by considerable breadth, forming at some places quite a hilly country and high plateaus, as, for instance, in Transylvania which, although properly belonging to Hungary, formerly enjoyed a sort of independence under its own name. This territory is covered almost entirely by the Carpathians, but, of course, designated here by different names.

We shall proceed now in due order.

In the Northwest, there where the Danube enters Hungarian territory near Deveny, the mountain chain begins, under the name of the Northwestern Carpathians ; these, describing the shape of a half moon, extend from Presburg (Pozsony) to the Hernad-Tarcza valley. Formerly three groups only were mentioned in connection with this section : namely, the Tatra, Fatra, and Matra, a representation of which, as well as of the four rivers, the Danube, Theiss, Drave, and Save, is embodied in the arms of the country, whence Hungary is designated as *' the country of the three mountains and four rivers." The Northwestern Carpathians are, however, a gigantic mountain mass of immense bulk, subdivided into several distinct ranges. Of these one, the Northwestern border mountain-range, starting near the Danube in Presburg County and extending in the shape of a wide arch in a northeastern direction as far as the sources of the Arva river, divides Hungary from Moravia, Silesia, and Galicia.

DANUBE FROM THE RUINS OF VISEGRAD.

This ridge is constantly rising, and reaches the highest elevation at its northern edge. Another range is the Little Krevan, which begins in Arva County, and extends through the flatlands between the Vag and Nyitra rivers. East of this are the Gomor mountain-range, famous for its stalactitic caves, including Aggtelek; the Matra range, extending from Miskolcz to Vacz ; and the loftiest of all, the High Tatra, whose highest peaks are those of Jegvolgy, Gerlachfalva, and Lomnicz, rising to an altitude of between 8,000 and 9,000 feet. The mountains belonging to this group are snow-covered, and what renders them peculiarly interesting are the so-called tengerszemek (ey^es of the sea), limpid lakes of unfathomable depth, which, according to popular belief, are connected with the sea, and about which a good many old-time legendary tales are current amongst the people. These lakes are met with at the height of 1,900 metres above the level of the sea.

That range of mountains which extends eastwards from the Hernad-Tarcza valley to the southeastern angle of Marmaros County is called the, Northeastern Carpathians. It includes the Wooded Carpathians and the Eperjes-Tokay range, in the southern part of which, the Hegyalja, the king of the wines, the famous Tokay wine, is produced.

The southeastern chain of the Carpathians divides where Marmaros County, Transylvania, and Bukovina converge into an angle, forming several main lines which enclose the territory of Transylvania in an almost quadrangular shape and give it the character of a high plateau. The name of this group

THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE.

is the Southeastern Carpathians. Parts of it are the Transylvanian northern and eastern border ranges ; the Hargita range, with the remarkable Mount Biidos, containing several caves from which issue strong gases, and the beautiful lake of St. Anna at a height of 950 metres ; the southern border range, the largest and most massive portion of the Carpathian

ICE-GROTTO OF DEMENYFALVA.

mountains ; the mountain group of the Banate and the mineral mountain range of the Banate, the latter owing its name to the gold, silver, and other ores as well as the coal abounding in it. This group projects as far as the basin of the Danube and forms there the passes known as the Iron Gate, which greatly impede navigation. To the Transylvanian

6 THE SrORY OF HUNGARY.

Hungarian range, extending north from the Marcs river, belong the mineral mountains of Transylvania, rich- in gold and other ore, and the mountain called Kiralyhago, which marks the frontier between Hungary and the independent Transylvania of old.

Thirty-eight passes lead from this mountain-system of gigantic dimensions, partly into the countries adjacent to Hungary, partly into the regions divided by them. Of these the most important are : the Jablunka pass, communicating with Silesia and the valley of the Vistula ; the Vereczke pass between Munkacs and Stry, supposed to be the pass through which the Hungarians entered their present country ; the Radna pass, leading into Bukovina ; the Ojt6z pass, communicating with Moldavia ; the Tomospass, leading to Bucharest ; and the Red Tower pass, leading into Little Wallachia.

Besides the Carpathian mountains Hungary also contains a less considerable portion of the Alps, belonging to the so-called Noric Alps. They lie in t'rans-Danubian Hungary, the Pannonia of old. They embrace the Austro-Styrian border-range, between the valleys of the Danube and Drave ; the V^rtes- Bakony ranges, of which the Bakony forest forms a part ; and the group of the Buda mountains, producing the celebrated wines of that name.

Croatia and Slavonia, which are parts of the Hungarian realm, are also traversed by mountains belonging to the Alpine system.

We perceive from the preceding account that a large portion of the country is mountainous, but over a third part of it is level land, and so fertile

THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE.

that it may compare to the prairies in North America. The great Hungarian plain, the so-called Alfold (Lowland), boasts of the best soil for the production of wheat, and, stretching down from the offshoots of the Central Carpathians to the frontiers of Servia contains upward of 35,000 square miles.

BORDERS OF THE DANUBE.

The extent of the water system of a country and its distribution is always of the first importance. In this respect, too, Hungary has been blessed by nature. Of the sea she has but little ; a small portion only of the Adriatic washes her shores, the so-called Hungarian Sea-Coast, where Fiume, the only important Hungarian seaport city, is situated. The country possesses also some interesting lakes ; one, Lake Balaton, forty-seven miles long and nine miles wide, has the characteristics of the sea to such an extent that it is called the Hungarian Sea. In this extensive water is to be found the sd^voxy fogas fish, and on its shores is situated Balaton-Fiired, one of the favorite watering-places of Hungary, and near this place is the famous echo of Tihany. Another large lake is the Ferto (Neu-Siedler), eighteen miles long and about five miles wide, which became perfectly dry in 1863, so that even houses were built on its bed, but the waters have returned to it within the last few years. Several smaller lakes, besides the two mentioned, are scattered throughout the country.

With rivers the country is abundantly supplied. Its mightiest stream is the Danube, after the Volga, the largest river in Europe. The whole of Hungary belongs to its basin. Its length in Hungary is 600 miles, and it leaves the country at Orsova, after having formed several islands in its course. The largest among these is the Great Csall6 region, which contains two towns and over a hundred villages ; and the most beautiful of them is Margit (Margaret) Island, near Buda-Pesth — quite a miniature paradise, frequented by a great many strangers, who come here to get the benefit of its excellent baths. Of the numerous afifluents of the Danube the Theiss is the most important ; it has its sources in the country and empties into the Danube on Hungarian soil, near Titel. It is navigable for steamships. The Save and Drave are after the Theiss the largest tributaries of the Danube. All these rivers send their waters, through the medium of the Danube, into the Black Sea.

THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE. g

Thus harmoniously is the soil of Hungary varied by mountains, valleys, plains, and high plateaus, and gratefully watered by rivers and lakes ; and if we but add that the country lies between the fortyfourth and fiftieth degrees of northern latitude, that is, in the most favorable part of the temperate zone, we may readily infer the superiority of the climatic conditions prevailing there. There is, of course, great variety of climate. The winter is raw and cold in the Carpathian regions ; spring sets in later, winter comes earlier, and the cold sometimes reaches — 22° F. In the hilly and level country the climate is much more genial, the summers hotter, and storms of more frequent occurrence. Wheat, grapes, and maize do not ripen in the regions of the higher Carpathians, whilst the Alfold produces the best and finest wheat, and even rice. The air is most genial on the shores of the Adriatic, and here are grown the fruits of Southern Europe. The climate, as a general thing, is dry, especially in the Alfold, where trees are rare.

Such is the topography and climate of the country which, lying in the central portion of Middle Europe, stretches between Moravia, Silesia, Galicia, Bukovina, Roumania, Servia, Bosnia, the Adriatic Sea, Istria, Carinthia, Styria, and Austria. It covers an area of 125,000 square miles, and has a population of nearly sixteen millions.

Politically the country is divided into three parts, namely: Hungary proper (including the formerly detached Transylvania), the city and territory of Fiume, and Croatia and Slavonia. Dalmatia, too, ought to belong under the old laws to the country, lO THE STORY OF HUNGARY.

but, for a long time already, it has owned the supremacy of Austria.

Buda-Pesth is the capital of the entire kingdom. Situated on both banks of the majestic Danube, here spanned by three beautiful bridges, amongst them the famous suspension bridge, it is one of the finest cities of Europe. It has nearly 400,000 inhabitants, and is the centre of Hungary's political, cultural, industrial, and commercial life. Fine public and private buildings, some of them beautiful specimens of architectural art, adorn the city, and it boasts wid6 thoroughfares, among which the delightful Corso along the left bank of the Danube, and the Andrassy lit (Road) leading to the city park, where the national exhibition of 1885 was located, deserve especial mention. The finest and largest cities, besides Buda-Pesth, are : Presburg (Pozsony), on the left bank of the Danube, formerly the seat of the Hungarian Diet ; Comorn (Komarom), on the Danube, too, celebrated for its grand fortifications ; Stuhlweissenburg (Sz^kesfejervar), once the capital of Hungary; Raab (Gyor) ; Oedenburg (Soprony) ; Veszprem, one of the oldest cities ; Erlau (Eger), renowned for its excellent wine ; Szeged, the metropolis of the Alfold and one of the largest cities, which in 1879 ^^"^^ almost entirely destroyed by the overflowing of the Theiss, but has since been rebuilt, more beautifully than before, after the latest European pattern ; Kassa, the finest city in Upper Hungary ; Miskolcz ; Debreczen, one of the most remarkable cities of the Hungarian Alfold and the seat of a considerable industry ;

THE STORY OF HUNGARY.

Grosswardein (Nagy-Varad), the scene of many important historical events ; Arad, Temesvar, and Carlsburg (Gyulafejervar), all fortified cities memorable in history ; Klausenburg (Kolozsvar), the capital of the former principality of Transylvania ; the flourishing Transylvanian towns of Kronstadt (Brass6)and Hermannstadt(Szeben), inhabited for the

COACHMAN.

most part by the descendants of Saxons ; Fiume, the seaport on the Adriatic ; Agram (Zagrab), the capital of Croatia, a beautiful city, which, however, was greatly damaged in 1880 by a terrible earthquake; and Eszek, the most prominent of the Slavonian towns.

The population of the country is composed of various nationalities. The conquering Hungarians did not oppress the ancient inhabitants of the land but

THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE.

left them undisturbed in the use of their native language, and, even in later days, their tolerance went so far as to actually favor foreign, and, more particularly, German immigrants, and to this exceptional forbearance alone must be traced the survival of so many nationalities, and the lack of assimilation, after so many centuries. Classified as to languages spoken by the inhabitants, the chief nationalities number as follows : I, Hungarians or Magyars, 6,500,000 — the ruling, and, so to say, the political

HUNGARIAN TYPES.

nationahty of the country, their language, the Magyar,^ being the language of the state ; 2, Germans, 1,900,000; 3, Roumans, 2,400,000; 4, Slovaks,

* The language of the Hungarians, or Magyars, belongs to the Uralo- Altaic stock, and must be classified with those mixed languages which have sprung up from the amalgamation of different branches of the said race. In the case of the Hungarian language we have before us a mixture of the Finnic-Ugrian and the Turco-Tartar idioms, and the question of its fundamental basis has been constantly a matter of dispute between philologists.

Its phonetic system, as a strictly Asiatic language, being essentially

1,800,000; 5, Croats and Serbs, 2,400,000; Ruthenes, 350,000. Besides these there are other nationalities but in insignificant numbers.

The relative numbers of the various religious denominations are, in round figures, as follows: Roman and Greek (united) Catholics 60^; Eastern-Greek (non-united), 16^; Lutherans, J%\ Calvinists, 13 %; Unitarians, \ % ', Jews, 4 %.

With respect to their cultural condition, the people may be said to be abreast of the nations of Western Europe in every thing but industry, commerce, and some branches of science. In recent years especially a great improvement has taken place in popular education, owing to the large and daily increasing number of schools, and the law which compels children to attend school. There are, for the purpose of advancing learning and cultivating the various branches of science, a variety of conspicuous scientific institutions, literary societies, reading clubs, and public and private libraries. In journalistic literature the country is equal to any country on the European continent.

different from that of the Indo-European or Aryan languages, we give here the following rules of pronunciation to be used in this book :

Vowels

Hungarian.

Englis h^ etc. .

. in hot.

. a in far.

. e in net.

. ai in fail. . i in pin.

. ee in deer.

. . . .

. in no.

. . . .

. eu in French meuble.

. . . .

. eu in French deux.

. u in full.

. 00 in too.

. u in French j uste.

. u in French dur.

CONSONANTS :

Hungarian. English^ etc.

gy dy in how d' you do.

s sh in shirt.

sz s in saint.

tune),

zs s in pleasure.

CHILDREN FROM THE DISTRICT OF THE SAVE.

The constitution of the kingdom is one of the most Hberal in Europe. The estates were represented at the Diet up to 1848, but under the present constitution the government is based upon popular representation. The Parliament or National Assembly consists of two Houses, the House of Representatives and the Upper House, or House of Lords, and in these two bodies and the king is vested the legislative power. The national affairs are administered by eight ministerial departments ; the affairs in common with Austria are settled by a delegation from the two Houses of Parliament which meets an Austrian Parliamentary delegation once in every year,; and administered by three common ministerial departments — for foreign affairs, for the common army, and for the finances, respectively.

In conclusion it may be added that the description given above of the favorable concurrence of soil and climate is fully borne out by the abundance of fine cattle of every description possessed by the country, by a bountiful production of cereals which has earned for Hungary the name of the granary of Europe, by the growth of the greatest variety of fruit and forest trees, and finally by the rich products of the mining regions we have adverted to before.

This chapter, however, would be incomplete were we not to mention the gigantic efforts made by the national government in every direction during the last two decades to raise Hungary from a mere agricultural state to an industrial and commercial state as well, by fostering her domestic industries and providing good highways, a fine net of railways,

THE COUNTRY AND THE PEOPLE.

steam and other navigation, in order to afford an easy and cheap outlet to the abundance of natural products with which nature has blessed her.

These patriotic efforts, considering the short space of time they cover, have been attended with signal success, and have culminated in the National Exhibition of 1885, held at Buda-Pesth, which fitly illustrated to its many visitors, amounting to nearly a million, the extraordinary progress made by the country in the last years.

A " KOLA."

CHAPTER IL

HUNGARY BEFORE THE OCCUPATION BY THE MAGYARS.

The historic period of Hungary begins, properly speaking, with the first century before our era, when Pannonia, comprising the regions watered by the Danube and Drave, was conquered by the victorious arms of Rome. Prehistoric traces, however, may be met with in abundance, which, with the aid of archaeological inquiry, indicate that the soil of Hungary was already inhabited in the neolithic age and in that of bronze by populations who, judged by the mementoes left behind them, which were unearthed by the present generation, must have stood on the same level of civilization as the rest of Europe at those periods. Certain articles dating from the age of bronze show even such marked national peculiarities as to lead to the supposition that the heterogeneous tribes were all under the influence of one kind of culture. The Pannonians, after a protracted struggle, were subjugated by Tiberius, the stepson of the emperor Augustus. One of the art gems of antiquity, the so-called Apotheosis of Augustus, to be seen in the museum of antiquities at Vienna, commemorates the triumph of Tiberius. The con-