I DROVE to the Hotel Ungaria, to which I had been recommended, and where a most comfortable apartment and an equally good dinner gave me an avant-go?t of a comfortable night's rest, in which I was no wise disappointed; and I can safely recommend the Ungaria as one of the finest and most comfortable hotels in Europe, without at the same 30 time being extravagant3 in its charges. The only drawback I found was with the person of the porter, a most respectable man no doubt, but he could not speak either French or English; and I had to carry on all my consultations4 respecting my intended future progress with the hall-porter of the "K?nigin von England" hotel, close by. If that man could only be installed at the Ungaria, that hotel would be as near perfection as possible.
The windows of my bedroom at the Ungaria opened out on a balcony which gave me a splendid view of the "blue Danube," which, however, I never saw of any other shade but mud colour. Across the river, and just opposite, I could see the ancient city of Buda, with the royal residence in front, and a little to the left, on the top of the hill, the celebrated5 fortress6 which played so important a part during the last Hungarian civil war. A little to my right was the grand suspension bridge, guarded at each end by two colossal7 couchant lions, about which the following improbable anecdote8 was related to me. 31
The artist who executed them forgot to put tongues into their mouths, to loll out in proper heraldic fashion, and when the defect was pointed2 out to him as the lions were uncovered, he took it so to heart that he at once put an end to himself by plunging9 headlong into the river! Now when "le grand Vatel" committed suicide, because the turbot did not arrive in time for the dinner of the Most Christian10 King, there was some show of reason in the act, Vatel's credit was in some degree pledged to that dinner; but not one man in ten thousand would have noticed whether these lions had tongues or not.
Pesth seems, like Vienna, to be undergoing a process of rebuilding, and that on a scale of considerable magnificence. I was told that its commerce was daily increasing, and, certainly, to judge from the immense number of vessels11 moored12 in the river, the ceaseless passing up and down of immense steamers, the piles of merchandize, and the constant bustle13 on the quays14, a very considerable amount of business must be done there. The grand suspension 32 bridge which spans the Danube being found insufficient15 for the increasing traffic, a new one is in process of construction, to be built of iron on piers16, and not a suspension bridge. It is to cost an immense sum, and will require to be well protected against the action of the ice on the one hand, while on the other it may become the source of considerable danger to the low land in its neighbourhood by arresting the free passage downwards18 of the ice, if not well looked after. I went to see the works at the central pier17, and remained there some time watching the men at the bottom of the immense caisson out of which a donkey engine was incessantly19 pumping water; outside it, the river was running like a mill race at not less than eight miles an hour, and I was assured that the depth at that spot was fully20 forty feet.
After visiting the works at the new bridge, I went to St. Marguerite's Island, on which is a park beautifully laid out, and which forms one of the favourite promenades21 of the pleasure-loving inhabitants of Pesth. As it can only 33 be approached by boat, it is frequented only by pedestrians22; but in order to cater23 for all tastes and gratify those who enjoy a jaunt24, there is a tramway running the whole length of the island. There are also some capital restaurants, and several bands play every evening in fine weather.
There is another park on terra firma, an imitation of the Prater25 at Vienna, but it is small and shabby. There were a good many people strolling about it when I went, but I did not see even one middling-good turn-out, and though one constantly hears of the beautiful horses and rare horsemanship of the Hungarians, I was doomed26 to be disappointed in both cases.
Crossing over the suspension bridge one gets into the old town of Buda or Ofen, in which are situated27 the Royal residence, the Government offices, and some of the palaces of the native magnates.
There is a fine street by which one can drive to the upper part of the town, which is considerably28 above the level of the Danube; but for 34 pedestrians there is an easy, cheap, and quick method of getting to the summit, by means of a small counterpoised railway, which carries one up and down very rapidly at an exceedingly moderate rate. There is a fine view from the top, and several fine old palaces, but the most interesting thing in the town of Buda is the old Roman bath erected29 over some sulphurous springs, celebrated for the cures they perform. It is in exactly the same condition as in the days of ancient Rome, and consists of a large vaulted30 apartment lit by a circular opening in the centre of the cupola, and containing a large hexagonal piscina with an ambulatory all round. None bathe there save the lower classes—men, women, and children promiscuously31; in the immediate32 neighbourhood, however, there are some very well appointed baths which are considerably patronized, and bear a high reputation for the cure of skin disease.
From all I could collect during the brief stay I made at Pesth, Hungary in general must be in a very progressive condition; and from the numbers of agricultural machines and implements33, 35 all of English construction, which I saw everywhere stacked upon the quays, not only at Pesth but at many other stations on the Danube, including large numbers of steam-thrashing and winnowing34 machines, a vigorous attempt is evidently being made to exploit the unbounded fertility of perhaps the richest soil in Europe. Land, however, is still cheap in Hungary, probably in consequence of the extreme love of pleasure of its inhabitants, who preferring to spend their days in the society of Vienna, Paris, or Pesth, draw exorbitantly35 on their revenues, till at last compelled to sell their lands in order to meet their engagements. Nice estates within twenty miles of Pesth, with good substantial dwelling-houses, and all the necessary offices for farming, with varied36 soil, vineyard, pasture, tillage, and forest, can be had sufficiently37 cheap to ensure a clear return of five per cent, free of taxes, for the capital laid out on them! A vast number of the agricultural community in Hungary are Jews, and it is perhaps the only country in Europe where we find the children of Israel as tillers of the soil; and I was assured by many in Pesth that they make by 36 far the most satisfactory tenants—though naturally they require looking after occasionally, as well as their soi-disant Christian brethren.
When one reflects on the countless38 acres of the richest land in creation, which to a great extent are still unoccupied and uncultivated in the eastern and south-eastern regions of Europe, one cannot help regretting that some of our surplus population do not try a venture in those countries. I am thinking principally of that most unfortunate and ill-used portion of society belonging to the upper classes, and which, from circumstances beyond its control, is suffering from positive want in its struggles to keep up a respectability as necessary for its existence as the very air it breathes. The labourer, the artisan, the skilled workman are well off at the present time in our country; wages are very high and the friendly societies, to one of which almost every workman belongs, provide for them amply in cases of sickness, and in some cases even contribute something to the family when the illness terminates in death—not to mention the numerous hospitals and asylums39, all open to the labouring classes, but which are 37 all virtually closed to those I am now speaking of.
The working classes, with few exceptions, are all well off at present, and require none of our sympathy except when in affliction, when the richest and poorest come to the same level. They can afford to supply all their wants out of their wages, and lay out one fifth, and in many cases one fourth, and even one third (I am assured by good authorities) in drink, for the gratification of the only pleasure which they are capable of enjoying; for proof of which the police reports throughout the country will bear ample evidence.
But I will tell who really deserve all our sympathy and all our aid, the junior branches of our upper ten thousand—the families of officers, poor clergymen, poor lawyers, &c., &c., all struggling for dear life against difficulties of every kind; those are the classes who claim the greatest share of our sympathy, and to whom the regions above mentioned offer advantages unequalled any where else.
I remember when the Canterbury settlement 38 was established in New Zealand, it was intended in a great measure to provide for the classes I have alluded40 to above; but the distance was too great, the mere41 cost of going out was a most serious drawback, at the very least ten times the amount required to land one bag and baggage in the centre of Hungary, or better still in Servia, among some of the most beautiful scenery in the world, the richest soil, the best climate, and the finest fishing and shooting that could be desired, where game laws and river preserves and licences are still utterly42 unknown.
I hate croaking43; still, if one hears rumbling44 noises underground for any space of time, one is justified45 in apprehending46 an earthquake. For several years I have been hearing these subterranean47 noises, and year after year they have become more and more threatening, and the earthquake must come at last. But as a volcanic48 eruption49, acting50 as a safety valve, often saves a country from the effects of a physical earthquake, so the timely exodus51 of an excessive population may save a country from a moral one. 39
By the very nature of my profession, I have innumerable times been willingly or unwillingly52 let into the secrets of the private affairs of scores of families; and I have watched with perfect dismay the misery53, the poverty, the utter wretchedness that were screened from the eyes of the world by the decent exterior54 which was kept up in order to preserve appearances.
If with Asmodeus we could but lift up the roofs of a few thousands of houses in these prosperous islands and see the difficulties, the make-shifts, and the make-believes which are resorted to, and that in many cases where one would least expect them, it would make our very hearts bleed at all the anxiety, all the wretchedness, all the scalding tears which would be disclosed—all brought about by that great delusion55 "keeping up appearances." Well, all this living under false pretences56, which is the distinguishing characteristic and the great evil, the real "social evil" of the present time cannot go on for ever. It is an evil of long standing57, no doubt, but it has gone on increasing from year to year, like a falling avalanche58, with constantly increasing velocity59. 40 The earthquake must come at last, if not averted60 by an emigration en masse of those educated classes to which I have alluded above; and the best, finest, healthiest, most fertile, and most accessible country, outside the British dominions61, I hold to be, roughly speaking, that tract63 of Southern Europe bounded on the North by the Saave, on the South by the Bosphorus, on the East by the Danube, and on the West by the Adriatic.
"But, my dear Sir," I think I hear some reader say, "that is Turkey in Europe!" No doubt it is, but the Turks won't be there for ever, their time is nearly run out; the period of their wretched misrule over the Christian populations of Europe is nearly accomplished64, and I still hope to live long enough to see those barbarous hordes65 recrossing the Bosphorus into Asia Minor66, on their way back to the Steppes of Khiva and Bokhara, from whence they originally emigrated. They have ever shown themselves irreclaimable barbarians67 throughout. Look at the present condition of European Turkey, after centuries of Ottoman dominion62; contrast it with the 41 nascent68 state of Roumania, which only quite lately succeeded in shaking off its Moslem69 chains. Let us look at both countries, as they present themselves opposite to each other on the banks of the Danube. On the left bank of that river we have Giurgevo in Roumania, the port of Bukharest, where, notwithstanding centuries of slavery and misgovernment, the natives, now under the government of an enlightened Christian Prince, are all activity and progress—while on the right bank at Rustchuk, just opposite, in dark contrast to the Christian, who is trying to turn to account all the advantages of his country, the indolent, uncivilized Turk is still lazily dozing70 away, leaning against his ancient painted and bedizened araba, drawn71 by a pair of patient oxen, waiting for the chance of some solitary72, silent traveller!
A new era is dawning, however, over these south-eastern regions, but much of their prosperity and future happiness may depend on the model they will propose for themselves in their efforts at civilization; whether the brilliant glitter of Parisian veneering and varnish73, or the less attractive, 42 but more solid advantages of British institutions. A great future is before the Danubian Principalities, may they use their opportunities with wisdom, and may they prosper1!
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1
prosper
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| v.成功，兴隆，昌盛；使成功，使昌隆，繁荣 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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consultations
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| n.磋商（会议）( consultation的名词复数 )；商讨会；协商会；查找 | |
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celebrated
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| adj.有名的，声誉卓著的 | |
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fortress
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| n.堡垒，防御工事 | |
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colossal
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| adj.异常的，庞大的 | |
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anecdote
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| n.轶事，趣闻，短故事 | |
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plunging
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| adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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moored
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| adj. 系泊的 动词moor的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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bustle
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| v.喧扰地忙乱，匆忙，奔忙；n.忙碌；喧闹 | |
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quays
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| 码头( quay的名词复数 ) | |
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insufficient
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| adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的 | |
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piers
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| n.水上平台( pier的名词复数 )；（常设有娱乐场所的）突堤；柱子；墙墩 | |
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pier
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| n.码头；桥墩，桥柱；[建]窗间壁，支柱 | |
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downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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promenades
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| n.人行道( promenade的名词复数 )；散步场所；闲逛v.兜风( promenade的第三人称单数 ) | |
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pedestrians
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| n.步行者( pedestrian的名词复数 ) | |
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cater
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| vi.(for/to)满足，迎合；(for)提供饮食及服务 | |
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jaunt
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| v.短程旅游；n.游览 | |
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prater
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| 多嘴的人，空谈者 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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vaulted
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| adj.拱状的 | |
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promiscuously
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| adv.杂乱地，混杂地 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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winnowing
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| v.扬( winnow的现在分词 )；辨别；选择；除去 | |
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exorbitantly
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varied
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| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 | |
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asylums
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| n.避难所( asylum的名词复数 )；庇护；政治避难；精神病院 | |
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alluded
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| 提及，暗指( allude的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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croaking
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的现在分词 )；用粗的声音说 | |
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rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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apprehending
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| 逮捕，拘押( apprehend的现在分词 )； 理解 | |
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subterranean
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| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
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volcanic
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| adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的 | |
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eruption
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| n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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exodus
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| v.大批离去，成群外出 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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exterior
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| adj.外部的，外在的；表面的 | |
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delusion
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| n.谬见，欺骗，幻觉，迷惑 | |
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pretences
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| n.假装( pretence的名词复数 )；作假；自命；自称 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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avalanche
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| n.雪崩，大量涌来 | |
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velocity
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| n.速度，速率 | |
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averted
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| 防止，避免( avert的过去式和过去分词 )； 转移 | |
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dominions
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| 统治权( dominion的名词复数 )； 领土； 疆土； 版图 | |
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dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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hordes
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| n.移动着的一大群( horde的名词复数 )；部落 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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barbarians
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| n.野蛮人( barbarian的名词复数 )；外国人；粗野的人；无教养的人 | |
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nascent
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| adj.初生的，发生中的 | |
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Moslem
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| n.回教徒，穆罕默德信徒；adj.回教徒的，回教的 | |
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dozing
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| v.打瞌睡,假寐 n.瞌睡 | |
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drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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varnish
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| n.清漆；v.上清漆；粉饰 | |
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