New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-11-19
LETTERS Upon HUNGARY.....N XIII.

DEBREczis, May, 1851.
To 1< Editors Of The ~ Y. Tribune
A / entered Debreczin, after my Jour-
.ev over the Dusztas, was struck at once win
,he singular appearance Of the town. II seemed
.s if it might be city OF 10000 inhabitants 'of'
A far as the eye could reach, on every side' one
could see long rows OF buildings, but though
rea, and well built, scarcely any house was more
than one story high, and the streets were as
broad as in our New England villages lhere
MAS no paving in the streets, and very o'eh
none on the walks. No grass, too, anywhere, Oh
trees. except once or twice, In the roads, SO that
:. Won looked down the roads, between the
sonses YOU saw nothing but bare space OF
mud, reaching from the fences on one sac "
those on the other. 1t was comparatively uiy
when arrived, and there were only one OF '"o
dangerous looking pools IN the carrIage-"ays'
but in wet weather, | could we'll believe what
tbev told me, that the streets are nearly lmPass-
Able with foot and half to two feet OF mud IN
them and, as they asseverate, with sucn I'M
mepse pools Of water, that Wild ducks nave Deelt
seen swimming leisurely about IN the streets OF
Debreczin city.
Despite that great extent OF the town, owing
An the mode of building each house very long
and low, the population only numbers some
$1,000 ~,
As entered the walks were swarmlng with
sturdy looking peasants, who had come INTO the
market, and with the women, VINO had oeeh
drawing water, at the fountain out OF the city
By curious chance, these all carry the water III
urns. made after the exact form OF the old Gre
clan and Etruscan vases-so like that one could
almost think he discerned the different ages IN
the black pottery with red figures, or the req
with the black. They carry these on their heads,
rs the classic maldeRs did, or sing two by the
handles, over their shoulders, altogether IN
remarkably picturesque style.
Whatever NAV be said of the outside OF De-
breczin, no stranger could see the INSIDE WITHOUT
acknowledging that such genial, hospitable
homes are scarcely to be found IN any lana.
There is heartlness, an overfiowlng hospitality
about the people, such quite puts to shame
the colder politeness Of the more polished races
The want of taste, which IS much too visible
throughout the city, is not at all so apparent with.
in the houses, which are arranged and furnished
often very prettily. Indeed, there seems style
of architecture in many OF them quite peculiar
60 the place, what | might call the crypt style
She parlors or dining halls, built with arches
running up to the center CT the room, and sup
ported on low column, and sometimes on sew
eral low columns so that with the walls prettlly
painted with fanclful figures, like the old classic
walls, they make very picturesque aPPo"ianoo'
and are besides very cool for their not summers
N WAS odd enough, finding unconscious classic
imitation. in the great swine market OF Hungary.
The appearance of the Debreczn population
has something in II very comfortable ana suo-
stantial In all the fity-five thousand, there is
not a noble, but there are no beggars Inc
wretched. looking WaRachs, or Ralzen, wmch
haunt the streets of Pesth, are seldom seen here
The Great hulk of the population are Bdun, but
INDEPENDENT, vigorous fellows, who seem as II
thew never had been, and never could be, under
any feudal domination. Indeed, that is the TACT,
as far as their past history is concerned De-
breczin is a free city," and as such, was never
liable TO any ftudal exactions, and was repre-
scented as a corporation, IN the Fafiianeh'
fRe;chstag.) Some of the richest Bauer OF the
Kingdom lived there MY friends showed me
several of the finest houses of the city, which
had been built and owned by Peasants that
is by men deprived OF all general political rights,
and belonging TO the same class which, III Inc
other parts OF the country, were SUBJECT 10 leaoal
labor The prosperity and intelligence o. NE
whole population seem 20 have been alwzJs
very remarkable. They all agree there - TO
poyerty there, and the Protestant Bishop, (saPsr-
snisndsnf) who knows the people well, sad to me,
that, 10 his know ledge, there were not hundred
people In the city who could not read, and that
In his Diocese, reaching over all the country IN
that neighborhood, and containing sOO,OOO souls,
there were 10000 children In the schools. Many
perity of Debreczin arose from a curious old
sgrarian, or rather Jewishlike provision Of the
law that no c,tisea should oirn ~. land, more than
100 joch. or about los acres. His property in
money OF houses was not limited, but tins was
to be the extent of his landed property. sin.
gular provision to have arisen here, where the
ideas either OF the Mosaic landed law, or OF
French Socialism, were never IN any way thought
Of Twas curious To know about the details IL
seemed to me, great variety OF difficulties
would arise. Each contract must be inspected,
to Know that no more than the legal amount OF
land was purchased. There must be clerks and
books. and great administration, 20 Keep an
exact account OF each mans estate. There
could be no rapid buying and selling, and bust
ness must be exceedingly hampered by such
regulations. Then. what was 10 be done with
the estates which, by inheritance, had reached
IN illegal size
They answered-and think very sensitiy, as
far az their circumstances are concerned-tha,
business was impeded, II was true--and that nc
great fortunes We're made there but, they
thought that more than counterbalanced by the
general comfort and contentment, People were
never very rich there, but they were never very
poor, they said. There were very small land
holders there, who could not probably, In the
worst of times, lose all their property. There
was very little temptation IN buying and selling
land for business purposes there, and people IN
ed more comfortably on the whole They ha1
seen enough OF the evils OF oyergrown estates
in other parts OF Hungary. As fos the admins
tration, there was no difficulty, they SAID. NJ
purchase was legal which was not made know
to the town clerk he had the amounts of land
ed property belonging 10 each citizen, registered
opposite 10 his name, in book for the purpose,
and the whole was settled IN nomeNt. Ii
more than his legal share was inherited by any
person. the overpus accrued TO the city though
where, exactly, the dividing Inc would fall III
such cases, whether across the good or across
much for the tao OF Hungarian" agrarraism."
As another somewhat Socialistlc" tendency
lmay mention-what had previously noticed
IN other parts of Hungary-the plan OF feeding
all their cattle, and raising their vines ss COM
ros The cattle and swine, numbering many
thousands, are driven out in the Spnng-eash