Knoxville weekly chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1875, 1873-10-01
EUROPEAN TRAVEL.
Hungary and the Danube-The Baths of
Pesth.

to friend in this city:
PEsTH, HUNGARY.
MY DEAR 4: Here in the Princi-
pality of Hungary, L rest and write you
another letter. came here, in a 10 hours
run from Vienna, on the beautiful "blue
Danube" through scenery scarcely excel
led by the Rhine. left Vienna iaboring
through the Grand Exhibition, with its
excitements, its labors and the beauty and
elegance of the world there assembled.
Many correspondents have made it their
business to see, learn and communicate to
the leading home papers things of interest
connected with the exhibition, for the in
formation of the public, and / feel that /
can find little OF interest in field so well
surveyed, to communicate. So with what
/ have heretofore written, l leave this
subject. This city has been occupied by
the Romans, Turks, and perhaps by other
nations, but the two mentioned have left
the impress of national peculiarities on the
streets-baths, architecture of the build.
ings, &c. At this time the city il enter
tanning the Jurors of the Vienna Exhibit
ton. There are about $50 of them-select-
ed from all the nations represented in the
exhibition, and Pesth is having gala day,
having appropriated 100000 florins for this
purpose.
Bunting floats everywhere, (they did not
forget our stars and stripes,) dinners, re-
are sabundant at this time. Yesterday,
Sunday was the great day, as is nearly
always the case in this Countrywide stores,
even the banks are open OH Sunday. Some
of the people, but not very many, work
but the streets, beer gardens, theaters
and dancing halls are full Ofpeople, well
dressed, well behaved people, but Sunday
means holiday on this continent. 1t is
not only well for the morals, and in obedi-
ence to Divine command, that we rest on
the seventh and remember the Sabbath
day tn keep it holy,n but 1 verify. believe
that the mental and physical rest of one
day in seven, with a people who work
under full head of steam. like the Amer
lean people is absolutely necessary-nature
taxed as we tax it, especially those who
work the brain, could not stand the con-
tinued tension and strain, did we not have
a Sabbath day for rest, day for the men
tai and physical machine to wind up,
gather new strength, new force and power
for another six days work. Were this not
so with our people, the lunatic asylums
would be filled with men whose overtaxed
brains had given way, and nervous dis
eases would predominant until gradually
the strong, sturdy, vigorous people that we
are so proud to be would change and be-
come slow, plodding wanting in energy,
destitute of progress, and stand in our own
beautiful but undeveloped country as Eu-
rope stands to-day, and has stood for CEN
turtles, comparatively still, no advance
ment, no actual progress, little or no better
and purer civilization. For while we find
evidences ofimprovement in these things
in some localities, we find in others sure
signs of decay, of falling off, Of a retro
grade in civilization and after studying,
observing and comparing ideas upon these
subjects, L can say and feel that | thank
Heaven for our American Sabbath day"
t. haa II ha1 f,lly nj to1
until in time ofpeace, when there was no
reason, no necessity for it, L see the COM
mand disregarded, and trace, as L think L
do, the result.
But enough, this is no description of
Pesth, with its splendid bridges connect |
ing Ofen to the main city, its palace, sit |
ting upon steep, precipitous hill, where !
you can have a good view of the city, the |
Danube and the surrounding country-a
palace around whose embattled walls Turk, |
Roman and Saxon hosts have |
surged, fought and fallen. Here has been |
shed much blood during the centuries that |
lie behind us, blood of infidel, heather and |
Of believer. Here we are on the line of
march of the crusaders, and many gallant |
knight clad in steel, his eyes turned toward |
the Holy Land, the pulsations of his heart |
increasing with his near approach to the |
sacred city, has here rested his weary |
limbs and steed refreshing himself from |
the stream that glides so beautifully by in |
front of my window, thinking perhaps of
tender ties in his far-off home, and nerving |
himself for the deadly conflict that await !
ed every attempt to reclaim and retake his |
Palestine.
3 But | am again DEPRESSING l yesterday |
visited the hot baths, first used by Romans |
when they called the place Buda. After |
them the Turks used them. Then they |
were lost sight of, forgotten, covered with |
the debris and rubbish of centuries, after |
wards accidentally discovered not long |
since and the debris removed. The baths |
are built of stone, into which are |
turned three strong springs of very |
hot sulphur and chalybeate water, |
and now you can see the old basins in |
dark, arched cavern looking establish |
ments, first built by the ROmans-with |
their inscriptions-then the enlargement |
by Sultan Soliman, when he caused the |
palace to be converted into |
an additional bath. Then the Dervish |
Monasteries were tured into another addi-
ton by Pascha Mainland, each have left !
their inscriptions, and now the baths of
Pesth are very noted and extensive.
/ will have to close this article. | will
start to-morrw for Venice, unless l learn
that Wilder has reached Vienna. want
him TO take charge of our Tennessee inter- !
ests before / leave Vienna for good.
j. NJ. It.
All the deputies of the United States
Marshal for the western district of Ar