Mexico weekly ledger., 1876-11-16
Scenes in and About Belgrade.

To get from Vienna to Belgrade is by
no means difficult, yet by no means
pleasant. There are two ways Of go
ing. One, partially by rail; the other
entirely by steamer. BY the former
route II may travel on the railroad as
far as the small Hungarian town of Mo-
hacs, and there go by boat to Semlin,
which connects with Belgrade by a fer
~. ANY one who takes this route will
wish he hadn't taken it, as the train
goes only a little faster than an ordina-
ry pack mule, and the supposed con
nection with the steamer at Mohacs is
in most cases an extreme uncertainty.
The other route, by water to Semlin, is
much preferable, though by no means
unobjectionable. Almost every one
who goes to Vienna goes a little further
and sees Pesth. This part of the Dan
ube, between the Austrian and Hun
garian capitals, is, of course, not equal
to the Rhine, or Hudson, or st. Law
renee, or the Mississippi. There is
really no scenery. Pesth bids fair soon
to rival Vienna. Its situation is far SUI
perior. Since the situation of the two
towns on either side of the river there
has been immense enterprise shown in
building, and every year the city grows
in extent, in the m~agnificence of its
public edifices and in the beauty of its
architecture.
The steamboat leaves Pesth for Sem
lin three times a week. At the advice
of the Captain | went on board the
night before, as he said ''the Russians
filled up the berths early in the morn
ing" 1t was not hard to understand
the caution when, on the following
morning, soon after sunrise, about two
dozen subjects of the Gar and allies of
The Serbians came scuf1iing On board to
secure places in the cabin. The pres
ence of the ordinary Russian is, per-
haps, least agreeable on a small river
steamer. Their table are, to
say the least, not appetizing, nor do
they occupy the cabin and conduct
themselves during the hours of repose
in either a graceful or attractive man.
ner. To relieve the monotony, how
ever, we had the pleasure of the COM
pany of several Serbian dignitaries, at
tired in long, black robes and gorgeous
blue sashes. The language of the Ser
bians and Russians, combined with a
sprinkling of Hungary and Germany,
afford Il good idea of the ''confusion OF
tongues" at the Tower of Babel. The
most invigorating and e~xhilarating
thing, was to see the additions of these
gentlemen, in q moderate-sized basin.
The absence of any towels on the
steamer added a lively interest to the
scene.
The Danube below Pesth is not famil-
lar to the ordinary European traveller.
The river is quite broad, the banks low,
and the country a good deal wooded,
but, in many spots, very fertile. Con-
sidering that the river is navigable all
the way, and the water power tolerably
good, it seems extraordinary that there
are so few towns of any size along the
banks. Often, for miles and miles, the
only signs of life and activity are the
floating grist-mils, of which there are
$4,000 in Hungary, on the Danube and
its tributaries. The appearance of the
| ~peasantry is a strange mingling Of the
western and the Oriental. The men
wear long flowing white robes, like pet
~ticoats; except the shepherds and herds.
men, who dress in sheepskins, and look
like Asiatic nomads. The women are
less extraordinary in their attire. They
are chiefly noticeable for their brilliant
red petticoats, which are very conspic'
uoas in the fields or along the river,
Belgrade, as regards its situation, is de-
cidedly attractive. On approaching,
you imagine it to be one OF
the prettiest of towns. 1t is built or
the slope of d hill running dowr
to the Danube. At the most promi-