Morning journal and courier., 1884-09-10
AROUND IHE WORLD.

\
 From COnstantinople to Buda-Pest-
 Unfortunate Bulgarfa-Roustchuk,
 Dismal Place-Bucharest King
 | Charles and His PalMce-Fine Scene.
 I fy-Buda-Pest-The Royal Palace
 SehWabenberg--The Academy-.Art
 Treasures--The Public Porters and
 BUDA PEST, Hungary, Aug. 19.
 To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND COURIER
 This letter must necessarily cover a great
 I deal of ground in a superficial way, for it
 ! will be noticed that since the mailing of my
 last letter have moved good many hun
 I dred miles. From Constantinople I started
 2 north via what is known as the Oriental ex-
 press, semi-weekly system of communica-
 I tion between the English channel and the
 Turkish capital. The journey is performed
 to Varna, Bulgaria, by one of the Austro- ! Lloyd mail packets; thence to Reustchuk I on the Danube by the one existing line of Bulgarian railway. From Guirgevo on the I opposite side of the Danube series of rail ! way connections is made clear through, and the train, a couple or more of sleeping coach 1 es, with dining car attached goes at the fast est rate of speed that is considered safe. Only the wealthy, or those whose business de- ! nands the greatest haste, patronize this ! train on account of the charge. Tickets cost { twenty per cent. more than frst-class on the regular express trains. The accommodation | trains are proportionately still cheaper, but consume more time These European | 'tschlaf-wagens, or sleeping cars, are longer ! than the regular carriages, but shorter than \ ours. I think it is fair to say that they do | not compare with ours for comfort or ele- ganee. The irst-class carriages differ from ! the second in having tidy for the back of your head to rest against. Usually the seats | and sides of the compartments are uphol- stered with red velvet, moreover; while those \ of the second-class are equipped with black 4 cushions, which are not less comfortable. | The classifcations are calculated to secure I greater privacy for the rich First-class car riages usually have eighteen seats (six in each { of the three compartments, the second-class l accommodate-t twenty four and the third-class ! from thirty to forty I notice that many of I the third-class carriages, which carry the mass of the travellers, are now built on some I thing of the American plan for the sake of convenience. In any event they are much \ smaller and the variety of kinds is puzzling. The steamer trip to Varna performed ! in thirteen hours, and promptly at 6:50 in i the morning the train to which the passen- gers had been transferred moved out of the depot. shall remember Bulgaria I saw ' ! travelled, with vegetation preternaturally \ green on account of an unusual amount of rain, with large cornfelds, few villages scan- | ty population and groups of sleepy, wonder I ing natives gathered about the stations to { witness the one event of the day-the pas | sage of the post train. No doubt the coun- | try is bound to rise now that it has been re- ! heVed from the incubus of Turkish misrule, but it started in 1878 from too pathetic lev el to warrant the expectation of much More over, there is nothing in the country, so far as known, to justify hopes of a bright future; and the inadequate water supply and other \ natural deficiencies in the way. The rul- ] ing prince, who holds his position by heredi ! tary claims, resides at the out-of-the-way cap I ital city of Sophia three hundred miles dis tant from any railway The authority of Turkey in Bulgaria is now almost chimerieal Even to eastern Roumelia, which lies to the south, the Sultan cannot of his own free will ! send his soldiers. He must have the consent of the Governor at Phillipopolis, who, by the ] way, is appointed by the Sultan with the ap- | proyal of the five great European powers. The Bulgarians and Turks are about equally distributed throughout Roumelia and Bulga- ria, but from the latter country the Turks are gradually being compelled to recede. Islam is established as far north as the Danube. In Bulgaria and Roumania the established church is that known as the Greek church throughout the East.
 Roustchuk Spelled in forty-seven different ways) is a splendid place--in which to con- tract the blues. If you prefer to maintain a cheerful spirit do not stop there two hours. 1 It is one of the most dismal stations on the round the world journey. Twenty five thou sand Bulgarians Turks, Servians, Roumani- ans, Bosnians French and Germans manage \ to prolong an existence there by dint of he | roic effort. did not learn what the suicide ! rate is, but I should think it must be high. I At Gurgevo Roumanian village of some i,o1oo T lal I struggle with the custom house officials, who seem to serve their government not wisely | but too well. I came out first best, !" how { ever, after prolonged and sanguinary en- counter and took the train for Bucharest. A ! ride of three hours followed through charm l ing country with shady oak forests, romantic dells, bright little villages and vast fields of { tasseled corn to regale the eye on the way. | The corn fields were broken here and there | by equally vast patches of grain, which was being threshed in several places by steam ! threshing machines. At Bucharest there was another and seemingly useless tussle with the custom authorities, after which took car ! riage for hotel. As the vehicle rolled along I the well paved road leading from the depot ! to the city had a fine view of the Rouma- | nian capital and was at once captivated Of course Bucharest is not what Paris is or Chi I cago, or New York, or even San Francisco or | New Orleans; but you must remember that ! it is the product of a different history. It is ! in Roumania, and the outgrowth of Rouma- ' nian civilization. As such it was thorough surprise to me. The streets are well paved, I lighted by gas and even the electric light, street cars rumble hither and thither, there are many beautiful parks and boulevards, | the general architecture of the city is highly I ornate, and there is an atmosphere of dash l and enterprise in which I delight. It is claimed that there is solid substratum of l trade upon which this seeming prosperity l rests; but even if that be true cannot \ fail to admire the vigorous management of the hand at the municipal helm. The city now numbers nearly quarter of million people, so that it is at once the capital and | metropolis of the country.
 Cereal-growing is the chief industry, and Lin truth it must be added that the grain \ is not equal to that produced in America, Russia or Egypt Nevertheless it is not bad grain and it supports comfortably the people 1 of the country. The government is now a limited monarchy, the reigning sovereigns being Charles and Elizabeth (both German Charles was created prince in 1866 and ad- vanced to the dignity of king in 1881. He ! has behaved himself very well since he came
 to wield the sceptre, His authority is in ' measure regulated 5y congress of two houses, the members to both of which are ! elected by the people. The court is at pres | ent located in the Carpathian mountains, at ! summer resort called Sinai. The regular palace is in the heart of this city. It is an | unfinished enlargement of the old govern ! mental residence, occupying full square, but so patched together as to forfeit all claims \ to architectural beauty according to my no | tion. The new part faces at right angles to l the facade of the old, and the court in front ' is disfgured by an ugly guard house, where | fierce sentinels pace and cannons frown. The outlying grounds, which are not large, have yet to be cleared of rubbish and planted with grass, flowers and shrubs. Electric lights are hung here and there to furnish the royal premises with illumination. It is whispered | that ChaIles is himself much dissatisfied with his unfinished palace.
 From Bucharest proceeded to this city by I rail- distance of five hundred and forty | four miles, For considerable time the road lay | through rich, beautiful plain adorned with pleasant groves, and the universal, ilimita- ble fields of corn and grain. The country | then grew more mountainous. We traversed Wallachia to the south of the eastern Carpa- I thian range, or Transylyanian Alps, as they are frequently called. These Carpathian 1 ] Mountains surround Hungary on three sides, separating it the north from the Austrian province of Galicia, on the east from Molda- l via (which is now part of the Roumaniau 1 kingdom), and on the southeast from Rouma-