The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-07-29
IN ROuMANtA,
At the Head of Navigation on the Danub.
River.

River.
We had padded along forty miles
against a heavy wind and sea, and pre-
ferring the quiet of camp to the con-
fusion of the busy town, landed on an
unoccupied meadow in full view of
Braila, extending far along the bluff
and looking down upon the forest of
masts upon the river, and with the
spires and domes of Galatz distinctly
visible on high point of land n few
miles below MS.
Braila is at the head of navigation
for sea-going vessels, and as it is only
about one hundred and twenty-five
miles from the mouth of the river, is
practically a port on the Black sea. A
few years ago it was of secondary COM
mercial impor lance to Galatz, a larger
town similarly placed on a bluff fifteen
miles further down stream. Since the
Turkish war, however, the grain trade
has been gradually transferred to the
former city, until it has now absorbed
the whole of this commerce. and has
consequently become the chief shipping
port for all the produce of grazing row.
ing ESRlOuS VI hOuuduid anu
Bulgaria.
The army of the Car made the first
crossing of the Danube in 1877 from
Galatz, across the marsh to n spur of
the bold hills near the village of
Matchin, and it was in one of the mar
row arms of the river here that the
Turkish monitors were entrapped and
destroyed. Galatz covers much more
territory than its neighbor above.
spreading far out over level plateau,
along highways which are deserts OF
dust in summer and sloughs of mire
in winter. Part of the town Is laid out
with some regularity, and there are
few streets well cared for and with new
buildings; but the thoroughfares on the
slope of the plateau near the river are
narrow, crooked and steep, and most
of the pavements are simply atrocious.
There is no gas manufactured, but an
abunda nee of water is brought into the
town, and a fountain is in constant OPP.
GRAFTON in the tiny park, W here n mill
tary band plays lig hit French airs every
evening to motley crowd of many
nationalities The better class of Rou-
manians admire everything French, and
in all the cities there are curious and
often ludicrous attempts to initiate
Partisan architecture and to follow the
customs of that capital. This is the re-
suit, of course of the French education
of the youth of the leading families for
generations past
The larger part of the town consists
of houses only one story in height, with
stucco facades and tiled roofs. In Ger.
tain quarters the population is very
dense, and the streets and dwellings
are there in state of indescribable
filth. The crowded market places are,
in the morning. perfect museums OF
types and costumes. Albanians in fus-
tinellas like ballot-dancers' skirts jostie
Slovac raftsmen in their skin-tight
wooden trousers; smart marines from the
naval sta ton at the upper part of the
town haggle with peddlers of Turkish
tobacco: and florid- faced cooks of En-
glish steamers shoulder their way to
the meat shops, regardless of Rouman-
ian, Bulgarian, Russian, Greek, or jew.
In the outs kirts of the town several
large bands of gypsies camp on the hill
sides; for here, as in most other places
in Roumania and Hungary, they are not
allowed to occupy houses. OF all the
specimens of this remarkable race we
saw i'm our trip, those at Galatz were by
far the most savage and repulsive in APP
pearance. As we approached their
squalid cam p on the bare slope of u
great hill, exposed to wind and sun,
hundreds of halfclothed maniacs
swooped down upon us, wildly
gcsticuiating and shrieking for aims
tearing open their garments to
show their emaciated bodies, and hold
ing aloft naked children shivering in
the cold breeze. Raven black hair fall
ing over their faces in tangled masses
half hid their small cunning eyes, and
sun and dirt had given their skins the
color and texture of long-tanned leather
Everything about thcm-clothes, blan-
kets and tcnts-was of the same sug-
gestive brown hue, and this monotone
was only relieved by gaudy trinkets in
the matted trcsses of the women, and
10y an occasional ornamental knife han
die in the girdle of the men We We're
unable to endure for any length of time
the fifth of the camp and the proximity
of the evil-looking, ill-smelling crowd,
which at every moment became more
and more difficult to avoid, and we soon
retreatcd, followed for a long distance
by number of urchins, all limbs and
rags, who turned somcrsaultS in the dust
and yelled frantically for money. We
did not feel purified from the contact
with these gypsics until we were seated
again in the canoes and facing the brisk
east wind on the broad reach below
Galatz-F. ID. Millet, in Iiarper's Maga-
zine.
Portraits OF Columbus.
Genoa is rich in the relics of Columbus.
In the city hall of Genoa is "A mosaic por-
trait of the admiral, somewhat modified
from the DE Iiry's Columbus. No one has
as vet decided which is the authentic