FOREIGN AND IvnSCELLANEOUS NOTICES. 



the race, hoping some useful hints might be de- 

 rived for America on the subject. This seemed 

 more desirable, as tlicre is no coimtry of Eu- 

 rope so resembling our own, or at least the 

 Middle States of our own, in climate. The 

 same extremes of heat and cold ; the same .sud- 

 den, violeut changes of temperature; the same 

 clear, stimulating atmosphere, which mark the 

 American climate, and distinguish it from the 

 usual European. There are districts in Hungary 

 which produce the most delicious grapes and 

 melons and peaches in summer, which are bu- 

 ried in snow in winter, precisely like the inland 

 counties some years in New- York. And in 

 traveling over the best part of the land, I might 

 have thought, as far as productions were con- 

 cerned, I was journeying through the plains of 

 inner New-York or Pennsylvania ; the only ex- 

 ception being the vine, for the want of which in 

 America I am disposed to think the cause is 

 not to be sought in the climate. 



In respect to the habits of the people, the 

 great peculiarity seemed to be their temperance 

 in eating and drinking, and at the same time 

 their making of the meals a pleasant social oc- 

 casion, and not merely a means of filling up 

 the stomachs. When I say they are " tem- 

 perate," I mean they indulge in no excess; as, 

 in respect to wine-drinking, there is scarcely a 

 man in the land who does not drink the light 

 wine at his dinner and supper. But with the 

 Hungarian the meal-time is a time for social 

 intercourse, when friends meet; or when the 

 children and relatives all gather with the parents, 

 and have almost their only merry, familiar 

 conversation, during the day. They sit a great 

 while at table, and taste of a great variety of 

 dislies, at least among the better classes. Still 

 they are not by any means as hearty eaters as 

 the Americans or English. Indeed, to a tra- 

 veler with a keen appetite, or to one accustom- 

 ed to the vigorous exploits of the English at 

 the table,the Hungarians seem really abstemious. 

 They make much more use of fruits, and salads, 

 and curious puddings, and the hght pure wines, 

 than we of the Anglo Saxon race. Indeed a 

 Hungarian would consider himself in danger of 

 becoming a sot, if he shordd drink every day 

 the strong brandied wines which every English- 

 man has on his table. The English in Hungary 

 too say it is impossible in that clear, oxygenated 

 climate, to keep up their habits of beef-eating 

 and drinking. 



The first meal among the Hungarians is taken 

 at seven or eight in the morning, and consists 

 only of a glass of cotfee with rich milk, and some 

 meager cuttings of cold toast broken up and 

 eaten in the coffee. 



This is the universal breakfast for all classes 

 except the poorest Bauer. Between this and 

 the dinner, at one or two, nothing is usually 

 eaten or drank. The dinner, as I have said, is 

 long, with a great variety of dishes, not essen- 

 differing from our own, except that it is 

 and a greater use is made of light wines, 

 meal is always followed by a cup of coffee. 



The only other meal is the supper, at eight 

 o'clock in the evening — a long meal again , with 

 soup, fish, pudding and wine. Tea is very little 

 drank in the land: sugar, and sweetened arti- 

 cles, too, are seldom used. 



What especial theory of diet to draw from all 

 this, I am at a loss to determine. Still the facts 

 may be useful to some who are investigating the 

 matter. The principal things worthy of imita- 

 tion, seem to be the moderation and sociability 

 of the meals, and the distance of time at which 

 they are separated — the last being, no doubt, 

 very conducive to health. The principal cause 

 of their vigorous health and well formed bodies 

 must be found, without doubt in their open air 

 pursuits and manly exercises, to which they are 

 all ardently attached. They are a nation of 

 herdsmen and farmers, and are enjoying the be- 

 nefits of their pursuits. 



No account of their habits would he complete 

 without stating that the whole population, from 

 the nobleman and clergyman down to the lowest 

 Bauer ou the Puszta, smoke incessantly from 

 morning till night. 



However, to return to our walk through the 

 village. It was soon noised abroad that an 

 American was in the village, and we found 

 everywhere groups of curious gazers at the first 

 man they had seen from the Western World. 

 We called upon the judges of the village, — dig- 

 nified, gray headed old peasants — and every- 

 where I heard allusions of thankfulness to the 

 kindness of the Americans to the exiles. One 

 man had a picture and a long account in Hun- 

 garian, of the reception of the first Hungarians 

 in New-York. At last, in our rambles, we were 

 overtaken by a large two-seated wicker wagon, 

 with four horses, sent by the village authorities 

 to conduct us around — in the town. Accord- 

 ingly up we mounted with a "crack" Hunga- 

 rian driver, in short embroidered jacket, and 

 boots and spurs, on the box, and made the cir- 

 cuit of the town and neighborhood. 



Everywhere that we visited, whether at his 

 Majesty's officers, or in the houses of the com- 

 mon people, we heard the same account of bur- 

 densome taxation, of stupid legislation by the 

 government. Not a man — even of those who 

 received the Emperor's pay — seemed contented. 

 They declared that the object of the ministry 

 was to completely blot out the last traces of the 

 old independence of Hungary. All their inter- 

 nal municipal constitution, so cheap, so efficient, 

 which they had enjoyed for more than five hun- 

 dred years, was utterly destroyed. They said 

 the pettiest town officer was appointed by the 

 government — and all the higher oflicers were 

 either foreigners or such Hungarians as no one 

 had ever respected. Then every possible means 

 was used to squeeze money f\-om them by taxa- 

 tion. They were taxed personally ; taxed for 

 their garden; taxed for their house; for the 

 wine ; for their tobacco. Every deed drawn up 

 must be on taxed (stamped) paper. Their pass- 

 jjorts were taxed ; their very -permits to raise 

 taxed tobacco, which they themselves are not 



