of Central European Turkey. 245 



are bright, but sometimes rather deficient in regularity, as they 

 are worked in by the hand without the aid of proper instru- 

 ments or patterns. This work is chiefly done by girls, who sit 

 on the ground after the Turkish fashion, the frame being 

 placed vertically before them : their wages only amount to five 

 francs per month. Could these carpets not come into competi- 

 tion with others in foreign markets ? 



The shawls are also worked by the hand. There are pretty 

 large manufactories in Salonichi, Istip, Monastir, Sophia, and 

 Eski Sagra ; and all the necessary articles for horses are made 

 very good throughout the whole of Turkey. 



In Agriculture the Bulgarians seem to be farther advanced 

 than the Servians ; for the former have fine gardens, and cul- 

 tivate more culinary plants than the latter, Avho are contented 

 with maize, corn, kidney-beans, water-melons, and the common 

 fruits. One chief branch of agriculture in Servia, and some 

 parts of the country occupied by the Wallachians, is the cul- 

 tivation of plum-trees for making brandy. For this reason 

 the villages in Servia often seem to be surrounded with forests 

 of plum-trees. In Bulgaria, and especially in ]\Iacedonia, 

 these trees are not cultivated ; because, the country being warm- 

 er, vines are more plentiful. In Servia the occurrence of vast 

 forests of oak and wild pear trees has given rise to the rearing 

 of pigs on an extensive scale. These animals are constantly in 

 the woods ; and the Servians export such numbers of them to 

 Austria, that this trade forms their greatest revenue. The 

 Austrian government could do them a great deal of harm by 

 prohibiting it ; but in that case the price of pigs would rise 

 greatly in Hungary and Austria, where pork is much used by 

 the common people. In the other parts of Turkey pigs are 

 occasionally seen, but never in such numbers ; nor indeed could 

 they alway be reared on the same extensive scale, owing to the 

 want of large forests. 



The Bulgarians have a great talent for irrigation, and for 

 this purpose they conduct the smallest streams of water from 

 great distances ; but they too often destroy the roads by using 

 them as channels for the water. They cultivate maize, corn, the 

 vine, cotton, plants for dying and for making oils, a little rice, 

 &c. The vineyards afford a good fiery red wine like that of 



