BEL 



184 



BEL 



The expenditure for the year 1833 exceeded the turn 

 here stated by 14.000,000 of francs, or S60.000/., the dif- 

 ference having been rained by a reduction of the army ; 

 but as the peculiar position of the kingdom with regard to 

 Holland oblige* the government still to keep on foot a very 

 considerable force, and to maintain a numerous staff ready 

 organized, the Belgian government is not in so favourable 

 a position for reducing its debt, and for relieving its subjects 

 from the pressure of taxation as it would bo, if a better under- 

 standing could be effected with the Dutch government, 

 which is equally burthened with expenses occasioned by 

 armament", and has its resources equally crippled by the 

 want of a free intercourse between the two kingdoms. 



BELGOROD, or BJELGOROD, once the capital of a 

 province, but now the chief town of a circle in the province 

 of Kursk, in the south-eastern part of Russia in Europe, is 

 nearly four miles and a half in circuit, and is situated close 

 to the sources of the Sevcrnoi-Donetz, which falls into the 

 Don. It is traversed by the small river Ziolka or Wessolka, 

 and lies about ninety miles south of Kursk. This town was 

 originally built in the reign of Fedor Ivanovitsh, in the year 

 1497, when its site was a chalk hill, close to where it now 

 stands, whence it was called the ' white town ;' but it was 

 afterwards removed about a mile lower down to its present 

 situation, in a valley between two hills. It is divided into 

 the Old and New towns, and has three suburbs : the old 

 town is surrounded by a rampart and diteh, but the new by 

 palisades only. It is the seat of an archbishopric, has two 

 monastic establishments, ten churches of stone and three of 

 wood, and three charitable asylums. There are several 

 manufactories in the town, particularly for refining and 

 pressing wax. and for spinning and weaving : and it carries 

 on a considerable trade in hemp, bristles, honey, wax. leather, 

 soap. &c. Three fairs, to which a swarm of dealers from 

 the south of Russia resort, are held here in the course of 

 the year. The environs are extremely productive, chiefly in 

 fruit, for which the district is much celebrated : whole fields 

 of water-melons are of common occurrence, and the climate 

 from its mildness is very favourable to vegetable growth. 

 Belgorod contains about 1COU houses and 87(10 inhabitants, 

 und lies in AO 53' N. lat., and 36 2' E. long. 



BELGRADE, by the Servians called Alba-Grsr-ca and 

 Greek- Weissenburgh, by the Turks Bilgrnd and Darol 

 Dshishad, or the House of the Holy War, and by the Hun- 

 garians N'uidor Fejervar, is a city in the northern part ol 

 Turkish Servia, about two miles south-east of Semlin. at 

 the junction of the Save with the Danube, and on the right 

 bank of both these rivers. These two majestic streams, 

 blending their waters at this point,' says Frickel (Pedes- 

 trian Journey, 1827-1829), 'expand into what might be 

 mistaken for the ocean itself, and the spot where the Save 

 pours itself into the queen of European rivers is clearly 

 perceptible from the diversity of the tints.' 



Belgrade is the Sigindunumof Ptolemy, the Singidunum 

 of the Itintrarium of Antoninus, and the Singedum ol 

 Procopius (Ilipi tTiapaTHv, lib. iv.). The city was founded 

 by the Romans, afterward* totally destroyed by the Bar- 

 barians, and rebuilt by the Emperor Justinian, who fortified 

 it strongly. He also built a new fort, called Octavum, at a 

 little distance from the city. The city was opposite t< 

 Tauranum (now Semlin) in Pannonia. A vestige of its 

 former name is still retained by a holm in the Save called 

 Singin, not far from the present site of the town. 



The Belgrade of modem times was founded by Dushan 

 king ol' Servia. in the year 1372, and is divided into four 

 quarters, the must conspicuous of which is the Citadel 

 which forms the centre of the town, and is constructed on 

 a steep acclivity, about a hundred feet high, jutting out 

 into the Danube : it presents a picturesque object from the 

 opposite city of Semlin. The space between the banks o 

 the river and the ramparts is traversed by a wall of earth in 

 * decayed state, which is mounted with iron cannon in a* 

 unserviceable a condition as the carriages on which they 

 wt The occm* through this wall is between two stoni 

 columns, the evident remains of a substantial wall. 

 pnvcd way leads thence to the citadel, the entrance to whirl 

 it through a gate in a massive lofty wall, which runs along 

 the edge of the rocky acclivity, and constitutes the chic" 

 part of its fortifications. The first objects that meet the eyi 

 on entering the fortress arc tin; arsenal and magazin'-s 

 erected by the Austrian* during their j> --,.,ioii of Belgrade 

 in the beginning of the last century. These once splrndii 

 <*diflcet arc fait mouldering away ; hut not more rapidly 



>crhaps, than the ramparts, bastions, and massive towers 

 'hieh lie around them. The ascent from these buildings 

 eads to a lofty quadrangle, consisting of two stories, and 

 built partly of wood and partly of stucco. TUe roofs jut out 

 considerably beyond the walls, and serve as a protection to 

 he galleries which range beneath them ; these are ascended 

 >y broad flights of wooden steps. This edifice, though it is 

 he residence of a pasha of three tails, is a very sink of every 

 species of filth, and has been the theatre of the most brutal 

 atrocities which the Turk could devise against hit Christian 

 captive. This was the spot, for instance, where Rhigas the 

 3reek was sawed into pieces, limb by lim-h, and v 

 ind-thirty Servians, in the year 1815, were empaled, in 

 violation of the pledge that their lives should be spared ; ,n 

 many cases ih'-.sr wretched victims endured this excruci- 

 uing torture for seven whole days. The garrison is of the 

 most miserable description, for it is the ju-ha's interest ta 

 maintain as few troops as possible, and at as low a cost as 

 tie finds practicable. The main-wall is furnished with 

 gabions, between which iron cannon are mounted : this wall 

 as well as the principal ditch are in tolerable condition, hut 

 in other respects the citadel is in a very indifferent state. 

 In all, there are three ditches to it, the one within the 

 other, besides mines and bomb-proof casemates. The prin- 

 cipal mosque in the town, which is a handsome building, 

 with the great tower Benoviso rising from its interior, stands 

 within the citadel. 



The flames, bombardments, and other havoc of war have 

 left little standing of the former town of Belgrade, The 

 modern erections constitute the three remaining quarters, 

 which are divided into the Water Town, the Rascian Town, 

 and the Palanka. Crossing a glacis of four hundred paces, 

 and passing through three gates along a very gentle de- 

 scent, we reach the main street, running to the north-west, 

 with several lateral lanes of houses. These form part of 

 what is called the Citadel, and are united by a small foot- 

 way with the Water Town, which occupies a confined space 

 on the edge of the hanks of the Save, close to its confluence 

 with the Danube, and is the best built quarter of the town. 

 It contains the palace of the Greek bishop, fourteen mosque-, 

 the fish and other markets, an arsenal, spacious barracks, 

 and the custom-house. The northern and eastern sides of 

 it are protected by a minous wall of earth, eight feet in 

 height, the two outlets through which are defended by 

 wooden towers. It is much more strongly fortified to- 

 wards the south, in which direction it is encircled by a 

 wall of earth, intermixed occasionally with masonry and 

 brickwork : this wall is ornamented by a very solid gate, 

 opening upon the road that leads to Constantinople. The 

 line of defence on this side is also provided with watch- 

 towers. More immediately to the south-west of the Citadel, 

 as well as west of it, runs a long range of suburbs, lying 

 scattered like a village, Injyond which is the Rascian, or 

 Servian Town, likewise denominated the Town of the Save; 

 it is defended by walls and palisades, is the principal resi- 

 dence of the merchants and dealers, and stands close to 

 the Palanka, a further line of suburbs, which surround the 

 citadel on the south and east. These two quarters contain 

 nearly a hundred mosques and churches, two handsome 

 .ins or bazaars, twelve baths, and other public edifices, 

 among which wo may mention the palace of the prince of 

 Servia and a spacious school. The Servians, also, have 

 several well-built dwellings, and a neat coffee-house in this 

 part of the town. 



But in speaking of Belgrade and its streets we must warn 

 the reader, that they are not composed of lines of modern 

 houses, but, in general, of rows of wooden stalls, in which 

 the owner arranges his merchandise with no small degree 

 nf taste, and parades his customers, surrounded by his work- 

 men intent upon their several tasks. The barber and coffee- 

 vendor alone carry on their trade in closed shops, and enjoy 

 the luxury of glazed windows. To any traveller fresh from 

 western Europe, the motley population of this town is a novel 

 and highly-interesting scene; the tailor and the gunsmith 

 the baker and the victualler, by their white turbans, sallow 

 sombre faces, and haughty mien, will be instantly recognized 

 as Turks; the red cap, sharp eye, and insinuating manners 

 of the merchant and dealer betray their Greek extraction ; 

 and the merry countenance of the shopkeeper smirks beneath 

 the round close bonnet of the native Servian. Indepen- 

 dently of the Turkish garrison, which seldom exceeds five 

 or six thousand men, the inhabitants of Belgrade do not at 

 present amount to more than twenty thousand ; but even in 



