Journey from Vienna. 97 



in number. This town was raised to the rank of a royal free 

 town towards the end of the fourteenth century, and it is now 

 the most considerable of any in the comitat. The other free 

 royal towns are Zeben and Bartfeld; the former (Sabino, 

 Sclav.) takes its name from Sabina, sister to king Bela III. 

 Eperies is surrounded with walls that are in pretty good con- 

 dition, but it was often taken by the Polanders, by Ragotzky, 

 and others, and suffered much in different wars. It is now one 

 of the chief towns of Hungary. Here is a tribunal arid a gar- 

 rison ; the trade is pretty considerable, and there are several 

 manufactures. The Lutherans have a college here of some 

 reputation, and they are very numerous. There is one very 

 good inn, but they charged me very high for my entertain- 

 ment. 



The weather clearing up in the afternoon, I walked out of 

 the town towards the hill Calvarienberg, on the sides of which 

 are several little chapels painted white and red, and a church 

 at the top. These different buildings, intermingled with trees, 

 present a varied and magnificent scene. 



Among some freestone hills, a little east of the town, are the 

 salt-mines of Savar, that have been worked for several cen- 

 turies, but were more considerable formerly than at present. 

 The salt-springs issue immediately from the freestone, and are 

 covered here, as in the plains of Poland, by arenaceous or 

 sandy beds, not solid or consistent. It is probable that deeper 

 researches would lead to very considerable depots of salt, as 

 the geological relations are analogous to those of Villiczka and 

 Bochnia. 



I returned to Eperies with an intention of proceeding to 

 Kaschau, and having ordered horses at the post-house, I set 

 out in rainy weather. Arriving at Habsany, the first post station, 

 meaning to visit a depot of opals, and somewhat in ill humour 

 with the weather, fortune befriended me. As chance would 

 have it, the office clerk went to consult his master about pro- 

 mising me the horses, but he soon returned with an invitation 

 to enter the chateau ; here I found, in lieu of an ordinary 

 post-master, a gentleman of singular affability, M. Edward 

 Bujanovics ; he would have me stay dinner to judge of the 

 weather, and promised me the company of the tutor to his 

 children, as far as to Cservenitza. The accident of my baro- 

 meter was also repaired ; he tendered me one constructed on 

 the plan of Reichenbach, that he had purchased at Vienna, 

 I took knowledge of the quantity of mercury that it contained, 

 should an opportunity offer of comparing it with ano'.her, the 

 better to ascertain the correctness of my observations. 



In my route from Habsany to Cservenitza, I first ci.-ssed 



VOYAGES and TRAVELS, No. L, VOL. XI. O 



