Return to Vienna. 121 



to characterise them distinctly, as the portions of test which re- 

 mained, had passed into the state of spathic calcaire. I remarked, 

 in general, however, that these organic remains had no sort of 

 analogy to what I may style the Parisian Calcuires of Pest, Pro- 

 montorium, &c., and that they much more resemble the cal- 

 careous formations of the Jura. 



Throughout this part of the journey, I saw only little low hills, 

 though, on the maps, were marked mountains of considerable 

 elevation. These hills appeared to me to consist entirely of 

 free-stone with lignites ; they were covered with forests of oaks, 

 which yielded sustenance to thousands of half- wild hogs, from 

 their produce of mast. These animals, throughout Hungary, are 

 very small ; they have much more vivacity than those that are 

 brought up tame in France, and have even something ferocious 

 in their manner. Their hair is black, most commonly frizzled 

 on the body, and bristled about the sides. It is not very safe 

 being among them wit h dogs, for when they discover one, they 

 assemble to a peculiar grunt, and pursue him with the keenest 

 antipathy ; if he cannot escape, they will tear him in pieces. 



I next took the road for Veszprim, calling up the people of the 

 aubergc rly, according to my custom, and leaving Palota, which 

 lies in a plain, I passed by some mountains which I was not 

 looking for, my map having marked the spot with marshy plains. 

 The town of Veszprim, which my map places in a plain, stands 

 on a calcareous plateau of some height, though a number of 

 houses, which form a sort of suburbs, stretch along the edge of a 

 valley. The descent is considerable, along very bad streets, 

 wretchedly paved, and I had no small trouble to advance with 

 my carriage, it being market-day, and the whole town thronged 

 with people, carts, cattle, &c. But this crowd gave me an 

 opportunity of marking the varieties of Hungarians, Croats, 

 Slowacks, &c. diverting to one of my taste, and presenting, in a 

 lively contrast, various new objects to engage my ideas in con- 

 templation. The dress of the women threw around them an air 

 of singularity in a mixture of genuine rusticity, and studied 

 embellishments, that seemed to bear the semblance of a romantic 

 wildness. Red stockings and yellow shoes, petticoats of strong 

 blue cloth, red corsets without sleeves, or with sleeves of varying 

 colours, a number of ribands, also, of different colours, wi'th a 

 very clumsy head-dress these, in correspondence, displayed a 

 scene of oddities truly imposing, and such as could not fail to 

 interest and amuse. The head-dress appeared to me to consist 

 of two neck-handkerchiefs, more or less fine, but sometimes 

 coarse enough, one of which, folded like a napkin lengthways, 

 rests on the fore-part of the head, one end falling on the nose, 

 the other, loose and unfolded, is put behind, and covers the 



VOYAGES and TRAVELS, No. L, VOL. IX. R 



