AUSTRIAN MONEY. 329 



himself, in the first day or two, master of the 

 different descriptions of coin ; he will, save himself 

 a great deal of subsequent inconvenience and 

 many a dispute, besides preventing himself from 

 being cheated during his journey. I will not 

 enter into an explanation of the cause of these 

 apparent incongruities and absurdities, but will 

 content myself with saying that they were occa- 

 sioned by a short-sighted and impolitic attempt 

 made by the Austrian government, during the 

 war, to reduce the amount of the public debt by a 

 scheme which utterly ruined a great many per- 

 sons, plunged the whole empire into the greatest 

 distress and confusion, and struck a blow at the 

 national credit, which it will be difficult for it 

 ever to recover. 



In most hotels in this part of the world a 

 "carte" of the prices of the principal articles is 

 suspended or fastened behind the door of every 

 room, and we had observed, almost accidentally, 

 but, as I well remember, very particularly, the 

 prices of the rooms we were occupying in the 

 hotel in which we slept, situated in the suburb or 

 vorstadt of Temesvar. 



On our account being brought the next day, as 



