342 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



ing, and a beautiful morning it was, and were soon fast gliding 

 down through a level, flat, and rather uninteresting scenery, 

 the river winding and shallow for many miles, and lined with 

 willows and shrubbery. 



It was in the midst of an excessive drought ; the first I had 

 found since travelling in Italy. The dry sandy soil seemed 

 thirsting for rain. 



The boundaries of Hungary are not far below Vienna. We 

 pass first the little island of Lobau, containing the remains of 

 the great works built by Napoleon to deceive the enemy as to 

 the movements of his army, and soon came to the ruins of the 

 old castle of Theban, near the junction of the river March with 

 the Danube. Here the river narrows, and the Carpathians 

 extend down almost to the castle on the north, while the Leytha 

 mountains are seen at the south. This is the gateway to Hun- 

 gary. The armies of Europe and Asia have poured through 

 this pass for ages on their marches of conquest. Through this 

 came the bold crusaders on their pilgrimage to the east. 

 Through tliis poured the vast tide of the Huns over the coun- 

 tries of western Europe. The fate of Hungary and of many 

 other countries has often turned on holding this narrow pass. 

 Here came the Turks from their conquest of Hungary, pouring 

 over the nations of the' west, and here the Austrians to the 

 attack of Hungary, in more recent wars. 



We are now fairly within the bounds of Hungary. Hundreds 

 of herds of Hungarian cattle now lined tlic river, driven down 

 for water. I think it is safe to say that I saw fifty thousand 

 head in the course of the twelve liours run of about two luuulred 

 miles down the river, and I afterwards had opportunities of a 

 nearer and more careful inspection than I could expect to get 

 on the boat, though we ran quite near many large herds. 



This is a remarkable race, and quite uniform in its general 

 cliaracteristics and appearance. Linnaius entertained the 

 opinion that the Bos urns was the original stock or type of the 

 races of horned cattle, but others have thought tliat there was 

 equal ground for supposing this honor to belong to the Hun- 

 garian race. ThcM-e is a striking resenibkmce between tliese 

 cattle and those in Tuscany and around the Camjiagna of Rome, 

 especially in the color, form and expression about the head. 

 All true Hungarian cattle have very long, slender horns, of 



