400 I Assembly 



The Huns subdued this country in tlie 3d century and gave it 

 tlieir name It was part of old Pannonia. The Goths succeeded 

 them ; the Lombards drove the Goths out. The Avari and Sclavi 

 drove ont the Lombards in the 9th century, at the end of which 

 the Anigours left the banks of the Volga and took possession 

 of Hungary, which at first was an assembly of states, and 

 in 997 had its first king, Stephen, who embraced Christianity. 

 In the war with the Turks, Lewis, king of Hungary, was killed 

 in battle in 1526. The Archduke Ferdinand of Austria married 

 the sister of Lewis, and with some difficulty became master of 

 Hungary, which has ever since belonged to Austria. 



The population has increased in one hundred years from less 

 than three millions to about nine millions ; of which about half a 

 million are nobles. Only three families are princes — Esterharzy, 

 Bathiany and Grassalcovics. In the nobility, all gentlemen pos- 

 sessing real property are included, ipso facio. The peasants, 

 amounting to six or seven hundred thousand, live by farming; 

 with them may be included nearly one million of Hauslers^ who 

 have no lands, but who live by their labor. The piinces and 

 about eight counts are hereditary governors of counties. 



Fifty years ago the stud of Mezoohegyes consisted of ten thou- 

 sand horses, and supplied one thousand horses annually to the 

 army. 



The Magyars (pronounced Madjars, came from the banks of 

 the Wolga, are called true Hungarians, form three-fourths of the 

 population east of the Danube. The vandals of Hungary call 

 themselves Sloveni, whose dialect is about tlie same as the Sla- 

 vonic tribes. 



Agriculture has been little aided by science. Their wheat is 

 mixed with much bad grain. The peasants of Slavonia are too 

 indolent to hoe the ground or sift the bad from the good grain- 

 Their plantations of plum trees have been compared to forests. 

 Madder grows wild ; truffles are abundant. The people do not 

 take the trouble to gather them, but the hogs feed on them. 

 The wool of Hungary has been improved by the Ag- i'^:iltual 

 Society of Merkopail. The olive nourishes. 



