45 
ROUGHING IT IN BULGARIA. 
(Illustrated by the Lantern). 
By CAPTAIN J. H. COOKE, F.L.S., F.G.S. 
March 19 th, 1907. 
Captain Cooke held a large audience spell-bound whilst he 
related his personal experiences of Bulgaria and its people. 
He spoke of the country as one of the most picturesque and 
least known regions in Europe — beautiful, fertile and with 
great agricultural possibilities. 
“ Then found he all for which he long did crave — - 
Beauty and solitude and simple ways ; 
Plain folk and primitive, made courteous by 
Traditions old and a cerulean sky.” 
He had much to say respecting the Turkish and Bulgarian 
peasantry, their occupations, manners and characteristics. 
Turkey, he pointed out, is a country of anomalies. It is 
remarkable for the small number of Turks that live in it. 
There are only 750,000 Turks in all European Turkey, the 
remainder of the population being made up of Greeks, Bulgars 
and a heterogeneous assemblage of the representatives of 
other Balkan races. The population is about three millions ; 
nowhere are there so many races and religions as in the Balkan 
peninsula, and nowhere more strife. 
The lecturer started for his journey across the Balkans 
from Bourgas, a small port on the western shoreline of the 
Black Sea, and proceeded with an escort to Aidos. The escort 
was taken rather as a matter of course than as a necessity, 
for though the stories of brigands and brigandage are very 
numerous, they are frequently fictitious. He had many 
entertaining stories to tell of his own experiences and those 
of his guides. 
For 500 years the Turk has been the evil genius of Bulgaria. 
The average Turk is a fine fellow, until he gets a government 
appointment, and then his character changes. The word of 
the Turk may be trusted ; he may kill you, but he will neither 
lie nor cheat you. 
