IV, 
338 FROM THE CAPITAL OF THE BANNAT, 
CHAP, apartments were adorned with the richest 
tapestry of Petersburg, copied after paintings 
by some of the best masters. The view from 
a balcony of the palace, elevated upon a rock 
above the Danube, exhibited one of the most 
striking sights we ever saw, owing to the 
peculiar nature and grandeur of the objects 
presented to the eye : it consisted of an ex- 
tensive prospect of the Danube, diversified by 
islets covered with trees, the long bridge of boats, 
and the whole city of Pest, with all the cam- 
paign country intervening between this river 
and the Tibiscus, the gardens of the palace, and 
the suburbs, backed by lofty mountains which 
surround the city. Bud a is well built, and 
more magnificent in its appearance than Pest ; 
but both together, added to the advantages 
of their situation upon the Danube, their nume- 
rous gardens and diversified appearance, make 
this a delightful place of residence. Before 
the invasion oi Hungary by the Turks, Bud a was 
the capital of the country. Some writers have 
believed that it was either the Curta of Ptolemy, 
or the Aquincum of the Itinerary of Antoninus^; 
(l) Royaume de la Hongrie, chap. 7. p. 45. Cologne, 1686. " Elle 
estcit appellee Aquincum daus les temps de rancienne Pannonie, et 
selon d'autres Curta ou Solva." l^oy- Hist, de Royaume de Hongrie, 
liv. Vn. p. 151. Paris, 1688. 
