774 
BULGARIA, ANCIENT M^SIA. 
one o’clock in the day we arrived at Prewady, a respectable 
town, but situated in a deep and narrow glen, barren of culture, 
from side to side of which the houses stretch themselves. The 
heights which press them in rise gradually to a ledge of singu¬ 
larly projecting cliffs, on the summit of which spreads an exten¬ 
sive mountain plain. At half past three o’clock, our horses 
being ready, we started again ; mounting the south-western side 
of the valley, just above the town. Having accomplished the 
ascent, we found ourselves on the wide expanse of country just 
mentioned, bleak and shelterless, but yet cultivated as far as the 
eye could reach. The air was piercing cold, the wind blowing 
sharp and strong from the north; and thus we journeyed till 
dark, when fearing to lose our way, we halted for a few hours 
at a small village. 
February 5th. — The sky being clearer, and therefore the 
moon having some power to lighten the long, almost traceless 
road, we set forward at three o’clock this morning; and after an 
hour’s travel, again got amongst woods and valleys, passing 
several villages, till we reached the town of Shoumla. This is a 
large place, and being called the capital of Bulgaria, had the ho¬ 
nour of withstanding the attacks of the Russians in 1812. The 
inhabitants are chiefly Mahomedans ; as are indeed the principal 
population of the towns throughout the whole country, but a 
suburb is annexed to Shoumla, where its Christian people reside. 
Sultan Selim made the wise arrangement of drawing all his Bul¬ 
garian Turkish subjects into the towns; and while he filled the 
vacated villages with the Christian natives, he strictly forbade 
his more especial people, molesting these indefatigable bees, 
in making honey for the whole hive. But he was far from 
oppressing their industry, rather rewarding it by peculiar pro- 
