778 
VALACHIA. 
provinces of Temesvar, Transylvania, and Bucovina, and from 
the Russian empire by the river Prout or Pruth. The Danube 
separates them from the more completely Turkish government 
of Bulgaria. The Dacians, originally a Scythian people, were a 
simple and warlike race, living and fighting under their native 
princes, till finally subdued to the Roman arms by the Emperor 
Trajan. That conqueror, instead of demolishing cities, enlarged 
and augmented them; encreasing the population of the country 
by colonies from the west, who brought the arts of Rome to the 
new dominions of its emperor. Towards the end of the fourth 
century this province embraced the Christian religion, and almost 
ever since it has been the leading faith of its people. In the 
thirteenth century the then existing independent princes of 
Valachia and Moldavia assumed the Slavonic title of Voivode, 
which means supreme prince; but in less than two hundred 
years afterwards, in an unsuccessful war with the Turks, Valachia 
was subdued by the Sultan Bajazet, and from that time became 
tributary to the Porte. It, as well as Moldavia, which fell under 
the same yoke, made frequent attempts to shake it off; but with 
various degrees of success, which shall be alluded to hereafter; 
meanwhile I return to my route. 
My Turkish firman expiring on the other side of the Danube, 
Mustapha procured me a new order from the chief officer of the 
prince of Valachia, resident at Georga, for similar facilities to 
the termination of his authority ; but the first regular post being 
at nearly two hours’ distance, we were obliged to content our¬ 
selves with commencing our present journey at our own bar¬ 
gaining, in two arabas, each drawn by four horses. The expence 
of posting from any post of the frontier towards Boucharest, the 
capital of the principality, is always paid on arriving there; 
