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GENEALOGICAL TREE.

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fallen foe an old friend by whom he had been most kindly treated when a prisoner in Hungary. Faithful to his friendship, the Turk made the only reparation in his power, for, after treating the body of Eszterházy with every possible mark of respect, he collected the armour in which he had died, and sent it, with the arms, which had caused his death, as a present to his family.

A great number of banners, as well those taken from the enemy, as those under which the followers of Eszterházy fought, are hung round the walls. It is characteristic of the times that most of the Hungarian flags bear a painting of the Cross, with a figure of Christ as large as life.

In one room we noticed the genealogical tree of all the Eszterházys, in which it is made out, as clearly as possible, that beginning with Adam, who reclines in a very graceful attitude at the bottom of the tree, they pass through every great name, Jewish as well as Heathen, from Moses to Attila, till they find themselves what they now are, magnates of Hungary. What is still more extraordinary, there is a long series of portraits of these worthies, from Attila inclusive, with their wives and families dressed in the most approved fashion, and continued down to the present century.

It is a pity the noble owner of Forchtenstein does not imbibe a little of that Gothic mania so often illdirected in England, and restore this castle to its former state. As a national monument of the taste

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ESZTERHÁZY JEWELS.

of the middle ages in Hungary its restoration would be very desirable, and it would possess peculiar attractions, not merely from being the only castle of the kind here, but as a specimen of that mixture of the Asiatic and Gothic which, in those days, so strongly characterised the habits and customs of the Magyars, and the remains of which even yet distinguish them from the rest of Europe.

The only purpose for which it is at present used, except as a prison, is to contain the treasures of the Prince. Of these I can only speak from report; for, previously to my visit, I did not know that in order to see them it is necessary to have two persons present who live at a distance, each of whom has a key, without which the other is of no use, and therefore had not provided against the difficulty.

The splendour of the Eszterházy jewels is no secret in England; and it is in this good castle those heaps of treasure, which so tempted her Majesty's fair lieges at her coronation, are commonly preserved. It is said that each Prince is obliged to add something to these jewels, and that they can never be sold except to ransom their possessor from captivity among the Turks. When the French entered Hungary, a small party presented themselves before Forchtenstein and demanded its surrender. The grenadiers, however, shut the gates, cut the bridge, and set them at defiance; and, as the enemy had no means of enforcing obedience, Prince Eszterházy saved his jewels. Besides the jewels, there is

HUNGARIAN MAGNATES.

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an extensive collection of ancient Hungarian costumes: among others, if I recollect rightly, one worn by King Mathias Corvinus.

How far the privileges of the Eszterházys, as hereditary Lords Lieutenant, may be constitutional, or how far the right of primogeniture - the majorat has been wisely extended to a subject of such vast wealth, we leave for others to consider; but it is impossible to be witness of it, and not to regret that duties, however important, should detain one possessed of so much power away from his country. No country has a greater claim to the exclusive right of her children's services than Hungary at the present moment. Just struggling into notice among the states of modern Europe, exerting all her energies to preserve her liberties and nationality, and at the same time labouring to cast off the chains in which the institutions and laws of a more barbarous age have long bound her, she has full need of the moderating influence which a liberal aristocracy might exercise on her councils, and a just demand on all the support which the wealthy and powerful can afford her. At present, too, a strong suspicion pervades the country, that the highest of her nobles are the most indifferent to her welfare; a suspicion which, whether just or unjust, ought to be removed at any sacrifice, for one more dangerous to the security of a country can scarcely take possession of a people's mind.

In the course of our journey back to Presburg,

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we passed the little town of Edenburg, where a huge watch-tower, the only remains of its fortifications, is still kept in repair. Owing to the wooden tiles with which the houses are commonly roofed in Hungary, the danger of fire is very great; and, in almost every town, a watchman is consequently employed to give the alarm, and as a sign of his vigilance he is obliged to blow a shrill whistle every quarter of an hour, day and night.

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Valley of the Waag.-Hungarian Travelling Waggons.- Freystadtl. Country Houses.- Erdödy Horses. Vorspann: its origin - advantages and disadvantages. Haiduk. The River Waag.-Pillory.-Pistjan.-Numbering the Houses and Kaiser Joseph. Csejta. Murders of Elizabeth Báthori. Betzko its origin.-The Fate of Stibor.- Trentsin.-Stephan : his virtues and vices.-St. Stephen's day.-Peasant Costumes.

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BEFORE we enter upon any of those interesting but weighty questions which Presburg and the Diet naturally suggest, I invite the reader to accompany me in another country excursion, in order that we may become better acquainted with the face and form of this noble land, and thereby prepare our

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