PEOPLE OF PRESBURG.

9

Their women, too, were distinguishable from the white kerchief folded neatly over the head and neck, and the gay blue petticoat with its deep edge of bright red, as they encumbered the street with their baskets of fruit and vegetables. It was curious to see how unconcernedly the generality of them stood to be sketched. One old man, whom H caught as he was resting from his labour on his awkward long-handled spade, allowed a limb to be replaced in its former position, when accidentally moved, just as tranquilly as an artist's lay-figure would have done, though he did not seem to have the slighest idea of what was going on.

Another stout fellow, who had been persuaded to sit for his portrait, did not take the affair quite so easily. He grew very much alarmed when he saw the pencils and paper fairly at work, and at last burst into tears, and would fain have run away; he was sure they were “ writing him down," to send his description to the Emperor, that he might make a soldier of him. Probably, the poor fellow had run away and hid himself during the last levy of troops, and it may have been a bad conscience that now pricked him. The smart peasants in tight blue pantaloons, embroidered jackets, and broad hats, ornamented with artificial flowers, we found to be chiefly Germans, who had adopted the Hungarian costume.

As we were leaning out of the window, and amusing ourselves with the picturesque groups formed by these curious figures, and their no less curious teams of four or six small lean horses, and

10

NOBLES AND THEIR SERVANTS.

light crazy waggons, a loud knock at the door interrupted our observations, and in marched a hussar in a very gay uniform, and making such martial music in the gingling of his sabre and spurs, that we could scarcely comprehend that he was merely a servant sent to announce the visit of his master, who was waiting below, to know if we were at home. In a few minutes, however, appeared the master himself; and if his servant had astonished us, I leave the reader to guess what was the impression produced upon our minds by a tall very handsome man, dressed in the most becoming uniform of green and gold, with a mantle richly lined with fur hanging over his shoulders, and which he bore with a grace and elegance of manner rarely to be seen. It was the Baron V to whom we had a letter of introduction, and who had called in his uniform of Chamberlain on his way to the palace, to return our yesterday's visit. This was the first time we had ever seen the modern Hungarian costume, and it was impossible not to be struck with its beauty and elegance.

The luxury which many of the Hungarians display in the liveries, or uniforms of their servants, is far beyond anything of which we can form

Almost every gentleman has a hussar fully armed and equipped as his valet de chambre, and some have all their footmen in the same dress. These uniforms are not unfrequently covered with gold or silver lace. It is startling to a foreigner to find himself served at table by a smart-looking hus

SOCIETY OF PRESBURG.

11

sar, be-whiskered and be-spurred as fiercely as if he were handling a sabre instead of presenting a knife and fork.

We had soon a sufficient number of acquaintances to induce us to fix ourselves for some weeks at Presburg. The Diet also was sitting, and many of the most remarkable men of the country were in consequence congregated within the town. A great number of young men too, either attached to the deputies as secretaries, or terminating their legal studies at the courts, were in Presburg, and gave us a good opportunity of becoming acquainted with the rising generation, the future hopes of Hungary.

Very few of the members of the Diet keep house at Presburg, and, although they have now been nearly three years here, they have contented themselves with the lodgings afforded by the town; for whatever place has the honour of receiving the Diet, has the burthen also of quartering its members gratis. We called on one of the magnates the other day, and found his habitation to consist of two very indifferent rooms, the outer serving for antechamber and servants' room, the inner, for his own bedroom and salon. On the outer door, a rude likeness of a sabre was chalked up, as a sign that a member of the Diet lived there. The deputies mostly dine at one of the many restaurants of the town, where a very tolerable dinner may be had for about two shillings. If I may venture to speak of their appearance in general, from what I have observed in these places, and before I confuse myself with indi

vidual peculiarities, or become blinded by private friendship, I should say they are a fine manly body; composed in their demeanour, careless in matters of dress, and rather too regardless of those little elegances of manner which distinguish good society in the rest of Europe. Though rather rough, however, they have mostly something distingué in their bearing and general appearance.

One of the first dinner parties to which we were invited at Presburg, was at the house of Herr Von P—, and I must not hastily pass it over, for it introduced us to some trifling peculiarities in manner, which, although of such little importance in my eyes, that I seem to require an apology to myself for noticing them, are of a character so vastly interesting to that numerous class of English society, the gentry of the silver fork school, that I feel confident they would never pardon me were I to omit them.

As is the custom, the invitation was verbal, and the hour two o'clock. The drawing-room into which we were ushered was a spacious uncarpeted room, with a well polished floor, on which, I am sorry to say,

I observed more than one of the guests very unceremoniously expectorate. Uncarpeted rooms, it may be remarked, though bare to the eye, are pleasant enough in warm climates ; indeed, in some houses, where English fashions predominate, I have seen small stools of wood introduced to protect the pretty feet of their mistresses from the heat of the carpet. It is not an uncommon thing for a secondrate French dandy to carry a little brosse à mous

taches about him, and coolly to arrange those martial appendages in the street, or at the café; but I was a good deal surprised to see the exquisites of Presburg drawing well-proportioned hair-brushes from their pockets, and performing those operations usually confined in England to the dressing-room, in the presence of a party of ladies, and within the sacred precincts of the drawing-room. But these were trifles compared to the solecisms committed at the dinner table. One of the guests occupied a little spare time between the courses in scraping his nails with a table knife, talking at the same time to the lady next him, while his vis-à-vis, was deliberately picking his teeth with a silver fork!

The dinner was most profuse; and, as is usual here, the dishes were carried round to every one in turn, the table being covered with the dessert. I can neither tell the number nor quality of all the courses, for it was quite impossible to eat of the half of them; and many even of those I did taste were new to me. Hungarian cookery is generally savoury, but too greasy to be good. Some of the national dishes, however, are excellent; but the stranger rarely finds them except in the peasant's cottage. The Hungarians, like ourselves, run after bad foreign fashions to the neglect of the good wholesome dishes of their forefathers.

We had abundance of Champagne and Bordeaux, and, as a rarity, some Hungarian wines. I say as a rarity, because in many houses, not a glass of anything but foreign wine can be obtained.