The greatest obstructions to the commerce of this coun try arise from the difficulty and expellee of conveyance. Except in the districts on the north and west, there are few made roads in Hungary, and these are kept in very bad repair. The bridges in general are wretched, and almost all built of wood, which the risinp. of the rivers often car ries away and destroys. Some of the flying bridges, how ever, used in this country, are very magnificent, and are adorned with considerable elegance. That over the Da nube at Gran consists of a large platform constructed across two barges, and held by other boats at anchor. It is pro vided with several small houses, a large bell and cupola, images, Stc. and is capable of conveying, at the same time, a great number of carriages, passengers, and cattle. From the centre of Hungarian commerce, the road to passes through Komorn, Raab, and Wieselbourg ; The population of Hungary is much less, in proportion to its extent, than that of the neighbouring countries of Austria, Moravia, or Bohemia ; and this may easily be ac counted for from the immense plains of sand, and the great numbers of morasses and heaths, which render a great portion of the lower plain entirely uninhabitable. Accord ing to M. Demian, the number of inhabitants amounts to 6,620,637, making 1634 to every square mile. These con sist of a variety of nations, Hungarians, Slavons, \Vala chians, Germans, &c.
The Hungarians, or Huns, who settled here near the end of the ninth century, and gave their name to the country, have established themselves in the best and most fruitful part of the kingdom. They inhabit almost all the lower plain, beginning at Ma•marosch, and the western part of Hungary, and form the population of 3,668 towns and villages. The true Hungarians are of a free and inde pendent character, and affect to despise the Germans. They prefer the trade of arms, or the labours of agt icul tore, to every other employment. The dress, called Hes sian in England, consisting of pantaloons and military half boots, with spurs fastened to the heels, is so universal, that it is worn both by boys and men ; and the Hussar uniform, which is peculiar to this nation, and consists of a tight vest, mantle, and furred cap, with the whiskers, give them a graceful and military appearance.
The Sclavons are more numerous, and are daily increas ing. They are divided into several branches : Slowacs, Ruszniacs, Croats, Vandals, and Scrvians or Rasciens. The Slowacs inhabit chiefly the counties on the north and north-west, particularly those of Presbourg, Neutra, Trent chin, Thurotz, &c. and occupy 3,768 towns and villages. Of all the inhabitants of Hungary, this people are the most fruitful ; for wherever they have established themselves among Hungarians or Germans, these have ceased to pros per, and their families have become extinct in a few gene rations. The Ruszniacs have settled in the counties of Marmarosch, Beregh, &c. bordering on eastern Gallicia. According to the conscription tables of 1787, they amount ed to neatly half a million of souls, and peopled 702 towns and villages. The Croats dwell principally on the banks of the lake Neusiedl, and the counties of Wieselbourg and Oedenbourg ; and the-Vandals on the mountainous parts of Eisenbourg. The Rasciens or Servians came as colo nists to Hungary during the reign of the emperor Sigis mund. They occupy a great part of the military frontiers, and also many places in the interior, and have had con siderable privileges granted to them by the kings of Hungary.
The Walachians, who are supposed to be the descend ants of. the ancient Roman colonies, dwell chiefly in the Bannat, on the confines of Walachia, and in the counties of Arad, Bihar, and Szathmar, in 1,024 towns and villages. Those of the Bannat bear a very bad character. They are noisy and quarrelsome, and fond of gambling. They commit many disorders, and crimes, which have been at tributed to the influence of their priests, who are called Popes ; and it has been calculated, that in twenty execu tions for capital offences, there is always one pope.
The German population is scattered almost equally over all the kingdom, but it predominates in 921 villages and towns in the counties of Zips, Eodenbourg, and Wiesel bourg, and in some of the royal free cities. They are
almost all Suabians, and their reception as colonists into Iiungary is of a late date, chiefly between the years 1765 and 1787. In the last of these years alone more than thirty villages were built for them. In general the establish ment of new colonies in Hungary have cost the govern ment more than six millions of florins. The population of the royal free cities varies from 30,000 to 1,100 inhabi tants. Presbourg, Pesth, and Debretzin, are the most po pulous; but Rust, on the lake of Neusiedl, in 1794, con tained only 1,105 inhabitants. Of the towns, the principal are, Ketschkemet, containing, in 1803, 24,000 ; Nagy Koros, 12,000 ; Szarwasch, 9,000 ; Sazbereny, 12,000 ; and Bekesch, 11,000 inhabitants. The villages are very un equally peopled. In the lower plain, some are found with six, ten, and sometimes twelve thousand souls ; but in the mountainous districts they seldom exceed 700.
Besides these principal nations, there ate also Macedo nians, or Modern Grerks, who have no settled habitations, but travel over the country, engaged entirely in commerce ; Jews, who are chiefly itinerant merchants ; Armenians, who are employed in agriculture ; and Bohemians, or gypsies. This vagabond race are very numerous in Hungary ; and, in spite of all the attempts of the Emperor Joseph 11. to reform and civilize them, they still maintain their ancient customs and habits. Those of the Bannat get their liveli hood as itinerant blacksmiths or musicians. During sum mer they go almost naked, and are then employed in wash ing gold front the sand of the rivers; and in winter they cut spoons, ladles, troughs, and other implements of wood. They form the orchestra at all weddings and merry meet ings ; and many of the richest nobles invite them to their castles, to amuse their guests with their music and national songs. Schwartner, in his Statistics of Hungary, attempts to account for this variety of population : " From the ear liest history, Hungary has been the native abode of the Sarmatians or Sclavonic tribes. Since the fourth century, it has been the hospitable region where reposed the innu merable hordes which overturned the Roman Empire,— the asylum of many Tartar nations that were driven from their own homes,—the passage of those fanatic bands of crusaders, whom the knavery and avarice of monks sent to perish in Palestine, that they might take possession of their wealth in Europe,—as the frontier of Christendom, the theatre of European valour and Turkish ferocity,—and for a long time the cherished homes of the gypsies, the El Dorado of the Germans, especially of the laborious Saxons, and numerous Suabians." The inhabitants of Hungary may he classed under three heads, viz. the nobility, the citizens, and the peasants. The nobility are very numerous, and are calculated at 325,894 individuals, making nearly one for every twenty-one in habitants and a half. These consist of the barons of the kingdom, or officers of state, and the order of Magnate (liberi barones). Of the latter there were, according to the Political Almanack of 1805, 95 families of counts, 79 of barons, and 297 of noble strangers, who had obtained letters of naturalization since the commencement of the Austrian sovereignty. There are only three families whose heads enjoy the title of prince : Esterhazy, Bathyany, and Grassalkovics. The first is supposed to be the richest subject in Europe. Among the nobility, also, are includ ed all gentlemen who possess landed property, as the in dividual doing so is ipso facto ennobled. The title of citi zen or burgher belongs only to the inhabitants of the royal free cities, who have particular privileges ; and their num ber, including the inhabitants of the six free cities of Croatia alai Sclavonia, amounts to nearly 366,000. The peasants are the inhabitants of the country, who belong neither to the noblesse, the clergy, nor the military, but who live entirely by husbandry, the cultivation of the vine, or the rearing of cattle. Of these they reckon 509,825. With them may also be classed 788,993 other individuals, whom they call hail.sler, who have no lands to cultivate, but who live by their own labour.