The arts and manufactures of this province are still in their infancy, and whatever progress they have made is owing entirely to the care of the em peror Joseph II. The blue linen which composes the dress of the Wallachian and Hungarian women formerly came from Turkey; but the emperor hav ing prohibited its importation, this trade was forced upon the inhabitants, and is now in a very flourishing state. Woollen and cotton stuffs are fabricated in considerable quantities. of which a great proportion is exported to Hungary and Wal lachia. There are also tan-yards, founderies, pa per-mills, glass-houses, and powder-mills. Hats are made at Hermanstadt equal to those of Vienna; and at Kronstadt there is a curious manufacture of a kind of bottle called tschutten, which is made of maple-wood soaked in wax. About 30,000 of these are annually sold in Wallachia.
Transylvania depends entirely upon foreigners for articles of luxury. Its commerce in general is rather a transit trade than an exchange of com modities; and this trade is chiefly in the hands of the Greeks and Armenians. The following table will give some idea of its extent: Its trade with Vienna is altogether passive, and the merchants of that city draw considerable sums yearly from this province for gold and silver stuffs, silks, cloths, jewellery, &c. Its principal trade is with Wallachia, where it exports manufactured articles of wool, cotton, iron, glass, &c. and re ceives in return cattle, skins, wool, and cotton, and some Turkish merchandise.
Transylvania gives the title of grand prince to the king of Hungary, who holds the sovereignty of the province. The arms of the principality are those of the three nations united in one shield, and surmounted by the prince's crown. The Hunga rians have an eagle; the Seklers the sun and moon; and the Saxons seven castles. These three classes have the exclusive privilege of forming states of the principality; and when any of the other na tions, who are merely tolerated, obtain this privi lege, they are received as members of the Saxon nation, or are raised by letters patent from the king, to the rank of Hungarian nobles. This privi lege has been bestowed upon the two Armenian cities of Szamosjuvar and Ibisfalva, but the citizens in virtue of this prerogative are now classed among the naturalised Hungarians.
The Assembly of the States is composed of the governors of counties, the chief magistrates of the Saxons, and the royal judges of the Scklers; the deputies from the counties, districts, royal cities, and privileged towns; the council of the royal re gency; the tribunal of justice, called the Royal Table; and all the magnats and nobles called to the Diet by letters-patent from the king. A royal commission presides, who opens and closes the Diet, and lays before it the royal propositions; but takes no share in its deliberations. All the politi cal interests of the principality arc discussed in this assembly, and even important affairs of a judi cial nature; and to it belongs the power of making and repealing laws, with the consent of the prince; the levying of imposts; and the granting the privi lege of naturalization to strangers upon the repre sentation of the prince or a magnat. The govern ment is administered by the Royal Regency, which holds its sittings at Klausenburg, and the adminis tration of justice is conducted by the Royal Table sitting at Newmarket, which, for certain causes, is a tribunal in the first instance; and for others a court of appeal. There is, however, an appeal
from its decisions to the Regency at Klausenburg, and from thence to the Aulic chancery of Transyl vania at Vienna.
The revenues, amounting to nearly five millions of florins, arise from the contribution or imposts, yielding 1,300,000 florins, of which one-fifth is ap propriated to the salaries of the officers of the pro vince, and the remainder goes into the military chest; the customs; the tithe upon the working of the mines; the salt which belongs to the crown; the royal domains; the tithes paid by the coun ties; and the tithes levied upon the Saxons, and destined for the support of their own clergy.
The armed force of the principality consists of two regiments of infantry of the line; two regi ments of Wallachians; and two of Seklers, which form the military cordon upon the frontiers of Turkey; one regiment of dragoons, and two of Hussars. The commander-in-chief resides at Her manstadt.
The established forms of religion in Transylva nia are, the Roman Catholic, the Reformed, the Lutheran, and the Socinian. The tolerated reli gions are the Greek Schismatics and the Jews. These different sects are divided, according to Hassel, into Each of these sects has its own establishments for education. The Catholics have eight primary schools, seven academies of the higher branches, and a college at Klausenburg with nineteen profes sors. The Greek Catholics, in general, attend the Roman Catholic schools. They have, however, some primary schools of their own; and at Balus falva they have a college, where the students receive gratuitous instruction, and also food. The Greek Schismatics prosecute their studies at the convent of Kronstadt, and have numerous schools under the inspection of a director, who trains young men for filling the office of schoolmaster. The Re formed have four superior colleges, which are well endowed, and six inferior. The Lutherans, be sides a normal school for each village, have five colleges and eight burgh schools; but students who are destined for the profession of theology or medicine, are obliged to attend a foreign univer sity. The Socinians have two colleges, and seve ral schools. Notwithstanding, however, these nu merous establishments, the state of literature in this province is very low. A literary society was instituted in 1793, whose labours were directed chiefly to the publication of rare works, of ancient history, with notes, and to the collection of mate rials for the history of their own country. It has also been employed in improving the Hungarian language, and in the general diffusion of science and literature. There are three libraries in this province deserving of attention; that of Baron Bruckenthal at Hermanstadt, to which is attached a valuable cabinet of gems and coins; and a gallery of paintings, perhaps the largest in the possession of any private individual in Europe; that of the late Count Ignatius Bauhyan, the Catholic bishop, which he bequeathed to the public, and which con tains many rare editions and manuscripts; this prelate also built an observatory at Karlsburg, and endowed it along with the library with 38,000 florins; and that of Count Samuel Teleki at New market, which is the most remarkable, and which, with a :Museum of Natural History, has been open to the public since 1803.