PESTH, the most populous city in Hungary, Is situated in 47' 30' N. lat., E. long., on the left or east bank of the Danube, about 20 miles from the spot where the course of the river, till then nearly from west to east, makes a sudden bend to the south. On the other side of the Danube, which is here about 1500 feet broad, Is the city of Ofen. [Bona.] The two cities are connected by a bridge of boats, and by a floe suspension bridge, erected by Mr. Tierney Clark, an English engineer, and opened in January 1849. Tho city of Perth is about 7 miles In circumference. It consists of five principal parta 1, the old town, which, though antiquated and irregularly built, contains some fine buildings; 2, the Leopoldstadt, or new town ; 3, the Theresienstadt ; 4, the Joeephstadt; and 5, the Fmozstadt—so named after the sovereigns in whose reigns they were built. Leopold eta& is now joined to the old town, the walls which formerly cur rounded the latter having been levelled to make room for new buildings. Leopoldstadt is built on a very regular plan. The other three parts or suburbs are separated from these two by a very broad street, The population of the city, including the garrison, is about 75,000, of whom about five-eixthe are Roman Catholics. Among the 12 Roman Catholic churches, that of the university is distinguished by its fine steeple and excellent fresco paintings. The Creek church is one of the finest buildings In the city, but the Calvinist churches are very plain edifices. Of the other public buildings, the following deserve notice : the great barracks built by Charles VI.; the hospital of invalids, which serves as barracks for a regiment of artillery; the theatre, • very handsome edifice, capable of containing 3000 spectators; the national museum, and the university. The university was founded in 1635 at Tyrnau. In 1777 it was transferred by Maria Theresa to Ofen, and in 1784 by Joseph II. to Pesth. There are 45 professors and about 700 students. The university has a library of 60,000 volumes, a cabiuet of natural history, and an anatomical and patho logical collection. Connected with it are the botanic garden, the veterinary school, the university hospital, and the observatory at Olen.
[lume] The national museum, which is independent of the university, was founded by Count Szecsenyi, who gave to it his fine library and a valuable collection of Hungarian coins and medals. The col lection of coins and medals contains above 60,000 specimens, of which the Orhek. Roman, and other antique silver medals amount to above 12,000. The gymouium of the Piarista has 800 scholars ; and the city normal school (likewise in the convent of the Piarista), above 400. The Magyar Academy Ls an Institution of recent establishment.
The manufactures of Pesth are of silk, cotton, leather, jewellery, and musical instruments ; that of tobacco is a government monopoly.
Pesth has, next to Vienna, the greatest trade of any city on the Danube. It has four fairs, each of which lasts a fortnight. The principal articles sold are manufactures and colonial produce, and the natural products of the country, such as cattle, wine, wool, tobacco, and raw hides, honey, wax, &c. The environs of Pesth are not picturesque, the city being situated on a sandy plain, but there are some fine promenades, such as the Grove, a mile and a half from the city ; the gardens of Barou Orczy ; and the Palatine, or Margaret Island, in the Danube, which is laid out in walks and gardeus with great taste. Perth is connected by railway with Vienna.
Peal] has been frequently laid waste by war, and was for nearly 160 years in the possession of the Turks, who were not finally expelled till 1686. Civil war followed, and at the beginning of the 18th century Pesth was one of the most inconsiderable towns in the kingdom. Its improvement may be dated from the reign of Maria Theresa, and it has since been progressive and rapid. The winter of 1838 was disastrous to Pesth, above 1200 houses being destroyed by the overflowing of the Danube, but in rebuilding the houses consider able improvement was effected iu the appearance of the town. The Hungarian insurrection of 1848 affected very materially the coudition of Perth nod of its Pieter town, Buda. The principal incidents of the struggle, so far as the Hungarian capital is concerned, are noticed in the article BUDA.