acks want
education, and above all they want a decent priesthood, before they can
make any sound progress. With all their ignorance and lawlessness, it is
curious that they pride themselves on being descendants of the ancient
Romans, ignoring their "Dacian sires."

The next day we went on to Karansebes--a good road and charming scenery.
This is the highroad into Transylvania, called the Eisenthor Pass; but
it hardly merits the name of pass, inasmuch as it only crosses the spur
of the hills. The distance from Orsova on the Danube to Hatszeg in
Transylvania is 110 miles: the district is known as the "Romanen
Banat," and, as the name imports, is principally inhabited by Wallacks,
otherwise Roumanians.

We arrived at Karansebes in the afternoon, and by good-luck it chanced
to be fair-day. This is a central market for a considerable extent of
country, so that there is always a great gathering of people. In driving
into the town we passed a long bridge which crosses a low-lying meadow,
the central arch being sufficient to span the stream, at least in
summer. From this elevation we had a capital view of the fair, which was
being held in these meadows, and could look down leisurely on the whole
scene; and a very novel and amusing sight it was.

There were hundreds of people; and what a variety of races and diversity
of costumes! The Wallack women, in their holiday suits, were the most
picturesque. Many of them were handsome, and they have generally a very
superior air to the men; they are better dressed and more civilised
looking. There were a sprinkling of Magyars in braided coats, or with
white felt cloaks richly embroidered in divers colours. But the
blue-eyed, fair-complexioned German was far more numerous. The Magyar
element is very much in the minority in this particular part of Hungary.
The Jews and the gipsies were there in great numbers--they always are
at fairs--in the quality of horse-dealers and vendors of wooden articles
for the kitchen. The Jew is easily distinguished by his black corkscrew
ringlets, and his brown dressing-gown coat reaching to his heels. This
ancient garment suits him "down to the ground;" in fact his yellow
visage and greasy hat would not easily match with anything more cleanly.
These Jewish frequenters of fairs are, as a rule, of the lowest class,
hailing either from the Marmaros Mountains in North-Eastern Hungary, or
from Galicia.

The fair is really a very important exhibition of the prod