mmar of the Bulgarian
Language_ (London, 1897); F. Vymazal, _Die Kunst die bulgarische Sprache
leicht und schnell zu erlernen_ (Vienna, 1888). Literature: L.A.H. Dozon,
_Chansons populaires bulgares inedites_ (with French translations), (Paris,
1875); A. Strausz, _Bulgarische Volksdichtungen_ (translations with a
preface and notes), (Vienna and Leipzig, 1895); Lydia Shishmanov, _Legendes
religieuses bulgares_ (Paris, 1896); Pypin and Spasovich, _History of the
Slavonic Literature_ (in Russian, St Petersburg, 1879), (French
translation, Paris, 1881); Vazov and Velitchkov, _Bulgarian Chrestomathy_
(Philippopolis, 1884); Teodorov, _Blgarska Literatura_ (Philippopolis,
1896); Collections of folk-songs, proverbs, &c., by the brothers Miladinov
(Agram, 1861), Bezsonov (Moscow, 1855), Kachanovskiy (Petersburg, 1882),
Shapkarev (Philippopolis, 1885), Iliev (Sofia, 1889), P. Slaveikov (Sofia,
1899). See also _The Shade of the Balkans_, by Pencho Slaveikov, H. Bernard
and E.J. Dillon (London, 1904).

(J. D. B.)

BULGARIA, EASTERN, formerly a powerful kingdom which existed from the 5th
to the 15th century on the middle Volga, in the present territory of the
provinces of Samara, Simbirsk, Saratov and N. Astrakhan, perhaps extending
also into Perm. The village Bolgari near Kanzan, surrounded by numerous
graves in which most interesting archaeological finds have been made,
occupies the site of one of the cities--perhaps the capital--of that
extinct kingdom. The history, _Tarikh Bulgar_, said to have been written in
the 12th century by an Arabian cadi of the city Bolgari, has not yet been
discovered; but the Arabian historians, Ibn Foslan, Ibn Haukal, Abul Hamid
Andalusi, Abu Abdallah Harnati, and several others, who had visited the
kingdom, beginning with the 10th century, have left descriptions of it. The
Bulgars of the Volga were of Turkish origin, but may have assimilated
Finnish and, later, Slavonian elements. In the 5th century they attacked
the Russians in the Black Sea prairies, and afterwards made raids upon the
Greeks. In 922, when they were converted to Islam, Ibn Foslan found them
not quite nomadic, and already having some permanent settlements and houses
in wood. Stone houses were built soon after that by Arabian architects. Ibn
Dasta found amongst them agriculture besides cattle breeding. Trade with
Persia and India, as also with the Khazars and the Russians, and
undoubtedly with Biarmia (Urals), was, however, their chie