and fine looking people; their manners are
simple; and hospitality is one of their
virtues. Amongst them the religious feeling
is strongly developed, and sometimes allied to
extreme superstition. In the villages, where
no churches are found, the Bulgarian thinks
he has fulfilled his religious duties on Sunday
and on other solemn days of the year, if he
burns before the images of the saints—
amongst which must always be that of the
Virgin and child—as many little tapers as
there are members in his family. These
tapers are made by the women from the
yellow wax which they possess in abundance;
for every house has its bee-hive. The images
of the saints are suspended, as in Russia,
in some conspicuous place within the house,
so that they may be seen immediately by
those who enter. A pious person always
takes off his cap and makes the sign of the
cross before saluting the master of the house.
These simple practices are followed with so
much good faith, that they have a great effect
in softening the manners and character of
the people; who, accordingly, in their
relations both with one another and with
strangers, are mild and inoffensive, and recall
in no wise the warlike appearance and habits
of their ancestors.

In the towns the Bulgarians have adopted
the Greek or Servian costumes; but the
peasants have a national dress. It consists
of a pair of trowsers, somewhat European in
aspect, without folds, and of a kind of waistcoat
puckered about the waist by a red or
white sash, over which is a round jacket
without a collar; the whole made of a coarse
whity-brown cloth, of home manufacture,
called soukno. Those who want to appear a
little more elegant wear a kind of jacket
with sleeves slit up to the shoulder, and
adorned with embroidery. When the rains
of winter come on, the inhabitant of the
plain has a good hooded cloak to put on,
the mountaineers wear a capote made of
sheepskin. Add to this, a close woollen cap,
brown or black, round which a white
handkerchief is sometimes wound so as to form,
as it were, a half turban, and mittens made
of thick leather, brown or variegated socks,
and sandals (something in the form of a
boat) fastened on the foot by thirty or forty
thongs; and we have a complete idea of the
kind of folks who may now be seen bringing
provisions to the Turkish army, through the
rains that are lashing the great steppes of
Bulgaria.

The Bulgarian has long since lost the
right of carrying arms, except when on a journey.
On such occasions his appearance is more
picturesque than ever; for he binds round
his waist a huge leathern band with three
lappets, in the holes of which he carries a pair
of pistols and a long heavy dagger, ostentatiously
exhibited in fine weather, but carefully
covered when it rains by a kind of apron of
leather thereunto provided. In general these
bands are black or brown, but some people
indulge in the luxury of red morocco, and
add embroideries of white silk or shells
arranged in quaint figures.

In the neighbourhood of the city of Sophia,
the traveller is surprised at meeting figures
that remind him of the knights of the middle
ages. Over a long tunic with sleeves in
white cloth is thrown a kind of coat, also
white, open in front and slit on each side,
without sleeves. The trowsers are white,
and kept in place by a red sash bound round
the tunic. Over the whole is thrown a great
white cloak, bordered with red cord; and on
the head is worn either a small white turban,
or a sheepskin cap with its white wool.
Pedestrians cover their feet with the usual
sandal, but horsemen wear quaint-looking
boots. It would be difficult to exaggerate the
picturesque effect of this costume, when seen
for the first time in sunny weather.

The Bulgarian women, especially when
unmarried, are gracefully and sometimes
richly dressed. They wear a short petticoat
of red cloth, bordered by black velvet bands,
and a boddice made of stuffs of various
colours, adorned in front with pieces of
money—gold or silver—Turkish or foreign,
arranged with great taste. At a distance
they seem to be defended by a bright cuirass.
They arrange their hair in pretty plaits, over
which they throw a white veil, or coif. The
richness of a young girl's dowry is known by
the quantity and quality of the ornaments of
her boddice, and the value of the necklaces
which the most fortunate wear. All Bulgarian
women—rich or poor, old or young, married
or widows—think it absolutely necessary
to wear round the wrist a bracelet of gold, of
silver, or of blue glass, according to their
fortune. If they were to be deprived of this they
would consider themselves most miserable.

At a distance of six hours' march, says our
authority, from the little maritime tower of
Burgas, lies the village of Coporani, where we
first saw the costume above described worn
by young girls, whose beauty made it appear
the most elegant we had ever seen. It was in
the month of April, on the Saturday of the
last week of Lent. We had put up in the
house of one of the magnates of the place, and
were preparing to rest after the fatigues of
the journey, although there remained yet two
hours of daylight. Suddenly we heard in the
distance a song chanted by feminine voices,
which every now and then increased in power
to repeat the chorus. We asked our
waggoner to explain what these sounds meant;
and he told us that the young maidens of the
village were going from house to house, singing
the Resurrection of St. Lazarus, and
celebrating the solemnity that was to take place
on the morrow, or Palm Sunday. Presently
there appeared, at the entrance of the little
court of our house, a bevy of young girls
dressed out in their most elegant costumes,
and singing, as they stood in a modest attitude