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TJN DEBAT : • LES MENTAIJTES COLLECTXVES

595

The party spent two fuli days at Hermanstadt [Sibiu], principally, as Wilbraham explained to his mother, “on account of passports, being then near the Frontiers of the Emperor’s dominions ”²² The 3 July was taken up with sending their clothes to be washed and repairing the carria-ges, but in the eyening they went to the theatre, where, according to Morritt, “we have been shdwing ourselves and seeing the beau-monde of Hermanstadt; the theatre is large and not ill-built, much better than we expected.” ²⁸ Stockdale compared the town with Timisoara, commenting that it “appears larger than Temesvar & not so weli built with worse arranged Streets about the size of Newark.” ²⁴ The following day they paid their respects to the Deputy Governor of Transylvania, General Molle, who arranged passes for them to proceed to Bucharest. Ńo visitor to Sibiu with time to spare would fail to cali on Baron Samuel von Brukenthal, the former Goyernor of Transylvania, whose library and collection of paintings were aheady well known. Of the three travellers Stockdale gave the most detailed account:

“... went to visit a Baron Bruckendaal [siej who is very rich with a great house in the Town & another in the fauxbourg where he then was. — We had heard that his Pictures & Museum were worth seeing & he receiyed us with great Cordiality pressing us to stay dinner which we were too busy to accept. — He then gave orders about his house in town to which we went & found a good & well chosen Library some antiąues not remarkable & a large collection of Pictures. Amongst these were a Magdalen by Titian & a half length St. Sebastian by Guido. — Amongst the Flemish School two of Charles Ist & his. Queen by or after Vand^ke. — In his Mineralogy he had several fine Specimens of Transylyanian gold in the ore in leaves grain Crystallisations & cc. — This house was large with a tolerable suitę of Apartments.” ²⁶

Although unable to accept Brukenthal’s hospitality the group were to be overjoyed with that provided by the wife of a Wallachian boyar at Curtea de Arges. They spent two uncomfortable nights after leaving Sibiu and Crossing the Carpathians, their discomfort only being compensated by the beauty of the scenery through which they passed. The poverty of the local peasantry madę its impression on the travdlers at C&ineni and S&l&truc, where they stayed the nights of the 6 and 7 of July respectively, and probably madę all the morę welcome the kindne88 they were to experience at Curtea de Arges j Stockdale’s diary provides a vivid account of this episode which marks him out as a keen observer of social customs with an eye for detail :

“... about twilight our Postillion led us to the Chateau of a Wallachian noble man where though he was out, we were receiyed by his Lady with the greatest hospitality. — She was drest in a very becom-ing dress of the country which consisted of a loose & beautiful shawl

” Wilbraham to Mrs. Wilbraham Bootle, Constantlnople, 8, August 1794 op. eit. ^a Marindłn, op. cii.

^M The MS. Diary of Robert Stockdale.

* Ibid.