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604 UN DEBAT : LES MENTALITES COLLECTlVES 14

700 morę Prisoners common Men who told us they were all that remained out of about .3000. — This was a great diminution in the space of 15 months but the Climate of the Banat is very unwholesome. — The Town is strongly fortified has many soldiers & a large military Hospital. — The next place we passed through of any Notę is Lugos which is situatedupon the Borders of the Banat next Trans.vlvania we dined there & meant to sleep at the next Post but found such bad accomodations that weresolv-ed to push on to the next Stage which we did safe & well tho we folind after at no smali risąue. — Our road was through immense Forests in which are Companies of Banditti from 20 to 30 Men who have lately committed many depredations. We saw nonę however tho we were much alarmed by our Postillions driying us freąuently from the Road thro Thiclcets &cc for no cause. This we prevented at last by threatening them with our Pistols. — In one Place we saw many lights as if approaching us but when we came near found it a large Oaravan of many Waggons which had stopped there & had madę Fires to sleep by whilst their Hor-ses refreshed themselves in the Forest.—These Woods are fuli of Wolves which our Postillions told us are often seen by ten or lwelve together. Our altention was engaged chiefly by the surprising Number of Glow-worms which w^rere flying thro the Thickets & sparkling at intercals. — The People here are miserable poor of the lower Class almost naked & as black as Mulattoes. — We trarel with two Calashes of the Country & a Kibitka which is a Russian Carriage contriyed to lie at length & sleep in. — In this we have & Bed &ce but I scarcely ever enter it. — Hermanstadt Jidjl-Y.— Safe arrived here thro a Country little interesting producing Turkey Corn, Winę & Pasture. — The day before yesterday had a great fracas with our postmaster who was a Transvlvanian Nobleman. Our Swedish Servant had some words about Horses : the Postmaster was insolent the Man collared him. >-t He rushed into his House & returned with a large drawn Sabre — our other Servant ran & fetched Pistols, the Man took fefuge in his House & he & his Wife joined in abusing us through the Window. — He presently called his peasants about him came out & was verv loquaeious. r— We applied to the Lady talked of her pretty Children squeezed her hand, gained her to our Party, soothed the good Man & got horses. The Women here have merely a Shift with two wool-len pieces of Cloth like short Aprons one hanging behind, the other before. This is their whole clothing except a white Head dress hanging very Iow behind. The night before last we all slept upon Straw I last night had the luxury of a cleanish Bed — In most I have found both Bugs & Fleas — you may suppose how this distresses me. — We find it will now reąuire three Weeks morę continual travelling to reach Constantinople.— People here talk of Banditti &ccc but we do not seem much afraid. This is the last place in the Emperor’s dominions. — Tomorrow we enter those of Turkey. — It is very hot which I am morę afraid of than any thing else but I travel almost without Cloaths. — One day at one of the Inns we found our Hostess had eleven children the eldest aged 13. They all except the youngest played upon a Spinet which was the worst Instrument I ever heard — Some of them played yastly well — I hope Kate practises much We bought a little Dog in Hungary which is called Mouri — Fare-well. — Yours R. S. [Robert Stockdale] We are just going to wait upon