his
time of the year; though the snow was so deep, we were obliged to
have our own coaches fixed upon traineaus, which move so swift and so
easily, 'tis by far the most agreeable manner of travelling post. We
came to Raab (the second day from Vienna) on the seventeenth instant,
where Mr W---- sending word of our arrival to the governor, the best
house in the town was provided for us, the garrison put under arms, a
guard ordered at our door, and all other honours paid to us. The
governor, and all other officers immediately waited on Mr W----, to
know if there was any thing to be done for his service. The bishop
of Temeswar came to visit us, with great civility, earnestly pressing
us to dine with him next day; which we refusing, as being resolved to
pursue our journey, he sent us several baskets of winter fruit, and a
great variety of Hungarian wines, with a young hind just killed.
This is a prelate of great power in this country, of the ancient
family of Nadasti, so considerable for many ages, in this kingdom.
He is a very polite, agreeable, cheerful old man, wearing the
Hungarian habit, with a venerable white beard down to his
girdle.--Raab is a strong town, well garrisoned and fortified, and
was a long time the frontier town between the Turkish and German
empires. It has its name from the River Rab, on which it is
situated, just on its meeting with the Danube, in an open champaign
(sic) country. It was first taken by the Turks, under the command of
bassa Sinan, in the reign of sultan Amurath III. in the year fifteen
hundred and ninety-four. The governor, being supposed to have
betrayed it, was afterwards beheaded by the emperor's command. The
counts of Swartzenburg; and Palsi retook it by surprise, 1598; since
which time it has remained in the hands of the Germans, though the
Turks once more attempted to gain it by stratagem in 1642. The
cathedral is large and well built, which is all I saw remarkable in
the town. Leaving Comora on the other side the river, we went the
eighteenth to Nosmuhl, a small village, where however, we made shift
to find tolerable accommodation. We continued two days travelling
between this place and Buda, through the finest plains in the world,
as even as if they were paved, and extremely fruitful; but for the
most part desert and uncultivated, laid waste by the long wars
between the Turk and the Emperor; and the more cruel civil war,
occasioned by the barbarous persecution of the pro