And next she is the object of
contention between two neighbouring despots, the one endeavouring to
hold, the other to annex her. It is a marvelt hat between them she was
not dismembered limb from limb.

At length for her, as for all suffering peoples, the day of liberation
was at hand; the iron bonds which Oriental despotism had forged were
loosened by the agency of Western progress, and, lightened of her load,
she this time struck a more effectual blow for liberty, and was amongst
the first to unfurl the flag of freedom in the East. But a long
succession of barbarian governors, the license of repeated military
occupations, the proximity of Tartar savagery on the one side and of
Oriental effeminacy on the other, these incidents of her long-continued
vassalage have necessarily, and, it is to be hoped, but for a time, left
their evil influence upon the nation, which it is now the earnest
endeavour of her patriotic leaders to exterminate.

[Footnote 193: Ozanne, p. 226.]

CHAPTER XV.

PRESENT ROUMANIAN LEADERS AND THEIR POLICY.

The King--Customs of the Court--The Queen--Her attainments--Extract
from her poetry--Madame Rosetti--Her patriotism and adventures--M.
Constantin A. Rosetti--His career and public services--M.
Bratiano--Other leaders of public opinion--The party of
progress--Their past foreign and domestic policy--Geographical
boundaries--Panslavism and Panroumanism--The future policy of
Roumania--Growth by pacific means--(Note: Comparative values of
Russian, Turkish, and Roumanian securities)--Roumania and Great
Britain--Conclusion.

I.

We have passed in hasty and imperfect review those features in the
national life of Roumania which we believed would be of interest to our
readers, and will now endeavour to present to them sketches of a few of
the persons of distinction who are forming public opinion, and are the
leaders of progress in the country, premising, however, that there are
many omissions, due partly to our own ignorance, and partly to the fact
that the discussion of the merits and demerits of some of the public men
would not have been fitting in this treatise.

By his rank and patriotism, and not least by his extensive knowledge,
his Majesty King Charles is entitled to our first consideration. Of his
political career we have spoken in our historical summary, and little
more need be added. He was born on April 20, 1839, and is therefore
abou