Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 12.djvu/377

363 CLIMATE.] HUNGARY 363 in the county of Torontal ; the Si6, which connects the Balaton with the Danube ; the Kapos or Zichy in the counties of Somogy, Baranya, and Tolna ; and the Sdrviz or Nador, which runs through the counties of Feher and Tolna. )rts. ]} ne O f Sea - C oast known as the &quot; Hungarian Littorale,&quot; lies the port of FIUME (q.v.), which is the only direct outlet by sea for the produce of Hungary. Its commanding position at the head of the Gulf of Quarnero, and spacious new harbour works, as also its immediate connexions with both the Austrian and Hungarian railway systems, render it specially advantageous as a commercial port. As shipping stations, Buccari, Portore, Selce, Novi, Zengg, Cirquenizza, San Giorgio, Stinizza, Jablanac, and Carlopago are of comparative insignificance. The whole of the short Hungarian seaboard is mountainous, and subject to violent winds. liraate. The climate of Hungary, owing to the physical configura tion of the country, varies considerably. If we except Transylvania, three separate zones are roughly distinguish able : the &quot; highland,&quot; comprising the counties in the vicinity of the Northern and Eastern Carpathians, where the winters are very severe and continue for half the year ; the &quot; intermediate &quot; zone, embracing the tract of country stretching northwards from the Drave and Mur, with the Little Hungarian Plain, and the region of the Upper Alfold, extending from Budapest to Nyiregyhaza and Sarospatak; and the &quot;great lowland&quot; zone, including the main portion of the Great Hungarian Plain, and the region of the lower Danube, where the heat during the summer months is almost tropical. In Transylvania the climate bears the extreme characteristics peculiar to mountainous countries interspersed with valleys ; whilst that of the south-western Croatian and Frontier districts bordering on the Adriatic is modified by the neighbourhood of the sea. The minimum of the temperature is attained in January and the maximum in July. At Buda, which, if we exclude Transylvania, is near the centre of the kingdom, the mean average temperature (1862-77) in January is 31 and in July 71 7 ; at Kolozsvar (Klausenburg) in the same months it is 32 D 7 and 68 9 respectively. The rainfall in Hungary is small in comparison with that of Austria. At Buda, where the number of rainy days is 122, 1 the rainfall is about 21^ inches, whilst in the two Hungarian plains generally the rainy days are estimated not to exceed 96 annually. In the vicinity of the Carpa thians, however, rain is very prevalent, amounting to between 30 and 40 inches. In these regions the greatest fall is during the summer, though in some years the autumn showers are heavier. Hail storms are of frequent occurrence in the Carpathians. On the plains rain rarely falls during the heats of summer ; and, generally speaking, the showers though violent are of but short duration, whilst the moisture is quickly evaporated owing to the aridity of the atmosphere. The vast sandy wastes mainly contribute to the dryness of the winds on the Great Hungarian Alfold. Occasionally, as in the year 1863, the whole country suffers much from drought ; but, on the other hand, disastrous floods not unfrequently occur, particularly in the spring, when the beJs of the rivers and streams are inadequate to contain the increased volume of water caused by the rapid melting of the snows on the Carpathians. The low-lying arable and pasture lands in the vicinity of the Theiss and Maros are thus sometimes submerged for weeks, and in March 1879 the town of Szeged, situated at the point of junction 1 Strictly 122 7, the average, for the 16 years 1862-77 inclusive, being 35 3 for winter, 307 for spring, 29 2 for summer, and 27 5 for autumn. Budapest Meteor oloyiai Viszonyai, issued (1879) by the Royal Hungarian Central Meteorological Institute. of these two rivers, was almost completely destroyed. In December of the same year the counties of Arad and Bihar were extensively inundated by the Maros and the Koros. In 1838 the city of Pest, and in February 1876 several localities on the Danube, suffered disastrously from the sudden rising of that river. The average annual number of snow showers is estimated at 23 for the two Hungarian plains, 44 for Transylvania, 50 for the northern, and 30 to 35 for the western and south-western portions of the monarchy. In 1866-67, and again in 1872-73, cholera was very rife ; of the 447,571 persons who were attacked by the epidemic in the latter case, 189,017, or over 42 per cent., died. Never theless Hungary cannot, on the whole, be regarded as an unhealthy country, excepting in the marshy tracts, where intermittent fever and diphtheria sometimes exhibit great virulence. The whole of Hungary, but more especially Hungary Proper, can Flora, boast of the great variety and number of its natural productions. This is attributable partly to its geographical position, but chiefly to the varied nature of its surface and climate. The fertility of the soil, if we except the mountainous and sandy regions, is remark able. The vegetable products include almost every description of grain, especially wheat and maize, besides Turkish pepper, rape- seed, hemp and flax, beans, potatoes, and root crops. Fruits of various descriptions, and more particularly melons and stone fruits, are abundant. In the southern districts almonds, figs, rice, and olives are grown. Amongst the forest and other trees are the oak, which yields large quantities of galls, the beech, fir, pine, ash, and alder, also the chestnut, walnut, and filbert. The vine is culti vated over the greater part of Hungary, the chief grape-growing districts being those of the Hegyalja (Tokay), Sopron, and Ruszt, Menes, Szeremseg, Szekszard, Soinlyo (Sehomlau), Bellye and Villany, 1 Balaton, Neszmely, Visonta, Eger (Erlau), and Buda. Next to France, Hungary is the greatest wine-producing country in Europe, and the quality of some of the vintages, especially that of Tokay, is unsurpassed. A great quantity of tobacco is also grown, but it is wholly monopolized by the crown. In Hungary Proper and in Croatia and Slavonia there are many species of indi genous plants, which are unrepresented in Transylvania. Besides 12 species peculiar to the former grand-principality, 14 occur only there and in Siberia. The fauna of Hungary includes about 14,000 species. The horned Fauna, cattle are amongst the finest in Europe, and large herds of swine are reared in the oak forests. In 1870 the total number of cattle (including 73,243 buffaloes) was estimated at 5,279,193, and of swine at 4,443,279. Of sheep, the breed of which is now greatly improved, the number amounted to 15,076,997 ; of horses there were 2,158,819, asses 30,480, mules 3,266, and goats 572,951. The wild animals are bears, wolves, foxes, lynxes, wild cats, bad gers, otters, martens, stoats, and weasels. Among the rodents there are hares, marmots, beavers, squirrels, rats, and mice, the last in enormous swarms. Of the larger game the chamois and deer are specially noticeable. Among the birds are the vulture, eagle, falcon, buzzard, kite, lark, nightingale, heron, stork, and bustard. Domestic and wild fowl are generally abundant. The rivers and lakes yield enormous quantities of fish, and leeches also are plentiful. The Theiss, once better supplied with fish than any other river in Europe, has for many years fallen off in its productiveness. The culture of the silkworm is chiefly carried on in the south in the Military Frontier, and in Croatia and Slavonia. The principal bee- rearing localities are in the counties of Gomb r, Szepes, and Mosony, the Military Frontier, and the former Saxon districts of Transyl vania. In 1870 the number of bee-hives was estimated at 617,407. The chief mineral products are coal, nitre, sulphur, alum, soda, Minerals, saltpetre, gypsum, porcelain-earth, pipe-clay, asphalt, petroleum, marble, and ores of gold, silver, mercury, copper, iron, lead, zinc, antimony, cobalt, and arsenic. The opals of Saros are famous, and precious stones of various descriptions (calcedony, garnet, jacinth, amethyst, carnelian, agate, rock-crystals, &c.) are met with in several localities. Amber occurs at Magura in Szepes county. Gold and silver are found chiefly in the districts of Selmecz (Schernnitz), Kormocz(Kreinnitz), Nagybanya, Szomolnok, Oravicza, Abrudbanya, and Zalatnn. The average yearly yield of gold is equal in value to about 219,000, and that of silver to some 178,600. The sand of some of the rivers, as for instance the Maros, Szamos, Koros, and Aranyos, is auriferous. Iron is exten sively produced in the counties of Gomor, Zolyom, Lipto, Szepes, Saros, Borsod, Torna, Abanj, Szatmar, Bihar, and Kra.sso; coal in the neighbourhood of Pecsvarad, Oravicza, Salgo-Tarjan, and of 2 The quantity of (Riesling grape) wines produced on the archduke Albrecht s estates near Bellye and Villtiuy is said to exceed 1,000,000 bottles annually.
 * a- On the Adriatic, at the northern extremity of the short