Page:The American Cyclopædia (1879) Volume III.djvu/427

 BULGARIA 421 Bosniaks, Wallachs, and gypsies, with a few settlers from various European countries. The Bulgarians, with the exception of about 170,- 000 Mohammedans and 0,000 Roman Catholics, belong to the Greek communion, of which there are 10 archbishoprics and 3 bishoprics. Until 1864 Bulgaria was divided into the three eyalets or pashalics of Silistria, Widin, and Nissa. It is now officially known as the vilayet of Tuna, or principality of the Danube. It is divided into seven sanjaks, or districts, under a governor general, whose residence is at Rustchuk. Sophia, Nissa, Trnova, Sistova, and Nicopolis are among the chief cities. The principal fortified towns are Silistria, Rustchuk, and Widin on the Danube, Varna on the Black sea, and Shumla in the interior, commanding the main pass through the Balkan mountains. Bulgaria presents the appearance of a plateau, Bulgarian Costumes. which rises gradually from the steep banks of the Danube to the heights of the Balkan. Numerous branches of the chain run N., divid- ing the country into valleys whose streams flow into the Danube; the principal of these are the eastern branch of the Morava, which enters Servia, the Isker, Vid, Yantra, and Taban ; the Kamtchik and Pravadi enter the Black sea, and the Struma flows S. into Mace- donia. Nearly the whole south is traversed by branches of the Balkan (see BALKAN), which near the S. W. corner connects with the Des- poto Dagh, the connecting links being the Rilo Dagh and the Vitosh range. The latter, which has been identified with the Scomius of the old geographers, is an enormous syenite mass rising in the form of a volcanic cone to a height of about 6,600 ft. above the sea. This part of the country, between Ikhtiman and Radomir, consists of mountain ranges and extensive val- ley basins from 1,700 to 3,000 ft. above the sea. They are all enclosed by primitive rock, and filled with pebbles, sand, and clay, partly of diluvial and partly of recent date. The southern mountains are thickly wooded, and the northern and eastern portions are cul- tivated plains bearing grain. There are nu- merous warm mineral springs, especially near Sophia. The coast of Bulgaria, from Cape Emineh, the most eastern extremity of the Balkan, to Cape Kali-Akra, N. E. of Varna, is generally high ; N. of this point the shore is flat and marshy. Between the town of Baba- Dagh, in the north-eastern lowland known as the Dobrudja, and the sea is the lake of Ras- sein or Rasin, 30 m. long by 10 wide. It is separated by a narrow strip of land from the St. George's arm of the Danube, from which a small stream enters the lake ; the communication of the lake with the Black sea being formed by two channels. The Bul- garians, of whom nearly as many live in the adjoining parts of Turkey as in the province named after them, are a peaceable, industrious, and rather intelligent people, though general- ly ignorant and superstitious. Their papasSa (priests) are hardly more enlightened than their flock. Witches are often resorted to for spells to cure diseases, bring rain, &c., by both the people and papases. Each village has its medjlis (court), consisting of a mayor and sev- eral members, before whom minor civil suits and offences are settled. The dress of a Bul- garian consists of a sheepskin cap dyed brown or black, a short open jacket, a broad girdle which answers the purpose of pockets, draw- ers buckled at the knee, and folds of flannel wrapped round the legs. The women wear a bodice, a cloth jacket, a skirt which does not reach the ankle, and on the head a small stiff red cap with gold or silver coins sewn upon it. The houses are built of wood, and sometimes of earth and pebbles. The roads, with the ex- ception of some highways lately constructed, are bad, and on the plains they are quite impracticable during the rainy season. The mountains are often infested by robbers called Balkan tchelebis or Balkan gentlemen, and khersis or common highway robbers and mur- derers. The former consist mainly of Moslems who through oppression of the government have betaken themselves to the forest. The Bulgarians occupy themselves chiefly with agri- culture and rearing cattle; and the country easily supplies all their wants. Large quanti- ties of grain are raised for the Constantinople market. The vine is also extensively cultivated and produces excellent wine. Horned cattle and horses are reared in the mountains and uncultivated parts of the plains, and exported to different parts of Turkey and Austria. In the mountains honey, pitch, and game are ob- tained. Timber is floated down the rivers to the ports of the Danube. Silver and gold are found in small quantities in the beds of the streams. In the mountains around Samakov