BY H. TORNAI DE KOEVER

Hungary consists of Hungary proper, with Transylvania (which had independent rule at one time), Croatia and Slavonia (which have been added), and the town of Fiume on the shores of the Adriatic Sea.

The lowlands are exceedingly beautiful in the northeast and west, where the great mountain, peaks rise into the clear blue sky or are hidden by big white clouds, but no beauty can be compared to the young green waving corn or the ripe ears when swaying gently in the breeze.  One sees miles and miles of corn, with only a tree here and there to mark the distances, and one can not help comparing the landscape to a green sea, for the wind makes long silky waves, which make the field appear to rise and fall like the ocean.  In the heat of midday the mirage, or, as the Hungarians call it, “Delibab,” appears and shows wonderful rivers, villages, cool green woods—­all floating in the air.  Sometimes one sees hundreds of white oxen and church towers, and, to make the picture still more confusing and wonderful, it is all seen upside down.  This, the richest part of the country, is situated between the rivers Danube and Theiss, and runs right down to the borders of Servia.  Two thirds of Hungary consist of mountainous districts, but one third has the richest soil in Europe.

Great rivers run through the heart of the country, giving it the fertility which is its great source of wealth.  The great lowlands, or “Alfoeld,” as the Magyars call them, are surrounded by a chain of mountains whose heights are nearly equal to some Alpine districts.  There are three principal mountain ranges—­the Tatra, Matra, and Fatra—­and four principal rivers—­the Danube, Theiss, Drave, and Save.  Hungary is called the land of the three mountains and four rivers, and the emblem of these form the chief feature in the coat-of-arms of the country.

The Carpathian range of mountains stretches from the northwest along the north and down the east, encircling the lowlands and sending forth rivers and streams to water the plains.  These mountains are of a gigantic bulk and breadth; they are covered with fir and pine trees, and in the lower regions with oaks and many other kinds.  The peaks of the high Tatra are about 9,000 feet high, and, of course, are bare of any vegetation, being snow-covered even in summer-time.  On the well-sheltered sides of these mountains numerous baths are to be found, and they abound in mineral waters.  Another curious feature are the deep lakes called “Tengerszem” (Eyes of the Sea).  According to folklore they are connected with the sea, and wonderful beings live in them.  However, it is so far true that they are really of astonishing depth.  The summer up in the Northern Carpathians is very short, the nights always cold, and there is plenty of rain to water the rich vegetation of the forests.  Often even in the summer there are snowstorms and a very low temperature.