Before reaching Moravicza we passed some large iron mines, but they were not in full swing.  In the last century the copper mines of this district yielded extraordinary returns.  Baron Born, in his “Travels in the Banat,” mentions a deposit of copper ore reaching to the amazing depth of 240 feet.  Some very fine syenite occurs in large blocks close to Moravicza, which might be very valuable if made more accessible.  The village is half hidden in a narrow valley.  Here we were most hospitably received by Herr W——.  In his collection of minerals he has many rare specimens from this locality, which is peculiarly rich in regard to variety.  This gentleman kindly gave me some good specimens of magnetite, greenockite (sulphate of cadmium), aurichalcite, Ludwigite, and garnet.  Leaving Moravicza, we rode on to Deutsch Bogsan, then to Reschitza, where we arrived in the evening.  Here we found a tolerable inn, for it is a place of some size.  We remained two days here; it is a flourishing little place, the centre of the States Railway Works.  They make a large quantity of steel rails, any number of which will be wanted if half of the projected lines are carried out, which are only waiting the settlement of the Eastern Question.

In Reschitza there are large blast-furnaces and Bessemer converters.  Enormous quantities of charcoal are produced; in short, on all sides there is evidence of mining activity.  Narrow-gauge lines run in every direction, serving the coal mines; there is besides a railway for the public from Reschitza to Deutsch Bogsan, and from the latter place a branch communicates with the main line between Buda-Pest and Basiash.

The country round Reschitza is rather pretty, but more tame than what we had seen in other parts.  We returned to Oravicza by a shorter route, riding the whole distance in one day, which we did easily, for the roads were not so bad, and it was not much over thirty miles.  In Hungary it is frequently more a question of roads than of actual distance.

CHAPTER VII.

Election at Oravicza—­Officialism—­Reforms—­Society—­Ride to Szaszka—­Fine views—­Drenkova—­Character of the Serbs—­Svenica—­Rough night walk through the forest.

We got back to Oravicza just in time to witness an election, which had been a good deal talked about as likely to result in a row.  There were two candidates in the field:  one a representative of the Wallachian party; the other a director of the States Railway Company.  In consequence of a serious disturbance which took place some years ago, the elections are now always held outside the town.  The voting was in a warehouse adjoining the railway station.  A detachment of troops was there to keep order, in fact the two parties were divided from each other by a line of soldiers with fixed bayonets.  It was extremely ridiculous.  The whole affair was as tame as possible; no more show of fighting than at a Quakers’ meeting.  Of course the States Railway representative had it all his own way, the officials, whose name is legion, voting for him to a man.  A trainful of Wallacks arrived from some distant place, but their ardour for their own candidate was drowned in the unlimited beer provided for them by their opponents.