BULGARIA.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume IX, Issue 1568, 7 March 1887, Page 3

BULGARIA.

To the Editor of the Star.

Sib, — As confirmatory of the habits and customs of the Bulgarian Greek Church population, I send, the following extracts. They are taken from a communication by the Vienna correspondent of the Times, and are headed, "Through the Balkan States — IV." : — "No greater boon than BQch an hotel (Frenpb) could be offered to the traveller who bas been expecting to spend his night in a Bulgarian han. Instead of dirt, rats, insects, and black bread, he finds a little house all fragrant with whitewash, oilcloth, and clean scrubbed boards." " Pedlars are largely used by the .Bussians for political propaganda. They sell portraits of the Czar, with pictures of Turkish (Russian) 'atrocities,! and they tell fibs. The peasants, however, have begun to distrust them. Under the Turks there was no military service for the Rayahs ; under the Rußsiane there was military service, with rough useage and blows.", "With few exceptions the, clergy of Bulgaria are - grouly ignorant, and are not too exemplary in their lives, The people <do not respect them," "At Tatar-Bazardjik the Christ

tians and Turks live cheek by jowl without enmity; bat the Turks are fast leaving the town, and their places as shopkeepers are at once filled up by Russian Jews or Greeks, and the Roumeliats are no gainers, for they hate the Greek." " The Jews and Greeks who come here all call themselves Russian subjects. They trade in contraband, open gambling shops and private lotteries, circulate all sorts of disgusting literature, sell quack medicines and poisons, evade taxes, steal, or act as receivers of 6tolen goods. — I am, &c, E.T.