THE AUSTRIANS. Hast thou not spoke like thunder on my side? 335 CHAPTER XI. THE DIET IN DEBRECZIN-FURTHER EVENTS OF THE WAR-FIRST RUSSIAN INVASION-THE SPRINGCAMPAIGN DETHRONIZATION OF THE HAPS- THE WAR-MASSACRES AT ARAD-SUBSEQUENT DEBRECZIN, where the government took up its seat, is situated in the midst of a vast sandy plain extending along the banks of the Theiss, a river, next to the Danube, the largest in Hungary, and which taking its rise in the mountainous county of Marmoros, a district rich in salt mines, continues its course of five hundred miles down to Titel, where it vanishes in the waters of the Danube. This town numbering 60,000 inhabitants, almost entirely Protestants, presents with its long and spacious streets a uniformity of lines of low houses, thatched and white-washed, which is relieved only by a few buildings of an imposing aspect, such as the large Protestant college, a few of the churches, and the town-house. The inhabitants of Debreczin are mostly small landed proprietors, having in addition to a large heath, which serves as a common pasture, small patches of land turned into vineyards. Inaccessible to the demands of ever advancing time, the Debrecziners, with very few exceptions, continue their lives as THE TOWN OF DEBRECZIN. 337 in the days of old, the burghers prudent enough to pride themselves on their ignorance, being so much engrossed with the feeding of pigs, which forms the chief article of their industry, as to think such enterprises of life as the making of roads and street-paving a matter of idle luxury. Nor is the passage from one street into another, in rainy weather, a matter of slight consideration in Debreczin. From reasons hitherto unexplained, the people of Debreczin are rather of a cold temperament, and neither present that easy manner or sociability of disposition which characterize so much the rest of the Magyar people. The monotonous life of this town is, however, sometimes broken by the arrival of some country gentlemen, a fact generally first known to the gipsey musicians, who, without asking permission, will post themselves before the door of the guest, and begin to strike the chords to a tune, which always happens to be the greatest favourite of the individual for whom it is intended. The vast number of students does not the less contribute to enliven the dulness. In the evenings, after having recovered from their daily labour, in a convivial meeting in some coffee-house, amid the ringing of wine glasses, and the rattle of the billiards, these unceremonious and fiery youths (whose blood flowed so abundantly about this time) return to their respective homes, now and then rending the air with the sound of some national melody, and sometimes disturbing the repose of a popular professor with a hearty serenade in honour of his birthday. In this dull town the government was surrounded by a patriotic population, who had long felt in former ages the friendly presence of Turkish garrisons, and were ready now to defend their country against the Hapsburgs. Y 338 OPERATIONS OF WINDISCHGRATZ. As was anticipated, Windischgratz contenting himself with sending some of his troops down to Szolnok, abstained from immediately commencing a regular expedition against the new seat of the Diet. The reasons for so doing were too obvious. Besides the extreme fatigue of his army, he could not forget the inimical feeling of the population of those counties through which he triumphantly passed, nor be blind to the dangers which might befal him in advancing through a territory covered with swamps, and noted for its wretched roads, in addition to the passage of the Theiss, a river which, with the slightest change of the weather, might have converted the surrounding plains into a sea. But, irrespective of all this, the Austrian commander-inchief had much reason to believe that Debreczin would be instantly taken either by Puchner, now victorious in Transylvania, or by General Schlik, who advanced from Gallicia to the town of Kashau without meeting with any serious check. Matters, however, turned out otherwise. After the capture of Vienna by Windischgratz, Bem, the Polish general, followed by a handful of the youth of that capital, succeeded in making his escape into Hungary, and was soon entrusted with the command of a corps. This corps, formerly under the command of Colonel Katona, had been utterly routed by the Austrian forces in Transylvania, which now anticipated the capture of Gross-Vardein and Debreczin. But no sooner did Bem assume the command of these scattered troops, in the month of December, than he instantly adopted the offensive ; and advancing with his usual and most extraordinary rapidity, he at once appeared before the walls of Klausenburg, the capital of Transylvania. Part of the Austrian garrison were captured and the rest were PROCLAMATION OF GÖRGEI. 339 forced to a precipitate retreat. Debreczin was thus rendered secure from the side of Transylvania, even before the Austrians entered Buda-Pesth, while the advance of the Schlik corps was soon arrested by Klapka. This Hungarian officer, afterwards distinguished as a general, met the enemy at Tarczal, near Tokay, and after two days' fighting compelled them to retreat. Such events contributed to ease the minds of the members of the Diet, who began regularly to continue their sittings, while the Committee of Defence was encouraged to carry on with redoubled vigour the equipment and arming of new levies, which poured into Debreczin.1 As to the fate of the Görgei army in its retreat through the mountainous districts nothing certain transpired, except the rumour of a proclamation, dated January 4th 1849, issued by Görgei at Waitzen, before commencing his march. Opening his harangue with a sort of self-accusation for having obeyed the orders of the government, which exposed the troops to useless and harassing fatigues, Görgei proceeded to cast blame upon the government for having suddenly left the capital; for sending a deputation offering peace to Windischgratz without the knowledge of his army; and then, after pointing to the play of individual interest, 1 These events did not much influence the determination of the British ambassador at Vienna. From Lord Ponsonby's dispatches we learn "that the Diet in Debreczin seeing the impossibility of persisting in their rebellious plans, have resolved on disbanding the Hungarian army," and that "Schlik will advance upon Debreczin with the intention of confirming the Diet in their resolution." Besides this, we learn that Bem is totally defeated; that "the imperial troops close in upon the rebels on all sides," and that the war is looked upon as nearly at an end."State Papers, 1851, vol. lviii., p. 131-140. |