hungary is occupied by a variety of people, with entirely different habits; it contains frenchmen, sclavonians, turks, jews, spaniards, gipsies, germans, and greeks. the magyar language, the original hungarian tongue, is spoken by the peasants; but in the cities the people mostly use german and french. the poles live in a cold, flat, marshy country, in the north of europe. the peasantry are in a miserable state, very dirty and frequently drunken; and their land is in a wretched condition. the swedish and danish people have made many things to be exhibited in the worlds fair. sweden is in the north of europe, and the climate is very disagreeable, for it is extremely cold in winter, and intolerably hot in summer. the people do not live very luxuriantly; their bread is not only black and coarse, but so hard that they are sometimes obliged to break it with a hatchet; and this, with dried fish, and salt meat, forms the chief part of their food. yet they are very hardy and contented. at michaelmas, they kill their cattle and salt them, for the winter and spring. their favourite drink is beer, and they delight in malt spirits; some of them have tea and coffee. their houses are generally built of wood, and their cottages are made of rough logs; the roofs are covered with turf, on which the goats browse. the swedish women do everything that men are employed to do in other countries; they plough, sow, and thresh, and work with the bricklayers; the country women, as well as the ladies, wear veils to shade their faces from the glare of the snow in winter, and from the scorching rays of the sun reflected from the barren rocks in summer. [illustration] the iron mines of sweden are exceedingly useful; they furnish great quantities of metal, to be exported to england, for the use of our steel manufactories. the extensive forests supply numerous pine trees, which are cut down and sent to foreign countries, for ship and house building; while pitch and tar are made from the sap,a preparation which gives employment to many of the inhabitants. the swedes contrive to make things from materials we should throw away as good for nothing; they twist rope from hogsbristles, horses manes, and the bark of trees; and form bridles of eelskins. the coarse cloth they wear they make themselves, for the women are continually busy spinning or weaving. sweden is the birthplace of the famous botanist, linnæus, and the charming singer, jenny lind. norway is united to sweden, but it is still colder in winter and hotter in summer. the people live very simply, mostly on milk, cheese, and dried fish; and sometimes they have slices of meat, sprinkled with salt and dried in the wind. in some parts of the country, the people make bread of the bark of the pine tree; and in winter, for want of hay, they are obliged to feed their cattle on dried fish. the houses are built of wood, and many of the roads are made of the same material; while wooden fences are used instead of hedges. the norwegians send metals, minerals, salt, butter, dried fish, and furs, to other countries. denmark is a very fine country, perfectly level, except a single ridge of mountains. its chief products are grain, tobacco, flax, madder, and hops. there are a great many mines, but few manufactures carried on; though the danish gloves are much esteemed. the climate is generally rather warm, but very wet. the danes are mostly welleducated; they are like the swedes in their manners and customs. they have sent many specimens of their industry to the great exhibition. [illustration] why, who would have thought of seeing persian and egyptian contributions at the exhibition? and such splendid articles as they are! persia, you know, is a rich and fertile country, near russia, in asia; but although it has many beautiful flowers and fruits, yet is there very little timber; owing to which they have no shipping. the persians delight in fine clothes on which they lavish the greater part of their money, and they are fonder of scarlet, or crimson, than of any other colour. they are very skilful in dyeing, in making silks, shagreen, morocco, gold and silver ornaments; and they form excellent swords and weapons. their commerce with turkey, china, arabia, and other places, is carried on by means of what they call caravans, which are large companies of merchants, who travel together for the sake of security from thieves, by whom however, they are often robbed; these companies have frequently more than a thousand camels, to carry their luggage and their goods; and in consequence of the excessive heat, they are obliged to journey mostly in the early morning, and rest during the day. the persians live chiefly on rice, fruit, and coffee, and eat very little meat; they luxuriate in baths, and the poorest amongst them endeavour to have a horse. they use the turkish language, and are nearly all mahometans; they used to worship the sun and fire, though very few continue to do so still. the persian ladies never appear in the streets or any other public place, without having long veils, in order to conceal their faces, as the turkish ladies do. the persians are very like the turks in their manners and customs, which i described to you before. egypt was, formerly, a mighty empire, and had rich and haughty kings, who adorned it with magnificent temples and palaces. i dare say you remember what you have read of it in the history of joseph and his brethren, and in that of moses. it was here that solomon built his magnificent and gorgeous temple. it is now, however, an exceedingly mean country, and is governed by a turkish pacha, whose grandfather contrived to make himself master of egypt, as well as of syria and palestine. the climate of egypt is excessively hot,in fact, the nights in spring are the only pleasant part of the year. the nights in autumn are also very fine,even delicious; and the rays of the moon are so bright that the natives, who sleep in the open air, cover their eyes to prevent their being injured by the brilliancy. the greater portion of the land is covered with burning sands; but wherever the waters of the river nile have been conducted by canals, and allowed to flow over the country, the earth becomes fertile, and fruits thrive luxuriantly. there are but few garden flowers, but roses are extensively cultivated, the attar of roses forming an article of commerce. there are many valuable minerals found in the earth; and beautiful marble, alabaster, salt, alum, and other useful things. the woods, marshes, plains, and rivers supply a variety of animals, most of them wild and ferocious. it was in egypt that the hippopotamus was found. the people devote themselves to agriculture, the rearing of bees, and poultry; they also carry on an important trade with other countries. most of the egyptians are strong, of a tawny complexion, and of a gay disposition. they luxuriate in water; and esteem it the height of enjoyment to sit by a fountain, smoking their pipes; they are excessively fond of bathing