Twelve Years ¿Study of the Eastern Question in Bulgaria; Being a Revised Edition of a Residence in Bulgaria

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1877 edition. Excerpt: ...of the mutual attempt to cheat each other between them and the peasant; or Greek or Bulgarian publican. that the zaptieh should not be allowed, when he spends the night at their village, to pry about the houses and seize upon the concealed hoard of eggs and butter which were promised to the Papas. Perhaps some amongst them hope that the Government will remit all taxes, and send Turks to cultivate the fields of the village, giving all the-produce to the Bulgarian, and then buying the grain from him at double the market value. Schemes more practical than these seldom enter the head of the peasant, who is contented with his lot, so long as he has little work to do and plenty to drink. The Rayah in general has no ambition to become rich, so long as he has enough to eat and drink. If he makes money, he hides it. He does not employ it in buying more land, or better ploughs, because he has enough of the former to give him and his sons as much work as they care for, and to produce grain which will pay for his year's expenses; as to the latter, he does not see the good of these new inventions, the old plough does well enough, and he is satisfied. The question of the schism in the Greek Church, which will probably lead to the formation of an independent Bulgarian hierarchy, is one which exclusively interests the priests. The peasant does not care whether his Papas owns allegiance to a Greek metropolitan, or Bulgarian bishop, or patriarch. Although he is too superstitious to refuse compliance with arbitrary exactions of the priests (which are spoken of at length in another chapter), he undoubtedly feels that the continual abstraction of his lambs, eggs, fowls, pigs, &c, is a grievance; but if he knows of the proposed ecclesiastical change, he...