May vii.
By six this morning we set forward from the castle of Bran, directing our course for Cronstadt, being now about two Hungarian miles, or twelve Italian, distant from it. In half an hour his Excellency was met by major general Glychensberg, governor of the forces at Cronstadt and the parts adjoining; together with lieutenant colonel Graven of the regiment of general Rabutin. The same civility he received from the judge and other magistrates of the city, with whom, and the numerous retinue which came along with them, we now proceed, making a train of a mile long. In the mean time our road lay thro that spot of ground, on which general Heusler was defeated, and made prisoner by Count Tekely in the year sixteen hundred and ninety; as also thro the town of Rosnaw, lying in the middle betwixt Bran and Cronstadt, where there is a considerable castle, which likewise saluted his Excellency, as he passed, with three repeated salvos. About eleven a clock we enter the city, the castle repeating continual salvos, which we find all in arms, and the streets lined on both sides with musqueteers, as also the whole soldiery drawn up in order in the market place. In this is the house of general Glychensberg, where his Excellency was received with all marks of respect and honour, and in an hour’s time invited to a noble entertainment. After diner, by order of Count Mikes, we were attended to our several stations, where a Transylvanian gentleman was appointed to act as commissary, or proveditóre, in each respective quarter. Particularly Mr. Paget and myself were favoured with the company and attendance of one Lodislaus Doeza, a civil, intelligent, and well behaved gentleman of the Helvetian confession. And this afternoon Mr. Paget and I walked up the castle hill, from whence we had a prospect of the city, which is almost triangular, enclosed with a stone wall, situated in a narrow vale, under an high snowy clift of mountains, but on one side looking towards a level and fruitful plain. It is surrounded with three distinct suburbs, beautifully intermixed with gardens; and in one part of these suburbs, which runs more within the hills, stands an handsome Valachian church. A dreadful fire about fourteen years since laid the whole town in ashes, and at the same time utterly consumed the library of the school, which is here instituted for teaching of philosophy and theology. The same calamity almost ruined the cathedral church, of which now nothing but the outward case remains to testify its former grandeur; the roof, which was of arched stone, being now only covered with boards.
The general religion of this place is Lutheran; and the church above mentioned is governed by a dean and thirteen capitularies, who enjoy considerable rents from the thirteen parishes of the district of Cronstadt, which are supplied by them. The ecclesiastical government of the whole district is partly in this chapter, and partly in the superintendent of Cronstadt; which office is sometimes distinct, but for the most part held together with the deanry; and from this superintendent appeals lie to the bishop of the whole province of Transylvania.
The civil government of the town is in a judge elected every two years, a senate, and a commonalty of an hundred men. The sentence of the judge is final, and is governed by laws of the place model’d according to the civil law. The city since the fire is fairly rebuilt, with a certain regularity of walls and windows to the street, and the roofs are all covered, as in Valachia, with wooden tiles. The common language is Saxon; this being one of the cities, which belong to the great colony of that nation, which makes one third of Transylvania.