mounted. The buyers came from different parts of Ruffia. The Tartars had their tents pitched along the river fide. Thefe tents are of a conical figure; there are feveral long poles erected inclining to one another, which are fixed at the top into fomething like a hoop, that forms the circumference of an aperture for letting out the fmoak, or admitting the light; across the poles are laid fome fmall rods, from four to fix feet long, and faftened to them with thongs; this frame is covered with pieces of felt, made of coarfe wool and hair. Thefe tents afford better fhelter than any other kind, and are fo contrived as to be fet up, taken down, folded and packed up with great eafe and quicknefs, and fo light that a camel may carry five or fix of them. Where the chan or any perfon of character refides, they are placed in ftrait lines. Thefe Tartars are ftrong made, ftout men, their faces broad, nofes flattifh, and eyes fmall and black, but very quick. Their drefs is very fimple, confifting of a loose coat of theep-skins, tied with a girdle, a fmall round cap, turned up with fur, having a taffel of red filk at the top, leather or linen drawers, and boots: their heads are all fhaved, except a lock behind, which is plaited and hangs down their backs.

They are armed with bows and arrows, a fabre and lance, which they manage with great dexterity acquired by conftant practice from their infancy. They are men of courage and refolution; but much afraid f cannon, which puts their horfes in diforder. As they are almost always on horfe-back, they are excellent riders.

The drefs of the women differs lit tle from that of the men, only their gowns are fomewhat longer than the coats of the men, a little or namented, and borderedwith partycoloured cloth; they wear earrings, and their hair all plaited in locks. The better fort drefs in filks in fummer. It must be obfervéd for the honour of their women, that they are very honeft and fincere, and few of them lewd; adultery is a crime fcarce ever heard of. The Tartars make very good and faithful fervants; and the more mildly they are used the better they perform their duty; for their wandering unconfined manner of life naturally infpires them with fentiments of liberty, and averfion and hatred to tyranny and oppreffion.

All their wealth is their flocks; like thofe who lived in the early ages of the world, they have camels, horfes, cows, and fheep. The horfes are of a good fize for the faddle, and very hardy; as they run wild till they are fometimes fix years old, they are generally headstrong; they are fold at this fair at five to fifteen or fixteen

crowns, and the ftrong well-shaped natural pacers much higher. They have a few camels, but many dromedaries, who have two protuberances on their backs. Their cows are of a middle fize. The fheep large, having broad tails like thofe in Turkey; the wool is coarse, but the mutton very fine.

In the preceding century a Kalmuck prince, named TorgottChorluke, came from Alack-ulla, (which fignifies the fpotted mountains) a country fituated between Siberia on the north, and India on the fouth, to the borders of Ruffia ;

and brought along with him about fifty thoufand families, or tents, as they fometimes reckon. In his march weftward to the Volga, he defeated Eyball utzick, a Tartar prince, who lived in tents beyond the river Embo. Advancing forward he met three other Tartar chiefs, named Kitta-haptzay, Malebafh, and Etzan, whom he alfo defeated. And at laft fettled to the east of the Volga, under the protection of the Ruffians. Chorluke had fix fons; Dangtzinq the oldeft fucceeded him in the government, or chanship.

The prefent chan, named Aijuka, is the fourth from Chorluke, and is much efteemed in the east for his fagacity and juftice. I am informed, that the reafon why Chorluke left his own country, was a difpute about the fucceffion to the chanfhip. He, being engaged on the weakeft fide, and having unfuccefsfully tried his fortune in the field, at last took the refolution of abandoning his own country altogether. Thefe people are generally called the black Kal. mucks, though they are not black, but only fwarthy.

They have no money, except what they get from the Ruffians, and their other neighbours, in exchange for cattle with this they buy meal fometimes, but moftly cloth, filk-ftuffs, and other apparel for their women. They have no mechanics, except thofe who make arms. They avoid all labour as the greatest flavery; their only employment is tending their flocks, managing horfes, and hunting. If they are angry with a perfon, they wish he may live in one place, and work like a Ruf

On long marches all their provifions confift of cheese, or rather dried curd,made up into little balls, which they drink when pounded and mixt with water. If this kind of food fails, they have always many fpare horfes, which they kill and eat. They broil or roaft the flesh before the fire, on pieces of broken arrows, and never eat it raw, as is commonly believed, unlefs compelled by neceffity. They have indeed large thick pieces of horfe-flesh, fmoaked or dried in the fun, which they eat; but this cannot properly be called raw. I have tafted fome of it, and thought it not amifs.

As to their religion I can fay little; they are downright Heathens, and have many lamas or priests, who can read and write, and are diftinguifhed by their yellow habits. Their high priest is called Delay Lama, and lives far to the eastward.

Of the Tzerimish and Tzoowash.

There are two pretty numerous tribes, called the Tzerimish and Tzoowafh: they speak a language quite different from the Mahometan Tartars in these parts, who ufe a corrupted dialeft of the Arabic. The Mahometans likewise have fome

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learning; but the Tzerimish and Tzoowash have none. They have a tradition among them, that in former times they had a book of religion; but, as no body could read it, a cow came and fwallowed it. They pay great veneration to a bull. From whence they came is unknown; but, from their complexion, it is probable they are from Afia. They live by agriculture, and feem to be an inoffenfive kind of people. Their huntfmen offer in facrifice to fome deity the firft, creature they catch. Hence fome curious men have imagined these people part of the ten tribes of the Jews, expelled by Shalmanezer. I advance this only as a conjecture, which every reader may follow, or not, as he pleases.

By accident I met with an Englishman at this place. He was by trade a carpenter, and had been in the Ruffian fervice; but, being fufpected of deferting, he was condemned to banishment, to this country, for a certain time: and notwithstanding that was elapfed, the poor man, deprived of all means of afferting his liberty, remained ftill in the fame fituation. He bought a Tzerimish wife, from her father, for fix rubles, about thirty fhillings fterling. He brought her to vifit me. She was a woman of a chearful and open countenance, and dreffed in the manner of her country of which, for its fingularity, I fhall give a fhort defcription.

Her hair was plaited round her head, in many locks, but that on the back part longer than the reft, at the end of which was tied a taffel of red filk, and in the middle a fmall round brafs bell; about her

head was a fillet fet with fmall fhells, inftead of jewels, and hung all round with filver pence; above this was a piece of linen fo artfully plaited, and done up, that it looked like a grenadier's cap; at the top was a filk taffel, with another brafs bell, which gingled as the turned her, head. The rest of her drefs was clean, though homely, and the whole feemed becoming enough.

Of the Tartars about Aftrachan.

The Mahometan Tartars here live without the town, and have the fame privileges as in other places. I met feveral of their women in the street with rings in their nofes, which were of different value according to the rank of the perfon who wore them; fome of gold, and others fet with precious ftones. On enquiring the reason of fuch a fingular ornament, I was told, that it was the confequence of a religious dedication of thefe perfons to the fervice of God: it is made by the parents, even while the mother is pregnant; in token whereof, as foon as the child is born, they put a ring in the right noftril, which continues there till death. I have feen fome with two fuch rings.

One day, as I was walking through the streets of Aftrachan, I obferved a very fingular appearance; it was a pretty Tartar lady mounted aftride upon an ox; the had a ring in her nofe, and a ftring drawn through the nofe of the ox, which ferved inftead of a, bridle; fhe was dreffed better than common, and attended by a footman: the fingularity of the equipage, but particularly her extraordi

of late fo fortified their frontiers, that these rovers appear feldomer than formerly. Both thefe tribes are Mahometans, live always in tents, and fpread themfelves, with their flocks, in the great defart; both are very numerous, and own fubjection to different chiefs, whom they call Batteer, which fignifies a hero. These are chofen by themselves, and are the moft famous among them for their abilities in military exploits. They are at continual war with the Kalmucks who inhabit along the Volga, and with all their other neighbours. They are not able, to ftand against regular troops; and, when attacked by them, retire into the wide defart, with their families and cattle; whither none, but people accustomed to their manner of life, can follow them.

The country of the Kara-Kalpacks, or Black Caps, fo called from a kind of caps they commonly wear turned up with black lamb-fkins, lies to the fouth-weft, towards the Volga. That of Koffathy-Orda extends to the foutheaft, as far as the river Irtifh.

Of the Tartars at and near Tobolski, the capital of Siberia. Of the Kontayfla, or prince of the black Kalmucks.

Under the hill in the fuburbs, along the banks of the river, are feveral large ftreets, called the Tartar ftreets, occupied by the remains of the ancient inhabitants of the parts. Here, as at other places, thefe people enjoy the free exercife of their religion, and the privileges of trade. They refem. ble, in their perfons, religion, language, and manners, the Tartars

of Cazan and Aftrachan, Their houfes are very cleanly. They are very courteous to trangers, and efteemed honeft; on which account they get great credit in their commercial affairs.

Before I leave this place, I imagine it will not be improper to fubjoin a few more particulars relative to the Kontayfha, prince of the Kalmucks, whom I formerly mentioned. I am the more inclined to do this, as I can entirely depend on my intelligence; having procured it from perfons who have been in that country, and feen this prince; but particularly from an ingenious and penetrating gentleman, who fills a public office in this place, and was employed in feveral meffages to him from the late governor of Siberia.

The territories of this prince are bounded by three of the moft potent empires in the world; on the north by Ruffia, by China on the eaft, and by the country of the Great Mogul to the fouth. From the two firft he is feparated by defart plains, and from the third by almoft impaffable moun tains. To the fouth-weft his frontiers reach near to Bucharia. The Kontayha is a very powerful prince, and able to bring into the field, at a fhort warning, an hundred thousand horfemen, who are all of them able bodied men, well mounted, and armed with bows and arrows, lances and fabres. This is a greater number of horfe than any prince that I know can mufter, except his Ruffian majefty. and the emperor of China. These Tartars live in tents all the year, removing from place to place, as called by neceffity or inclination. This is the most ancient and plea

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