they formerly did under their own princes, The prefent prince of Mongalia is called Tufh-du-Chan, and refides about fix days journey, to the fouth-east, from Selinginky. The place is called Urga, and is near to where the Kutuchtu, or high priest, inhabits. When the Mongalls fubmitted themselves to the emperor of China, it was agreed, that the Tufh-du-Chan fhould ftill maintain the name and authority of a prince over his people; but undertake no war, nor expedition, without confent of the emperor; which has strictly been obferved ever fince. It is remarkable, that, in all the vaft dominions of Mongalia, there is not fo much as a fingle houfe to be feen. All the people, even the prince and high priest, live conitantly in tents; and remove, with their cattle, from place to place, as conveniency requires. These people do not trouble themselves with ploughing, or dig. ging the ground in any fashion; but are content with the produce of their flocks. Satisfied with neceffaries, without aiming at fuperfluities, they purfue the moft ancient and fimple manner of life; which, I must confefs, I think very pleasant in fuch a mild and dry climate. From the river Volga, to the wall of China, there are three great Tartar princes; the AyukaChan, the Kontayha, and the Tufh-du-Chan. Thefe three mighty nations have almoft the fame features, religion, and language; and live in the fame manner. It will eafily be perceived, by cafting an eye on the map, what an extent of territory thefe princes poffefs, whofe fubjects go by the general name of Kalmucks. Few languages can carry a traveller over a greater extent of country than that of the Kalmucks. With the Arabic, indeed, a perfon may travel through many places of the east, from Egypt to the court of the Great Mogul; but, with the illyric, he can travel much further than with either of the former; viz. from the gulf of Venice to the outmost boundaries of Kamtzatsky; for the Ruf fian is a dialect of the Illyric. The greatest part of Mongalia is one continued waste; except the places along the Amoor, and towards the Ruffian borders on the weft. The foil alfo, to the south, from Selinginfky, is exceedingly fine; and capable, by proper culture, of producing grain of fevo ral forts. of the Kutuchtu High Prieft, ar Lama, of the Mongall Tartars. The fame officer, who carried the ambaffador's letter to the prince of Mongalia at Urga, was ordered to prefent his compliments to the Kutuchtu, or high priest, who is a near relation of the prince. He received the officer in a very friendly manner, defired him to fit down in his prefence; an honour granted to very few, except ambaffadors, and pilgrims from remote countries; and, at his departure, gave him a prefent of fome inconfiderable things; particularly, a few pieces of Chinese filks. I cannot leave this venerable perfonage, without taking fome notice of him. I fhall therefore relate a few things concerning him, among thoufands more ridi D 4 culous culous, which the people in this country tell and believe. This extraordinary man affumes to himself the character of omnifcience, which is the interpretation of the word Kutuchtu; and the people are taught to believe that he really knows all things, paft, prefent, and future. As his intelligence, by means of his lamas, is very extenfive, he is eafily able to impofe on the vulgar in this particular. They alfo believe that he is immortal; not that his body lives always; but that his foul, upon the decay of an old one, immediately tranfmigrates into fome young human body; which, by certain marks, the lamas difcover to be animated by the foul of the Kutuchtu, and he is accordingly treated as high prieft. When the fpirit of the Kutuchtu has taken poffeffion of a new body, that is, in plain English, when he is dead, the lamas are immediately employed to difcover in what part of the world this wonderful perfon is regenerated, or born again, as they exprefs it. They need, however, go to no great diftance to find him; for the affair being previoufly concerted among the chief lamas, they foon determine the choice of a fucceffor; who general.. ly happens to be a young boy, that has been well inftructed how to behave on that occafion. When a fucceffor is pretended to be found, a company of lamas are fent to examine the matter, who carry along with them many toys, fuch as fmall filver bells, and things of that nature, which belonged to the former Kutuchtu, intermixed with others that did not. All these are laid before the child, who picks out fuch things as belonged to his pre. deceffor, and difcovers the greatest fondness for them; but rejects, with difguft, whatever is not genuine. Befides this trial, fome queftions are put to him, relative to wars, or remarkable events, in his former ftate; all which are an fwered to the fatisfaction of the conclave. Whereupon he is una. nimously declared to be the felf. fame Kutuchtu, is conducted with great pomp and ceremony to Urga, and lodged in the tent of the high priest. Till the new Kutuchtu arrives at a certain age, he is entirely under the government of the lamas; and few are permitted to fee him, except at a great distance, and even therr it is not eafy to get access to him. It may feem furprifing, that, in fo numerous an affembly of lamas, no intrigues fhould be carried on, nor difputes arife, among the electors. All is conducted without noife or contention. It is however imagined, that the authority of the prince greatly contributes to their unanimity. The Mongalls relate, that their Kutuchtu has now lived fourteen generations, and renews his age every moon; for, at the new moon, he appears like a youth; when the is full, like a full-grown man; but, when near the change, he is an old man with grey hairs. What they call the Urga is the court, or the place where the prince and high priest refide; who are always encamped at no great distance from one another. They have feveral thousand tents about them, which are removed from time to time. The Urga is much frequented by merchants from China, and Ruffia, and other places; where all trade is carried on by barter with. without money of any kind. The Chinese bring hither ingots of gold, damask, and other filk and cotton ftuffs, tea, and fome porcelain; which are generally of an inferior quality, and proper for fuch a market. The Ruffian commodities are chiefly furs of all forts. Rhubarb is the principal article which is exchanged for these goods, great quantities whereof are produced in this country, without any culture. The Mongalls gather and dry it in autumn, and bring it to this market, where it is bought up at an eafy rate, both by the Ruffian and Chinese merchants. The Kutuchtu and his lamas are all clothed in yellow, and no layman is allowed to wear this colour, except the prince. This mark of diftinction makes them known and refpected every where. They alfo wear about their necks a ftring of beads, which are ufed in faying their prayers. The Mongalls believe in, and worship, one Al. mighty Creator of all things. They hold that the Kutuchtu is God's vicegerent on earth; and that there will be a state of future rewards and punishments. The following relation, which I had from a Ruffian merchant, to whom the thing happened, will fhew the methods taken by thefe lamas, to maintain the dignity and character of their mighty high priest. This merchant had gone to the Urga, with an intention to trade with the Chinese. While he was at this place, fome pieces of damask were stolen out of his tent. He made a complaint to fome of the lamas with whom he was acquainted,, and the matrer was foon brought before the Ku. tuchtu, who immediately ordered proper steps to be taken with a view to find out the thief. The affair was conducted in this uncommon manner; one of the lamas took a bench with four feet, which feems to have been of the conjuring kind; after turning it feveral times, in different directions, at laft, it pointed directly to the tent where the ftolen goods lay concealed. The lama now mounted aftride on the bench, and foon carried it, or, as was commonly believed, it carried him to the very tent; where he ordered the damafk to be produced. The demand was directly complied with; for it is vain, in fuch cafes, to offer any excufe. I fhall now fubjoin a few observations on the Delay-Lama, or prieft of the defart, who is reckoned ftill fuperior to the Kutuchtu. He lives about a month's journey to the fouth-east of this place, among a people called the Tonguts, who ufe a different language from the Kulmucks. I am informed that the religion of the Tonguts is the fame with that of the Mongalls; that they hold the fame opinions with refpect to the tranfmigration of the Delay-Lama, as the Mongalls do about the Kutuchtu, and that he is elected in the fame manner. What appears moft furprising is, that these two mighty Lamas keep a good correspondence, and never encroach on one another's privileges. The word delay fignifies either the fea, or a great plain, fuch as this priest inhabits. Of an Interview, and Hunting Match with a Mongall Batya, or Hero. A chief, named Tayfha, of those Mongalls who are fubjects of his ma. hills, and through tall woods, hav ing almoft no underwood to incommode the horses, or interrupt our view, which made it very pleafant. After riding a few miles, the Tayfha, being mafter of the chace, ordered his men to extend their lines. The Tayfha and we were in the centre; and often faw the game pafs us, purfued by the horfemen, at full speed, without the leaft majefty, came to pay his refpects to the ambaffador, who gave him a friendly reception, and kept him to dinner. He was a merry old man, near fourfcore, but fo vigorous, that he could mount a horfe with as much agility as many young men. He was accompanied with five fons, and many attendants, who treated him with equal refpect as a king; and even his fons would not fit down in his pre-noife, but the whistling of arrows. fence, till he defired them. I confefs it gave me great pleasure to fee the decency with which they behaved. One of our company, a pretty fat man, afked the Tayfha what he would do in order to be as lean as he was. The old man replied in these few words, "Eat lefs, and work more:" a faying worty of Hippocrates himself. In his youth he had been engaged in many battles with the Chinese, whom he held in great contempt. As he was a keen fportfman, the ambaffador made an appointment with him for a grand hunting match. After which he and his retinue returned to their tents. The Tafha-Batyr arrived, in confequence of his appointment with the ambaffador, and brought along with him three hundred men, well mounted for the chace. This old gentleman had the appellation of Batyr; a title of great refpect among the Mongalls. It fig. nifies a hero; and is conferred only on those who have fignalized themfelves, by their courage and conduct, in the field of battle. Befides thefe Mongalls, we carried with us fifty of our Coffacks, and our tents, as we proposed to be abroad fome days. Early on the 6th, we took our way to the eastward, over high The horses, being accuftomed to this kind of fport, follow the game as a greyhound does a hare; fo that the riders lay the bridles on their necks, and attend to nothing but. their bows and arrows. One may eafily imagine the exquifite entertainment, in feeing feveral of thefe horfemen in the purfuit of an elk or ftag through the valleys. When the animal is driven from the woods, it flies, for fafety, to the neareft rocks. Some of these creatures are nearly as large, and ftrong, as the horfes that hunt them. The ftags are of two kinds; one called zuber, the fame with the German crownhirth, but fomewhat larger. The zuber is large and beautiful, and carries its head almoft upright as it runs; which prevents its horns being entangled with branches of trees. There are none of them in Ruffia, nor even in Siberia, except about the Baykall lake, and eastward from it; the places farther to the north being too cold for them. The elk is larger than the ftag, and ftronger made; having alfo long branchy horns, but a little flat. Tired with fport, we left the hills in the afternoon, and came down into a fine valley, where we pitched our tents, near a pure brook. The Taysha then ordered all all the dead game to be brought before him, and ranged in proper order. We found, that, this day, we had killed no lefs than five large elks, four ftags, a dozen roebucks, feveral wolves and foxes, befides fawns and hares. The Taysha caused the game to be divided among the huntfmen; who began immediately to drefs it, fome of them by boiling, others by broiling, and eat it without either bread, or falt. The tails of the ftags, which, by thefe people, are reckoned very delicate, fell to the Tayfha's fhare. He cut them into Alices, and eat them raw. I eat a bit of one of them, and thought it very palatable. The tafte refembled nothing fo much as that of fresh caviare. After we had feafted on variety of excellent venifon, for we had no other provifions, we went to reft, well fatisfied with the diverfion of the day. Our author gives the following account of the custom amongst the Mongall Tartars, of Jetting the grafs on fire, in the vaft plains of their country. The grafs is rank and thick, and, as the feafon is very dry, would, with little labour, make finds himself to the leeward of them, the only method, by which he can fave himself from their fury, is to kindle immediately the grafs where he ftands, and follow his own fire. For this purpofe, every perfon is provided with flints, fteel, and tinder. The reafon why the Mongalls fet fire to the grafs is to procure early pafture for their cattle. The afhes, left upon the ground, fink into the earth at the melting of the fnow, and prove an excellent manure; fo that the grafs, in the fpring, rifes on the lands, which have been prepared in this manner, as thick as a field of wheat. Caravans, travellers with merchandife, but efpecially armies, never encamp upon this rank grafs. And there are several instances of confiderable bodies of men being put in confufion, and even defeated, by the enemy's fetting fire to the grafs. Character of the Duke of Shrewsbury: From a book entitled, Thoughts, Effays, and Maxims, chiefly Religious and Political. By Charles Howard, Efq. of GreyStock, in Cumberland. Harles Talbot, duke of Shrewf often C guest an, fet on fire, by the Mongalls, in the fpring, during high winds. At fuch times it burns moft furiously, running like wild-fire, and fpreading its fames to the distance of perhaps ten or twenty miles, till its progrefs is interrupted by fome river or barren hill. The impetuofity of these flames, their fmoke and crackling noife, cannot eafily be conceived by thofe who have not feen them. When any perfon |