he might fucceed in every purfuit: at prefent he excells only at chefs. The men are robuft and vigorous; the women feldom elegantly fhaped, but with a beautiful complexion, a seducing tone of voice and manners, can feldom be feen with indifference. In the midst of froft they have a conftitution of fire, and the electrical fluid, fo copious in their atmosphere, feems to compenfate for the fun of the more fouthern climates. The education of the Ruffian women is not strict; and, fond as they are of ornaments, from almoft their childhood, the price of their charms is faid to he employed in gratifying their defires for fplendor. Their drefs is faid chiefly to confift of filks and cottons of the most brilliant colours. They employ neither wool nor flax, though the productions of their country; but a Ruffian woman is a flave, and flaves have no country. In the districts remote from the great roads, fome exceptions are to be found: ' man, who approaches nature, is always good, and he is corrupted in proportion to the extent of his focial intercourfe.' While our author blames the Ruffians, he acknowledges their attentions, and their predilection for French manners, and their facility in learning the French, and indeed all other languages. The Ruffian language, which we fhould fuppofe as rude as their climate, is foft and flexible, learned with cafe, in its conftruction not unlike the Greek, and, from the number of diminutives, infinitely graceful from a female mouth.' The language of the Tartars is reprefented, on the contrary, as difguftingly harsh. These people, who are feattered over Siberia in many different hordes, and live under the protection of Ruffia, may be divided into two different branches': thofe on the weft of Yeniffei are Mahometans, apply to agriculture and commerce, are verfed in mining and the extraction of metals, speaking a dialect of the Arabic: thofe on the eaft are Nomades, idolaters, live in tents, speaking the Mongal language, which is as harsh as their manners are gentle. Those beyond the Ruthian limits are accused of robbery and murder, but our author is not particularly acquainted with their manners or their merits.

The Mahometan Tartars of the Ruffian cities inhabit diftinct quarters, which are always the beft built and the most agreeable. The greater number feem to live eafily: their beds are often adorned with coverlets of filk, and their tea is ferved in elegant and expenfive veffels. Though they rarely admit men to visit their women, our author had an opportunity of feeing fome of them without veils, who appeared to be beautiful their hufbands were their interpreters, but M. Patrin feemed to have obferved a neatnefs in their anfwers, a juftness of thinking, as well as cafe of manners. At Tomík our author was acquainted with many Tartars, whofe candour and honefty left on his mind a pleafing impreffion. 003

The

The eastern Tartars are the Bouraites, the Tongonfes, and the Mongales. The different hordes are much alike: they are fhepherds, live in tents on milk, and wear the fkins of their flocks, which their women prepare with fkill. Their religion is faid to resemble idolatry, like all those where natural beings are worshipped; but they acknowledge a fupreme being, like all other religions, becaufe man in every fituation has nearly the fame ideas more or lefs expanded.' Their chief is the Delai Lama, the priest and fovereign of an extenfive country, on the frontiers of China, with the nature of whofe pretenfions and government we have had opportunities of being lately better acquainted, Their lamas, M. Patrin, with his ufual complaifance, tells us, are better informed than we might expect; and many of them reafon with an accuracy that would aftonifh thofe who fuppofe that reafoning is only learned in the íchools.

I have seen on the hills which rife over the deserts, that the Tartars inhabit the places of prayer, a kind of temple in all the rude fimplicity of nature. They are cones about thirty feet in height, formed by an affemblage of young pines tranf ported from the neighbouring forefts, around which the skins of animals are fufpended. Thefe are offerings made to the fupreme being, but fuperftition, fo natural to man, foon made them objects of adoration. I fee nothing very extraordinary in this, but I was particularly ftruck with an emblem by which they exprefs the immenfity of the fupreme being, whom they call the Great Bang. Wherever I obferved their religious mo numents, I faw, extending from the cone, four ranges of piled ftones, fome hundreds of toifes in length, in the direction of the four cardinal points, This was not the effect of chance; I often verified them with the compafs in my hand. I afked a lama what they fignified. Does not the Great Being, he replied, breathe from the different quarters of the univerfe, and muft we not reply to his almighty breath by our prayers? Look at these prayers, they are written. I actually faw fome letters traced, and the idea appeared fublime.'

To religious fentiments fo grand and fimple, the Tartars join the most auftere manners, During his whole refidence with them, our author never faw any thing to raise a blush on the chafteft cheek. The Ruffians, though lefs difcreet, refpect this feverity; and the ftranger, who would affront a woman, would pay the forfeit of his life. Adultery is very rare among them, and it is punifhed in fuch a manner, as, without apparent cruelty, to infpire dread. The culprits are dragged to the centre of the foreft, and left with a bow and arrows, but without a horfe; and thus abandoned to their deftiny, for the Tartar, used to riding, cannot walk far, and the exiles are never found to return. C Perhaps, adds our author, if the fimilar

offenders

Tenders in our own country were obliged to live constantly together without any other fociety, the punishment would appear more dreadful than death.

Notwithstanding the feverity of their manners, the Tartars are hofpitable. In every place I was treated as a friend; and I loved to live in their tents: I breathed there the air of liberty." The fondnefs of the Tartars for ftrangers arifes from the curiefity natural to this race: they love novelty, and observe with attention and accuracy. Our author's herbal, and his evening employment of arranging his plants, was examined with a refpectful attention: they confidered them as offerings to the Great Being. The notes annexed to the foffils and vegetables were fuppofed to be prayers; nor would they be convinced of the contrary when undeceived. Properly reprefented, this might be confidered as a refined fatire, and a Tartarian lama might draw an excellent leffon from the futility of fuch anxious attention paid exclufively to the tranfitory objects of this lower world. The following dialogue is curious and characteristic.

M. Patrin went into a Tartar tent, near the river Amour, to drink his tea, and faw an old man and a young woman broiling fome meat. I was curious to tafte it, doubting what it might be, and afked the young woman for a part. She fmiled and replied, fpeaking the Ruffian language imperfectly, "this is not good for you." Surprised at the refufal, contrary to their cuttom, I asked the reafon. It is horfe-flefh," the answered." Well, it is of no confequence, I wish to tafte it."-"What (faid the old man with much aftonishment,) you are not a Ruffian then?" "No, I am a Frenchman." "Thy country then is far from hence, for I never heard of it, and it must be poor, as thou comeft fo far for food." "No, no, my friend, my country is excellent, and unites many advantages: it is curiofity alone that brought me here to examine the ftones of your mountains and the plants of your deferts."—" Oh, Oh, (cried the old man) the Ruflians fay that the Tartars are curious, but the French feem much more fo—are there not many Tartars in France?"

The wandering life of thefe Nomades is adapted for the chace, and makes one of their principal occupations; but they fcarcely quit the plains: they cannot climb the mountains, where the fineft fables are found. The Ruffian exiles were formerly employed in this talk; but the precious animals are fo rare, that their labour is found more valuable in the mines. Some free Ruffians ftill purfue this prey; and, from a defire of gain, voluntarily embrace a mode of life to which no tyrant would dare to condemn them. With a fack of flour, a little falt, and a kettle to drefs thefe miferable aliments, two fnowfhoes, a carbine, and a tinder-box, the hunter fets out in the middle of the winter, when the furs are fineft and most va

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luable. He buries himfelf three months in the most defert and frightful folitudes, traverses rocks and precipices, expofed by day to a cold of which we can have no idea in these climates, and paffing the night in the tents, covered with fnow, where he is fhut up as in a tomb.' The cold of Siberia is little inferior to that which freezes mercury, and fometimes furpaffes it, M. Patrin defcribes the refpiration in this degree of cold, as if the lungs were filled with boiling oil, and even in the closest carriages, this very acute air almoft fuffocates. The extremes of cold, in almost all their effects on the body, resemble those of heat.

The fummer is ftill worfe: the marshes exhale a peftilential odour of fulphur; the road is obftructed by rivers highly dangerous; legions of infects torment day and night both man and horfe; a fharp falt duft, as black as coal, produced from the turfy foil of this country, fills the air, irritates the lungs, and inflames the eyes, fo that the greater part of the inhabitants are almost blind. The flies often infeft men and horfes with their united fury; but in general they have their distinct times of appearing. The gnats come on with the fun, bite fharply, and fill the eyes, nofe, mouth, and ears. At ten is the time of the midges; and they fix on the horses, fo that their brilliant wings appear like fhining scales covering the tortured animal. At four the gnats appear again, and are fucceeded at fun-fet by the gad-flies, almoft as diftrefling by their buzzing noife as by their ftings. We fhall conclude our Article with the author's advice to the young naturalift who may wish to travel in thefe inhofpitable regions.

Courage, young man, who art zealous in the ftudy of Na ture, and wish to examine her own works, the only ones which never deceive! Approach the western entrance of Siberia; you will have scarcely traverfed the rural mountains, when, in turning fouthward, you will find Orembourg: you will there find the Bucharian merchants who bring to this mart the pro ductions of their country, and the north of India. Sometimes the Indian merchants come with them: all understand the Ruffian language, which, in travelling through the country, you will have already acquired, fince it is fo eafy. You will join the caravans of the Bucharians and thofe Indians, who are the gentleft of men: with them, by eafy and fafe journeys, you will travel through countries yet unvifited but by the English cou riers who carry dispatches to the government of India: thefe happy countries, where Nature, always alive and active, will prefent more new objects in each degree of latitude, than I have met with in 115 degrees of longitude. You will return with your hands filled with new treasures, enrich your country by the most valuable knowledge, and merit its efteem, the most pleafing recompence for a true citizen,'

OCCA

OF

FOREIGN LITERATURE,

THE

FRANCE,

HE fecond volume of the Hiftoire de France, reprefentée par Figures, the engravings by M. David, the discourses by M. l'abbe Guyot, has appeared at Paris in 4to. M. David has already diftinguished himself by an engraved History of England, by his Antiquities of Herculaneum, Etrufcan Antiquities, and Mufeum of Florence. The abbe Guyot has fhewn confiderable talents and elocution in difplaying those portions of history which are proper for a work of this kind,

The character of Childeric III. the last monarch of the first race, may give the reader fome idea of our author's manner. Debafed by pleasure, Childeric feemed to lofe nothing, when he defcended from the throne, and hardly did he retain a flight fenfation of his former dignity. A kind of moral decrepitude had prepared his fall; and the king was fo naturally extinguished in him, that at the moment when he was ftripped of his royalty, he fcarcely perceived his defçent to private life. Force had occafioned the greatnefs of Clovis, religion had confecrated it: force ftripped his defcendant, and the abuse of religious principles applauded the ufurper who degraded them. Thus commonly kings, as well as empires, defcribe and limit their own circles.'

This volume clofes with the fall of the second race, a chief caufe of which event was the system of hereditary feuds. M. Guyot's picture of the feudal fyftem well merits transcription. 'Let us imagine, fays he, a ftar which, being at first folitary, draws imperiously along with it in its revolution all the furrounding space; which afterwards fuffering to escape a confiderable portion of the elements which compofe it, gives birth to inferior stars, that form particular revolutions without quit ting the general circle. Let us imagine that, by a fucceffive emanation, new ftars are produced from the others, which have alfo their feparate motion, although drawn on by their fuperior ftars; and that, by a new fubdivifion, thofe give birth to others of lefs importance, which in the complication of

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