diarrhea, occafioned moft probably by the moisture of their pasture and of the feafon. This disease, for which no remedy has been found, makes them languish for fix months or more. They are in general fo delicate, that a flight wound or blow often prove fatal to them. Befides, no animal is fo much tormented with infects, and they often die in fummer of thofe they fwallow in eating the leaves of the oak and of the birch. The mele prafcarabæus, which covers all the plants in many of those places where they feed, is generally fatal to them. In fpring, when they caft their hair, and which falls at once from every part of their body, they are exposed to the bite of the Spider-fcorpion, an animal very common in fouthern countries. The wound inflicted by this infect on the skin thus naked, is fo venomous, that the camel dies of it in less than eight days, fometimes in three. winter, and efpecially after rutting time, which happens at the end of March, the camels become lean and weak; the bunch upon their back grows flabby, and hangs down upon the fide, nor does it recover its plumpnefs till fummer.

In

Camels milk is thick, unctuous, and of a faltish taste, especially when the animals frequent paftures abounding with faline plants; and this laft property makes the Kalmucs fond of it to tea. They make use of the hair for ftuffing cushions, and for making ropes, packthread, and felt. It may be wrought into the most beautiful camlets, or into the fineft and fofteft cloths. The camels with two bunches are a very uneafy feat to the person who mounts them; their trot is fo heavy, and even their walk fo rude, that he receives the moft violent fhocks at every step.

When a Kalmuc Horde intends to remove in fearch of fresh pasture, which in fummer neceffarily happens every four, fix, or eight, days, peo,

ple are in the first place difpatched to reconnoitre the beft place for the Khan or Prince, for the lama, and for the huts containing the idols. Thefe begin the march, and are followed by the whole troop, each choofing for himself the place he thinks moft convenient. The camel that is loaded with the most precious furniture is decorated with little bells, the rest march in a string one behind another, and the bulls with burdens are driven on before. On thefe days the women and girls dress themselves in their best clothes, and lay on abundance of paint. They have the charge, together with the boys, of leading the flocks and the beafts of burden; and on the road they beguile the tedioufnefs of the journey with their fongs.

The Kalmucs are fupplied by their flocks with milk, cheese, butter, and flesh, which are the principal articles of their food. With regard to the laft, they are fo little fqueamish, that they not only eat the flesh of their own difeafed cattle, but that of almoft every fort of wild beast, and the poor will even feed upon carion. They eat, however, the roots and ftalks of many plants; fuch as the bulbous-rooted chervil and dandelion, &c. which they use both boil. ed and raw.

Their ordinary drink is the milk of mares or cows; but the former is for feveral reafons preferred. This, when fresh, has indeed a very difa. greeable tafte of garlic; but befides that it is much thinner than cowmilk, it takes as it grows four a very agreeable vinous flavour; it yields neither cream nor curd, but furnifhes a very wholfome refreshing beverage, which fenfibly enebriates when taken to excefs. They never make use of new milk, and ftill lefs of milk or of water that have not been boiled. Their milk is boiled as foon as it is t-ken from the animal when it is cold it is poured into a

large

large leathern bag, in which there remains as much of the old milk as is fufficient to turn the new quantity four, for they never think of cleanfing thofe bags; and as the infide is lined with a cruft depofited by the cafeous part of the milk and other impurities, it is eafy to imagine that a naufeous smell muft exhale from them. But this is precifely the circumftance in which the fecret confifts of communicating to the milk a vinous fermentation.

In fummer, and as often as the Kalmucs procure much milk from their flocks, they never fail to intoxicate themselves continually with the fpirituous liquor which they know how to diftil from it. Mares-milk is the most fpirituous; and the quantity meant to be diftilled remains twenty-four hours in fummer, and three or four days in winter, in thofe corrupted bags we mentioned, to prepare it for the operation. The cream is left, but the butter which forms at top is taken off and referved for other purposes. Cows-milk yields one-thirtieth part, and mares-milk one-fifteenth part, of fpirit. This liquor is limpid and very watery, and confequently does not take fire, but is capable of being long kept in glafs bottles. The rich Kalmucs increase its ftrength by a fecond diftillation.

These people are exceedingly fond of tea and tobacco. The former is fo dear, as it comes to them from China by the way of Ruffia, that the poor people fupply its place with various wild plants; fuch as a fpecies of liquorice, the feed of the sharpleaved dock, the roots of wild angelica, and the feed of the Tartarian maple.

The Kalmucs are excellent horfe

151

of mail, which coft fifty horses, and their helmets are gilded at top. They are fond of falconry, and hunting of all forts is their principal amufement. Their paffion for play, especially with those who play cards, is carried to as great excels among them as in any other nation.

The greater part of their time is fpent in diverfions; and however miferable their manner of life may feem to us, they are perfectly happy with it. They cannot endure for any time the air of a close room; and think our custom of living in houfes infupportable. The greatest part of them, notwithstanding of the apparent unhealthinefs of their way. of life, arrive at a vigorous old age; their diseases are neither frequent nor dangerous. Men of eighty or an hundred years old are not uncommon; and at that age they can ftill very well endure the exercise of riding. Simple food, the free air which they conftantly breathe, a hardy vigorous conftitution, continual exercise without fevere labour, and a mind free from care, are the natural causes of their health and longevity.

It is very remarkable, that a migratory people, whose manner of life feems fo congruous to the natural liberty of mankind, fhould have been fubjected from time immemorial to the unlimited authority of an absolute fovereign. The Monguls of Afia afford the only inftance of it; for neither written records nor ancient tradition have preferved the smallest trace of their ever having enjoyed a ftate of independence. On the contrary, they acknowledge that they have at all times been subject to Khans and Princes, whofe authority has been tranfmitted to them by fucceffion, and is confidered as a right perfectly established, facred, and divine,

Com

IT

T cannot be denied, that with the external fenfes many of the brute creation are endowed, in common with man, with feveral faculties of a more refined nature. Some people, whether from a high opinion of other animals, or a humble one of human nature, I fhall not take upon me to fay, have ftruggled hard to bring the one as near to the other as they could, or put them quite upon a level, if poffible.

By thofe advocates for the brute creation we are told, that they are actuated by the paflions of fear, of grief, of joy, of anger, and of jealoufy, as well as men; that they poffels the virtues of fidelity and gratitude in a higher degree.

That the greatest heroes have not furpaffed them in courage; that they even difplay that quality, independent of any advantage to be acquired, and from no apparent motive, but a generous fpirit of emulation, and a difdain of turning their backs upon danger.

That they affectionately tend, and carefully provide for their young; and with a prudent attention to their own future welfare, they prepare for the fcarcity of winter, by carefully heaping up provifions during the a

bundance of summer.

That to avoid the inconveniences and feverity of northern winters, they cross vaft defarts and feas in fearch of more genial climes; and prompted by a predilection, a patriotic attachment, they return at the approach of fummer to their native country.

That they uniformly follow that plan of life which is most fuitable to

their refpective natures, and never mifled by vain hopes and fantastic defires, deviate, like man, into the paths which lead to mifery and remorfe.

That they are not obliged, as men are, to fearch after remedies for their diftempers, by dangerous trials. and laborious experience, nor to truit the care of their healths to a combination of felfish mercenaries; but when by accident they are fick, which is feldom the cafe, they find their cure at once, by an intuitive faculty, without any trouble.

After having admitted, in its fulleft extent, every fair comparison that can be made between man and the most perfect of the other animals, acknowledging that both have bodies: of matter organized in many respects alike; that the bodies of both are made up of bones, muscles, and bloodveffels, organs of respiration, circulation, and digestion; that both have, brain and nerves apparently of the fame fubftance and texture; that in both thofe are the organs of will, of fenfation, and of motion; that both poffefs five fenfes of the same nature, and have a resemblance in many of their appetites and inclinations; after all thofe conceffions, the inter nal faculties of the most intelligent of the brute creation will be found,, upon a juft eftimation, at a prodigious diftance beneath those of men.

The actions of the one feeming to proceed from the impulfe of fome want, the incitement of some appetite, or fome controlling fpring with in them, which obliges them to perform the fame thing in the fame manner; all their boasted works, the

la

- Notwithstanding the analogy which has been pointed out in the structure of animals, which is thought to be continued by a gradual and almost unbroken chain of connection from man down to the most infenfible of the animal world, and from thence carried equally entire through the

vegetable, this analogy is in the bodily ftructure only; for when we turn our reflections to the reasoning faculties of man, and the endowments of the human foul, the diftance between this and the highest intelligence of any other animal is infinite.

To the greateft part of our readers it must be known, that John Cafpar Lavater of Zurich in Swit zerland has rendered his name famous by his work on the fubject of phyfiognomy a work in which, from the traits of the human countenance, he pretends to teach us how to form an accurate judgment of the internal character, or natural difpofitions and abilities of those with whom we converfe. Although it cannot be affirmed that in this work he has entirely fatisfied the curiofity of his readers, he has at leaft given many proofs of extraordinary genius and fagacity. We therefore hope the following character of this fingular philofopher, tranflated from Profeffor Meiners's Letters on Switzerland, just publish ed, will be generally acceptable.

I can fay more of Lavater, and with more confidence, than of any other learned man in Zurich, my old friend Profeffor Hottinger excepted, having spent the greateft part of the three laft days, and the whole of yesterday with him. Lavater is one of the few men whom I have been acquainted with, who is little folicitous to hide his faults, and ftill lefs anxious to make his merits known With regard to his moral character, it is impoffible to fpeak too highly of it, as his very oppo nents, thofe at leaft with whom I am acquainted, allow that his life and manners are blamelefs. A warm de

fire to advance the honour of God, and the good of his fellow-creatures, is, without a doubt, the principal feature in his character, and the leading motive of all he does. Next to thefe his characteristic virtues are an indefatigable placability, and an inexhauftible love for his enemies. I have often heard him talk of the talents, merits, and good qualities of his opponents, with the fame warmth as if he had been talking of the vir tues of his greatest friends. Nay, I have been a witness to his excufing his enemies, and uttering wishes for their welfare in fuch a manner, as to me, and I am perfuaded to every unprejudiced perfon, carried not the fmaileft mark of affectation along with it. I am perfuaded too that these sentiments coft him very little, but are more the fruit of his nature than of any troublesome exertion. Not a blameable word of any kind, not a fingle expreffion of impatience of the numberlefs afflictions he has ftrug-. gled and ftill has to ftruggle with, ever escaped him in my prefence. On the contrary, he is perfuaded that all thefe trials are for his good, and will terminate in his happiness. Of his talents and merits of all kinds he thinks much more modeftly than his ridiculous admirers. He freely confeffes that his want of the knowledge of ancient languages, and feveral other ufeful branches of knowledge, has been a great hindrance to

him,