fection, which by being improved and extended, becomes the fource of pure and enlarged benevolence. It is obfervable, however, that children are capable of only a fuperficial acquaintance with each other's fentiments, and cannot enter into them with that minuteness which is incident to perfons of more advanced experience. This, perhaps, occafions that general resemblance of difpofition, with many particular differences, which is fo often obfervable in perfons of the fame family. The profeffion of life in which young perfons are engaged alfo, muft undoubtedly have a very confiderable influence on the general character. Thofe daily purfuits which occupy the chief attention of youth during à courfe of years, muft not only cause an aptitude and facility in those particular pursuits, but muft give a peculiar turn to the genius and temper. Thofe occupations which are moft liberal and useful, are certainly to be preferred, as promotive of a liberal and benevolent fpirit. Next to the more liberal and useful profeffions, thofe which occupy the least time and attention are, perhaps, on fome accounts to be preferred. There are, however, advantages and difadvantages attending moft profeffions, even with refpect to the main end of life, which is the formation of a virtuous character. Even the liberal arts and sciences, which are the immediate avenues to knowledge and refinement, too often occafion a mixture of oftentation and vanity, which, however, fhould be prevented by the fuperior wifdom, and which it is their object to inftil. Thofe occupations which may be considered as the more immediately useful, fuch as the employments of agriculture, are perhaps, in general, thofe which occupy the least time and attention; but on that account may occafion a liftlefs inactivity of mind, which, if not corrected by fome hours of clofe application, may introduce an habitual dulness and infenfibility. Thofe occu pations which engrofs the attention entirely, fometimes with a continual hurry of thought, occafion a quick but fuperficial turn of thinking, which requires correction A a 3 from from fome hours of recreation, for deliberate reflection and reading. Thus have I attempted to enumerate fome of the more immediate caufes which contribute to the formation of the human character. Still far is the important fubject from being exhaufted. I may therefore refume it in fome future Number of this Mifcellany, which is happily devoted to the inftruction and entertainment of the rifing generation. P. OF THE ANCIENT STATE OF THE NATIVES OF KĄMTSCHATKA, EFORE the Ruffian conqueft they lived in perfect B freedom, having no chief, being fubject to nor paying any taxes; the old men, or those who are remarkable for their bravery, bearing the principal authority in their villages, though none had any right to command or inflict punishment. Although in outward appearance they refemble the other inhabitants of Siberia, yet the Kamtfchadales differ in this, that their faces are not fo long as the other Siberians, their cheeks ftand more out, their teeth are thick, their mouth large, their ftature middling, and their fhoulders broad, particularly thofe people who inhabit the fea-coast, Their manner of living is flovenly to the laft degree; they never wash their hands nor face, nor cut their nails; they eat out of the fame difh with the dogs, which they never wash; every thing about them ftinks of fifh; they never comb their heads, but both men and wo men plait their hair in two locks, binding the ends with fmall ropes; when any hair starts out, they fow it with threads to make it lie clofe; by this means they have fuch a quantity of lice that they can fcrape them off by handfuls, and they are nafty enough even to eat them. Thofe that have not natural hair fufficient wear falfe locks, fometimes as much as weigh ten pounds, which makes their heads look like a haycock. They They have extraordinary notions of God, of fins, and good actions. Their chief happiness consists in idleness and fatisfying their natural lufts and appetites; these incline them to finging, dancing, and relating of love ftories. Their greateft unhappiness or trouble is the want of these amufements: they fhun this by all me. thods, even at the hazard of their lives, for they think it more eligible to die than to lead a life that is difagreeable to them; which opinion frequently leads them to felf-murder. This was fo common after the conqueft, that the Ruffians had great difficulty to put a stop to it. They are chiefly employed in providing what is abfolutely neceffary for the prefent, and take no care for the future. They have no notion of riches, fame, or honour; therefore covetoufnefs, ambition, and pride, are unknown among them. On the other hand, they are careless, luftful, and cruel: thefe vices occafion frequent quarrels and wars among them, fometimes with their neighbours, not from a defire of increafing their power, but from fome other caufes; fuch as carrying off their provifions, or rather their girls, which is fre quently practifed as the most fummary method of procuring a wife. Their trade is likewise not so much calculated for the acquifition of riches as for procuring the neceffaries and conveniencies of life. They fell the Koreki fables, fox and white dog skins, dried mushrooms, or such trifles; and receive in exchange cloaths made of deer-fkins and other hides: among themselves they exchange what they abound with for what they want, as dogs, boats, dishes, troughs, nets, hemp, yarn, and provifions. This kind of barter is carried on under a great fhew of friendship; for when one wants any thing that another has, he goes freely to vifit him, and without any ceremony makes known his wants, although perhaps he never had any acquaintance with that perfon before: the landlord is obliged to behave according to the custom of the country; and bringing whatever his guest has occafion for, gives it to him. He afterwards returns the vifit, and muft must be received in the fame manner; so that both parties have their wants supplied. Their manners are quite rude: they never use any civil expreffion or falutation; never take off their caps, or falute one another; and their discourse is stupid, and betrays the moft confummate ignorance; and yet they are in fome degree curious, and inquifitive upon many occafions. They have filled almost every place in heaven and earth with different spirits, which they both worship and fear more than God: they offer them facrifices upon every occafion, and fome carry little idols about them, or have them placed in their dwellings; but, with regard to God, they not only neglect to worship him; but, in cafe of troubles and misfortunes, they curfe and blafpheme him. They keep no account of their age, though they can count as far as one hundred; but this is fo troublesome to them, that without their fingers they do not tell three. It is very diverting to fee them reckon more than ten ; for having reckoned the fingers of both hands they clafp them together, which fignifies ten; they then begin with their toes, and count to twenty; after which they are quite confounded, and cry, Matcha ? that is, Where fhall I take more. They reckon ten months in the year, fome of which are longer and fome fhorter; for they do not divide them by the changes of the moon, but by the order of particular occurrences that happen in thofe regions, as may be feen by the following table: ift Purifier of fins; for in this month they have a holiday for the purification of all their fins.-zd. Breaker of hatchets, from the great froft.-3d. Beginning of heat. 4th. Time of the long day.-5th. Preparing month.6th. Red fifh month.-7th. White fish month.-8th. Kaiko fifh month.-9th. Great white fish month.-10th. Leaf falling month. This laft month continues to the month of November, or that of the purification, and it is the length of almoft three months; however, these names of the months are not the fame every where, but are are only proper to the inhabitants upon the river Kamt fchatka: the inhabitants of the northern parts give them different names, such as,—ift. The month of the rivers freezing. 2d. Hunting month.-3d. Purifier of fins.-4th. Breaker of hatchets, from the great froft.-5th. Time of the long day.-6th. Sea beavers' puppying time.-7th. Sea calves' puppying time.-8th. Time when the tame deer bring forth their young.—9th. When their wild deer bring forth.-10th. Beginning of the fishery. Their divifion of time is pretty fingular; they commonly divide our year into two, fo that winter is one year, and fummer another; the fummer year begins in May, and the winter in November. They do not diftinguish the days by any particular appellation, nor form them into weeks or months, nor yet know how many days are in the month or year. They mark their epochs by fome remarkable thing or other, fuch as the arrival of the Ruffians, the great rebellion, or the first expedition to Kamfchatka. They have no writings, nor hieroglyphic figures, to preferve the memory of any thing; fo that all their knowledge depends upon tradition, which foon becomes uncertain and fabulous in regard to what is long past. They are ignorant of the caufes of eclipfes, but when they happen, they carry fire out of their huts, and pray the luminary eclipsed to shine as formerly. They know only three conftellations; the Great Bear, the Pleiades, and the three stars in Orion; and give names only to the principal winds. Their laws in general tend to give fatisfaction to the injured perfon. If any one kills another, he is to be killed by the relations of the perfon flain. They burn the hands of people who have been frequently caught in theft, but for the first offence the thief must restore what he bath ftolen, and live alone in folitude, without expecting any affiftance from others. They think they can punish an undiscovered theft by burning the finews of the ftone-buck in a public meeting with great cere |