TO THE SIXTEENTH VOLUME OF THE MONTHLY REVIE W ENLARGED. FOREIGN LITERATURE. ART. I. Vogages de M. P. S. PALLAS, &c. i. e. Travels of Profeffor PALLAS in different Provinces of the Empire of Ruffia, and in Northern Afia; tranflated from the German, by M. GAUTHIER DE LA PEYRONIE, Secretary for Foreign Affairs. 4to. 5 Vols. with another of Maps and Plates. Paris. 1789-1793. 71. 175. 6d. De Boffe, London. T HE truly imperial defign fet on foot by the magnificent Catherine, for obtaining an exact account of the inhabitants and the natural and artificial productions of her vaft empire, in which fome of the ableft men in Europe were for many years employed, has already diffufed much copious and ufeful information among the learned in general:-but the works at large of the travellers themselves, having been shut up in the German language, long remained inacceffible to the greater part of readers throughout Europe. The publication before us offers, in the vehicle of a language which may almost be termed univerfal, the principal of thefe works,-that of the celebrated Profeffor PALLAS; fo well known for his accurate, various, and extenfive knowlege *. The tour, of which this is a detail, commencing in the fummer of 1768, did not terminate till July 1774. Its general course was fouth-eaftward, comprizing the provinces of Kafan and Orenburg, the borders of the Caspian Sea, the provinces of Onfa and Permia, Tobolfk, the courfe of the Irtifh, the government of Kolivan, the lake Baikal, and as far See Review, vols. lxiii. lxix. and lxxi. LI APP. REV. VOL. XVI. eaft eaft as the banks of the river Amour. The principal objects of his refearches were the manners and cuftoms, religions, languages and antiquities, of the feveral tribes and nations which he vifited; the natural productions of the countries, especially in the vegetable and mineral kingdoms; with the working of mines, and preparation of metals. On all these topics, we find many curious details in his voluminous narration, related with minute exactness, but generally in a manner better fuited to inftruction than entertainment. We fhall extract a few of thofe articles which we think will prove most agreeable to our readers; and, as only the last three volumes can now be confidered as a recent publication, we shall confine ourselves to the matter which they afford. They take up the writer at Tcheliabinfk, whence he proceeds eastward to the Altaifk mountains, and the river Irtifh. In the neighbourhood of this river, M. PALLAS procured a remarkable bird, the white crane, called Sterk by the Ruffians; which he thus defcribes: These cranes are more crafty than the common fpecies. As foon as they perceive a man, even at the greateft diftance, they immediately rife into the air and give the alarm: their cry refembles that of the fwan. They are nearly five feet in height when they ftretch themfelves out, fo that they fee a great way. The least noise in the rushes fcares them, and the fowlers are obliged to take the opportunity of approaching while they are bufy in watching for the little fifh on which they feed. They fear dogs lefs than men; infomuch that when they fee dogs on the banks, they run on them, and attack them with fury; forgetting that at the fame time they expose themfelves to the fowler. They attack men with equal rage while they have young, if any one approaches their nefts. In that cafe, they do not rife into the air, but defend their retreat with obstinacy; and their bulk, and very fharp cutting beak, render them dangerous. They make their nefts on little eminences covered with reeds in the midst of the rufhy marshes, and weave them with fmall rushes. The male and female fit and take care of their young alternately. They never lay more than two eggs; which are of the fize of that of a goofe, and are of a greenifh yellow, fpotted with brown. The young arrive nearly at their bulk in the first year, during which their feathers are of an ochre yellow, fomewhat white beneath; the head a little black near the bill. In the fecond year, they become white, having only the quill-feathers black. The head is red where divested of feathers, that is, as far as beneath the eyes; and it has little hairs of the fame colour. The skin, bill, and feet become red; the neck alone preferving fomewhat of a fiery yellow. This fhade is loft as they grow old, when they acquire all over the dazzling whitenefs of the iwan. These birds are found from the Uralik mountains to the Obi, but most frequently near the extenfive lakes and folitary moraffes of the heaths of Ifchimi and Barabini. They refort to the fouthern diftricts every fpring; at which period they have also been feen feen to cross the Cafpian Sea, but in fmall numbers; and it is to be prefumed that they pafs one by one, and rife very high in the air, fince they are fcarcely perceived. They are no where feen in flocks fo numerous as thofe of the common crane. It appears that the former travellers through Siberia have taken this bird for the white ftork, on account of the affinity of the Ruffian name, fterk: but it has been through the want of examining them with attention. The white ftork is not found in Siberia, but in Bukaria, where they build on roofs and chimnies as in Europe. Young ferks may be reared with common cranes, and live well with them; yet, though tame, they are apt to be mischievous, and readily attack children, to whom they are dangerous.' The veftiges of the works of that antient and unknown. people, the Thudes, at the rich mineral mountain of Schlangenberg, in the hilly country between the Obi and Irtifh, form a curious object of fpeculation. They are thus defcribed: • The antient labours of this nation in the Altaisk mountains prove what an induftrious race they were. It appears that the Thudes knew how to make a distinction between the upper and the lower ores of the Schlangenberg. They have wrought the rich and tender ores of ochre, and the clays of the furface of the foil, by deep rakes, and pits which they have carried more than five fathoms in depth. They were deftitute of means and tools to penetrate into the folid minerals. In the ftill exifting upper works, an excavation is found which has been filled up; a proof that they made an attempt to pierce into the hard fpar, and fucceeded fo far as to make a tunnel-shaped cavity. This fact may be certified, fince their tools have been found buried in the minerals of the new works. All their mining inftruments are of copper. Last year, one of their pick-axes of the fame metal was found at the depth of ten fathoms. As a proof that they were ig norant of iron, all the knives, poniards, points of arrows, and inftruments, buried in the antient fepulchres of the Tfhudes, exifting near the chain of mountains and in the heath washed by the Irtif, are of copper. Inftead of a hatchet, they made use of very hard ftones of an oval figure, round which they hollowed a groove, which doubtless ferved for fixing a thong, in order to use them more easily. Several of thefe ftone hatchets have been dug up. Some years ago, the entire skeleton of an old miner, half mineralized, was found among the ores. He had, without doubt, been buried by the falling in of the earth. A leathern fack filled with very rich ochre was found near the skeleton. All the marks that have been difcovered prove that these antient miners dug the ochres only in order to procure the gold which they contain. Between the mouth of the fhaft of Nadelda and the ftamping-mill near Zmiiefka, the ruins of their works have been found, extending more than 100 fathoms along the ftream. This proves that they here washed the fhlick of gold which they got from the pounded ochres and tender ores. Thefe ruins have been found ftill to contain metal enough to deferve being again ftamped and fubmitted to washing. • All these labours throw no light on the origin of the Thudes, called Tbudaki by the Siberian Ruffians. They would feem to have defcended L12 fcended neither from the Mongols nor the Tartars, fince these people have at all times known the preparation and smelting of iron, whereas they are still ignorant of that of copper, and the fine metals, and even of working their ores. It may be prefumed that this nation has been driven from its antient fettlement along the mountains of Siberia, and has been entirely extinguished by the migrations of the Mongols and Tartars. The magnificent tombs, furnished with gold and precious materials, which they poffeffed in great number in the pleasant mountains on the Yeniffey, prove that their principal refidence was there. The tools and ornaments found near that river are richer and better wrought than those on the Irtifh. The latter are clumfy, ill-made, and without ornament; and in this place very few rich tombs are found, most of them being only formed by heaping up stones or earth without order. The fepulchres furrounded by flabs are as rare here, as they are common near the Yeniffey. No traces are found of stone buildings, the origin of which can be attributed to this nation; whence it appears that they led a wandering life, which was likewife most proper for their mineral refearches; and very few places of this country seem to have escaped their fcrupulous examination. It is worth observing that the timber, found in the antient works of the Thudes among the minerals at three or four fathoms depth, was very brittle, and entirely mineralized. It had become impregnated with copper and filver. Several pieces were covered with native copper and gold, which formed a fine dust like fhlick, and a beautiful fuperficial cruft of pyrites.' The obfervations on the Oftiaks and Samoyedes, chiefly made by M. SoUJEF, whom Profeffor PALLAS detached on a feparate expedition to the mouth of the Obi and the adjacent tracts, contain fome new and curious particulars of those wretched people; though fuch as cannot but excite disgust in all who feel for human nature, under its worft ftate of degradation. The following fact, however, is too interefting to the moral and phyfiological hiftory of our fpecies, not to deferve felection: It is remarkable that the magicians, and a great number of the Samoyedes, have fomewhat frightful in their appearance: which is owing to the tention and extraordinary fenfibility of their fibres, proceeding from the climate, their mode of life, their imagination and prejudices. Perfons worthy of credit have affured me, that fimilar figures are found among the Tongufes and Kamtihadales; Major Iflenief tells me that they exist alfo among the Jakutfki, and I have feen them among the Buriats and the Tartars of the Yeniffey, but lefs frightful. If they be touched ever fo flightly in the flanks, or any other fenfible part, or alarmed with a fudden cry or whittle, a dream, &c. the wretched creatures are thrown befide themfelves, and fall into a kind of frenzy. This rifes to fuch a pitch among the Samoyedes and Jakutfki, whofe nervous fyftem and fibres are extremely fenfible, that in the paroxyfm they feize knife, hatchet, or whatever comes in their way, in order to maffacre the perfon who has occafioned it, or any other whom they may meet; and they can only be mallered mastered by forcibly difarming them. When prevented from fatiating their rage, they ftrike with the hands and feet, howl, roll on the ground, &c. The Samoyedes and Oltiaks have an excellent method of curing thefe maniacs; they kindle a bit of raindeer's skin, or a tuft of its hair, and make them inhale the fmoke through their noftrils. The patient immediately falls into a drowfinefs and laffitude, which usually lafts twenty-four hours, when he entirely recovers his fenfes. This remedy throws more light than any thing elfe on the caufe of the malady. M. SOU JEF faw near the Obi a female fchaman or magician, whom age had obliged to quit her profeffion. The leaft whistling, even that of the wind through a crevice, terrified her. He faw, among thofe Samoyedes who accompanied him to the Frozen Ocean, a woman almoft as eafily frightened. He met with a young Samoyede magician in his journey this year through Mangazeia. As foon as this perfon perceived him, he was thrown into confufion, thinking they were going to ftrike him. When the end of a finger was prefented to him, he feized it with both his hands to defend himfelf, and then fled as faft as he could run. He refumed courage as foon as the interpreter told him that he had nothing to fear. After having mollified him with careffes, they fuddenly put a black glove on one of his hands. He contemplated it with haggard eyes, and then fell into fuch a fit of frenzy, that the confequence might have been fatal to thofe who were near him, if they had not inftantly taken away the hatchet that hung at his fide. Not being able to accomplish his violent intention, he began to run, howling at the fame time, and shaking his hand to get rid of the glove, which he took for a bear's paw, and durft not touch with the other hand. He ftruggled much, but they fecured him by force, and took off the glove; when he gradually became compofed.' The fubfequent journey of M. PALLAS eastward to the remote country called Dacuria, beyond the lake Baikal, affords. a variety of curious matter, from which we fhall extract fome zoological obfervations: 6 A furprizing circumftance is the abundance of field-rats in all the level plains between the Ingoda and Argun. The blackifh fpecies, of which I give the defcription in Append. No. 4. under the name of Mus Oeconomus, is particularly remarked. It is alfo found near the Yeniffey, and in the heaths of Barabinski and Ifchimi; but it is lefs abundant in thefe districts. This animal makes itfelf wide burrows under the turf, with galleries which communicate with other holes. The latter ferve for magazines to ftore the roots that are to fupport it during the winter. It takes care to clean them well before it lays them up. Thefe rats commonly live by pairs, and it is rare to find more together in winter. It is scarcely to be conceived how two little animals can draw fuch a great quantity of roots beneath the turf, which is very compact, and can accumulate fuch heaps in their burrows. One of their magazines often contains eight or ten pounds of clean roots; and feveral burrows have five magazines. The rats often forage at a confiderable distance. In the places of their frequent refort, holes are feen in the turf, which indicate whence they L13 have |