A

and stuns, with its thundering noise, the inhabitants of all the adjacent regions, to the distance of many miles. lake, distinguished by such bold and singular features, fills all who behold it with astonishment and awe; and is regarded by the superstitious inhabitants of the country around it with great veneration. They dignify it with the name of the Holy Sea; and to call it simply a lake, they consider such a degree of profaneness as cannot fail to provoke the immediate vengeance of heaven.

TOBOLSK.

The

Tobolsk, the chief city of Siberia, is situated on the Irtisch, at the junction of the Tobol, and contains 16,000 inhabitants. It is the thoroughfare for the trade of Siberia, and hither are brought all the furs collected as tribute. It consists of two parts, upper and lower towns. principal public edifices are in the upper town, and are of stone; the dwelling houses are of wood. The buildings being white and the cupolas gilded, and having a high situation, make a very fine appearance at a distance. The lower town is built of wood, and is subject to inundation.

Tobolsk has long been noted as a place of banishment; and a large part of the inhabitants consist of descendants of exiles sent hither for their crimes, or for offences against the Russian government, or sometimes on the mere caprice of despotism.

ASTRACHAN.

Astrachan, the principal town of Asiatic Russia, is situated on the Wolga, about 50 miles above its entrance into the Caspian sea, and contains about 70,000 inhabitants. The public buildings are mostly of stone or brick; the private houses generally of wood. It is the centre of an

extensive trade between Europe and Asia; by means of the river Wolga and the Caspian sea, merchandise may be exchanged between Persia and India, and the ports of the Baltic. The manufactures also are extensive, particularly of silk, also gunpowder and salt. Astrachan was anciently the capital of a kingdom belonging to the Mongol Tartars.

CIRCASSIANS AND GEORGIANS.

Character and Mode of Living.

The Circassians and Georgians inhabit the Caucasian country situated between the Black and Caspian seas. They are warlike people, partially civilized, nominally subject to Russia; their chief pride is placed in their arms and horses. A part of the Circassians have professed Christianity, and part of them Mahometanism; but their religion is chiefly paganism. They speak the same language as the neighbouring Tartars. The chiefs and knights pursue ordinarily no other business or recreation, than war, pillage, and the amusements of the chase. The lower orders are kept in subjection to their masters, and are considered as hereditary property.

The Circassians usually dwell in small villages, which they, from time to time, desert. Their houses are in the form of oblong squares, from 20 to 30 feet in length, and 9 in breadth. The walls are made of wicker work, carefully plastered on both sides with clay. The male and. female parts of the family occupy separate apartments; and generally with regard to their villages, houses, clothes, and diet, much attention is paid to order and cleanliness.

Persons, Dress, &c.

The Circassians are a handsome race of people. The men are generally of a tall stature, thin form, but Herculean structure, and martial appearance: they are slender about the loins, have a small foot, and uncommon strength in the arms. "We went,” says Dr. Clarke, “to examine more minutely a crowd of Circassians of the lower order. The representations made of the natives in the South seas, do not picture human nature in a moresavage state. Instructed from their infancy to consider war and plunder not only as necessary, but as an honourable occupation, they bear in their countenance a most striking expression of ferocious valour, of cunning, suspicion, and distrust. Their bodies, especially their legs, feet, and arms, are, for the most part, naked. They wear no shirt, and only a pair of coarse, ragged drawers, reaching a little below the knee. Over their shoulders they

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carry, even during the greatest heat of summer, a thick and heavy coat of felt, or the hide of a goat, with the hair on the outside, which reaches below the waist. Under this covering appear the sabre, bow, and quiver, musket, and other weapons. The peasants, as well as their princes, shave the head, and cover it with a skull

cap.

"The beauty of features and form, for which the Circassians have so long been celebrated, is certainly very prevalent among them. Their noses are aquiline, their eye-brows arched and regular, their mouths small, their teeth remarkably white, and their ears not so large nor so prominent as among the Tartars; though, from wearing the head.shaven, they appear to disadvantage, according to our European notions. They are well shaped, and very light limbed, being generally of middle size, seldom exceeding five feet eight or nine inches. Their women are, perhaps, the most beautiful in the world. Those whom we saw, and who were the accidental captives of war, carried off with their families, were remarkably handsome. Many of them, though suffering from ill health, fatigue, and grief, and under every possible circumstance of disadvantage, had yet a very interesting appearance."

Women.

The Circassian women, so celebrated for their beauty, are generally well formed, have white skins, smooth, clear complexion, beautiful black eyes, dark brown or black hair, elegantly disposed in tresses on both sides of the face, and regular features. Their faces are uncovered, and the beauty of their countenances is heightened by their good humour and sprightly conversation. Great care is taken to give them the desired slenderness and elegance of form, and to preserve their beauty. They are remarkable for the extreme smallness of the waist, which is esteemed an essential requisite in elegance of form. This effect is produced by the custom of fastening round the waist of girls, at the age of 10 or 11 years, a broad girdle of untanned leather, which is not removed till their marriage. They receive in youth only a moderate portion of food, chiefly milk and pastry; their feet

are preserved in wooden clogs, and their hands are carefully covered with gloves.

They are trained to all ornamental work in the domestic economy of females, especially to embroidery, weaving of fringe, sewing of dresses, and plaiting of straw mats and baskets. In their amusements the youth of both sexes freely converse with each other; the women in this country being neither confined nor reserved. In every thing, however, relative to marriage connexions, the most particular attention is paid to the rank of the parties. Between husbands and wives, particularly during the earlier part of their union, there is observed a degree of reserve and a system of affected politeness, equally remote from reason and nature. It is the practice for widows to tear their hair, and to disfigure themselves with scars, in testimony of their sorrow for the loss of their husbands.

The Circassian and Georgian females are esteemed the brightest ornaments of an eastern seraglio. These are mostly captives, or daughters of slaves taken in their predatory wars. The merchants who come to purchase them are generally Jews; and they are sold at from £20 to £100, according to their beauty.

Georgians.

The Georgians inhabit the Caucasian regions to the south of Circassia. They are mostly Christians of the Greek church, but generally ignorant of the principles of religion. They resemble the Circassians in their character and habits, and are alike celebrated for their personal beauty.

ARABIA.

Aspect of the Country.

The general aspect of Arabia presents a large extent of desert, interspersed with a few fertile spots, and intersected near the centre by a range of mountains of considerable height, among which are to be found many luxuriant and delightful valleys. In the mountainous parts the climate is temperate, but in unsheltered situations intolerable heat prevails. There are no rivers or lakes of any considerable size, and water is almost every where scarce. Torrents, which are brought down from hills and mountains by copious rains, soon subside into brooks, or are totally dried up; and some cities are supplied with water from the distance of miles.

The winds which blow over the desert are of a dry and torrid quality, and sometimes so hot that travellers are in danger of suffocation; while those from the sea are moist, but very disagreeable. The most dangerous is the famous pestiferous whirlwind, called the Simoon or Samiel, which frequently surprises the traveller of the desert, and occasions instant suffocation, while he is overwhelmed by moving clouds of sand. The only means of preservation from its noxious influence is to lie flat, with the face upon the ground, until the blast is over. beasts, from instinct, take the same precaution, by pushing their mouths into the sand. An unusual redness of the air foretels the approach of the Samiel, and the smell of sulphur is perceived as it passes.

MOUNTS SINAI AND HORER..

The

These mountains are celebrated in Scripture history. On Horeb God appeared to Moses in the burning bush; at the foot of the mountain Moses struck the rock and drew water to relieve the thirst of the Israelites; and from Sinai he received the law.

These mountains belong to a range, called by the Arabs Jibbel Musa, which is situated between the northern branches of the Red sea, and consists of several lofty summits, the valleys of which are composed of frightful gul