CHAP.

XII.

women place themselves by the men, and begin. songs of love or war, of fabulous adventure, or heroic achievement. Thus the fête is kept up; the guests passing the cup round, and singing the whole time, until the stock of liquor is expended. During all this ceremony, no one is seen to rise from the party; nor does any one. interrupt the harmony of the assembly, by riot or intoxication. In the long nights of winter, the young people of both sexes amuse themselves with music, dancing, and singing. Their most common musical instrument is the balalaika, or two-stringed lyre; often represented in their paintings. These paintings preserve very curious memorials of the antient superstition of Eastern nations; exhibiting objects of Pagan worship which were common to the earliest mythology of Egypt and of Greece. The arts of Painting and Music may be supposed to have continued little liable to alteration among the Calmucks, from the remotest periods of their history. As for their dances, these consist more in movements of the hands and arms, than of the feet. In winter they play at cards, draughts, backgammon, and chess. Their love of gambling is so great, that they will spend entire nights at play; and lose in a single sitting the whole of what they possess, even to the clothes upon their body. In short, it may

be said of the Calmucks, that the greatest part of their life is spent in amusement. Wretched and revolting as they seem, they would be indeed miserable, if compelled to change their mode of living for that of a more civilized people. Both Gmelin and Pallas relate, that they deem a residence in houses so insupportable, that to be shut up in the confined air of a close apartment, even for a short time, when under the necessity of going into towns, and making visits of embassy or commerce, is considered by them with a degree of horror. Among the diseases caused by their diet and want of cleanliness, may be mentioned the itch to this they are very subject. Malignant fevers are often fatal to them during the heat of summer. The venereal disease causes great ravages: it is said to prevail chiefly in those camps where their princes reside, and not to be often found among the lower orders. They give to this disorder a name very expressive of the estimation in which they hold their mode of life, by calling it "The house disease'." Having occasion hereafter to notice this people, we shall only now add the observations of one of the celebrated travellers before mentioned; who, after considering the privations

(1) Or, rather, "derived from those who live in houses."

CHAP.

XII.

CHAP.
XII.

to which they are exposed, places their situation in a point of view more favourable, perhaps, than we have done. "For the rest," says he, "to whatsoever degree of wretchedness the poorest of the Calmucks may be reduced, it is very rare to behold them dejected by sorrow, and they are never subdued by despair. The generality, notwithstanding a mode of life apparently so adverse to health, attain to a robust and very old age. Their disorders are neither very frequent, nor very dangerous. Few become grey-headed at forty or fifty. Persons from eighty to a hundred years of age are by no means uncommon among them; and at that advanced period of life they still sustain with great ease the fatigue of horsemanship. A simple and uniform diet'; the free air they uninterruptedly respire; inured, vigorous, and healthy bodies; continual exercise, without care, without laborious employment; such are the natural causes of these felicitous effects."

Leaving this encampment, we continued to traverse the steppes in a south-westerly direction,

(1) It is difficult to reconcile this statement with the real diet of the Calmucks. Can that properly be deemed simple, which consists of the grossest animal food of all kinds, without admixture of vegetable diet, without bread, or any of the fruits of the earth?

and passed a very neat village belonging to a wealthy Greek, who, to our great surprise, had established a residence in the midst of these desolate plains. As we advanced, we perceived that wheresoever rivers intersect the steppes, there are villages, and a numerous population. A manuscript map of Tcherkask confirmed the truth of this observation. No maps have been hitherto published in Europe giving an accurate notion of the country. A stranger crossing the Cossack territory might suppose himself to be in a desert, although surrounded by villages. From the road, it is true, he will not often see these settlements; but frequently, when we were crossing a river, after believing ourselves to be in the midst of an uninhabited country, we beheld villages to the right and left of us, that had been concealed by the banks of the river; not a single house nor church of which would have been otherwise discerned'. We were approaching, in an oblique direction, the Lazovai, now aug

(2) "Erected, or rather concealed," says GIBBON, accurately describing the dwellings of their forefathers, "in the depth of forests, on the banks of rivers, or the edge of morasses, we may not perhaps, without Battery, compare them to the architecture of the beaver; which they resembled in a double issue, to the land and water, for the escape of the savage inhabitant, an animal less cleanly, less diligent, and less social, than that marvellous quadruped." History of the Roman Empire, chap. xlii.

СНАР.
XII.

CHAP. mented to a considerable river. As we drew

XII.

Acenovskaia.

near, its opposite banks rose considerably higher than the ordinary appearance of the country with fine clusters of trees. Before we arrived at Acenovskaia, the country was even mountainous. On its western side we beheld a neat village, called Jernvchaia, pleasingly situate beneath the hills, with a new and handsome church. Indeed, the churches are everywhere good, and much superior to what we find in our country villages in England, both as to architecture and interior decoration. At the top of the mountainous elevation on the western side of the river, stood one of the largest of those tumuli which abound over all this country. They become more numerous, and appear of greater magnitude, nearer to the Don and to the Sea of Azof. Finding the water clear, and the current rapid, we had the opportunity of bathing; and recommend the practice to all travellers, as essential to the preservation of health'.

From Acenovskaia, we continued our route over steppes apparently destitute of any habitation. Dromedaries were feeding, the sole

(1) Acerbi informed us, that by constant bathing he escaped the fever to which travellers are liable from the bad air and heat of Lapland during summer.