endure for any time the air of a close room; and think our custom of living in houfes infupportable. The greateft part of them arrive at a vigorous old age; their diseases are neither frequent nor danger, ous. Men of So or 100 years old are not uncommon; and at that age they can ftill endure the exercife of riding. Simple food, free air, a hardy conftitution, continual excercife, and a mind free from care, are the caufes of their health and longevity. It is remarkable, that a migratory people, whofe 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 abfolute fovereign. Neither written records nor traditions have preferved any trace of their ever having enjoyed a state of inde pendence. On the contrary, they say they have always been fubject to khans, whofe authority has been tranfmitted to them by fucceffion, and is confidered as a right perfectly facred and divine.' KALNICK, a ftrong town of Poland, in the palatinate of Bracklaw. Lon. 29. 18. E. Lat. 48. 59. N. KALO, or ) a town of Upper Hungary, feated KALOO, in a lake, 22 miles SE. of Tockay. Lon. 21. 54. E. Lat. 47. 56. N. (1.) KALUGA, a government of the Ruffian empire, formerly a prov, of Moscow, containing 12 diftricts. (2.) KALUGA, the capital of the above government, is feated on the Occa. To this town the British were fent prifoners during the Ruffian embargo, by the emp. Paul, in 1800. to them. In fpring, when they caft their hair, and which falls at once from every part of their body, they are expofed to the bite of the fpider fcorpion, whofe wound is fo venomous, that the camel dies of it in less than 8 days, fometimes in 3. Camels milk is thick, unctuous, and of a faltith tafte, and this laft property makes the Kalmucs fond of it to tea. They ufe the hair for stuffing cushions, and for making ropes, packthread, felt, and very beautiful camlets. The camels with two bunches afford a very uneasy feat to the person who rides them; their trot is fo hea vy, and even their walk fo rude, that he receives the most violent fhocks at every step. When a Kalmuc Horde intends to remove in fearch of fresh pasture, which in fummer happens every 4, 6, or 8 days, people are dispatched to reconnoitre the beft place for the khan or prince, for the lama, and for the hut containing the idols. These be gin the march, and are followed by the whole troop. On thefe days the women paint and dress themselves in their beft clothes. The Kalmucs are fupplied by their flocks with milk, cheese, butter, and flesh, which are their chief articles of food. They also eat the roots and stalks of many wild plants; fuch as the bulbous-rooted chervil, dandelion, &c. Their ordinary drink is the milk of mares or cows. The former when fresh has a disagreeable taste of garlic; but it takes, as it grows four, a very agreeable vinous flavour; it neither yields cream nor curd, but furnishes a very wholefome refreshing beverage, which inebriates when taken to excefs. They never use new milk, nor milk or water that have not been boiled. Their milk is boiled as foon as it is taken from the animal; when cold it is poured into a large leathern bag, in which there remains as much of the old milk as is fufficient to turn the new four. This communicates to the milk a vinous fermentation, As often as the Kalmucs procure inuch milk from their flocks, they intoxicate themselves with the fpiritous liquor which they diftil from it. Mares milk is the moft fpirituous; and the quantity meant to be distilled remains 24 hours in fummer, and 3 or 4 days in winter, in thofe corrupted bags, to prepare it for the operation. Cows milk yields one 30th part, and mares milk one 15th of spirit. 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 increafe its ftrength by a fecond diftillation. Thefe people are exceedingly fond of tea and tobacco. The former is fo dear, as it comes to KAME OF MATHERS, an ancient ruin of Kinthem from China by the way of Ruffia, that the cardineshire, formerly a place of great ftrength, poor people fupply its place with various wild being erected on a perpendicular and almost penplants; fuch as liquorice, the feed of the fharp. infular rock, 60 feet high above the fea, at the leaved dock, and Tartarian maple, the roots of mouth of Woodstock water. It was built in the wild angelica, &c. The Kalmucs are excellent 15th century in the reign of James I. in confehorsemen. Their arms are lances, bows, and ar- quence of a murder, recorded by the Rev. Mr rows, poniards and crooked fabres; the rich Walker of St Cyrus, which affords a specimen of have fire arms. They wear, when at war, coats the barbarity of the times. Melville, theriff of of mail, and their helmets are gilt at top. Fal- Mearns, had, by a rigorous exercise of his auconry and hunting are their chief amufements. thority, rendered himself so very obnoxious to the Their paffion for play, especially cards, is carried gentlemen of the county, that they had made reto as great excefs as in any nation. The greater peated complaints to the king. On the last of part of their time is spent in diverfions; and how thefe occafions the king faid to Barclay of Mathers ever miserable their manner of life may seem to in a fit of impatience, "Sorrow gif he were fodus, they are quite happy with it. They cannot den and supped in brie!" Barclay inftantly with > KAM. adj. Crooked. Kam, in Erfe, is fquint-eyed, and applied to any thing awry: clean kam fignifies crooked, athwart, awry, cross from the purpose. A fchembo, Italian; hence our English a-kimbo. Clean kam is, by vulgar pronunciation, brought to kim kam. Shak. This is clean kam; meerly awry. KAMAKURA, a famous island of Japan, about 3 miles in circumference on the S. coaft of Niphon, in which they confine their great men when they have committed any fault. The coaft is fo fteep, that they are forced to be lifted up by cranes. KAMARIS, a town of Turkey, in Natolia. KAMBALA, a ridge of mountains in Thibet, between the lake Palte and the Burrampooter. From the top of this ridge may be seen, to the N. a range of ftill higher mountains, covered with fnow. The foot of Kambala is 31 miles S. of Laffa. drew, drew, convened the gentlemen of the county, and reported the king's words, which they refolved literally to fulfil. Accordingly they invited the unfufpecting fheriff to a hunting party in the foreft of Garvock, where, having a fire previoufly kindled, and a caldron full of water boiling on it, they rushed to the spot, ftripped the sheriff naked, and threw him into it; after which they fulfilled the latter part of what they pretended to interpret as the royal mandate, by taking each a spoonful of the broth. After this cannibal feaßt, however, Barclay of Mathers, to fcreen himfelf from the royal vengeance, built this fortrefs, which, from its fituation and strength, muft, before the invention of gun-powder, have been impregnable, Some of the confpirators were afterwards pardoned. See Sir J. Sinclair's Stat. Acc. Vol. XI. page 102, 3. KAMEEL, CAMEL, a machine for lifting KAMEL, or fhips. See CAMEL, N° 3. KAMERYK, a town of the Batavian republic, in the dep. of Amftel, 7 miles W. of Utrecht. KAMINIECK, a very ftrong town of Poland, capital of Podolia, with a caftle and a bishop's fee. It was taken by the Turks in 1672, who reftored it, in 1690, after the treaty of Carlowitz. When the Ruffians forcibly feized part of the Polish territories in the beginning of 1793, this fortress held out a long time, but at laft surrendered. The caftle is feated on a craggy rock, 85 miles W. of Bracklaw, and 100 SE. of Lemburg. Lon. 26. 30. E. Lat. 48. 58. N. KAMIS, or CAMIS, in the Japanese theology, denote deified fouls of ancient heroes, who are fuppofed ftill to interest themselves in the welfare of the people over whom they anciently commanded. The principal one is Tenfio Dai Sim, the common father of Japan, to whom are paid extraordinary devotions and pilgrimages. KAMSIN, a deftructive hot wind that retume periodically in Egypt. See EGYPT, § 37. (1.) KAMTSCHATKA, KAMSCHATKA, OF Kamchatka; a large peninfula on the NE. part of Afia, lying between 51° and 62° lat. N. and be tween 173° and 182° lon. E. of Ferro. It is bounded on the E. and S. by the fea of Kamt schatka, on the W. by the feas of Ochtosk and Penfhinsk, and on the N. by the country of the Koriacs. (2.) KAMTSCHATRA, CULTIVATION AND PRODUCE OF. The face of the country throughout the peninfula is chiefly mountainous. It produces in fome parts birch, poplars, elders, willows, underwood, and berries of different forts. Greens and other vegetables are raised with great facility; fuch as white cabbage, turnips, radishes, beets, carrots, and fome cucumbers. Agriculture is in a very low ftate, owing chiefly to the nature of the foil, and the fevere hoar-frofts; for though fome trials have been made to cultivate grain, and oats, barley, and rye, have been fown, yet no crop has ever been procured, fufficient in quanti ty or quality to answer the trouble of railing it. Hemp, however, has of late years been cultivated with fuccefs. (3.) KAMTSCHATKA, DISCOVERY AND CONQUEST OF. The peninsula was not discovered by the Ruffians before the end of the 17th century. It is probable, however, that fome of that nation had vifited Kamtfchatka before that period. For when Volodomir Atlassoff entered upon the conqueft of this peninfula in 1697, he found that the inhabitants had already fome knowledge of the Ruffians. A tradition prevails among them, that, long before the expedition of Atlaffoff, one Feodotoff and his companions had refided among them, and had intermarried with the natives; and they still show the place where the Ruffian habitaKAMMERSWALDA, a town of Up. Saxony. tions flood. But none of thefe Ruffians remained KAMP FIGHT, in old law writers, denotes the when Atlaffoff firft vifited Kamtfchatka. They trial of a caufe by duel, or a legal combat of two are faid to have been held in great veneration by champions in the field, for decifion of fome con- the natives, who at firft imagined that no buman troverfy. In this mode of trial, the perfon chal- power could hurt them, until they had quarrel. lenged muft either accept, or acknowledge him- led among themfelves, and the blood was feen to felf guilty of the crime whereof he was accufed. flow from their wounds; foon after which they If it was a crime deferving death, the camp fight were all killed by the natives.-Thefe Ruffians was for life and death: if the offence deferved on were thought to be the remains of a fhip's crew ly imprisonment, the camp fight was accomplish- who had failed quite round the NE. promontory ed when one combatant had fubdued the other, of Afia, called Tfchukutskoi Nofs, in 1648; when fo as either to make him yield or take him prifon- 7 veffels failed from the mouth of the Kolyma, to er. The accufed had liberty to choose another to penetrate into the eaftern ocean. Four of these fight in his ftead, but the accufer was obliged to were never more heard of; the remaining 3 were perform it in his own perfon, and with equality commanded by Simon Defhneff, Gerafim Ankudi of weapons. No women were permitted to be noff, two chiefs of the Coffacs, and Feodotoff Alex. Spectators, nor men under the age of 13. The eoff, head of the Promy thienics, or wandering Ruf prieft and the people who looked on, were enga- fians, who occafionally vifited Siberia. Each veffel ged filently in prayer, that the victory might fall was manned with about 30 perfons. They met with to him who had right. None might cry, fhriek, no obftructions from the ice; but Ankudinoff's or give the leaft fign; which in fome places was veffel was wrecked on the promontory above menexecuted with fo much ftrictness, that the executioned, and the crew were distributed on board tioner flood ready with an axe to cut off the right hand or foot of the party that should offend here, in. He that, being wounded, yielded himfelf, was at the other's mercy to be killed or fuffered to live. But if life were granted, he was declared infamous by the judge, and disabled from ever bearing arms, or riding on horfeback. the two remaining veffels. These foon after loft fight of each other, and never rejoined. Defhneff was driven about by tempeftuous winds till Octo. ber, when he was fhipwrecked on the N. part of Kamtfchatka. Here he was informed by a wo man of Yakutsk, that Feodotoff and Gerafim had died of the fcurvy; that part of the crew had been *། flain; and that a few had escaped in fmall veffels, who had never afterwards been heard of; and these were probably the people who settled among the Kamtfchatkans. As the natives were neither nu merous nor warlike, it required no great force to fubdue them; and in 1711 the whole peninfula was reduced under the dominion of the Ruffians. -For fome years this acquifition was of little importance, excepting the fmall tribute of furs exact ed from the inhabitants. The Ruffians indeed occafionally hunted foxes, wolves, ermines, fables,' and other animals, whofe fkins form an extenfive article of commerce among the eastern nations. But the fur trade carried on from thence was very inconfiderable, until the series of islands, mentioned in 9, were difcovered; fince which time the quantities of furs brought from these ifland: have greatly increased the trade of Kamtfchatka, and rendered it an important part of the Ruffian commerce. (4.) KAMTSCHATKA, DIVISION, POPULATION, AND REVENUE OF. Kamtfchatka is divided by the Ruffians into four diftricts; and the government of the whole is dependent upon, and fubject to, the inspection of the chancery of Ochotfk. The whole Ruffian force ftationed in this peninfula amounts to no more than 300 men. The population of Kamtfchatka amounts to scarce 4000 fouls. Formerly the inhabitants were more numerous; but in 1768, the small-pox carried of 5368 perfons. There are now only about 700 males in the whole peninsula who are tributary, and few more than 100 in the neighbouring iflands, called the Kurile Iles, who are fubject to Ruffia, The fixed annual tribute confifts in 279 fables, 464 red foxes, 50 fea-otters with a dam, and 38 cub-otters. All furs exported from Kamtfchatka and the neighbouring islands pay a duty of 10 per cent. to the crown. (5.) KAMTSCHATKA, FOOD OF THE PEOPLE OF. The Kamtfchatkans divide their fish into 6 parts: the fides and tail are hung up to dry; the back and thinner part of the belly are prepared apart, and generally dried over the fire; the head is laid to four in pits, and then they eat it like falt fifh, and efteem it much, though the ftink is fuch that a ftranger cannot bear it; the ribs and the fiefh that remain upon them they hang up and dry, and afterwards pound for ufe; the larger bones they likewife dry for their dogs: Thus thefe people prepare the YOKOLA, which is their prin, cipal food. Their 2d favourite food is caviar, or the roes of fish. They dry the roe whole in the air; or take it out of the fkin, and fpreading it upon a bed of grafs, dry it before the fire; or make rolls of it with the leaves of grafs, which they alfo dry, They never take a journey or go a-hunting with out dry caviar; and if a Kaintschatkan has a pound of this, he can fubfift without any other provi, fion a long time; for every birch and alder tree furnishes him with bark, which with his dried caviar makes him an agreeable meal; but he cannot eat either feparately, for the caviar fticks like glue to the teeth; and it is almoft impoflible to fwal low the bark, chewed ever fo long by itfelf. There is a 4th method, which both Kamtfchatkans and Koreki ufe in preparing their caviar: the firft having covered the bottom of a pit with grafs, they throw the fresh caviar into it, and leave it there to grow four; the Koreki tie theirs in bags, and leave it to four: this is efteemed their moft delicate difh. There is a 3d fort of diet called by the Kamtfchatkans chupriki, which is thus prepared: over the fire-place, they make a bridge of ftakes, upon which they lay a heap of fish, which remains there until the hut becomes as warm as a bagnio. If there is no great thickness of fish, one fire serves to dress it; but fometimes they are obliged to make two or more fires. Fifh dreffed in this manner is half roafted, half smoked, but has a very agreeable tafte, and may be reckoned the best of all the Kamtfchatkan cookery: for the whole juice and fat is prepared with a gradual heat, and kept in by the fkin; and as foon as it is thus dressed, they take out the guts, and spread the body upon a mat to dry; this they afterwards break fmall, and putting it into bags, carry it along with them for provifion, eating it like the yokola. The Kamtfchatkans have a dish which they esteem very much, called buigul: it is fish laid to four in pits; and though the smell of it is intolerable, yet the Kamtschatkans esteem it a perfume. This fish fometimes rots fo much in the pits, that they cannot take it out without ladles; in which cafe they give it to their dogs. The flesh of land and large fea animals, they boil with different herbs and roots; the broth they drink out of la dles and bowls, and the meat they take out upon boards, and eat in their hands. The whale and fea-horfe fat they also boil with roots. There is a principal dish at all their feafts, called felaga, which they make by pounding all forts of different roots and berries, with the addition of caviar, and whale's or feal's fat. Before the conquest, they feldom drank any thing but water, unless when they made merry; when they drank water which had ftood fome time upon mushrooms. They now drink spirits as fast as the Ruffians. Af. ter dinner they drink water; and when they go to bed, fet a veffel of water by them, with the addition of snow or ice to keep it cold, and always drink it before morning. In winter they amule themselves frequently by throwing handfuls of fnow into their mouths: and the bridegrooms, who work with the fathers of their future brides, find it their hardest task to provide fnow for the family in fummer time; for they muft bring it from the highest hills, be the weather what it may. (6.) KAMTSCHATKA, GARMENTS, DRESSES, &c. WORN IN. Their clothes, for the most part, are made of skins of deer, dogs, fea and land ani mals, and even of the skins of birds, thofe of different animals being frequently joined in the fame garment. They make the upper garment fome times by cutting the skirts all of an equal length, and fometimes leaving them long behind, in form of a train, with wide fleeves, of a length to come down below the knee, and a hood behind, which in bad weather they put over their heads below their caps; the opening above is only large enough to let their heads pafs: they few the fkins of dogs legs round this opening, with which they cover their faces in cold weather; and round their fkirts and feeves they put a border of white dog-skin. They They commonly wear two coats; the under coat with the hairy fide inwards, the other fide being dyed with alder; and the upper with the hair outwards. Black, white or speckled skins, are most esteemed. Both men and women use these garments; their drefs only differing in their undercloathing, and in the covering of their feet and legs. The women have an under garment, which they commonly wear at home, confifting of breeches and waistcoat fewed together. The breeches are wide like those of the Dutch skippers, and tie below the knee; the waistcoat is wide above, and drawn round with a ftring. The fummer habits are made of dressed skins without hair; the win ter garments, of deer or ram skins with the hair on. The Kamfchatkans now wear linen shirts, which they buy from the Ruffians. The covering of their feet and legs is made of fkins of different forts. But the bufkins which both the Coffacs and Kamfchatkans use in their fineft dress, are thus made the fole is of white feal fkin, the up per part of white fine leather, the hind quarters of white dog fkin; what comes round the legs is of dreffed leather or dyed feal fkin; the upper parts are embroidered. If a bachelor is obferved to wear thefe, he is concluded to be upon a scheme of courtship. They wear the fame fort of caps as the people of Yakutiki. In fummer they have a fort of hats of birch bark tied about their heads. The Kuriles ufe in fummer caps made of plaited grafs. Around the Rufs fettlements, the women wear fhirts; ruffles, waistcoats, caps, and ribbands. The wo men do all their work in mittens; they formerly never washed their faces, but now they use both red and white paint; for white paint they make ufe of a rotten wood; and for red a fea-plant, which they boil in feal's fat, and rubbing their cheeks with it make them very red. They drefs moft in the winter, especially when they vifit. The common clothes for a Kamtschatkan and his family will not coft him lefs than 100 rubles; for the coarseft worsted stockings, which coft in Ruffia 20 kopeeks, cannot be bought here for less than a ruble; and all other things in proportion. The Kuriles are more able to buy clothes than the Kamtfchatkans; for they can purchase for one fea-beaver as much as the Kamtfchatkans can for 20 foxes; and one beaver costs the Kuriles no more trouble than five foxes do the Kamtfchatkans; for he must be a good hunter who catches more than To foxes in a winter; and a Kurile thinks himself unlucky if he doth not catch 3 beavers in the feafon. (7.) KAMTSCHATKA, HUTS, VILLAGES, BOATS, &c. IN. By the word OSTROG, is understood every habitation confifting of one or more huts, all furrounded by an earthen wall or pallifado. -The huts are thus built: They dig a hole in the earth about 5 feet deep, the breadth and length proportioned to the number of its inhabitants. In the middle they fix four thick wooden pillars; over thefe they lay balks, upon which they form the ceiling, leaving in the middle an oblong fquare opening. The fire is in one of the long fides of this fquare between the pillars round the walls they make benches, upon which each family lies feparately; but on that fide opposite to the fire there are no benches, it being defigned for their : kitchen, in which they drefs their victuals. They adorn the walls with mats made of grafs. They enter their huts by ladders, commonly placed near the fire hearth; fo that, when they are beating their huts, the steps of the ladder become fo hot, and the smoke fo thick, that it is almoft impof. fible for a stranger to go up or down without be ing burnt or ftiffled; but the natives, if they can only fix their toes on the fteps of the ladder, mount like squirrels; nor do the women hefitate to go through this smoke with their children upon their shoulders. The Kamtschatkans live in these huts all winter, after which they go into others called balagans, which ferve them for magazines. They are thus made: 9 pillars, about two fathoms long, or more, are fixed in the ground, and bound together with balks laid over them, which they cover with rods, and over all lay grafs; fastening fpars, and a round fharp roof at top, which they cover with bramble, and thatch with grafs. They faften the lower ends of the fpars to the balks with ropes and thongs, and have a door on each fide, one directly oppofite to the other. The fouthern Kamtfchatkans build their villages in thick woods and other places which are naturally ftrong, 20 versts from the fea; and their fummer habitations are near the mouths of the rivers; but thofe who live upon the Penfchinfka fea and the eastern ocean build their vil lages very near the shore. They look upon that river near which their village is fituated as the inheritance of their tribe. To kindle fire, they use a board of dry wood with round holes in the fides of it, and a fmall round ftick; this they rub in a hole till it takes fire; and inftead of timber, they ufe dry grafs beat foft. The Kamtfchatkans make their boats of poplar wood; but the Kuriles not having any wood of their own, make use of what is thrown on thore by the fea, and is fuppofed to come from the coafts of Japan, China, or America. The northern inhabitants of Kamtfchat. ka, the fettled Koreki and Tfchuskotikoi, make their boats of the skins of sea animals. They few pieces together with whales beards, and caulk them with mofs or nettles beat fmall. Thefe boats hold two perfons; one of which fits in the prow, and the other in the ftern. They puth them against the ftream by poles, with great trouble: when the current is ftrong they can fcarcely advance two feet in ten minutes; notwithstanding which, they will carry thefe boats, fully loaded, fometimes 20 verfts, aud when the ftream is not very ftrong, even 30 or 40 verfts. The larger boats carry 30 or 40 pood; when the goods are not very heavy, they lay them upon a float or bridge refting upon two boats joined together. They use this method in transporting their provifions down the ftream, and to and from the islands. (8.) KAMTSCHATKA, INHABITANTS OF. The natives of Kamtfchatka are as wild as the coun try. Some have no fixed habitations, but wander from place to place with their herds of reindeer; others have fettled habitations, and refide upon the banks of the rivers and the shore of the Penfchinfka fea, living upon fish and sea animals, and fuch herbs as grow upon the fhore: the for mer dwell in huts covered with deer-skins; the latter latter in places dug out of the earth; both in a very barbarous manner. Their difpofitions and tempers are rough; and they are entirely ignorant of letters. The natives are divided into three different people, viz. the Kamfchatkans, Koreki, and Kuriles. The KAMTSCHATKANS live upon the S. fide of the promontory of Khamtschatka: the KOREKI inhabit the N. parts on the coaft of the Penchinfka fea, and round the eastern ocean almoft to the river Anadir, whofe mouth lies in that ocean almoft in 68° N. Lat. The KURILES inhabit the islands in that fea, reaching as far as thofe of Japan. The Kamtfchatkans endeavour to give every thing a name in their language which may exprefs the property of it; but if they do not understand the thing quite well themselves, then they take a name from fome foreign language, which perhaps has no relation to the thing itfelf; e.g. they call a priest bogbog, becaufe probably they hear him ufe the word bogbog, God; bread they call brightatin augh, that is, Ruffian root; and thus of feveral other words to which their language is a ftranger. It is fuppofed that the Kamtfchatkans lived formerly in Mungalia beyond the river Amur, and made one people with the Mungals; which is farther confirmed by the Kamtfchatkans having feveral words common to the Mungal Chinese language, as their terminations in ong, ing, oang, chin, cha, ching, kf, kfung. The Kamtfchatkans and Mungals alfo are both of a middling ftature, and fwarthy, have black hair, a broad face, a fharp nofe, with the eyes falling in, eye-brovs fmall and thin, a hanging belly, flender legs and arms; they are both remarkable for cowardice, boafting, and flavishness to people who use them hard, and for their obftinacy and contempt of those who treat them with gentlenefs. The Kamtfchatkans, in outward ap. pearance, resemble the other inhabitants of Siberia, but differ in this, that their faces are not fo long; their cheeks ftand more out, their teeth are thick, their mouths large, their ftature middling, and their fhoulders broad, particularly thofe who inhabit the fea-coaft. Before the Ruffian conqueft, they lived in perfect freedom, having no chief, being fubject to no law, nor paying any taxes; the old men, or those who were remarkable for their, bravery, bearing the principal authority in their villages, though none had any right to command or inflict punishment. Their manner of living is flovenly to the laft degree; they never wash their hands or face, nor cut their nails; they eat out of the same dish with the dogs, which they never wash; they never comb their heads, but both men and women plait their hair in two locks, binding the ends with fmall ropes. When any ftarts out, they few it with threads to make it lie clofe; by which they have fuch a quantity of lice, that they can ferape them off by handfuls, and they even eat them. Thofe that have not natural hair fufficient, wear falfe locks, fometimes as much as weigh to lb. They place their chief happiness in idleness, and fatisfying their natural appetites; which incline them to finging, dancing, and relating of love-ftories; and they think it more eligible to die than to lead a difagreeable life; which often leads them to suicide. This was fo common after the conqueft, that the Ruffians had VOL. XIL PART II. great difficulty to put a stop to it. They have no notion of riches, fame, or honour; therefore covetousness, ambition, and pride, are unknown among them. On the other hand, they are careless, luftful, and cruel; these vices occafion frequent quarrels and wars among them, fometimes with their neighbours, not from a defire of increafing their power, but to carry off provifions, or their girls, which is frequently practised as the mott fummary method of procuring a wife. As to religion, they believe that almost every place in heaven and earth is filled with different spirits, and they offer them facrifices. Some 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 are fo totally ignorant of arithmetic, that it is faid they cannot reckon above 20, and even that only by the help of their fingers and toes. They reckon ten months in the year, fome of which are longer and fome shorter; for they do not divide them by the changes of the moon, but by the order of particular occurrences that happen in those regions. 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 distinguish the days by any particular names, nor form them into weeks or months. They mark their epochs by fome remarkable event, as the arrival of the Ruffians, or the first expedition to Kamtschatka They are, however, very ingenious in fome arts. They are exceflively fond of iron inftruments, fuch as hatchets, knives, or needles: nay, at firft arrival of the Ruffians, a piece of broken iron was looked upon as a great prefent ; and even yet they receive it with thankfulness, finding ufe for the leaft fragment, either to point their arrows or make darts, which they do by hammering it out cold between two ftones. As fome of them delight in war, the Ruffian mer chants are forbidden to fell them any warlike inftruments; but they are ingenious enough to make fpears and arrows out of the iron pots and kettles which they buy; and they are fo dextrous, when the eye of a needle breaks, as to make a new eye, which they will repeat until nothing remains but the point. (9.) KAMTSCHATKA, ISLANDS IN THE SEA OF So many of thefe have been difcovered by the Ruffians, that the existence of almost a continued chain of inlands between the continents of Afia and America is now rendered extremely probable. The principal islands already known are the Ku RILE ISLES, which ftretch SW. towards the coaft of China or Japan, and are almost uninhabited ; thofe called Beering's, and Copper Islands, the A. leutian ifles, and Fox ISLANDS, or Lyffie Oftrova, lie almoft directly E. ftretching nearly to 230 lon. E. of Ferro. The firft project of making dif coveries in that tempeftuous fea, which lies bctween Kamtfchatka and America was fet on foot by Peter the Great. Captains Beering and Tichirikoff were employed, the former of whor was fhipwrecked, and died on the island which is ftill called by his name. As this lies at no grea“ distance from Kamtfchatka, the inhabitants of LII the |