The Human Race

d of a nomadic life, and have at different periods made wide conquests; but they have, as a rule, become absorbed in the races they have

e: the Mongols, the Tunguses, and the Turks. We may add to them a fourth family, the Yakuts, for

ngol F

nose, and smaller eyes than those of the other families. They have a broad chest, a very short neck, round shoulders, strong thick-set limbs, s

resents a M

ound in this family: the Kalmuks, t

nous steppes. The habitations of which these villages are composed consist of tattered tents. These contain, mixed up in an incredible confusion, boxes, cases, lassoes, saddles, and heaps of rags. A hearth is the only sign of a fireplace. During the heat of summer,

MONGOL

heepskin fur, generally ornamented with an immense knob on the top. The more wealthy wear into the bargain an ample and lengthy dressing-gown. The women

hese nomadic tribes. The mother supports her child without the fathe

. They are fond of tea, and drink a great deal of it, but they season it so highly as to entirely lose its flavour. They are downright drunkards into the bargai

ey also breed and break-in camels, w

r in the steppes of Mongolia. They are divided into numerous trib

distinct by their political proclivities

ntier, where numerous tribes of Mongol origin, direct tributaries of the Chinese Empire,

m are selected the chiefs of the tribes, chosen by election. The Khalkas could bring into the field at least fifty thousand horsemen; but they are wretchedly armed with worthless Chinese double-ed

, he gallops after the animals that have strayed away; then he bends his steps to a neighbouring camp to gossip with the herdsmen it contains. Returning home, he squats in his tent for the remainder of the day, and kills t

felt stuffs, a little embroidery, and some poorly tanned skin and leather. They dispose of their raw produce to Russian and Chinese traders, who cheat them as much as they can. The p

ivities, by the arrival of a few travellers, or by a marriage. This last is, as among the ancient patriarchs, only a species of barter in which the girl is

er their respects. She met on the following day, on the banks of the Selinga, an escort, sent by the Bur?ats in her honour, composed of three hundred horsemen, dresse

was in this manner the traveller made

ESCORTING MIS

l service and ceremonies, which were performed in a Mongol temple, and afterwards at the games which took place according to their ancient custom. These games includ

wealth. Their religion is Shamanism, a species of idolatry very prevalent amongst the inhabitants of Siberia. Their supreme God inhabits th

gusian

divisions: the Tunguses to the nort

the produce of their hunting and fishing. Daouria to the north of China is their native country. Those who live under the Russian government ar

aturalist Pallas, the same who found on the shores of the Lena the antediluvian mammoth, still c

type of this race. We do not th

akut

ly round their head, while but little grows on their faces: they keep one tress very long, to which they tie their bow t

NCHúS S

puy, 22, R. des Petits

IAN ES

R MONGOL

the south of Yakutsk, it is covered with lofty rocky mountains; to the west and to the north, it is a plain on which grow thick and bushy trees. It contains numberless streams of considerable depth and width. T

-YAK

ve any on their faces. Their complexion is between white and black, and changes three or four times a year; in the spring, from the action of the atmosphere; in the summer, from that of the sun; and in winter, from the cold and from the effects of the heat of their fires. They would make bad soldiers, as their peaceful disposition forbids them from ever fighting; but they are active, lively, intelligent, an

the author of the description

nsk for instance, wheat thrives capitally, because there the white frost comes late; at Djigansk on the contrary

r retire to rest at night without saying their devotions. When chance has befriended them, they thank the Lord; when misfortune overtakes them, they regard it as a punishment inflicted by the Almighty for their sins, and, without losing heart, patiently await better times. In spite

his feelings, his disposition, and his mind. They easily comprehend the meaning of elevated language, and guess from t

YAKUT

ne after the other, builds a house for them next to his own, and shares with them his cattle and his property. Even when separated from their parents their children neve

possesses; the improvement of his herds is his first thought, his principal w

o it, but he easily forgets the grudge he may owe to any one, provid

ey have suffered perhaps for months and years. Besides when the thief is caught, their princes (kin?s, from the Russian kniaz) have him whipped with rods, according to ancient custom, before everybody. The man who has undergone this punishment carries its degradation with him to the day of his death. His evidence can never be again lis

and a carpenter; he knows how to take a gun to pieces, how to carve bone, and, with a little practice, he can imitate any work of art he has onc

op them in the pursuit of a bird or an animal. They will follow a fox or a hare for

nd are so well up in driving a hard bargain for the smallest

are works of great finish. I may also remark that their oxhide leather b

, or light women. They pay the same honour to their father and mother, and to the aged parents of their husband, as they do to the Deity. Their head and their feet they never allow to be seen stripped. They never pas

nts a Yakut vill

being, the creator of the world, but indifferent to human actions. Under him are male and female gods: some good, who superintend the government of the world, and the destinies of humanity; the others evil, the greatest of whom (Cha?tan,

sents some of

rkish

a from China up to the Caspian Sea. But the Turks, attacked and conquered by the Mongols, were subdued and driven back towards the south-west, tha

KUT VIL

o possess the characteristics of the Mongols. Those who are settled to the south-west exhibit the features peculiar to the white race, with black hair and eyes. The fusion of the former with the Mongols, of the sec

AKUT P

er of races. We shall consider here only the Tur

s Anatolia to the west. The tribes who dwell in this last district have the shape and the physical characteri

s are prominent; his forehead is wide, and the development of the bony part of the skull forms a kind of crest at the top of the head. His almond-shaped and nearly lidless eye is small, lively, and inte

n ample coat is fastened round the waist by a cotton or wool belt. It is open in front and slightly crossed over the chest. Its sleeves are very long and very wide, a little skull-cap is worn instead of the hair, and is covered wi

ent, and their complexion is white. Their hair is generally thick but very short; and they are obliged to

ing backwards. The whole is surrounded by a kind of turban of the breadth of three fingers, on which are some little squares of silver. One end o

in the adornment of the Turcoman women, that a dozen of them togethe

wear no

nts a camp of no

" the curious account entitled "Fourteen months' captivity among

uch liked by the Turcomans; the rest, cut into smaller pieces and placed in the animal's paunch, is kept to make soup out of. They collect the bones and other leavings, and stew them down in a pan so as to have some

COMAN EN

ne weather, a very primitive loom made of four stakes firmly fixed in the ground, and, with the assistance of two large cross pieces on which they lay the woof, begin the weaving, which is done with an iron implement composed of five or six blades put together in the shape of a comb. These carpets, generally about three yards long and a yard and a half wide, are durable and well made. Every tribe or family ha

camel's hair, or some raw silk, that they spin whilst they are gossiping or visiting thei

xpeditions in order to bring home some booty. He manufactures hand-made woollen rope; cuts out and stitches together the harness and clothing of his horses and camels; a

g themselves, and of reading the few bo

make them learn to read and write. Those who are obliged to avail themselves of their children's as

onions; or in money, according to the parents' position. Each child possesses a small board, on which the mollah write

women in particular are vain of being able to read. The men sometimes spend whole days in trying to underst

ears in these towns to enable them

een them and the Persians of the Schiite sect, who recognise Ali as Mahomet's only successor, con

ed in front of them from the wrist upwards only, ins

y show less fanaticism and ostentatious bigotry than most other Easterns w

the inhabitants of Boukhara and Khiva, whose morals have become corrupted to a painful degree. I have seldom seen quarrels and disturbances amongst the Turcomans. Sometimes I have been present at very live

hin and speak in a low voice, but they are saluted and respected by the visito

ake a journey along an unfrequented road, witho

ixed on the dome of the tent, probably to give the women time to cover their chins, he quietly pronounces his salutation without making the slightest gesture. After exchanging civilities and inquiries about the health of relations and friends, the master of

HIS FUNER

untry situated on the frontiers of the Russian and Chinese empires. They wander to an

r for the chase. As wild beasts attack men when by thems

eir business without leaving the saddle. The Kirghis are much below the middle height. Their countenances are ugly. Having scarcely any bridge to their nose, the space between their eyes is flat and quite on a level with the rest of their face. Their eyes are long and

on, but the latter, living in a temperate climate, are tall and well made, wh

ic habits. In the districts in which they are in the custom of travelling, they

ga and the Caucasian mountains. Others who have settled down are tillers of the soil or artisans. Such are those to be met with in the Crimea or in Astracan. M. Vereschaguine came across some Nogays on the Caucasian steppe

mily are now the Osmanlis. The Osmanlis were the founders

ted as soon as it settled down anywhere, and this perhaps is the cause of the decline

of the Osmanli Turks date from the Hegira o

ace. This was the reason that they were so long classified among the White or

head is high and broad: the nose is straight, without a

occiput. Its proportions, however, are very good. Mongol descent can be traced in its shape, but

tural gravity is still further increased by the ample folds of their dress, by their beard, by their moustachios, and by that imposing head-dress, the turban. They are the most recent of all th

. Their hospitality is dignified and ceremonious. They are small talkers, are much given to devotion, at least to its outward and visible signs; and they dwell in quiet unpretending houses surrounded by gardens. The Turk is

spitality is not an empty word. A wealthy Mussulman never sends empty away the wretched who seek his assistance. Besides, it takes so little to support these temperate healthy people, and the earth so plentifully supplies vegetable produce in the East,

doing nothing and of spending a great deal, it is only very rich Mussulmans that can allow themselves the pleasure of supporting more than one wife. Some

alousy to all prying eyes, which are called harems and not seraglios. It is only within these isolated apartments that Turkish women, whether wives or concubin

is therefore only in the interior of the harem that any gathering of Mussulman women c

-A H

be glad to exchange their lot in life and their liberty for the supposed slavery of the Turkish women. O

is considered a very well educated person. If she can also write, and is acquainted with the first one or two rules of arithmetic, she is quite learn

the harems of the rich, each lady receives her friends in her own room. There they talk, sing, or tell one another stories. They listen to music, they go to pantomimes, to dances,

eated, and places them side by side on a divan with their legs crossed under them, or leaning on one knee. Coffee and a tchibouk with an amber mouthpiece are handed round. Small portions of fruit jelly are served on a s

sing, accompanying themselves on the harp, on the mandolin, on little kettledrums, or on tambourines. Afterwards other young girls go through

The Turkish ladies of the middle class freq

s, and chance visits. The last are the most curious. Several ladies collect together and go about i

HAREM

overhanging terraces, which overlook pieces of water and form level plots of ground. Tumblers and conjurors, musicians and dancers give performances on these terraces. Picturesque knots of women

h them. The banks of the canals are thickly peopled with aquatic animals, and their nests are safe even from the hands of children, in our country such cruel enemies to their broods. This forbearance is extended even to trees. If it is true that in China the law requires every land owner who fells a tree to plant one in its stead in another spot, it is equally true in Turkey that custom forbids an avaricious land owner from depriving either town or country of useful and wholesome shade. The wealthy townsmen make it a point of honour to embellish the public promena

ISH LADIE

uarantee of equity or of justice to individuals. The sultan (padishah, meaning great lord) appoints and dismisses at pleasu

annihilated the troops sent to drive them from their governorships; others have been kn

der one head the military and civil power, and by a still greater abuse, they are deputed to collect the taxes. They would be

oys, and even over all who threaten public safety. He keeps up a military force, and marches at their

ife of an army encamped in the midst of a conquered state. Everybody and everything is the property of the sultan. Christians, Jews, and Armenians are merely the slaves of the victorious Ott

out leaving a male child, the sultan inherits their property. Sons can only claim a tenth part of their paternal inheritance, and the fiscal officials are ordered

undertake expensive and lasting works. Instead of building, pe

an abuse of power, shifts the cares of govern

the commander-in-chief of the army, he manages the fin

ce of his life the misfortune of having displeased either the populace or the highest officials. The grand vizier has to govern the country, with the assistance of a state council (divan) composed of the principal ministers. The reiss effendi is the high chancellor of the empire, and the head of the corporation of the kodja,

pundits. The members of this corporation bear the title of ulemas, or effendis. They unite judicial to religious a

ltan's vicar, as caliph or successor to Mahomet. The sultan can promulgate no law, make no dec

chosen from the members of the ulema. The post of mufti would be an excellent counterpoise to the authority of the sult

them a present. Places, the judges' decisions, and the witnesses' evidence are all bought. False witnesses abound in no country in the shameless way they do in the Turkish empire, where the consequences of their perjury are the more frightful, since the cadi's decision is without appeal. Justice is meted out in Turkey as it was meted out three hundred years ago among the nomadic tribes of the Osmanlis. Aft

of individuals, the tranquillity of the town, to oppose the unjust demands of the pachas, the excesses of the military, and the unfair collection of taxes. These duties are gratuitously performed by the mo

of the association and of its individual members. The humblest artisan is protected in all legal matters by this c

TURKISH

the Servians, the Walachians, and the inhabitants of Montenegro belong to the eastern Greek Church. The Armenians are numerous, and are the more powerful on account of their known character for austerity and honesty. Other religious communities, such as the Jakobites,

, were liable to marks of ignominy, and were handed over, defenceless, to injustice. But in the beginning of our ce

ch is the Mussulman's Lent, and during which all food must be abstained from in the daytime. It is followed by the festival of Beyram, during which the faithful are allowed to make up for their preceding abstinence. A legal charity is instit

is the day of rest for the Mahometans, as Sunday is

ry four wives, and to make concubines of their female slaves. Their religion deprives them of all liberty of will, as it tells them that everything that can

eeds from schisms, which have brought to pass relig

equences when we regard mankind's physical constitution. The interdict on the use of wine, for inst

URKISH

oung men are sent from all parts of the Mussulman empire to these colleges, where they receive some amount of education. When they have finished their course of study, in which the commentaries on the Koran

orbed among a small quantity of individuals; no cha

history, and on the geography of their country. But these writings, whatever their value, never reach the mass of the nation. There are but few printing presses in Turkey; the copyist's art, such as

n a few towns; in Constantinople, in Salonica, in Adrianople, and in Rustchuk. Their principal manufactures are carpets, morocco leather, a little silk, thread and swords. Their commerce consists in the export of their raw produce; such as wool, silk, cotton, leathe

l all over the interior of Asia and India; they have branch establishments and correspondents everywhere. Most of them, while pursuing some mechanical art, are at the same time the bankers, the pur

two common Turkish types-a