THE common Tatar carriage is a long covered cart or waggon, some of two, and others of four wheels, called a madjaar. Few, even ofthe richestamong them, have any better vehicle than this to take out their wives and families in. When a Tatar lady goes to visit her mother, or other friends, all her attendants go with her, and she expects to be met at her carriage with as much ceremony as if she came in a state coach.
The embellishments of a Tatar room are few; it is however warm, clean, and comfortable. The floors, which are always formed of mud, are covered over, even in the poorest houses, with coarse grey blanketing; in the best, with Turkish matting or carpets. Cushions are ranged for seats, and also for the back to lean against, along two sides of the room. Around the white-washed walls of die female apartments, hang the specimens of the industry of its inhabitants, viz. embroidered napkins, handkerchiefs, &c. and on the shelves are seen various articles of dress, the robes and kaftans of the ladies. Besides this display, there is always a pile of coverlids, mattresses, and cushions for their beds, over which is thrown a fine covering, often ofthin muslin, to give a glimpse ofthe rich silks and satins of which they generally are made. The other articles of furniture are, a small Turkish table, and a large chest, which is painted red, green, and half a dozen other colours.
On one side of the room, a shelf supports their dishes, glasses, cups, &c. The last they pride themselves on having handsome; and always give coffee, as in Turkey, with a double cup. Sherbet is commonly offered in a China basin.
Their windows are not glazed, but latticed, and in winter are closely papered, leaving only a small space in each for a piece of glass. In summer they are fancifully decorated with slips ofpaper placed across the lattice-work.
The Tatar stoves are excellently adapted for retaining and diffusing heat: when they have been made very hot, and the embers are in a fit state to be shut up, the door is affixed to the mouth of the oven, and a stiff mortar is put all round, to prevent the heat from escaping. This door is always in the entrance room, but the stove projects into the sitting-room.
The women's apartments of the richer Tatars are situated within an inclosure, through the gates of which none but servants of the family, and female visitors, are admitted. Ofthe former, only one or two have the privilege of entering the rooms themselves. The master has another house, distinct from this building, in which he receives his guests.
The peasant has almost always two rooms, of which the inner serves for his wife's apartment, and the outer is used as a kitchen.
The cottages of the Tatar peasants, for cheapness of construction, rapidity of building, and simplicity of materials, are perhaps unrivalled ; and the inside is generally kept cleanly, especially those of the mountain Tatars. They are constructed of oaken stakes, whose ends are driven perpendicularly into the ground, and stand above it seven or eight feet, and from one to one foot and a half distant from each other ; into these, liggers are entwined, and the whole are well plastered within and without, and white-washed when dry. The roof has rafters, crossed with liggers, upon which ashes, marl, or earth are heaped ; but all the more wealthy boors tile their houses. The sheds, cow-houses, stables, and all thatbelongs toaTatar farm-yard, is equally composed of stakes and liggers, and made warm by being plastered with cow-dung. When a Tatar desires to marry, and has fixed upon the family from which he intends to choose his wife, ( in which determination he must for the most part be influencedby interest, although the reputed beauty or good qualities of his bride may perhaps have been described to him by her attendants), his first step is to obtain the consent of the father. This being accomplished, presents are sent, according to the circumstances of the suitor, who now visits in the family on a footing of increased familiarity. None of the female part of it, however, are on any occasion visible to him, unless he can by stealth obtain a glance of his fair one, who possesses the superior advantage ofseeing him whenever he comes to the house, through the lattice-work which incloses the apartments of the women.
At the period fixed for the wedding, a Tatar Murza sends to all the neighbouring villages an invitation to come and partake of his festivity and good cheer. Two, three, or more villages in a day are thus feasted, and this lasts a week, ten days, or a fortnight, according to the wealth of the bridegroom. Each guest takes with him some present, which is ashandsomeas his means will allow : a horse, a sheep, alamb, various articles of dress, nay, even money, are presented on this occasion.