the sickness of their horses as well as for their own, and one of them lending my son a bridle, begged him to take care of the amulet attached to it, " for which," said he, " I paid five rubles." Another of their favourite specifics is a bag of millet tied round a horse's neck, which, as it is applied either for a lame foot or a sore back, is, I suppose, equally efficacious for each. They likewise throw an egg, or eggs, into the face of a horse which is ill ; but that this charm is not always effective, I can answer from my own experience. These superstitions, gross as they may appear, are by no means confined to the lower class. During the illness of one of my children, the steward of a neighbouring Murza, who accidentally came to the house, informed me that his master had the power of curing it. " He will write a paper for you," said the man,. " which you must burn, and hold the child over the smoke of it: this done, she will recover; or perhaps he will direct you to sew up the paper without looking at it, and let her constantly wear it. Do not hesitate to send to him, ifyou desire it." I had no occasion to try the strength of this charm, as my child recovered without its assistance.
In common with many other nations of the East, they retain the superstition of the evil eye, which is too well known to require description ; connected with this, is the belief, that the admiration of a stranger is liable to bring bad luck upon their children, cattle, &c. ; and the very ancient method of averting its ill consequences, by spitting on the object supposed to be affected.
Another, and more singular prejudice, which pervades the better informed as well as the lower class of people, is that respecting bees. They suppose, that if any robbery be committed where a number of hives is kept, the whole stock will gradually diminish, and in a short time die ; "for bees" say they, " ivill not suffer thieving" This remark has been more than once made to me by respectable, and, on other subjects, apparently sensible persons.
In cases of epidemic disease amongst cattle, a Tatar expects to cure it by cutting off the head ofone of them, and burying it in a hole, This I believe is a sacrifice to the devil, or evil spirit, who has sent the contagion.
It is a very common custom in the Crimea, with the Tatars as well as the Bulgarian settlers, to stick up a horse's skull near their houses, in order to preserve them from witchcraft. It appears, I am told, from ancient authority, that a somewhat similar superstition prevailed among the earliest known inhabitants of this country, (the Taurians), who however made use of a human skull for this purpose.
A Tatar, who was hired to go from Karagoss to Odessa, refused to set out on a Tuesday, considering it an unlucky day ; " for," said he, " I once began a journey on that day, and lost two horses by it, so that I would not again run the risk for one thousand rubles." He added, that it was against the law; which I cannot believe, since it is not probable that Mahomet, who allows his followers to work on their Sabbath, should prohibit them from doing so on any other day.
Mendicants are very rare among the Tatars ; their mode of life is so simple, and the few wants they have beyond what their own labour gives them, are supplied at so little cost, that the son finds the maintenance of his parents, when ad- . vanced in life, no burden to him ; and his children are an addition of wealth to his store. In the few cases which occur of the old being reduced to beg, I am told that they never enter a Tatar cottage to ask charity, and meet with a denial; money, clothes, bread, or some sort of food, is given to them, and a Tatar would be ashamed who would refuse to listen to this call upon his humanity.
At the birth of a child, it is universally the custom for the other females of the village to visit the lying-in woman, each bringing some present, either of food, clothes, or money. However trifling their gifts may be, they are accepted, while the not giving would be considered a disgrace. How far this custom extends among the rich Tatars, I cannot say, but among the poor it is very general.
It is rare to see either lame or blind people among them, and they are remarkable for having fine dark eyes, and teeth of extreme whiteness. These latter they frequently employ in chewing a sort of gum, or paste, prepared by themselves from the root of a plant, and called sahkuz. Their ears are singularly large, and they never attempt to cover them, but constantly wear their caps low, on purpose to make them stick out. How variable a form has beauty !