1230 Biographical Memoir of Peter Simon Pallas. 



with them whatever they met with on their route, whether men 

 or treasure. In this manner, they travelled upwards of 500 

 leagues, without being arrested either by the troops that were 

 sent after them, or by the rivers, the attacks of the tribes which 

 they met with, or the mortality of their people and animals. 

 Nothing like this had occurred since the flight of the Children 

 of Israel from Egypt. 



Pallas not only treats of the origin and physical characters of 

 these tribes, their manners and government, but also devotes a 

 great part of his work to the exposition of their religion, — a re- 

 ligion of a singular nature, which had been banished from Indos- 

 tan by the Bramins, in the first century of our era, and which, 

 at the present day, being the predominant religion in China, Ja- 

 pan, the half of Tartary, Ceylon, and the whole of the penin- 

 sula beyond the Ganges, almost equals, in point of extent of 

 territory, Christianity and Mahomedanism. The metaphysical 

 doctrines on which it is founded, its dogmas, its moral maxims, its 

 canonic right, its ceremonies, and even the vesture of its clergy, 

 have so great a resemblance to Christianity, as to have astonished, 

 and sometimes deceived, our missionaries ; but, at the best, it 

 would merely be a Christianity altered by the most monstrous 

 adulteration. The supreme chief is not only the vicegerent of 

 God, he is God himself, who is successively incarnated in all the 

 individuals raised to this dignity. Some of the inferior chiefs al- 

 so partake of divinity. The Chinese monarch acknowledges this 

 claim to it ; but, to prevent their abusing it, he has taken care 

 to make himself master of their sacred cities, and their spiritual 

 authority is only exercised under his influence. In this religion, 

 as in many others, a schism has taken place, and, for about two 

 centuries back, there have been two independent Grand Lamas. 

 As in some other religions also, these two chiefs long denounced 

 each other; but the singular circumstance, and one which they 

 alone have exhibited, is, that they have become reconciled to 

 each other; that they mutually recognise each other as gods, and 

 that their partisans live peaceably together throughout all Tar- 

 tary. 



The schism originated in a reigning Lama pretending to 

 admit women to the honours of the priesthood. The rigid fol- 

 lowers of the ancient customs would not pardon him for such 



