C HAR AC TERS. 
Nagays: they are, in general, of 
low stature, owing, probably, to 
their confined treatment in early 
life; though the features are to- 
lerably handsome. Young women 
wear wide drawers ; a shift reaching 
to their ancles, divided before, and 
drawn together at the neck; a 
gown, open in front, made of 
striped silk, with long sleeves, and 
adorned with broad trimmings, em- 
broidered with gold. They have 
also an upper garment of some ap- 
propriate colour, with short thick 
Turkish sleeves, edged with ermine 
fur, or gold lace. Both girls and 
married women fasten their gowns 
with a heavy cinéture or girdle, 
having in front two large buckles, 
like those made by the Armenians 
and Jews, of embossed or filigree 
work, and which were once in fa- 
shion among the Russian ladies at 
Petersburgh and Moscow. Their 
hair is braided behind in as many 
Joose tresses as it will afford, and is 
covered either witha small red cap, 
_ or fez, especially during childhood, 
or with a handkerchief crossed un- 
der the chin. Their fingers are 
adorned with rings, and the nails of 
their hands and feet tinged with 
Kna, (Lawsonia) which is imported 
737 
from Constantinople, and is some- 
times mixed with vitriol, to render 
the colour browner, and more per- 
manent, as it will thus continue 
about two months. But paint is 
rarely employed by young females. 
Married women cut off their hair 
obliquely over their eyes, and leave 
two locks also cut transversely, 
hanging down their cheeks; they 
likewise bind a long narrow strip of 
cloth round the head, within the. 
ends of which they confine the rest 
of the hair, and turn it up from 
behind, braiding it in two large 
tresses. Like the Persians, they 
die their hair of a reddish brown: 
with kna. Their under garment is. 
more open below, but in other re-, 
speéts similar to that of the unmar- 
ried, as are their upper dress and 
girdle. They paint their faces red 
with cochineal, or other drugs, and 
white with an oxyd of tin, called: 
aklyk, which they carefully pre- 
pare over a dung—fire, in small 
earthen pipkins.* They also dye 
the white of the eye blue, witha 
finely pulverized preparation of cops 
per (Masetash) brought from Con- 
stantinople; and, by a particular 
process, + change the colour of their. 
eye-brows and hair to a shining 
3 E2 black, 
* In order to compose the fashionable greyish-white Tartar cosmetic, the wo 
men first heat a pot covered with clay, in a strong dung fire, till it is glowing hot. 
The vessel being thus prepared, is placed, with the opening sideways, in another, 
dung fire, which they accumulate round it; then bars of tin are thrown in, and’ 
the opening is closed with an iron cover, till the metal is melted. Next, the lid is: 
_ removed, and the tin is continually stirred with an iron spatula: when it is per- 
fectly fused, they add some sheep’s tallow, with a small piece of lead and Cyprus 
soap, which must be burnt on the tin till they disappear. The operator continues 
to stir the mass till the metal gradually becomes calcined ; after which it is sifted 
and sold. This cosmetic imparts a pale white hue, nearly resembling the natural 
colour of the skin. 
' + Twenty-five of the best galls (Balamut) are boiled in oil, then dried, and’ re« 
duced to a fine powder; to which are added, three drachms of green vitriol, one 
of cream of tartar, one of indigo, and a tea-cupful of kna, or lawsonia alcanna, 
‘The four first-mentioned ingredients are well agitated with two pounds of water ; 
and 
se 
