TAR 



deicendants of thofe two great Rates, which the fucceflbrs 

 of Jenghis crefted on the Volga and in Siberia (fee Kapt- 

 SCHAK, and the fequel of the article) ; the Nogayans, the 

 Mefchtfcheryaks, the Bafchkirs, the Kirghifes, the Bucha- 

 nans, the Yakutes, the Teleutes, and in part the tribes of 

 Caucafus. The Kaptfchak Tartars are reduced to a fmall 

 rcfiduc, intermixed among the Bafchkirs and Kirghifes. The 

 Kazan Tartars are alfo a feeble remnant of what they for- 

 merly were, and are difperfed in the governments of Kazan, 

 Simbirdc, Riefen, Viatka, Penii, and Upha. The Ailra- 

 chan Tartars are for the moft part Nogayans : they are dif- 

 tinguifhcd into town, village, and tent Tailars. The firft 

 dwell in Aftrachan, the fecond in fix villages near Altrachan, 

 and the third wander about the Cafpian. In 1772, thofe 

 of the two fonner clafles were only 1 200, and of the tent 

 Tartars fcarcely 2000 kettles, or families. For the ftate of 

 the Krim Tartars, fee Crimea. The ftems of the Siberian 

 Tartars, who are numerous, are the Turalinzes, one of the firft 

 colonies that became permanent in Siberia, when the Tai-tars 

 fubjugated the country in the 13th century ; the Tobol- 

 flvian Tartars, who dwell on the river Tobol ; the Tomfliian 

 Tartars, who inhabit both fides of the river Tom, above and 

 below the city of Tomfk ; the Krafnoyarflcian and Kufnetz- 

 kian Tartars ; the Tartars of the Oby ; the Tfchulymfliian 

 Tartars, inhabiting the territory along the river Tfchulym ; 

 the Barabinzes, between the Oby and Irtilh ; the Kat- 

 fchinzes, on the left (hore of the Yenifl'ey ; the Kiftim and 

 Tulibert Tartars, on the left bank of the Tom ; the Biriuffes ; 

 the Abintzes ; the Sayane Tai-tars ; the Beltirs, the Vercho- 

 tomfkian Tartars, and fome other infignificant ftems. For 

 the other branches of the Tartars who inhabit Ruflia, we 

 refer to the feveral articles, Nogayans, &c. &c. 



The Tartars who are Mahometans bordering on Ruflia, 

 but independent of that crovrn, take every opportunity of 

 robbing their neighbours : tlie Kalmucks and Monguls are 

 ▼ery different in their behaviour, living quietly on the produce 

 of their foil, without doing injury to others. The Tartars 

 of Afiatic Ruflia are likewife reprefented as a quiet, inof- 

 fenfive people, living chiefly by the chafe and fifliing. See 

 the following articles. See alfo Mandshurs, Mongoles, 



TUNGUSES, &c. 



TARTARY, or Tatary, a vague name, as it relates to 

 AfiaticRuflia, whichcannot be ufed with precifionas defcrip- 

 tive of any particular country : inftead of it might therefore be 

 fubftituted names derived from the feats of the chief nations, 

 as TungufiaorMandlhuriain theeaft, Mongolia in the centre, 

 and Tataria in the weft. In a general fenle, however, whilft 

 the name remains, it may include three diftinft countries, 

 miz. Chinefe Tartary, Independent Tartary, and Ruflian 

 Tartary. 



Tartary, Cb'mefe, according to the abbe Grofier's de- 

 fcription, is bounded on the north by Siberia, on the eaft by 

 the gulf of Kamtfchatka and the Eaftern fea, on the fouth 

 by China, and on tlie weft by the country of the Kalmucks, 

 who are eftabliftied between the Cafpian fea and Kafligar. 

 The different tribes which at prefent inhabit it, were formerly 

 comprehended under the general name of Mongul or Mogul 

 Tartars, a warlike and formidable nation, who, on the one 

 hand, conquered Hindooftan, under the famous Jenghis 

 Khan, and on the other, fubdued China. It was in the 

 1 3th century that the Monguls took polfcflion of the latter 

 empire ; but after having reigned there for 100 years, they 

 were expelled by the Chinefe, in the year 1368. The fugi- 

 tives took different routes ; fome went towards the Eaftern 

 fea, and eftabhftied themfelves between China and the river 

 Saghalien ; the reft returned weftward to their former coun- 

 :ry, where, intermixing with the Monguls that remained. 



TAR 



they foon refumed their ancient manner of living ; thofe who 

 fettled towards the eSft, having found the country almoft j 

 deferl, and without inhabitants, retained tlie fame cuftom* 

 whicli they had brought from China : hence thcfe two Mon- 

 gul nations differ at prefent in language, government, reli- 

 gion, and cuftoms. Thofe of the eaft retain their ancient 

 name of Mongul, or Mogul Tartars ; the reft are known by 

 the name of Mantchew, or Eaftern Tartars. Chinefe Tartary 

 is therefore divided into two parts, the Eaftern and Weftcrn. 

 Eaftern Chinefe Tartary extends, north and fouth, from the 

 41ft to tlie 55th degree of north latitude ; and eaft and weft, 

 from about the i2otii degree of longitude, as far as the 

 Eaftern lea. It is bounded on the north by Siberia, on the 

 fouth by the gulf of Leao-tong and Corca, on the call by the 

 Eaftern fea, and on the weft by the country of the Monguls. 

 The Tartars who retired liithcr, after their expulfion from 

 China, in the year 1368, immediately began to build cities, 

 towns, and villages, and to cultivate the earth, after the 

 manner of the Chinefe, among whom they had lived : iience 

 the greater part of them have remained fixed, and are much 

 more civilized than the reft of the Mongul nation. They 

 were at firft governed by particular khans, each independent 

 of the other ; but fince that of Ningouta (who was the moft 

 powerful among them) took pofleffion of China, about the 

 middle of the 1 7th century ; the emperor, who is ftill one of 

 his defcendants, has reduced under his dominion all the other 

 khans of this part of Tartary : this prince governs it imme- 

 diately by himfelf, and fends thither governors and oflficcrs, 

 as into all the other provinces of the empire. The country 

 of the Mantchew Tartars is divided into three grand depart- 

 ments : Chen-yang, Kirin, and Tcitcicar ; which fee refpec- 

 tively. 



Ningouta, already mentioned, which is confidered as the 

 cradle of the prefent imperial family, is furrounded by a 

 wooden wall, confifting of ftakes, touching each other and 

 twenty feet high, and alfo another pahfado without this, a 

 league in circumference, and having four gates, correfponding 

 to the four cardinal points. The Mantchew Tartar, who re- 

 fides in it as lieutenant-general, extends his jurifdi£lion over the 

 adjacent country, and all the villages of Yupi-tafe, and fome 

 other petty nations that inhabit the banks of the rivers Oufouri 

 and Saghalien, and along the fea-coaft. The Tartars of 

 Yupi-tafe 'are peaceful in their difpofition, but ftupid and 

 clownifti, without letters, and without any rehgious worfliip. 

 They fow neither wheat nor rice, nor any thing elfe except 

 tobacco, which they cultivate in fome of the fields furround- 

 ing their villages. They are fupplied with fifti from the 

 river Oufouri, and this is their only food : nor have they any 

 clothes befides thofe which they make of their flcins, drelfed, 

 dyed of three or four colours, and artfully fewn together 

 with a thread cut from an exceedingly fine fliin. The wo- 

 men fufpend from the bottoms of their long cloaks pieces of 

 money and little bells ; and the trefles of their hair, which 

 hang over their flioulders, are loaded with fmall mirrors, 

 rings, and other toys. Of one part of their fifh, which they 

 employ the fummer in taking with harpoons and fmall 

 nets, they make oil for their lamps ; another fupphes tliem 

 with food ; and a third part is referved for winter, when the 

 ice prevents them from filhing. Beyond the Yupi-tafe Tar- 

 tars arc the Ketchcng-tafe Tartars, who inhabit both banks 

 of the r'wQT Saghal'ifii-oula (which foe), and extend as far 

 as the Eaftern fea. Thcfe Tartars arc Icfs clownifti than 

 the preceding, and employ much of their time in hunting 

 fables. 



Tlie Mantchews, difperfed throughout Eaftern Chinefe 

 Tartary, have neitlier temples nor idols ; they adore (as they 

 exprofs it) only the " emperor of heaven," to whom they 



R 2 offer 



