YAK 



Y A L 



charafters and attributes, occur in the articles Kuvera, 

 Ravena, and Sitanta. 



YAKSHNI-DEVI, a name and an inferior manifeftation 

 of the Hindoo goddefs Parvati. It means goddefs of 

 mah'gnant beings ; one race of whom are in the mafculine 

 termed Yakjha, which article, and others thence referred to, 

 the reader defirous of information concerning them may 

 confult. 



YAKSIMVAR, in Geography, a town of RuFia, ia the 

 government of Viborg, on the north-well coaft of lake 

 Ladoga ; 8 miles S. of Serdopol. 



YAKUTSK, a town of Ruffia, in the government of 

 Irkutflf, on the Lena, which is here about two leagues in 

 width ; but it is greatly impeded with ice, and navigable 

 only by a few fmall boats, chiefly employed in fupplying 

 the town with provifions. This town is the capital of a 

 province, to which it gives name : it contains between 500 

 and 600 houfes, moftly of wood, with fome Hone churches, 

 ar.d is defended by a wooden fort. The bed fables are 

 found near this town and Ner(hin(k ; 960 miles N.E. of 

 Irkutfk. N. lat. 62° 5'. E. long. 129° 14'. 



Yakutsk, the Province. The Yakutes, or, as they deno- 

 minate themfelves, Socho, or natives of this province, are 

 robuft, and in general large ; they referable the Tartars in 

 the caft of their features, and there is faid alfo to be a great 

 fimilarity in the idioms of thefe two people. Their ancient 

 homeftead extended from the Sayane mountains as far as the 

 Angara and the Lena. Perfecuted by the Bunts and 

 Mongoles, they removed down the Lena to their prefent 

 rude and inclement diftrifts, where they are found in the 

 government of Irkutlk on both fides of that river quite to 

 the Frozen ocean. In the year 1620 they fubmitted to the 

 Ruffian conquerors, and at the middle of the laft century 

 they numbered upwards of 40,000 bows ; but fince that 

 time they are conGderably increafed. Their drefs is fimple, 

 and nearly the fame all the year round ; the only difference 

 is, that in winter it is made of fkins ; over their chemife 

 they commonly wear a large ftriped waiftcoat with fleeves ; 

 their breeches do not extend below the middle of the thigh, 

 but their long boots, callcdyarr/, reach above the knee. In 

 tot weather they wear nothing but the breeches. Polygamy 

 forms a part of the political code of this people ; obliged to 

 make frequent journies, a Yakute has a wife in every place 

 ■where he ftops, but he never affembles them together. 

 Notwithftanding this licence, they are jealous to excefs, and 

 the fworn enemies of any one who (hall dare to violate the 

 rights of hofpitality. When fummer commences, they 

 leave their winter habitations, and with their families and a 

 fmall number of horfes, make their harvefts of fodder for 

 confumption during the froft feafon. They repair to a 

 oonfiderable diftance from their yourt, and to the moft fer- 

 tile cantons. In their abfence, the horfes are left to the 

 care of the fervants, and the neighbouring paftures fcrve for 

 the maintenance of all their herds. Chamans, or forcerers, 

 are regarded as interpreters of the gods ; they grant their 

 mfdiation to the ftupid Yakute, who implores it with 

 trembling, but always pays for it. In the idolatry of the 

 Yakutes, we find all the abfurdities and fuperftitious prac- 

 tices of the ancient Kamtfchadales, Koriaks, Tchutchis, 

 and other inhabitants of thefe countries. The funerals are 

 attended with a kind of pomp more or lefs magnificent, in 

 proportion to the rank and wealth of the defunA. If a 

 prince, he is arrayed in his fineft habits, and moft fplendid 

 arms. The body, placed in a coffin, is carried by the 

 family to the tomb ; deep groans announce the folemn 

 pfoceffioD ; his favourite horfe, and another the beft. in 



his llud, both richly caparifoned, and led by a valet, or 

 near relation, walk by the fide of the corpfe. When 

 arrived at the burying-place, they are tied to two Hakes, 

 fixed near the grave, and while the mafter is interred, their 

 throats are cut over the corpfe. This bloody libation is 

 the homage paid to his attachment to thefe animalt, who 

 are fuppofed to follow him into the other world, where it is 

 imagined that he wiU again be able to enjoy them. They 

 are then flayed ; the head and hide, in one entire piece, are 

 fixed horizontally upon the branches of trees at a fmall dif- 

 tance from the grave ; and fuch is the memorial that is 

 erefted. A fire is then kindled, and the laft proof of 

 friendfliip for the deceafed confifts in roafting and eating 

 upon the fpot thefe favoured animals : the feall being coh- 

 chided the company difperfes. The fame ceremonial is 

 obferved for a woman, except that inftead of a horfe, they 

 facrifice her favourite cow. Their houfes, like the yourts 

 of the wandering Koriaks, are circular, fpacious, and con- 

 ftruAed with poles, fewer in number, but ranged in the fame 

 manner, and kept afunder by a fort of hoops at the top, 

 the whole covered with the bark of the birch-tree, formed 

 into pieces eighteen inches wide, placed in a downward 

 direftion. Thefe pieces are edged with a kind of ribband, 

 made of bark, and fhaped into feftoons, and the infide of 

 the yourt is ornamented in the fame manner. The tafte of 

 the ornaments is governed by the caprice of the proprietor, 

 and there is in them a fort of wildnefs that is fufficiently 

 amufing. The fame decoration is annexed to the chairs 

 and beds of the heads of families. The domeftics lie upon 

 the ground on mats or flrins, and the fire is lighted in the 

 middle of the lioufe. See Yuhaghirs. 



YALE, a town'of the ifland of Ceylon ; 56 miles S.S.E. 

 of Candi. N. lat. 6° 52'. E. long. 81° 20'.— Alfo, a 

 river of Ceylon, which runs into the fea, on the S.E. fide 

 of the ifland, N. lat. 6° 23'. E. long. 81° 41'. 

 Yale College. See College. 



YALEPUL, in Geography, a town of Ceylon, at the 

 mouth of the Yale ; 30 miles S. of Yale. — Alfo, a town 

 of the ifland of Ceylon, near the E. coaft ; 96 miles S.E. 

 of Candi. 



YALLAH's Bay, a bay of the ifland of Jamaica, on 

 the S. coaft, fituated to the E. of Yallah's Point. 



Yallah'j Point, a cape on the S. coaft of Jamaica ; 12 

 miles S.E. of Kingfton. N. lat. 17° 53'. W. long. 

 76° 21'. 



Yallah'j River, a river of Jamaica, which runs into the 

 fea, a little to the eaft of Yallah's Point. 



YALMAL, a cape on the E. coaft of Ruflla, in the 

 Karfltoe fea. N. lat. 72°. E. long. 68° 24'. 



YALME, a river of Devonftiire, which runs into the 

 Enghfli Channel, 7 miles S.E. of Plymouth. 



YALOFFS, Yalloffs, Jalofs, or Jalloffs, an aftive, 

 powerful, and warlike race of negroes, and efteemed the 

 moft handfome of thofe people, who inhabit a great part of 

 that traft of Africa which lies between the Mandingo 

 ftates, on the river Gambia to the S., and the Senegal to the 

 N. and E. See Jallobfs. 



The YalofFs differ from the Mandingoes, ( fee Manding, ) 

 not only in language, but likewife in complexion and fea- 

 tures. Their nofes are not fo much deprefled, nor the lips 

 fo protuberant, as among the generality of Africans ; and 

 although their fkin is of the deepeft black, they are con- 

 fidered by the white traders as the moft fightly negroes in 

 this part of the continent. They are divided into feveral 

 independent ftates or kingdoms ; which are frequently at 

 war either with their neighbours, or with one another. In 

 r 2 their 



