24 INIIAEITAKTS OF K AMTSCII ATK A. 
As to religion, they believe that almost every place in heaven and 
earth is lilled with different spirits, and they offer them sacrifices. 
Some carry little idols about them, or have them placed in their 
dwellings ; but with regard to God, they not only neglect to worship 
him, but, in case of troubles and misfortunes, they curse and blaspheme 
him. They are so totally ignorant of arithmetic, that it is said they 
cannot reckon above twenty, and that with the help of their fingers 
and toes. They reckon ten months in the year, some of which are 
longer and some shorter ; for they do not divide them by the changes 
of the mooii, but by the order of particular occurrences that happen in 
those regions. They commonly divide one year into two, so that 
winter is one year, and summer another; the sinnmer year begins in 
May, and the wdnter in November. They do not distinguish the days 
by any particular names, nor form them into weeks or months. They 
mark their epoch as from some remarkable event, as the arrival of 
the Russians, or their first expedition to Kamtschatka. They are, how- 
ever, very ingenious in some arts. They are exceedingly fond of 
iron instruments, such as hatchets, knives, or needles, nay, at the 
first arrival of the Russians, a piece of broken iron was looked upon as 
a great present ; and even yet they receive it with thankfulness, find- 
ing use for the least fragment, either to point their arrow's or make 
darts, which they do by hammering it out cold between two stones. As 
some of them delight in w ar, the Russian mer'chants are forbidden to 
sell them any w'arlike instruments ; but they are ingenious enough to 
make spears and arrows out of the iron pots and kettles which they 
buy; and they are so dexterous when the eye of a needle breaks, as to 
make a hew eye, which they will repeat until nothing remains but the 
point. 
Garments, Dresses, 
Their clothes for the most part are made of skins of deer, dogs, sea 
and land animals, and even of the skins of birds, those of different 
animals being frequently joined in the same garment. They make 
the upper garments sometimes by cutting the skirts all of an equal 
length, and sometimes leaving them long behind, in the form of a 
train, with wide sleeves, of a length to come down below the knee, 
and a hood behind, which in bad weather they put over their heads 
below their caps ; the opening above is only large enough to let their 
heads pass ; they sew^ the skins of dogs’ legs round this opening, 
with which they cover their faces in bad weather; and round their 
shirts and sleeves they put a bor-de-r of white dog-skin. They com- 
monly wear two coats, the under coat with the hairy side inwards, 
the other side being dyed wuth alder; and the upper with the hair out- 
wards. Black, white, or speckled skins are much esteemed. Both 
men and women use these garments, their dress only differing in their 
under clothing, and in the covering of their feet and legs. The women 
have an under garment, which they commonly wear at home, con- 
sisting of a breeches and waistcoat sewed together. The breeches 
are wide like those of the Dutch shippers, and tie below the knee, 
the waistcoat is wide above, and drawn round with a string. The 
