287 
PAL 
for that year at Tzaritzin, a town upon the Volga: from 
whence he continued his journey in the enfuing fpring ; 
and arrived at Peterfburg on the 30th of July, 1774, after 
an abfence of fix years. 
The account of this extenfive and interefting tour was 
publifhed by Dr. Pallas in five volumes 4to. which greatly 
extended his fame and eftablifhed his charafter. The au¬ 
thor, in this valuable work, has entered into a geogra¬ 
phical and topographical defcription of the provinces, 
towns, and villages, which he vifited, accompanied with 
an accurate detail of their antiquities, hiftory, produc¬ 
tions, and commerce. He has difcriminated many of 
the tribes who wander over the various diftriCts, and near 
the confines of Siberia ; and fpecified with peculiar pre- 
cilion their cuftoms, manners, and languages ; he has 
alfo rendered his travels invaluable to the naturalilt, by 
the many important difcoveries in the animal, vegetable, 
and mineral, kingdoms, with which he has enriched the 
fcience of natural hiftory. Two years afterwards, in 
1776, the profefibr publifhed his collections relative to 
the political, phyfical, and civil, hiftory of the Mongu'l 
tribes 5 in which he throws new light on the annals of a 
people whofe anceftors conquered Ruffia, China, Perfia, 
and Hindooftan 5 and at more than one period efta¬ 
blifhed perhaps a larger empire than ever was pofleffed 
by any Angle nation. Pallas here proves unqueftion- 
ably that the Mongul tribes are a diftinCt race from the 
Tartars ; that they differ from them in their features, lan¬ 
guage, and government 1 and referable them in nothing 
except in a fimilar propenfity to a roving life. He in¬ 
tended a fecond volume, defcribing their religious efta- 
blifhment, confifting in their worfhip of the Dalai Lama 5 
which is the religion of Thibet, and of the Mandfhoo 
fovereigns who now fit upon the throne of China; “a 
work,” as Mr. Tooke juftly obferves, “ that will enrich 
the ftock of human knowledge with difcoveries, the 
greateft part entirely new', and which no perfon but 
Pallas is able to communicate.” Whether however 
this fecond volume ever made its appearance, we have our 
doubts. 
In the fame year in which Dr. Pallas printed his 
“ Elenchus Zoophytorum,” he alfo publifhed a treatife 
under the title of “ Mifcellanea Zoologica, quibus novae 
imprimis atque obfcurae animalium fpecies defcribuntur, 
et obfervationibus iconibufque illuftrantur.” This work 
is in a great meafure incorporated into a fnbfequent pub¬ 
lication made the next year on his return to Berlin, inti- 
tled “ Spicilegia Zoologica,” and was continued in num¬ 
bers, or fafciculi, till 1780. The works of count Buffon, 
the illuftrious French zoologift, amply- atteft the labours 
of Pallas; and our countryman, Mr. Pennant, makes fre¬ 
quent acknowledgments of his obligations to the fame 
fource, particularly for his Hiftory ofQuadrupeds and Arc¬ 
tic Zoology. In June 1777, the learned profefibr read be¬ 
fore the Academy of Peterfburgh, in a meeting at which 
the king of Sweden was prefent, a diflertatipn on the for¬ 
mation of mountains, and the changes which this globe 
has undergone, more particularly as it appears in the 
Ruffian empire. This treatife appeared fo curious to Mr. 
Tooke, who was alfo, as a. member of the academy, pre¬ 
fent at that fitting, that he has given a tranflation of it in 
his Ruffia Illuftrata. In 1778 the doflor publifhed “ No¬ 
vae Species Quadrupedum e Glirium Ordine,” defcribing 
numbers of the rat genus and their anatomy. In 1781 
he brought out “ Enumeratio Plantarum quae in Horto 
Procopii a Demidof Mofcua vigentor, Catalogue of the 
Plants in M. Demidof’s Gardens at Mofcow. His new 
northern collections on various fubjefts in geography, 
natural hiftory, and agriculture, came forth the fame year, 
to which were afterwards added two more volumes! In 
1782 he put forth two fafciculi or numbers of “ leones 
InfeCtarum- praefertim Ruffiae Siberiaeque peculiariutn.” 
In 1784 he publifhed the fir ft number of his “Flora 
Roffica a fplendid work, executed at the. emprefs Ca¬ 
tharine’s expenfe. About this period her majefty con- 
L A S. 
ceived the idea of collecting from all quarters of the 
globe a univerfal vocabulary, the fuperintendance where¬ 
of flie committed to our author, which necefiarily for a 
time retarded his zoological refearches. Exclufive of 
tliefe feparate publications, he printed, in the ACts of the 
Imperial Academy of Sciences, various zoological and bo¬ 
tanical diflertations. Not long after this, he was diftin- 
guifhed by a peculiar mark of imperial favour, in being 
appointed member of the board of mines, with an addi¬ 
tional falary of aool. per annum, and honoured with the 
order of St. Vlodimir. The emprefs alfo purchafed his 
ample collection of natural hiftory, in a manner highly 
flattering to the author, and honourable to herfelf. Being 
informed that he was defirous to difpofe of that collection, 
her majefty fent to let him know that her country fhould 
not be deprived of fo exquifite a cabinet ; that fhe would 
be the purchafer; and ordered him to make out the cata¬ 
logue, and fix the price. He accordingly named 15,000 
rubles. Having examined the catalogue, fhe fubjoined 
with her own hand : “ Dr. Pallas underftands natural hif¬ 
tory much better than figures : he ought to have charged 
30,000 inftead of 15,000 rubles for fo many valuable arti¬ 
cles. The emprefs, however, takes upon herfelf to cor¬ 
rect the miftake; and hereby orders her treafurer to pay 
30,000 rubles. At the fame time Dr. Pallas lhall not be 
deprived of his collection, which fhall (till continue to 
be in bis own pofleffion during his life, as he fo well 
underftands how to render it molt ufeful to mankind.” 
In 17841110 care of putting in order and publifhing the 
papers of Gmelin and profefibr Guldenftsedt was con- 
frgned to Dr. Pallas, which he executed with great dili¬ 
gence and accuracy, though, from feme incidental caufe 
to us unknown, only the fir ft volume of Guldenftaedt’s 
remains, containing his journal and the defcription of the 
diftriCts of mount Caucafus, ever came to the public eye. 
In 1794 Dr. Pallas travelled to the Crimea ; and, on his 
return, publifhed an account of that delightful peninfula, 
under the title of “ Phyfical and Topographical Picture 
of Taurida.” On his return, finding that the ftate of his 
health required refiding in a warm climate, he laid before 
the emprefs a reprefentation to that effeCt, who not only 
gave him permiffion to make choice of a fettlement in 
any part of her dominions, but, on his preference of 
Taurida, prefented him with an eftate in that country, 
and a fum of money (10,000 rubles) to form his eftablifh- 
ment. Here it was that he was vifited by Dr. Clarke, on 
his travels in the year 1800 ; with whofe account of his 
then fituation we fhall conclude this article. “ Akmat- 
chet,” fays that fpirited and ingenious traveller, “ will 
long be celebrated as the relidence of profefibr Pallas, fo 
well known to the literary world. His fame would have 
been fufKciently eftablifhed, if he had publifhed no other 
work than that begun by him under fuch favourable auf- 
pices, the Flora Roffica ; yet the barbarity of the people 
with whom he is compelled to live, [how was he com¬ 
pelled?] is fuch, that they will not allow him to com 
plete the undertaking. The drawings were all finifhed, 
and almoft all the text. To the hofpitable and humane 
attentions of this excellent man we were indebted for 
comforts, equal, if not fuperior, to thofe of our own 
country, and for every literary communication it was in 
his power to fupply. When we delivered our letters of 
recommendation to him, he received us rather as a pa¬ 
rent than as a ftranger to whofe protection we had been 
configned. We refufed to intrude by occupying apart¬ 
ments in his houfe s this had more the appearance of a 
palace than the refidence of a private gentleman ; but one 
day, when we were abfent upon an excurfion, he caufed 
all our things to be moved, and upon our return we 
found a fuite of rooms prepared for our reception, with 
every convenience for ftudy and repofe. I confider my- 
felf indebted to him even for my life. The fatigue of 
travelling, added to the effeCt of bad airand unwholefome 
food, rendered a quartan fever fe habitual to me, that, 
had it not been for his care and lkill, I fhould not have 
1 lived 
