As the riches of the Calmucks consist entirely in their flocks, it is from them they draw their whole means of subsistence. They never think of cultivating the ground, though they inhabit many extensive tracts of country, equal in climate and fertility to any in the world. Their herds roam at large over the most luxuriant pastures, which, when withered by the droughts of summer, they renew, by setting fire to the old grass. Upon these occa sions, the flames will sometimes- extend nearly 100 leagues; and, in fifteen days, the country is again co vered with verdure.
A wealthy Calmuck possesses several hundreds of cattle, sometimes thousands ; but ten cows, with a bull, and eight mares, with a stallion, are considered a suffi cient independence. They have very few camels, as it is rather a delicate animal, and difficult to rear ; and these are confined entirely to the rich and the priests. Their horses are small, but very swift, and are capable of gal loping for several hours successively without injury, or of passing a whole day without drinking. They castrate the greater part of their male foals, and slit their nostrils, that they may breathe more fiecly when they run. When breaking them, they use neither saddle nor bridle. A straight girth is tied round the body, by which the Cal muck keeps himself firm in his seat, and the animal is abandoned to his fury in the open plain. Ilere he is al lowed to run and toss himself till he is quite fatigued, when his rider urges him on with the whip, until his strength is almost gone. Ile is then saddled and bridled, and rode quietly about for some time, by which means he soon becomes perfectly tame. Their horned cattle are of a beautiful shape ; and their sheep are the same as those which are found throughout all Great 'I'artary. They are exceedingly fat, with large tails, and broad pendent ears ; and their wool is so coarse, that it is fit for nothing- but making felt. Their principal food consists in the milk and flesh of their cattle ; but horse flesh is esteemed the best. They are, however. not very deli cate in this respect, as they eat not only such of their cattle and horses as have died of disease, but dogs, cats, marmots, rats, and almost every kind of wild beasts ; and the poor sometimes even feed upon carrion. Their favourite dish during a journey, is a piece of flesh placed under the saddle of the horse, which, by warmth and pressure, becomes a tender and palatable steak. They cat also the roots of chervil, dandelion, and several other species of wild plants, which they use both r • and boil s__ IT r.. _ ed. Of their milk they make a fermented liquor, called koumiss ; from which they distil a spirit similar to branch, which they call rack, or racky, and of whicn they are re markably fond. The koulniss is generally made of mare's milk, which is always puck rrecl to that which conies from the cow, as it yields three times more spi rit. It is prepared by mixing a sixth part of warm watt r with any given quantity of warm milk, \yid, Il iii stminier must have previously stood twenty-four hours, and in winter three or four days ; to this is added a little old kounliss, by way of yeast, when the mass is agitated , and sometimes artificial heat is applied to produce the vinous fermentation. From this substance their rack is distilled ; and Dr Clarke, who witnessed the process in a Cahnuck camp, has given us the following account of it : " The simplicity of the operation, and of their machinery, was very characteristic of the antiquity of this chemical process. Their still was constructed of
mud, or very coarse clay ; and for the neck of the retort they employed a cane. The receiver of the still was entirely covered by a coating of wet clay. The brandy had already passed over. The woman who had the ma nagement of the distillery, wishing to give us a taste of the spirit, thrust a stick, with a small tuft of camel's hair at its end, through the external covering of clay ; and thus collecting a small quantity of the brandy, she received it into the palm of her dirty and greasy hand, and, having tasted the liquor, presented it to our lips." This liquor is clear and weak, but the rich Calmucks in crease its strength by a second distillation, and it is capa ble of being kept a long time in glass bottles. This people are also extremely fond of tobacco and tea ; but, as the last article is very dear, and rather difficult to be obtained, the poorer classes supply its place with several kinds of wild plants, such as the seed of the sharp leaved dock, the root of wild angelica, the seed of the Tartarian maple, and a specieg of liquorice. Their principal amusements arc hunting, wrestling, archery, and horse racing : indeed, the greater part of a Cal muck's time is spent in diversions. They are excellent horsemen, being trained to riding from their infancy. The women, however, are as expert alai this exercise as the men, and manage the animal with more gracefulness and skill ; for a male Calmuck on horseback, though he never loses his seat, appears as if he were intoxicated, and about to fall off every instant. So partial arc they to this amusement, that even the ceremony of marriage is sometimes performed on horseback. A girl is first mounted," says the intelligent traveller whom we have so often quoted, " who rides off at full speed. Iles lover pursues ; and, if he overtakes her, she becomes his wife, and the marriage is consummated upon the spot ; after which she returns with him to his tent. Ilut it sometimes happens, that the woman does not ish to marry the person by whom she is pursued. in which rase she will not suffer him to overtake her ; and we were assured, that no instance occurs of a Calmuck girl being thus caught, unless she has a partiality for her pursuer. If she dislikes him, she rides, to use the language of English sportsmen, neck or nothing,' until she has completely escaped, or until the pursuer's horse is tired out, leaving her at liberty to return, to be afterwaed, chased by some more favoured admirer." The Cal mucks arc passionately addicted to gambling, and will sometimes sit whole nights at cards, until they have lost all that they possess, even their very clothes. This game, however, is only permitted during their festivals , and at all other times is prohibited under a severe penalty. They have also chess, draughts, backgammon, and the young people amuse themselves with singing, and dan cing to the balalaika, or two stringed lute. In their drinking parties, which are very frequent, and where every one brings his share of rack or koumiss, the greatest harmony and decorum prevails ; and though they are generally kept up until the stock of liquor is expended, which sometimes lasts for half a day, yet they are almost never attended either with riot or intoxi cation.