The women's dress is much the same as the above,
only they place the girdle above the
robe; their cap is shaped
is shaped like a
sugar-loaf, and covered with glass
beads, which they consider as pre-
cious as we do jewels. A large piece
of cloth, also ornamented with beads,
is fastened to the back of the cap,
and hangs down below the waist.
The young girls are not allowed to
wear caps; they only bind their hair
with a fillet of riband.

Tartars wear a

round bonnet with

a border of fur,

in the Polish fa

shion, and a kind of loose coat of sheep-skin, which reaches to the middle of the leg. The great people wear garments made of silk, which they procure from the neighbouring nations.

Clarke, in his "Travels in Europe," says: "The dress of the Tartar noblemen displays as much

taste as can be shewn by a habit necessarily decorated with gold and silver lace; it is neither heavily laden with ornament, nor are the colours tawdry. They sometimes delight in strong contrast, by opposing silver lace to black velvet for their caps; scarlet or rose-coloured silk to dark cloth, for their vests or pelisses; but, in general, the dress of a Tartar of dis

BB

tinction is remarkable for its simple elegance as well as cleanliness. Their favourite colour in cloth is drab; and the grey or white wool for their winter caps is, of all other ornaments, most in esteem."

The costume of many of the Tartar tribes belonging to Russia is very picturesque. The Mordvine women, when married, wear a high stuffed cap, sewed with many va riously-coloured threads, with a flap hanging down the back, to which are attached chains and other ornaments. Their linen petticoats they adorn gaily with red and blue needlework; they wear an apron hanging from their girdle, but instead of being in front, as with most other people, it hangs behind, and is curiously embroidered and bordered with fringes, tassels, and beads. Those who can afford it have a wide ornamented linen short sleeves, generally dyed a bright yellow. It is fastened closely round the throat with a small pin, and across the bosom with a larger one, from which hang such a quantity of corals, copper buttons, chains, medals, coins, bells, and indeed any thing that makes a jingling sound, that the dress of a Mordvine élégante, in holyday costume, is of a very great weight. Ear-rings are always worn; but when they intend to be very smart, they also have bracelets, twisted several times round the arm, like those used in India.

with gown,

very

The young women have fewer ornaments, but their dress is the same as we have described above; they,

however, wear their hair braided, like the Russians, in a long tail, with knots of riband and fringes tied to it. Formerly they plaited the hair in eight or nine small tresses, those behind the ears being larger than the others. To these tresses they tied ornaments of various kinds, and fastened them through the girdle; some even plaited sheep's-wool with their hair, till it resembled a large tail, and fell to the knees. The men belonging to this tribe wear the Russian dress, except that their shirts are curiously embroidered.

The Mohschonian costume is not devoid of elegance. The women's caps are not very high, and are worked with a needle; many wear a band of linen over the head, with long ends, which hang down the back. Round the neck they have a collar of network, formed of glass beads; from the girdle is suspended an apron covered with embroidery, glass beads, tassels, and Indian shells. Their hair is curled and frizzed upon short sticks, and sometimes braided into small tresses; their feet are bound with leathern thongs.

The inhabitants of a village called Tscherask wear a costume greatly resembling that of the Scotch. The women, over the shift, have a petticoat of plaided callimanco; their caps are of various colours, bound with ribands, gaudily worked, which hang down behind their backs. Young girls braid their tresses, and wind them with much grace round the head: across the forehead they place a parti-coloured riband, or bandeau of coral beads.

We will take leave of these giving the dress of the Kirguise. under-garment of cotton, and an

singular people, by The men wear an upper one of blue

linen, open before, but tied across the body with a cotton belt. Over this they have a leathern belt, in which they place their guns, shot-bags, and powderhorns. Their summer-caps are of felt, covered with stuff, embroidered in silks of various colours, and lined with velvet: the top of this cap is conical, and has two flaps, one on each side, which either hang on the cheeks or are fastened back. The winter-caps are made of fur. The men shave their heads, but have moustaches on the upper lip, a pointed beard, and a small tuft of hair at each corner of the mouth. When not abroad, they cover their bare skulls with a round cap of black cloth, ornamented in colours. boots are very clumsy, and made of asses'-skin, the soles full of large points, and edged with iron. When out on a hunting-party they wear immense trousers, fastened under their arm-pits, which, when on horseback, give them a shapeless and frightful appearance.

Their

The women's ordinary costume is a blue shift, a pair of trousers, bands to wrap round the legs and feet, and a veil of parti-coloured linen. Their headdress requires no little time and care to arrange: they first lay a piece of stuff, three or four yards long, upon the head, bringing the ends down the sides of the face, after which they braid their hair in two tresses; the ends of the stuff are then crossed under the chin and carried up over the head, whence they fall down again over the ears. This done, they wind a narrow strip of some other stuff, four or five yards long, round and round the head many times, till it forms a turban.

The better classes make this head-dress of fine striped stuffs, and they also wear an upper robe of

silk ornamented with artificial flowers, then a tippet to match the turban, and over the whole another open garment their necks are covered with worked handkerchiefs.

Another gala head-dress, which is considered very ornamental, consists of two lappets of flowered muslin, fastened to the back of the head under the turban; above these fall two more lappets, covered with velvet and black fringe. Married women bring the latter over the shoulders, but young girls allow it to hang down their backs. 66 Princesses," says Tooke," and the daughters of illustrious persons, are distinguished by the necks of herons, which they wear in their hair, raised up in an ornament upon the head in the shape of a horn, and the plumage is very beautiful." They also wear silk clothes or rich stuffs, or fine cloth set off with gold lace and loops, or faced with fur; and even velvets are very common among them.

The dress of the Scythians, or ancient Tartars, resembled that of the Persians. Like them they wore tiaras, and stockings and breeches all in one piece. On the column of Theodosius, at Constantinople, is seen the most ancient representation to be found of them. They appear to have worn a tunic down to the heels, and a chlamyde, which was sometimes raised at the back of the neck, so as to cover the head.