should we omit to mention his account of the life and voyages of captain Cook; his new edition of Dr. Doddridge's Lectures, with a great number of additional refer ences, his life of this excellent perfon, prefixed to a new edition of his Expolition of the New Teftament; and his life of Dr. Lardner (to whofe abilities, character and writings he has paid the juft tribute of refpe&t) prefixed to the com. plete collection of his works. But the work, to which Dr. Kippis devoted his principal attention for many of the last years of his life, and by which he has acquired fingular reputation, was the biographia Britannica. His indefatigable induftry in collecting materials for it, his accets to the best fources of information, his knowledge of men and books, his judgment in felecting and marking every circumn ftance that could ferve to diftinguish talents and character, and the habit which he had acquired by long practice of a pretiating the value of different works, qualified him, in a very high degies, for conducting this elaborate performance. To thofe who duly confider the time and labour that are neceffary for executing fuch a work with accuracy, and who alfo reflect how variously our friend's attention was occupied by other engazements, which were of great importance to himself and to the public, it will appear furprising that he did fo much; and they will admire his unwearied diligence and perfeverance rather than find fault with the flow progrefs of fuch a publication. His collateral reflecrions on a variety of incidental fubjeas are numerous and inftru&tive. In this mode of introducing important and ufeful remarks Dr. Kippis particularly excelled.

"Notwithstanding the time that must have been devoted to the feveral objects now recited, and to the correction and publication of the works of friends, who refpe&ed his judgment and wished to avail themselves of his afuftance, which he could never refuse to those who requested it, Dr. Kippis never neglected the ftudies and duties more immediately pertaining to his character as a divine, and his profeffion as a minifler. His acquaintance with the various branches of theology, and with fubjects fubfervient to his critical study of the fcriptures, was very extenfive. He was in the daily habit of reading fome portion of the New Teftament in the original language. He was converfant with the belt writers on Jewish and Chriftian antiquities; and in the course of his reading no work escaped him, that was defigned to illuftrate the evidence, to eftablish the truth and divine original, and to investigate the genuine doctrines of the Chriftian revelation.

"He was a believer in Chriftianity upon the matureft examination and the fullest conviction. Na perfon was better acquainted with the controverfies which revelation has produced. He had ftudied them in his earlier and riper years with great attention; and though he was ready to allow the force of every difficulty and objection, yet to the ample preponderance of evidence his deliberate and impartial judgment fubmitted. Authority, I grant, is not abfolutely conclufive in queftions of this nature. Yet whilft Chriftians can rank in the number of the advocates of their religion fuch men as Bacon and Boyle, Newton and Locke, Clarke and Hoadley, Jortin and Lardner, and many other living writers of

the

the first eminence with respect both to learning and character, who have profeffedly ftudied the evidence of revelation; there is no real ground of alarm from the feeble efforts of avowed infidels, who have acquired popularity in another way, and to whom a partial attention may be directed, but who manifeft great ignorance of this fubject, and who are very reprehenfible on account of their mode of attacking Christianity. But to return from this digreffion.

"The principles which our deceafed friend derived from Chriftianity were the directory of his conduct and the source of his confolation. By the amiable fenfibility of his heart, as well as by the fober conviction of his judgment, he was led to value the difcoveries and hopes of the gofpel; to fubmit to the practical influence of its doctrines and precepts; and to cherish the pleafing and animating expectations, which it afforded. He had imbibed in a very high degree the mild and placable and benevolent fpirit of the religion which he profelfed, and he exemplified this fpirit both in his preaching and in his practice.

"Of his fentiments as a divine, and of his abilities as a preacher, it is hardly neceffary for me to fay any thing to those who now hear me. Towards the clofe of his life the inclination of his mind was to the diftinguishing opinion of the modern Unitarians; though he was far from embracing all the tenets that have been adopted by fome perfons who are thus denominated, However, he disapproved their appropriating this appellation to themfelves, which he confidered as affuming and exclufiye; and he lamented that excefs of zeal, with which fpeculations, comparatively

of fmall importance, are maintained and propagated. Thofe doctrines and duties which he thought of principal moment he fedulously inculcated. Tenets of inferior importance, and that had no immediate influence on rectitude of temper and practice, he more general-` ly avoided. Such, indeed, were the meeknefs and moderation of his temper, his folicitude to preferve peace and unity, and his governing defire to guard againft the pernicious effects of a controversial and contentious fpirit, that he beheld with concern the intemperate eagerness and ardour with which difputes of trivial moment have been fometimes conducted, and he deprecated the unhappy divifions which they are likely to occafion.

"What Dr. Kippis was as a preacher; how rational and fcriptural; how judicious and inftructive; how practical and interefting, especially towards the clofe of his difcourfes; and how well he blended the argumentative and pathetic on particular occafions, those who attended his miniftry well know and will long remember. His compofitions were always well ftudied; his voice was clear and harmonious; his delivery was natural and unaffected, and, on occafions that required it, animated and impreffive; and though he fought not that popularity which depends more on found and gefture and mechanical exertions than on rational and fervent addrefies to the judgment and affections, and which is generally of no long duration, he retained the refpect and efteem of the fociety affembling in this place for more than 42 years. He often lamented the decline of our religious focieties. in general, and of his own congregation in particular; yet, in a period of prevailing indifference with

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regard to the inftitutions and duties of public worship, and when the houfe of God is too generally forfaken, he was gratified and encouraged, in the profpect of profecuting his minifterial labours, by the acceffion of fome valuable members to this church in the course of the last years of his life. Of his talents as a preacher, and of the general ftrain of his dif.

courfes in the pulpit, the public are already in poffeffion of a very useful and agreeable specimen in the volume of fermons, which he has lately published. His papers will, I hope, in due time furnish an addition to this valuable collection.

"Such are the general outlines of the character and labours of our deceased friend."

MANNERS

"IN

N Italy and the countries once held by the ancient Greeks, where the philofopher treads on the ruins of ancient cities, which are now no more, but remind him of the haughty nations, who poffeffed them, he fees nothing in nature, but decay and decrepitude. But, if tranfported to the northern extremities of Europe, he travel over the immenfe frontiers of Rufia, he finds nature in a ftate of infancy; he obferves none but rifing cities and nations, which have the manners of the men, who lived in the first ages of the world, and like them have no wants but thofe of the first neceffity, and know not the sweet conveniences of luxury; who, like thefe ancients, have no paffions but fuch as arife from conftitution, and know not even the names of fuch as originate in depraved and impure manners.

"Our bufinefs and curiofity gave us frequent opportunities of having communication with thefe people, and we have collected fone obfervations, upon their manners and cuftoms, which our readers will not perufe without being interested. In the catalogue of thefe

nations, we have followed alphabetical order, that our details may be more concife and better arranged.

"The Barfchkires, more generally called Barfchkirians, differ from wandering tribes in this; during winter they live in houfes, or huts, built in the Ruffian fashion. The principal part, which the family commonly poffeffes, is furnified with large benches, which ferve for beds. The chimney, of a conical form, and of the height of an ordinary man, is in the middle of this divifion, and fo ill conftructed, that they are very liable to fmoke; confequently the Barschkirians are very subject to various complaints of the eyes.

"The principal furniture of their hut is a bottle of an oblong fhape, fufpended near the chimney, and visited every hour of the day, because it contains their favourite drink, a mixture of four milk and mead, which they call Arjan. So long as it lafts, they live merrily, and there is nothing they will not do to procure it. A ftranger finds fome difficulty in accuftoming himfelf to this beverage. Yet we have feen Ruffian foldiers' drink it as

readily

A

readily as the Barfchkirians. little nicer than the foldiers, who, provided they got one drink, were fatisfied, we could not taste it without reluctance, efpecially when we came near the bottle, which, never or very feldom being cleaned, emits a fmell difficult to be defcribed.

"In fummer this people inhabit what the Ruffians call Jurtes. They are tents or cottages of felt, which, like the huts, have feveral divifions, and a chimney in the centre. In the choice of a fituation for a winter village, they pay more regard to fhelter, and nearnefs of forage for their cattle, than to water, becaufe they are accuftomed to the use of fnow water. A winter village contains from ten to fifty huts, but the fummer encampment never exceeds twenty Jurtes; fo that the large winter villages are divided into feveral small fummer camps.

"Both fexes wear fhirts of cloth made of nettles, which have the fame fhape. They alfo wear, without any diftinétion, wide drawers, which defcend to the ancle bone, and a fort of flippers like people in the east. Both men and women wear a long gown. The men's gown is much larger, and generally of red cloth bordered with fur. "They bind it round their middle with a girdle, or with the belt, to which they fix their fcymitar. The poor have a winter peliffe of theepfkin, and the rich wear a horfefkin, ordered in fuch a way, that the mane covers their back, and waves in the wind. The cap is of cloth, like the fruftum of a cone, and ten inches high. By the rich it is ufually ornamented with valuable furs. The gown of the wives is of fine cloth or filk. It is buttoned before, as far up as the neck, and fattened by a broad gir

dle, which the richer claffes have made of fteel. Their neck and throats are covered with a fort of fhawl, on which are feveral rows of coins, or a ftring of fhells. Their cap is a kind of monk's hood, which would disfigure them, if they were not gainers by hiding themfelves. Their drefs confifts in concealment, for which we thought ourselves obliged to them. They all wear a bandeau on their forehead, to diftinguish them from girls and widows.

"The Barfchkirians are the most negligent and flovenly of the Tartars. In commerce they are the leaft intelligent; but, in return, they are the most hofpitable, the moft lively, and the moft brave. They are alfo the merrieft, especially if they have no uneafiness about providing for to-morrow, and few of them calculate beyond this term. Men and women are paffionately fond of horfes, the women efpecially. The most acceptable prefent that can be made them, is a fine horse-cloth. We have feen fome of very valuable fur.

"Their diverfions at any religi ous feftival, or at a marriage, confit in numerous libations of four milk, finging, dancing, wrestling, and horie racing, in which they excel. In their fongs they enumerate the achievements of their anceftors, or their own, and fome. times their amorous torments. Thefe fongs are always accompanied with geftures, which make them very theatrical. Among them, old age meets with the greateft refpect. In their entertainments it occupies the place of honour, and the ftranger to whom compliments are paid, is always fet among the old men.

Although the Barfchkirians,