. satage hunters, far -belo\y__the condition..-of thefehdrMflib
hordes, ibr-tfte^nataMners of-civilised lifew$In the+fetl'fse ofH
thousand yfeafsLthHy havebecOmea'« handsome-pedple,3i>$ fine
stature, -regular European featwresSy grid hayertbe eompltmjln
prevalent in that tract of Europe where they dSsvell. - IhC0K ^
wit, and*'warliple courage, they are- certainll^not iip-
fefior either to the Slavi of Bohemia or the ^(jrermahs of the
Austrian territories, With whom they have beendorigt con/nercted
by- political «relations.
O f the Vogouls and Ostiaks*
The transmutation of" the Magyars above1 noticed3 is'-' ffo5' re markable
a phenomenon* in fife'history of hutnah Tafcfesythat it
furnishes a motive for1 a more-stccutate inquiry inff^^fRe fodbral
and physical condition "of the;^till bafbMrou^trrbes who-are the
kinsmen of the Magyars in the north. -lit" anotber^pdipf’'Of
'"view I have thought inadvisable to collect all the MfflWiiW
within my reach connected- with this-^ubject: The;’rb4asfer
will be eiiabled by it to compare the aborigifid^Sf Europe
with thbse. of Africa. „ He will perceive,' after u^plihfg? the'
evidence of facts, ■ that the earliest inhabitants ‘i ^ th i s - ndisfavoured
quarter ofjthe world were in n^|'i^pect superior to
the most destitute tribes-of Southern eyCfeuiMF Afrida.**, -
Although the Ostiaks are so nearly related-,to the Hungarians,
they differ from that people widely in phy sical as-Well
as moyal characters.
The physical characters of the Ostiaks. are thus described
* The Magyars are the dominant race in Hungary, but form not half the population:
they do not amount to more than three millions and a half out of ten
millions.. The Slovaks, a Slavonian people from whom the Magyars conquered
die country, still inhabit the mountainous parts. They amount to two millions.
A late traveller in Hungary, Mr. Paget, describes the Hungarian women as remarkably
beautiful. Though the Slovaks are a people'of flaxen hair and light
grey eyes, the Magyars are remarkable for very dark hair and large full eyes,
joined with a fair complexion. Mr.,Paget speaks of the swarthy features of the
Magyar peasants. He says that they differ much from the Slavic peasantry, who
are distinguished by a slow, heavy look, and that the females of Hungary have not
that coarseness of outline which adheres to the Saxon race. (Hungary and Transylvania,
by John Paget, Esq. Lond’. 1839. - Vol. i. pp, 10, 265.)
by Pallas : “ The greater part of the Ostiaks are of middle stature,
rather* shorVihantall; siightly^rbb ust, with thin and slend er
l^ fV 5 they*haye' almost'all a disagM’eable figure and pale complexion
ffnb' p^rtibiiliaiFfeature characterises them. Their hair,
commonly reddish or o f a fioldqni-wMte, renders« them still more
‘^^ly«,|^^tóüiajlyithe<-m!ehy^hb€et' it fly in alldirections round
th ^ h e a d s . ThbreJ1areuvery ife# liable figures aipong the
women/ particularly when* they advanced in^ age# The
Ostiaks? are Vli^si<mpr.le)drmorous,,and full of prejudiilll They«
are^tbfèlahljrg^d-natured. Theirlife is hard,Mated by no means
plèfa^ant’. The mete> are mfrch^gfvënb to ' They ■ are
v e -^ slovenly, and, even' disgusting'/in their 'way of living.’,’«
Theff^foYidng^^iscriptibh.* of- tke*sahie pèopë^S by the röele-
braiedibldüraveller’t^sbr.andt ldëé.^wh0 visited Siberia in 1692V
, , “ TkeLjÈJstiaks^ are^öf middle-'stefture, most of them having
"fJllbwi^Bvor red liairyand their fóëds akd ^|©teès being disagree-^
ably broad'' ttjeysare Weak/ and unabfe® labour hard : averse
to war, andjinfit-for military'ë^ reièël1.' ■ *TKeirt@bief weapons
are bowS^'and arrows^ with whféll*th?^^&h@ht a fë^wild beastsfjl
but-the*pfincipai p arfo f théir:food iffllsh. Thèir clothes c&nï,
’sissts^of stuVgedn and other fish-skins,tïör they* wear 'neither
liflèn.nor.woollen. Their Shoes andf-Stoekings are*sewed together,
arid'-they wear« a' short coat with affdpe lop hood; which
in ea.se* of rain they pull over* their heads.”
The Vogouls) bordering on thè Ostiaks)- differ from that
people' in their complexion and- features.« They are a dark or
black-haired race, and have*-features which, according to the
description given-by travellers, approach the Mbngpfi&hV<| In
this respect th ey resëmblë the Lappes. Both nations, on
the borders of the Frozen oce.an and in th ë ’Northern Ural,1
appear! far removed from- any probables 'commeifc& or intermixture
with the race of Kalmuks or Mongoles.
Pallas thus describes the. personal character of the Vogouls:
“ The Vogouls are little and effeminate. They have some
resemblance vto the Kalmuks^ except that they are whiter.
They have round faces: their women are tolerably handsome.
They-bave long hair, of a brown or black colour: fair or red-
haired persons are rarely séefi among thém. They have httle
• beard, and what they have is very 'late in its growth.”