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    which the Jewish women indulge themselves , as they seldom leave their houses ; and in this respect their customs are similar to those of Tartars and Turks * If the belief these nations entertain , that the souls of the dead hover about

    their earthly tabernacles and hold communion with the living , could be admitted by the followers of Christ , it would not be possible to ( jixect the human mind to any exercise more consolatory , or more sublimely affecting . I never saw Mahometans or Jews so

    circumstanced , Without feeling something very like a wisli to share at least with them this article of their faith . u accent from the cemetery to the fortress , although short , was

    $ o steep , that we were forced to alight from our horses and actually climb to the gUteway . Several slaves , however , busied in convey , ing water upon the backs of asses , passed us . in their way up . The

    spring which supplies them is below in the defile ; and a very copious reservoir , cut in the rocks above , is prepared for the use of tKe colony . As we passed the gateway and entered the town ,

    we were met by several of thr inhabitants . Colonel Dunant inquired for a Jew , of his acquaintance , one of the principal people in the place . We were conducted to his house , and found him at noon

    sleeping on his divan . He rose t 6 receive us , and presently regaled us with various sorts or confectionary , among which were Conserved leaves of * roses and preserved walnuts ; also ' eggs , cheese ,

    cold pies and brandy . A messenger was dispatched for the Rabbi , whotti he ihvitedto mjeet us , * ftd who stfon otter made his ap-JM ?* waflc (> * This nran wasi held

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    in very high consideration by them all and with good reason ; for he was exceedingly well informed , and had passed a public examination with distinguished honour in

    Petersburg , after being sent for expressly by the Empress Catharine . We were highly interested by their conversation , as well as by the singularity of having found one

    Jewish settlement , perhaps the only one upon earth , vifftere that people exist secluded from the rest of mankind , in the free exercise of their ancient Customs and

    peculiarities * The town contain * about 1200 persons of both sexes , and not more than 200 houses . The Tartars left here a stately mausoleum , erected for the daughter of one of their Khans

    now a ruin . The principal part of each dwelling belongs to the women ; but every master of a family has his own private apartment , where he sleeps , smokes , and re > ceive ^ his friends . The room in

    which we were entertained was of this description : it Was filled with manuscripts , many in the b ' aridSvru ing -of our Host ; others' by those * of his children ; arid all in very beautiful Hebrew charaicterb . Th «

    Karaites deem it an apt of piety to copy the Bible , or '& 6 fti 6 tis Commentaries updn its text , otifc ^ in their'liVes . All th&ir manuscript copies of the Old Testament began with the book of Joshua ; and even t&e most ancient di < f not contain

    the Pentateuch . That part of the Bible was kept apart , but only in a printed version , fbr the use of schools * . In the synagogues , with

    • The reason given by th , c Rabbi fpr the omissiori of the bo 6 ks of Mo $ es u | their manuscript' ci >^> es : was that th # Pentateuch being , n consraiut u » c fo « the instruction of their clxildrcn , it wag reserved apajt , Uiat the JHrholc volume : , ,, , . oj •; ¦ : : ¦ . • • ' - /• ' ' >

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    Account of a Colony of Karaite Jews . $ f f

• Citation
  • Monthly Repository (1806-1838) and Unitarian Chronicle (1832-1833), April 2, 1811, page 229, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/mruc/issues/vm2-ncseproduct2415/page/37/