and of the expectations, which thou hast still a right to cherish; for the purpose of reminding thee of days of old, of those days, when Jehovah, He, even He, carried thee on eagles' wings; when fire from heaven kindled the sacrifices upon thine altar, a sweet smelling savour unto the Lord, in thy beautiful Temple; and for the purpose of proclaiming to thee that Temple, which was broken down, and in three days built up again; of proclaiming to thee that Child of Jerusalem, that Rightful Heir to David's throne, who was rejected by his Mother, and harshly treated in the house of his Brethren; on which account Jerusalem, his Mother according to the flesh, became a widow, and his brethren fugitives and vagabonds on earth; and chiefly for the purpose of proclaiming to thee, poor Israel: "Behold, thy King comes, and his reward is with him!" These being my feelings, let me first speak about my brethren. There are eighty Jews from Meshed, who live here undisturbed by the Turkomauns. They came for two reasons: for the purpose of carrying on their trade with the Turkomauns; and, because on account of the oppression which they frequently suffered at Meshed, some turned Mussulmans; but among the Turkomauns they are allowed to practise their religion openly. Every Jew is declared the Mehmoon of one of the Aga Sakal: if something is stolen from a Jew, his host traces the footsteps of the thief, and brings back the stolen property. When on a Sabbath day a Turkomaun enters the house of a Jew, the Jew tells him, "We have our Sabbath," and the Turkomaun leaves the room instantly. I took up my abode with one of the Jews; Mullah Yakoob, Mullah Michael, Mullah Ishak, and many others called on me. I expounded to them Isaiah liii., Zachariah xii., Daniel ix., Psalm cx. They listened with intense interest; and I hope that Mullah Yakoob and Mullah Michael are sincere believers in Jesus Christ. My preaching that Jesus Christ died for our sins, brought tears from the eyes of the amiable Mullah Yakoob. Before this, he spent his nights in reading Hafiz. I may say that he believed my preaching. JOSEPH HASSEED, OR JOSEPH THE PIOUS. The Jews of Sarakhs related to me the history of a singular Jew, who lives at Talkhtoon, in the territory of Mowr or Merve, among the Turkomauns. "Joseph Hasseed, or Joseph the Pious, a Jew from Meshed, has retired from the world, and lives in a house with a Turkomaun Priest, (who has the title of Khaleefa of Talkhtoon) where he spends his time in reading the Bible in the Hebrew tongue, and in meditating on the works of God, and in prayer. His head is continually bowed to the ground; no word of disputation is heard from him, no word of contention with his brethren, no lie, no profane word; his teaching is, to love all mankind, and even to love our enemies. After having read the Bible for many years, he has given up the reading of it, and meditates on its holy contents, and prays to God, in unison with the Mussulman Khaleefa, for higher light from above. He is surrounded by disciples, who follow his steps. He trades only as far as is ne cessary for his maintenance. No smile is seen on his countenance, nor tear on account of the death of his friends. Saul, a Jew at Sarakhs, a young man of angelic countenance, was his disciple. Saul became sick; at his dying hour, angels, it is said, came near his bed, who were singing hymns to the delight of those that were present; while white horses stood ready to carry the soul swiftly to the Garden of Eden. Saul looked at his surrounding friends, smiled, pointed with his hand toward heaven, and gave up the ghost. Joseph of Talkhtoon was so united in spirit with his disciple Saul of Sarakhs, that he announced it to his people at Talkhtoon, and said, 'Brother Saul, thy love to me was wonderful.'” The Khaleefa, a Turkomaun Priest, who resides with him, preaches to his Turkomaun brethren against their system of plundering the caravans, and does not accept from them the usual vow promised after their success in Foray or Tshapow. Feb. 11.-Mullah Baba, the Jew of Sarakhs, who was made Khan of the Jews by Allah Kolle Khan, King of Khiva, asked me to-day with great seriousness, whether I was not the Prince Royal of England; for the rumour among the Turkomauns was going about, that I was sent by my Royal father to this country, to watch the movements of the Russians; for they had seen me sitting in the room of Abbas Mirza, with my legs stretched out, and Abbas Mirza was talking with me in the most familiar man ner. The Jews assembled in my room, and sang the following hymn, by which it appears, that the love of their Messiah has accompa nied my brethren to the deserts of Toorkestaun. Oh! that love for the real King of Jerusalem may soon be awakened among them, -the love of Jesus Christ! HYMN OF THE JEWS AT SARAKHS. The King our Messiah shall come; The Distinguished one of the Distinguished is He! The Glorious One of the Glorious is He! The King our Messiah shall come; The Sweet One of the Sweet is He! The Most Pitiful of the Pitiful is He! etc. Whilst this hymn was sung, the Turkomauns stood near the room with their hands folded together, as they do in the mosque; and after every stanza, they stroked their beards, observing the Awliyan, i. e. Holy man from England, sings holy hymns with the Jews; for I sang it with them. The Jews of Sarakhs and Khiva are suspected by the Persians of assisting the Turkomauns in getting slaves. Doctor Milman's questions respecting the Malabar Jews, induce me to make the following general remarks, respecting the Jews of Toorkestaun, which are chiefly applicable to the Trans-Oxonian Jews. They have no other writings except those which the Jews in Europe are possessed of. The Jews of Meshed have in their own characters the poems of Hafiz, Youssuf and Soleikha, and some of the Persian poems. All their books come from Leghorn, Poland, (where they have a press at which their Talmud has been printed,) Wilna, Sklov, and other places of Europe, by way of Makariev, Orenburg, Cassan and Astrachan. They have the common tradition about the Sabbathical river;* but the Jewish Sooffees of Meshed disbelieve it. The Talmud is scarce at Meshed and Torbad, and is not to be found at all among the Jews of Sarakhs, Mowr, Maimona and Ankhoy; while, from reasons which I shall explain hereafter, it is frequently to be found at Bokhara. They do not know the Apocryphal books of the Maccabees, Tobit, &c. as they exist among the Christians; but they are acquainted with their history, by their rabbinical writings. They have very fine synagogues at Meshed, from the time of Nadir Shah. Their hierarchy דינים ;Rabbies רבנום ;Levites לוייס ;Priests כרנים consists of Vice Rabbies; D Princes; on Teachers. Only their Rabbies speak pure Hebrew. They keep themselves entirely secluded from their neighbours, and never intermarry with them: the Jews of Meshed do not even intermarry with those of Yazd, on account of the bad character of the latter. The Jews of Meshed, Toorkestaun and Khorossaun, have no intercourse with those of Ispahan and Teheraun, nor with those of Europe. They have no hatred towards Jesus Christ; which makes me suspect their being of the Ten Tribes, who had no share in the crucifixion of our Lord. All the Jews of Toorkestaun assert, that the Turkomauns are the descendants of Togarmah, one of the sons of Gomer, mentioned in Genesis x. 3; and the Turkomauns are called by the Jews Togarmah, or Garmah. The Turkomauns themselves say, that they are descendants of Garaman and Yalawatsh.† The following is a list of the names of the tribes of Turks, from Bokhara and Khiva to Chinese Tartary; I insert it here for the use of Historians or Philologists. The Turkomauns are a branch of the Turk. Mankid, of which tribe the King of Bokhara is descended. Neyman. Seray. Burkut. Bahareen. Yamoo. Yaboo. Sa *This tradition is related in another part of the journal. + Who is not struck with the resemblance of Garaman and German? And beside this, Germany is called by the Jews Ashkenaz, who was the brother of Togarmah; and one cannot but be struck with the resemblance between the German and Turkomaun countenances, especially of the women. rekh. Khetay. Karakejak. Khetay Kejak.* Karakalpak. Jomojoole. Kyjele. Daas. Kenekas. Konghorat. Korama. Manaas. Barlaas. Dorman. Semees. Lakay. Kesemeer. Kadaghan. Metan. Karaghle. Sonk. Tshosman. Mink. Xoos. Kirk. Ajamyle. Karatakmyle. Jakhalwyle. Yaflak. Karakoyle. Jelekar. Maseet. Tamah. Galetshee. Kantshekhale. Jojele. Kashtakmale. Batshegah. Ooak. Karatakmale. Molaghale. Balkhale. Toorkmaun. Keat. Jelayer. Tekka. Yamoot. Karlogh. Olmas. Olam. Karataghle. Aghtaghle. Kalmak (Calmook). Kasaac (Cosas). Metanle. Manas. Karakonghrat. Kara-Symis. Akhsenis. Kirgees (Girgees). Ghaze-Aghlee. Salor (who had two sons, Garman and Yalawatsh). The Turkomauns of Sarakhs are of the tribe of Salor, and these are their names: Yatshe. Bagash. Toora Timoor. Bokhara. Bashartsha. Doos, (corresponds with Duisco.) Karaktsha-Aga. Arslam Bolook. Yakoob. Sakar. Ajab. Moosa. Ismael. Yeika. Alam. Jolam. Artoo-Khoja. Sakar. Beyk-Bolook. Telemen. Arwan-Mink. To all these tribes they prefix the word tarah, i. e. tribe. Joomaj-Mink. TaaseBoyle. Tashgasyar. Kaltatay. Koshtagmale. Katakolagh. Akoyrog. FORM OF GOVERNMENT AT SARAKHS. The Turkomauns of Sarakhs have no Chief, properly so called. Every tribe has an Aga Sakal, i. e. Lord of the beard; in Persian they are simply called Reesh Safeed, i. e. white beard. If a dispute arises among them, the whole tribe of the respective parties take a part in it, and the matter is settled by the Aga Sakal; not by an order (Hokkam,) but by Iltimas, (Intercession,) saying to the contending parties, "Boys, look at our white beards!" However they give some presents, sometimes to the King of Khiva, and sometimes to the King of Bokhara, and now to Abbas Mirza, just as it suits their purpose; for which they receive counter presents. They are mostly afraid of the King of Khiva. Ask a Turkomaun, why no order exists among them; he replies, we have no King. ("In those days there was no King in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes." Judges xvii. 6.) In the vast Empire of Russia, one can travel with safety, and in the cities and villages order is to be found; for monarchical power, the most biblical, is established there. A Turkomaun never beats his child, in order that he may not lose his natural courage; he never divorces his wife; and he has generally only one. AL-AMAN. The Turkomauns collected, united, and marching for Tshapow Khetay Kejak is Cochin China. + The word was used already in the Bible in Genesis Xxxv. 16, Numbers xxxi. 10, where it means fold of the Nomades, a village of huts, or hordes. (Foray) in the field, are called Al-Aman, i. e. people, to whom the prisoner entrusts his safety.* The prisoner who is taken by the Al-Aman, and who is called Bandah, i. e. Bound, exclaims, the moment he is taken, Safety! RULES OF PLUNDER. The Turkomauns get every year a Fetwa, i. e. a Decree, or Bull, from the Mullahs of Bokhara, encouraging them to make slaves of the Guzl-Bash, or Persians, in order that their children may be brought up as "Four Friends," i. e. as followers of the four friends of Mohammed, Omar, Aboo-Bekr, Osman, and Ali; but they are exhorted not to make slaves of the Moosaee, i. e. Jews, and Ysaae, i. e. Christians; for both are considered to be, Possessors of the Book: but they have a proverb: an "Al-Aman on horseback does not know his own father," and therefore it happens that they frequently take Jews, who are afterwards released; but the Russians are never set at liberty, in spite of their being Christians; it even happens sometimes, that they take hold of the Sunnee, the followers of their own sect. They are now much afraid of Abbas Mirza: they dig wells in hidden places and conceal the snow, that they may have an asylum in case of his coming to Sarakhs. Ballee, an Aga Sakal, called upon me, and made me acquainted with some of his sins. It cannot escape one's observation, that barbarians are never displeased at being reproved for their vices; but it is not from a regard for the preacher: they are in fact so accustomed to dishonourable actions, that they are not shocked at hearing themselves styled dishonourable: a thief will never be displeased at hearing himself called a thief; besides this, their religious notions are so feeble, that they do not so soon perceive, that one, preaching to them Christ crucified, speaks against their Koran. I heard several of the Turkomauns call Jesus the son of God, from his having had no human father. A Missionary may therefore easily be deceived by believing, that he has gained ground by convincing a Turkomaun that Jesus is the Son of God; but when the Turkomaun finds out that the expression is against the Koran, he will turn against him. However, a straight forward conduct, reading of one's book, i. e. the Bible, performance of prayer, demonstrations of pity and compassion, will effect a great deal, by God's grace, among barbarians. Be not a stiff gentleman, if you wish to gain them over. Feb. 3.-I was visited by a good many Turkomauns, Hazarah, and Teemoree. I preached to them the Gospel, and exhorted them to desist from their practice of making slaves. The Teemoree promised to follow my advice, and so they did; for they set off for Meshed, to take service in the army of Abbas Mirza; but some of the Turkomauns replied, that if Tshapow was sin, the sin would not be upon their necks, but upon the necks of the Mullahs of May not this tend to shew that the Germans came from this country, and are thence called Alleman? |