ries of time, in order to give fome information of them to pofteririty: as if it was inherent in the fouls of men to languish after futurity, and not only to wish for an eternal duration for themselves, but for the knowledge of their actions alfo. This paffion is the dictator and encourager to noble deeds; and, if obeyed with rectitude, would fill the world with glorious records of difinterested benevolence and love to mankind, and unfeigned reverence to the CREATOR of all nature; which would then well deserve ' to be handed down to pofterity. But in this regard, it is to be feared that there are many, in very confpicuous points of view, who are rather willing to excuse the office of a bard's or hiftorian's attendance upon their actions; although it is the ardent wish of every one's heart to obtain a good name, however flothful or unwilling to pursue the worthy means of acquiring it.

THE happiness I have hinted, arifes from the explanation of an inscription of a Siberian medal, which is copied by V. Strahlenberg, and of which, he says, page 409, "that it is made of a substance like terra figillata, of the exact shape and fize of that copy he has given, in his fifth table." He thinks the characters upon the reverse resemble those upon Monfieur Bourdelot's medal, and that it came originally from Tanghutia, through India, to the Calmucks and Mungals; notwithstanding it was found in an old chapel, among many ancient manufcripts, near the river Kemptfchyk, which falls into the river Jenifei, near its head. He thinks they bring this medal from Tanghut, where the Dalai Lama gives them to the people, as an holy thing, to hang to their necks, or in the place where

they ufually pray. He further fays, the characters resemble those of Tanghut, and the image is like the idol Pussa of the Tanghutians, and the Xaca of the Brachmans; but his imperfect relation of it, both as to its origin, and to the fect of idolaters to which it belongs, excited baron Grant, a colonel in Lally's regiment, to pay an attention to it; whilst he confidered certain medals of the like kind, by which he has thrown great lights upon, and enriched, this kind of learning, and the knowledge of the religious notions of the people of thofe parts of Scythia, which are the feats of the Dalai Lamas, at prefent.

THE rank in life which colonel Grant holds, as first officer in the regiment, to which he belongs, his liberal education and learning, and his natural difpofition to laudable refarches of this kind, are motives fufficient to warrant his adhesion to the ftricteft truth, in this difquifition; but his being an absolute master of his native language, the Magogian, or Irish, by which alone he was able to make an explanation of the characters upon this medal, demands the greateft confidence to his treatise, from the candid and learned part of mankind, and reflects the highest honour upon himself.

He communicated the following account, written in French, to Monfieur de Lifle, who had refided in Ruffia for a confiderable time; thinking that, as one of these original medals is in the imperial cabinet at Petersburg, he might receive fome intelligence of it from him; but it does not appear, whether Monfieur de Lifle had any notion of it, by the colonel's account. Now, before I prefent the reader with the tranflation of this learned officer's me

moir, a description of the medal will be a proper introduction to it, which is as follows, from accounts of the doctrines of the Lamas:

THE image, which appears upon one side, and which represents a deity, is one human figure, as to the body and lower extremities; but divided upwards into three faces. He fits cross-leg'd, upon a low fopha or stool, in the manner of the Eastern kings; an arched urn, or fomething resembling it, is under the fopha, but feems empty; it is thought that this figure is thus made, with one body, three heads, and fix arms, from an idea among those Lamas of a Trinity in Unity; in which notion, they seem to ascribe to each of these persons, a peculiar care, or office, in the creation and government of the world; and, indeed, V. Strahlenberg mentions the great regard the generality of these Northern nations have for the number three; which is not unconformable to our Christian faith, of the HOLY TRINITY. It is easy to obferve, by the air and attitude of these three perfons, that the idolaters distinguish in them a kind of pre-eminence: that which is the principal figure, from which the other two proceed, is reprefented as the father, or chief; the figure on the right, holding the most honourable place, is thought the fecond perfon; and that on the left, the third. To give a general idea of the offices of these three perfons, according to the belief of the people, leaving the particular account in the colonel's memoir to follow, I fhall only mention, that "they think the first perfon, content with hav

ing created all things, refts in tranquillity, with his hands "a-crofs, and leaves every thing elfe to the other two: