a tribe of Tartars, living on both sides the river Irtis. They seem to derive their name from the Barabian desert, whose lakes supply them abundantly with fish, on which, and their cattle, they chiefly subsist. They have plenty of game and wild-fowl of every kind, particularly ducks and puffins. Most of them are heathens, but Mahometanin daily gains ground among them. Some of them pay tribute to the emperors of Russia, and others to the Khan Taiha.