This language, called by themselves slang, or gibberish, invented, as they think, by their forefathers for secret purposes, is not merely the language of one, or a few of these wandering tribes, which are found in the European nations; but is adopted by the vast numbers who inhabit the earth.

The account of these Asiatic wanderers, as recorded by the late Bishop Heber in his Journal, cannot fail to interest the reader: the author gladly quotes it. "On the other side of the river was a large encampment of wretched tents of mats, with a number of little packeries, paniers, ponies, goats, &c. &c., so like Gipsies, that on asking what they were, I was not much surprised to hear Abdallah say they were Gipsies; that they were numerous in the upper provinces, living exactly like the Gipsies in England; that he had seen the same people both in Persia and Russia; and that in Persia they spoke Hindostanee, the same as here." In Russia he had no opportunity of ascertaining this fact; but in Persia, by Sir Gore

Ousley's desire, he had spoken with some of the wandering tribes, and found that they understood and could answer him.

One of our reformed Gipsies, while in the army, was with his regiment at Portsmouth, and being on garrison duty with an invalid soldier, he was surprised to hear some words of the Gipsy language unintentionally uttered by him, who was a German. On inquiring how he understood this language, the German replied, that he was of Gipsy origin, and that it was spoken by this race in every part of his native land, for purposes of secrecy.*

A well-known nobleman, who had resided many years in India, taking shelter under a tree during a storm in this country near a camp of Gipsies, was astonished to hear them use several words he well knew were Hindostanee; and going up to them, he found them able to converse with him in that language.

Should any be inclined to doubt, which I scarcely suppose possible, the identity of the Gipsy or Cingari, and Hindostanee languages, still it will be acknowledged as no uninteresting subject, that tribes, wandering through the mountains of Nubia, or the plains of Romania, have conversed for centuries in a dialect precisely similar to that spoken at this day by the obscure, despised, and wretched people in England, whose language has been considered as a fabricated gibberish, and confounded with a cant in use among thieves and beggars; and whose persons have been, till within the period of the last year, an object of the persecution, instead of the protection of our laws."-Extract from a letter of William Marsden, Esq., addressed to Sir Joseph Banks, F.R.S., and read to the Society of Antiquaries in London, 1785.

Not long ago, a Missionary from India, who was well acquainted with the language of Hindostan, was at the Author's house when a Gipsy was present; and, after a conversation which he had with her, he declared, that her people must once have known the Hindostanee language well. Indeed, Gipsies have often expressed surprise when words have been read to them out of the Hindostanee vocabulary.

Lord Teignmouth once said to a young Gipsy woman, in Hindostanee, Tue burra tschur; that is, Thou art a great thief. She immediately replied— No-I am not a thief-I live by fortune-telling. He also conversed, in the same language, with an old Gipsy at Norwood.

It can be no matter of surprise that this language, as spoken among this people, is generally corrupted, when we consider, that, for many centuries, they have known nothing of elementary science, and have been strangers to books and letters. Perhaps the secresy necessary to effect many of their designs, has been the greatest means of preserving its scanty remains among them. But an attempt to prove that they are not of Hindoo origin, because they do not speak the Hindostanee with perfect correctness, would be as absurd as to declare, that our Gipsies are not natives of England because they speak very incorrect English. The few words that follow, and which occurred in some conversations the Author had with the most intelligent of the Gipsies he has met, prove how incorrectly they speak our language; and yet it would be

worse than folly to attempt to prove that they are not

Brand, in his observations on POPULAR ANTIQUITIES, is of opinion, that the first Gipsies fled from Asia, when the cruel Timur Beg ravaged India, with a view to proselyte the heathen to the Mohammedan delusion; at which time about 500,000 human beings were butchered by him. Some suppose, that soon after this period, many, who escaped the sword of this human fury, came into Europe through Egypt; and, on this account, were called, in English, GIPSIES.

Although there is not the least reason whatever to suppose the Gipsies to have had an Egyptian origin;

"The gentleman spoke dixen to me," said a Gipsy to the author; that is, long hard words.