Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1855-01-17
The Habits and Supposed Origin
OF the Wandering GiEsIes

and poesy, that their character and habits
are pretty generally understood. GIp'Ies
are found in all parts of the world. In
Spain. they are called Gitanos, in France,
Bohemians, in Italy, Zipgari, and IN Eng
land, Gipsies-which last term appears 10
be corrupt abbrevIaion OF The word T.
.gvptians from which country they were
generally regarded as l,aying come when
they made their first appearance IN Eng
land.
Their olive -colored complexion and Pc
culiar dialect, however. prove them 20 be OF
Oriental descent. Grellman, a learned
German author, wrote a history OF The gip-
sizes. and collected vocabulary OF their
LANGUAGE, which was found, Oh examina-
tion by Sir William Jones aud other Orr
entail linguists, TO be pure Sanscrli, scarce
ly changed in single letter" But the
Sanscrit was once The current language oi
India, and although 4 i, now shut Up N
the libraries Of The Brabmins and priests OF
the country, invested with mysterious sane
,ity. and used cnIv for religious purposes,
VET all the native Indian languages are
mere dialects of the Sanscrit from which
they are Immediately derived. The lam
qnage spoken BY the gip>iCs, therefore, clear
II establishes thc fact of their Indian OIL
e,in, and as they made Their appearance IN
Europe aboutthe middle Of the fifteenth
century, 1t is probable that they were dr!v'
on from India, when that country was IN
vaded by Timur Bee Tamerlane, Prince o'
the Usbec Tartafs. In India they are very
numerous. Bishop Hebcr frequently mel
with their encampmcnts wnen in India
He saws that If we allow for differences OF
climate and country, they are precisely tue
same as the English gipsies. " see lhe
brilliant dark eye, the olive coiored com,
pIexlon, the same wandering aud unsstlled
habits, the same disposition TO pller ana
practice on the creduIity Of others. by pre-
tending to foreell the events OF iu'urly;;-
They are "a race that no man can mistake
meet them where he will"
The existence Of the gipsies as a sepa-
rate people, through SO many centuries, ap'
pears at first to be somewhat singularphe-
nomenon. They are people unacqnaln,.. }.
ted with the use of letters, with 70 bards
| 10 cndear 10 them their primitive accents
| or mountain barriers TO keep their language
and customs ombeing absorbed, and yet
centuries have gone by, without changing
their. bahiis and Characters. But II we
consider their oriental origin, aud the
| structure of IIindoo society, also that laws
lbave been enacted against them to suppress
their yagrapcy, their piterings, and thei,
limpos;ures, that they have been chased
from towns and cities, from open common
the forest, aud the field, we shall soon see
that these are causes. amply suilclent to
have kept them separate people. mere
lis. a. charm connected with wandering
habit which it is difficult to break Ho"
few Of Ihe wandering savages OF North a
merica have ever been reclaimed TO set
tiled habits. And the:c will ever be 'tht
same difficulty with the gipsey race
Kindness and humanity will certainty d'
more 10 ciyilise them than legislative sever
ity and police regulations. Persecution
must necessarily keep them aloof iron
ourselves, and drive them more closely TO-
gether.
Soon after Tie first appearance OF tn
gipsies in England, AN Act Of Parliamen
Was as passed in 1880, 10 drive them from IN
country, The preamble is 50 curious =
sample Of tie llteralur- Of tie times, an
is such an exact description OF gipsey char
acter that we give the following abstract
pr ..Forasmnch as afore this tyne dyyer
and many ouIlaudyshe people calling them
selves Egyptians, using no craite nor fact
of marcEandyse, have comen INTO I'M
realme, and gone from shire TO slhre an
place to place, IN great company, and use'
create subtyll and crafty meancsto deceyV
the people, beryiDg them in hand that lie.
tby Pa!mestre could telle menne and won
ten's fortunes and so many times by craft
and subtylile have deceyyed the people G
itheyr money" &c.
They are also charged with ''many an
haynous felonys and robberrles." me
I were ordered TO depart the kingdom WIN
!. in fifteen days, under penalties and vesel
were employed by the government IN the'
deporta,ion. From another act, passed tly
wears al!erward, by which penalty OF "a
I was imposed on any one bringing all IL
Ioyptian'' into England, it is evident tha
cattains of vessels found the money oil III
wanderers as productive a. that OF others.
But neither of these acts ror those
subsequent reigns, could rid Eagland
lher elpsles. Tie great bulk OF The PeoPl
stood in awe of them, as possessing III
mysterious power Of prying inle tuturliy.-
jTiev were also, to a certain extent, useiu
Inv their mechanical ability in tinkerne
and by carving into the remote and OIL
partially settled parts OF the country man
articles of traffic.
The English gipsics usually pass throug
the country in small bands, with their carr
and asses Driven into towns and cite
bv the inclemency Of the weather in wll
fer. they invariably spend the rema'ndt
of the year in the country, wandering iro'
place 10 place. and pitching their tents, llk
their forefathers, under The burning sun {
India. They generally encamp on som
furze.c clad common, in some narrow an
un(reauented lane, or on the skirts OF som
forest, hot Far from spring OF water, an
in the neiglborhood OF some public road
u Their location i. evidently chosen with re
crrnce TO such corveniences as na!ur
spontaneously supplies, and the iacillie
for traffic. Here they erect their tent
which look more like dog kennels than hl
man babitationS, aud exhibit all the we
known pecnliarities Of the gypsy encamI
rnent: their asses crop the scanty herhag'
and kettIeis seen suspended from the
mex Of triangular pyramid formed by thre
Sticks, over fire. At The encampmer
the men employ their time in making hous
, brooms from the hea! which covers ovc
the moors, and which in England, supple
the place Of the American corn broom.-
90. - La-LnLs from lh. unnr