Sugar planter. [volume] (West Baton Rouge [i.e. Port Allen, West Baton Rouge Parish, La.]) 1856-1925, 1866-11-03
AMERICAN GIPSIES.

According to Mr.. Simpson, who has
written a history Of the gipsies, there are
gipsies in America-mure, in fact, thai
people are aware of:
Gipsies may be said to have been 4
America from the time of its settlement.
We have already seen how many OF them
found their way there during the revolu-
tion, by being impressed as soldiers, and
taken as volunteers, for the benefit OF the
bounty and passage /; aud how they de-
serted on landing. Tented gipsies have
seventy years. In New England, a col
only is known which has existed for about
a hundred years, and has always been
looked upon With a singular feeling OF
distrust and mystery by the inhabitants,
who are the descendants of the early emf
grants, and who did not suspect their orr
gin till lately. These gipsies have never
associated, in the common sense of the
word, with other settlers, and, Judging
them from their exterior, seem poor AID
miserable, whateAer their circumstances
may be. They follow pretty much the
same employment and modes Of the
same class in Entope ; the most striking
feature being that the bulk Of them leave
the homestead for a length of time. scat
ter in different directions aud reunite
periodically, at their quarters, which arr.
left in charge OF some of the feeble mem
oers of the band.
Perhaps the foundation Of the Ameri-
can broom manufacture wasiaid by the
British gipsies, by whom it may be part
iy carried On at the present day a bust
ness they pretty much ~mcnopolize, in a
way. in Great Britain. we will
doubtless find among the fraternity SOM
Of these whiting meddling Sam Slick
peddlars so often described. | have
seen some Of those Inherent vendors OF
sh%arpeners, and such 7. nkee no-
with dark, glistening eyes, that
would " pass for the article" Some OF
them would live, by less legitimate busi
ness. | entertain no doubt, what from
the general fitness of things and the
appearance of some Of the men. that we
will find some of these descendants Of
the old British mixed gipsies members OF
the various establishment Of Nessrs Peter
Funk Il Co, of the city OF New York, as
we'll as elsewhere. And I entertain as
little doubt that many of those American
who tell fortunes, aud engage III
these many curious bits of business that
SO often come at trials, are descendants
Ut the British plantation stock of gip
sizes. But there are doubtless many of
these gipsies in respectable spheres OF
life. 1t wonld be extremely unreasnns
to say that these descendants Of the
colonial gipsies do not still exist as gip
sizes like their brethren in Great Britain
and other parts of the old world.
The English gipsies entertain no doubt
Of i the more especially as they have
encountered such gipsics at least two DIES
l lave myself met such a GYPSY
following a decidedly respectable calling
whom | found as much one of the tribe,
the original habits, as, perhaps.
any III Europe. There are many Hunga
rian aud German gipsies in America
ootb& va A'C'H ioiiS sSttlCu III citusfisA-
MIA and Maryland, where they own farms
Some of them leave their farms in charg.
Of hired hands during the summer and
proceed South with their tents. In the
State Of Pennsylvania there is a settle.
nent OF them on the j. river, a little
way above Il, where they have saw
mills. About the Allegheny Mountains
there are many of the tribe, following
somewhat the original ways of the race.
In the United States generally there are
many Gypsy peddiars, British as we'll as
There are a good many
in New York English, Irish and
continental-some of whom keep tin,
c%roekery, and basket stores /; but they
all annexed gipsies. and many of them
If fair complexion. The tin-ware which
they make is generally of a plain, co RS,
KIND ; SO much so that a gypsy tin store
$ easily known. They frequently ex-
1lslt their tir-ware and buckets on ,lr
and carry them about the city.
all, il not all, of these it~ineran,
:utlers and tinkers to be met with in
York and Other American cities ar.
rips es, principally German, Hungarian
french. There are a good mary
,Ipsy musicians in America.
The New Renford hiarcI,rv tolls q