

Transcribed from the 1880 Haughton and Co. edition by David Price, email
ccx074@pglaf.org

                          [Picture: Book cover]

            [Picture: Frontispiece: Among the Gipsy children]





                               GIPSY LIFE:


                             BEING AN ACCOUNT

                                    OF

                     OUR GIPSIES AND THEIR CHILDREN.

                                   WITH
                    SUGGESTIONS FOR THEIR IMPROVEMENT.

                                    BY
                       GEORGE SMITH, OF COALVILLE.

                                * * * * *

                                 LONDON:
                   HAUGHTON & CO., 10, PATERNOSTER ROW.

                                * * * * *

                         [_All Rights Reserved_.]

                                * * * * *

                                  1880.

I give my warmest thanks to W. H. OVEREND, Esq., for the block forming
the Frontispiece, which he has kindly presented to me on the condition
that the picture occupies the position it does in this book; and also to
the proprietor of the _Illustrated London News_ for the blocks to help
forward my work, the pictures of which appeared in his journal in
November and December of last year and January in the present year, as
found herein on pages 42, 48, 66, 76, 96, 108, 118, 122, 174, 192, 236,
283.

I must at the same time express my heart-felt thanks to the manager and
proprietors of the _Graphic_ for the blocks forming the illustrations on
pages 1, 132, 170, 222, 228, 248, 272, 277, and which appeared in their
journal on March 13th in the present year, and which they have kindly
presented to me to help forward my object, connected with which sketches,
at the kind request of the Editor, I wrote the article.

W. H. OVEREND, Esq., was the artist for the sketches in the _Illustrated
London News_, and HERBERT JOHNSON, Esq., was the artist for the sketches
in the _Graphic_.

I also tender my warmest thanks to the Press generally for the help
rendered to me during the crusade so far, without which I should have
done but little.




TO THE MOST HONOURABLE
THE PEERS AND MEMBERS
OF THE
HIGH COURT OF PARLIAMENT.


I have taken the liberty of humbly dedicating this work to you, the
object of which is not to tickle the critical ears of ethnologists and
philologists, but to touch the hearts of my countrymen on behalf of the
poor Gipsy women and children and other roadside Arabs flitting about in
our midst, in such a way as to command attention to these neglected,
dark, marshy spots of human life, whose seedlings have been running wild
among us during the last three centuries, spreading their poisonous
influence abroad, not only detrimental to the growth of Christianity and
the spread of civilisation, but to the present and eternal welfare of the
children; and, what I ask for is, that the hand of the Schoolmaster may
be extended towards the children; and that the vans and other temporary
and movable abodes in which they live may be brought under the eye and
influence of the Sanitary Inspector.

                                                  Very respectfully yours,
                                                             GEORGE SMITH,
                                                           _Of Coalville_.

_April_ 30_th_, 1880.




INDEX.

Part I.

                         RAMBLES IN GIPSYDOM.

                                                                  PAGE

Origin of the Gipsies and their Names                                1
Article in _The Daily News_                                          8
The Travels of the Gipsies                                           9
Acts of Parliament relating to the Gipsies                          16
Article in _The Edinburgh Review_                                   23
  ,, _The Saturday Review_                                         25
Professor Bott on the Gipsies                                       29
The Changars of India                                               32
The Doms of India                                                   33
The Sanseeas of India                                               35
The Nuts of India                                                   36
Grellmann on the Gipsies                                            39
Gipsies of Notting Hill                                             40
Rev. Charles Wesley                                                 42
The Number of Gipsies                                               44

Part II.

                     COMMENCEMENT OF THE CRUSADE.

Work begun                                                          48
Letter to _The Standard_ and _Daily Chronicle_                      51
Leading Article in _The Standard_                                   53
Correspondence in _The Standard_                                    59
Mr. Leland's Letter, &c., &c.                                       60
My Reply                                                            66
_Leicester Free Press_                                              69
Article in _The Derby Daily Telegraph_                              70
  ,, _The Figaro_                                                  73
Letter in _The Daily News_                                          75
Mr. Gorrie's Letter                                                 78
My Reply                                                            79
Leading Article in _The Standard_                                   82
_May's Aldershot Advertiser_                                        87
Article in _Hand and Heart_                                         90
Article