All alive upon the table, 1 I shall now draw a short parallel between the gipsies of Europe and the people I have described. Both the Gipsies and the Nuts are generally a wandering race of beings, seldom having a fixed habitation. They have each a language peculiar to themselves. That of the Gipsies is undoubtedly a species of Hindoostanee, and so is that of the Nuts. In Europe it answers all the purposes of concealment. Here a conversion of its syllables becomes necessary. The Gipsies have their king; the Nuts their Nardar Boutah; they are equally formed into companies, and their peculiar employments are exactly similar; viz. dancing, singing, music, palmistry, quackery, dancers of monkeys, bears, and snakes. The two latter professions, from local causes, are peculiar to the Nuts. They are both considered as thieves, at least that division of the Nuts whose manners come nearest the Gipsies. In matters of religion they appear equally indifferent, and as for food, we have seen that neither the Gipsies nor Budeea Nuts are very choice on that particular, and though I have not obtained any satisfactory proof of their eating human flesh, I do not find it easy to divest my mind of its suspicions on this head. Indeed one would think the stomach that could receive without nausea a piece of putrid jackal, could not well retain any qualms in the selection of animal food. Though Though in the Encyclopedia Britannica Grellman's theory is thought slightingly of, the similarity of language being deemed but inconclusive evidence, vet in this instance, even in opposition to such authority, I will venture to consider it as forming a basis of the most substantial kind. It is not the accidental coincidence of a few words, but the whole vocabulary he produces differs not so much from the common Hindoostance, as provincial dialects of the same country usually do from each other. Grellman, from a want of knowledge in the Hindoostanee, lost many opportunities of producing the proper word in comparison with the Gipsy one. The story of the Malabar students being rejected, upon the supposition that they, being Bruhmuns, and only conversant in Sunscrit *, could not have understood the common Hindoostanee dialect, offers a good specimen of the kind of criticism which Grellman has to fear. The following List of words, which were taken from the Annual Register of 1784-5, with a few I have now subjoined from Grellman, in some of the instances * It has not yet been incontestibly proved, that the Sunscrit ever was a spoken language in India, and the few Bruhmuns who now can speak it at all, seldom if ever talk that language in their own domestic concerns; on the contrary, they commonly employ the prevalent local dialect of the place, which will frequently be a species of Hindoostanee. There are so very few towns, cities, or even large villages, which were ever conquered, or even much frequented by the Moosulmans, in the whole peninsula of India, wherein this colloquial language is not more or less understood, that we can scarcely conceive there are many travelling Brubmuns who require a previous knowledge of the Sanscrit before they can understand Hindoostanee. The objection on the score of the Gypsie and Hindoostanee numbers being so different, if they really be so, might be answered by adverting to the arbitrary introduction of a new series of numerical words into some Indian dialects, where the substance of any particular speech in question will be found to agree, almost in every thing but number, with many other tongues from the same source. instances where he has failed of producing the corresponding Hindoostanee one, will I hope prove the language of the Gipsies, and that of Hindoostanee, to be the same, or very intimately connected with eacli other *. English. Above. * Should any real Hindoostanee scholars ever investigate this matter on the spot in Europe, their evidence and observations will probably settle the matter effectually, one way or other, for ever. Gipsy. Gipsy. Peroe, Valashtee, Por, Mutchee, Bootsee, Gur, Shing, Ballow, Tattoo, Yacorah, Bocolee, Shunalee, Gecoa, Liecaw, Riah, Rriena, Dai, Mass, Tod, Boot, Nack, Nie, Nevo, Bouropanee, Buhotsee (in the fe- Great, a great deal.. House. Horn. Hair. Heat, hot. An hour. Hungry. Hearing. 1. Jee, or Jee oo, jee,oo- Life, living. Letters, any thing writ ten. Lord. Lady. Mother, a nurse. Meat or food, flesh meat. Milk. Much, numbers. Nose. Nail of the finger. New. Ocean, sea, wave; the great water. : |