"Learned men trace them to the neighborhood of the River Indus, and supposed them to have been Hindoos of a very low caste, driven from their country by Tartar invaders. In Spain, they are also called Gitanos, and in England, Gypsies, from a general belief that they were originally Egyptians. The French call them Bohemians, as they first attracted attention in Bohemia, though they had been previously been long wondering in the remote parts of Sc;avonia. In their own language they call themselves and their language Rommany, a word of Sanscrit origin, signifying "The Husbands". The unchangeableness of their manners and institutions points to a very ancient and an oriental origin."
" In 1417, they are mentioned near the North Sea, and the next year in Switzerland; in 1422 in Italy, and, a few years after, in France and Spain. They did not travel in a single body, but in seperate hordes, each having its leader, sometimes called a 'Count' , as, in England, their chief is still called 'King of the Beggars'. Others gave themselves out for dukes and kings of Lesser Egypt. People believed then to be Egyptians and pilgrims, who were constrained to wander on some religious account.. The Gypsies told fabulous stories to spread this belief, and these were recieved with such credulity, that they were allowed everywhere free passage.. Even in Spain, the Inquisition overlooked these practical pagans, being, probably, intent at hawking at richer, and therefor more profitable game. In Hungary, too, they were no less free, though in the midst of slaves. The early golden age of the Gypsies, alluded to above, lasted half a century, when their impostures were exposed, and they were discovered to be inveterate vagabonds and robbers by profession. From this period, they began to suffer persecution."
"In Russia, Gypsies are found in all parts of the country, except St. Petersburg, from which place they have been banished. In most of the towns they support themselves by trading in and doctoring horses; but the greater part of them live an unsettled life upon upon the vast plains, which afford them pasturage for their herds , and plenty of wild game. Fortune-telling and robbery are among their employments. They resist cold to a wonderful degree; and it is not uncommon to find them encamped in the midst of snow, in slight canvas tents, when it is twenty-five degrees below zero. But, among the Gypsies of Moscow, there are many who inhabit stately houses, go abroad in stately equipages, intermarry in good society, and are not behind the higher order of Russians, either in appearance or mental acuirements. This arises mostly from the perfection of the female of this colony have acquired in the vocal art."