“I do not conceive them to be the proper Oriental Egyptian race, at least they are much intermingled with our own national out-laws and vagabonds. They are said to keep up a communication with each other through Scotland, and to have some internal government and regulation as to the districts which each family travels.
“I cannot help again referring to Mr. Smith of Kelso, a gentleman who can give the most accurate information respecting the habits of those itinerants, as their winter-quarters of Yetholm, are upon an estate of which he has long had the management.”
It is very satisfactory to have received from an authority so respectably as that of William Smith, the Baillie of Kelso, above referred to, answers to the four queries of the circular; accompanied by his own interesting and appropriate illustrations, from which extracts are made as follow, dated November, 1815.
“A considerable time having elapsed, since I had an opportunity, or occasion to attend to the situation of the colony of Gypsies in our neighbourhood, I was obliged to delay my answer to your inquiries, until I could obtain more information respecting their present numbers.
“The great bar to the benevolent intentions of improving their situation will be, the impossibility to convince them that there either is,
or can be, a mode of life preferable, or even equal to their own.
“A strong spirit of independence, or what they would distinguish by the name of liberty, runs through the whole tribe. It is no doubt a very licentious liberty, but entirely to their taste. Some kind of honour, peculiar to themselves, seems to prevail in their community. They reckon it a disgrace to steal near their homes, or even at a distance, if detected. I must always except that petty theft of feeding their shelties and asses on the farmer’s grass and corn, which they will do, whether at home or abroad.
“When avowedly trusted, even in money transactions, they never deceived me, nor forfeited their promise. I am sorry to say, however, that when checked in their licentious appropriations, &c. they are very much addicted both to threaten and to execute revenge.
“Having so far premised with respect to their general conduct and character, I shall proceed to answer, as far as I am able, the four queries subjoined to the circular which you
sent me, and then subjoin, in notes, some instances of their conduct in particular cases, which may perhaps elucidate their general disposition and character.”