“I was surprised to find many of the words familiar to my eye; and I pointed out to Sir Joseph Banks, in the latter end of the year 1783, their evident correspondence with terms in the Hindostanie, or as it is vulgarly termed in India, the Moors’ language.
“This similitude appeared to me so extraordinary, that I was inclined to suspect an error in the publication, which might have arisen from a confusion of obscure vocabularies in the author’s possession. The circumstance, however, determined me to pay farther attention to the subject, and to examine, in the first place, whether the language spoken by the Gypsey tribes in England, and by those in the remoter parts of the continent of Europe was one, and the same; and then to ascertain,
whether this actually bore the affinity which so forcibly struck me in Ludolfus, to any of the languages on the Continent of India.
“Through the obliging assistance of Sir Joseph Banks, who has spared no pains to promote this investigation, I procured an opportunity of obtaining a list of words from our Gypsies, which I can depend upon as genuine, and tolerably accurate in respect to the pronunciation, from their being corroborated also by words taken down, separately, by Sir Joseph, and by Dr. Blagden.
“Mr. Matra did me the favour to transmit for me, a list of words to Turkey; and from his ingenious friend B. Pisani, I received a complete and satisfactory translation of them, together with some information, respecting the manners of the Chingiares, in the Turkish dominions, which, however, does not come within the design of this paper, as I mean to confine myself in the present communication, simply to the question of similarity of language; which, if established, I should esteem a matter
of no little curiosity; presuming it to be perfectly new to the world.
“Of this similarity, the learned members of the Society will be enabled to form their judgment from the annexed paper, exhibiting a comparison of a few of the words procured from the different quarters before mentioned, with the Hindostanie terms, from the best published, and parole authorities. It may not be unworthy of remark, that the general appellation of these people in the eastern part of Europe, is very nearly connected with that of the inhabitants of Ceylon, in the East-Indies, who are equally termed. Lingalese and Chingalese; though at the same time it must be acknowledged, that the language of this Island has much less correspondence with that of the Gypsies, than many others of the Indian dialects.
“His Grace, the Archbishop of York, with his usual discernment, suggested to me, the probability that the Zingara here spoken of, may have derived their name, and perhaps their origin from the people called Langari, or
Langarians, who are found in the north-west parts of the Peninsula of Hindostan, and infest the coasts of Guzerat and Sindy with their piratical depredations.
“The maritime turn of this numerous race of people, with their roving and enterprising disposition, may warrant the idea of occasional emigration in their boats, by the coarse of the Red Sea.