the introductionoftheMohammedan religion among the Tartars; for it was by that means that thefe nations became acquainted with the Arabic letters, which they have ever fince made use of in infcriptions on their coins. The gold in these tombs is feldom pure, but commonly adulterated with filver; and the filver has generally an alloy of half its weight in copper. It was very eafy for the European workmen to cheat the fimple Tartars. It is extremely unfortunate that many of thefe curiofities fell into the hands of ignorant people, who immediately melted them down. But from thofe preferved in the Imperial Academy we may form an idea of feveral circumftances relating to that ancient nation. I am, &c. BEG you will do me the favour to communicate to the learned Society of Antiquaries the inclofed paper, on a fubject to the investigation of which you have fo effential ly contributed. I am, Sir, your much obliged and moft obedient fervant, IT has long been furmifed that the vagrant tribes of people called in this country Gypfies, and on parts of the continent of Europe, Cingari, Zingari, and Chingali, were of Eaftern origin. The former name has been fuppofed a VOL. XXVII. corruption of Egyptian, and fome learned perfons have judged it not improbable that their language might be traced to the Coptic. In the course of researches which I have had occafion to pursue on the fubject of language, I obferved that Ludolfus, in his hiftory of Ethiopia, makes mention, incidentally, of the Cingari vel Errones Nubiani, and gives a specimen of words which he had collected from thefe people in his travels, with a view of determining their origin. He difcuffes the opinions of various writers concerning them, but forms no precife one of his own, concluding his obfervations with these words: Eadem vocabula, cùm maximam partem reperiam apud Vulcanium, à centum ferè annis tradita, non fictitia exiftimo, ut Megiferus putat, nec corrupta ex aliis linguis, neque Egyptiaca five Coptica. I was furprifed to find many of the words contained in the fpecimen familiar to my eye, and pointed out to Sir Jofeph Banks (in the latter end of the year 1783) their evident correfpondence with terms in the Hind flanic, or as it is vulgarly termed in India, the Moors language. This fimilitude appeared to me fo extraordinary, that I was inclined to fufpect an error in the publication, which might have arifen from a confufion of obfcure vocabularies in the author's poffeffion. The circumftance, however, determined me to pay further attention to the fubject, and to examine, in the first place, whether the language fpoken by the Gypfey tribes in England, and by thofe in the remoter parts of the continent of Europe, were one and the fame; and then to afcertain whether this actually bore the affinity, which fo forcibly ftruck me in Ludolfus, to G an any of the languages on the continent of India. Through the obliging affiftance of Sir Jofeph Banks, who has fpared no pains to promote this inveftigation, I procured an opportunity of obtaining a list of words from our Gypfies, which I can depend upon as genuine, and tolerably accurate in respect to the pronunciation, from their being corroborated by words alfo taken down, feparately, by Sir Jofeph, and by Dr. Blagden. Mr. Matra did me the favour to tranfmit for me a lift of words to Turkey, and from his ingenious friend Mr. B. Pifani, I received a complete and fatisfactory tranflation of them, together with fome information refpecting the manners of the Chingbiarés, in the Turkish dominions, which however does not come within the defign of this paper, as I mean to confine myfelf, in the prefent communication, fimply to the queftion of the fimilarity of language, which, if eftablished, I thould efteem a matter of no little curiofity; prefuming it to be perfectly new to the world. Of this fimilarity the learned members of the Society will be enabled to form their judgment from the annexed paper, exhibiting a comparifon of a few of the words procured from the different quarters before mentioned, with the Hindofanic terms, from the beft published and parole authorities. It may not be unworthy of the remark, that the general appellation for these people in the eaftern parts of Europe, is very nearly connected with that of the inhabitants of Ceylan, in the Fatt-Indies, who are equally termed Lingalefe and Chingalife; though at the fame time it muft be acknowledged, that the language of this ifland has much lefs correfpondence with that of the Gypfies, than many other of the Indian dialects. His grace the archbishop of York, with his ufual difcernment, fuggefted to me the probability that the Zingari 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-weft parts of the peninfula of Hindoftan, and infeft the coafts of Guzerat and Sindy with their piratical depredations. The maritime turn of this numerous race of peo ple, with their roving and enterprifing difpofition, may warrant the idea of occafional emigrations in their boats, by the courte of the Red Sea. Notwithstanding that the refemblance to the Hindoftanic is the predominant feature in the Gypfey dialect, yet there are words interfperfed which evidently coincide with other languages. Befide the Mahratta and Bengalife, which I have marked in the comparative fpecimen, it is not a little fingular that the terms for the numerals feven, eight, and nine, are purely Greek, although the first five, and that for ten, are indifputably Indian. It is alfo a curious obfervation, that although the Indian term for seven being Jaath, differs from the Gypfey, yet that for a week, or ferven days, is the Eftan of the latter. One word only, among those which I have examined, bears a refemblance to the Coptic which is rem, the fame with romi, a man. In comparisons of this nature, a due allowance must be made, not only for the various modes of fpelling adopted by different perfons, and different nations, but alfo for the diffimilar manner in which the fame individual founds ftrikes the or. gans 1 gans of the hearers; of which fome pointed inftances might be given. Should any be inclined to doubt (which I fcarcely fuppofe poffible) of the identity of the Gypfey or Cingari, and the Hindoftanic languages, ftill it will be acknowledged as no uninteresting subject of fpeculation, that tribes wandering through the mountains of Nubia, or the plains of Romania, have been converfed for centuries in a dialect precifely fimilar to that spoken at this day by the obfcure, defpifed, and wretched people in England, whofe language has been confidered as a fabricated gibberish, and confounded with a cant in ufe among ft thieves and beggars, and whofe perfons have been (till within the period of a year (an object of the perfecution, inftead of the protection of our laws. WILLIAM MARSDEN. language was read, I recollected that, feveral years ago, I had heard my friend Mr. Bryant mention his having collected a confiderable number of words ufed by this wandering tribe; feveral of which words appeared to bear a clofe affinity to thofe of the fame meaning in the languages of ancient and of diflant nations. At my requeft, he has obligingly tranfmitted the inclosed papers containing the refult of his inquiries on the subject; and I take the liberty of putting them into your hands, to be laid before the Society. Befides his own collections, Mr. Bryant has alfo favoured me with the communication of a letter which he had fome years ago received from the Rev. Mr. Coxe. That learned traveller, when in Hungary, had met with Gypfies, and had taken from their mouths fpecimens of their language. It is very remarkable, that of feventeen words thus obtained and enumerated in his letter, fourteen appear to refemble moft exactly thofe of the fame fignification, as collected by Mr. Bryant in England. To diftin. guish them, they are marked in the Vocabulary with afterifks. I am, dear Sir, your most obedient fervant, JOHN DOUGLAS. A VOCABULARY of the Zingara, or Gypfey Language. |