172 GYPSIES. 
England in 1529, and briefly summarised their reception, actions, 
and treatment, pointing out that eventually in both countries many 
of the gypsies were either banished or hung, merely on account of 
their being habit and repute Egyptians. 
Illustrations were given to depict the various types of English 
and Scottish gypsies, and the lecturer gave accounts of various 
interviews which he had had with gypsies and at gypsy camps. 
He also stated tentatively that, in his view, there were no Romani- 
speaking gypsies in Scotland before 1505, but that the tinklers 
were in this country long before that date ; and that when Johnnie 
Faa petitioned the King in 1540 it gave evidence that a fusion had 
taken place between the Romani-speaking gypsies and the Faa 
gang of tinklers. That theory, he believed, explained how the 
tinkler-gypsies had obtained Scotch names, how some of the 
Yetholm tribe are of fair appearance, why the nobility took such 
interest in preventing the ends of justice being meted out to 
gypsies, the early references to gypsies in such traditions as the 
“ slaying of the blackimore ’’ by Maclellan, of Bombie, and also 
the tradition held by them that they came into Scotland by way 
of Ireland. 
Mr M‘Cormick further showed that if tinklers were “de 
facto’? Romani-speaking gypsies, their language would be the 
same everywhere, and pointed out that the Irish tinklers spoke 
a language, shelta, which was allied to the shelta spoken by the 
Highland Gaelic-speaking tinklers, but which was different from 
the language spoken by all the other tinklers in Scotland. He 
illustrated that point by showing on the screen the results of in- 
quiries made at various centres throughout Scotland. 
He then dealt at considerable length with the characteristics 
of gypsies, such as frankness and simplicity with friends, their 
philosophy of life, peculiar superstitions, peculiar marriage and 
divorce customs, fortune telling, and gratitude. 
He stated that it had been said that Meg Merrilees was not a 
typical gypsy, but maintained that she was a typical tinkler-gypsy 
of a byegone day, although the language put into the mouths of 
Sir Walter Scott’s gypsies was largely that found in the appendix 
to the life of Bamfylde Moore Carew. 
In conclusion, he spoke also of the gypsies of “ Aylwin ”’ 
and “ The Coming of Love,’’ by Mr Watts-Dunton, maintaining 
that in these books Mr Watts-Dunton had succeeded in combining, 
