GYPSIES GYROMANCY. 



605 



in the spirit of religion. In Transylvania, they often 

 have their children baptized repeatedly at different 

 places, for the sake of the money which it is customary 

 in that country for the god-father to give to the poor 

 parents of his god-child. Marriages are formed in 

 the rudest manner. The young gypsy marries a 

 girl, without caring if she is his sister or a stranger, 

 often when he is not more than fourteen or fifteen 

 years old. In Hungary, another gypsy officiates as 

 priest at the wedding. No gypsy will marry any 

 but one of his race. If he becomes tired of her, he 

 will turn her off without ceremony. There is no 

 idea of education amongst this people. A blind, 

 almost animal love for their children, prevents them 

 from punishing them, so that they grow up in idle- 

 ness, and are accustomed to steal and cheat. 



It has been repeatedly proposed to banish this peo- 

 ple from Europe. In France and Spain, in Italy and 

 Germany, laws were passed against them in the 16th 

 century. But even persecutions were of little avail 

 towards rooting them out. They always appeared 

 again in the southern countries. As they are very 

 numerous in the Austrian states, and have a kind of 

 constitution there amongst themselves, being in a 

 manner governed by chief gypsies or waywodes, the 

 great Maria Theresa formed the plan of converting 

 them into orderly men and citizens. In 1768, she 

 issued an ordinance, that in future, gypsies should 

 dwell in settled habitations, practise some trade, 

 dress their children, and send them to school. Many 

 of their disgusting customs were prohibited, and it 

 was ordered, that they should forthwith be called 

 Neubauern (new peasants), instead of their former 

 name of gypsies. This ordinance remaining ineffec- 

 tual, recourse was had in 1773, to severe measures; 

 the children were taken from their parents, and 

 brought up in Christian principles. But as little 

 was effected in this way as by the very mild measures 

 adopted by the Russian government. However, the 

 ordinances of Joseph II. (1782 et seq.), to forward 

 the improvement of the gypsies in Hungary, Transyl- 

 vania, and the Bannat, have not been without effect. 



With regard to their language, most of the words 

 are of Indian origin. They are found, in part, with 

 little variation, in the Sanscrit, in the Malabar and 

 Bengal languages, and many words have been adopt- 

 ed from the different nations amongst whom they 

 reside. Heber, bishop of Calcutta, relates, in his 

 Narrative of a Journey through the Upper Provinces 

 of India, &c. (London, 1828, 2 vols.), that he met 

 with a camp of gypsies on the banks of the Ganges, 

 who spoke the Hindoo language as their mother 

 tongue. Heber found the same people in Persia and 

 Russia. Their grammar is also Oriental, and corre- 

 sponds with the Indian dialects. This similarity 

 cannot be considered the work of chance, particularly 

 as their persons and customs show much of the 

 Hindoo character. It has even been attempted to 

 derive their origin from a particular caste of the 

 Hindoos. But this cannot be the respectable caste 

 of the mechanics and agriculturists. They are more 

 probably a branch of the Parias, who are considered 

 contemptible by all the other Hindoos, because they 

 live in the greatest uncleanliness, and eat the flesh of 

 beasts which have died of sickness. It cannot, how- 

 ever, be easily explained, why this particular caste 

 should have left their country and spread throughout 

 Europe. The Tschinganes, a nation at the mouth 

 of the Indus, appear, at least, judging from their 

 name, more likely to be connected with the gypsies. 

 The gypsies also call themselves Sinde, a name 

 which doubtless has some correspondence with 

 Xiati or Indus. Mr Richardson, some time since, 

 described an Indian nation whom he culled Nuts or 

 Pen\schpiri and Basigert. (See a discussion on the 



similarity of the gypsy language with the Hindoo, in 

 the Transactions of the Lit. Society of Bombay, 

 1820.) Although they acknowledge the Moham- 

 medan religion, they are much like the gypsies in 

 customs and manners, in their propensity to thieving, 

 fortune-telling, and uncleanliness. 



In 1417, the first mention is made of the gypsies 

 in Germany. They appear to have come from Mol- 

 davia into Germany and Italy. At that time, they al- 

 ready wandered about in hordes with a commander at 

 their head. In 1418, the number which entered Italy 

 alone, was estimated at 1 4,000 men. There were many 

 hi Paris in 1429. They were first believed to be 

 pilgrims, coming from the Holy Land ; they were, 

 consequently, not only unmolested, but they received 

 letters of protection ; for instance, from Sigismund, 

 in 1423. It is known, however, that in later times, 

 they were very expert in counterfeiting similar 

 documents. What may have been the cause of their 

 leaving their country, is not known ; but very 

 probably they were induced to fly from the cruelties 

 exercised by Tamerlane, on his march into India, in 

 1393, when this savage conqueror filled the country 

 with blood and devastation. 



GYPSUM, sulphate of lime, or common plaster 

 of Paris, is found in a great variety of forms. It is 

 either in regular crystals, in which form it is some- 

 times callea selenite, or in large crystalline plates and 

 masses, which are perfectly transparent, and as pure 

 as the finest plate-glass ; or it occurs in fascicular 

 or radiated masses, which are also crystallized ; it is 

 sometimes found in snow-white, scaly flakes, like 

 foam or snow ; it is sometimes semi-transparent, like 

 horn ; and, lastly, it is met with most commonly in 

 large, fine or coarse-grained compact masses, forming 

 rocks, and constituting large and extensive strata. 

 In this form, it exhibits a great variety of colours 

 white, red, brown, blueish white, &c. The variety 

 of gypsum last described, constitutes all the hills and 

 beds of this mineral, which are so frequent among 

 secondary rocks, and in what are called the salt and 

 coal formations. It occurs rarely, if ever, among the 

 primitive rocks, and not often among those of the 

 transition class. It is almost always found associated 

 with the rock salt, whereon salt-springs are found. 

 It contains but few vegetable or animal remains ; 

 those that occur, are chiefly bones of quadrupeds, 

 amphibia, fresh-water shells, and vegetable remains. 

 Caves are of frequent occurrence in gypsum. The 

 purer semi-transparent specimens of gypsum are used 

 for ornamental works, as vases, urns, &c., and for 

 statuary ; for which purposes its softness makes it 

 very useful, and easy to work ; but this also renders 

 it difficult to polish. In this last form, it is the 

 alabaster of the arts. It constitutes the material 

 used in making the fine plastering for the internal 

 finishing of costly edifices, and gives the walls a 

 most beautiful whiteness. It is also used, after being 

 burned, for the composition of stucco-work of all 

 sorts. But the great and important use of gypsum 

 or plaster, as it is usually called, is for manuring 

 grass and grain lands ; in which case it is truly invalu- 

 able. And it is inconceivable how great an additionaJ 

 quantity of grass will be obtained, by the sprinkling 

 a peck of ground plaster upon the acre of land. It 

 is certainly the cheapest and best manure for grass 

 or grain. It is found in all the countries of Europe. 



GYRFALCON, or JERFALCON. See Falcon. 



GYROMANCY (from the Greek words y/ e a 

 circle, and pavnut, prophecy) ; the art of prophesy- 

 ing by means of a circle, described by the soothsayer 

 with various ceremonies, and around which he walks, 

 saying magic words, and making mysterious motions, 

 the more effectually to deceive the uninitiated. 



