I have not been able to discover any peculiarity in the manner of Gipsy courtships, except that a man, above sixty years of age, affirmed to me that it was the universal custom, among the tribe, not to give away in marriage the younger daughter before the elder. In order to have this information confirmed, I enquired of a female, herself one of eleven sisters,[169] if this custom really existed among her people. She was, at first, averse, evidently from fear, to answer my question directly, and even wished to conceal her descent. But, at last, seeing nothing to apprehend from speaking more freely, she said such was once the custom; and that it had been the cause of many unhappy marriages. She said she had often heard the old people speaking about the law of not allowing the younger sister to be married before the elder. She, however, would not admit of the existence of the custom at the present day, but appeared quite well acquainted with it, and could have informed me fully of it, had she been disposed to speak on the subject. [169] A GIPSY MULTIPLICATION TABLE. +-------------+-------+----------+--+ | Births | Mar- | Births of| | |of Children. |riages.| Grand- | | | | | children.| 1| +-------------+-------+----------+--+--+ |1822, Oct. 1.| 1842 |1843, Jul.| 1| 2| | | | | +--+--+ |1824, Jan. 1.| 1844 |1844, Oct.| 1| 1| 3| | | | | | +--+--+ |1825, Apl. 1.| 1845 |1846, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 4| | | | | | | +--+--+ |1826, Jul. 1.| 1846 |1847, Ap. | 1| 1| 1| 1| 5| | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1827, Oct. 1.| 1847 |1848, Jul | 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 6| | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1829, Jan. 1.| 1849 |1849, Oct.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 7| | | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1830, Apl. 1.| 1850 |1851, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 8| | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1831, Jul. 1.| 1851 |1852, Ap. | 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 9| | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1832, Oct. 1.| 1852 |1853, Jul.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|10| | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1834, Jan. 1.| 1854 |1854, Oct.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|11| | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+--+ |1835, Apl. 1.| 1855 |1856, Jan.| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1| 1|12| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | +--+ |1836, Jul. 1.| 1856 | | |..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|..|Total. +-------------+-------+----------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-----+ | 12| | |11|10| 9| 8| 7| 6| 5| 4| 3| 2| 1| 0| 78 | +-------------+-------+----------+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+--+-----+