good cant as any of us." To keep up the character, my friend told them that I had been a tramper in my youth, but that I had now nearly lost the language. On hearing this, the woman, with great earnestness, exclaimed, "God bless the gentleman!" In order to confirm their belief that I was one of their tribe, I bade the woman good-day in her own tongue, and parted with them. She informed me, on leaving, that she resided at Banff, but that her husband was then at Perth. During the short interview which I had with these Gipsies, I collected the following words: _Gaugie_, man. _Riah_, gentleman. _Raunie_, lady. _Vast_, hand. _Sonnakie_, gold. _Sonnakie vanister_, gold ring. _Roug_, silver. _Lowie_, money. _Grye_, horse. _Aizel_, ass. _Jucal_, dog. _Matchka_, cat. _Baurie_, great. _Vile_, village. _Baurie vile_, large village. _Nawken_, Gipsy. _Davies_, day. _Beenship davies_, _Nawken_, good-day, Gipsy. _Pen yer naam?_ what is your name? _Shucha_, coat. _Calshes_, breeches. _Gogle_, hat. _Coories_, blankets. _Roys_, spoons. _Skews_, platters. _Habben kairer_, baker of bread. The method I adopted with them, as I have already hinted, was to ask them the English of the words I gave them in Gipsy, so that the answers I got were confirmations of the same words collected from other individuals, and which I drew from memory for the occasion. Had I attempted to write down any of their sentences, it would have instantly shut the door to all further conversation on the subject, and, in all probability, the Gipsies would have taken to their heels, muttering imprecations against me for having insulted them. Of this I was satisfied, that had I really been acquainted with their speech, these Gipsy children could have kept up a regular and connected conversation with me, with the greatest fluency, and without their sentences being intermixed with any English or Scotch words whatever, a fact which has been repeatedly stated to me by the Gipsies. In confirmation of these facts, I shall transcribe a letter addressed to me by the gentleman who was present on the occasion.[198] [198] This letter is interesting to the extent that it illustrates the amount of knowledge possessed by the Scottish community, generally, regarding the subject of the Gipsies.--ED. INVERKEITHING, _25th May, 1829._ "MY DEAR SIR: