There are no records, or historical sources, leading to a direct discovery of the origin of the Gipseys; those which have been thought so, are not genuine. Nothing, therefore, remains, but to seek the truth, through circuitous tracks; by this means, it may certainly be found. A man must not go to tombstones, recently erected, in German church-yards, nor adduce a single custom, or the name of a country bearing a resemblance to that of Gipsey, as grounds of proof; and, on the other hand, overlook a hundred difficulties, or even positive contradictions. But if _the language of the Gipseys_, _their name_, _the conformation of their bodies and minds_, _their customs and religious principles_, _mark a country where it is possible for them to have been indigenous_; _when History and Chronology corroborate the supposition_, _and there is not any other country in the world to which the Gipseys_, _all these particulars taken together_, _could belong_; then the country, where these circumstances meet, must, in all probability, be their true mother country. Whether their Hindostan origin has so much in its favour, is more than we dare venture to affirm; as it is very possible for the judgment to be so deceived, that we may believe what does not, in fact, exist. However, on perusing the subsequent pages, our readers will judge if, like our predecessors, we have erred, or have discovered the truth. SECTION I. DESCRIPTION OF THE GIPSEYS, THEIR MANNER OF LIFE, THEIR CUSTOMS AND PROPERTIES. CHAPTER I. _Various Appellations of these People_.