proper for the benefit of the gipsies. This little offering is the gift of a very aged lady of a limited income, into whose hands I was the means of conveying your 'Gipsies' Advocate.' The perusal of this highly important and interesting work induced her to devote the enclosed in aid of your endeavours to ameliorate the circumstances, and save the souls of that long-neglected people.

"I am, Rev. and dear Sir, very truly yours, &c. &c."

"About three weeks since, on my return from Bridport, I saw as I passed up Chid-Cock Hill, several weary asses straying in quest of something to eat, and near to them a number of ragged gipsy children. Upon my asking a fine boy if he could read, he replied, Many thanks, good gemman, my grandfather can, and we can a little.' On this I asked where his grandfather was? To which the boy, rising from the ground, said, 'Only in the lane above the hill, please to go and see him-he wants to see a gemman about here!' With pleasure I hastened to the spot, for the shades of evening were coming on apace. As I approached the place, I recognised the aged gipsy to whom, in 1832, I presented a Bible. The old man rose, uncovered his hoary head, bending under the weight of four-score years, and thus accosted me— You be the gemman who gave me my Bible; thank you, Sir, for the blessed book, I shall never part with it, as you said.' Then opening a box, he took it out. 'It is here, thanks, many thanks-that I have it, and can read it.' I desired him to get the people together, and that I would speak to them from the blessed book. The invitation was cheerfully met; in a few minutes twenty-two poor wandering gipsies were assembled round the fire; they appeared to pay marked attention, and to feel as well as hear. When I had spoken to the swarthy group of our state by nature, and of the love of Jesus, we all knelt down upon the grassy sod, and I felt assured that I was praying to Him, who was able to take the rudest and most unworthy, and make them kings and priests unto God. Who can tell but this word spoken under a hedge by the way-side, may, by the sovereign power of God, and grace by Jesus Christ our Saviour, be abundantly blessed. I left these interesting families amidst their thanks and blessings. The venerable old man followed me, and told me that Robert some years since was very much afflicted,

and during his affliction was taught to read by the writer. Robert then taught his sister Matilda, and since that time their conduct has been much improved. Robert and Matilda (for whom we are so much interested,) are his relations; adding, I promised Matilda to ask you for a Bible for her; she can read, and would be greatly thankful for your kindness.' She was then near Shipton, and he should soon see her. Next morning, very early the aged Gaffer came for the Bible: the Lord make it useful. Your imagination must paint the lovely sight of men, women, and children, kneeling before the Lord our Maker upon the green grass; you must picture a fine, tall, hoary-headed gipsy, with his silver locks, bowing to the ground in thankfulness for a copy of the word of life. I remain, &c. &c."

"Dear Sir, I take this opportunity also to relate to you a circumstance which lately occurred here, thinking it may afford you some encouragement to proceed in your Christian · effort for ameliorating the condition of the gipsies. Some young ladies, while taking a sketch of my church, were accosted by a gipsy woman, who was passing by, and upon entering into conversation with her, they asked her to tell their fortunes, offering money. The gipsy immediately expressed her sorrow that ladies of their station and intelligence should thus tempt her to commit such a sin; telling them, that she had laid aside such profane pretensions of knowledge, having happily been taught a better wisdom, even the knowledge of God, and his salvation in Christ, and that she was now enjoying a content and peace she had never known before, in pursuing a life of honest industry. In short, she spoke in a manner that left a lasting impression on the minds of these young ladies, and gratefully named you as having been the privileged means of producing this salutary change. Such an instance of the good influence of your instructions, occurring at a distance from the sphere of your personal observation, affords, I trust, a sure earnest of a real and permanent benefit, and should not, I think, be withheld from your knowledge, furnishing to you, as it may, a good hope that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. That the blessing of God may continue to prosper your good efforts is the sincere wish of, dear Sir, yours faithfully, &c."

M

"The following Address is earnestly recommended to the attention of Christians generally, and particularly of the Ministers of Christ.

"I feel it a duty that I owe to the poor wandering gipsies, to my country, and to you, to lay the state of these poor wanderers before you.

"Only imagine that there are 18,000 of these people in Great Britain, living chiefly by fortune-telling, and often by pilfering habits, excepting a few who are basket-makers, tinkers, pedlars, or rat-catchers, without rendering the least mite to the treasury of the land, or benefiting society in one point. Some persons say, Banish them;-this cannot be done unless they be convicted of felony. Imprison them and put them on the treadmill; this has been done, still they exist. Others, Take from them their horses, &c., if they cannot pay their fines as vagrants. When this has been done, they buy others, and will still remain gipsies, unless some Christian means are adopted to reclaim them. Others reply, 'Oh! one does not see gipsies now; since the commons have been enclosed they have decreased, and eventually they will all mingle with society.' With their present views and habits the latter is not to be expected, and of the former there is not the most distant prospect, as their number constantly increases. We had at the meeting yesterday one grandmother, who could say of the greater part of the gipsies present, that they were either her children, grandchildren, or relations.

"The aged woman is a Stanley by birth-sister to the late William Stanley, who before he died, last autumn, gave me a correct account of the descendants of the two sons of his great-grandfather. In about one hundred years the increase of his family has been four hundred and forty-seven, now living and all wanderers, except ninety-eight, who are the descendants of the second son of the grandfather, who became a reformed man and united himself with the Wesleyan Methodists. In this account no notice is taken of those who have been executed and transported; of the latter there were many in the course of eighty years, so we perceive that there is a net increase of wanderers in that family of three hundred and forty-nine.

"You see then, dear friends, that all these plans have

failed, although they have been tried for the last four hundred years. Then what can be done? Some persons may say, Let them take their chance as in past days. Other well disposed and pious persons have recommended missionaries to be sent to them. This would not only be expensive but impracticable. To any benevolent Christian who wishes to do them good, I would suggest the following hints:-Speak kindly to them, supply them with some little religious books with their names written in them, they will take care of them and get them read to them. Urge on the parents and children the necessity of learning to read.

"Benevolent persons should visit their huts as often as they can in the evenings, when the women return from their rambles through the neighbouring towns and villages, where they have been to sell their wares, and too often to tell fortunes. I can assure the most timid female that a gipsy camp will never be rude to her, and if she goes with the message of mercy on her lips, that they will listen to her with attention. It will be well not to charge them with any particular crimes, as we may be incorrect in our statements. Show them the necessity of regularly attending Divine service, and, above all, tell them of the love of the Saviour to poor sinners, and they will hearken.

"The ministers of the Holy Gospel should consider them literally as a part of their charge, and that they are called on to speak to them when they meet them in the lanes, as their adorable Master has commanded: "Go ye out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house (my church) may be filled.' But this exhortation applies particularly to the country clergyman, who, above all men, has an opportunity of benefiting their immortal souls. They often tent in his parish, and though they resemble the birds of passage, yet he may often bring them under instruction, and to his church, and his influence may lead them to Christ. I know of some country clergymen who are kind to them, and who make them their constant charge and care when they encamp in their parishes.

"If all Christians and ministers were thus to endeavour to instruct this neglected people, they would soon learn the way of salvation and leave their wandering habits. If small committees were formed by a few active individuals to ame

liorate their condition-' their labour would not be in vain in the Lord.'

"I shall feel pleasure in corresponding with any lady or gentleman relating to this interesting people, and may we not hope that while British Christians are the instruments of blessing the ends of the earth, that they will not pass by nor forget the heathen at home?—I am, Christian friends, yours faithfully, JAMES CRABB.

"Spring Hill House, Southampton.

"Dec. 29, 1837.

"P. S.—At the Meeting of the gipsies, five copies of the Holy Scriptures were distributed to families or individuals who did not before possess them, and several of those who could read petitioned for Prayer-books.

"It is a cheering fact, that about fifty gipsy families who travel through Hants and the adjoining counties, have each a copy of the Scriptures, which they often get read to them in their tents."

ON PROVIDENT FUNDS WITH A SMALL

PREMIUM.

My residence in this metropolis has been but short, but I am not unacquainted with the working of the District Visiting Societies in the country; I speak of a manufacturing district in Wiltshire, where there are three parishes, of one of which I was the Vicar. Nearly at the same time I went there, I undertook to establish a District Visiting Society in those parishes. Two of them were large, containing about 5000 inhabitants; and in the middle of these two was the third, a smaller parish, containing about 2000 inhabitants. It so happened that the central parish was much the richer parish; several esquires lived there, and the poor were much better provided for. The parish at the greatest distance from me, was about the same size as my own, but still much richer, so that at last their collection for the District Visiting Society was nearly double the amount of ours. I must own that at that time I felt some little diffidence at undertaking the work on the plan proposed. I wished we had been able to offer the same premium as a reward to the poor who placed deposits in the savings' banks as the other parishes; one gave