ty, oh! pity the poor Gipsy race.

It has been the custom of the author to have a yearly meeting of the
Gipsies at his own house, which is then open to all their families.
Here, early in the year 1830, those who were in the lanes and on the
common near Southampton, met many of their kind and religious friends,
who are interested in their happiness. The morning was agreeably spent
in a religious service, conducted for their spiritual benefit; after
which some attention was paid to their temporal wants. Forty-eight of
them, all nearly related to each other, who were at that time assembled
in the neighbourhood to renew their family friendships, attended on this
occasion, and were much pleased with the services in which they engaged.
Different portions of the Scriptures were read and expounded to them,
after which they had a plain and familiar address. It was a pleasure to
meet these people at a throne of grace. After partaking of bread and
cheese and ale, during which they conducted themselves very properly, a
blanket was presented to the proprietor of each tent, a pair of stockings
to every individual, and a quantity of calico for changes for the
children. There were thirteen reformed Gipsies among them, who spent the
rest of the day in reading the Scriptures to their brethren at their own
houses.

These people expressed themselves very gratefully. One of the families,
of whom the mother could read, begged a bible. Some weeks after this
bible had been given, the family was visited in its tent, when this copy
of the Holy Scriptures was shewn to him, who observed many of the pages
doubled down to mark the passages with which the reader had been
impressed. The father of the family said--"I will never rest till I can
read that book through." This poor man now attends divine service
whenever he has an opportunity, although he strongly opposed, at one
time, the reading of the Scriptures in his tent.

A lady, who was present at this meeting, asked one of the reformed
Gipsies, how she had felt herself on that morning? She replied--"I never
was so happy;" and, after a short silence, continued--"The dinner we had
last year, was much better than that we had to-day, as it was roast beef
and plum-pudding; but what I heard then, of the minister's address, was
only the word of man to me; but to-day, it has been the word of God; I am
sure it has."

Although it may be feared, that to many Gipsies then present, the reading
of