related in some way to many Gipsy families in London and the
neighbouring counties. Abutting from the Walmer Road is a good sized
court or alley called 'Mary Place,' and in a nook of one of the small
cottages here lived Mrs. Roberts for a number of years, who has been
described to us by one who long enjoyed her acquaintance as 'a very
superior woman, intelligent and happy Christian.' So that she must
indeed have shone in that humble and sombre spot as a 'gem of purest ray
serene,' though not exactly as the flower

"'Born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air.'

[Picture: Outside a Christian Gipsy's van]

For the comprehensive genius of Christian sympathy and labour had found
her out, and she was known and respected, and her influence was felt by
all around her. She lived for years a widow, but with five grown-up,
strong, and thrifty children--two sons and three daughters and troops of
friends--to cheer her latter days. The preliminaries--a service of song
conducted by Mr. Adams and his sons--were soon over, and the coffin being
lifted through the window was placed on the strong shoulders which had
been appointed to convey it to Brompton Cemetery, a distance of some
three miles. It was a neat coffin, covered with black cloth, and when
the pall had been thrown over it affectionate hands placed upon it two or
three large handsome wreaths of immortals white as snow, and so the
procession moved off followed by weeping sons, daughters, and friends,
and a host of sympathising neighbours, to the strains of the 'Dead March
in Saul.' _Requiescat in pace_. Among those present at this interesting
ceremony standing next to us, and sharing in part our umbrella, was a
gentleman whose name and vocation we were not aware until afterwards. We
were glad, however, to learn that we were unwittingly conversing with no
other than Mr. George Smith, of Coalville, Leicester, the philanthropic
and well-known promoter of the 'Brick-maker's' and 'Canal Boatman's'
Acts, who has specially devoted himself to the improvement of the social
condition of these too-neglected people. He is now giving his attention
to the case of the Gipsies, and specially to the children, to whom he is
anxious to see extended among other things the provisions of the School
Board Act. The great and good work of Mr. Smith has already attracted
the attention of a number of charitable Christian people, and it has not