ined to profit by any judicious and kind exertions made on their
behalf. There are already several families of them within my
knowledge, who reside in houses during the winter, and travel about
only in the summer. Their means of subsistence are tinkering, and
fiddling at feasts and fairs; by which some, I believe, make a good
deal of money, which helps them out in the winter, when there is less
work and less dancing.

A young man with a large family, whom I have long observed near this
place, in my walks, about six years ago, when many inclosures took
place in this neighbourhood, and he found it less convenient to be
out in the fields, or rather that the farmers were less willing to
let him encamp upon their grounds, took a small house, with a garden
annexed to it, in the suburbs of this town, and has since lived here
constantly in the winter, but travels in the summer. He is now about
38 years of age. He married when 20, and has 8 children, all of whom
have been baptized in the several parishes where they were born. He
is a very civil man, and is much respected where he is known; having
a good character for honesty.

He attends church constantly on a Sunday; and though he has not any
regular notion of the peculiar doctrines of Christianity, he has some
very good general ideas of religion and morality. He is no swearer;
and he would consider it wicked in his wife to attempt _to tell
fortunes_.

He is frequently employed to fiddle, at the houses of respectable
farmers and trades-people at Christmas. His other occupation is
tinkering; and he is ingenious at mending fiddles, and making cases,
&c.

Neither he, nor his wife, can read; and none of his children have
been hitherto sent to school. His third boy, who is about 9 years
old, he has, at my suggestion, promised to send to the new school
which has been established here on Dr. Bell's and Mr. Lancaster's
plan: he accepted the offer with great thankfulness. The boy is to
come into the school at Michaelmas, when the family return from their
summer's travelling. The father would be very glad to have all his
children brought up to any other mode of life; and even to embrace
some other himself; but he finds a difficulty in it.

He himself, from not having been brought up to work in husbandry,
could not go through th