University of Virginia Library

OF THE WANDERING TRIBES OF THIS
COUNTRY.

The nomadic races of England are of many
distinct kinds — from the habitual vagrant —
half-beggar, half-thief — sleeping in barns, tents,
and casual wards — to the mechanic on tramp,
obtaining his bed and supper from the trade
societies in the different towns, on his way to
seek work. Between these two extremes there
are several mediate varieties — consisting of
pedlars, showmen, harvest-men, and all that
large class who live by either selling, showing,
or doing something through the country.
These are, so to speak, the rural nomads — not
confining their wanderings to any one parti-
cular locality, but ranging often from one end
of the land to the other. Besides these, there
are the urban and suburban wanderers, or
those who follow some itinerant occupation in
and round about the large towns. Such are,
in the metropolis more particularly, the pick-
pockets — the beggars — the prostitutes — the
street-sellers — the street-performers — the cab-
men — the coachmen — the watermen — the sailors
and such like. In each of these classes —
according as they partake more or less of the
purely vagabond, doing nothing whatsoever for
their living, but moving from place to place
preying upon the earnings of the more indus-
trious portion of the community, so will the
attributes of the nomade tribes be found to be
more or less marked in them. Whether it be
that in the mere act of wandering, there is a
greater determination of blood to the surface of
the body, and consequently a less quantity
sent to the brain, the muscles being thus
nourished at the expense of the mind, I leave
physiologists to say. But certainly be the phy-
sical cause what it may, we must all allow that
in each of the classes above-mentioned, there is

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a greater development of the animal than of the
intellectual or moral nature of man, and that
they are all more or less distinguished for their
high cheek-bones and protruding jaws — for
their use of a slang language — for their lax
ideas of property — for their general improvi-
dence — their repugnance to continuous labour
— their disregard of female honour — their love
of cruelty — their pugnacity — and their utter
want of religion.