Mr. Leland’s style of reasoning, his lack of candour, and his reserve as
to how he took up the Gipsy question, and to whom he had been indebted at
first for some of his ideas, detract very much from the desire that one
would naturally have to put confidence in him. His many confident
assertions about what others have grave doubts and his frequent
contradictions have a similar effect.
In _The Gipsies_ there is very little told us of the race _in_ America
(not _American_ Gipsies) of any kind, and yet Mr. Leland says that it
will
“Possess at least the charm of novelty, but little having as yet been
written on this extensive and very interesting branch of our nomadic
population” (Pref. III.).