His health failing he left London, and for a considerable time lived a life of roving adventure.

In the year 1833 he entered the service of he British and Foreign Bible Society, and being sent to Russia edited at Saint Petersburg the New Testament in the Manchu or Chinese Tartar.

Whilst at Saint Petersburg he published a book called _Targum_, consisting of metrical translations from thirty languages.

He was subsequently for some years agent of the Bible Society in Spain, where he was twice imprisoned for endeavouring to circulate the Gospel.

In Spain he mingled much with the Calore or Zincali, called by the Spaniards Gitanos or Gypsies, whose language he found to be much the same as that of the English Romany.