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Faro and Rouge et Noir:

for him by the bars of a demipeak.

It is certain, however, that a good feat cannot be obtained, unless the faddle fits well; and perhaps it may be fomewhat difAcult to preferibe a certain rule in this cafe: but let it be obferved that your faddle fhould prefs as near as poffible on that part already defcribed as the point of union between the man and horfe; yet fo that the motion of the horfe's fhoulders may not be obftructed. The middle or lowest part of it, is your proper feat fit erect, free, and unconstrained as in your ufual manner of fitting, or, in other words, with eafy deportment of a gentleman.

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of fixing the knees only ferves, in great fhocks, to add to the violence of the fall. To protect yourfelf, in this cafe, you must yield a little to the horse's mo tion; by which means you will recover your feat, when an unfkilfull horfeman would be dif mounted.

(To be continued.)

Continuation of EXTRACTS from a Pamphlet lately published, entitled FARO and ROUGE et NOIR, See our laft Month's MAGAZINE, page 320.

FARO.

MODE OF PLAY.

HE partners, or perfons they

If you have a vicious horfe, employ for the purpose, of Temploy

which ftops fhort, or by rifing or kicking endeavours to throw you off, do not bend your body for ward, (a practice too frequent in fuch cafes) because that motion throws the breech backward, moves you from your fork or twift, and cafts you out of your feat: but the best method of keeping your feat, or of recovering it when loft, is, to advance the lower part of your body, and to bend back your upper part, and fhoulders. In flying or ftanding leaps, a horfeman's beft fecurity is the bending back of the body: the rifing of the horfe does not affect the rider's feat, his principal bufinefs is to guard against the lath of the animal's hind legs, which is best done by inclining the body backward. Obferve, alfo, that your legs and thighs are not to be stiffened, and as it were braced up, but your loins fhould be lax and pliable, like thofe of a coachman on his box.

By fitting thus loosely, every rough motion of the horfe will be eluded; but the ufual method

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ficiate as dealer and croup, large oval table is provided, which is covered with green cloth, and has a line defcribed with white, yellow, or red tape, or a wooden rim about an inch high, and about eight inches within the circumference of the table, to divide the cards punted on from the loofe livrets. At the fides of this table, and oppofite each other, the dealer and croup feat themselves that they may the better command a view of the punters who furround it. Several hundred guineas, part loofe in the well, and part in rouleaus of fifty guineas each between them. The office of the tailleur is to deal and fettle the game of the punters on each fide of him. The croup fhuffles another pack in the mean time, watches that no mistakes are made, or advantages taken by the punters, that no parolis ftand which are loft, and should retire, that no cocks are imposed on them; he pays and receives ftakes, &c. &c. Each

F 2

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Death of Big Ben.

Each ponte is furnished with a, livret or book, containing a fuit of thirteen cards, and the four cards denoting the fame, viz. the little figure, the yellow, black, and great figure. The ufe of thefe cards is, that the player, if difpofed to punt on ace, deux, trois; or 4, 5, 6; or 7, 8, 9, 10; or knave, queen, king; he may avoid the trouble of felecting the particular cards, by using the reprefentative figures, and the dealer and croup form a more prompt and comprehenfive idea of the play, than if the punters had ranges of miany cards before them. Faro is fo bewitching a game, by reafon of the feveral fpecious multiplications and advantages which it feemingly offers to the avarice of an unwary punter, that it intoxicates many to that degree that they feldom come to their fenfes, or difcover that they have not been playing on the fquare, until they have no more money or credit to punt with. But the judicious player, who feeks gain, and whofe love of gaming does not exceed his understanding, will not engage at it deeply, but when by fineffe, there is a violent probability of his beating the dealer and croup, which has been done when a novice has dealt, and even fometimes against a veteran tailleur, to the difcomfiture of the faro banking company.

When it is known that without the affiftance of the cardmaker, it is fo eafy to ftrip a new pack of the ftamp and cover, to arrange the cards, and make them up again; when it is fo easy to mark cards, to know their faces by their backs, melange faux, &c. &c. a man who will for a minute imagine that he can generally play Pharoah to advantage with people who make it a

bufinefs, cannot be brought to his fenfes but by being plucked of all his golden feathers, and feel the pinching cold of poverty, that arch corrector of exuberant fancy.

This book was written chiefly for the pigeons, the flats, and the fpoons.

ROUGE ET NOIR.

THIS game takes its name from the tapis or cloth which covers the banque or table, part rouge et noir, or red and black, and has

no relation to the colour of the
fuits. The rouge et noir are dif-
pofed as they appear, that the
tailleur and croupier, who fit op-
pofite each other, may with fa-
cility draw and pay ftakes. The
ponies or punters who fit round
the table, may take their money
on red or black. The cards are
fometimes cut,
to determine
whether red or black fhall be.
dealt for firft, but it being fo
immaterial, the firft parcel is ge-
nerally for black, and the fe-
cond for red, both conftituting
what is termed a coup.

Having thus conveyed a flight idea of the games of FARO and ROUGE et NOIR, we must not trefpafs by making any further extracts, but recommend this little book to the perufal of our readers, who will (exclufive of the rules for playing the games) find fomething to amufe, to caution, and to inftruct.

ON

BIG BEN.

N Tuefday the 8th inftant, died Benjamin Briant, commonly called Big Ben. The laft Jet-to of this celebrated pugilift was with DEATH, who, notwithftanding Ben's courage and capacity, put in one fatal blow, which

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Affidavit refpecting Staring Tom.

knocking him off the ftage of life, the victor bade his foul"Good morrow!"

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above horfe, his owner, to prevent fuch fraud, diftributed feeral hand-bills, and out of compaffion to the man who had advertifed the Walfal or Birming

The remains of this hero were interred in the church-yard of St. Sepulchre, Snow-hill, Lon-ham Staring Tom, as the famous

don.

He was attended to the grave by Ward, Jackfon, Wood, and the man well-known by the name of the Ruffian, as chief mourners.

The whole was conducted with that decency and decorum appropriate to the folemnity of the occafion.

It having been fuppofed that his death happened in confequence of fome inward bruise, which he got in one of the many defperate battles in which he had been engaged, his body was opened for the purpose of afcertaining the fact, when it was found that the liver was affected in such a manner, that no human power could have faved his life. This was the fole cause of his death.

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horfe (bred and trained by Sir Ferdinando Poole, Baronet) did not profecute him, but having feen a moft impudent advertise ment yesterday, in the aforefaid paper, calculated to impofe upon the public, and holding out a direct threat against any perfon who fhould affert that his hack, which he calls Staring Tom, is not the real racer:

The following affidavit of perfons who have both rode and trained the real Staring Tom, will convince the public of the upright intention of the perfon who caufed the above-mentioned advertisements to be inferted in the Birmingham papers, and the owner has given directions to Mr. Harrifon, attorney at law, at Market Drayton, Shropshire, to commence an action against fuch perfon for his unlawful conduct.

March 29, 1794.

Blackfton Moody and John Moody, both of Afton, in the parish of Muccleftone, in the county of Stafford, feverally make oath as follows: And first this deponent, Blackfton Moody, for himfelf, faith, that he knows the horfe called Staring Tom,: the property of Robert Pigot, Efq. which covered at Penlow-hall, near Drayton, in the county of Salop, last year, and is now advertised to cover at the fame place, and is certain he is the real Saring Tom, and the tame horfe which was formerly the property of Sir Ferdinando Poole, Baronet, and was bred by him, and was got by Latham's Snap,

out

46

On the Game of Billiards.

mit of the famous racer, Satellite's dam, and is a brown horse; and this deponent, Black ston Moody, further faith, that he has rode the faid horfe called Staring Tom, as a jockey, for plates, and has frequently rode against him: and further faith, that the afore. faid Staring Tom was an uncommon good runner; and faith, that he this deponent, Blackfton Moody, verily believes that no horfe called Staring Tom, except the aforefaid Staring Ton, ever run for a plate, norwith

ftanding the advertisement lately appearing in the Birmingham paper. And this deponent, John Moody, for himfelf, faith, that he hath for many years been ac. quainted with the aforefaid horfe, called Staring Tom, that is now advertised to cover at Peplow. hall, aforefaid, and hath affifted in training him at his brother Thomas Moody's racing ftables, at the Hundred Acres, in the -county of Surry, for the faid Robert Pigott. And this deponent, John Moody, further faith, that he hath frequently feen the aforefaid horfe run for prizes, and is confident he is the famous

racer bred by the faid Sir Ferdinando Poole, and was got by Latham's Snap, out of Satellite's dam, and was formerly the property of the faid Sir Ferdinando Poole.

And the faid deponents jointly fay, that they are well convinced that the Birmingham or Walfall Staring Tom is advertifed by that name for the purpose of impofing upon the Public.

BLACKSTON MOODY,
JOHN MOODY.

Sworn at Drayton in Hales,
in the faid county of Sa-
Jop, the 2d of April, in
the year of our Lord, one

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the prefent depraved state of

human nature when sharks of every defcription pervade each place of public amusement, to prey upon the property of inexperienced liberality; permit

an OLD SPORTSMAN to recite

(for the prefent) one of the very many fcenes in which he has been engaged, as a leffon for thofe adventurers who become devotees to the fafcinating follies of a BILLIARD ROOM,

from

whence almost every vifitant foon difcovers the difficulty of extrication. Having, in the early part of my life profeffional occafion to refide two years in the metropolis of Caledonia, where, from a barrennefs of the furrounding profpects (to an Englishman) the game of billiards became the distinguishing object of relaxation, to which I abfohour of both day and night; belutely appropriated every leifure coming at my return to England, an abfolute phænomenon, and being entirely unknown to the fecundem artem GENTLEMEN at that period, I emerged from my obfcurity a player of the first clafs, ranking in fucceffion with Brereton, Phillips, Orrel, and Captain Wallis, who were then the leaders of the day, and a rencontre with the whole of whom I modeftly declined, not

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On the Game of Billiards.

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till (at the request of the difappointed party) an agreement was made to renew the match at the then enfuing meeting at Afcot, where it was continued at the roon's of the celebrated Mr. Sim

more from an idea of my own inferiority on the fcore of experience than a confcioufnefs of the evident advantage they must poffefs from being habituated to the customary noife and confu. fion of public betting, by which young minds are fo frequently difconcerted. Having accident-large a company as ever attended

ally fported a fpecimen of my abilities in fome cafual matches with Mr. PAUL, (then of Pall Mall) and Mr. TwYCROSS, in the metropolis, I was inftantly looked up to as an impending pigeon by the family, and every preparation was made for the plucking. Confultation having been held by the principal members, and the dead fet properly arranged, the late celebrated Capt. Cates, of Covent Garden memory, was pitted againft me, at the coffee-room billiardtable during Epfom races, to play twenty-one games, for two guineas each game, and five guineas the odds. The match began in a crouded room, and inceffant betting of large fums was the immediate confequence. Those well known veterans, Ce, Bn, Gt, Ds, &c. were the invariable fupporters of the imagined hero: Capt. O'Kelly and the company at large were more immediately the cafual adherents to your humble servant.

After a match of exceeding good play, and very high betting, (in which the odds were contantly against me, by his getting the first two or four of almoft every game) it terminated in my favour five games a-head, having obtained thirteen games to eight, to the great and exulting gratifi. cation of a very great aflemblage, who were now equally affiduous in difcovering the name and refidence of the fuccefsful ftranger. A feparation did not take place

fon, fo much frequented by the ETONIANS, in the presence of as

upon a fimilar decifion, and with as high betting as has been known at a public table; nothing lefs than five pounds upon a hazard, or ten the game, was hardly heard during the match, which termiin nated thirty-fix games to feventeen in my favour, and left the major part of my opponent's party in a pecuniary ftate of defpondency, one of the fet being under the neceffity of making a journey to London at three in the morning, before they could pay and receive upon the course the following day. Having ob tained fo complete a victory, and with no fmall fhare of eclat, I fat myfelf down (having then a houfe in Winfor) with the reputation of a "good up-hill player," that no fportfman need be fearful to back; but it appearing to a certain fet of gentlemen (wonderfully prolific in intellect) that I might be made too useful a member of fociety to remain in obfcurity; a meffage was delivered to me at ten o'clock on the Sunday evening (preceding the races at Winchester) that a gentleman defired to fee me at the New Inn on very particular business: After the ufual ceremonies of introduction and confequent glafs of wine, the leading object of his commiffion tranfpired: "that with every apology he could make for the liberty taken, he waited on me to folicit the favor of me to play a match at billiards during the races at Winchester,

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