for him to make the stroke with that steadiness and nicety the game requires.

The games usually played till lately were the white winning and the red winning carambole games, but the winning and losing carambole game is now very much in vogue.

THE DIFFERENT GAMES OF BILLIARDS.

1. The White winning Game, played with two white balls, is twelve in number, when two persons play; and fifteen when four play; scored (independently of forfeitures) from winning hazards only..

2. The White losing Game, also twelve in number, played with two white balls, is the reverse of the winning; the points being scored from losing and double, or winning and losing hazards.

3. The White winning and losing Game, is a combination of the two preceding; all balls put in by striking the adversary's ball first, reckon towards the game.

The three preceding games should be made introductory to the knowledge of those with three or more balls, which are more complicated and difficult.

4. Choice of balls.-In which the player chuses. his ball each time, an incalculable advantage, generally played against the losing and winning game.

5. The Bricole game signifies being required to strike a cushion from whence the ball is to re

bound so as to hit that of the adversary, reckoned equal to giving eight or nine points. When both parties play bricole, the game is ten, scored from bricole hazards, and forfeitures.

6. The Bar-hole game, so styled because the hole which the ball should be played for is barred, and the player strikes for another hole. When this is played against the common game, the advantage to the last-mentioned is calculated at six points.

7. One-hole, in which all balls that go into one hole are counted, and the player who best lays his ball at the brink of that particular hole, has the advantage. The lead should be given from that end of the table where the last hazard has been made.

8. Hazards, so styled as depending entirely upon making of hazards, no account being kept of game. Many persons may play at a table with balls that are numbered, though to avoid confusion seldom more than six play at once. The person whose ball is put in pays a fixed sum for each hazard to the player, and he who misses pays half the same to him whose ball he played at. The only general rule is not to lay any ball a hazard for the next player, which may best be done by always playing upon him whose turn is next, and either bringing his ball close to the cushion, or putting it at a distance from

the rest.

9. The doublet game is ten in number, played with two balls, most commonly against the white winning game, and no hazard is scored unless

made by a reverberation from the cushion, calculated as equivalent to giving five points.

10. The commanding game, where the adversary fixes upon the ball which the striker is to play at, reckoned equal to having fourteen points out of twenty-four; usually given by a skilful player against the common game of an indifferent one.

11. The limited game is very seldom played. In it the table is divided by a line, beyond which, if the striker passes his ball, he pays forfeit.

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12. The Red or winning and losing carambole game, consists of twenty-one or twenty-four points, reckoned from caramboles, and from winning and losing hazards, equally; both white and red. Each of the white hazards and the carambole counts two; the red hazard three points.

13. The winning carambole (or red) game is sixteen or eighteen in number, obtained (independently of the forfeitures, which every game has peculiar to itself,) by winning hazards and caroms only.

14. The losing carambole is nearly the reverse of the winning, and consists of sixteen or eighteen points, made by caramboles, losing, and double hazards; counted as in the winning and losing game.

N. B. The simple carambole, which is only a trifling variation from the above, the reader will find particularized at page 394.

The carambole games are played with three balls; one red which is neutral, and termed the

carambole; the other two white: one of them al loted to each player. The carambole is placed upon a spot on a line even with the stringing nail at the bottom of the table, and after leading from the upper end, the striker is either to make the winning or losing hazard, according to the particular game, or to hit with his own ball the other two successively; for which stroke, called a carambole, or carom, he obtains two points.

15. The Russian carambole varies from the common carambole in the following particulars: The red ball is to be placed upon the usual spot; but the player at the commencement of the game, or after his ball has been holed, is at liberty to place it where he pleases. The leader, instead of striking at the red ball, should lay his own gently behind the same, and the opponent may play at either of them; if the said opponent plays at and holes the red ball, he scores three; then the red ball is to be replaced upon the spot, and the player may take his choice again, always following his stroke till both balls are off the table, he gains two points for every carambole; but if in doing that he holes his own ball, then he loses as many as otherwise he would have obtained; and if he strikes at the red ball, caramboles and holes that ball and his own, he loses five points; and when he holes all three balls he loses seven, which respective numbers he would have won had he not holed his own ball.

16. The Caroline or Carline game is played either on a round or square table with five balls, two white, one red, another blue, and the caroline ball yellow. The red ball is to be placed on its spot, the caroline ball exactly in the middle

usual

of the table, and the blue ball between the two at the lower end of the table. The striking spot is at the upper end, in a parallel line with the three balls. The game is 42 scored from caramboles and hazards; the red hazard counts three, the blue two, and the yellow when holed in the caroline or middle pocket is reckoned as six points.

17. The four game consists of two partners on each side at any of the common games, who play in succession after every winning hazard lost.— See rule 23 at page 376.

18. The cushion game consists in the striker playing his ball from the top of the baulk cushion instead of following his stroke upon the table, and is generally played in the winning or winning and losing game, reckoned equal to giving six points.

19. Fortification Billiards, for an account of which, see page 395.

RULES AND REGULATIONS TO BE OBSERVED AT THE WHITE WINNING GAME.

1. STRING for the lead and choice of balls. 2. In stringing, the striker should stand with both feet within the limits of the corner of the table, and not place his ball beyond the stringing nails or spots, his adversary alone is bound to see that he stands and plays fair, otherwise he is not subject to any forfeiture.

3. If the leader follows his ball with either mace or cue, beyond the middle hole, his adversary may make him lead again.