1H28.] Life in the West. 45- 



Others openly make up their minds and threaten to indict : a lament- 

 able course, which can do little more than add degradation to ruin. 



A set of eight bankrupts, called " the Irish brigade/' from their being 

 composed of people from the sister kingdom, were for a time very 

 troublesome in this way. Such proceedings, however, are commonly 

 got rid of by negociation. 



All indictments are now compromised, upon the best terms to which they 

 can bring 1 their ruined victim. When a man is completely undone and in 

 distress, he will ask for the loan of a few pounds. A pound or two are 

 granted. If he, feeling dissatisfied, threatens a prosecution, one of the 

 " croupiers" will see him. This man will express the deep concern of the 

 people of the house at his situation, and the ill luck that had recently attended 

 the bank, which prevents their doing- much for him ; that they would not do 

 any thing at all, if they supposed him sincere in his threats of indictment, 

 about which he might do his worst. Such conversation generally takes place 

 at a tavern, and the ruined man is treated to a bottle of wine and refreshment. 

 He will then be told, that this proprietor or the other, is the best-hearted 

 man in the world, and at any time will befriend him. The ruined man, 

 believing such professions, will declare, that he did not intend to indict them 

 at all. "Well," the croupier will add, " I said you were too good a fellow 

 for any thing of that kind, and I dare say, if you will write to that effect, I 

 shall manage to get a few pounds for you." 



For some paltry consideration they then obtain from their victims a docu- 

 ment which they term a release. 



An undertaking of this kind has of course no value in law : but the 

 consciousness of having given it deters people from proceeding. The 

 author adds 



. It is an undoubted fact, that there are many broken men who receive an 

 allowance, weekly, from one hell or another, in order to keep them quiet, and 

 for them not to molest the hellites in their procedings. 



Unhappily, degradation of more kinds than one is apt to sit lightly on 

 men in this condition. Players cheat occasionally, as well as bankers. 



It has been considered by many players, that as the hells had the best of 

 them, it was but fair play to endeavour to get the putt, if possible, in their 

 own favour. Some of the hells, therefore, have had a variety of schemes put in 

 practice against them. The most prominent was at No. 40, Pall Mall. 



Mr. C , when a clerk in the Treasury (he is now a croupier in a low 



gaming-house), was a daily and a nightly player at No. 71, Pall Mall, No. 10, 

 St. James's Square, and No. 9, Berinet Street. Mr. C was a great calcu- 

 lator, if the different games he hit upon to play at " rouge et noir," upon 

 which he always thought he should win, till his losses told him that he was 

 sure to lose upon all alike, can give him that character. His peculations of 

 the public money obliged him, for a time, to go into obscurity. When he 

 emerged from it, he came about the houses a perfect " Guy Fawkes j" his 

 face was stained with walnut juice, and he wore a high French collar up to 

 his cheek bone, which slanted down his cheeks, and just skirted the corners 

 of his mouth. Then a large black wig, false whiskers, and darkened eye- 

 brows, completed his disguise. By the assistance of a friend, who was to 

 share in the thing, he obtained three one hundred-pound notes, and three one- 

 pound notes. He ingeniously cut the impression " one hundred" from the 

 corner of each high note, and a piece to correspond out of each of the low 

 notes, and pasted the pieces impressed " one hundred" upon the one-pound 

 notes. The notes were folded into four, with their faces outside. Thus pre- 

 pared, he went one morning up to No. 40, P.M., kept by Rougier, where five 



shillings to one hundred pound stakes were played. Mr. C took his seat, 



and commenced playing small stakes ; at length, thinking he was sure of the 



