38 Life in the West. [JAN. 



belief by. They need not trouble themselves to inquire whether any parti- 

 cular frauds are committed : let them rarely examine whether they are 

 such as ma y be committed : the last point being ascertained, they need 

 not puzzle themselves with the former. But we must leave the " fighting 

 rig" now, to pursue a sport of another description the practice of the 

 open gaming-houses in " fancy" language, ycleped, the " hells." 



For the convenience of the curious, a list is supplied, in page 91 of 

 the second volume of the book, of all the known gambling-houses in 

 town, with a table of the hours and rates of play. The following descrip- 

 tion shews the arrangement of the interior of such edifices : 



In a conspicuous part of the rooms of play, generally over the fire-place, a 

 paper stating the game that is played, the limits of stakes, and the hours of play 

 of this description, is stuck up : 



" ROUGE ET NOIR. 



Morning, from 2 to 5. 

 Evening ... 9 to 1. 

 Stakes, 5s. to 100. 

 N.B. No declarations will be attended to." 



This rule means, that no person must declare a bet without staking the 

 money. This precaution is thought necessary, in order to protect the bank 

 against declarations from persons who have not the means of paying them, if 

 lost ; though all gentlemen of money are well aware, that whatever they choose 

 to declare will be attended to. 



The refreshments at the high hells are tea, coffee, fruit, confectionary, wine, 

 supper, &c. ; at the low hells tea, biscuits, and liquors. 



When the bankers think fit, two or three other games are occasionally intro- 

 duced a manoeuvre often resorted to, should the bank, by any rare accident, 

 have a run against it. Some of the hells are constantly varying their games. 



The hells, generally, are fitted up in a very splendid style, and their 

 expenses are very great. Those of Fishmongers' Hall are not less than one 

 thousand pounds a week ; the next in eminence, one hundred and fifty pounds a 

 week ; and the minor ones of all (with the exception of those where English 

 hazard is played, the expenses of which are trifling), vary from forty to eighty 

 pounds. 



The inspectors, or overlookers, are paid from six to eight pounds a week 

 each ; the " croupiers," or dealers, three to six pounds ; the waiters and 

 porters, two pounds ; a looker-out after the police-officers, to give warning of 

 their approach, two pounds. What may be given to the watchmen upon the 

 beat of the different houses, besides liquor, &c., is not known j but they 

 receive, no doubt, according to the services they are called upon occasionally 

 to render. Then comes rent, and incidental expenses such as wine, &c. 

 There is another disbursement, not easily ascertained, but it must be very 

 large viz. the money annually given, in a certain quarter, to obtain timely 

 intelligence of any information laid against a hell, at a public office, to prevent 

 a sudden surprise. This has become the more necessary, since, by a recent 

 act, the parties keeping the houses, and those " playing and betting" at them, 

 are now, when sufficiently identified in the fact, subject to a discipline at the 

 tread-mill. The houses belong to separate parties. Sometimes the bank is 

 put down by one man alone ; but, generally, there are three or four in it, who 

 divide the spoils. 



When they meet with more than ordinary success, they give something 

 extra to the dealers, waiters, and porters. Some dealers, croupiers, or groom- 

 porters, have a per centage upon the gains. The gains are calculated exclu- 

 sive, and the losings inclusive, of the expenses. To be clear, if a bank gains 

 350. upon a balance, during, a week, the players must have lost 500. ; but if 

 it is out, which rarely takes place, 500., the players can have won no more 

 than 350., the expenses of the house being included in the loss of the 500. 



