INDOOR AMUSEMENTS. 



The tables are here spread out as if two persons 

 were seated, and about to begin to play. The 

 player owning the white men is seated at W, the 

 player owning the black men at B. We shall call 

 the one White, and the other Black. White counts 

 round from the ace-point of Black, and Black 

 counts round from the ace-point of White. The 

 ace-points are those which have two men upon 

 them in opposite corners of the same table. 



The grand object of the game is for each player 

 to get all his men played round into the table 

 containing the aces, the men being removed from 

 point to point according to the throws of the dice. 



The number upon each die turned up in throw- 

 ing may be reckoned by itself, or it may be taken 

 along with the number on the other die. Thus, if 

 quatre be thrown by one die, and size by the other, 

 a man can be advanced four points, and another 

 six points ; or one man can be advanced ten 

 points, always providing that a point is open to 

 permit this movement. No point can be moved 

 to if covered by two men belonging to the adver- 

 sary. If covered by only one man, which is 

 called a blot, then that man can be hit, and be 



j removed from the point, and placed on the bar 

 [ between the tables, his place being taken by the 

 ' man who has won it 



The removal of a man to the bars throws a 

 player considerably behind in the game, because 

 the man must remain out of the play till the dice 

 turn up a number corresponding to an open point 

 on the adversary's table. Being fortunate enough 

 to get an open point by this means, the man 

 must be entered and wrought round from thence 

 in the ordinary way. The frequent occurrence of 

 this hitting of a blot gives an adversary a great 

 advantage, and allows him to win the gammon. 



There are two kinds of victory winning the 

 hit, and winning the gammon. The person who 

 has played all his men round into his own table, 

 and by fortunate throws of the dice has borne or 

 played the men off the point first, wins the hit. 



If you can bear all away, so as to clear your 

 table before the adversary has brought all his 

 men home to his own table, you win the gammon. 

 Two hits are reckoned equal to one gammon in 

 playing matches. To win two games out of three 

 is called winning the rub, as at whist 



Fig. 5. Billiards. 



BILLIARDS. 



It seems doubtful whether we are indebted for 

 the invention of this elegant game to France or 

 Italy; but it is certain that it was imported hither 

 from the former country. As it is mentioned in 

 Shakspeare, it must have been known, at all events 

 by name, to Englishmen as early as the i6th cen- 

 tury. The rectangular slate-table, however, with 

 its resilient sides, covered with green cloth, and 

 furnished with the six brass-bound pockets, the 

 three ivory balls, and that long array of cues with 

 leathern tops, so familiar now-a-days to almost 

 every eye, are paraphernalia of quite modern pro- 

 duction. For two centuries billiards was played 

 with only two balls ; the third or red ball was 



imported from France ; and after its importation, 

 the red winning hazard that is to say, the holing 

 of the red ball was at first almost the sole object 

 of players. The cushions also, now univer- 

 sally constructed of india-rubber, were up to a 

 recent date lined with felt In no game are know- 

 ledge and manual dexterity so combined as in 

 billiards, nor can the spectacle of first-rate play 

 be appreciated, or the difficulties which it over- 

 comes be understood, except by those who have a 

 scientific as well as practical acquaintance with 

 the game. 



A billiard-table varies in size, but it is generally 



about twelve feet long and six feet wide. It is 



covered with fine green cloth, and set round with 



cushions, to keep the balls upon the table and 



I make them rebound. The six holes or pockets 



679 



