BILLIARDS. 
ties superior; many -seeded. One species, 
found at New Holland. 
BILLET, in heraldry, a bearing in form 
of a long square. They are supposed to 
represent pieces of cloth of gold or silver, 
but Guilim thinks they represent a letter 
sealed up ; and other authors take them for 
bricks. 
Billet ivood, small wood for fuel, cut 
three feet and four inches long, and seven 
inches'and a half in compass ; the assize of 
which is to be inquired of by justices. 
BILLETTING, in military alfairs, is the 
quartering of soldiers in the houses of a town 
or village. 
BILLIARDS, an ingenious kind of game, 
played on a rectangular table, with little 
ivory balls, which are driven into hazards 
or holes, according to certain rules of the 
game. The table on which the game is 
played is generally about twelve feet long 
and six feet wide, or rather in the exact 
form of an oblong ; it is covered with fine 
green cloth, and surrounded with cushions 
to prevent the balls rolling off, and to make 
them rebound. There are six holes, nets, 
or pockets : these are fixed at the four cor- 
ners, and in the middle opposite to each 
other to receive the balls, which when put 
into these holes or pockets, are called ha- 
zards. The making of a hazard, that is, 
putting the adversary’s ball in, at the usual 
game reckons for two in favour of the 
player. The game is played with sticks 
called maces, or with cues; the first con- 
sists of a long straight stick, with a head at 
the end, and are the most powerful instru- 
ments of the two : the cue is a thick stick 
diminishing gradually to a point of about 
half an inch diameter; this instrument is 
played over the left hand, and supported by 
the fore-finger and thumb. It is the only 
instrument in vogue abroad, and is played 
with amazing address by the Italians and 
some of the Dutch; but in England the 
tnace is the prevailing instrument, which 
the foreigners hold in contempt, as it re- 
quires not near so much address to play 
the game with, as when the cue is made use 
of; but the mace is preferred for its pecu- 
liar advantage, which some professed players 
have artfully introduced, under the name 
of trailing, that is, following the ball with 
the mace to such a convenient distance 
from the other ball as to make it an easy 
hazard. The degrees of trailing are various, 
and undergo different denominations 
amongst the connoisseurs at this game ; viz. 
the shove, the sweep, the long stroke, the 
trail, and the dead trail, or turn up, all which 
secure an advantage to a good player, ac- 
cording to their various gradations : even 
the butt end of the cue becomes very pow- 
erful when it is made use of by a °ood 
trailer. 
Rules genet ally observed at the common 
or usual game:—!. For the lead, the balls 
must be put at one end, and the player 
must strike them against the farthermost 
cushion, in order to see which will be 
nearest the cushion that is next to them. 
2. The nearest to the cushion is to lead 
and choose the ball if lie pleases. 3. 
The leader is to place his ball at the 
nail, and not to pass the middle pocket; 
and if he holes himself in leading, lie 
loses the lead, 4. He who follows the 
leader must stand within the corner of the 
table, and not place his ball beyond the 
nail. 5. He who plays upon the running 
ball loses one. 6. He who touches the ball 
twice, and moves it, loses one. But these 
two rules are seldom or never enforced es- 
pecially in England. 7 . He who does not 
hit his adversary’s ball loses one. 8. He 
who touches both balls at the same time, 
makes a foul stroke, in which case if he 
should hole his adversary, nothing is gained 
by the stroke ; but if he should put himself 
in he loses two. 9. He who holes both balls 
loses two. 10. He who strikes upon his ad- 
versary’s ball and holes himself loses two. 
11. He who plays at the ball without strik- 
ing it and holes himself loses three. 12. He 
who strikes both balls over the table loses 
two. 13. He who strikes his ball over the 
table, and does not hit his adversary’s ball 
loses three. 14. He who retains the end 
of his adversary’s stick when playing, or 
endeavours to baulk his stroke loses one. 
15. He who plays another’s ball or stroke 
without leave loses one. 16. He who takes 
up his ball, or his adversary’s without leave 
loses one. 17 . He who stops either ball 
when running loses one; and being near 
the hole loses two. 18. He who blows 
upon the ball when running loses one, and 
if near the hole loses two. 19. He who 
shakes the table when the ball is running 
loses one. 20. He who strikes the table 
with the stick, or plays before his turn loses 
one. 21. He who throws the stick upon 
the table and hits the ball loses one. 22. If 
the ball stand upon the edge of the hole, 
and after being challenged it fall in, it is 
nothing, but must be put up where it was 
before. 2 o. If any person not being one 
of the players stops a ball, the ball must 
