The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1836-11-22 00:00:00

CROCKFORD THE GAMBLER

All the world has heard of Crockford's gambling-house, in
London. The history Of -Crockford is curious: His autobio-,
graphy, notbing concealing• and. nothing extenuating, would.
be one of the. most readable works which have appeared for
many a day. He was originally .a small fishmonger, .withont
a penny in the world, in the neighbourhood of Temple Bar.—
The following copy of an account for fish, which appeared some.
Years since in a book called " Life in the West," will give some
idea both of the extent of his business and of the measure of his
intimacy with the school/mister:—
Mr. A—.

To William Crockford. S. d.
April 3, to pair of sowis
5. S

, sprats
6, 3 vitens....
12, 7 red herrings.,,,,,
19, 2 tnakerils

3 5
The way in which he is said to have risen in the world is sin-
gular enough. Nat Uri, it appears, has made him a first-rate
mathematician in all that relates to money calculations. lam
assured by those who know bin', that the member for Middlesex
is a mere tiro to, him in this respect. By some inward. preeess,—
inentai:arithetia, I believe, is the, phrase, though it is doubtful
if Mr. Crockford knOwswhat is meant by " meutal" —by some
inward, process he can calculate, provided there hi, large stakes
in the field, with an, alinoit al:iolute certainty, wh..ti are to be
the resultS in.certairiganiis. HaVing early discovered that he
possessed this most useful gift, he began, while vet a fishmonger
in a small way, to pay, nightly visits, when the day's business
was over,, to a low hell in King's-place, in the neighbourhood
of Pall-iiiall: Here he cOniMenced his career as a gamhletby
risking a few shillings at English hazard. Finding himself.al-
- invariably sticceiSful, he was in the habit of proceeding
next morning to Bilfinsgate, Where he laid in a stock of "sowls"
(soles,) fiat fish, &c:, for the day. He was gradually enabled
fo carry on his business to greafer advantNe and on a more ex-
tensive scale; while his increased profits enabled him to, bet at
the den referred to much more beavily than his limited resour-
ceswwold,uld, in the firit instance, admit of. His first great bet,
however': was not in a gaming-house. The author of the work
from which I haire copied the account for " sOwle" and " vitens"
and makerils"says, that his "first step of any partienlar note
to' his present elevation was taking immense long odds npon.in
'out' horse, which he did upon 'prieate information, given to
him by a jockey, that it was to win." Soon after this.CrOck-,
ford purchased for £lOO the fourth share of a gainbling-banli, at'
No. 5; king's-Street, st...lames`s. The proprietors of the. hell
had previously quarrelled, and.certain extraordinary dischisurea:
Were the consequence. Amongst other startling facts, it ap-
peered that,,thnugh the den was not of any,great note, the sys-
tern of phinder had been carried on in it ou such an 'extensive
scale, that in one nieht the players were " pigeoped" to the
tutie.of 1.:20c10. O'n'e or the proprietors being afraid that on this
disalostire Proceedings might be instituted against them, appro-
priated to hiniielf his share of the £2o9o,And then disposed of
his interest in the concern for the above:Mentioned surtt of
£100,t6 Crockford. The three Other partners were person's of
the.names of 4bbott, Austin, and Holdsworth.
Having amassed a great dial of money
,at No. 5, King's-
street," Crockford quitted the 4toiness' there, and opened a
hell ivith three other persons, in 81; PiCeadilly, for playing
French hazard. In one season, aCCOrdidg to- the statement of
itkeiltleiliap who' lost to a very considerable amOnnt, the four
proprietors inuit haYe dividedamongst them the stun of £209,000
being £50,000 ,to each. That, however, wrkstfie most success-
ful Season ever known. -In point of real profit it far,e,Xceeds
atflythitig realized by
,the
,present princely establishmentt,
be-
cause tiro expenses of keeping up the latter are ten times ireater
than the former. At this Place loaded dice were' discovered, as ,
I shall afterwards mention more particiilarly. Here again a
quarrel took pleee among the partners about the, division of the
plunder, arid the establishment. was conseqiiently broken up.—
Crooktord then phieliaSid the house, NO. 50; St. James's-street,
ut riihdir g it too small for the crowds of noblemen and gentle-
hmen yvho frequented it, he purchased 51, and, subsequently 52;
When, in 1825, he pulled the three honsei 4own, and erected on
their site the present magnificent buildinv-:-The Great Metro-
polis..

Ttut SPams—uWart: BuAnnADO,Clo.—According to published
acemints by the xespective sides" the clueenis party has
k.ilred
311,562 Cnrlists, taken 66,453 prisoners and 11,221 guns,,gai,nad
597 bettles,totilly ronted27o,Carlist armies, and partially rc4ed
227; wltile Carlisti
,haie killed 189,688 Christinos, taken
43,811 prisoners, and received 42,936 deserters, gained 95 battles,
taken 107 cannon, and carried 87 deeisiye and complete victories.
Sp much for Spanish generals, armies, victories, and official state-
inents !--Loadon paper.

To THE ESPECIAL. NOTICE OF THE LADIES.-C. and A.
Oldridge's Balm of Columbia.--The peculiar virtues of this pre-
paration completely removes thp difficulty experienced by la-
dies in preserving their ringlets after exercise; its use so invi-
gorates the hair, that tresses, previously the straightest and most
destitute of curl, rapidly acquire a vigour, which maintains in
permanent ringlets the head-dress of the most persevering votary
of the ball-room, the ride, or the promenade. After the miner-
als and vegetables of the Old World have been compounded in
all imaginable waysin fruitless attempts to discover so impor-
tant a desideratum, we are indebted to the Western Hemisphere
for furnishing the basis of OLDRIDGE'S BALM of CO-
LUMBIA, the efficacy of which iu preserving, strengthening,
and renewing the hair has become a matter of notoriety among
all civilized nations. Its restorative virtues are indeed a pro-
ved), and the most satisfactory attestations to its infallibility in
reproducing hair, upon persons otherwise hopelessly bald, may
be examined at tbe Office of the Proprietors, No. 1, Wellington-
street, Strand, London, where the Balm is sold ; and by all
respectable Perfumers and Medicine Venders in Liverpool,—
Price 3s. 6d.,_ 65., and 111. per Bottle. No other prtees are
genuine. N.B.—The Public are requested to be oa their guard
against Counterfeits. Ask for Oldridge's Balm, 1, Welling_ton-
street, Strand, London. Sold by RENNIE, Lord-street, PAR-
SONS, 80ld-street, and Wholesale by C. MAwnooo, 20, South
John-street, Liverpool.