The weekly Anglo-African., 1859-09-10

Vi NcNolp, TIC Icy PtIaL1 cOOO OElio H.
CO. but who can paint it as played at
Donadi's rooms in Broadway, in the year
of grace 1882
We have said that {" out of doors" dissi-
pated our gloom at that date; but indoors
this indoors was an accessory cloud. dispell
er. We "gotD there after this wise:-
Years ago, in the early months of our still
persistent honey moon, | purchased pref
ty, but fragile set of chessmen, and aided
by an old copy Of Walker" and the new
trau, made some little progress in CHI G.,
until little fingers grew up round the ia 9,
and made a general smash of knights,
pawns and rocks; and little cares of anoth-
er kind interfered with further proficiency.
And it is good testimony in favor of the
game, that when knight and pawn so went
to the bad, no harsh nor unkind word was
uttered against their young destroyers, the
chubby fingers were not raped, nor their
owners punished. 1t is not always so,
however; we read of passionate duke in
the middle ages, breaking the chess-b board
on the skull of his conqueror, and / have
seen the wild Fylbel aim a sudden blow at
little Frenchman, who recklessly swept
the men off the board when Fyl was about
to mate" an opponent. My description
of the game attracted some friends to buy
board and book; and in a little while,
Fylbel, the Downings, one of the Reasons,
and an occasional jew-pedlar-who insisted
on taking the king, (the atrocious regicideD
with the preliminary exclamation, " chess
de kOenig "-formed as clumsy set of
chess players as could be hunted up. The
appearance of Staunton's Chess-Players'
Hand Book, was an era in our progress,
| although months were wasted in discussing
the laws of the game by that born cauSida-
cas-, who now presides over the Sea-Girt
House at Newport In course of time we
became decent players.
So the year 81 found us, 1t was some
relief, looking at the daily papers, to turn
from the failure of A, B & Co. for $15O,OO0,
and from the suspension of specie payments
by the banks-except the glorious old
the first American Chess Congress, then in
session, admission for the week, to lockers
on, one dollar But that dolar2 Was it
prudent, with bank account at low water,
and slim prospect of a flow, and on the
edge of long winter, with others depend
emf, was it prudent so to bestow-to throw
away-a dollar2 After hearing counsel
before ourself three whole days, we held a
family council with "die frau," who at
once decided that we must go. And event"
we did. And the officers Of the Chess
Congress, with nobler instincts of gentle
men than the New York Academy Of
Medicine,+ did not hesitate or refuse to
admit negro, even with the high bloods
from the South in their midst, and the dan
ger of the dissolution of the Union before
their eyes
Having seen their portraits in Frank
Leslie, we instantly singled out Paulsen
and his great antagonist; and little skill
full elbowing found us seated beside their
board There was Louis Paulsen with his
vast head, sanguine temperament, but
coarse fibre, indicating his rough, almost
pure ersekir blood; and as we gazed at
Morphy, with his fine open countenance,
brunette hue, marvellous delicacy of fibre,
bright, clear eyes and elongated submaxil-
airy bone, keen suspicion entered our eth
biological department, that we were not the
only Carthaginian in the room 1t might
only be one drop, perhaps two-God only
knows how they got there-but surely be-
side the 1T1G-mulattinwho at presentwrites,
there was also a Hekata-mulattin in that
room!
1t was the old combat between Gear de
Lion and the Saladin How strange that
the Orient and the Occident should yet
war! Paulsen-huge, massive, ponderous;
Morphy-slight, elegant, yet swift as light
ming.
The game was about half through, so
far as the number of moves were concern
ed. Paulsen hesitated, clasped his hands,
leaving out the two long fore-fngers, which
he laid firmly on the edge of the board =
counted over the FIVE or six possible moves
of his opponent, and then-e evidently knew
Bunsen, Egypt's Place in Universal History.
Vol. 2, p. 2ss.
I A month or two after the organization of the
New York Academy of Medicine, the writer of this,
at the request Of the late DR.. Bliss, and DR. Tones,
sent his name with these gentlemen vouchers,