The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-01-21
Tho Game of Eesiaue.

Mr.. John Lorraine Baldwin, the editor of
the LGt1S of Short Whist, has Just published
treatise on the laws and practice OF the new
and tavorite game of besique. The last ad-
dition 10 the resources OF card PLAYERS has in
a short time become so popular, that it is SAID
even to threaten the established supremacy OF
whist. 1t has at least this advantage over The
latter-that il can be pla, ed equally well, and
on the same principles, by two, three, or four
persons; while, in the case of whist, the two
handed and three-banded games Giiier essen
italy from whist proper.
Besique is played by two persons with two
piquet packs (that is, packs from which the
| cards between the seyens and the aces are
omitted). These two packs should be exactly
| alike. and are shuffled together Thee, or
iour players, use three packs, similarly pre-
pared and mixed. The score is large, the
game for two players being COO, and ol thee
players 800; SO that special marking appa
ratus is necessary, or at least d, sirable.-
The cards lose their customary value, and
count in the following order: Ace, ten, king,
queen, knave, nine, eight, seven. In CON-
mencing t" play, the first thing Is to cut Tor
deal; and the deal tails to the highest. In the
two-handed game, eight cards ale dealt out to
payer, and the seventeeth is exposed as
trump; being left on tne table partially COW
cred by the unG ealt cards, which, il, are call
ed talon. The elder hand leads single
| card, and the adversary plays another. The
two constitute trick, which is taken up by
the winner. who then takes the top card from
the talon under bis hand. The auversar,
| takes the next card, the winner of the trek
leaps again, and this mode of play is contin-
| ued until the talon Is exhausted The cards
| III hand are then played out in the same man-
| ner, and the deal comes 10 an end.
The score at Besique is chiefly made up by
| counting four various combinations of cards
which come into the hands OF each player
| during the progress OF the game, and before
the ta.on is exhausted. "Besique" is to hold
at tae same time the queen OF spades and the
knave of diamonds, and couLts 40. >"Oouble
Besique' or both queens of spades and both
knaves oil diamonds, counts 500.s A sequence
OF trumps-ace, ten, king, queen and knave,
counts 250. "A royal marriage, 1. e., king and
vueen OF trumps, counts 4J.s A simple mar
riage, king and queen of any other suit,
| counts 20. Four aces together count los;
| four kings so; fJur queens so; and four
knaves 40 The players who hold any OF these
combinations can only declare and score them
| Immediately after winning Il trick, and with
| only seven caIdS in his hand-th3t is, before
he has taken card from the talon in order to
| lead again. One trick covers only on e
defamation, so that, tor example, a player al
| ter winning could not score ior marriage
and Besique, but must make his choice be-
tween them. To declare and score Besque
prevents the player from declaring double Be-
sique afterwaid, as the queen ii. st scored can
not be reckoned again. Hence, in this as In
the larger ,mes OF lie, it's often judicious 10
iorego some present advantage tor the sake CT
a greater one in pr 'spect. and the player who
Is too eager 10 erasp at gains may of.en lose
IN doing SO. When declaration is made.
the cards On wnich 1t rests are exposed on the
table, but remain availibl tor playing TO
tricks. AS long as cards are lie in The t4ou
there is no necessity to follow suit, 10 trump,
or to win toe trick, and e9ch player turows
away from mis- hand at his discretion,
subject Simply to the condition that he must
win trick i'll order to declare and scoie
When the talon Is exhausted the exposed
cards are taken up into the hand aud no
more declarations 10 be made. 1t then be-
comes oblig g'tory to follow suil,i possible, and
also. 1t possible, to win the trick, either with
a superior card OF the same suit or with a
trump. The winner OF the last trick scores
teb for it.
When the hand Is played ont each player
looks over his tricks and scores ten for eIch
acs and Tor every ten. These are called
brisqres. and the points nom them amount to
l0J 10 all.
BesiJes tue scores already mentioned, the
dealer, i the trump card should be a seven, at
once marks ten points. PLAYER holding tue
seven OF trumps may, affer winning 4 trick,
but not before, exchange that seven for the
trump card, which he places in his band, and
then MARKS ten points. a player holding the
other seven OF trumps may also, alier win
ming trick, declare aud expose 1t, and mark
ten points. In Besique the elder hand has
the advantage, and WINS the trek If the cards
are equal. He also first counts his brsques,
and if each score should be exactly thous-
and, he wins the game.
We have said enough to show that besique
fufills all the conditions by which a game at
cards IS generally most recommended 70 gen.
eral favor. 1t is largely under the dominion
of luck or chance, and at the same time, 1t at
fords ample scope Tor the exercise of memory
and judement To know how or when TO
lose a trick, how or when to make or with
ho d declaration, and to remember what
winning cards have still to be p,ale are an
essential to those who would turn thelr Iuck
10 the best advantage. The tbree-handeu
game is PLAYED by each player for himself, the
lour. handed game by pal tnefs, as AZ whist.
There is also a form of besque in which the
first declaration OF marriage determines the
trunp suit. But for these and some other
detail, we can only refer the reader to tte
little work we have already mentioned. which
is published by Harrison, OF Pail Mall.
Since 1854 the Presbyterans, in Brooklyn,
N fr have gained 10 churches; the Baptist, ,1s;
copgregatonalis,s,6; 6 ;Duteh Reformed, 2;Eps-
copalian, z; MethodIsts, 80; Unitarians, p
There are now, In all, 31s Protestant churches
in tho ptfv