, 1870-12-04
THE CUE.


Prom Temple Bar
A French artist, Hcnriguc DeriEne, has tho
credit OF being TITO inventor OF billiards. But
A. he hourishcd in the reign OF Charles H., A.
D. l5G0-t4. and as the game was undoubtedly
known to the English ia tho reign Of Eliza
he.h. it is probable that he only Improved and |
Eos1,tied game popular In both countries
Could it be clearly proved that he WAS the alb /
selusa Inventor Of this fascinating psatine,
tilltard players Of I'll countries should cou- |
hinE to eject M ivory ktatue to Ills honor, |
Hbrrcoli mi sAt lie intciibed tie nauea Of IA |
rntus plsyers Of all ages. But We cannot Eivo |
the Ingenious Fraeelmau the entire credit,
and roma peoplc have cvea asserted that |
try. nr. johnson hell this opinion. pos
sitly bctausn he made a curious blurdcr about
the derivation Of tue wurd "hillisrls." II
conner. OF eeutse, from pi!a, 4 bail. whence
billie ard tillard and not. as several authosi-
tics asse1t, from the balyaJls, OF sticAs with
which the bali was driven along the tablo. Ad-
dtional resson for snpposing that NO owe the
game RI now played to the French may be
found in the fact that rnort Of tbs terms used
in Tic game, as we'll billiards " itaelf. Is
eole,""" COUP" or "cou;" and = 'caroutola."
tho Ole uanie for " carom." or "caunon, are
instances OF this: while "cso1, OF tlase.H
has lad double derivation given to Il.
Grow" or "raccrcc," Is from the French
"1GccElchcr," to recover; and luke has been
| that it IL q chaucs By which tho arm o. an
anchor holds tho ground-rather fanciful
derivation.
1t is interesting to ECO what mention of ths
game is maio By old wfitcrss, for the moment
! game becomes at all populal, aIiusions to it
I aie sure to be found in the literature OF ihe
day. We have gathsTed here q fow al euch
illusions to billiards. Locke says, "Whe1
she ball oDeya tho stroka Of tho hilliard-etisk,
| 1t is not any action OF the ball, but haze paH-
| %Y,a In xzG{ nf E%11A
inE on q billiard table" Dutton'u !" "AuatomT
Of Meianehosy mentions that this ordinary
| recEsatinns whicl. We have in winter, and in
most staita:g times basy our minds with, arc
"-4roes. ttb'es, and dice, sboye1t.oard, chea.e-
shntilreocs, o ts'i'a,ae. eie. % Other aati,os.
tavc been complimentary to the game. 4
MF. James Lore, OF Dance, I'LL actor and dsa-
rnatic author, who lived III the last century,
| .1ye.
! 1hc dill iia'l trails ':to1e III tcclac MACE: ,
w,,rsc nothing can sour langutd spirits move,
% o. srsn ,se M bsi closeeusn,oacS. @ h,ics ssiev
AMI to an IN opening pocket ruEs-a cou."
= sli.sop, m author who wrote q Travels il
Erglsnd," speaks Of tho game rs one com
r,on tt all European natious; and anothe!
tai les in tavcrns. Ben Jonson has prett.
sin4ie gathered from the board Of gsess
cloth. Tic speaks Of
..Sosc mud cheek withal,
4 smooth as IL the b!lltaru.ha1:
A1l tho poet Spencer makes allusion ia it
modern authors hare referred II tho game
! hut only sparing1y; and, indeed. tho ecarcit,
Of allueicns to It eLow thzt from the esrlies
times II Was rsthet the diversion Of tho Iicl
, ! than OF the poor. Oh account ot the oxrens
Of the cuee, tables, balls, and all things cor
n uccted with it.
There il a curious reference to billiards in
r paymsnt in tho reign Of james l.. a. follows
:. 10 Henry Waller, our loynes for o2e by
liarie boagdc cont. twelve footc lonce an
X fowcr broade, the frame being Hs)nutte vel
= and eighteen small st:rcwes." THIS would |
very u.11ow boarl, hut the length il Il
~ esme "a that usual In modern tables. and eve
the wood mentioned {walnutl is frequent
:. used for private tables 1T this dry. Hsnri9!
D. DeHgnc may possibly BE- entitled to tue cred
r, Of having raised the game to Its presant po:
Z ton among anueemcnta !: hut with regari
- the invention Of billiards. it Is prsl'sGae II
T. | in France, rs WAS cettzinly the case In tt
D country, they had sort Of lawn. billiard
id which sfterTara came to be PLACED mon
- With other modihcatinns. Dsvigne probat
n, contributed but there is no doubt that t
m Eanc. in Its perfected condition, vas
he hiow growth. Strut, IN his "Sr2'
-. and rastimes," is probably right wh
d. he sasr. attcr giring the French a cert.
ne amount Of credit for tho invention Of b
isrd-. I cannot help thinking. i original
ne fIorn An ancient game played with smaA oa
AM 1ron the ground or, indeed, that It v
~ slsn ii5st Instituted; .he sans M E1me sr11 =
~ ancient glne, played with balls upon
m m srcn, ., hax been revived Of l.te yea1s in
lew fashionable game of croauet.. Tor the ~
his were driven through ''paas" OF hoop d.
~ into the ground, and afterwards also n
of tastencd into the middle Of the billiard tat
,Ia ~ A picture in the :. School Of Recreation" =
nst restn,e two gentlemen engaged At the
~. iards OF the period. they arc standing
'nn. four-.eggtd table, and knocking the b
,orp through TWO passes With clumsE.ioos
,esr middle, 80 thxt Tho balls nust have
ian. rr,slde.l at-certainly not 4 method OF I
ar likely to produce any scientific results.
d ia "cone or SKIING PLACED upright VAS
ned usc1-the prototype OF the czoquet ssl:k.
: In. Billiards ,s first mtntioued IS An unlav
rtia game iu IN act Of Parliament, 50 GEORGE
OBJ that ia to Gay. b5 tho act people arc prohio
him from playiug tho game IN public houses nj
,nui Teualty Gf ten pounds; but tho pe
oitu- er< eiacd are erly the lower oEdo1s. md
law is rot !ssy 1.F one rns ei,sss ~.
,eut. ti,!i.sd+ only TO ths upper classes, "a we
.sine from scue amusing regulations issued By
.nv in that yesr. Among other decrecs We b
l tiln | *%ThG66 who 1reqnens bllilAEu foofos nu
Metz served By men-persons." Ftmale mn
rilnw may have tcen common 1t the time. and
dis- probably he popular now in this country
~ ~ pnIv re1;cmber to haze sean ons in lo1
tt.n- in come ,oou1s now closed- "Shopkee
xhich atesrtantH," the E!ectnfa tsSu..aoeIs
At he hero is \ most sa1utaTJ Eula: - The
out, played Tor mol 70 70 Mose tuA9 eaassA ~;
nab]e enforced, and who aesigped tho Limit to
= the | irt},yidua1'e gambling it must have b
;-a.t. difficult matter for the host to decide,
~. ruust have been tho arbitrator. Tor We
ssLao l that fa waa made responsible FOE the Q
y ance Of the regulations, and vas fined Z
4nia, y. ;nfraction Of them. Such orlers would
Tue ~ .srnieh the freqnenters Of billiard 70,
h.na- theec days, were they hung MP ssonSae
thonn 1ulcs for the various Bames-
a their Amorg the most popular games IN ~
q she,r dsys of billiards Was curaous Ano oonp
= time ono, called tho "fott,hcas1oa g.mhs. -
'tde, AZ The talt6 Wxs coSeleo 49, ,r;.t, H..
dly i'm or caetlea, each sutmounseo ~
n, vino fae and heavily ~eightoo WIN lsAo Al,
fostuno reni tIe bills knocking it down y
batante, Us in the games o. our M n1a
these were called French aud English; ~
~ and on billiards give pictures Of the sa
l. It Ia ragged Tor tb1s rsfuc. which looks very
:eutng ON eyea now, Although it might be
COM with advantage for children On "a
, tables. billiard-boards 70 much in ycgue& VI
neuts Of BE- placed upon dining-tAb1et. Some
cen at eence OF wat, probably, in the n1ns
! the nj. ingenioua individual who invented The
anco Of :ek9tle-pool," common IN public
hers OF | echa6 TexxN ago, but Hhicl, is esldom
70 In the played noH-a-daya- While speak,
had eyi- this We may mention some
lad fhR u onrkR Ynoet f,,t1n,1sr AZ &hA pv@Ai