BILLIARDS.

Wellington Independent, Volume XVIII, Issue 1872, 23 May 1863, Page 5

BILLIARDS.

(From tbe Illustrated London Neivs.) Upon a rainy day, or for an hour or two after dinner, there* is no indoor amusement tbat can vie with billiards, for to amusement it adds exercise, and a man may walk his two miles an hour round, what has been termed the " Board of Green Cloth." There is another advantage, which is, that ladies may participate in the amusement, either by taking a mace or cue, or by looking on : and a well-contested match, j whicb may include sides of two each, is a most interesting event, infinitely more so than watch, iug a game of chess or a rubber of whist. With respect to the tables, there can be no doubt but tbat vast improvement bas been made witbin tbe last thirty years. Instead of an uneven surface and coarse stuff, we bave tbe perfectly level slate bed, covered with tbe finest cloth ; while the old list cushions, wbich were as hard as iron, have given way to the elasticity, of vulcanised indiarubber. Among tbe numerous games usually played in England maybe mentioned the Winning and Losing Carainbole Game, Winning Hazard and Carambole Game, French Carambole Game, the Foui-ball or American Game, Pyramid Pool, and Pool. Though treating of billiards as an interesting indoor amusement for amateurs, we must not ignore the pleasure to be derived from witnessing the feats of " professionals." At the commencement of tbis century there was a billiard table keeper at Hamburg who used to back himself to force his ball from one table on to another contiguous lo it, and to bp\e the ball in any specified pocket of the latter. But probably the achievements of Messrs Kentfieid, and Roberts, and M. Berger, surpass anything that was ever previously recorded. For, be it remarked, the extraordinary feats of these great players can only be performed with balls, tables, &c, rendered all but perfection by the improvements suggested by modern science, and to which we have already referred. Hence the delight we experience in playing oo such tables as are to be found in the rooms of crack players, such as Kentfield's at Brighton; Roberts's, in Leicester square; and Berger's in the Palais Royaf. For instance, one of the strokes performed by Kentfield is to play a canon all round tbe table with such dead stiength that the second ball, having a sixpence balanced on it, the canon is made without knocking down the small coin. A stroke like this, requiring extreme accuracy and delicacy, can only be performed on a perfectly level table, and with balls that run perfectly true. The common game bas been much played by Kentfield, but perhaps tbe game for which he is most famous is the cramp one-pocket game. The extraordinary skill with which he manoeuvres to lay the balls over his pocket after every stroke, cannot be described ; it must bo seen. Kenifie'd states that he has played more than fifty thousand games, one pocket to five, with one gentleman alone. Wonderful as is Kentfield's dexterity and knowledge of strength, the execution of Roberts is no Jess wonderful. It is a qcestio vexata whether Kentfield, in his best days, was better than Roberts ; and this question we do not intend to discuss. The great merits of both are quite enough to occupy us. We believe we are correct in stating that Roberts has made the largest break off the balls ever achieved — viz., three hundred and forty four. He bus also scored three hundred and twelve off one ball, the red, by winning hazards only ; tbat is to say, he has pocketed the red ball in playing a game, one hundred and four times consecutively, without an intervening failure. It is worth while to see him, if only when playing this stroke — the confidence with which he strikes*, and the rapidity with which he places himself for the succeeding stroke, starting off the moment the ball is struck, and long before it is in the pocket, -The action is more- like the measured beats of machinery 'tlifco that of fallU ■'■• -y.* „* "-J r.

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ble muscular exeilion. We need hardly explain j that we have been describing the " spot-stroke," in which Roberts is unrivalled. We trust that English players will not take umbrage if we say there is yet a more surprising player than any we have mentioned— a Frenchman, Monsieur Berger. Berger was a professional plajerin j Paris, but he has now retired. He is a portly man, and does not look at all as though he could play billiards. His game is, of course the French cannon game. At that game our finest players are mere children in his bands; he constantly scores twenty, thirty, forty, fifty, or move cauous at a break. His marvellous delicacy of touch and accuracy of stroke beat all we have ever heard of, or witnessed at the billiard table. We will suppose he plays rather hard at the balls aud canons ; the balls go spinning all about the table without any apparent design, but lo! as they slack, you see they are approaching, and they lay themselves down close to« ether in one corner like a pair of Java lovebirds; and this not once, but time after time. Berger used to explain how these strokes were made, by placing the balls and stating the course they would run. His fancy strokes, i though to us uot a bit more wonderful than bis ordinary game, >are more showy and striking, and used to excite great interest. ! We have often heard of screwing round a hat, and we have certainly seen the ball made to swerve a little ; but Berger makes his ball describe a bona-fide circle round a basket bigger than a hat, and makes a cannon at the same time. Amongst other strokes be screws back tbe whole length ofthe. table, and canons when his own ball is so close to the one he screws back 00, that he can only strike it at the top. Again, he makes hia ball, after striking tbe red, jump on to the cushion, rnn on it along the length of the table, and then , descend and complete the canon 08 two cushions. He also canons and makes his ball at the same time describe a figure of eight; and draws three curved lines on the clotb, and makes what he calls a serpentine canon — that is to say, makes his ball, in travelling from one object ball to the other, describe curves over the very Hues he has drawn. We me*ely give theseinstances of skill, as they are interesting to the amateur billiardplayers, but we advise our readers to leave the performance of ihem to professionals. In striving to execute them, the amateur is very likely to give the cloth an ugly cut, and even if be succeeds in doiug them occasionally, he will fiod that certain social disadvantages attach to bein« a very clever gentleman-player. To eujoy billiards as an indoor amusement, it is quite sufficient to be able to make a common hazard or canon with tolerably ceitainty, and to play two or three " fifties" up iv, the course of an hour.

How did Ruth serve Boaz badly before sbe married bim 1 Because she trod on his corn and pulled bis ears. The Blocka.de of the Southern Ports. — It is currently reported in Manchester that the oargo of tbe Princess Royal, reported to bave been captured by ihe United States blockading squadron, cost £100.000. It was principally held in shares of £1000 each. Four leading 1 firms took the risk in the first instance and held £25,000 eacb. Some of the risk was afterwards spread over a larger area, by the distribution of the £1000 sbares, and by sub dividing these again into shares of £100 each ; but still several of the original holders lose large amounts by the miscarriage of the veutuve, which it is understood was not insured, owing to tbe Inrge rates now demanded for insurance on such speculations. Had the vessel run tbe blockade it is estimated that ber cargo would have realised half a million sterling. The cargo of another vessel is now being subscribed for in Manchester, but it is understood that upwards of £20,000 is still wanted to complete her freight. Eeport says that tbe Manchester people generally bave been unfortunate in their ventures connected witb running the blockade. Cannibal Ceremonies among the Blacks. — Tbe following narrative is supplied by au intelligent eyewitness of the trmisactions described : — "Tbe death of old Benwallie, the king of Moorochidors (Moorochie), took place about five months ago, For some time previous to his death bis four gins used to transport him about the river in a large bark canoe to wherever his relations were working or camped. At the time of. his death he was camped with his son, and a good many of bis tribe ware working for a party of timber-cutters. On the Sunday they bad plum-pudding for dinner, and they served out a large slice to each blackfellow. Benwallie among lbe rest had bis share. He ate ratber too much, and his sickness was aggravated thereby. At sundown the gins of Benwallie commenced tbe death song, and gradually all tbe blacks joined in. Just before daylight.be died, upon which the tribe began to bowl and cut tbeir heads with tomahawks, while the gics cut their legs with pieces of glass in regular lines; they then began to rig a bier to put, the body on. When it was all ready they asked threeof the white men to go to the funeral. Those of tbe party whom tbe blacks did not like they told to stop at the humpy. Then they covered up the dead chiefs head, and put the body on the bier, Two of the tribe then raised the bier on tbeir shoulders and walked a few yards, and tben jerked away from each other as if tbey wanted to awake the departed. Others would come up to the body with some fire in their hands, and hold it to the dead man's feet till the flesh burnt. They performed these ceremonies, and also shouted iv his ears several times while they were taking him through the scrub to tbe open forest ground. They then laid the body on the ground, and made a fire. As soon as it burned up brightly they laid the body on it, and singed I it carefully, so that, when nibbed tbe black skin j would come off, and it would show white in its I place. They then took it off the fire, and laid 1 it down on the ground close by. The relations of tbe deceased tben came up and knelt round the body. His sou then took a knife, and made a cut down the breast, and then handed the knife 1 to the next one, who continued the cut downwards, and tben handed the knife to the next, and so on in turn till the body was cut up. They kept skinning the body as tbey proceeded, and taking the bowels out, wbich they threw to tbe gius, who were sitting round tbe fire. The gins put the bowels on the fire aud roasted them. Wben wbat little flesh that remained ou them was charred, they took them off, and put them iuto a biiiy to be divided amongst the tribe, who carry them about with tbem whereever they go. When tbe men had finished cutting up the body, tbey placed all the flesh and the kidneys in a billy ; the entrails they put witb the skin, to wbich the feet, hands, and bead still remained attached. They then carried ail away to where tbey bad made a little round hole, into which they put the head, skin, and entrails, and covered them up. Tbey tben drove in three charred stakes iv the shape of a triangle round tbe bole, and tied the tops together; they thes cleared the grass and everything else away for the space ot ten yards in diameter round the grave, and also marked the trees round about. Tbey then took the flesh to their camp, which they made not far irom the grave, and at night divided the flesh among the tribe and ate it. Tbey next rubbed themselves over witb tbe kidney fat. Tbe tribe watched the grave for three a ays afterwards, and they sang thedeatb song at sundown and sunrise, and lor some three months after; and i also. At the arrival of a new coiner for about a j week after,! ~yfe«*> W£arch' ; 3o. * . ...

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