ing of fcandal, and confequently the faving of many reputations. Which of thefe opinions is the beft, I am not to decide. There are two of them, and the world will be divided. There are people who would fooner touch a red-hot iron with their tongue, than touch a pack of cards. There are others who would not refrain from a hand at whift, if the falvation of themfelves and pofterity depended on it. Those who confider cards as an enemy, have not that Chriftian charity which is enjoined towards our enemies; and thofe who confider cards as their friend, are perhaps too rapturously fond, too confident, too familiar and this excefs of love, embitters what difappointments they may happen, perhaps, to meet with. But I am running into a treatife on the lawfulness or unlawfulness of playing cards, when I only purpofed to reprefent to you fome improprieties of conduct which render our card-tables not quite fo amusing as they ought to be, or rather as one could wifh them to be; for as to how amufing they ought to be, that is a point in difpute, and not for me to meddle with.

a letter, I must condenfe what I have to fay in as short a space as poffible.

Quadrille has had its day. Time was, when bafto was triumphant; but whift is the rage now: nobody plays quadrille under fixty years of age-all play whift; and I once thought, that the change was much for the better, as filence, which is the most effential requifite in this game, would banish all idle tittle tattle, prevent all bye blows and violent attacks on abfent characters; and, in fhort, drive the monfter, fcandal, from polite affemblies, to feed and grovel with fifh-women and ballad-fingers; but forry I am to fay it, and yet muft fay it, becaufe it is the fubject of my letter, that this very important object has not yet been brought about by whift. For, granting that the company are as filent as the grave during the round, yet no fooner is the laft card played, than every tongue, as if compreffed before against its will, rufhes forth with aftonishing rapidity, bearing before it, and carrying down with it, the reputation of wives, widows, bachelors and virgins, in one general torrent of deftruction. You cannot be ignorant, gentle- that I mean to accufe the ladies men, that cards compofe three-only of this fault; on the contrary, fifths of our employment in genteel were I to speak my mind, I should company; and as this is confidera-immediately affert, that the men are bly the greatest portion of the time much worse than they; but that is allotted for our focial meetings, it not my business at present. is a thoufand, aye, ten thousand pities, that any thing fhould occur to difturb our good humour. But, if there is one occafion more than another, if there is one time more another, if one employment more than another, if one amufement more than another, in which keeping the temper is a virtue, that occafion, time, employment, and amufement is, when we are at cards. On this fubject, gentlemen, I could write a volume; but as you expect no more from your correfpondents than

Not

Nay, gentlemen, which brings me to the article of keeping the temper, the worst of it is, that even during the playing, if the cards run crofs, a reputation is bandied about, and part of it bleeds at every loft trick. To give you fome idea of this, would be eafy; but as you probably have witneffed fuch scenes, I have only to fay, it is a very hard cafe when one's reputation depends, not on how we play our cards, but on the fuccefs of other people in playing their's. But I

pafs

pafs from this want of temper to

another.

It is not only the lofers that cannot keep their temper the winners are often as bad, or worfe; for when money is loft, it is but natural that it fhould carry off fome portion of good humour with it; but when one wins, to be noify, boisterous, and exultingly triumphant, is far moft difagreeable; to the bye-ftander it is very much fo; and as to the lofers, it only ferves to exafperate them. And here I muft fay, that the gentlemen are almoft always more guilty than the ladies. I am, gentlemen,

Your old Correfpondent,
J. J. B.

he became a farrier of confiderable
reputation, and indulging in his
propensity to liquor, feldom came
home fober from the neighbouring
markets: he, however, required
no other affiftauce from the Parish
(till he became infirm) than an
habitation, and the keeping of a
What is perhaps
horfe and cow.
more remarkable, he married three
wives! By the firft, who was an el-
derly woman, he had no children;
but by the fecond he left two fons,
now in good fituations as farmers'
fervants, who attended the funeral
of their father, and buried him in

a decent manner.

1

MEMOIRS OF TOM ROBERTS, THE

FAMOUS KIRMOND CRIPPLE,

PICTURE

A

OF

ROUT
A
FROM THE LIFE.

TAKEN

Rout is an affemblage of people of fashion, at the private

HOMAS Roberts was born of houfe of one of them. The man

Tindigens Roberts, was born of of one of them, th

in Lincolnshire, where he died on
the 16th of May, 1798, aged 85.
This extraordinary perfon was, if
we may fo term it, a Lufus Natu-
re; he was perfect to his elbows
and knees, but without either arms
or legs; above one of his elbows
was a fhort bony fubftance, like the
joint of a thumb, which had fome
mufcular motion, and was of con-
fiderable ufe to him. Nature com-
penfated for his want of limbs, by
giving him a ftrong understanding,
and bodily health and fpirits.
When Sir George Barlow, the laft
Baronet of that ancient family,
rented of Edmond Turnor, Efq.
the manor and lordship of Kirmond,
he kept a pack of hare-hounds.
Tom was for many years employed
as his huntfman, and use to ride
down the hills, which are remark-
ably steep, with fingular courage
and dexterity. His turn for hor-
fes was fo great, that, on leaving
the fervice of Sir George Barlow,

Lady A, or Lady B, or Lady C, or any other capital in the alphabet of fashion, chooses a diftant night, which may not interfere with any other rout, but which, if poffible, may clafh with fome public amufement, and make a noife in the world. She iffues cards, intimating on the night fpecified, "the fees company.' Thefe cards are fent to feveral hundred people, not because they are relations, or friends, or acquaintance, but becaufe fhe has feen them, or because. their prefence will give an eclat to the thing.

Before eleven o'clock at night, which is high-tide, the house is crouded with a company of both fexes, and all ranks. Card tables are placed in every room in the houfe; and as many in each room, as barely leave interftices for the players to fit or move about. Coffee, tea, and lemonade, are handed about.

Confufion

1

convenience, the fatigue, the heat, To the EDITORS of the SPORTING

Should the affociation of thefe | terms of Caffre and Hallachore, exiied heroes, produce the eftab-are retorted with great fury.

lifhment of a canine republic, we may in time have as much trouble on our hands, as our ancestors had from the wolves, with which this island once abounded. In the extirpation of thofe deftructive animals, our British dogs were of infinite fervice, but their fervices were not fufficient to free their defcendants from the weight of taxation.

DESCRIPTION

OF AN INDIAN
SCOLDING MATCH.

ALTHOUGH the Hindoos are
the meekeft people on earth,
yet they fometimes quarrel with
one another, and the following is a
defcription of an Hindoo fcolding-
match. Storms fometimes difplay
the nature of the foil on which

they fall. The enraged parties be-
gin with complaining of each other's
injuftice, and retail a great many
moral and religious maxims, which
by that injuftice have been violated.
They enumerate the acts of vio-
lence, or of fraud, which their an-
tagonists have committed againft
others, as well as themfelves. They
undervalue each other's families:-
"Your fifter went on a certain
day to fetch water from the well,
and was embraced by a Christian
foldier." Your father dying
young, your mother did not fhave
her head, but made her elopement

EXTRA SPORTING.

WAFFHAM Courfing Meet

SW

ing, begins as ufual on Monday, November 12th, 1798, unless prevented by froft or fnow, in which cafe the Meeting will be held the first open Monday in, or after November.

THE ORFORD CUP.

The Greyhounds which start for ' the Cup, must be entered with the Secretary on Monday, the first day of the November Meeting, be

tween the hours of seven and eight
o'clock in the evening.

ROBERT WILSON, ESQ.
Prefident.

Monday, Nov. 12.-Igborow.
Sir Samuel Fludyer produces a

greyhound against Mr. Forby, a
greyhound, gui.

Mr. Wilfon produces a greyhound against Mr. Forby, I gui.

Mr. Dafhwood produces a puppy called Mofey against Mr. James, a puppy, gui.

Tuesday, Nov. 13.-Weftacre. Sir Samuel Fludyer produces three greyhounds against Mr. Forby, three greyhounds, 1 gui. and 4 the main.

Mr. James's Raven against Mr. Forby's Blue Zelander, I gui.

Wednesday, Nov. 14.-Smee. Mr. Davey's White Dog with

with a fea-poy"-"From a nig-blue eye against Mr. Forby's Black gardly difpofition, you violated the laws of our holy religion, by making the fame earthen pot last a whole week."-And, "You got fo drunk, on one occafion, with brabtree toddy, that you not only touched the pot with your lips, but bit it with your teeth." In this man. ner they keep fcolding for fome hours; but now the contention be

and White Dog, gui. and 4 bye.

Mr. Dashwood's Puppy Infanta against Mr. Wilfon's Puppy, I gui. Thursday, Nov. 15.-Second Smee.

comes fiercer, and the opprobrious VOL. XIII.-No. 73.

Mr. Crowe produces a greyhound against Mr. Forby, a grey. hound, I gui. Friday, November 16.—Second Wefi■

acre.

F

SWAFF

SWAFFHAM COURSING SOCIETY.

Marchionefs Townshend, Lady Patronefs,
Countefs Cholmondeley, Vice Patronefs,
Mrs. Coke, Affiftant Vice Patronefs,

Earl of Montrath, Honorary Member, the fame Power.