, the French for fifteen. This is a game at cards, in which
the winner is he who counts fifteen, or nearest to that number, in all
the points of his hand. Three, five, or six might play at it. Two entire
packs of cards are used, so disposed that the spades and clubs are on
one side, and the hearts and diamonds on the other. The entire art of
the game consists in making fifteen; below that number the party loses.

2. THE COCOA-TREE CLUB.

This club was remarkable for high if not for foul play. Walpole, writing
to Horace Mann in 1780, says:--'Within this week there has been a cast
at Hazard at the Cocoa-tree (in St James's Street) the difference of
which amounted to one hundred and fourscore thousand pounds! Mr O'Birne,
an Irish gamester, had won one hundred thousand pounds of a young Mr
Harvey of Chigwell, just started into an estate by his elder brother's
death. O'Birne said,--"You can never pay me." "I can," said the youth,
"my estate will sell for the debt." "No," said O'Birne, "I will win ten
thousand,--you shall throw for the odd ninety." They did, and Harvey
won!'

3. GRAHAM'S CLUB.

This gaming club is remarkable for a scandal which made some noise at
the time of its occurrence, and one version of which a writer in the
Times has been at some pains to rectify. In Mr Duncombe's 'Life' of his
father occurs the following account of this curious transaction.

'In Graham's Club there was also a good deal of play, and large sums
were lost and won among the noblemen and gentlemen who were its members.
An unpleasant rumour circulated in town in the winter of 1836, to the
effect that a noble lord had been detected in cheating by means of
marked cards. The presumed offender was well known in society as a
skilful card-player, but by those who had been most intimate with him
was considered incapable of any unfair practice. He was abroad when the
scandal was set afloat, but returned to England directly he heard of it,
and having traced the accusation to its source, defied his traducers.
Thus challenged, they had no alternative but to support their
allegation, and it took this shape:--They accused Henry William Lord de
Ros of marking the edges of the court cards with his thumb-nail, as well
as of performing a certain trick by which he unfairly secured an ace as
the turn-up card. His accusers were ---- ----, who had formerly kept
a gaming table; Mr ---- ----, also a professional gambler; Lord Henry
Bentinck, and Mr F. Cummin