Real Life In London, Volumes I. and II.
London has been, time out of mind, infested with the imps of
play, yet it was not until within these last ten or fifteen
years that they dared open their dens to the honest light of
day. About that period, or a very short time before, Rouge
et Noir was imported, amongst other fashionable things, from
France; and to this game we are indebted for the practice of
gambling in the day-light.
It is impossible to put down the vice of Gaming wholly, and
not all the various enactments of the legislature against it
have succeeded; but that the ruinous and infamous practice
of indulging that vice in the midst of crowded day should be
suffered, for upwards of sixteen years, in the centre of
British society, when it can easily be suppressed, calls
forth our wonder, and gives a stronger proof to us that our
Societies for the Suppression of Vice, &c. &c. are shadows
with a name. When the Hazard tables open, it is at an hour
when the respectable and controlled youths of London are
within the walls of their homes; few are abroad except the
modern man of _ton_, the rake, the sot, the robber, and the
vagabond; and the dangers of gaming on these orders of
society is little indeed, when compared with the baneful
effects of that vice upon the mercantile youth of London. It
is to this class, and to the youth of the middling orders of
society, that gaming is destructive, and it is upon these
that the Rouge et Noir tables cast the most fatal influence.
Young men of this order cannot in general be absent from
their families after midnight, the hour when the nocturnal
Hells formerly yawned upon their victims; but now the
introduction of Rouge et Noir has rendered the abominable
track of play a morning and evening's lounge, set forth in
all the false glare which the artful proprietors can invent
to deceive the thoughtless; and thus it affords
opportunities and temptations to such youth almost
irresistible.
When the glittering of London pleasures first meets the eye
of a young man placed upon the road of a mercantile life, or
when he enters any of the multifarious departments in the
machine of society which always lead the industrious and
prudent to honourable emolument, he too frequently
misconceives the fashionable gamester's character, and
confounds his crimes with elegant accomplishments. The road
to pleasure is broad, and the gates of these Hells are open
to him at hours when he can be absent, and can indulge his
whim without suspicion--for at first he looks upon his new
enjoyment but a mere whim, which he can abandon at any
moment. But how different is the proof! He goes on--his new
made wings carry him through a region of delight, and he
believes himself to possess the powers of the eagle--still
lighter he ascends, and the solid earth on which he formerly
trod in safety, recedes immeasurably from his giddy eye--at
length his wings prove wax, they melt before the sun, and
the victim of his own folly tumbles into the abyss of
destruction.
It is no uncommon thing, nay, we will positively declare it
to be a very frequent practice of these misled young men,
when they have been initiated, and have the temporary
command of money belonging to their employers, to go to the
Rouge et Noir tables, armed (as they think) with
impenetrable armour--a large sum; and, in the hope of
profiting to a certain amount, risk that property, the loss
of which would be the loss of every thing dear to them in
society. They believe, from the greatness of the amount they
possess, that they can command a small gain, and not for a
moment doubt they will be able to replace or return the
money entrusted to their care; but little do they know the
fickleness of luck, and less do they suspect the odds and
imposing roguery arrayed against them. Their first loss is
trifling, but they have to win that back iu addition to
their expected profits; for this purpose they stake a larger
sum, which, if they lose, increases their task, and so on,
until the half-frantic victims see no hope but desperation,
and their remaining stock is placed upon the chance of a
single card. The event closes, and the man who yesterday
enjoyed the good opinion of the world, and the esteem and
confidence of his friends, to-day becomes the veriest
outcast of society! These are common cases, one of which,
for example, we will describe as the facts occurred:--In the
year 1816, a Clerk, possessing the highest reputation,
became a frequenter of a Rouge et Noir table. From the
nature of his employment, he had daily the command of large
sums, which, for a short time, he risked at play
successfully. One day, however, he brought with him his
employer's money, to the amount of 1700L. the whole of
which, in two days, he lost. We may judge of the unhappy
young man's feelings by his subsequent conduct. He wrote a
confession of the affair to the man he wronged, retired to a
tavern, and blew his brains out!
These gaming-tables open at half-past twelve o'clock,
continue their orgies until five, and recommence at seven in
the evening. How many young men are passing their doors at
these hours with the property of others in their pockets!--
and what a temptation to risk it! It would seem as if these
places were set up as shops designed chiefly for the
accommodation of mid-day dealers in ill-fortune, as if
levelled directly at those men who cannot or will not spend
their nights in gambling; and how the proprietors contrive
to escape detection and punishment is surprising,
considering that the law affords ample means to put them
down.
~200~~they know their customers, and place themselves here to watch the
progress of their gains. Their attentions are always directed to the
new-comers. Remorseless, avaricious, and happy--unmarked with the lines
of care, which contract and deform the faces of their victims, “They
smile and smile, and murder while they smile.” They will explain
the fairness of the game, and tell you of the great losses they have
sustained; but as this is no place for explanation, we must look on and
say nothing.”
By this time, Merrywell and Mortimer were mingled in the throng at the
table. Sparkle was engaged in conversation with an old acquaintance, a
profusion of money was flying about, and a large heap or bank was placed
in the centre. All was anxiety, and, for a few moments, no sound was
heard, but the awful numbers of the eventful dealer; every countenance
was hushed in expectation, and every eye was fixed upon the coming card,
which should decide the fate of hundreds. It was an awful moment to
every one engaged in the play; but the pause was succeeded with a sort
of harlequinade movement, to a scene of confusion and uproar scarcely to
be conceived.
The appearance at the door of half a dozen persons armed with pistols,
rushing past the guardians, and bearing ~201~~away all before them, had
such an instantaneous effect upon the company, that they all arose,
as it were, to receive them, and the leader of the party threw himself
suddenly upon the pile of Bank-notes in the centre of the table, with
intent to seize the whole bank.
Confusion and dismay were now visibly depicted on every countenance, for
some, actuated by desperation at the prospect of ruin, and others by the
urgings of avarice, determined to have a scramble for the notes, which
they commenced most furiously, each one securing as much as he could to
himself. There was tumbling and tossing, and pulling and shoving, mouths
stuffed with hundreds, hundreds of mouths that were supperless, and
likely to continue so, unless they could now make sure of something.
Bank paper was literally going for nothing. However, the pistols being
the most powerful, the armed forces succeeded in seizing the greatest
share of the stock, and a negative sort of silence was at length
restored. The party was materially decreased; for, seeing they were
betrayed, every one, after an endeavour to secure a share of the spoil,
deemed it necessary to make good his retreat; and among the rest,
our party, who had not interfered with the play, or assisted in the
entertainment, soon found themselves in the street.
“Egad,” said Sparkle, “I think we are in luck to escape so easily;
we might have been compelled to make our appearance at Bow Street
to-morrow, an occurrence I would studiously avoid.”
“Well done, old steady,” said Tom; “it is not long, you know, since you
was there, after a night's lodging in the neighbourhood.”
“That was under very different circumstances,” continued Sparkle; “in
defence of a woman I would risk my life at any time, but I would by
no means incur the imputation of being a gambler--it is a character I
abhor. I have before said I would never venture into those dens again,
to herd with swindlers of all descriptions.”
“They all seem gay fellows, too,” said Bob.
“Yes,” replied Sparkle; “but the character and conduct of a young man
has ere now been altered in one night: the evil effects produced by
initiation to those Hells are incalculable.”
“Moralizing at midnight,” said Tom; “an excellent title for a volume
_sparkling_ contemplations.”
~202~~“To be written by the Hon. Tom Dashall, or the Merry Devil of
Piccadilly,” was the reply.
“Huzza!” said Merrywell, “if this is the case, our time will not be lost
in this excursion. Did you hear that Lord ---- has been compelled to put
down his establishment in consequence of his losses at play? pray don't
forget to mention that in the work.”
“Tis no new thing,” continued Sparkle, “for Lords of the present day,
since I believe there are few of the nobility who are not either Greeks
or Pigeons; indeed, the list of visitors to these places contains names
of many persons who should set better examples to the humbler classes of
the community; for the unfortunate results of this too fatal propensity
to parents and society have been severely felt. Among many instances
on record, a very interesting one is related of a young Subaltern in a
regiment of cavalry, who, by successive losses, was reduced to such a
state of distress, as to form the desperate resolution of trying the
road. In a moment of agony, he accidentally met with an opportunity
which seemed to favour his design, having learned that a certain
Baronet, recently returned from India with abundance of wealth, had laid
it out on landed estates in England, and that he would on a certain day
cross the country with a large sum of money, after collecting his rents.
“He laid his plan for a meeting on a retired spot, and succeeded in
stopping the carriage--' Your money or your life,' said he, presenting
his pistol with a trembling hand. The Baronet, perceiving there was a
sort of gentlemanly air about him which indicated something more than
might be calculated on in the character of a highwayman, presented him
with his purse, a watch, and a valuable diamond ring, remarking, he
could not help conceiving that he was unaccustomed to the trade, and
that it was most desirable he should abandon it for ever. The
young Officer, though considerably confused and embarrassed by this
observation, was not to be disappointed of his booty, returned this
property, and demanded the larger sum, which for safety had been
concealed in the bottom of the carriage. The manner however in which