• 11' is pleasant to observe how the favourite tastes
of men limit their views. A noble lord, the author of Musical Reminiscences, looked upon the world as a vast opera-stage, and estimated the actors by their vocal or instrumental skill. NAPOLEONS, BYRONS, and SCOTTS, seem beings utterly unworthy of his thoughts, which were full of trom- ' bones, dduble basses, tenors, and sopranos. Speaking of a violon- cello-player, he says, he was a man of a good bow, but ahad heart ; e. thus setting off the qualities of music againstmorals. -Another per- son son sees in the world one huge kitchen,—it is all stoves and charcoal, stewing and parboiling.. The geniuses of the age are the geniuses of the grate. A third perceives only painters; a fourth cancels the human race except as jockeys, and looks at the globe as a stud, of which countries are merely the stalls, and England the loose box. These are all hacknied instances of the single and exclusive direction of in- terest; but a late diplomatist has added a new and exquisite example. The opportunities of his mission to France have been turned to the excellent account of comparing the French with the English manner of whist-playing : instead of the intrigues of statesmen, he has occu- pied himself in watching the finesses of cards, and the hands of France have concerned him more than her arms.) The result is noble, as ticill be see-n--Vo-nitlig 'eke-taint taltie—C'elerrier Francais :- " A noble, lord, who has spent many years in Paris in the capacity of am- bassador, instead" f applying himself to remove the old causes of rivalry be- tween France and England, has only employed his leisure hi a new one of a species quite peculiar.. He has only, while staying- here, made such observa- tions as enabled him to 'raise' this strange pretension—that the English have maintained over the French an immense superiority in playing the game of whist. Let nobody believe that we are at all exaggerating the singularity of this opinion. It was uttered in the circles of the court ; and as an excess of urbanity has always prevented good company from contradicting it, it has become in his lordship's mansion a sort of established idea. On his return into his own country, the noble lord was beset with it, even to his domestic fireside ; and wishing to verify, by a solemn proof, the pretension he had maintained so long in the form of an axiom, he hit upon an expedient which deserves to be made known.
" Like a true Chevalier, he has recently sent to one of the saloons at Paris, where the rich idlers of all nations who live in that capital meet every even- ing, a challenge in due form, in which he defies the best players at whist to undertake a match of one hundred rubbers, to be played in twenty days, for 1001. the rubber, and' 50,0001. to the winners of the greatest number of games. If this challenge should be accepted, the combat will take place at Paris or London, at the pleasure of those who are challenged ; and his lord- ship announces that he has already made choice of one of his countrymen as a partner.
It is generally thought that the glove thrown with so much arrogance has been taken up in the arena into which it was thrown. Happily he who picked it up, and who believed himself called upon to avenge the national honour, has more boldness than wealth. It has been necessary for him to have recourse to a subscription to raise the stake required. There has been an assessment, and in a few days 900,000 francs (36,0001.) were obtained. But this is not enough; and beyond it the subscribers will not go. There is an- other disappointment also ; for the champion who thought himself so strong that he could measure himself with his lordship over a green cloth, could not procure the support of the second, in whom he placed leis confidence; the latter, who occupies a place of responsibility, would not take part in this joust for the benefit of another. We are forced, therefore, if not to confess the inferiority of France, at least to admit the inability we are under of ful. filling all the conditions of the combat."
This is indeed a great question, and it is to be lamented that the terms exclude the decision. It scarcely looks gallant to raise the stake so high as to deter from the combat. The- state and genius of the French hand is not very well known to us ; but the education of the English aristocracy in cards is so perfect' that we are inclined to doubt whether any gamblers under the candles can compete with them. ecnsider this point of difference,--ia France, men disposed to play go to a public table, and stake their money on a chance against a bank : in England, this style of play is not so general, and there are colleges, as we may call them, where the members graduate in whist and piquet. The diligence of the students and professors is exemplary ; they go early, stay late, and turn the cards with a daily and a nightly hand. There are no establishments in Paris of the character of Graham's and the Portland ; and those who have had a glimpse of any such schools of mutual instruction, will scarcely wonder at the confidence of the diplomatic lord in English superiority. Conceive chambers darkened in the morning and lit brilliantly at night ; two or three whist tables in full work ; as many piquet parties ; around each, mobs of attentive, anxious spectators; bets and bank-notes flying about faster than the weaver's shuttle ; the players silent and solemn, generally sitting hatted, to shade their coun- tenances, which should be finessed with as much care as, their cards these are indeed academies for the formation of erudite whist-players, and great must be the French genius if without such schooling it can produce-comparable science. We have confessed that we have no means of judging of the ere. sent state of whist in France ; but in the game which alone rinks above it, namely chess, the conditions are, we believe, these,—the two best French players would probably beat the two best English players; but we can produce a dozen chess-players who would beat any dozen of any country of the world by a large majority of victories. After what we have stated, it may be supposed we are not in the least surprised at Lord 's having conceived the idea of the national whist superiority over France ; but there is a circumstance in the affair which does astonish us,—and that is his having so soon, or at all, made up his mind as to the choice of a partner. For in whist there is this peculiarity, that every player utterly despises the play of another in comparison with his own. A and B are two first- rate performers. Ask A what he thinks of. B's game—the answer is, with elevated eyebrows, "B !—he does not know the first rudiments of the game." Go to B, and inquire his opinion of A's play—the judgment is " A ! A is an imbecile, a mere child—Bah!" As a general rule, it may be laid down, that every man who plays well at whist is the only player, and that all the others are mazettes. i Lord 's ready choice of his partner is to us, therefore, the most astonishing of all things ; but after lie had beaten Franc with hide, we are persuaded his Lordship would with eager and triumphant confidence have challenged his ally to a match at double-dummy for I 00,0 00/.
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