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try cottages: tiles, and even slate, having replaced thatch on a large scale.

The number of doors and windows, at the same date, was 44,283,363 -nearly 14 per head of the whole population.

France is well supplied with roads and canals. On Dec. 31, 1854, the length of roads of all kinds amounted to 400,980 miles; while the navigable canals presented a development of 2947 miles, and the navigable rivers of 5511 miles, so constituting an interior navigation of 8458 miles.

It results from these various facts and figures that the present general condition of landed property in France is satisfactory. Its value is rising; its income has tripled in seventy years; and a new tie has lately been established between the manufacturing and agricultural interests by the introduction of industrial plants on a scale which has already become considerable. The great question of the division of property has not assumed any threatening proportions, and there is every reason to believe that it will never do so. The principle of small holdings, on which the land system of France may be said to be mainly based, is certainly suited, as has already been remarked, to the character and tendency of the people; but it has great and radical disadvantages. It prevents the division of labour; it obliges the little landowner to do everything with his own hands, often without even a plough; he can profit by none of the improvements which the command of capital would place at his disposal; all he can do is to make up for the difficulties inherent to his isolated position by working eighteen hours a day, and that he does. The amount of labour he expends is prodigious, but all the advantages of association, capital, division of labour, and scientific knowledge are lost to him. On the other hand, the system falls in with the spirit of the people; it enables the agricultural servant to better his position if he can scrape together the means of buying a bit of land, and, when he has got it, he works it so diligently and perseveringly that he manages to live on it, apparently on nothing.

The rich classes of the nation are not turned to agriculture as in England; they scarcely occupy themselves about it. Such of them as own land keep it, because, although it is comparatively a bad investment, it is safe and honourable to be a "proprietor." It is true that there has been a decided movement of late years in favour of scientific cultivation. The government is making efforts to stimulate its pursuit, and the recent agricultural exhibitions have given proof of remarkable progress in certain localities and under certain circumstances; but it is doubtful whether farming will ever become a recognised profession, and still more so, whether it will ever become a national taste. The times are forgotten when the interest of the land was so great in the eyes of the gentlemen of France that they gave it the first place in their stately motto, "The soil, the sword, and the faith."

THE SCIENCE OF CARD-SHARPING.*

THE readers of Houdin's Memoirs generally regarded that book as a further mystification on the part of the clever author, for he took very good care not to spoil his son-in-law's trade by telling us how the tricks, on which his reputation rested, were achieved. It is true that M. Houdin promised us another volume of his confessions, to contain a correct account of all his manipulations, but it has not made its appearance yet. He has, however, compromised with his conscience by bringing out the very extraordinary volume which forms the subject-matter of our article, and which, among much interesting anecdote, teaches us how every trick practised by the card-sharpers is done-and their number is legion. We should certainly recommend the author not to be out very late at night, for he runs the risk of being stabbed by some gentleman whose professional career he has so ruthlessly nipped in the bud. It is not going too far to assert that by a careful study of this book playmen will be able to detect every combination which renders good luck subservient to clever trickery. As, however, this portion of the volume is too technical for general readers, we will ask them to wait for it until the English translation appears, and confine ourselves to the anecdotical history of French Hellenes.

For years it had been a mania with M. Houdin to find out all about card tricks, as, indeed, he tells us in his Memoirs. This thirst for information led him into several predicaments, and before we discuss his book we will shortly describe one of them. Having learned that a Mr. Elias Hausheer was very clever with the cards, Houdin made up his mind to call on him, placing in his pocket, as an introduction, a mechanical snuff-box, which had a singing-bird in it, lately completed. He found the professor affable and dirty: he showed him sundry tricks, which Houdin, with pardonable vanity, trumped by producing his singingbird. But this had an unexpected result: the German fell in love with it, and insisted on Houdin's surrender of it to him, that he might show it to a friend. In fact, he became so pressing, that Houdin saw him fumbling at the hilt of a knife under his blouse. Houdin's coolness did not desert him for a moment; he expressed his regret that this bird was sold, but he had a much finer one at home made of gold, which he would give Hausheer to show his friend, if he would come along with him. The bait took, and Houdin arrived home in safety, when he politely shut the door in the baffled scoundrel's face. The baffled villain went down the stairs, cursing himself for having been such a fool, and M. Houdin was pleasantly relieved a few months later by reading that he had been sent to the galleys. This was a warning to Houdin, and thenceforth he employed an agent to find out for him practised sharpers and bring them to his house, when they displayed all their tricks for a consideration.

The origin of the word "Greek" dates back to the end of the reign of Louis XIV., when a Greek chevalier of the name of Apoulos was

* Les Tricheries des Grecs dévoilées. Par Robert-Houdin. Paris: Librarie Nouvelle.

detected in the act of cheating, and sent to the galleys for twenty years. Hence the name to the whole family of rogues, and when play was publicly allowed in Paris their number increased very largely. For a while they got on magnificently; and one of them, an engineer by trade, hit on the ingenious idea of making the black holes in the roulette-table larger than the red, so that the ball kept out of the latter. An improvement in this was effected: a mechanism was placed under the table, which, by the pressure of a knee, slightly shut the holes, according to the situation of the stake: that is, if the players were backing even, the whole of those numbers were reduced in size, and the ball must enter the uneven numbers, or vice versâ. The army of Greeks was so largely recruited at length, that dupes began to be lacking: hence, they kept a number of agents, whose duties were to discover and draw into the net strangers newly arrived in the capital; persons who had just gained a cause; playmen who had won largely; sons of good family just come into their inheritance; and imprudent clerks, who staked their employers' money. With such auxiliaries, the Greeks again realised immense sums, but such a scandal arose about them that Louis Quinze ordered the gambling-houses to be closed. Actively hunted down by the police, the Greeks dispersed for many years, until the government of the day, being in a state of impecuniosity, allowed Frascati's and the Palais Royal gambling-houses to be opened. When they were put down in their turn, the Greeks confined their schemes to private dens.

Our author divides the Greeks into three categories: him of the fashionable world, the middle-class Greek, and the public-house haunter. The first is a sad instance of abilities thrown away, for the practice and peculiar qualifications required for a fashionable card-sharper would, if honourably employed, lead to fortune. During the summer he proceeds to Baden-Baden, where he picks up large sums in those houses where play goes on after the rooms are closed. As a rule, however, he generally dies in poverty, or, if he retires into private life, leads that life of remorse so powerfully depicted by Ancelot in his novel "Une Fortune Mystérieuse."

The middle-class Greek rarely works alone, but has accomplices known by the name of Comtois, and feminine aides known as Amazons, who lure the dupes. These men have no delicacy of feeling, but will rob everybody, not excepting their own pals, of which our author gives an edifying instance:

Three Greeks who had joined together went out severally in search of dupes. One of them, a young Italian, who went by the name of "Candor," probably through his crafty skill, told his colleagues one day that he had discovered a young gentleman recently arrived in the capital. He was rich, fond of play, and prodigal to an excess-qualities much appreciated by the three Athenians. They also learned from their friend that the gull was going to the Italian Opera that night. They went there too, and Candor introduced his friends to the young gentleman under assumed titles. They got into conversation, and the young prodigal, enchanted with his new acquaintances, invited them to sup with him at the Maison Dorée. The meal was worthy of the Amphitryon, nothing being spared to treat properly such agreeable guests. To prolong the pleasure of the meeting, a game of bouillotte was proposed. While the table was being prepared, the three accomplices managed to get together, and agreed to let the provincial win one hundred and twenty pounds, after which he would be mercilessly

fleeced. The game looked healthy, for the young gentleman had a pocket-book apparently well lined, from which he produced a twenty-pound note. Fortune, influenced by the three rogues, was so propitious to the young stranger, that in a little time he was a winner of the sum intended as a bait. All at once, he took a handkerchief from his pocket, which he held to his nose; he apologised, and hurried from the room to stop the hemorrhage, leaving his pocket-book on the table. Candor followed him to pay him some polite attentions, but in reality to get off at full speed. The rich countryman was only a Parisian rogue, with whom Candor had arranged to rob his chums of one hundred and twenty pounds, and all had been prepared, even to the blood-stained handkerchief.

The two rogues pounced on the pocket-book, and after paying the hotel bill went off at score. When they got to the bottom of the stairs, one sharper sent the other up again with a message for the stranger that would remove any doubts on his mind, and set off at full speed, intending to keep the pocket-book all to himself, but he was terribly sold on finding that it contained play-bills.

The lowest class of Greek affects dram-shops and billiard-rooms, their victims being chiefly rackety workmen, rustics visiting the capital, or retired tradesmen. He usually has an accomplice, and it is a favourite scheme with him to dress up as a countryman. After a while he and his chum have a game at écarté, in which he loses everything, and the other goes off triumphantly. Affecting to be annoyed at his loss, the Greek challenges anybody present to take a hand, and by degrees luck turns in his favour, though no one can say that he is playing unfairly. Another favourite trick is as follows:

We find our Greek again at one of those barren tables d'hôte at one shilling a head. During dinner he makes himself agreeable, and, at the dessert, shows a trick or two. Thus, he takes three plates, under which he places balls made of bread-crumb. He is, however, fearfully clumsy, and no one is deceived. Presently he places one of the balls under a plate, but manages to let it fall to the ground. He turns his back, of course, and one of the spectators naturally picks up the ball, and puts it in his pocket to have a bit of fun. Presently the operator backs his assertion that the ball is under the plate by a wager, which the other accepts, in the conviction that it cannot be there and in his pocket too; the bet is made, the plate raised, and there lies the pellet. The cunning rogue had made two. Of course he wins his wager.

The writer of this article witnessed once in a coffee-room in the Isle of Man a trick which he considers superior to the above, and which is known as the salt trick. Two strangers came in and made themselves generally agreeable: but presently one complained of toothache, and declared that he should try a remedy recommended by his grandmother; he placed some salt in a piece of tea paper, wrapped it up, held it to the fire, and placed it when warm to his cheek. The effect was magical; the pain disappeared, and, after a while, the patient made some excuse to leave the room. When he was gone, his comrade said generally:

"I don't believe a bit about salt curing the toothache; it's fancy that did it."

We assented, and the fellow went on:

"I'll play him a trick, gents. I'll throw the salt into the fire, and fill the paper with sawdust. Then, if he has the toothache again, and tries it, won't we have a laugh at him ?”

Said and done: his comrade came in again, presently complained of

toothache, and tried his infallible remedy, with the same result. Of course we all laughed at him, which made him savage, and when one gentleman said there was no salt in the paper, and it was all fancy, he promptly offered a bet of "glasses round." It was accepted, and the paper opened, and it did contain salt: his accomplice had managed very cleverly to change the papers.

Considering the number of Greeks living by their profession in Paris, it is curious that so few make the acquaintance of the correctional police, but M. Houdin accounts for this, that, if they are detected in private houses, they are kicked out, after disgorging their booty. One instance he mentions is worth narrating. In 1832, a subscription ball was got up at the restaurant of the Veau qui Tête, of which M. Houdin was one of the stewards. Of course there was play, and our author being cleaned out, determined to watch the players. At one écarté table was an elderly gentleman of military aspect, who had such extraordinary luck that Houdin was induced to watch him closely, and detected him in cheating. With another steward, Houdin asked him how he got in; and he answered in the most natural way by mentioning a mutual friend, who had given him a ticket. Nor had he the slightest objection to go to that friend in the ball-room with Houdin. As they got into the crowd, however, the military gentleman disappeared from sight, and Houdin, determined to follow him up, hurried to the cloak-room, thinking he must go there for his hat. But he was too clever; the rogue had gone out of the door straight, produced a Gibus hat from his pocket, and disappeared round a corner. Curiously enough, Houdin came across this man at Spa in 1852, and learned from him the whole history of his life, in return for some pecuniary loans. From this story we purpose to make

extracts.

Raymond (such was his name) found himself at an early age in a debtors' prison, after running through his fortune. Here he formed the acquaintance of a Greek called Andreas, who instructed him in the rudiments of his art, and he got on so well, that he won of his fellowdebtors the money to get out of Sainte Pélagie. On regaining his liberty he joined a party of sharpers, among whom he obtained the sobriquet of the Marquis, owing to his careful dress, while Andreas was surnamed Golden Head, on account of the fertility of his imagination. The company divided each night the winnings of the day, but, curiously enough, they were not nearly so large as was anticipated, and the assumption was that a robbery was being committed by some of the members. Golden Head was appointed to look into it, and managed to arrive at the following facts:

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One of the robbers ordered his valet to come to him at a certain hour of the night, to ask him for a key or other object, which the Greek handed him, giving him at the same time a roll of louis he had won. If the stakes were high, the servant, on a signal from his master, returned with the key, and carried off a second rouleau. Another and more modest scamp fastened the coins under the table by means of wax balls, and removed them when the sharing was over. A third, a species of human ostrich, actually swallowed the gold coins, and re covered them by taking an emetic. All these rogues were thereupon expelled from the society, which could only consist of men of thorough honour.

Raymond and Andreas left the society in disgust, and formed an

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