This is considered by

to peg out an adverse ball that is a rover. many players a bad rule, the principal argument against it being, that if one player has got his balls round and so by good play put himself in an advantageous position, he ought not by one chance shot to be deprived of his advantage; at all events, not until his adversary by similar good play has also got his balls round. Those who take this view would therefore allow only rovers to peg out rovers. On the other hand, it must be borne in mind, that among good players the attack is far too strong for the defence, and that, but for the pegging-out law, a player with the balls well placed for a break will frequently go all round, first with one ball and then with the other, while his opponent has only the chance of one or two stray shots, which it frequently happens it is not the right game to play for. But the pegging-out law compels the player with the break to decline making the last hoop in his first round, and thus renders it much more difficult for him to finish the game at the next break. This frequently leads to much finessing at the last hoop, often gives the player who is out of the break the chances of one or two shots, which he would not otherwise have had, and sustains his hope to the very last. With regard to the law as it now stands, the committee observe that a large majority at the first conference voted for its retention; and therefore the committee felt that no alteration ought to be made by them, unless a very strong case could be shown for it.

The dead boundary law, about which a great fuss has been made, tends to limit the attack. Under the old system a player desiring to combine with his partner at the extremity of the ground, was unable to gain any advantage thereby, owing to the fact that his adversary had only to take off as hard as he could, and if his ball transgressed the boundary it was brought back and placed close to the balls that had finessed. This coarse and unscientific system was due to the artificial limit of the ground; and a proper rule would be, that a player going, say ten yards beyond the boundary, should not take a shot at the balls to which he had gone, at a less distance than ten yards from them. This, however, would be impracticable, except on the boundless prairie; and the dead boundary law was therefore devised to meet the difficulty. The dead boundary was at first admitted into the code as a provisional law; being recommended for trial. The season's experience caused the committee to believe that in introducing it as a substantive law, they were seconding the wishes of the majority of players. The law amounts to this, if in taking croquet the player sends his own ball, or the ball croqueted, off the

boundary, he loses the remainder of his turn. This compels judgment of strength in taking off to a distant ball, and hence strengthens the attack, as the player taking off is afraid to play so hard as to go. quite close to the distant ball, lest he should, by playing a little too hard, overrun the boundary.

One other point in the revised code demands attention, viz., the wording of Rule I., which takes away all restriction as to the mode in which the mallet shall be held, and as to the attitude and position of the striker. This led to the adoption of what is called the cue stroke—i.e., using the handle as a cue by kneeling on the ground and making a bridge with the left hand. It is singular that this stroke was nowhere forbidden by the first conference code; but until the rule was re-worded no one seems to have noticed the fact. The cue stroke was so much abused, being constantly made use of when a perfectly clear shot could be got without it, that it fell into disrepute. It is now generally barred in matches, and we hope next year to see it expressly barred in the code.

Shortly after the settlement of the laws, it was found that the National offshoot was unable to carry on its affairs satisfactorily on its then basis, and after some deliberation it was resolved to re-unite, if practicable, with the parent stem. This amalgamation was effected in March, the All-England Club meeting the proposals of the late National in a most friendly way. The National then ceased to exist; but the non-contents, after recording this fact on their minutes, thought proper to re-constitute themselves, and to revert to the name of National.

It is not necessary for us to dilate on the exquisite good taste of this proceeding, nor on its fairness to the club which had already absorbed the National, debts and all, nor on the charming moral obliquity which led to the suggestion that, as "Grand National" was not the same title as "National," the addition of the word "Grand" completely disposed of all objections. We might observe, that "Grand All England" is not the same title as "All England;" and the new club would have had as much right, in pretending to a status which it does not possess, to assume the last as the firstmentioned name.

The main result of the amalgamation was to strengthen the AllEngland Club by the addition to its ranks of a number of members of the defunct club, and to give the All England the undisputed chieftainship of the game, except, of course, in the eyes of a small section of the members of the newly-established club.

The acquisition by the All-England Club, in 1870, of its fine

practice-ground at Wimbledon, has also contributed to its position as the leading club. The ground was opened in June, 1870, and in the same month the first great championship meeting was held. This event, open to all comers, brought together, as had been expected, a large array of croquet talent. Twenty-four competitors entered for the honour of the championship, which includes the possession for twelve months of the fifty guinea champion silver cup. After much fine play the cup was taken by Mr. Peel, who had previously distinguished himself by winning other considerable prizes. In 1871, the All-Comers match was won by Mr. Lillie, there being nineteen competitors, and he then had the privilege of playing Mr. Peel for the championship. Mr. Peel was again victorious, and thus holds the cup for a second year. Should he win it again next year, it will become his property; and as he will be sure to find in the All Comers winner a first-rate antagonist, the match for the championship next season will be unusually exciting.

The other great feature of the 1871 season was the establishment, at Wimbledon, of a ladies' championship, and the possession of a silver tea service, on conditions similar to those on which the champion cup is held. The winner was Mrs. Walsh, who played with great nerve and steadiness, and who would be found a formidable competitor by even the best gentlemen players.

We must now say a few words of the other public matches played in 1871, and open to all comers.

At the National meeting held at Oxford in May, the winner was Mr. Law. At the Cheltenham meeting, in June, Miss Bazette was the successful lady, and Mr. Law again the successful gentleman player. The handicap at the Aldershot meeting in July drew a good entry; here Mr. Lillie (the All-England all comers winner) took the first place. At this meeting, Mr. Black, a young player, but one who bids fair to hold the first rank, performed the feat of making 137 points in playing for the break prize. The setting and hoops were rather easy, and the ground not full-sized, and three balls were allowed to help; but even with these pulls in his favour, the score is a wonderfully good one, and such as could only be made by a most accomplished player. At the West of England Tournament, held at Torquay in July and August, the open prize for ladies was won by Miss C. M. Morris, and that for gentlemen by Mr. Mackenzie. In Scotland, the Scotch Championship meeting, held at Moffat in September, brought out Mr. Macfie, who now, for the second year, is champion of Scotland. His strongest opponent was Mr. Lillie, who ran second. The South of England open handicap was won by

Major Lane, he having to meet several very strong players and to give considerable odds to weaker ones. The match was played, in August, on the ground of the Sussex County Club, at the Pavilion, Brighton.

This concludes the résumé of the principal events of the year. Before closing the subject of croquet, we will draw attention to the growing popularity of handicaps at croquet, which enable players of various strengths to contend for the same prizes. The system adopted is as follows:-A handicapper, who has a good knowledge of the strength of the players, must be appointed. He has to arrange the competitors in classes, the first class giving a bisque to the second, two bisques to the third, and so on. Similarly, the second class gives a bisque to the third, and two bisques to the fourth; the third gives one bisque to the fourth, and so all the way down the list. A bisque, which is the handicap recommended in the conference laws, is an extra stroke, which may be taken at any time during the game by the weaker player when, in the ordinary course of events, his turn is over. The bisque confers all the advantages of an extra turn, except that the player taking it cannot roquet the same ball twice in the same turn without making an intermediate point.

It will be observed that, on the whole, even in the handicaps the old hands have had the best of it in public play, all the winners, we believe, with the exception of Mr. Mackenzie, having previously been successful at large meetings. But at the same time it must be admitted that there has been considerable talent shown by several rising players, and hence we may expect to see a great deal of firstclass croquet exhibited next year by both past and coming candidates for public honours.

"CAVENDISH."

ON THE COMIC WRITERS OF

ENGLAND.

BY CHARLES COWDEN CLARKE.

X.-VANBURGH AND FARQUHAR.

S we descend the stream of our national dramatic literature, it is not uninteresting to notice the gradual change that ensues in the socialities and conventional language of the dramatis persona; each era becoming more restrictive and precise in its habits, manners, and deportment; more select and chaste in language; more guarded and covert in its terms and expressions :-these shifted again into suggestions and inuendos. Dryden thought the morality and language of Beaumont and Fletcher somewhat too strong for his own age :-Dryden's squeamishness, to be sure, is edifying enough, when we call to mind his own gross alteration of Shakespeare's "Troilus and Cressida." Etheredge was somewhat stronger than Wycherley, and Wycherley ruder than Congreve. But I find in all this refining upon terms and suggestions, that the principle itself had undergone very slight change. The body was still there, the fashion of the dress only was modernised. The earlier dramatists certainly made no compromise with terms, possibly they had none to make;-they called "a spade a spade;" and consequently there is no misunderstanding their meaning. Even the two successors to Congreve, who form the subject of the present Essay, gave themselves the licence of considerable outspeaking freedom, but their tone of conventional morality, as regards the sexual contract, was certainly subdued, if not altogether changed. The daring lawlessness of the previous age was mitigated by the mild censorship and even milder example of Addison and Steele, and their school. Since the days of those eminent men, the language of society has run into fastidiousness; for certainly, in many unobjectionable and even pure essays in the Tatler and Spectator, terms are used that one would hesitate to read aloud in a mixed society of the present day. All this refinement is laudable where it becomes a recognised principle, and is acted upon with conscience and consistency; hateful only when it serves as a stalking-horse for cant and hypocrisy. They can have but an unsteady principle, and