The palmy days of the Palais Royal.
From a contemporary print.
The gaming-rooms were on the southern side of the Palais Royal. To enter them you ascended a staircase and opened the door of an ante-chamber, where several hundred hats, sticks, and great-coats, carefully ticketed, were arranged, under the charge of two or three old men, who received either one or two sous from every owner for the safe delivery of his precious deposit. No dogs were admitted into these sacred apartments, nor anything which was likely to disturb the deep attention and holy quiet which pervaded them! From this ante-chamber opened a folding-door, which led to a large, well-lighted room, in the centre of which was a table surrounded, at a moderate estimate, by two hundred and fifty or three hundred persons anxiously inspecting a game. The salons in the various establishments opened one into another, and in some there were as many as six rooms which contained tables.
At one time a curious condition was imposed upon the proprietors of the gaming-tables. They were obliged to furnish every one who entered their rooms with as much table-beer as they chose to call for. Waiters were therefore perpetually running backwards and forwards with overflowing tumblers of this refreshing beverage—six or seven crowded on a tray.
On the restoration of the Bourbons, public play in Paris continued to flourish with unabated vigour.
There were in 1818:
| 7 | Tables of Trente-et-un. |
| 9 | " Roulette. |
| 1 | " Passe-dix. |
| 1 | " Craps. |
| 1 | " Hazard. |
| 1 | " Biribi. |
| — | |
| 20 |
These twenty tables were divided into nine houses, four of which were situated in the Palais Royal.
To serve the seven tables of trente-et-un there were:
| Francs. | ||||||||
| 28 | Dealers, at | 550 | francs a month, making | 15,400 | ||||
| 28 | Croupiers, at | 380 | " " | 10,640 | ||||
| 42 | Assistants, at | 200 | " " | 8,400 | ||||
| For the nine roulette tables and one passe-dix: | ||||||||
| 80 | Dealers, at | 275 | francs a month | 22,000 | ||||
| 60 | Assistants, at | 150 | " " | 9,000 | ||||
| For the service of the craps, biribi, and hazard: | ||||||||
| 12 | Dealers, at | 300 | francs a month | 3,600 | ||||
| 12 | Inspectors, at | 120 | " " | 1,440 | ||||
| 10 | Aids, at | 100 | " " | 1,000 | ||||
| 6 | Chefs de Partie at the principal houses, at | 700 | francs a month | 4,200 | ||||
| 3 | Chefs de Partie for the Roulettes, at | 500 | francs a month | 1,500 | ||||
| 20 | Secret Inspectors, at | 200 | francs a month | 4,000 | ||||
| 1 | Inspector-General at | 1,000 | ||||||
| 130 | Waiters, at | 75 | francs a month | 9,750 | ||||
| Cards every month cost | 1,500 | |||||||
| Beer and refreshments | 3,000 | |||||||
| Lights | 5,500 | |||||||
| The refreshments for the grand saloon, including two dinners every week, cost | 12,000 | |||||||
| ———— | ||||||||
| The total expenses every month thus amounted to | 113,930 | |||||||