“In carrying out my

invention I make the bed of sheets or plates of cement or other artificial substance on an iron frame or of zinc

screwed down or otherwise secured upon wooden holding blocks in a metallic frame. I sometimes paint or

enamel the surface or otherwise cover it with a small waterproof coating so as to protect the plates from

corrosion and yet form no impediment to the free travel of the balls, instead of covering with green baize as

ordinarily practised. I make the cushions of metallic round or elliptic tubes or other hard impenetrable

material, and the balls of india-rubber or other elastic substance, thus reversing the ordinary plan, which

consists in making the cushions elastic and the balls hard and unyielding. In order, however, to use the table

for hard balls also I frequently make the cushions with a soft india-rubber cord shrunk into them in the usual

manner on one side and make them reversible so that we can use either side at pleasure, the soft or the hard

cushion. My table can also be placed out on the lawn and played in fine weather, thus converting billiards into

a healthy outdoor game. In such case the board is usually played bare; as, however, it is well to occasionally be

able to use green baize, I fasten it on when required in the following manner :—A series of round holes with a

thinner slot projecting upwards are placed in the frame. India-rubber cords are attached to the green baize of a

size to just go easily through the round holes. When therefore the cloth is stretched and the india-rubber cords

or cylindrical tags put through these holes and pulled out and upward at the same time, the rubber is, squeezed

up into the slot and expanding to the natural size on each side is effectually held. An awning can be erected

over the table. The bed of the table is not bound to be made of metal except for export, where light weight is a

great desideratum. I usually prefer cement to zinc or other metallic plates. The cement plates are formed as

follows :—I first obtain a perfectly level surface; this is best done by planing a large cast-iron or glass bed

plate. On this bed plate I place movable (preferably metallic) edges with top, bottom, and sides accurately

planed to the required thickness of the cement plate, usually if inches. I then cast the cement on this bed plate

accurately levelled off to the height of the edges. These plates are placed on a frame preferably of the

following constructions. Upon cast-iron legs I place a rectangular frame of cast-iron having transverse and

longitudinal bars. The tops of the frame and bars are accurately planed and adjusted by means of bolts

fastening the whole together, so that the upper surfaces shall all be in one uniform plane. The slab or slabs of