THE GAME OF FOOT-BALL.

The following description of three games of foot-ball, with their various peculiarities, will be of interest:

There are now virtually but three codes of rules under which foot-ball is played, viz.: That of the English Foot-Ball Association, the Rugby School code and the American Inter-Collegiate Association code. The English Association rules admit of no handling of the ball in "carrying" it - as in the case of a "run in" - "passing" it, throwing it or of "knocking on;" that is, batting it with the hands. It can only be kicked, except it goes out of bounds. Goals scored by a kick alone count in this game, there being no touchdowns in the score, and no goal can be scored from a "free kick." Under the Rugby rules a goal can be scored by any kind of a kick except that of a "punt" - or kick on the fly. Besides which touchdowns are recognized as part of the game, but do not count in the score, no goal being made except by a kick from the fielding play direct. A majority of goals decides the match, and in case of a tie in the score of goals, a majority of "try at goals" gives the game. But a tie in "try at goals" leads to a drawn match. There is another important difference between the Rugby rules and the American college rules, and that is in the case of a "scrimmage." In the Rugby code a scrimmage takes place when the holder of the ball, being in the field of play, puts it down on the ground in front of him, and the moment he does this the fielders on both sides crowd around him in a mob and each side endeavors to get a chance to kick the ball out of the scrimmage, and the result is that a pretty rough time occurs, the players who are defending the holder of the ball striving to push the opposing fielders back, while the latter endeavor to drive the former from their protection of the player having the ball, the latter being frequently a badly placed "under man in the fight." In the American inter-collegiate rules, "scrimmage" leads to the placing of the ball, followed by an effort of the possessors of it to have it "snapped back" and run off with, the fielders in the scrimmage "lining up" each opposite to the other, on a line with the ball. These are the essential differences in the three methods of playing the game, there being some minor details, too, which are different in each game. The English Association rules admit of legitimate foot-ball play, while the Rugby game admits of the roughest wrestling for the ball of any of the three codes. The American game is the one affording the best chance for strategetic skill in "passing" the ball, but it cannot be said to be foot-ball exactly, as a match can be won without a single goal being kicked.