The Merry Past 



its name. It started at a quarter before five, and 

 arrived in London at a quarter before ten, stopping 

 twice on the road for refreshment. Some years 

 afterwards, in order to give those who preferred an 

 extra hour for " sleep and a downy bed " that indul- 

 gence, their time for starting was postponed to a 

 quarter before six, and their speed increased, so that 

 the journey was terminated at the same hour. In 

 1834 an opposition was started, with the imposing 

 cognomen of the Nimrod. On this occasion the 

 Wonder party, with much sagacity, put on another 

 coach called the Stag, to accompany the Nimrod, not 

 allowing the Wonder to race or perform any of the 

 dangerous exploits usually exhibited by oppositions. 

 Thus the road was for about a year and a half sup- 

 plied with three coaches, when the Nimrod party 

 found theirs was a losing concern, and made overtures 

 to consolidate it with the Stag, the latter having all 

 along had the best of the chase. It is scarcely neces- 

 sary to observe that the Stag did not long continue its 

 course after the competition had ceased. The 

 Shrewsbury Wonder itself ceased running in 1839, 

 killed by the competition of the London and Bir- 

 mingham Railway. 



Many and loud were the curses which about this 

 time were levelled at the " new-fangled steam-kettles " 

 by the old coachmen and other lovers of the road, 

 who could not bring themselves to believe that the 

 railways had come to stay. 



Until the appearance upon the Windsor road of the 

 Taglioni coach, the most elegant public carriage that 



149 



