COACHING 



Club, otherwise the Four Horse Club, came to an end in 1838. 

 The Defiance Club, for members who had been ' lately per- 

 mitted to retire ' from the other two, was projected in 1809, 

 but it does not appear to have come to anything. The 

 Richmond Drag Club was founded in 1838, but it did not sur- 

 vive for many years ; the members to the number of fifteen 

 or sixteen used to meet at Lord Chesterfield's house. These 

 were the principal clubs. 



Some of the amateur whips of a century ago were addicted 

 to coach matches. Here is the account of such a race from the 

 Sporting Magazine of 1802 : — 



' Mail Coach Match. — On Thursday, May 20th, the 

 London Mail, horsed by Mr. Laud, of the New London Inn, 

 Exeter, with four beautiful grey horses, and driven by Mr. 

 Cave Browne, of the Inniskilling Dragoons, started (at the 

 sound of the bugle) from St. Sydwell's for a bet of Five 

 Hundred Guineas against the Plymouth Mail, horsed by Mr. 

 Phillipps, of the Hotel, with four capital blacks, and driven by 

 Mr. Chichester of Arlington House, which got the Mail first to 

 the Post Office in Honiton. The bet was won easy by Mr. 

 Browne. A very great concourse of people assembled on this 

 occasion.' 



In 1811 Mr. George Seward undertook to drive a four-in- 

 hand fifteen miles in fifty minutes. He selected the road from 

 Hyde Park Corner to Staines, and started at six in the morning. 

 He failed to accomplish his undertaking, but only by three 

 minutes twenty seconds. 



There was more originality about the competition arranged 

 in May 1805 between Mr. Charles Buxton, inventor of the bit 

 known by his name and one of the founders of the Whip Club, 

 and a horse-dealer : — 



' One of our most celebrated whips, Charles Buxton, Esq., 

 has concluded a bet of 500 guineas with Mr. Thomas Hall, the 

 dealer in horses. The object of the wager is to decide Avhich of 

 the two is the best driver of four unruly horses. The wager is 

 to be decided by two friends of the parties, who are to pick 

 T 143 



