THE PORTSMOUTH ROAD 173 



cleared. What stamping of feet and blowing" of 

 nails were there ! Women were shivering and waiting 

 patiently ; men were shouting, grumbling, and swear- 

 ing ; and indeed the prospect of spending a winter's 

 night on the outside of a coach on such a spot was, to say 

 the least, not cheerful. At last a brave man came to 

 the rescue. The Star of Brunswick, a yellow-bodied 

 coach that ran nightly between Portsmouth and London, 

 came up. The coachman's name was James Carter, 

 well known to many still living. He made very little 

 to do about the matter, but whipping up his horses, he 

 charged the snow-drifts boldly and resolutely, and with 

 much swaying from side to side, opened a path for him- 

 self and the rest." 



I do not know whether Mr. Godwin refers in this 

 stirring episode to the great snowstorm of 1836; but 

 if he does his story accounts for a fact which has caused 

 me a good deal of surprise. For I find that of all the 

 main roads of England the Portsmouth Road (far from 

 being the least exposed of any of them) w r as the only 

 one which was kept open. And in this case the credit 

 belongs to gallant James Carter and the Star of Bruns- 

 wick — and much credit it is. 



From the Seven Thorns into Liphook is a nice run, 

 not unadapted to the agreeable pastime of " springing 

 them," which as I have before interpreted into common 

 or ordinary English, means galloping pure and simple, 

 a practice not at all uncommon to the Portsmouth Road 

 in spite of the poor times made, as I shall presently 

 show. Meanwhile we have arrived at the Anchor at 

 Liphook, which is one of the most famous houses 

 between London and Portsmouth, and is forty-five miles 

 five furlongs exactly from the Stone's End, Borough. 

 And the Anchor at Liphook not only is an historical 

 house, but has the advantage of possessing in Mr. 

 Peakc a host, who is proud and careful of its history — a 

 pleasant experience which I regret to say I have found 

 far from common in my wanderings. Indeed many 



