COACHING DAYS AND WAYS 



Common, instead of keeping straight on turned to 

 the left and found himself in Putney Lane, where 

 turning the corner of Mr. Kensington's wall in 

 order to get again into the road to Wandsworth, 

 the coach was overturned." He appears to have 

 driven on to the bank by the roadside. The ten 

 outside passengers were all more or less hurt, 

 one dying from her injuries, and the coachman him- 

 self had both legs broken. Accidents due to reck- 

 less driving and racing were very common, despite 

 the law* of 1790 which made a coachman who, by 

 furious driving or careless, overturned his coach, 

 liable to a fine not over five pounds. The following 

 is typical: — 



*Last night occurred one of those dreadful catas- 

 trophes, the result of driving opposition coaches, 

 which has so stunned the country with horror that 

 sober people for a time will not hazard their lives 

 in these vehicles of fury and madness. 



' Two coaches that run daily from Hinckley 

 to Leicester had set out together. The first having 

 descended the hill leading to Leicester was obliged 

 to stop to repair the harness. The other coachman 



1 30 Geo. III., c. 36. 

 10 



