156 COACHING. 



he was suffocated in the mud or killed by a blow 

 was not ascertained. 



In the inside of the coach were four females 

 — the w'ife of the deceased, her maid, a Swiss 

 governess in the family of the Marquis of Aber- 

 corn, and another lady. They all narrowly 

 escaped drowning. Nothing but the speedy 

 assistance from Bedfont could have saved them. 

 Above one hundred persons were assembled in a 

 few moments, most of them soldiers from Bed- 

 font. The soldiers leaped into the water and 

 extricated the ladies from their perilous situa- 

 tion ; the body of the coach lying on its side, 

 with one of the horses drowned, and the rest 

 kicking and plunging violently. The inside 

 passengers were bruised, but not dangerously. 

 Mr. Wainwright owed his death to his humanity. 

 The night being very severe he had given his 

 place inside to his wife's maid, and mounted 

 the box beside the coachman, with whom he 

 was conversing at the time of the acci- 

 dent. 



In April, 1826, the Dorking coach left the 

 " Elephant and Castle " at nine o'clock, full inside 

 and out, and arrived safe at Ewell, when the 

 driver and proprietor, Joseph Walker, alighted 

 for the purpose of delivering a parcel from the 



