POSTING DAYS. 211 



wherever it might be. The boys — often very old post- 

 boys — had on each line distinctive costumes ; either the 

 blue or buff jackets, and either white or black top-hats, 

 the white generally with the blue, and the black with the 

 buffs ; and it was very rarely that a gentleman, travelling 

 in his own carriage for more than a hundred miles, if he 

 once got on to the blue line, ever got off it till he arrived 

 at his destination. It was all essential, therefore, to get 

 possession of the carriage for the first stage, and, w^hen 

 competition was keen, a post-boy at Barnet would have 

 \Qs. given him by the post-master for bringing ajob^ as it 

 was called ; and when the carriage arrived at the next 

 change the same post-boy would bring back from the 

 second post-master js. 6d., and at the next 5^. would be 

 sent back, and at the fourth 2s. 6d. would be returned ; 

 so the los. paid by the first post-master was divided 

 between himself and the next three, and by this time the 

 carriage and its occupants had got fairly on to the main 

 line of either posting-houses. 



It was very rarely that there was a third house in any 

 town. Old " Bob Nev/man," of Regent Street, was the 

 great man for London, and even now the remains of his 

 establishment may be seen on the road to the Derby, 

 with the four greys and the blue-jacketed and white silk 

 hatted post-boys, bumping the saddle like real old 

 times. At many of the first stages out of London very 

 large establishments were kept. The two rival houses 

 at Barnet each kept from twenty to thirty pairs of post- 

 horses ; Hounslow, Uxbridge, and the houses on great 

 roads to the Eastern counties and to Dover did the 

 same. The usual charge was is. 6d. per mile for a pair 



