NIMROD'S NOKTHERN TOUR. 13 



master of mechanics laughs at strength," — a boast, I am aware, that 

 relates to the lever's power ; nevertheless it would be absurd to say, after 

 seeing how an iron cable will hold a large ship, that iron axle-trees can- 

 not be made sufficiently strong to bear the weight of a loaded coach 

 which never exceeds three tons *. Mail-coaches, we know, are often 

 overturned from the necessity of keeping their time in all weather ; but 

 they cannot lose their wheels, and their axle-trees very rarely give way, 

 because they are more than equal to the superincumbent weight, which, 

 from the limited number of passengers, &c. is much less than that of 

 the long stage-coaches, as they are called. Without doubt the axle- 

 trees of the latter should be put to some test before they are used on the 

 road, and proved equal to the weight they have to carry; and it should 

 be seen that the iron is quite free from flaw. But I fear the cry- out of 

 the persons who horse our coaches has something to do with broken axle- 

 trees, by their insisting upon the weight of them being confined within 

 certain bounds ; and we all know the difficulty of combining strength with 

 lightness. I have been chiefly led into this digression by the hope that 

 these remarks may find their way into the newspapers, which it is pro- 

 bable they may do, as the gentlemen connected with them often, no 

 doubt, trust their persons on coaches, and a clever editor, Whig or Tory, 

 is a public loss. But life is like honour, which Virgil says is no 

 where safe. 



I have not much to say of my short visit to London, which appears to 

 me to get bigger and bigger every time I see it. In fact we may almost 

 say of it, what Aristotle said of Babylon, that it might rather be called 



* The weig-ht of twelve passengers and their luggage averages one ton. The 

 modern coaches do not exceed (few amount to) a ton j I have, therefore allowed 

 quite the maximum weight. 



