64 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



THE WHITE HORSE CELLAR, PICCADILLY. SHORT STAGES. 



Here is a good picture of Piccadilly, in the neighbour- 

 hood of the White Horse Cellar, in 1829, drawn by Pierce 

 Egan, author of the clever and humorous book ' Life in 

 London; or, the Adventures of Tom, "Jerry," and Logic' : 



' It is highly necessary for persons who are quitting 

 London at the above rendezvous for stage coaches to be 

 alert, for their attention is so much occupied by the sur- 

 rounding objects, that the passengers have scarcely time 

 to think of themselves. 



' To the strange and timid female the bustle and noise 

 . of the scene is extremely annoying ; the almost perpetual 

 blowing of horns, the arrival and departure of numerous 

 stage-coaches, the busy, impertinent, resolute cads, also 

 on the look-out to procure passengers, persuading them 

 nearly against their inclinations to mount "this," or "that 

 'ere coach," with which their interests are connected ; men 

 with newspapers, others with umbrellas, oranges, pencils, 

 walking-sticks, &c, form a most extraordinary assem- 

 blage, and absorb the whole attention ; indeed the ignorant 

 are very liable to make mistakes, and in more instances 

 than one, it has been discovered too late to rectify the 



