96 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



the " Telegraph " day coach in seventeen hours. The 

 former went from Devonport to London, and by a road 

 five or six miles longer than that by which the " Tele- 

 graph," a more recently established coach, went from 

 Exeter to London. The "Telegraph" used to leave 

 London at 5.30 in the morning, every day except Sunday 

 throughout the year, and reached Exeter at 10.30 in 

 the evening very regularly : so regularly that the people 

 working in the fields used to be seen setting their 

 watches by it. It also left Exeter every day at five 

 o'clock in the morning (Exeter time, i.e. about 5.15 

 London time), and reached London at ten in the evening 

 Exeter time. This was wonderful going, seventeen 

 hours, including all stoppages, and breakfast and dinner 

 about twenty minutes each. We used to call the distance 

 by the " Telegraph " road 1 70 miles, but I see, looking 

 at " Paterson's Roads," it is called 164^ miles. But that 

 would be from the outskirts of Exeter to Hyde Park 

 Corner, whereas the time went from the London Inn 

 at Exeter to the White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly. There 

 were four coachmen who drove the coach every day, the 

 two middle men meeting on the road and changing 

 coaches, and the two startino- men driving in the evening 

 coach at night, one of the two middle men used to drive full 

 100 miles every day ; he drove somewhat farther than 

 any of the others, but the two middle men had of course 

 the prime of the day, and all at once, without darkness 

 in the winter. It used to cost us then 3/. 10s. and 3/. 

 inside, and 2/. io-s - . and 2/. outside, one way costing 

 more than the other, I forget why. I have given these par- 



