io8 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



no coachmaster is warranted in committing the lives of 

 his customers, the public, to such incompetent hands. 

 I shall keep my eye on one or two of these " Flying 

 Brightons," and if there is not an alteration, and an im- 

 provement too before long, I will show up the delinquents, 

 both master and servant, by name. 



' There is a very old and good servant of the public 

 still at work on this road, whose long and praiseworthy 

 career deserves to be recorded. His name is Hine; 

 and although never a first-rate performer, he has been, as 

 far back as I can remember, from his constant sobriety, 

 civility and steadiness, the chief favourite (especially 

 with families) on the old Reigate and Clayton road. 

 When I first knew him, full twenty years ago, he had 

 been for a oreat length of time on Orton and Bradford's 

 coach — which gradually declined after he left it — out of 

 " the Bull " yard, Holborn, and it is only within the last 

 fourteen years that he has turned " Rioter" (as Ned 

 Burford used to call it) on the coach which he now 

 drives, the " Alert," and a capital coach it is. I should 

 be happy to take an even bet that he has carried more 

 families for the last ten years than any other three coach- 

 men out of Brighton ; and I am delighted to see the old 

 man still in good health and feathering his nest so 

 comfortably. 



' Goodman's " Times " and " Regent " are among the 

 best horsed coaches going, and, from what I can see, 

 have- their full share of business. Sam, however, him- 

 self, though a tolerable coachman, is not to be named 

 in the same day with Mr. Snow. But it must be allowed 



