STANHOPES AND FASHIONABLE CARRIAGES. 227 



It unfortunately always happens, that a system, how- 

 ever good, is immediately acted upon in extremes, so 

 soon as it becomes what is idly called 'the fashion.' 

 Thus, the lowering of gigs from the absurd height to 

 which they were formerly carried, is now got to an excess, 

 and we see a man sitting below nis horse's tail, with his 

 reins descending from the top of the dashing iron, into 

 his hand. This is a fault which will cure itself ; for, 

 independent of the miserable figure the driver cuts in so 

 humble a situation, very few horses are to be met with, 

 which can be driven with so little control over them as 

 this method affords-^-the angle which the reins describe, 

 before coming to the hand, in addition to the friction 

 they have to contend with, in passing over the dashing 

 iron (to say nothing of the deadening effect such friction 

 must have on the mouth of the horse), destroying so 

 much of his power. It was only this very day, that I 

 saw an instance of a gentleman being unable to guide his 

 horse between two hackney coaches, till his servant got 

 to his head, as he was pulling at him, almost at right 

 angles, and had no command over him. With respect 

 to the cabriolets, now so much in use, though we know 

 nothing of them on the road, they are very good things 

 for Frenchmen, or for Englishmen who are afraid of 

 being melted. 



Taking into consideration, however, the immense 

 number of gigs that are always at work, the inexperienced 

 hands that so many of them are in, and the kind of horse 

 now driven in them, we have no reason to complain ot 

 the accidents that occur ; but, on the contrary, we are 



Q 2 



