254 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



and several of my friends many a good hour. It was 

 highly diverting to hear his remarks on the opposition 

 coaches, 1 which ran his road. I once heard a passenger 

 for Birmingham go up to him and say — ' I shall not go 

 with you to-day, Jem ; I shall go by the " Aurora." ' — ' By 

 all means, sir,' observed Jem, ' go by the " Aurora ; " they 

 will take you cheaper than I can, and break your neck 

 into the bargain.' His hint to his old master Mr. Costar, 

 that he must change his service, was by no means amiss. 

 ' Now, sir,' said he, ' do you think my coach and I would 

 be missed upon the road if we was to stop at home for a 

 fortnight?' — Jem is a great cocker, and we are apt to 

 take our similes and comparisons from favourite subjects. 

 A friend of mine was travelling with him once, and a 

 gentleman in black passed the coach, to whom Jem made 

 his obeisance. ' Who is your friend ? ' said my friend. 



'What!' replied Howell, ' don't you know parson ? 



I thought everybody knew him. He's a right good 

 one, inside of a church or out ; 2 and they tell me, when 

 he preaches the church is as full as a cockpit /' 



No man in a humble situation in life has met with 

 greater patronage than Jem Howell, and amongst his 

 steady friends may be reckoned Mr. Annesley, Mr. 

 Harrison, Sir Henry Peyton, Lord Clonmel, and many 



1 The finish to the ' Courier ' coach was rather unique. For some time 

 it had carried nothing, which did not suit the late Mr. Jolly, of Enstone, 

 who hcrsed it. Seeing it change horses one day at his stables without a 

 single passenger, he went up to the horse-keeper as soon as he had taken 

 off the leaders, and said, ' Now bring this coach after me ; ' so taking it 

 into a barn, he locked it up, saying, ' This coach has carried a guard and 

 coachman quite long enough for me P 



2 Technical. 



