ON COACHMEN. 255 



others attached to the road, and no doubt he is in very 

 comfortable circumstances. He now drives the Worcester 

 'Mercury' into London. 



I have not yet done with the old ones. Many of my 

 friends, to the northward of London, would consider me 

 very culpable, and indeed I should consider myself guilty 

 of an injustice to merit and good conduct, were I to omit 

 the mention of that very celebrated performer, Dan 

 Herbert, upwards of thirty years on the Chester and 

 Holyhead mail, and to whom, in consideration of his 

 faithful and correct attention to his business, the Post- 

 office has made a present of a scarlet coat on every 

 anniversary of the King's birthday. His place was little 

 more than exercise to him — getting on his box at Eccle- 

 shall, in Staffordshire, at a pleasant hour in the morning, 

 and driving only to Lichfield, twenty-four miles. Here 

 afte'* taking his dinner, he met his down coach, and 

 returned to Eccleshall in the evening. Taking advan- 

 tage of his superior coachmanship, and the shortness of 

 his stages — changing twice in his twenty-four miles — Dan 

 was generally very indifferently horsed ; but of all the 

 men I ever saw upon a coach box, he had the best 

 method of driving bad horses without punishing them ; 

 or, if I may be allowed the expression, of coaxing them 

 along. I used to work a good deal upon this mail x some 

 years back, and upon one occasion am enabled to speak 



1 Just to show what a change has taken place in the order of things 

 within these last twenty years, I mention the following fact. I was once 

 riding over Dan Herbert's ground, when his coach overtook me. I got on 

 the box, and the guard rode my hack, behind the coach, for two stages ! 

 Were this to happen now the guard would be in the black book. 



