362 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



No man, however, should give him less than a shilling, 

 and as much above that sum as he likes. If he often 

 travels the same road, his money is not ill-bestowed. 



I have never travelled with what are called Company's 

 coaches, on which neither coachman nor guard is allowed 

 to kick ; nor do I suppose I ever shall. An old 

 acquaintance of mine, however, was amusing me the other 

 day by a description of a ride he had upon one of them. 

 When he came to the end of his journey, he told the 

 coachman to fetch him his luggage, and his answer was 

 very much like ' Fetch it yourself, and be d — d.' From 

 what we have lately seen and heard, we may venture to 

 pronounce the word ' Company ' but another name for 

 trickery and humbug ; and I hope never to see it applied 

 to so respectable a profession as the road. 



I confess I do like to see a good coachman at work, 

 but there are not many to be met with, and, strange as 

 it may appear, they are becoming, in proportion to their 

 number, more scarce every year. This, however, is easily 

 accounted for. From the sound and fine state of the 

 roads, the condition of the cattle, and the improved 

 method of performing road work, coach horses are now 

 so above their work that the assistance of their driver 

 is seldom called for. In another half-century, I much 

 fear the art will be lost. When I am in town I some- 

 times take a peep at the mails coining up to the Gloucester 

 Coffeehouse, 1 and such a set of spoons are, I should hope, 

 difficult to find. They are all legs and wings ; not one 



1 This stood on the site of the St. James' Hotel, Piccadilly. — Ed. 



