370 ANNALS OF THE ROAD. 



had been occurring several times on the road, and it was 

 less pardonable because the offenders knew the mails 

 were comino-. 



During the hard winter of 1814 a guard distinguished 

 himself much on the Holyhead road. There were four- 

 teen mails due in Dublin, and the merchants and others 

 were much distressed about their acceptances. The road 

 was open as far as Corwen in Merionethshire, but the 

 passes through the Carnarvonshire mountains were 

 blocked up. By extraordinary exertions, undertaken 

 chiefly at his own suggestion, this man got the coach, 

 filled with bags, to Holyhead, for which he received the 

 thanks of the Post Office, accompanied by a reward. 

 Several others that I could name have run great risk of 

 their lives in getting through flooded roads, and I know 

 of two instances where their lives were sacrificed to their 

 duty. 



Before I quit this subject, I wish to observe that I am 

 far from being of opinion that guards are useless appen- 

 dages to stage-coaches. On the contrary, I think no 

 coach, running a long distance, and in the night, should 

 be without one, but they should be provided with fire- 

 arms, kept in good repair. Setting aside the idea of 

 highway robber)', it is impossible that coachmen in the 

 night can be answerable for the luggage on their coach ; 

 nor, indeed, can the guard, if he is asleep, and asleep he 

 must be a great part of his time, if worked in the way I 

 have stated. He should not go more than one hundred 

 miles, and he should be paid by the proprietors. 



Fond as I am of the road, I will never miss an op- 



