38 THE BRIGHTON ROAD 



to-day would render insignificant indeed that little 

 crowd of 1833 ; but in those times, when the itch of 

 excursion ising was not so acute as now, that day's 

 return was remarkable ; it was a day that fully 

 justified the note made of it. Then, too, those few 

 hundreds benefited the town more certainly than 

 perhaps their number multiplied by ten does now. 

 For the Brighton visitor of a hundred years ago, once 

 set down in Castle Square, had to remain the night at 

 least in Brighton ; for him there was no returning to 

 London the same day. And so the Brighton folks 

 had their wicked will of him for a while, and made 

 something out of him ; while in these times the greater 

 proportion of a day's excursionists find themselves 

 either at home in London already, when evening hours 

 are striking from Westminster Ben, or else waiting 

 with what patience they may the collecting of tickets 

 at the bleak and dismal penitentiary platforms of 

 Grosvenor Road Station ; and, after all, Brighton is 

 little or nothing advantaged by their visit. 



But though the tripper of the coaching era found 

 it impracticable to have his morning in London, his 

 day upon the King's Road, and his evening in town 

 again, yet the pace at which the coaches went in the 

 '30's was by no means despicable. Ten miles an hour 

 now became slow and altogether behind the age. 



In 1833 the Marquis of Worcester, together with a 

 Mr. Alexander, put three coaches on the road : an up 

 and down " Quicksilver ' and a single coach, the 

 " Wonder." The " Quicksilver," named probably in 

 allusion to its swiftness (it was timed for four hours 

 and three-quarters), ran to and from what was then a 

 favourite stopping-place, the " Elephant and Castle." 

 But on July 15th of the same year an accident, by 

 which several persons were very seriously injured, 

 happened to the up " Quicksilver ' when starting 

 from Brighton. Snow, who was driving, could not 

 hold the team in, and they bolted away, and brought 

 up violently against the railings by the New Steyne. 

 Broken arms, fractured arms and ribs, and contusions 



