under. My brother coachman and myself, together with the two guards, 

 accordingly started a " Telegraph " from Devonport to London, a distance 

 of ninety-five miles by road, joining the rail at Bridgewater, thus making 

 the whole journey two hundred and fifty miles in one day. At that time 

 there was a coach called the " Nonpareil," running from Devonport to 

 Bristol. 



The proprietors of this vehicle, thinking that our's would take off 

 some of their trade, made their's a London coach also, and started at the 

 same time as we did. We then commenced a strong opposition. I had 

 a very good man to contend against William Harbridge, a first-class 

 coachman. We had several years of strong opposition, the rail decreasing 

 the distance every year, till it opened to Exeter. The " Nonpareil " was 

 then taken off, and they started a coach called the " Tally Ho !" against 

 the poor old " Telegraph." Both coaches left Exeter at the same time, 

 and this caused great excitement. Many bets, of bottles of wine, dinners 

 for a dozen, and five-pound notes, were laid, as to which coach would 

 arrive first at Plymouth. I had my old friend Harbridge again, as my 

 competitor. The hotel that I started from, was a little farther down the 

 street than the one whence the " Tally Ho !" appeared, so that as soon as 

 I saw my friend Harbridge mounting the box, I did the same, and made 

 the running. We had all our horses ordered long before the usual time. 

 Harbridge came sailing away after me ; the faster he approached, the more 

 I put on the steam. He never caught me, and, having some trifling 

 accident with one of his horses over the last stage, he enabled me to reach 

 Plymouth thirty-five minutes before he came in. My guard, who resided 

 in St. Albans-street, Devonport, hurried home, and as the other coach 

 passed, he called out and asked them to stop and have some supper; they 

 also passed my house, which was a little farther on, in Fore-street. I was 

 sitting at the window, smoking, and offered them a cigar as they passed 



