234 DEAUGHT AND HARNESS. 



The Length of the Pole and Pole-chains. In four- 

 wheeled vehicles these are important considerations, 

 and so very nearly connected with the length of the 

 traces that they find their place here naturally. As 

 a matter of course, a longer trace involves a longer pole, 

 as the end of the latter should always project to a 

 certain extent beyond the h9rses' chests. What is this 

 certain length ? 



In gentlemen's carriages a long piece of pole sticking 

 out in front is considered to be inelegant ; then, again, 

 it is supposed to be correct, so to say inevitable, that a 

 carriage should be halted as suddenly as a drill-sergeant 

 halts his awkward squad ; and, finally, it is held to be 

 an outrage on all decency and assthetical propriety if 

 the horses, in endeavouring to " bring up the craft all 

 standing," as the sailors say, and with a mere stump 

 of a pole, should turn out their croups towards the 

 bystanders. Now, much as we regret placing ourselves 

 in antagonism to fashion, even in the slightest degree, 

 we are compelled to say that the whole proceeding 

 is sadly deficient in that sweetness and light which 

 Mr. Arnold has remarked to be characteristic of the 

 Barbarians ; that to us, on the contrary, it is markedly 

 redolent of Philistinism, inasmuch as it seems to say, 

 " Let us show the Plebians that money is no object, and 

 that one or two pairs of horses, more or less, make no 

 difference." 



Fig. 21 shows that when the end of the pole projects 

 but very little beyond the line of the horses' chests 

 as, for instance, only to the line x x the animals must, 

 when suddenly called upon to stop the carriage from 

 a sharp trot, inevitably throw out their croups in the 

 direction b" b", which when carried to excess is no 



