OBSERVATIONS. 21 



may from time to time occur. He will have to know 

 how to get over all sorts of ground with the greatest 

 advantage as to time, the ease of his horses, and the 

 safety of his passengers, clearly showing that driving 

 the same vehicle, I mean here a coach, in different sit- 

 nations and nnder different circnmstances requires quite 

 different management. 



I wish my readers to understand that a man is not 

 merely a coachman who, with everything put right 

 for him, can contrive to turn corners without running 

 against a post, or who can manage to wend his way 

 along a road or moderate-ly ^ilequented street. He 

 should understand his carriage, know its component 

 parts, and their effects on its safety and running. If 

 he does not know all these he might be driving with 

 something about it loose, cracked, strained, broken or 

 misplaced at the imminent risk of his own and his com- 

 panions' lives. If not a judge of its running well or 

 ill his horses will suffer. I need scarcely say it is also 

 necessary that a good coachman should understand the 

 full effect of every strap and buclde about his harness, 

 for on properly harnessing and bitting horses all their 

 comfort and that of the driver depends. More accidents 

 happen from the want of this than from any other 

 cause, and horses are also often very much punished in 

 their work from such neglect. A man ignorant of all 



