24 THE COACHING ERA 



nouncement in 1754 that, for the better accommodation 

 of its passengers, it would in future be hung on steel 

 springs. At about the same time Manchester made a 

 bold bid for popularity by claiming that, "However in- 

 credible it may appear, this coach will actually arrive in 

 London in four days and a half after leaving Manchester." 

 So great did they consider this acceleration of speed 

 that, with inflated pride, they advertised the venture 

 as a "Flying Coach." 



Other proprietors, not willing to be behind the times, 

 proceeded to increase their speed to five miles an 

 hour, and in consequence dubbed their coaches flying- 

 coaches, or even flying-machines, the newspapers 

 containing such announcements as "The Gloucester 

 flying-machine on steel springs, begins flying next 

 Monday for the summer season." Charles Matthews the 

 actor, after a tedious journey in one of these conveyances, 

 ironically remarked: "I suppose they are called flying- 

 coaches, because they are the slowest things that ever 

 crawled." 



Though the proprietors were ready enough to promise 

 amazing things in the matter of speed, they entertained 

 grave doubts as to their ability to perform them, and 

 that in such cases they might not be held solely respon- 

 sible they added a proviso "if God permits," or "if roads 

 are good." 



The flying-coaches were essentially fair weather 

 vehicles, and at the end of the summer they issued 

 notices of the following description: "The Proprietors 

 of the Stroud coach beg leave to inform their friends 



