204 THE COACHING ERA 



fell into another drift, from which he escaped with 

 much difficulty, and his horse died of suffocation before 

 help could be obtained. 



The Edinburgh mail bravely started on its return 

 journey, but, though it had the assistance of eight 

 waggon horses besides its own team, it could get no 

 farther than Royston. The Liverpool mail overturned 

 near Lichfield, and the Leeds coach gave up the attempt 

 at Dunstable. 



The Newmarket road was so blocked with snow 

 near Bournbridge that the up and down mails stuck 

 fast within sight of each other, and the coachmen and 

 guards had to carry the mails and luggage across the 

 snow. The up and down Yarmouth coaches were 

 similarly situated at Saxmundham, whilst one coach was 

 stuck at Walton, and another abandoned near Lowestoft. 



Many of the abandoned coaches were buried beneath 

 the snow, so that three months later the Post Office 

 sent out the following circular: 



"Several mail coaches being still missing that were 

 obstrufted in the snow since February last, this is to 

 desire you, you will immediately represent to me an 

 account of all the spare patent mail coaches that are 

 in the stages where you travel over, whether they are 

 regular stationed mail coaches or extra spare coaches, 

 and the exadl place where they are, either in barn, 

 field, yard or coach-house, and the condition they are 

 in, if they have seats, rugs, and windows complete."^ 



Coachmen and guards on all sides declared that 

 1 The Royal Mail. J. Wilson Hyde. 



