CH. VI MAIL-COACH IO 







than that of the stage-coach. It carried four pas- 

 sengers inside, one on the box, and three on the 

 front roof-seat. There was no hind roof-seat, and 

 the rumble, supported by irons, carried only the 

 guard. 



The hind boot had no door behind, the mail-bags 

 being put in through an opening in the top closed 

 by a lid, on which the feet of the guard rested. 

 In the place of the hind roof-seat there was a box 

 containing a blunderbuss and tools. The earlier 

 mails had telegraph springs in front and a cross 

 spring behind, which was later replaced by tele- 

 graph springs. The axles were heavy, with mail 

 axle-arms, the wheels had but little dish and were 

 set nearly vertical ; the hind wheels were larger 

 than those of the coaches, and measured 4 ft. 8 in. 

 The foot-board was small, the boots were large 

 and deep, and sometimes the full width of the 

 body. 



These coaches were made on contract by Vidler, 

 whose firm built them from 1784 to 1836. There 

 were other builders, however ; Ward and Wright 

 are mentioned. 



There is a model of a mail-coach, on a scale of 

 one inch to the foot, in the General Post-Ofhce in 

 London, and an exact copy of it is in the posses- 

 sion of the Coaching Club, New York. It has a 

 hammer-cloth. On occasions of ceremony (such as 

 the Procession of the Mails, which took place from 

 the General Post-Ofhce, on the King's birthday), a 



