CH. VI DILIGENCE 105 



Morin's description of the English coach and 

 his comments upon it, in the Report just men- 

 tioned, are too good to be lost : — 



' At the same period the English mails and 

 'coaches had an entirely different form from ours, 

 ' and are reproduced in the vehicle now used in 

 ' England to take a party of people to the races ; 

 ' the body of a berline, with places inside for four 

 ' persons only, and with twelve or fourteen seats 

 'outside, entirely uncovered and surrounded by a 

 ' simple iron rail which barely afforded a point of 

 ' support to the passengers ; a space on the roof for 

 ' the baggage against which the passengers leaned : 

 ' such is the vehicle to which the English gave, 

 'and still give, their preference in a climate which 

 ' is wet and rainy the greater part of the year. 

 ' We cannot dispute their taste in such things, or 

 ' in colours.' * 



DILIGENCE 



On the Continent of Europe, in old coaching 

 days, the vehicle which corresponded to the stage- 

 coach of England was the Diligence. Plate IX., 

 from a photograph of a Swiss diligence of 1891, 

 shows it well, since few changes have been made in 

 it during the past seventy years. The main body 

 is like that of a coach, carries four or six persons, 

 and is called the 'interieur.' In front, and con- 

 structively forming part of the body, is the 'coupe,' 



* Morin, Rapport sur Classe VI., p. 411. 



