CH. VIII COMPARISON OF COACHES 1 25 



permit the wheel horses to be put close to the 

 splinter-bar ; but instead of making the foot-board 

 too hiofh. it is better to bring the whole fore-car- 

 riage forward, and thus get a short trace, with the 

 additional advantage of a longer coupled coach 

 (see p. 167). The majority of coach-makers have a 

 fancy for a short coupling, and sacrifice important 

 features for what is really a disadvantage. 



On comparing XIX. and XX., putting the ground 

 lines together and the roller-bolts together, two ex- 

 treme forms will be noticed. In XX. a sixteen-hand 

 horse, with a trace of the proper length, is too close 

 to the foot-board ; in XIX. there is more space 

 than is necessary ; XXII. is nearly the same as 

 XX. ; XVII. is a good mean between the two. 



The comparison of the Oxford coach (Cordery), 

 Plate II., with the others is very interesting. The 

 body is about the same size as that of the Barker 

 drag, Plate XX., but is hung 13 inches higher, a 

 position partly made necessary by the length of 

 the whip-spring, but also, no doubt, by following 

 the fashion of the private carriages of the day, 

 inasmuch as there is no mechanical reason why the 

 whip-springs should not have been set lower or the 

 braces made longer. Notwithstanding the height 

 of the body, the driving-seat is somewhat low. The 

 roof of II. is exactly the same height as that of 

 XII. (American Concord), but as XII. is constructed 

 to carry nine inside passengers, the bodies differ 

 extremely. 



