CH. XI MOUNTINGS OF HARNESS 239 



better than American russet leather ; but American 

 black leather, such as is used in the rest of the 

 harness, is more even in surface and wears better 

 than the English. 



The mountings and buckles of the harness shown 

 in the illustrations, are those known to harness- 

 makers as the English wire mountings, and are 

 the simplest and best ; no fanciful mountings are 

 admissible on coach-harness. 



Whether the mountings of a drasf-harness are of 

 silver or of brass is a matter of taste, but for a 

 public-coach they are always of brass ; carrying out 

 the old road traditions.* 



All the mountings of harness, carriages, whips, 

 &c, should be of the same metal in any one stable, 

 and those of the coach must conform thereto. 

 White mountings may be nickel-plated as well as 

 silver-plated, and nickel has the advantage of being 

 hard and of keeping its polish with but little 

 cleaning ; since all cleaning of the mountings 

 with powder is apt to injure the leather, this is 

 an advantage. 



Among yellow metals, aluminium-bronze, one part 

 by weight of aluminium to nine of copper, is strong 

 and does not tarnish readily, but it is difficult to 

 procure, while the common patterns of mountings 

 in brass can be had everywhere. 



* 'Nimrod,' Northern Tour, p. 333, 1835, speaks of silver-plated 

 furniture being old-fashioned for a public-coach. 



