436 LENGTHS OF STAGES CH. XIX 



number of horses and men to be kept, and if they 

 much exceed eight miles, they cannot be travelled 

 so fast. An ideal road is one with eood stabling- 

 every seven miles. On a twenty-eight mile road 

 this would require four teams, or sixteen horses, 

 but as each stage should have at least one extra 

 horse to fill vacancies caused by lameness or acci- 

 dent, twenty horses in all would be required as a 

 minimum, and, if the pace is at all fast, four more 

 horses, to rest the others, would be necessary. 



It is usually considered that a fast coach, running- 

 out and in, should have a horse to each mile of 

 road ; that is, for a coach going once a day each 

 way, between two places thirty miles apart, thirty 

 horses will be required. 



This will w T ork out as follows, each team doing two 

 stages a day, one each way : — 



Stages five miles ; one rest-horse to each team. 

 30 ms., 6 stages ; 24 horses -j- 6 rest = 30. 



Stages six miles. 



30 ms., 5 stages ; 20 horses -j- 5 rest = 25. 

 A horse to the mile would mve two rest-horses to 

 each team. 



Stages seven and a half miles. 

 30 ms., 4 stages ; 16 horses -f 4 rest= 20. 

 A horse to the mile would give 7%Vz rest-horses to 

 each team. 



