480 AMERICAN COACHING CH. XX 



'or greater quantity. The baggage must be de- 

 ' posited at the Bunch of Grapes the preceding 

 ' evening, otherwise it cannot be received in the 

 ' stages. 



' Gershom Johnston 

 ' Philad. June 16, 1783. Charles Besonett 



' N.B. The Baltimore Stage Waggon leaves the 

 ' Bunch of Grapes tavern on Monday, Wednesday 

 ' and Friday morning precisely at 5 o'clock, and 

 'proceeds for Alexandria (in Virginia) a passenger 

 ' taking a seat in the stage at Elizabeth Town, may 

 ' arrive at Alexandria in four days, a distance of 

 ' 240 miles.' 



From another advertisement it appears that the 

 ' flying Stage waggon ' had four horses and changed 

 every 20 miles. Another advertisement, of 1782, 

 says, ' New Erected Stages. These Machines, 

 'which are on springs, and very easy carriages,' 

 etc. 



In the Pennsylvania Journal for February 4, 1 784, 

 is the following : ' The stage from this city to Balti- 

 ' more on Monday the 19th ult. crossing the Sus- 

 ' quehannah on the ice, broke in, and with difficulty 

 ' the passengers were saved, two of the horses were 

 ' drowned.' 



Evidently there was sometimes a competition in 

 speed, for one advertisement of 1788 says that 

 ' The drivers are prohibited on severe penalties 

 ' from running their horses.' 



