j : ,../', ,: DRIVING. 



those little 'dodges' and tricks that are so necessary to the 

 comfort of both coachman and horses than it is to convey them 

 to the tiro's mind with ink and paper : still there are many 

 things which may be learnt, and conveyed to the beginner, by 

 those who have had good instruction from past-masters in the 

 art of driving (most of them, alas ! no more on this earth), and 

 who have had long and varied experience, both on public 

 coaches and in driving privately, alike in town and country. 



It is said that in this present age young gentlemen usually 

 begin by trying to drive four horses before they have learnt to 

 drive one ; and observation has shown us that this is partially 

 true. Let us hope, however, that some of those we have 

 noticed represent the exceptions and not the rule. One of 

 them, on being asked what the probable result of his attempt 

 would be, replied, ' I believe it is a very difficult thing to upset 

 a coach ' ! After the numerous attempts I have seen, I begin 

 to think the young gentleman was right. 



Let us more modestly start with one horse, and begin by 

 remarking that the harness must fit perfectly ; the shafts 

 must be wide enough and not too wide ; the traces of exactly 

 the right length, so that the horse shall draw with them, 

 and not with his back band. Above all, let the coachman see, 

 before he gets on to his seat, that the loop of the back band is 

 in front of the stop on the shaft ; for on that, whether it be a 

 two-wheeled or a four-wheeled carriage, depends the safety 

 of the driver and those who accompany him. The bitting of 

 the horse the beginner must leave to some one else. If he is 

 a man of ordinary common sense, he will soon find out, or 

 some friend accustomed to driving will tell him, that his bit is 

 too sharp, or the reverse ; that his horse, having a one-sided 

 mouth, will go better at the check one side and the middle the 

 other; or that some other alteration or arrangement is desirable. 

 In short, he must find out for himself, or by the aid of som6 

 one else's experience, how to bit his horse, and must continue 

 to change the bit, or alter the reins up or down on the bit, till 

 4-he horse goes pleasantly. The width and thickness of the 



