1 72 DRIVING. 



Mr. Stevenson was driving the ' Brighton Age ; ' and I begin 

 with him because he was the great reformer who set a good 

 example to coachmen generally, as regards punctuality, neat- 

 ness and sobriety. Before his day many were very slovenly. 

 They drove without gloves or aprons ; the old night coachmen 

 frequently wore glazed hats such as sailors wear, and had bands 

 of hay or straw twisted round their legs ; they were uncouth and 

 careless in appearance rough in manner and language ; much 

 given to drink ; and, if admitted as representatives of the pro- 

 fession, were likely to get the coachman a bad name which he 

 did not deserve. The ' Age ' left Brighton as the clock struck 

 twelve, and a vast crowd assembled every day to see it start ; 

 it was well horsed and well driven. This has always been the 

 most fashionable road for driving, and later on the late Duke 

 of Beaufort, Lord Chesterfield, and several other gentlemen 

 drove on that road. The professional drivers afterwards were 

 Charles Jones, Sir St. Vincent Cotton, Dick Brackenbury, Jack 

 Willan, Charles Ward, and Frank Jerningham. Willan had 

 what was called a ' double load,' the ' Times,' which he drove 

 from London to Brighton and back ; it was said to be worth 

 7oo/. a year ; but a man who drives one hundred miles every 

 day, in all weathers, deserves to be well paid. 



If I go back to my very earliest recollections of coaching, I 

 must begin before the date I have mentioned. 



In the year 1820, being then six years old, I was put into 

 the old Frome coach, which carried six inside, to be taken to 

 London. We left Frome at 6 P.M., and reached our destina- 

 tion at 12 next day eighteen hours doing one hundred miles ; 

 but I have never yet forgotten that every time we changed 

 horses the same question was always put to the guard, which 

 was, * Well, George, how is your brother Robert ? ' It turned 

 out that shortly before, at some inn, the horses had been left to 

 themselves, while the coachman and guard went in to drink ; 

 the horses started off, the guard rushed out, just in time to 

 jump on to the coach, but as they were making for a pond he 

 jumped off and broke his leg. Such instances of neglect were not 



