200 DRIVING. 



coach, it had a capital season. This coach left London half 

 an hour later than any other and arrived at the same time as 

 the rest, leaving at 4 P.M. and reaching its destination at 9 P.M. 



In order to advertise and give notoriety to the coach, on 

 the occasion of the King opening Parliament the coach con- 

 veyed his maiden speech to Brighton in the short time of 

 3 hrs. 35 mins., Philip Carter driving, Mr. Holmes having made 

 strenuous efforts and obtained the speech in shorthand notes. 



Soon after this Carter had a most miraculous escape from a 

 fatal accident. He carried a full load of passengers, and Captain 

 Barclay (of pedestrian notoriety) was on the box. He was a 

 man well known in the coaching world, and was in the habit of 

 driving a great deal with the Brighton coachmen, many of whom 

 were part proprietors ; not being one himself, however, Carter 

 could not allow anyone to drive. On leaving the office at the 

 Clarence Hotel he had twelve outside passengers all booked 

 and loaded. A gentleman who was a regular customer came 

 up at the last moment, and being the last coach from Brighton, 

 Carter was prevailed on to take him on his consenting to ride 

 on the roof and pay the expenses of an information in the 

 event of there being one. The accident occurred by the pole 

 breaking close to the futchels at the top of the hill going off 

 Thornton Heath down into Streatham. Immediately the pole 

 broke it fell down between the horses, and they commenced 

 the descent with fearful rapidity. Carter had some difficulty 

 in preventing Captain Barclay from trying to pull the horses 

 up, as he knew it was an impossibility, and he managed to get 

 round the very awkward turn at the bottom of the hill with 

 only a slight concussion which threw the aforesaid gentleman 

 off the roof on to the ground ; but he fortunately escaped with 

 a severe shaking. The impetus with which they were going 

 carried them up to the top of the other hill, where, with the 

 assistance of the Captain, he pulled up near the Pied Bull, a 

 pair-horse coaching establishment. Here they were furnished 

 with a new pole and continued their journey to London. 



When the coach became well established, soon after Christ 



