COACH LEGISLATION ifj 



Wilkius, coach-projn'ietors, aj^peared at his in- 

 stance before the Brighton magistrates, charged 

 with permitting a name other than that of the 

 licensees to he painted on his coach. The name 

 Avas that of the afterwards celebrated Henry 

 Stevenson, of the " Age." It was placed there with 

 an idea of securing patronage for the coach, and 

 it was contended in court that forty names might 

 so be painted on the panel of the coach, if the 

 proprietors liked. But the bench held otherwise, 

 and imposed two mitigated jDcnalties of 60s. each 

 with costs, it being the first offence. 



In August 1830, Byers procured three fines of 

 £10 each and costs in an overloading case against 

 Erancis Vickers. In this affair the methods of 

 himself and his spies were disclosed, for it 

 appeared that the spy was watching the coaches 

 from the upstairs window of a jiublic-house. But 

 already, for some time past, one of Byers' men 

 had set up for himself as a coachman's lawyer, 

 and, coming from the opposition camp, of course 

 brought Avith him a great deal of special knoAV- 

 ledge. From this time Byers' business Avaned. 

 The early steam- carriages of 1826 had foreshadoAved 

 the end of the coaching age, and when railways 

 came the informers' business Avas ruined. True, 

 they might still make a trifle out of the surviving 

 Avaggons, and it Avas possible, noAV and again, to 

 catch a pikeman not giving a ticket when toll Avas 

 paid, or not having his OAvn name painted on his 

 toll-board as collector Avhen he had succeeded 

 some other pikeman ; but the penalties for these 



