304 STAGE-COACH AND MAIL IN DAYS OF YORE 



of Trafalgar and tlie death of Nelson, in 

 1805, produced innumerable "Nelsons," "Lord 

 Nelsons," and " Trafalgars," only rivalled in 

 popularity by the "Wellingtons" and "Water- 

 loos " ten years later. Even Blucher was 

 honoured, in a coach named after him. Coach- 

 proprietors, in fact, were keen to seize the 

 popular incident of the hour, the hero of the 

 day, or the name of the local magnate, to reflect 

 a certain glory upon, or bespeak affection for, 

 their enterprises. Even the " Union " coaches, 

 which were christened in honour of that great 

 political event, the Union of Great Britain and 

 Ireland, and were from that date to be found 

 on almost every great road, and in incredible 

 numbers on the bye-roads, paled their lustre 

 befere those named after the naval and military 

 heroes, or the glorious victories of the hour. 



But when the glamour of the great achievements 

 won on land and sea by generals and admirals 

 and by our soldiers and sailors had waned, as 

 it speedily did when peace came and the nation 

 was called upoii to pay the bill, it is to be 

 feared that the "Wellingtons" and "Nelsons" 

 did not run so frequently with a full way-bill 

 as they had done, and that opportunist coach- 

 proprietors in many cases renamed them in 

 styles that more exactly fitted the humours of 

 the time. When the comets of 1811 and 1818 

 appeared, flaming in the heavens, to excite the 

 wonderment of the learned and to terrify the 

 ignorant, the coach-proprietors were early in 



