THE LATER MAILS 39 



June 10th, 1839. This shortening of the coach 

 route was accompanied by the following adver- 

 tisement in the Times during Octol)er 1838, the 

 forerunner of many others : — 



" Bagshot, Surrey — 49 Horses and harness. 

 To Coach Proprietors, Mail Contractors, Post 

 Masters, and Others.— To be Sold by Auction, 

 l)y Mr. Robinson, on the premises, ' King's Arms ' 

 Inn, Bagshot, on Priday, November 2, 1838, at 

 twelve o'clock precisely, by order of Mr. Scar- 

 borough, in consequence of the coaches going per 

 Railway. 



" About Porty superior, good-sized, strengthy, 

 short-legged, quick-actioned, fresh horses, and 

 six sets of four-horse harness, which have been 

 working the Exeter 'Telegraph,' Southampton 

 and Gosport Past Coaches, and one stage of the 

 Devonport Mail. The above genuine Stock 

 merits the particular Attention of all Persons 

 requiring known good Horses, Avhicli are for 

 unreserved sale, entirely on Account of the 

 Coaches being removed from the Road to the 

 Railway." 



In Thomas Sopwith's diary we find this signifi- 

 cant passage : " On the 11th May, 1810, the 

 coaches discontinued running between York and 

 London, although the railways were circuitous." 

 Thus the glories of the Great North Road began 

 to fade, but it was not until 1842 that the Edin- 

 burgh Mail Avas taken oft' the road between 

 London, York, and Newcastle. July 5th, 1817, 

 witnessed the last journey of the mail on that 



