THE AMATEURS 257 



twenty miles an hour, and the coaches rocking 

 violently, while the " outsides " hold on like 

 firemen, hehind some uncertificated youn^^ cuh 

 from Oxford or Canil)ridge, or, anticipating^ the 

 final cataclysm, drop off behind or dive into 

 the hedges. 



Even more than the passengers, coach-pro- 

 prietors dreaded amateur coachmen, and very 

 properly dismissed those professionals whom they 

 caught allowing the reins out of their charge. 

 They had cause for this dread, for not only 

 was the act of allowing amateurs to drive itself 

 an illegal one, entailing penalties, hut it often 

 resulted in accidents, bringing in their train 

 very heavy compensation claims. Juries invari- 

 ably satisfied themselves as to whether a pro- 

 fessional or an amateur was driving at the time 

 when an accident occurred, and assessed damages 

 accordingly. 



Sir St. Vincent Cotton was the cause of a 

 serious accident that happened to the " Star of 

 Cambridge." Springing the horses over a favour- 

 able stretch of gallojnng-ground, he went at such 

 a reckless pace that Jo Walton, the j^i'ofessional 

 coachnian, seized hold of the reins. In doing 

 so the coach Avas overturned, and tlie passengers 

 severely injured. A jockey named Calloway 

 had his leg broken, and, with others, brought 

 an action for damages. The affair cost E;obert 

 Nelson and his partners nearly two thousand 

 pounds. 



A good amateur coachman was, as a general 



VOL. II. 17 



