END OF THE COACHING AGE 273 



alii>:litiug- from a train saAV him. With siirjiriso 

 and sorrow in liis eyes he recognised the once 

 smart coachman, who, years hefore, had tutored 

 him in driving. "Good God!" he exclaimed: 

 " is it you ? " The okl man burst into tears. 



He ended more happily than, hut for this 

 chance, would have heen the case, for the Squire 

 took him into his service, and there he remained 

 until he followed his generation to the Beyond. 



The opening of the London and Birmingham 

 Railway in September 1838 did not suddenly 

 bring the Coaching Age to a close. Many 

 routes remained for years afterAvards j^i'^ctically 

 unassailed, and even on the road to Birmingham 

 some coach-proprietors struggled with great spirit 

 against the direct competition of the railway. 

 At the close of 1838 a newspaper is found saying : 

 " A fcAV months ago no fewer than twenty-two 

 coaches left Bii-iningham daily for London. Since 

 the opening of the railway that number has been 

 reduced to four, and it is expected that these will 

 be discontinued, although the fares by coach are 

 only 206\ inside and Vds. outside, whilst the fares 

 for corresponding places on the railroad are 30s. 

 and 20s." 



Prominent among those men who declined to 

 give up without a struggle Avas Sherman, of the 

 " Bull and Mouth," whose coaches had run to 

 Birmingham, jManchester, and other places on 

 the north-Avestern road. For tAvo years he main- 

 tained the unequal contest, and only relinquished 

 it AA'hen he had lost seven thousand pounds and 

 VOL. II. 18 



