THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 135 



at a penny per mile ; but when posting by carriages 

 commenced, it is not in my power to determine. I think 

 somewhere about the same time, although to a very limited 

 extent. It is, indeed, only within these last twenty years 

 that English gentlemen have desisted from the practice of 

 what is termed riding post from their country seats to 

 London, good hackneys being provided for themselves and 

 servants on the roads." 



" And not a bad way of travelling," observed Frank ; 

 " next to a seat on a coach-box, behind good horses, I 

 should prefer it to any other." 



" Very good," resumed the uncle, " for gentlemen of a 

 certain age, and of certain personal dimensions ; but 

 it would hardly have suited me. It was all very well, 

 however, for gentlemen to travel in this way, because they 

 could go just as far in the course of the day as they felt 

 inclined to do ; and no doubt but, by the change in the 

 action of the muscles, the result of changing the horses, 

 they could travel a long way without feeling fatigued, if 

 in the previous habit of fast riding. But there is one 

 practice amongst our noblemen and country gentlemen 

 which they carry to the verge of cruelty. I allude to 

 their making their servants ride post-horses, after their 

 carriages, when they travel post, arid often to the extent of 

 from 200 to 300 miles, with very little intermission. This 

 is a system that ought to be done away with, and no 

 doubt will soon be remedied, as it is calling too severely 

 on the personal exertions of servants." 1 



" Allow me to ask you," said Frank, " now that we are 

 on the subject of the road, what distance of ground ought 

 to be implied by the word mile, for I have heard many 

 disputes on the subject 1 " 



"A dispute on this subject," replied Mr. Raby, "is 

 immediately settled by a reference to different countries. 

 An English statute mile is eighty chains, or 1760 yards, 

 that is, 5280 feet ; but reckoning in geometrical paces 

 (60,000 of which make a degree of the equator), it stands 

 thus in relation to that of other European countries ; 

 England, 1200 paces ; Scotland and Ireland, 1500 ; 

 Italy, 1000 ; Eussia, 750 ; Germany, 4000 ; Hungary, 

 6000. Thus, a friend of mine, travelling in Germany, 



1 It is scarcely necessary to observe, the placing rumbles, or 

 dickeys, on the hinder part of gentlemen's carriages, has caused 

 the abandonment of this system of servants riding post. 



