3i6 THE LIFE OF A SPORTSMAN 



coachmen of England Englishmen are greatly indebted. 

 To them we owe the improved manners as well as morals 

 of modern road coachmen, amongst whom they have 

 excited a wholesome spirit of emulation, a creditable 

 style of dress and address, as well as honest pride in the 

 condition of their horses, cleanliness of their harness, and 

 so forth. Coach travelling is, as it were, metamorphosed 

 into something approaching to luxury, from a tedious and 

 disgusting labour ; and a modern stage-coach is become a 

 beautiful object on our roads, in the place of an unwieldy 

 machine, at variance with mathematical principles. There 

 is an increase of speed with a diminution of danger a 

 great point gained, and to the accomplishment of which 

 the improvement in axle-trees and wheels has most 

 materially tended. 'Dry wheels make wet horses,' is a 

 proverb on the road ; and independently of the safety of 

 the patent box, in which the arm of the axle-tree rests, 

 the lubrication of it by the constant flow of oil, by 

 reducing friction, is nearly equal to half a horse's 

 draught. I am quite sure, then, that it adds much to the 

 pleasure of the members of those clubs, and to other 

 amateurs of the coach-box, to reflect that, whilst driving 

 their own fine and well-appointed teams, they are affording 

 instruction and example to their humbler and hard- 

 working fellow-creatures, as well as performing a patriotic 

 and public good ; and as for the too common but erroneous 

 opinion amongst certain classes of society, that a man 

 cannot frequent a public coach-box without being morbidly 

 infected in manners and good taste, by coming in contact 

 with one very much his inferior, the notion is too absurd 

 for even a comment. Did the learned Dr. Paley suffer, 

 either in his manners or his morals, by conversing, as was 

 his custom, with every artificer he could get hold of in his 

 walks 1 No, the case is quite otherwise ; and those public 

 coachmen who have come most in contact with amateurs 

 in their line, are uniformly improved by so doing ; they 

 are better coachmen and better men. You hear from 

 them no ill language, no gross and offensive expressions 

 to the female ear especially ; and what is of still more 

 importance, you are not disgusted by insolence to the 

 inferior class of passengers on their coaches ; neither are 

 your feelings outraged by unnecessary cruelty to the 

 animals placed under their control, and, by consequence, 

 at their mercy. I was gratified, indeed, by an answer 



