CRITICISMS. 95 



ployed to drive carriages that have little pretensions 

 to the name of coachmen. These clumsy work- 

 men often fall to the l6t of single ladies, and 

 nearly always to tradesmen who keep a carriage, 

 the owners of which, not being competent judges of 

 driving, take a coachman from the recommendation 

 of others, who probably know as little of the matter 

 as themselves. Here let me strongly recommend 

 ladies never to take a coachman on mere recom- 

 mendation, unless they well know the person giving 

 the recommendation is a perfect judge of the requisite 

 qualities of one. If they consider a man to be such 

 an one as they want to engage, before finally doing 

 so let them get some one of their acquaintance 

 who thoroughly understands such matters to sit by 

 his side on a box for half an hour : he will then either 

 be at once disapproved of, or if the contrary, they 

 will be certain of having a servant who understands 

 his business. Ten pounds a year more in wages will 

 be amply made up by avoiding coachmakers' bills for 

 repairs, or those of veterinary surgeons for accidents 

 to horses. They will also have their carriage-horses 

 and harness neatly turned out, and properly and 

 safely driven by a man who looks like a coachman, 

 instead of getting one who does not know how to do 

 either, and who will probably be asked by some 

 knowing fellow, " Pray, Sir, who feeds the hogs when 

 you are out ? " or, "I say, neighbour, how much 

 extra does your governor give you for milking ? " or, 

 should both footman and coachman be slovenly, loutish- 

 looking fellows, the former will probably be addressed 

 in something like the following refined phraseology : 

 " I say, lick-plate, when you'd done the knives, why 

 didn't you clean that spoon on the box there ? " An 



