SEIZING A COACH 113 



All this altercation had taken place in the inn yard, 

 and I thought the office the most proper place to discuss 

 a question of such moment. 



The doors being closed, I said, — 



"I do not, sir, for a moment doubt the validity or the 

 legality of your instrument as far as it goes ; but it is 

 my duty to tell you that the coach is not the property of 

 your debtor to make over, nor of any one of the pro- 

 prietors : it is the sole property of the coachmaker, of 

 whom the company hire it, and pay for it by the mile. 

 You will, therefore, find you are exceeding the power 

 your document gives you, if you persist in taking the 

 coach with the horses." 



Having said this, he allowed me to proceed, and I 

 submitted that it would be much better for him and the 

 company, as well as the public, to allow the coach with 

 the horses to continue their work. " It was customary." 

 I added, " in our business for any one proprietor wishing 

 to take his horses ofi*, to give a month's notice, thereby 

 giving time to find someone to cover the ground. I assured 

 him that his security would not at all be damaged or 

 diminished by so doing ; and said if he thought there 

 would be any danger in the horses being out of sight of 

 the officer, he could send a man to go backward and 

 forward Avith them." 



This seemed so reasonable to the gentleman that he 

 gave his consent, and the company had the honour of his 

 co-partnership till it was ultimately disposed of to the 

 Sheriff's officer. 



In the meantime an improvement in pace had mani- 

 fested itself on the Cambridge road. The old-established 



VOL. II. ■ I 



