149 



THE GIG-HORSE. 



PROGRESSIVE IMPROVEMENT IN TWO-WHEELED CAR- 

 RIAGES CHOICE OF A GIG-HORSE ACCIDENTS. 



A FEW years back, a country parson and his 

 wife, or a wealthy old farmer, were the only per- 

 sons seen in England in two- wheeled carriages, then 

 called Whiskies. They were useful, though far 

 from ornamental vehicles, having what is termed 

 " a head"' to protect the inmates from weather, 

 and, with a very quiet horse, were considered as 

 nearly equal in security to close four-wheeled car- 

 riages. In the character and appellations of these 

 carriages, however, a wonderful alteration has taken 

 place within the last fifty years, and even royalty 

 itself has been seen seated in gigs, cabriolets, Stan- 

 hopes, and Tilburies ; the two last taking their 

 names from the inventors of their peculiar forms. 

 The build of these two-wheeled carriages has reached 

 the very summit of perfection, not only as regards 

 their firmness but their elegance ; and it is scarcely 

 necessary to add, that the horses driven in them, 

 as likewise their harness, have equally altered their 

 character. From two to three hundred guineas 

 (and, in one instance, seven hundred guineas were 



