BRITISH SPORT PAST AND PRESENT 



tioned, and with their assistance the mail was extricated by 

 dayUght. Then they travelled with the six post horses across 

 the Downs. They were again blocked near Mere. About a 

 hundred men were at this time employed a little distance off 

 in digging out the Subscription and Defiance coaches. After 

 being extricated by some labourers they resumed their progress 

 from Mere with four fresh mail-horses and two posters. 

 Between Ilchester and Ilminster the post horse leaders fell 

 in a snow drift, and were run upon by the mail leaders ' 

 [BelVs Life, January 1837). 



' The Estafette coach from Manchester on Svmday morning 

 did not reach London until Tuesday night, having been dug 

 out of the snow twelve times. It was the first coach from 

 Manchester of the same day that arrived in town. The guard 

 attributes his success to the exertions of four sailors, outside 

 passengers, who lent a hand at every casualty.' 



' A gentleman who left Sheffield by the Hope coach of 

 Sunday week reports that the coach did not complete its 

 journey until Saturday afternoon. Between Nottingham and 

 Mansfield, close to the Forest, they came upon three coaches 

 blocked in the snow, which was lying 9 feet deep. The Hope 

 left Mansfield with eight horses and was driven into Notting- 

 ham with ten. They picked up a poor boy nearly perished 

 with cold. The boy was got by a gentleman jumping down 

 while the coach was in motion, for the coachman declared that 

 if he came to dead stop he would not be able to get the wheels 

 in motion again ' {BelVs Life, 8th January 1837). 



Highway robbery was still practised at this time, but the 

 armed horseman with crape mask and pistols had gone out of 

 fashion, and thefts were accomplished by craft. 



' The Stirling mail has been robbed of notes to the value of 

 £13,000 in the following manner, — A man took his seat at 

 Stirling as an outside passenger. The mail was followed 

 closely from Stirling by a gig containing two men. When the 

 mail arrived at Kirkliston the guard stopped to take out the 

 customary bags to leave there. The gig also stopped there, 



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