PREFACE. XXV 



cellent whips and fully comprehending how horses and 

 carriages should be turned out^ yet to what happy chance 

 the various carriages with which they are acquainted owe 

 their origin, or how the roads over which they drive 

 have become established, is a matter of utter indifference 

 to them ; consequently the history of roads which I feel 

 compelled to write at the commencement of this volume 

 in order to trace matters connected with driving up to the 

 present time, I fear will, to many of my readers, appear 

 dry and uninteresting : even if this be the case, I feel I 

 cannot omit what is so essential to a comprehensive work 

 upon the subject of Highways and Horses. 



Although the advent of the locomotive has diverted the 

 traffic from the road to the rail, no one can be certain 

 that some of it will not return when the application of 

 electricity as a motive power has made still further progress : 

 as regards my own belief, I anticipate a very great future 

 for electric motive power in its application to carriages 

 on common roads. At the same time I should resret 

 any innovation that resulted in a depreciation of the quality 

 of horses, or that in any way discouraged the breeding of 

 horses. England has already suffered sufficiently in this 

 respect ; and it is a sad thing at the large sales of 

 thoroughbred stock, that have from time to time taken 

 place, to see so many good mares and sires purchased 

 by foreigners and transported to a distant country. 



LlTTLEBOURNE, WlNCHESTERj 1 888. 



