88 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



mail-coaches were abandoned on the various roads. 

 The Brighton mail (from London) reached Crawley, 

 but was compelled to return ; the Dover mail also 

 returned, not being able to proceed further than 

 Gravesend. The bags for places beyond Crawley 

 and Gravesend were left at those towns respectively. 

 The Hastiness mail was also oblip-ed to return. The 

 Brighton up mail of Sunday had travelled about 

 eight miles from that town when it fell into a drift 

 of snow, from which it was impossible to extricate 

 it without further assistance. The guard immediately 

 set off to obtain all necessary aid ; but, when 

 he returned, no trace whatever could be found 

 either of the coach, coachman, or passengers, three 

 in number, who were eventually rescued from their 

 perilous positions. After much difficulty the coach 

 was found, but could not be extricated from the 

 hollow into which it had got. The guard did not 

 reach town until seven o'clock on Tuesday night, 

 having been obliged to travel with the bags on 

 horseback, and in many instances to leave the main 

 road, and proceed across fields in order to avoid 

 the deep drifts of snow. The passengers, coachman, 

 and guard slept at Clayton, seven miles from Brighton. 

 The road below Handcross was quite impassable. 

 The non-arrival of the mail at Crawley induced the 

 post-master there to send a man in a gig to ascertain 

 the cause on Monday afternoon. No tidings being 

 heard of man, gig, or horse for several hours, another 

 man was despatched on horseback, and after a long 

 search he found horse and gig completely built up 

 in the snow. The man was in an exhausted state. 

 After considerable difficulty the horse and gig were 

 extricated, and the party returned to Crawley. The 



