COACH PROPRIETORS. 131 



which, about thirty of her coachmen and guards were 

 lodged in the house. They had a sitting-room especially 

 set apart for them, where they dined and passed their 

 evenings ; in this room they used to entertain many 

 celebrities, men of birth and title, who took a strong 

 interest in coaching, and were themselves famous 

 whips. Mrs. Nelson used to give her coachmen and 

 guards a dinner once a year, which lasted for three 

 days in order that all her men might participate in it. 

 Had the dinner been on one night only, many of the 

 guards and coachmen would have been away with 

 their coaches. We are told that some of these guards 

 wore red coats like the mail guards. With this 

 account of Mrs. Nelson, I think I may bring these 

 remarks about coach proprietors to a close. 



Just as stage-coaching became perfected, and the 

 roads were beginning to be works of art, then George 

 Stephenson's success with the " Rocket " caused a new 

 departure, and the locomotive became the chief motive 

 power. Since then the old inns have been decaying 

 away, the roads have become neglected, and, as for the 

 horses, daily numbers are sent abroad, whilst there 

 does not appear to be a sufficient number of fresh ones 

 to take their place. To those who love horses this is 

 a sad and alarming fact ; and it is certainly imperative 

 that Government by legislation should put a check to 

 such a ruinous state of things, otherwise England, that 

 has always stood unrivalled and pre-eminent for the 

 breed of her horses, will be cut out by continental 

 nations, and it is to them eventually that we shall have 

 to go to replenish our stock. To speak once more of 

 the coaches ; the punctuality of some of them was so 

 great that people used to set their watches by them as 

 they arrived in a town. Unhappily the same thing 



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