1 84 HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



of Ireland ; in fact, all the market-towns were brought 

 into communication one with another. So, in time, 

 Bianconi succeeded in establishing a perfect system 

 of car communication throughout Ireland, conveying 

 passengers at the rate of one penny farthing a mile. 

 At first the cars were small jaunting-cars, but after a 

 time their size was very much increased. Some cars 

 had four wheels and some two, and four horses in place 

 of the one animal with which he commenced business. 

 The large four-horse cars carried seventeen passengers. 

 The light, fast cars on two wheels were called " Faugh- 

 a-Ballagh," or " clear the way." 



When Bianconi's system was fully established, he 

 had a hundred cars on the road, a hundred and forty 

 stations for changing horses, a hundred drivers, thir- 

 teen hundred horses which performed an average 

 distance of three thousand eight hundred miles daily, 

 passing through twenty-three counties, and calling at a 

 hundred and twenty of the principal towns and cities 

 in the south and west and midland counties of Ireland. 

 Bianconi's horses consumed on an average from three 

 to four thousand tons of hay yearly, besides an enor- 

 mous quantity of oats. Owing to the establishment of 

 Bianconi's cars, the fishermen of Galway and the 

 entire west coast of Ireland were able to send their 

 fish to market at the large towns, in consequence of 

 which they were delivered on the day after they were 

 caught. There is something very sad in the fact that, 

 even at the present day, the Irish do not take advan- 

 tage of the good things that lie almost within their 

 grasp. The Galway fisheries are greatly neglected ; 

 both the sea and the land are extremely prolific, the 

 land being capable of excellent cultivation, whereas 

 the sea is teeming with fish ; besides which the land is 



