3IO HIGHWAYS AND HORSES. 



I see in the Morning Post of to-day, Tuesday, 

 August 30th, 1887, the following paragraph : 



" The Guildford Coach. — This well-known coach, 

 called ' The New Times,' which has been running 

 between 'Hatchett's' Hotel, Piccadilly, and the 'Angel' 

 Hotel, Guildford, has now stopped, and the horses will 

 be sold by Messrs. W. & S. Freeman, at Aldridge's. 

 This coach was one of the best horsed of the season,, 

 and has been mostly driven by its owner, Mr. Walter 

 Shoolbred. There are altogether twenty-nine horses to 

 be sold." 



It is a strange thing that this coach should have 

 ceased running so soon, as the best times for coaching 

 are undoubtedly the spring and autumn ; during such 

 a hot summer as we have lately experienced, driving 

 daily along the dusty roads in the hot sun must have 

 been very trying to the horses, and very unpleasant for 

 those who were seated on the top of a coach ; 

 consequently it is a strange thing that, directly the 

 weather became cooler, and the dust was laid by a few 

 heavy showers, the Guildford coach should have ceased 

 running, and have been taken off the road, which is one 

 of the prettiest anywhere out of London. This year 

 there have been a great number of coaches on the road^ 

 about which I will presently speak. 



There is no doubt that there are just as good 

 coachmen now as there were in the old coaching days ; 

 besides which, coach-building has greatly improved, 

 harness is better made, and far lighter and neater in ap- 

 pearance than it used to be. The coaches that leave 

 the White Horse Cellars and the "Grand" and 

 " Metropole " Hotels, before emerging from London, 

 have to traverse thoroughfares far more crowded and 

 dangerous to navigate successfully with a well-bred 



