THE COACHING CLUB. 333 



Goddard was the originator of the institution, was 

 entered early to coaching, and drove the drag of the 

 Royals before the days of the so-called revival. Few 

 more enthusiastic devotees of the road than the Major, 

 who keeps his hand in all the year round, and is never 

 so happy as when he is driving the * Old Times ' 

 through frost and snow, and is able to boast, even in 

 the most severe weather, that he is up to time at 

 ' Hatchett's ' on the return journey. He has a very easy 

 task on this occasion, driving three neat bays and a 

 chestnut. The chestnuts of Sir Clifford Constable 

 formed, there is no doubt, the best-looking team at the 

 meet. He is famous for his chestnuts ; he sold a team 

 last year to Mr. Walter Shoolbred." This corre- 

 spondent goes on to state that Lord Charles Beresford, 

 Mr. Trotter, Mr. Winthrop Praed, Sir Bache Cunard, 

 Mr. Murietta, Mr. Banbury, Sir Henry Tufton, and 

 Sir Henry Thompson, were present with their coache.«? 

 at this meet. 



To show that these smart amateur coaches are 

 not always exempt from accident, notwithstanding 

 the care expended upon them, I give the following 

 extract from the Sporting Gazette of May 13th, 1882 : 

 "A great many coaches have been seen about town 

 during the past week or two. On Wednesday 

 afternoon some excitement was caused in Queen's 

 Gate by an accident to Major Lawe's drag, the axle- 

 tree of which broke ; the occupants were thrown off, 

 one lady, Mrs. Willis, had her leg injured."* Such 

 an event as the capsizing of a coach might have had 

 far more serious results ; in fact, it is a wonder that 

 no one was killed, as being thrown on to a hard 

 macadamised road or street pavement is a very 

 different thing to being pitched out on to a grassy 



* See page 367. 



