The Sport of Our Jincestors 



Infshort, they have a new force to contend with at every 

 step they take. But this is not all. Instead of checking the 

 active force of his coach before she begins to move down- 

 ward, he too often adds that to the fresh impulse she acquires 

 on her descent. Every coachman, who has a regard for the 

 safety of his own neck, should check the velocity of his coach 

 at the top of every hill ; which, in the language of the road, is 

 termed ' taking a hill in time.' He may, in that case, if his 

 harness be sound, drive his coach down most hills now found 

 on our roads with ease ; and, when a certain way down 

 them, may increase his pace, with perfect safety, to meet the 

 opposing ground at the bottom. With heavily-laden coaches 

 we prefer this to the drag-chain on one wheel only, by which 

 hundreds of them have been pulled over on slippery roads ; 

 and which is a great check to speed, too, as the momentum 

 cannot be taken advantage of, in continuing the motion of 

 the coach when she brings the horses to their collars again. 

 All persons who have travelled on the Continent have 

 observed an appendage to the public carriages by which both 

 hinder- wheels can be * dragged,' as the term is, or their 

 rapid rotation checked, by the conducteur, or guard, without 

 his descending from his seat ; and which is vulgarly called 

 ' le mechanique.^ It is much to be regretted that a similar 

 instrument is not in general use with our stage and mail- 

 coaches, as it would be the means of preventing numerous 

 accidents that occur by coaches overpowering horses when 

 descending long hills, but such as are not considered suffi- 

 ciently steep to require the drag-chain ; or, in case of horses 



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