ON THE TRACK OF THE MAILCOACH 



CHAPTEK I. 



LOMBARD STREET. 



In Lombard Street, in the reign of Queen Mary, ' a 

 coming event cast its shadow before ' : at the sign of 

 the Cradle was to be found amongst his books Eowland 

 Hill. 



My personal knowledge of the old General Post-Office 

 in Lombard Street, which was the true birthplace of 

 the mail-coach system, is derived from a visit of two 

 hours' duration, paid to a remaining fragment of the 

 original building in the year 1848. So, in order to 

 cover, as best I may, very obvious deficiencies in that 

 respect, I propose to begin at the beginning of all, 

 carrying my readers back even as far as the outbreak 

 of the Great Fire of London in 1666. 



At that date there stood in the ' Lumbard ' Street of 

 1379, at the corner of Sherborne Lane, the old church 

 of St. Mary Woolnoth. Behind it, within the area 

 enclosed by Sherborne Lane on the one side, and 



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