Il8 ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



out of the window, the unhappy attorney's legs being 

 broken in the fall. In due course, an item appeared 

 in the bill of costs against Sir Francis : To broken 

 legs, surgeon's bill, and loss of time and business, in 

 Sir F. B. Delaval's interests, i^500. 



This was deemed a monstrous charge. For my 

 part, I think Sir Francis, if liable at all, got off very 

 cheaply, inasmuch as I call to mind that when a chief 

 official of the Post-Office, while inspecting a new line 

 of telegraph in Suffolk, unhappily was thrown out of 

 a dog-cart, and sustained a broken leg and other 

 injuries, the doctor's bill alone came to a sum not 

 very far short of the claim raised against the politician. 



The two great authorities on main roads were Gary 

 and Paterson. Gary had long been on friendly terms 

 with the Post-Office. In 1798, when he brought out 

 his ' New Itinerary,' and afterwards his ' Gounty 

 Atlas,' he declared them to be compiled from actual 

 admeasurement, by command of his Majesty's Post- 

 master-General, for official purposes. 



Again, on January 14, 1820, postmasters were 

 directed by an official notice ' to give any information 

 they may be able to Mr. Gary, in his inquiries about 

 country seats or roads.' Now, although Gary had 

 chained the minor distances with care, he was said to 

 be not always arithmetically correct in computing the 

 sum of the major measurements. Paterson, according 

 to Lord Ghancellor Gampbell,* imitated Gary's Koad- 

 book, even to its errors. 



•^ ' Chancellors of England,' vol. vi., p. 562. 



