26o ON THE TRACK OF THE MAIL-COACH 



for the mail - packets was in progress, crowds of 

 spectators used to drive down from Dublin to see 

 what was going on. Parts of the road are flanked by 

 precipitous descents. On a Thursday evening in June 

 a coach, in which were four gentlemen, was shoved 

 out of the road by a number of jaunting cars, and 

 was ^ tumbled over and over the dreadful steep oppo- 

 site Lord Howth's gate,' and dashed into a thousand 

 fragments. Happily, and I must add miraculously, 

 the occupants escaped with a few bruises. 



Belfast, like its great South- Country compeer, Cork, 

 enjoyed a day as well as a night service by mail- 

 coach. The night mail, in common with other 

 coaches, left Dublin at seven p.m. ; it was at Drogheda 

 at half-past ten ; at Dundalk three minutes after one 

 o'clock in the morning ; at hill-surrounded Newry at 

 about half-past two. It reached Belfast at seven a.m., 

 in twelve hours from Dublin in winter, and half an 

 hour less time in summer. 



The day coach took the same route, left Dublin at 

 eight o'clock in the morning, and was due in Belfast 

 (80 Irish or 102 English miles) by eight o'clock at 

 night. The road, as are all Irish highroads, is 

 excellent, and, except about Newry, fairly free from 

 hills, so that the coaches easily maintained over the 

 stages a good nine miles an hour, and, perhaps, 

 between Drogheda and Dundalk a good ten. The 

 Belfast Fair Trader ran as fast as the mail. 



From Belfast were despatched three important 

 cross-road mails — to Derry, 70 Irish miles, in 12 J 



