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against Selby driving from the White Horse Cellars in Piccadilly to 

 the Old Ship in Brighton and back in eight hours ; distance being 

 104 miles. The event came off on the 18th July following. With five 

 gentlemen on the coach and the guard, Selby started with the " Old 

 Times " from Hatchett's at 10 a.m. to the minute, and reached the Old 

 Ship at 1.56.10 p.m. Here he turned round and started on the return 

 journey without further delay. He arrived at the White Horse Cellars 

 at 5.50, welcomed with thundering cheers by a large concourse of 

 people. Thus he won the bet, with ten minutes to spare, and did the 

 104 miles in just 7h. 50min. There were thirteen changes, which 

 together occupied 14min. 25sec., the plate being greased upon two of 

 the occasions. The coach was stopped specially to grease it a third 

 time, and again to allow the party to get down, which they did only 

 once. Each of the special pull-ups took a minute, therefore IGmio. 

 25sec. was all that was lost in the fifteen stoppages. At Streatham 

 and Patcham on the down journey, the smart lads in changing his 

 horses detained Selby only forty-seven seconds. Deducting the time 

 taken for stoppages, an average of just fourteen miles an hour was 

 kept up ; i.e.^ 4min. 4sec. to the mile. Between Earlswood and 

 Horley, on the down journey, the pace was twenty miles an hour ! 



Selby for years had driven the " Old Times " between London and 

 Brighton, and was not alone well known along the road, but, being 

 the cheeriest and most obliging of men, was intensely popular with all 

 classes. The day fixed for the great drive was, of course, well known, 

 and the hour at which he would pass each place was accurately calculated 

 so with that love for sport and fair play inherent to Englishmen, all 

 parts of the road were, at the time, kept clear for him on both his out 

 and homeward journey. And this applied to the London streets 

 through which he passed. 



Just as the coach at full gallop was approaching the railway crossing 

 at Crawley, a train appeared. To signal one or other of the drivers to 

 stop was imperative on the part of the gate-keeper, but, like a sports- 

 man, he selected him of the locomotive, and hoisting his danger flag 

 brought the train to a stand, which enabled Selby, without a check, to 

 flash by in front. 



As an example of the keenness with which the London police perform 

 their duty, Selby was served with a summons for " furious driving " a 

 day or two after the event ; but the Beak before whom he was 

 arraigned, like a sensible man, let him off with a caution ! 



Needless to say, the hero was feted in fashion usual with Englishmen 

 upon all occasions where nerve and skill in anything pertaining to 

 sport are exhibited to a degree such as was done in this great drive. 

 But the poor fellow did not long live to enjoy his reputation, for in 

 the following winter he caught cold and died of inflammation of the 

 lungs. 



Since I wrote the foregoing I have come across an article upon driving 

 which appeared some time ago in the Live Stock Journal over the 



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