BIPEDS AND QUADRUPEDS. 31 



place, made this only remark, " The man drove very 

 \vell," or " He brought us home very quick"? If re- 

 collection bring back nothing similar to the mind, I 

 bow with submission, in allowing that in your case 

 my hypothesis does not apply. 



Let every man, however, and every class of men, 

 have fair play and justice done them ; the cab 

 owners and cab drivers of 1853 are no more like 

 what they were in 1845, than are their horses like 

 the wretched animals who drew hackney coaches 

 in 1800. I really believe we are indebted in a great 

 measure for this improvement to Hansom ; he intro- 

 duced a superior running vehicle, very superior 

 horses, and was prudent enough to also secure su- 

 perior men to drive them. We read a vast deal of 

 twaddle and misrepresentation that editors of news- 

 papers are pestered with, from " a Victim," " a 

 Sufferer," and the Lord knows who, for the editor 

 usually does not, though his courtesy induces him to 

 insert the communication. But the accusations are 

 often quite unfounded. I can only say, I very rarely 

 indeed meet with extortion or insolence in a cabman. 

 Some may say or think I am particularly fortunate 



