PROCESSION OF THE MAILS. 71 



the first out of London, was started in 1784, and in 

 the year 1827 the contract was with the firm of 

 Messrs. Vidler and Parratt, Mr. Vidler, who died in 

 the previous year, having, it was said, had the contract 

 for upwards of forty years; and it continued in the 

 hands of Vidler and Parratt up to the year 1836, 

 when the alteration was made in the build of the 

 coaches, and the country divided into three districts, 

 as suggested by Mr. Louis, surveyor and superintend- 

 ent of mail-coaches at the time the alterations were 

 in hand. The districts he recomniended were : 



Southern 4,644 miles. 



Midland - 5,350 „ 



Northern - ' 3,288 „ 



Total 13,282 



In 1835 the number of miles performed by Vidler's 

 mail-coaches per day was upwards of thirteen thousand, 

 comprising nearly the whole of the mail-roads in 

 England and Scotland. It is evident that the con- 

 tractors must have made a good thing out of the mail- 

 contracts at not less than threepence a mile, besides 

 the annual charge of about £2,400 for oiling, greasing, 

 and taking the coaches backwards and forwards from 

 their factory to the inns from which they started. 



The throwing open the contract for the supply of 

 mails m future, together with some other differences 



