72 THE COACHING AGE. 



with the Postmaster-General, appears to have given 

 Mr. Vidler some annoyance, and from, what was con- 

 sidered his extraordinary conduct, a recommendation 

 was made to the Treasury not to accept any tender 

 from him; thus terminated in 1836 the connection 

 between his firm and<^the Postmaster- General, which 

 had existed for about fifty years. 



Not exactly connected with the procession of the 

 mails, but with the passing of the day mail on its 

 way up from Dover to London, is the following 

 anecdote by a gentleman who was a passenger at the 

 time. I cannot do better than give it in his own words : 



' The mail was supposed to belong to the Queen 

 — Her Majesty's mails^-and everyone had to make 

 way. I saw a great lark at Chatham. The soldiers 

 were marching down the military road which crossed 

 the main road. Traffic always stopped for the soldiers : 

 the mail could not get through, and Elwin, the 

 guard, with whom I was sitting behind,* insisted 



on the Queen's right. " D the soldiers ! drive 



through them, Watson !" he cried to the coachman. 

 So the coachman went for them, and the soldiers had 

 to give way, amidst a fair amount of bad language 

 from thfe officers, which was freely and smartly re- 

 turned by the guard and one or two passengers, 

 especially as the officer had a glass in his eye.' 



* The Dover day mail, as also the Brighton, used to carry 

 passengers behind on a seat facing the guard. 



